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Game of the Year 2022

It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
please.

*** Best Game Released in 2022: ***

Nominations:

Elden Ring
Hades
Vampire Survivors

And the award goes to
* Vampire Survivors! *

While Hades has a much better story and character interaction, the
gameplayis is just far too grindy and slow to make any progress.

Elden Ring is indeed an exellent game, but it's just too much
repetative crammed in to make it for best game released in 2022.

Vampire survivors has barely any story, it starts out a little slow but
picks up speed and progress very quickly, eventually you get back to
grindy, but by that point you've 'won' the game and it's just extra
gameplay for those who can't put it down. This really scratches the
power fantasy itch.

*** Best Indy Game Played in 2022 ***

Nominations:
Hades
Vampire Surviors
Sable
King of Seas

And the award goes to
* Sable! *

A surprise win by a game from 2021 and a freebie from Epic! A coming
of age story in an exploration adventure game with simple graphics.
There's something wholesome and innocent in this game you just don't
see.

*** Best Game Played in 2022 GOTY ***

Nominations:
Vampire Survivors
Elden Ring
Cyberpunk 2077
Sable

And the award goes to
* Cyberpunk 2077 *

While it has mediocre RPG/FPS combat, it's adequate enough to finish
playing. Driving is a joke. It has impressive visuals, but the style
is a personal preference that doesn't resonate with me, and is poorly
optimized resulting in slowdowns even on great cards especially when
moving quickly. So what's it have going for it? The story! The story
blew me away, with surprises and unforgettable characters. It hit me in the feels the way no other PC game ever has.

I can't wait for the dlc (pushed back again to 'sometime in 2023')

---

What is your GOTY in 2022?

---

- Justisaur

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

On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
<justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:

> It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is...

(I was waiting for somebody else to start this inevitable thread; I
didn't want to be the one. But now that it's started, you betcha I'm
gonna throw in my two pence ;-)

>Game of the Year 2022

I dunno if I have a /best/ game of the year, so instead here are the
typically nonsensical entries you all expect from me. I've limited my
entries to games I've played in full this year. Of all the games
below, only one of them came out in 2022 (unless we count DLC), so
these are less 'best of 2022' and more 'games that had some impact on
me in one way or another when I played them in the year that just
happens to be called 2022'. Other games may be deserving of some of
these titled, but since they weren't on my personal playlist, they
don't get included. ;-)

-----------------------------------------

* Most Played: AMERICAN TRUCK SIMULATOR
If I /had/ to pick a 'best game', "American Truck Simulator would win
simply because it's the game I played the most. But it would be an
undeserved title; I love the game and keep coming back to it (and the
Wyoming and Montana expansions were great!) but it's very niche game
and more a dependable fallback than something that seriously excites
me.

* Most "Surprisingly Better Than Expected": PANZER DRAGOON (2021)
Not a great game, but a pretty good remake that captured a lot of the
excitement (and, sadly, a lot of the limitations) of the original.
It's not got any depth or longevity - it's just a bog-standard
rail-shooter, after all - but nonetheless, it kept me entertained long
enough to want to finish it. That deserves some credit, dontcha think?

* Most "Held Up Really Well Over The Years:" DEAD SPACE 2
12 years old and it's just as exciting to play as the day it came out.
Excellent visual design, terrific pacing, strong game mechanics...
aside from some slightly dated texturing and lighting, this game could
be top-of-the-class in 2022.

* Most "Undeniably the Cutest!!!": STRAY
It's got a kitty cat!!!!1!

* Most "Surprisingly Worse Than I Expected: OBSERVATION
It's always the littlest things that get you. So much about
"Observation" is great, but its clumsy controls made me want to tear
out my hair. Maybe I was just expecting too much from the game.

* Most "Never Lived Up To Its Potential": GENERATION ZERO
A beautifully detailed open-world Sweden, fighting a resistance
operation against giant robots in an alternate 1980s? What's not to
like? But it has all the follies and faults of too many open-world
games; bad pacing, endless grindy crafting, and no engaging story and
characters. The game could have been so much more, but ended up being
sadly tedious.

* Most "I Really Wanted to Love You But Couldn't": UNTITLED GOOSE
GAME
This is a great game, but one I never could quite engage with in the
way it deserved. It's not you, UGS, it's me. Well, maybe it's a little
bit you (your controls were a bit fiddly), but maybe if I'd tried a
bit harder we could have made it work. Sorry.

* Most Disappointing: TERMINATOR RESISTANCE
There's a lot to like about "Terminator: Resistance" - it does a
terrific job of recapturing the magic of the original Terminator
movies, and lets me live out my fantasies of fighting Skynet in the
future (I never did care much for the time-travel gimmick the movies
relied upon). But there was just a general lack of polish that made
the game a lot less than it should have been, and despite so many
people insisting this was one of the best games in the franchise, I
left unsatisfied. (The DLC wasn't too bad, though).

* Most "Gosh-Darn Purtiest GFX": THE ASCENT
The gameplay was rote action-RPG, but the visuals? No complaint there.
"The Ascent's" Bladerunner-inspired mega-city was gorgeous (if a bit
repetitive and lacking in variety), even when seen from the top-down
viewpoint.

* Most Forgettable: (tie) THE ASCENT & GENESIS ALPHA ONE
"The Ascent" might have had gorgeous graphics, but I'd forgotten all
about it until I made this list. "Genesis Alpha One" didn't even have
that much. Dull games not worth remembering, much less playing.

* Most "Doesn't Belong On This List": MAJOR STRYKER
A rote, DOS-era shmup with EGA graphics? There's nothing really wrong
with "Major Stryker" - it was an acceptable game back in 1992 - but
nothing about it stands out either. Still, it's a guilty pleasure of
mine and while I can in no way recommend anybody else go and play it
(seriously, there are so many better shoot-em-ups out there!), neither
do I regret the time I invested into this game this year.

-----------------------------------------

And as for all the other games I played (or replayed) this year: "Doom
Eternal", "Control", "Witcher 3", "Transformers: Cybertron", "Beyond
Two Souls", "Dead State Reanimated", "Metro Exodus", "No Man's Sky"
and all the rest (about thirty in all)? They weren't bad games (well,
some of them were!) but they didn't really make an impact on my year.
"Witcher 3" is a great game, sure, but it's the third or fourth time
I've played it. I got exactly what I expected from it: a well-crafted,
fun (if a bit long) adventure. Same with all the rest; they were
entertaining (or not!) but not surprising.

Still, overall, it was a good year in gaming, even if the bulk of my
gameplay came from older titles. I arguably may not get the same
excitement from video games as I did twenty years ago, but the hobby
still entertains me well enough. Here's hoping it's still the same for
all of you.

I finished 12 games or so, ER and a few short ones, Scorn, Metamorphosis,
Pentiment.
Uncharted 2
The Order 1886
Titanfall 2
Oh! Dead Space 1, 2, and 3! how do I forget those
TLOU remastered, (not the new one)
Plague Tale: REquiem

>What is your GOTY in 2022?
Of the ones released this year, Scorn, Pentiment, Plague Tale, ER
I pretty much have to put ER in a category by itself as its such a large
open world. If the smaller games I guess Plague Tale: Requiem. It looks
great, I like the plot and voice-acting, and it wraps up the story began in
Innocence very well

rms

On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
<justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:

>123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
>
>Game of the Year 2022
>
>It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
>please.

2022 was another year of buying lots of games and not playing them for
me.

I think the only game that I played in 2022 that was released that
year (rather than just dabbled with) was Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.

My session gaming was made up in order:

1.) London 2038

2.) Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

3.) Oxygen Not Included

4.) Destiny 2

I dabbled with many games throughout the year, but only in 10-20
minute sessions and most often never went back to them after 2-3 short
sessions.

Hopefully by the start of 2024 I'll have an opinion on 'best game of
2022 (that isn't TTW)

--
Rob

On Tue, 03 Jan 2023 09:02:18 +0000, Mr Rob
<noemailformethx@jsjsaiiowppw.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
><justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
>>
>>Game of the Year 2022
>>
>>It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
>>please.
>
>2022 was another year of buying lots of games and not playing them for
>me.

I was gonna make fun of you for the "buying lots of games" thing,
because - in these days of plentiful freebies - who buys games
anymore?

(Especially since I wrote a post specifically about that topic!)

Then I said, 'ere I judge the mote in thine eye, perhaps I should make
sure there's no beam in mine. And, oh boy, it's a good thing I did,
because there's a bridge-supporting I-beam jutting outta my skull.

In fairness, a big chunk of those purchases were from the Ukraine
Bundle, which dumped a huge number of games into my library all at
once... but that's a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime event. But my
crippling GOG addiction - I must collect all the DOS games! - actually
added more games than did the Ukraine bundle, and various Steam
purchases almost equalled it.

Now, Ukraine Bundle additions aside, I've played most of the games
I've added. Just, you know, not necessarily this year. The vast bulk
of the games I purchased were older titles; games I've played in years
gone by that I wanted as digital downloads so I never have to bother
with floppy or optical disks again. Of the handful of newer games
purchased, most have either already been played or are installed on
the harddrive waiting for their eventual turn.

So "who buys games anymore?" I do, I guess.

On Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 1:02:21 AM UTC-8, Mr Rob wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
> <just...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >Game of the Year 2022
> >
> >It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
> >please.
> 2022 was another year of buying lots of games and not playing them for
> me.

Ha! I know I bought a few of those. I never did get around to playing
Witcher 3. There's a whole bunch of games I bought on sales on
GoG I never got around to. One I played through the starting cut scenes
but never really played too.

> I think the only game that I played in 2022 that was released that
> year (rather than just dabbled with) was Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
>
> My session gaming was made up in order:
>
> 1.) London 2038
>
> 2.) Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
>
> 3.) Oxygen Not Included
>
> 4.) Destiny 2
>
> I dabbled with many games throughout the year, but only in 10-20
> minute sessions and most often never went back to them after 2-3 short
> sessions.
>
> Hopefully by the start of 2024 I'll have an opinion on 'best game of
> 2022 (that isn't TTW)
>

I consider this more of a 'what's the best game I played this year'
than a what was the best game that came out.

I'm quite surprised I played *and* enjoyed 3 whole games that came out
this year :)

I think we forgot to do one of these for 2021 as I can't find it if we
did. I suppose I can make a post for that, if anyone can even remember
what we played up to two years ago. (Hint, I didn't even for this
year, I just looked through all my monthly posts)

- Justisaur

On Tue, 3 Jan 2023 13:19:15 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
<justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 1:02:21 AM UTC-8, Mr Rob wrote:
>> On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
>> <just...@gmail.com> wrote:

>> >Game of the Year 2022
>> >
>> >It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
>> >please.
>> 2022 was another year of buying lots of games and not playing them for
>> me.
>I think we forgot to do one of these for 2021 as I can't find it if we
>did. I suppose I can make a post for that, if anyone can even remember
>what we played up to two years ago. (Hint, I didn't even for this
>year, I just looked through all my monthly posts)

I can! I have a spreadsheet for that.

Wanna know what games I was playing in August 2010? I can tell you!
;-)

WHY I keep this information, on the other hand, I'm completely
clueless about.

But for reasons you mentioned, I'm not really a fan of 'best games of
year X", because I - and I think a lot of the regulars here - aren't
going out of our way to play the newest games. So our lists tend to be
"here are a bunch of games from whenever that I found interesting
enough to play".

Plus, I personally don't do "bests"; I like different games for
different reasons, and rare is the game I think is superior in all
ways to any other. So, again, my lists tend to be "these games were
slightly more memorable than all the rest for the following reasons."

Not that any of that kept me from participating in this thread... I'm
ornery that way.

On 1/3/2023 4:00 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Tue, 3 Jan 2023 13:19:15 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
> <justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 1:02:21 AM UTC-8, Mr Rob wrote:
>>> On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
>>> <just...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>>> Game of the Year 2022
>>>>
>>>> It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
>>>> please.
>>> 2022 was another year of buying lots of games and not playing them for
>>> me.
>> I think we forgot to do one of these for 2021 as I can't find it if we
>> did. I suppose I can make a post for that, if anyone can even remember
>> what we played up to two years ago. (Hint, I didn't even for this
>> year, I just looked through all my monthly posts)
>
> I can! I have a spreadsheet for that.
>
> Wanna know what games I was playing in August 2010? I can tell you!
> ;-)
>
> WHY I keep this information, on the other hand, I'm completely
> clueless about.
>
*cough*obsessive*cough*compulsive*cough*

Excuse me, I need some cough drops.

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

GOTY 2022 happened to be Witcher 3 for me, quite unexpectedly. I was playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time and enjoying it to some degree, then, shortly before the final story mission, I had an urge to install Witcher 3 (which I had played to the end a few years ago). Guess I just wanted a little break from hi-tech setting and intended to do a bit of plain old monster bashing in the meantime, getting my character to about level 5... I came back to my senses roughly 200 hours later, at level 50-something, having finished both expansions. I didn't realize that this game still has this power over me which is so gripping. It reminded me why Witcher 3 is ranked by many as the game of the decade and I heartily concur with this sentiment.

Honorable mentions:

- Cyberpunk 2077. It wasn't as engaging as Witcher 3 and half-way through the game I decided to short cut to the conclusion and ignored most of the side quests. However, I felt very strong replay potential in it, so I'll definitely go back after they release inevitable expansion.

- Mafia: Definitive Edition. I missed original Mafia when it was released in 2002 and never came back to it, having been spoiled with modern graphics, although I've always heard high praise for the game. Since they offered the definitive edition on sale, I decided to try it out. Can't say how much they've improved the graphics over the original, but the upgrade was more than adequate by today's standards. The story, while short, was very satisfactory, and voice acting was stellar. I had a feeling that this was a mafia classic of Goodfellas scale in the gaming world. Definitely looking towards playing the sequel.

- Mass Effect: Andromeda. I didn't understand what that fuss was all about. Did people miss Commander Sheppard? I thought that the story about settlers struggling to colonize a new star system after the initial plan went wrong was a great background for a new Mass Effect entry. All the usual ingredients were present. The characters were likeable enough (while not up to the level of Mass Effect 2), and as long as I can add a Krogan to my party, I don't care how bland other characters can be. I enjoyed Andromeda much more than the third game.

- Interstellar Space: Genesis. I used to love turn-based strategies in the past and played them often, sometimes obsessively, but somehow lost my interest eventually. Last time I was under the influence of that "one more turn" syndrome was more than eight years ago, with Civilization: Beyond Earth. Even with modern, highly polished Civilization titles or recent gorgeous, extremely well-made Old World, I made only half-hearted attempts and never completed any playthrough. Interstellar Space: Genesis, however, got me hooked, so after a number of diplomatic victories I'm trying for my first global military conquest. I don't know what's different about this game, maybe it just touched a nostalgic cord with its retro-ish feel (many people compare it to Master of Orion 2, more because of its vibe rather than gameplay). It implements some original gameplay ideas, most notably, remote exploration mode - you don't have to scout with your ships, just pick a sector of the galaxy map and it will become visible to you after a number of turns. You can explore the same sector multiple times, which may reveal previously hidden objects like resource-rich neutron starts or colonizable rogue planets.. I expect this game to remain on my SSD for periodic playthroughs, first TBS in many years.

GOTY 2022 happened to be Witcher 3 for me, quite unexpectedly. I was playing
through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time and enjoying it to some degree,
then, shortly before the final story mission, I had an urge to install Witcher
3 (which I had played to the end a few years ago). Guess I just wanted a
little break from hi-tech setting and intended to do a bit of plain old
monster bashing in the meantime, getting my character to about level 5... I
came back to my senses roughly 200 hours later, at level 50-something, having
finished both expansions. I didn't realize that this game still has this power
over me which is so gripping. It reminded me why Witcher 3 is ranked by many
as the game of the decade and I heartily concur with this sentiment.

Honorable mentions:

* Cyberpunk 2077
It wasn't as engaging as Witcher 3 and half-way through the game I decided to
short cut to the conclusion and ignored most of the side quests. However, I
felt very strong replay potential in it, so I'll definitely go back after they
release inevitable expansion.

* Mafia: Definitive Edition
I missed original Mafia when it was released in 2002 and never came back to
it, having been spoiled with modern graphics, although I've always heard high
praise for the game. Since they offered the definitive edition on sale, I
decided to try it out. Can't say how much they've improved the graphics over
the original, but the upgrade was more than adequate by today's standards. The
story, while short, was very satisfactory, and voice acting was stellar. I had
a feeling that this was a mafia classic of Goodfellas scale in the gaming
world. Definitely looking towards playing the sequel.

* Mass Effect: Andromeda
I didn't understand what that fuss was all about. Did people miss Commander
Sheppard? I thought that the story about settlers struggling to colonize a new
star system after the initial plan went wrong was a great background for a new
Mass Effect entry. All the usual ingredients were present. The characters
were likeable enough (while not up to the level of Mass Effect 2), and as long
as I can add a Krogan to my party, I don't care how bland other characters can
be. I enjoyed Andromeda much more than the third game.

* Interstellar Space: Genesis
I used to love turn-based strategies in the past and played them often,
sometimes obsessively, but somehow lost my interest eventually. Last time I
was under the influence of that "one more turn" syndrome was more than eight
years ago, with Civilization: Beyond Earth. Even with modern, highly polished
Civilization titles or recent gorgeous, extremely well-made Old World, I made
only half-hearted attempts and never completed any playthrough. Interstellar
Space: Genesis, however, got me hooked, so after a number of diplomatic
victories I'm trying for my first global military conquest. I don't know
what's different about this game, maybe it just touched a nostalgic cord with
its retro-ish feel (many people compare it to Master of Orion 2, more because
of its vibe rather than gameplay). It implements some original gameplay ideas,
most notably, remote exploration mode - you don't have to scout with your
ships, just pick a sector of the galaxy map and it will become visible to you
after a number of turns. You can explore the same sector multiple times, which
may reveal previously hidden objects like resource-rich neutron starts or
colonizable rogue planets. I expect this game to remain on my SSD for periodic
playthroughs, first TBS in many years.

I've played so little this year than I don't think I can say I even have
one. Maybe a thread for best PC games of all time would be better for me!

Hopefully this year will be better as my New Year's resolution is to
stop dicking about on Facewank and do something more useful, which is
pretty much anything else!

On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Justisaur wrote:

>123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
>
>Game of the Year 2022
>
>It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
>please.
>
>
>*** Best Game Released in 2022: ***
>
[snip]

I would nominate Spider-Man Miles Morales, because it is cool af, I love
Miles Morales, and it is really beautiful to look at.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On Friday, January 6, 2023 at 7:50:03 AM UTC-8, Zaghadka wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Jan 2023 09:22:48 -0800 (PST), in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
> Justisaur wrote:
>
> >123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
> >
> >Game of the Year 2022
> >
> >It looks like we skipped this one for 2021, so here it is... Drumroll
> >please.
> >
> >
> >*** Best Game Released in 2022: ***
> >
> [snip]
>
> I would nominate Spider-Man Miles Morales, because it is cool af, I love
> Miles Morales, and it is really beautiful to look at.

I'd seen a lot of hype around it, but was very wary after being burned by
GotG. On the wishlist it goes.

- Justisaur

JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
> I've played so little this year than I don't think I can say I even have
> one. Maybe a thread for best PC games of all time would be better for me!

> Hopefully this year will be better as my New Year's resolution is to
> stop dicking about on Facewank and do something more useful, which is
> pretty much anything else!

So, more PC gaming? :P
--
Very slammy colony's $ Fri after hibernating <9 hrs. :( "O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." --Psalm 130:7
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| |
\ _ /
( )

Some great choices here, and I haven't played a single one!

>"Maxim" wrote in message
>news:bdcfc551-d386-4002-b717-c1ed117bf787n@googlegroups.com...
>GOTY 2022 happened to be Witcher 3 for me, quite unexpectedly....
> I didn't realize that this game still has this power over me which is so
> gripping.

Awesome to hear this, and I will install and start W3 this weekend, after
putting it off over and over. I played through 1 & 2 years ago, and With
this big update out, and a new videocard, it is time!

>- Cyberpunk 2077. It wasn't as engaging as Witcher 3 and half-way through
>the game I decided to short cut to the conclusion and ignored >most of the
>side quests. However, I felt very strong replay potential in it, so I'll
>definitely go back after they release inevitable expansion.

I did buy this on release, but the launch debacle led to letting it sit
uninstalled. Reading news, it appears a big expansion, Phantom Liberty, is
coming this year, but it is a paid one and I'm assuming will release in the
Fall (who knows). I usually play a big game like this exactly once, as I
explore and do everything and have no desire to revisit it any time soon
(e.g. with Elden Ring, I'll wait for a DLC to appear), so not sure if I'll
keep waiting to start CP2077 or what.

>- Mafia: Definitive Edition.....The story, while short, was very
>satisfactory, and voice acting was stellar. I had a feeling that this was a
> >mafia classic of Goodfellas scale in the gaming world. Definitely looking
>towards playing the sequel.

I have a certain antipathy to 'real world' gangster settings
(specifically GTA, I'll never play those), but I was gifted M:DE and if the
story is short, I'll willing to give it a shot!

>- I enjoyed Andromeda much more than the third game.

More good news. I stopped with ME2 when the initial ME3 outcry occurred,
but will return to the series for sure!

>- Interstellar Space: Genesis.
Never heard of it, or played Civilization either :(

rms

On Sat, 7 Jan 2023 15:45:00 -0700, "rms" <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net>
wrote:

>Some great choices here, and I haven't played a single one!
>
>>"Maxim" wrote in message
>>news:bdcfc551-d386-4002-b717-c1ed117bf787n@googlegroups.com...
>>GOTY 2022 happened to be Witcher 3 for me, quite unexpectedly....
>> I didn't realize that this game still has this power over me which is so
>> gripping.
>
> Awesome to hear this, and I will install and start W3 this weekend, after
>putting it off over and over. I played through 1 & 2 years ago, and With
>this big update out, and a new videocard, it is time!

"Witcher 3" is definitely worth playing. It's the best of the trilogy
in my opinion, in every regard: story, visuals, missions, and gameplay
mechanics. The combat takes a bit getting used to (then again, that
was true of the first two Witcher games as well) and was my least
favorite part of the game, but it's not really that bad once you get
used to it. Get the GOTY version of you can, since the "Heart of
Stone" quest is a lot of fun, and the "Blood and Wine" adds an
entirely new - and much more colorful - region to the game.

Be warned, though; "Witcher 3" is a /big/ game and getting through it
- especially if you're a completionist who tries to finish every quest
and side-quest - can take months.

>>- Cyberpunk 2077. It wasn't as engaging as Witcher 3 and half-way through
>>the game I decided to short cut to the conclusion and ignored >most of the
>>side quests. However, I felt very strong replay potential in it, so I'll
>>definitely go back after they release inevitable expansion.
>
> I did buy this on release, but the launch debacle led to letting it sit
>uninstalled. Reading news, it appears a big expansion, Phantom Liberty, is
>coming this year, but it is a paid one and I'm assuming will release in the
>Fall (who knows). I usually play a big game like this exactly once, as I
>explore and do everything and have no desire to revisit it any time soon
>(e.g. with Elden Ring, I'll wait for a DLC to appear), so not sure if I'll
>keep waiting to start CP2077 or what.

I purchased CP2077 some months back and it's been sitting on my drive
ever since, just waiting for me to play it. I've held off for a
variety of reasons. First, I worry about performance; I want the
optimal experience, and - while I'm sure my aging rig could run the
game - I might have to drop GFX quality in exchange for a smooth
framerate. I'm also hesitant to immerse myself in another huge RPG;
with so many other games on backlog, I'm not sure I want to spend a
month (or more!) on just one game. And finally, I'm not the biggest
fan of the cyberpunk genre, which may be an issue in a game called
"Cyberpunk 2077". ;-)

But eventually I'll get around to playing it, I'm sure. Just not this
month. Or next. Or the one after that.

>>- Interstellar Space: Genesis.
> Never heard of it, or played Civilization either :(

Never played Civilization? You uncultured heathen! No wonder you have
so much spare time! ;-)

On Fri, 6 Jan 2023 20:49:51 -0800 (PST), Justisaur
<justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Friday, January 6, 2023 at 7:50:03 AM UTC-8, Zaghadka wrote:

>> I would nominate Spider-Man Miles Morales, because it is cool af, I love
>> Miles Morales, and it is really beautiful to look at.

>I'd seen a lot of hype around it, but was very wary after being burned by
>GotG. On the wishlist it goes.

I've been wanting to play the newer Spider-Man games... except
everytime I consider the purchase, I remember the lackluster
experiences I had with old-school (PS1 & PS2-era) Spider-Man games and
I put away my money. It's probably not fair to the newer games - which
are reportedly quite good - but there you go.

Plus, I was never the biggest fan of Spidey. I always preferred the
Avengers and the X-crew; I guess I just like ensemble casts over lone
vigilantes.

On 05/01/2023 08:39, Maxim wrote:
> * Cyberpunk 2077
> It wasn't as engaging as Witcher 3 and half-way through the game I decided to
> short cut to the conclusion and ignored most of the side quests. However, I
> felt very strong replay potential in it, so I'll definitely go back after they
> release inevitable expansion.

That was a game I was really looking forward to not least as I like the
genre. I still haven't bought it as even though the rather poor initial
release is mostly sorted it still doesn't sound as though the main
gameplay is what I look for in a CRPG. So too much combat not enough story.

On 08/01/2023 00:09, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> Plus, I was never the biggest fan of Spidey. I always preferred the
> Avengers and the X-crew; I guess I just like ensemble casts over lone
> vigilantes.

Personally I can't say I'm a big fan of most superheroes and the glut of
films, well they leave me mostly cold. I think I just prefer mine a bit
more gritty and a bit less hero.

>
>And the award goes to
>* Vampire Survivors! *
>

*--

I still can't figure it out. I get bored real quick with it.

-pw