It's a new year, with the promise of many new games to come. Are we
excited about any of them? Here's a partial list of titles expected to
release this year; do any of these wet your whistle?

Anno 117: Pax Romana -- Assassin’s Creed Shadows -- Atomfall --
Avowed -- Borderlands 4 -- Civilization 7 -- Death Stranding 2 --
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD -- Doom: The Dark Ages --
Dune: Awakening -- Elden Ring Nightreign -- Fable -- Ghosts
of Yotei -- Grand Theft Auto 6 -- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 --
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza -- Mafia: The Old Country --
Marathon -- Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra -- Metal Gear Solid Delta --
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond -- Monster Hunter Wilds -- Outer Worlds 2 --
Sniper Elite: Resistance -- Subnautica 2 -- Synduality Echo of Ada

(feel free to add to the list if you felt I missed any. I only did the
most preliminary of searches)

*

Like, I suspect most of you here, I'm not the sort to rush out and buy
any of these games on Day One. It's not worth the price nor the hassle
of dealing with unpatched bugs. Still, there are at least a few I'm
/tempted/ to Day One purchases.

Most notable is "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2". The first game was...
well, I can't honestly say it was great. It was gorgeous certainly
(one of the best looking games in my extensive library), and I loved
its portrayal of medieval Bohemia. It had some very interesting
mechanics and a fairly good story. It did have this minor failing of
not being, you know, all that much fun to actually play. I don't
expect the sequel to be much better, but still, I look forward to
immersing myself in its world again. It's definitely one of the games
I'm most likely to buy this year.

"Civilization 7" is pretty high on that list too although honestly, I
don't really know anything about it, but... it's Civilization, damn
it. Do I need anything more? I think the biggest thing that makes me
hesitate is that I already /own/ six versions of the game and adding
another one doesn't seem necessary (especially since I'm terrified of
playing any of the older ones anyway). But I know I won't be able to
resist. Meier's got his hooks in me too deep.

Less certain to make the list is "Doom: The Dark Ages", but for
largely the same reason as "Civilization"; it's part of a franchise I
have a good deal of attachment too. Frankly, I'm not the biggest fan
of the gameplay of the newer games, but I gotta admit, I'm sort of
interested in where they take the story (Carmack would be rolling in
his grave, were he dead, for me to say the /story/ is what I'm most
interested in a Doom game). But even if its comic-book schlock, I
gotta admit that the narrative and back-story Bethesda has built up
around the Doom franchise is what's got me hooked.

Other than that... well, there are a number of games that look
interesting to me, but none of them leap out and say, "Play, play,
play!" Certainly in time, most of these will get added to the library,
and many will at least get a short look-over, but I'm fine waiting a
year or six before that happens.

*

What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
humdrum experience like was 2024?

On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:00:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
>heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
>going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
>humdrum experience like was 2024?

I might have cared about Civ 7 but I haven't been keeping up with the
franchise. The last Civ I played extensively was Civ 3.

The only game coming out this year that I am looking forward to is an
indie old-school dungeon crawler I already mentioned in another
thread. That is it for me. The games I got from you are going to keep
me busy for the rest of the year I think.

>Here's a partial list of titles

I look at that list with regret that I'll never play any of them. I see
many sequels or dlc to previous games that I haven't played either :)

rms

None! I just want free games. /s

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> It's a new year, with the promise of many new games to come. Are we
> excited about any of them? Here's a partial list of titles expected to
> release this year; do any of these wet your whistle?

> Anno 117: Pax Romana -- Assassin?s Creed Shadows -- Atomfall --
> Avowed -- Borderlands 4 -- Civilization 7 -- Death Stranding 2 --
> Donkey Kong Country Returns HD -- Doom: The Dark Ages --
> Dune: Awakening -- Elden Ring Nightreign -- Fable -- Ghosts
> of Yotei -- Grand Theft Auto 6 -- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 --
> Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza -- Mafia: The Old Country --
> Marathon -- Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra -- Metal Gear Solid Delta --
> Metroid Prime 4: Beyond -- Monster Hunter Wilds -- Outer Worlds 2 --
> Sniper Elite: Resistance -- Subnautica 2 -- Synduality Echo of Ada

> (feel free to add to the list if you felt I missed any. I only did the
> most preliminary of searches)

> *

> Like, I suspect most of you here, I'm not the sort to rush out and buy
> any of these games on Day One. It's not worth the price nor the hassle
> of dealing with unpatched bugs. Still, there are at least a few I'm
> /tempted/ to Day One purchases.

> Most notable is "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2". The first game was...
> well, I can't honestly say it was great. It was gorgeous certainly
> (one of the best looking games in my extensive library), and I loved
> its portrayal of medieval Bohemia. It had some very interesting
> mechanics and a fairly good story. It did have this minor failing of
> not being, you know, all that much fun to actually play. I don't
> expect the sequel to be much better, but still, I look forward to
> immersing myself in its world again. It's definitely one of the games
> I'm most likely to buy this year.

> "Civilization 7" is pretty high on that list too although honestly, I
> don't really know anything about it, but... it's Civilization, damn
> it. Do I need anything more? I think the biggest thing that makes me
> hesitate is that I already /own/ six versions of the game and adding
> another one doesn't seem necessary (especially since I'm terrified of
> playing any of the older ones anyway). But I know I won't be able to
> resist. Meier's got his hooks in me too deep.

> Less certain to make the list is "Doom: The Dark Ages", but for
> largely the same reason as "Civilization"; it's part of a franchise I
> have a good deal of attachment too. Frankly, I'm not the biggest fan
> of the gameplay of the newer games, but I gotta admit, I'm sort of
> interested in where they take the story (Carmack would be rolling in
> his grave, were he dead, for me to say the /story/ is what I'm most
> interested in a Doom game). But even if its comic-book schlock, I
> gotta admit that the narrative and back-story Bethesda has built up
> around the Doom franchise is what's got me hooked.

> Other than that... well, there are a number of games that look
> interesting to me, but none of them leap out and say, "Play, play,
> play!" Certainly in time, most of these will get added to the library,
> and many will at least get a short look-over, but I'm fine waiting a
> year or six before that happens.

> *

> What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
> heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
> going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
> humdrum experience like was 2024?

--
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." --2 Corinthians 12:9. It had been a decade since this old ant was laid off from a FTE job. :( Beat Boston! :P
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

> "Civilization 7" is pretty high on that list too although honestly, I
> don't really know anything about it, but... it's Civilization, damn
> it. Do I need anything more? I think the biggest thing that makes me
> hesitate is that I already /own/ six versions of the game and adding
> another one doesn't seem necessary (especially since I'm terrified of
> playing any of the older ones anyway). But I know I won't be able to
> resist. Meier's got his hooks in me too deep.

Cyclopean: I've seen dozens of pixel graphics games, but usually the
quest is as simple as the graphics. This one looks to stretch the
imagination and I've seen at least one piece of evidence that it will.

Assassin's Creed: Shadow. This franchise has highs and lows on every
release. From the press coverage, they have stepped back and returned
what made some of the earlier Assassin's Creeds great.

Little Nightmares III: saw an ad in my Facebook feed for this. I like
that personal touch. It's what got me started on Jagged Alliance.

On 23/01/2025 19:57, Mike S. wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:00:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
> <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
>> heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
>> going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
>> humdrum experience like was 2024?
>
> I might have cared about Civ 7 but I haven't been keeping up with the
> franchise. The last Civ I played extensively was Civ 3.
>
> The only game coming out this year that I am looking forward to is an
> indie old-school dungeon crawler I already mentioned in another
> thread. That is it for me. The games I got from you are going to keep
> me busy for the rest of the year I think.

Civ II/III I played a lot, Civ IV I liked but it just didn't have the
same engagement factor of just one more turn as the previous two before
you realised it was 1 o'clock in the morning. Civ V I really didn't get
into and never even managed to complete a full campaign. I doubt I'll
get Civ VII.

On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 12:09:06 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>On 23/01/2025 19:57, Mike S. wrote:
>> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:00:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
>> <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
>>> heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
>>> going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
>>> humdrum experience like was 2024?
>>
>> I might have cared about Civ 7 but I haven't been keeping up with the
>> franchise. The last Civ I played extensively was Civ 3.
>>
>> The only game coming out this year that I am looking forward to is an
>> indie old-school dungeon crawler I already mentioned in another
>> thread. That is it for me. The games I got from you are going to keep
>> me busy for the rest of the year I think.
>
>Civ II/III I played a lot, Civ IV I liked but it just didn't have the
>same engagement factor of just one more turn as the previous two before
>you realised it was 1 o'clock in the morning. Civ V I really didn't get
>into and never even managed to complete a full campaign. I doubt I'll
>get Civ VII.

I'm sort of the same. The original Civilization: muah, just perfect.
Civilization 2: good, but a bit kitchen-sinky* and lacking that sleek
perfection of the original. Civilization 3: some good ideas, but
increasingly top-heavy. Civilization IV: a wonderful reimagining of
the game, and in the running for my favorite of the series.
Civilization 5: Civ4 but some new, not perfectly embraced ideas. And,
honestly, I don't even REMEMBER Civilization VI. It existed. I played
it. It was Civilization so overall I had fun. But nothing about it
stands out in any way that I recall.

And, quite honestly, I suspect Civilization VII will be the same as
its predecessor: a game that exists but doesn't really need to. I'd
love it re-invented the series the same way Civilization IV did, but I
don't expect it to.

But it's a Civilization game, so I /have/ to give it a chance. I'll
buy it and play it based on the franchise alone, and not out of any
earnest desire to have a new iteration in the series. I'll probably
even have fun with it. But I don't expect it to be memorable.

* it's gonna happen. I'm gonna make this a commonly used phrase. I
know if I just keep at it, others will pick it up too. ;-)

On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:51:45 -0600, Tahitian pearl
<j63480576@gmail.com> wrote:

>Little Nightmares III: saw an ad in my Facebook feed for this. I like
>that personal touch. It's what got me started on Jagged Alliance.

"Little Nightmares" got you started on "Jagged Alliance"?!?

The two games are light-years apart. The former is a surreal
third-person puzzler/platformer (of the usual Indie-bent: small child
in horrific situations with shadowy visuals). "Jagged Alliance" is an
'isometric' tactical strategy game using modern-warfare tactics and
situations. They are almost as far apart in tone, gameplay and style
as two video games can get. They don't even share the same developers.

It's sort of like saying "Super Mario Bros. 3" got me started on "DCS:
A-10 Warthog". I mean, I'm sure there's a connection, but I absolutely
cannot see it.

On 1/23/2025 11:57 AM, Mike S. wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:00:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
> <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
>> heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
>> going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
>> humdrum experience like was 2024?
>
> I might have cared about Civ 7 but I haven't been keeping up with the
> franchise. The last Civ I played extensively was Civ 3.
>
There was no Civ 3. Only the original Civilization and the final,
authoritative Civilization II.

:P

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 07:47:42 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>On 1/23/2025 11:57 AM, Mike S. wrote:

>> I might have cared about Civ 7 but I haven't been keeping up with the
>> franchise. The last Civ I played extensively was Civ 3.

>There was no Civ 3. Only the original Civilization and the final,
>authoritative Civilization II.

Bah!

There was "Civilization" and "Advanced Civilization", created by
Avalon Hill in 1981 and 1991 respectively, and nothing better using
that name has been created since.

(Well, there was one of these new-fangled 'video-games' released in
1995 based on "Advanced Civilization" and sharing the same name. But
I'm pretty sure these 'video-game' things are just a flash-in-the-pan
fad that aren't going to stick around for very long, so it's hardly
worth mentioning).

Any rumors about any other products sharing the same name are just the
fevered rantings of the psychologically unwell. ;-)

On 1/23/2025 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> It's a new year, with the promise of many new games to come. Are we
> excited about any of them? Here's a partial list of titles expected to
> release this year; do any of these wet your whistle?
>
> Anno 117: Pax Romana -- Assassin’s Creed Shadows -- Atomfall --
> Avowed -- Borderlands 4 -- Civilization 7 -- Death Stranding 2 --
> Donkey Kong Country Returns HD -- Doom: The Dark Ages --
> Dune: Awakening -- Elden Ring Nightreign -- Fable -- Ghosts
> of Yotei -- Grand Theft Auto 6 -- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 --
> Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza -- Mafia: The Old Country --
> Marathon -- Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra -- Metal Gear Solid Delta --
> Metroid Prime 4: Beyond -- Monster Hunter Wilds -- Outer Worlds 2 --
> Sniper Elite: Resistance -- Subnautica 2 -- Synduality Echo of Ada
>
> (feel free to add to the list if you felt I missed any. I only did the
> most preliminary of searches)

Looking forward to cautiously, things I might buy within a :

#1 Elden Ring Nightreign. It looks cool, I've no idea if I'll like that
kind of game as it doesn't have builds, and may not have magic users.
I'm not sure about the kind of game it is, I never got into those. At
least it's not open world, and it's full online co-op instead of having
pvp, it also seems to have a bunch of DS 1-3 things in it which is a
plus instead of being just ER. I'll probably buy this reasonably close
to release as long as the reviews are good and there's no debacles like
every other big game release these days.

#2 Outer Worlds 2 - I suppose I need to get around to playing the
original with DLCs first though.

#3 Doom: the Dark Ages - *sounds* interesting, this one will definitely
be a wait and see, and may be delayed both by games I want to replay and
the above 2. I still have to play the latest doom which I own already.

#4 Fable - I do like me a silly game, and enjoyed the original, though
not enough to play it a 2nd time. Looking at the trailer the humor
seems more 'public access tv' which doesn't do anything for me though.
Also I never got to Fable II or III, both xbox exclusives. I do have a
360 though, so I could buy them. The price seems a little high for
something that old and questionable. The reboot or whatever it is for
this year may or may not be exclusive as well. I won't be trying it if
it is.

>
> Most notable is "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2".
> It did have this minor failing of> not being, you know, all that much
fun to actually play.

That's a major failing. I didn't complete it, but it was interesting to
play for quite a bit. This I would put on my "Buy it a couple years
after release (or free) at a discount if the reviews are decent." list.

> What about you? Any games in the list (or not in the list but you've
> heard of elsewhere) that you're waiting for, eagerly or not? Is 2025
> going to be one of the great years in gaming, you think, or a fairly
> humdrum experience like was 2024?

I don't even know if I can rouse myself to play PC games much anymore.
I got hooked on reading sci-fi/fantasy again and have been blowing
through books like crazy.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

On 1/23/2025 6:51 PM, Tahitian pearl wrote:

> Cyclopean:  I've seen dozens of pixel graphics games, but usually the
> quest is as simple as the graphics.  This one looks to stretch the
> imagination and I've seen at least one piece of evidence that it will.

I always mean to play more indy CRPGs, but they always seem too daunting
to ever get around to start. Being apparently single person instead of
party this actually looks much less so. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:51:45 -0600, Tahitian pearl
<j63480576@gmail.com> wrote:

>Cyclopean: I've seen dozens of pixel graphics games, but usually the
>quest is as simple as the graphics. This one looks to stretch the
>imagination and I've seen at least one piece of evidence that it will.

I love indie RPGs so thanks for mentioning this one. I will be keeping
an eye on it. I admit, at first the graphics turned me off, but they
slowly grew on me as I learned more about the game.

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:51:45 -0600, Tahitian pearl
> <j63480576@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Little Nightmares III: saw an ad in my Facebook feed for this. I like
>> that personal touch. It's what got me started on Jagged Alliance.
>
>
> "Little Nightmares" got you started on "Jagged Alliance"?!?
>
> The two games are light-years apart. The former is a surreal
> third-person puzzler/platformer (of the usual Indie-bent: small child
> in horrific situations with shadowy visuals). "Jagged Alliance" is an
> 'isometric' tactical strategy game using modern-warfare tactics and
> situations. They are almost as far apart in tone, gameplay and style
> as two video games can get. They don't even share the same developers.
>
> It's sort of like saying "Super Mario Bros. 3" got me started on "DCS:
> A-10 Warthog". I mean, I'm sure there's a connection, but I absolutely
> cannot see it.
>
>
Not like that, i meant that I was singled out to play both. I received
a postcard for Jagged Alliance back on State Street, where I went to
graduate school. The notice for Little Creatures III showed up in my
stuff one day because some algorithm AI or person determined we were
made for each other.

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:51:45 -0600, Tahitian pearl
> <j63480576@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Little Nightmares III: saw an ad in my Facebook feed for this. I like
>> that personal touch. It's what got me started on Jagged Alliance.
>
>
> "Little Nightmares" got you started on "Jagged Alliance"?!?
>
> The two games are light-years apart. The former is a surreal
> third-person puzzler/platformer (of the usual Indie-bent: small child
> in horrific situations with shadowy visuals). "Jagged Alliance" is an
> 'isometric' tactical strategy game using modern-warfare tactics and
> situations. They are almost as far apart in tone, gameplay and style
> as two video games can get. They don't even share the same developers.
>
> It's sort of like saying "Super Mario Bros. 3" got me started on "DCS:
> A-10 Warthog". I mean, I'm sure there's a connection, but I absolutely
> cannot see it.
>
>

Magic The Gathering: Thunderdome

This month I got to Mythic on Jan. 14th, with 17 days to spare. I am a GOD!

My deck was Orzhov. Have I ever told you about Gelu? Be careful. This
is a true story.

DOOM: The Dark Ages catches my interest first, but it doesn't
necessarily mean I will buy it in 2025. For $80 with no multiplayer,
it's more likely to get picked up when it hits $10.

I'm in no rush because I only now started playing DOOM Eternal, which
I had scooped up on the cheap some time back. I have to say I am
having a lot of fun so far. One of the areas of polarization around
this game was the parkour, which not only doesn't bother me but I find
it to be fun in games where the mechanics of it are well executed (in
this case they are). The "readme" popups that are incessant
throughout the game are kind of annoying, but I realize why they are
necessary. The game is designed to not be something you can just
randomly and mindlessly blast your way through using only reflexes
like old games..rather, it attempts to encourage approaching
situations with at least a subtle implementation of gameplay tactics.
D:TDA, from what I understand is more of a return to original style
gameplay, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I will say it's
absolutely amazing to me that anyone would buy a Doom game for the
story of all things! :)

As far as other games besides D:TDA that would be likely buys that are
on your list (not including multiplayer games that turn out to be
worthwhile):

* GTA6 if it comes out this year

* Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (except I never played the original..
need to get on that)

* Maybe Civilization 7 but I doubt at the release price, because
everything I've seen so far seems to be more about an investment in
cutscenes and similar shit than the actual gameplay that I found so
enjoyable in the original Civ, and none of the sequels to it ever
grabbed me the same way... so, I'm skeptical that I'd buy this any
time soon.

Not on your list *might* be the new Battlfield game, but I doubt that
will emerge in 2025.

On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:30:21 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On 1/23/2025 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>I don't even know if I can rouse myself to play PC games much anymore.
>I got hooked on reading sci-fi/fantasy again and have been blowing
>through books like crazy.

Heh. Oddly enough, me too. I mean, I tend to go through books fairly
regularly anyway, but recently I've been hitting the pages a lot more
often. It's definitely cutting into my video-game time!

I'm working my way through Ian Bank's "Culture" series again.Well,
most of them. A couple of his books are written in first-person, and
that's just not a format I enjoy. But all the rest. They aren't
/great/, but they're imaginative and passably well written (even if
every book does seem like he just ran out of ideas and just decided to
end it at some random point).

On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:30:21 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com>
wrote:

>> Most notable is "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2".
> > It did have this minor failing of> not being, you know, all that much
>fun to actually play.
>
>That's a major failing. I didn't complete it, but it was interesting to
>play for quite a bit. This I would put on my "Buy it a couple years
>after release (or free) at a discount if the reviews are decent." list.

It was actually a bit unfair of me to so casually dismiss "Kingdom
Come: Deliverance" like that, because I think it is a really good
game. I don't think the game isn't fun, but when it comes to actually
playing it, it isn't _as fun as it could be_.

KC:D seems a bit confused as to what it wants to be. Is it a fun
action/RPG in the vein of "Skyrim"? Yes, but no. A 'git-gud, scrub'
combat-simulator like "Dark Souls?" Also yes, but no. A
life-simulator? A survival/crafting game? Historically accurate? A bit
fantastic? All yes, all no. And it's this combination which makes it
tough to enjoy. It's trying to be all these things, and given its lack
of focus, can't help but disappoint.

From what I can tell, KC:D 2 is going to follow the trend of the
original. There will be a lot to like about the game --it's got a bit
of something for everyone!-- but because it's trying to jack all the
trades, it's not going to master any of 'em.

On Sat, 25 Jan 2025 12:00:18 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>From what I can tell, KC:D 2 is going to follow the trend of the
>original. There will be a lot to like about the game --it's got a bit
>of something for everyone!-- but because it's trying to jack all the
>trades, it's not going to master any of 'em.

I need to try the original sometime to see if I even like the overall
concept, but Mac the WAB guy seems to like this series for the sandbox
aspect. The way the NPCs have their own lives/behavior/quirks, and
just making up his own quests as he goes along. Watch this for
example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYQZINYvxv0

>DOOM: The Dark Ages catches my interest first, but it doesn't
>necessarily mean I will buy it in 2025. For $80 with no multiplayer,
>it's more likely to get picked up when it hits $10.

It's a day one PC Gamepass release (like Indy), which I'd forgotten
about, so I will be looking at this soon after release

rms

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

>On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:30:21 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On 1/23/2025 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
>
>>I don't even know if I can rouse myself to play PC games much anymore.
>>I got hooked on reading sci-fi/fantasy again and have been blowing
>>through books like crazy.
>
>Heh. Oddly enough, me too. I mean, I tend to go through books fairly
>regularly anyway, but recently I've been hitting the pages a lot more
>often. It's definitely cutting into my video-game time!
>
>I'm working my way through Ian Bank's "Culture" series again.Well,
>most of them. A couple of his books are written in first-person, and
>that's just not a format I enjoy. But all the rest. They aren't
>/great/, but they're imaginative and passably well written (even if
>every book does seem like he just ran out of ideas and just decided to
>end it at some random point).

Consider Phlebas and that execution method?

Xocyll

On Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:26:49 -0700, "rms"
<rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:

>>DOOM: The Dark Ages catches my interest first, but it doesn't
>>necessarily mean I will buy it in 2025. For $80 with no multiplayer,
>>it's more likely to get picked up when it hits $10.
>
> It's a day one PC Gamepass release (like Indy), which I'd forgotten
>about, so I will be looking at this soon after release
>
>rms

I haven't used Gamepass, but I have used the Origin equivalent of that
(whatever they are calling it these days) to vet games that I wanted
an entire month to evaluate, but didn't want to commit to the initial
release price (which for some games is $120 for the "complete
edition").

An example was Battlefield 2042. I always preferred the modern or
historical era BF games over their futuristic/sci-fi games, and
especially after seeing an increasing level of "wokeness" creeping
into their games in recent years and seeing they were caving into
politics at the expense of their existing fanbase and prior design
quality, I was not about to just hand over my money in full confidence
like I used to.

It turned out to be a wise decision, because BF 2042 was a pile of
crap upon initial release, as I found out by renting it for a month. 3
years later it is a far more polished game, the "elite edition"
available for $18...at this point buying it made a lot more sense. It
is still not as good as many prior BF titles, but no doubt worth that
price. I was glad to see my progress from the initial rental month
was retained after buying and that I didn't need to start unlocking
gear from level 1.

For single player games I can't find motivation to do same though.
With multiplayer games, factors like the player count and what's
happening in the community as it relates to the timing of purchase has
a lot to do with how much fun factor can be derived from the game
overall. With single player only titles, I can't see much advantage
to being an early adopter. Being a late adopter usually means playing
a less buggy, cheaper, more complete version of same.

On Sat, 25 Jan 2025 18:47:22 -0500, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
>entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
>say:
>
>>On Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:30:21 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On 1/23/2025 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I don't even know if I can rouse myself to play PC games much anymore.
>>>I got hooked on reading sci-fi/fantasy again and have been blowing
>>>through books like crazy.
>>
>>Heh. Oddly enough, me too. I mean, I tend to go through books fairly
>>regularly anyway, but recently I've been hitting the pages a lot more
>>often. It's definitely cutting into my video-game time!
>>
>>I'm working my way through Ian Bank's "Culture" series again.Well,
>>most of them. A couple of his books are written in first-person, and
>>that's just not a format I enjoy. But all the rest. They aren't
>>/great/, but they're imaginative and passably well written (even if
>>every book does seem like he just ran out of ideas and just decided to
>>end it at some random point).
>
>Consider Phlebas and that execution method?

Or "Matter", where the heroes are all (mostly) killed off and the
story ends. "Excession" is similar too.

I don't actually think it's the author running out of ideas; it's part
of his style and messaging. But given the pacing and tone of the rest
of his books, the sudden end leaving so many things unresolved (the
latter of which, I think is the whole point) is incredibly jarring.

It's as if Star Wars ended right when the X-wings start attacking the
Death Star. Because of how the rest of the story goes, you know the
heroes --armed with mystical powers and knowledge of the planet's
secret weakness-- are likely to win... but you sort of want that
resolution. And I think that's an apt comparison, because in many ways
the Culture books are very space-opera sci-fi, and that genre
typically gets its heroic end. Banks is obviously writing in a way
that purposefully subverts those expectations, which is an interesting
experiment but overall not to my liking.

On 1/26/2025 4:03 AM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:
> On Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:26:49 -0700, "rms"
> <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:
>
>>> DOOM: The Dark Ages catches my interest first, but it doesn't
>>> necessarily mean I will buy it in 2025. For $80 with no multiplayer,
>>> it's more likely to get picked up when it hits $10.
>>
>> It's a day one PC Gamepass release (like Indy), which I'd forgotten
>> about, so I will be looking at this soon after release
>>
>> rms
>
> I haven't used Gamepass, but I have used the Origin equivalent of that
> (whatever they are calling it these days) to vet games that I wanted
> an entire month to evaluate, but didn't want to commit to the initial
> release price (which for some games is $120 for the "complete
> edition").

It'd be nice if more games had demos again so you didn't have to pay for
a month of Gamepass. Especially as there's a number of games that are
on Elite Gamepass (let us gouge you for more!) that I'm mildly
interested in, but not enough to pay more.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

On Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:02:45 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On 1/26/2025 4:03 AM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:
>> On Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:26:49 -0700, "rms"
>> <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:
>>
>>>> DOOM: The Dark Ages catches my interest first, but it doesn't
>>>> necessarily mean I will buy it in 2025. For $80 with no multiplayer,
>>>> it's more likely to get picked up when it hits $10.
>>>
>>> It's a day one PC Gamepass release (like Indy), which I'd forgotten
>>> about, so I will be looking at this soon after release
>>>
>>> rms
>>
>> I haven't used Gamepass, but I have used the Origin equivalent of that
>> (whatever they are calling it these days) to vet games that I wanted
>> an entire month to evaluate, but didn't want to commit to the initial
>> release price (which for some games is $120 for the "complete
>> edition").
>
>
>It'd be nice if more games had demos again so you didn't have to pay for
>a month of Gamepass. Especially as there's a number of games that are
>on Elite Gamepass (let us gouge you for more!) that I'm mildly
>interested in, but not enough to pay more.

For those of us into multiplayer games, I think the demo would really
need to be in the form of a 30 day trial which is a bit different than
the classic business model around releasing demos. And to some extent
I'm not sure I would want them giving away 30 days for free, because
it would probably just attract more hacker/cheater attempts.