Video Game News and Miscellany

Frank

Frank

I haven't played a game beyond about 3 hours of Space Marine 2 in like 3 months since I finished up Elden Ring for the 3rd time.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
PatrThom said:
www.gamesindustry.biz

New report claims gamers spend more time watching videos about gaming than playing games

Gamers are spending more time watching videos about gaming on YouTube and Twitch than playing games themselves.
www.gamesindustry.biz www.gamesindustry.biz
...who really has time any more?

--Patrick
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This is a silly comparison. I can watch a Twitch stream or a YouTube video while I do other things. A lot of people just leave Twitch streams on in the background while they're folding laundry or doing dishes.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Itch dot io has been taken down by Funko.png

itch.io (@itch.io)

I kid you not, @itch.io has been taken down by Funko of "Funko Pop" because they use some trash "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain
bsky.app bsky.app

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Indie Marketplace Itch.io Taken Offline Due To "Bogus Phishing Report" From Funko

"Also, for transparency, we *did* take the disputed page down as soon as we got the notice because it's not worth fighting stuff like that. Regardless, our registrar's automated system likely kicked to disable the domain since no one read our confirmation of removal."

EDIT: Not long after I posted this, Itch.io came back online.
 
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Bubble181

Bubble181

Sooo....without wanting to spoil too much for those who haven't played the earlier games or read the books....There's only one female Witcher, ever, in recorded history. And as far as I know she's never in a position where she'd be in the "travelling around, solving local issues, killing monsters" place.
This is definitely a world where lore says gender matters so I can't imagine them just giving you a choice to create your character and choose - whether it's Geralt or not, you're not playing a blank slate. Which means you're either playing as her, or as some as-yet-unknown character.
I'm curious and intrigued, and I definitely don't dismiss the game right out of the gate - but to prevent half the internet bitch squad from coming down on them, I do sincerely hope they've thought it through properly (with or without the author) and justify this.
I don't think a game is "woke" for letting you (or making you) play a woman or anything else (given the choice I will always play as a woman) , but the sad truth is a large portion of the gamer community does. So I do hope they've planned for that.

That aside, looks good, though...A bit "typical" Unreal Enginey. A lot of games are starting to blend together for me, visually, because they're all using the same two or three engines.

Let's hope we see more soon, I'm definitely interested and looking forward to it.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Bubble181 said:
Sooo....without wanting to spoil too much for those who haven't played the earlier games or read the books....There's only one female Witcher, ever, in recorded history. And as far as I know she's never in a position where she'd be in the "travelling around, solving local issues, killing monsters" place.
This is definitely a world where lore says gender matters so I can't imagine them just giving you a choice to create your character and choose - whether it's Geralt or not, you're not playing a blank slate. Which means you're either playing as her, or as some as-yet-unknown character.
I'm curious and intrigued, and I definitely don't dismiss the game right out of the gate - but to prevent half the internet bitch squad from coming down on them, I do sincerely hope they've thought it through properly (with or without the author) and justify this.
I don't think a game is "woke" for letting you (or making you) play a woman or anything else (given the choice I will always play as a woman) , but the sad truth is a large portion of the gamer community does. So I do hope they've planned for that.

That aside, looks good, though...A bit "typical" Unreal Enginey. A lot of games are starting to blend together for me, visually, because they're all using the same two or three engines.

Let's hope we see more soon, I'm definitely interested and looking forward to it.
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You should see some of the Facebook comments already spewing on the PC Gamer link to their article.

I honestly don't know why people wanted or expected a create-a-character option for this. The Witcher series has always been a character-focused narrative game. Not a create-a-character deal like Skyrim or Fallout. Not every game needs to be a create-a-character kind of game. If they wanted to do some kind of Witcher Tactics spin-off of some sort, sure, but not for a core series sequel.

As far as Ciri as the main character, narratively, it makes sense.

The "best" ending in Witcher 3 has Geralt basically retiring and passing on the torch to Ciri as a new witcher. Most fans of the series recognize that her being the main character in the sequel makes sense.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

ThatNickGuy said:
As far as Ciri as the main character, narratively, it makes sense.
The "best" ending in Witcher 3 has Geralt basically retiring and passing on the torch to Ciri as a new witcher. Most fans of the series recognize that her being the main character in the sequel makes sense.
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Anyone who has read the books should realize
she's the main character of the last several books, and looking "back", of the whole series - Geralt and Yennefer are just important as part of her origin story.
I do assume the character you're playing as in Witcher IV is Ciri (I watched the trailer without sound, maybe it was said explicitly) and it definitely does make sense - I just wonder where it'll fit in the timeline. After the books she's.....transcended well beyond Witcher levels, and during the books, she's constantly busy. Geralt has decades of "being a witcher and just faffing about". Ciri doesn't.

I don't have the time - or interest - to go read the comments on it now, but anyone expecting a create-a-character "RPG" should just go bugger themselves in an unpleasant place.
There's plenty of RPG games where the main character is a blank slate. There's plenty where there's a loose framework with some guidance but you're otherwise free to fill it in. Ones where you're playing a specific character and your reactions are relatively restricted/bound are far more rare - but they do allow for a more in-depth exploration of some topics and characteristics. I'm not specifically opposed or in favor of any type of game, but each has their own strengths and weaknesses. And, as you said, the Witcher series has never been a create-your-own-character deal.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Does anyone else use some sort of game library management application? If so, how well does it work and do you recommend it?

I've been using GOG Galaxy to manage my game library across multiple services, and it's really not getting the support and updates it needs. Steam integration is only possible with, possibly sketchy, 3rd-party plug-ins from GitHubs only linked in the forums. I don't think Origin integration works at all.

So I'm looking at Playnite and Heroic, but I don't know much about either. They both seem to handle Steam, GOG, and the Amazon Games app, which are the big three for me, but I'd also like to keep track of Epic, Ubisoft, Origin/EA, and as many others as possible. Playnite lists a lot of compatibility, but I've learned to take such lists with a grain of salt.

Anyone got an opinion / information, or am I on my own in this?
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Marvel Rivals Dev Apologizes for Mistakenly Banning Players

"In a post on Discord, NetEase admitted it had mistakenly flagged as cheaters some who were playing in compatibility layer programs, even though they were not using cheating software."

The developer said it had made a list of affected players and lifted their bans. “We have identified the specific reasons behind these false bans and have compiled a list of affected players,” it said. “We have lifted these bans and want to express our heartfelt apologies for the inconvenience this has caused.”

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So, if you've been playing Marvel Rivals on your Steam Deck and you got banned for it, you should be unbanned or will be soon.
 
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