Actually, those rear buttons are unique. They are not the same triggers and buttons. They are highly useful in FPS games for functions like crouch.

The em dash? I always use it—love it—you’ll have to take it from cold, dead hands.

When I first got a Steam account, my original plan was to buy every game released on it. But now that’s impossible.

Exactly, every game I’ve ever bought is still accessible.

Yep, the key is to use mouse instead of joystick-mouse.

I admire the cut of your jib.

You’re not wrong that the market has changed.

I often tell people that the biggest innovations in PC gaming are not graphics but form factors and inputs.

And yet, when I look at my library, only half of new games released within the past five years support X-input. They are still exclusively keyboard-and-mouse.

Granted, that’s way more than what was available 10 years ago, but it’s still a problem.

Or it would be if the Steam Deck didn’t make it trivially easy to adapt keyboard-and-mouse controls to a controller. Which happened because of the innovation first introduced with the Steam Controller.

It’s now at the point where keyboard-and-mouse is optional—just a preference if you want to use it.

Okay, but I didn’t want to buy a new console. Instead, I wanted to use my PC as a console replacement.

But also, there’s a surprising amount of games that never got a console release. For example, Blood and Septerra Core—never arrived on any console. I own those games, and the Steam controller let me play them on my TV very easily.

Hey, the Steam controller is good for one other kind of game I play quite often: Diablo-style hack-'n-slash RPGs that are mouse-driven.

They have default configurations available for many popular games. The problem is, there’s over 100,000 PC games out there. Which is why it’s generally a good idea to look for community-built configurations before making your own.

That’s the key. If you’re wanting to play something like Street Fighter VI, the Steam controller probably won’t fly.

But because I wanted to play Dungeon Siege on my TV, it works far better than a traditional controller ever could.

For the Steam controller to work for you, you have to come in with the mentality of it replacing a keyboard-and-mouse.

I feel a right stick is more useful for games deliberately designed as twin stick shooters. Geometry Wars is a good example of this. Using a trackpad for aiming is fine, but that doesn’t really feel like an arcade experience.

Yes, that’s the other thing: the trackpad D-pad is not as good as a button D-pad.

Actually, my kid’s needs really are substantially different from others.

My daughter is autistic. She has trouble communicating verbally. But on Roblox, she finds it much easier to socialize.

She has never spent a cent on microtransactions but gets the opportunity to talk to other kids without being bullied.

I’m not taking that away from her just because strangers on the Internet can’t fathom different kids have different needs.

I’m hearing you loud and clear.

Provide research with accompanying links or GTFO.

Dismissing? Nah.

Calling out groupthink when I see the same tired talking points—no research, no citations, just noise? Hell yeah, I’m gonna call that out.

I’ve never defended “corporate garbage.” I’ve said straight up: there are hundreds of thousands of mobile games, some you can buy outright—no microtransactions attached. More premium paid games on iOS alone than the entire NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube libraries combined.

Let me say it again: you don’t have to play gacha games. Plenty of premium mobile titles exist if you’re willing to look.

But here? Everyone ignores that fact, chooses groupthink instead, and barks the same tired lines.

And yeah, I know this won’t convince anyone here. They’re too busy flexing their Lemmy in-group credentials to entertain anything that breaks the echo chamber.

I’m saying it anyway, loud and clear.

There are literally people here insisting all mobile games are gacha. When I drop hard stats proving otherwise, instead of reconsidering, suddenly I’m a secret shill pushing for some stats company.

That’s the quality of convo I’m dealing with in this thread. And you? No different.

I think I know my kid better than you, a random Internet stranger who’s never met her before in her life. And consequently, has no understanding of what her actual needs are.

Ha! A “few” interactions…

This isn’t a PS2 game, it was a Win XP game – hence why this specific screenshot was taken in 1200p. There is, though, a separate version available for PSP that looks like this, and that’s way more low-poly.

That said, yeah. There’s a huge noticeable difference between today’s high res, high refresh rate graphics and the PS2.

It’s entirely your prerogative to spend time and money on whatever you think will be likely worthwhile to you.

But without actually playing a game, it’s strict guesswork on whether a game is quality or not.

Seriously, there’s no harm in saying, “I don’t know whether this game is good – I haven’t tried it.”

That Robocop game has an 87% positive rating, but I got it for 93.35% – for a total of C$4.63.

As for Nickelodeon Kart Racer 3, I have the previous two games and really liked them. It’s a great couch co-op game with my kid. So I got the third one for 92.4% off the original price – for a total of C$4.32.

All in all, I did pretty well for myself.

Lemmy isn’t a big place. People who populate gaming threads are an even smaller fraction of the userbase. So to see the same handful of opinions, repeated again and again, upvoted ad infinitum – that’s a pretty good sample size.

I deliberately posted this thread as a contrarian take. And what do you know, it proved to be contrarian.

I didn’t say anything outrageous or mean-spirited. Everything has been quite reasonable. But judging by the responses – you all think every mobile game is a gacha game – I can safely say few of you have nearly as much experience with games as you believe you do.

By the way, this is why I generally put little stock into self-declared “gamers” opinions. Most of you are obsessed with playing things in a prescribed manner, in a particular way, regarding a specific canon. And you generally adhere to the same bland culture with little appreciation for diversity.

You seem to think your taste is more exceptional than people you deem as basic.

But how exactly did you arrive at your taste? Hype? Influencers? Marketing?

You compare games to beer and say Bud is “complete swill”. Fair enough. But almost everyone drinking IPA is doing so because some hipster said this is real beer – and everyone else just went along with it.

Personally, I’ve never read a James Patterson or Danielle Steel book in my life. But I’ve met plenty of people who claim up and down that Jack Kerouac and David Foster Wallace is top tier literature. How have so many people – who oddly seem to dress the same, have the same manners, operate with similar world views – seem to all be convinced those two authors are peak?

My personal standpoint is that nobody has taste unless they do the discovering themselves. That means no relying on marketers, gatekeepers, tastemakers, or algorithms. Go and dig for themselves.

If you’re willing to do that, form an opinion all on your own, kudos. But most people – even people who swear up and down that they have taste – won’t.

I’m skeptical that people here are as knowledgeable as they claim.

I know from several other threads that the majority of folks here stick to a few handfuls of games and sink 1,000s of hours into them. That might make them an expert at a specific MMO, but it certainly doesn’t make them experts in every game at a glance.

I have a more compelling suggestion: only judge games you play.

Of the games you’ve listed, I only own two of them.

I have Final Fantasy VII, which is the first game I ever bought on Steam. I’ve put in around 30 hours into it.

The other game is Heavy Rain, which I just bought last month. Haven’t started it yet.

Won’t work because I haven’t bought everything directly through Steam itself.

Whatever floats your boat, but it’s a waste of time looking down on people enjoying the occasional McDonalds cheeseburger and fries.

I just spent the last two weeks in San Diego and hated it.

I hated the freeways, the strip malls, and the car-centrism. More than that, I hated the complete and utter hostility towards walking.

There were places that were 0.5 miles away. It would take three minutes to drive there yet an hour to walk because the assholes who designed the city couldn’t be bothered to build a pedestrian overpass.

I feel very strongly that cities like this are everything wrong with the USA, and that the reason so much shit happens in the USA are because cities are simply unlivable.

But Americans—specifically American voters—have decided this is what they aspire towards, and being antagonistic towards the average American is ultimately unhelpful.

Now why do I mention this? Because there’s a host of things that suck, and there’s only so much bandwidth to give a damn.

The real problem you’re talking about isn’t games. It’s financial literacy. Schools don’t teach it. Employers are hostile towards it. Governments just want you to spend—they don’t want you to save.

Financial literacy is what saves people from making terrible financial decisions.

You are correct. I have never once bought a new release on Steam.

Black Myth: Wukong tempted me. But I did not cave to temptation.

Because the post doesn’t suggest anything.

I mean, I wrote a whole lot of text explaining why I collect so many games.

It’s a random stranger gloating about spending thousands of dollars on games they barely play.

I haven’t even told you how much money I’ve spent. And of the money I’ve spent, it’s not exactly a lot. I know people who’ve spent more money on hardware than I’ve spent on games.

No interest in starting any meaningful conversation whatsoever.

And yet, there’s lots of conversation here. You’ve already written paragraphs. Go figure.

OP did not say anything meaningful or specific about their favorite “stories” or “moments” in games

If you want to see posts where I talk about specific games, just go through my history.

and did not show any interest in learning about yours or ours.

If you want to share your story, do so. Actually, you already did.

You or OP can do whatever you want, but if you gloat about your senseless consumption habits online while showing zero interest in starting any meaningful discussion

Oh, there’s sense. Maybe not sense in your prescribed manner, but there’s sense.

don’t throw out the pikachu face when you get clowned.

I really don’t mind the many different reactions.

Talk about them then. No one’s stopping you or OP—although I imagine it’s hard to talk about thousands of games they haven’t played 😂

Yep, no one’s stopping me – which is why I talk about specific games.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if OP did this instead of generically gloating about amassing a huge library of games they barely play?

Just because you’re seeing this post here now doesn’t mean I don’t talk about specific games elsewhere. In fact, if you go through my posting history, you can see all the many times I talk about my experiences with games. Feel free to comment on them.

The reason why you’re commenting here now, and not on my post about Curse: Eye of Isis is because this specific post created an emotional reaction in you.

Or hell, you can look on my Akkoma account. I posted this about Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death last night:

https://atomicpoet.org/notice/AvkWBhY1PJvUqiElYu

Oh, I looked. The “value” isn’t accurate. I bought most in bundle deals or at deep discounts.

I’m older than you.

I also grew up in an age when arcades were all the rage—and games weren’t meant to be completed. The goal was simply to get the high score.

That’s still my mentality to gaming. Most of the time, I don’t care about stories. When there’s cutscenes, I usually skip them.

What I’m more interested in is how much time they have for playing games. What’s they’re lifestyle like that they can play nearly 2k games while also accomplishing other life goals? It’s not an unreasonable amount, just sufficiently high that it raises some eyebrows.

I’m lucky enough to work for myself at home, do things in my own time. More importantly, my work is entirely data driven—I rarely interact with people.

It is not exciting work. Actually, it’s quite boring. But it puts food on the table, pays bills, and gives me time to do things I enjoy.

Your premise would be true if kids were compelled to spend money. But I watch my kids’ spending habits like a hawk. If what you were saying were true, I’d notice transactions being made.

Which leads me to believe that you’re either exaggerating or deliberately engaging in moral panic because others are having fun in your non-preferred way.

My kid has spent more money on new Switch games than Roblox.

Sure, here’s my top three by hours spent:

1. Spelunky - 92.2 hours
2. Legends of Solitaire: Curse of the Dragons - 58.9 hours
3. Civilization V - 50.2 hours

Why should anyone be compelled to finish a game?

So wait a minute. You cannot enjoy a simple cheeseburger with fries because McDonalds is beneath you?

The only game I own on this list is Amnesia.

But yes, during a weekend, I’ve been known to launch a few titles. 😆