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
Click to expand...
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

---

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.
 
Last edited:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.”

--

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.
 
chris

chris

figmentPez said:
Nintendo Switch 2 First Look


2025-04-02

Looks like the rumors that the new Joycons can act as mice might be true.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but it could also be a misinterpretation of the gliding scene in the trailer.

Edit: Oh wait, I took a closer look at the controller. There is something that looks like a part from an optical mouse.
 
Last edited:
Cheesy1

Cheesy1

comicbook.com

Marvel Snap Abruptly Shut Down and Removed from App Store

Marvel Snap has been abruptly shut down and removed from App Stores due to the controversial TikTok ban in the United States.
comicbook.com comicbook.com

Apparently Marvel Snap just shut down unexpectedly in the last hour because their developer is owned by the same Chinese company that owns TikTok.
There was no warning beforehand, most people didn't know that it was even owned by the same company.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
I mean, I'm as leery about Tencent owning everything gaming that it does, but really, Tiktok is no more or less harmful than facebook, instagram, or xitter.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

If true, this means that LoL, Valorant, Path of Exile, Counterstrike, L4D, B4B, Don't Starve, Oxygen Not Included, Dark Souls et al, and many more are also on thin ice. Even Discord and Roblox could be affected.

--Patrick
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
Tencent owns Turtle Rock. B4B showed that L4D was 90% valve, not Turtle Rock.
Click to expand...
I was informed by one of my coworkers (who is Chinese) that Bytedance is a rival of Tencent, not a subsidiary. So since that list is of Tencent properties, it doesn't apply. At least, not yet.

--Patrick
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

AshburnerX

AshburnerX

PatrThom said:
www.pcgamer.com

Wayne June, famed narrator of the Darkest Dungeon games, has died

Red Hook Studios said June's work "is nothing short of iconic, and deserves to be recognized and celebrated at the highest levels of our industry."
www.pcgamer.com www.pcgamer.com
https://www.darkestdungeon.com/news/rest-in-peace-wayne-june/
...probably at least 40% of the reason to even play the game.

TIL he also narrated audiobooks of HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, etc.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
He was also a transphobic piece of shit.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

Monster Hunter Wilds comes out at the end of the month on PC, PS5 and the XBox equivalent of that.

Yesterday, a benchmark test came out that lets you determine if you can run the game and if so, at which settings.

Today, the second open Beta test starts.

Super exciting! Is anyone else here going to be playing? My youngest son and I will be for sure.
 
Vrii

Vrii

Squidleybits said:
Is anyone else here going to be playing?
Click to expand...
I'm definitely thinking about it, but its hardware requirements and impressive lack of optimization are leaving me a bit worried about whether my system will even handle it at a reasonable performance level, let alone one that feels good to play. Benchmark with all the AI garbage turned off leave it fluctuating between 30 and 50 fps on medium settings *before* actually hunting any monsters, which isn't exactly filling me with confidence. Not sure if the experience will be good enough to warrant the price point. Might give it the two hour Steam test and refund if I need to, but if I need to spend the better part of an hour compiling shaders before I can even try to play like I did with the benchmark I'm not even sure that's going to work out well!

Oh, and for clarity: I'm hitting that sub-60 fps on medium settings while meeting or surpassing their recommended specs for the game. The benchmark rates that performance as "Good." Apparently their target for recommended is 60fps *using* frame generation, which judging by the benchmark makes the game look downright terrible.

Frustrating.
 
Last edited:
Adam

Adam

I am very concerned about the reviews for Civ7. Civilization is my jam and this is the first time I'm seeing scores in the 70s versus the 90s the game usually is known for. UI problems, some broken mechanics - I can wait for fixes, but if the core of the game is somewhat off, that's a tough start.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

I'm waiting a bit to see how it shakes out. Pretty much every version of Civ since 3 has had issues on release and very conflicting opinions.
And I'd be tempted to even say that both V and VI only really got good after the first expansion.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

Vrii said:
I'm definitely thinking about it, but its hardware requirements and impressive lack of optimization are leaving me a bit worried about whether my system will even handle it at a reasonable performance level, let alone one that feels good to play. Benchmark with all the AI garbage turned off leave it fluctuating between 30 and 50 fps on medium settings *before* actually hunting any monsters, which isn't exactly filling me with confidence. Not sure if the experience will be good enough to warrant the price point. Might give it the two hour Steam test and refund if I need to, but if I need to spend the better part of an hour compiling shaders before I can even try to play like I did with the benchmark I'm not even sure that's going to work out well!

Oh, and for clarity: I'm hitting that sub-60 fps on medium settings while meeting or surpassing their recommended specs for the game. The benchmark rates that performance as "Good." Apparently their target for recommended is 60fps *using* frame generation, which judging by the benchmark makes the game look downright terrible.

Frustrating.
Click to expand...
I tried the Open Beta last night. I made my Hunter and Palico then did the first hunt which was really fun and very pretty.

My computer got a “good” on the benchmark as well. I turned off that frames generator thing to play the beta. There were a few laggy points, but I wasn’t surprised as I was following a monster to finish it off and we passed through an area with a herd of endemic creatures doing their thing along with collectible bugs, plants etc and the glowing line to stuff we had in World.

The beta was only available after 7 pm Pacific last night (11pm local) so I just did the one hunt. The Beta took ages to download shaders and get itself ready to go.

I plan to try again tonight.

I tried the benchmark on my Steam Deck. It too took ages to download the shaders. It made a brave effort on the benchmark, but pooped just as the hunter and handler entered the area with thunder and lightning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top