shinymcshine

Nope didn't happen at all for me - don't get me wrong, I got some nice things every Christmas but my parents never had enough money for games consoles etc* - all my gaming has been self bought (or in later years, as a present from my missus). *my older brother got a 48k Spectrum once, noting as his birthday is in Nov and mine in Jan anything super expensive like that was always a joint birthday/ Christmas present.

Playstation users are to lose all access to bought content from Discovery TV as it leaves the PS Store. "As of 31 December 2023, due to our content licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library," Whilst in this instance I imagine it's a bit niche, it doesn't bode well for the consumer in terms of any form of digital 'ownership' (albeit was probably buried deep in font 4 of a 10000 word set of T&C's when you 'bought' it). I wonder if this'll start to affect games in the future too (in particular where there seems here to be no right to redownload/watch anything once its removed from the store and its deleted from your library). I think game licencing is somewhat different that movies/TV, but where studios are being bought then it's not implausible. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/12/playstation-users-set-to-lose-hundreds-of-tv-shows-they-paid-for

Now I've just found a Tomb - which is pretty different in its approach once you get inside ! Fantastic. My present company size is 10 (8 + 2 ponies) - I think the only limitation you have is the cost of wages & food - but 8 seems a good manageable size (esp. on the battlefield). And now there's an arena, and wandering (but benign) elite bosses, and animal companions.....

There's a couple of good guides on the Steam page - esp. to explain a few of the things that the tutorial doesn't.

Hitting about 20 hrs having 'completed' the first area, and now progressing in another. Not much more I can add to this (I love the way you can trade with other wandering groups on the road)- but time flies by when I'm playing it. If you're on the fence, then it's Vandal Hearts mixed with FF Tactics/ Disgaea in a brutal medieval setting, with free world exploration - but I know for some people the graphics will make their eyes weep.....

£150 for a LE controller - well if you like a brew..... £150 Yorkshire Tea Controller

I lost a party member today - couldn't get to them in time, but it was one of the 2 cutthroats that I had, and it felt that the party wasn't that well balanced (even though they had different skill sets). I thought about reload, but instead just rolled into the village and recruited a spear user (impale damage and double damage if they attach from a couple of paces back). I had to buy & sell a bit of kit in order to equip them, and retrain their secondary skill (as it was the cook I'd lost) but things feel good with them now. I really like this game.

1987-93 was an absolute slam dunk period on the PC for LucasArts point and click adventure games.

The turn based combat here is really good. Your crew can have a selection of different builds, with heavy combatants standing toe to toe, archers providing cover fire, and rogues sneaking in to backstab and panic the enemies. There seems to be a huge amount of skill variables, some class specific, others tied to your particular weapon, plus there's environmental effects too (mud slowing movement, fire giving a burning effect, deadly lightening strikes). Whilst there's apocathary potions and remedies, there doesn't seem like there is any direct magic system - instead the game has that gritty medieval 'reality' - noting combat can be pretty deadly, with a small window to apply first aid to a dying crew member before you lose them and look to recruit a replacement.

I think he sort of hated it - having paid full price for a janky bug ridden mess, with awful vehicle physics. It had been patched up a fair bit when I played it (and I enjoyed it) - but then I didn't pay anything like full price.

Another nifty feature is that your crew each can have a sub profession alongside their main character class, and these are used for downtime activities (some having a related mini-game too.) So far I've got: Artificer - makes simple equipment (Inc hooks & lockpicks). Blacksmith - crafts weapons / armour Cook - reduces food usage/ can make recipes Thief - can steal, lockpick & fence items Angler - can fish (with hooks & bait) It seems that you unlock more professions as you go - and can retrain crew members, albeit they lose their previous professions exp. Nice addition - makes your characters feel a bit more 'rounded' than, say, having to stick to predefined (D&D) class constraints. Now - positives aside for a second - it does at times look & feel a bit like one of those F2P browser games from 10 yrs ago - you know where it was like complete a mission then wait 12 hrs for the next one etc - but of course without the waiting, and missions are pretty short so far, go from A-B-A and collect reward - but there has been some moral choice of which side to assist etc.

There's a relationship mechanic within the party system, so your crew can get on or fall out - certainly an errant shot by my archer into melee (hitting a crew member) didn't help their liking of each other !

Newly added to Gamepass, it's an open world party based RPG, which seems to have a rather sandbox approach (in terms of letting you decide whether to go & what to do - rather than (currently) a directed main quest). Create a party of 4 based on their background (reason for being together) and off you wander, in a high level world map (a bit like Mount & Blade). You encounter people, places & settlements, the latter where you can pick up paid missions. Then its off for some turn based combat, leveling up, camping, reskilling etc. Driving force in the early stages is getting gold (to pay your party) and to buy food (consumed when resting). Seems pretty positive so far (about 90 mins played).

Hey babe, wanna know why I call my bedroom the joypad......

The golden age for sheer quantity of AAA games still feels like the 360/PS3 gen. Since then the flow dried up somewhat - whether it's the complexity of programming, manhours required, lack of faith in new IPs, or the tendancy to reach back for a remaster - I really don't know, but the new release/ forthcoming games lists just doesn't feel such an exciting place as it was 10+ yrs ago Don't get me wrong, there's still been some excellent things post that era, and indie games have certainly stepped up (and Nintendo continued doing things their own way) - but when you think we've not had a new ES or GTA game since those days (online contents aside) it perhaps shows some degree of stagnation.

After initial reaction of WTF does this really need to exist already - there is this, which actually seems pretty reasonable: "And good news for existing owners of The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation 4! You will be able to upgrade to a digital version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered for $10 USD at launch. You’ll also be able to import your saves from the original game to Part II Remastered."

And it's completed (~50 hrs played). I know it was on GP and this likely skews the stats, but only around 5% have the achievement for game completion. Go and enjoy this CRPG goodness - it'll be interesting to see how long it's supported beyond the current DLC, as there's loads of scope for the system to be used as a enduring scenario creator.

Hitting the final chapter now (had a pop up message about wrapping up any outstanding quests before proceeding with the main quest). It been a great journey, and with a couple of weighty DLCs (which also increase race & class roster) to look to buy in the future, it's certainly something I'd recommend anyone who enjoys CRPGs giving it a go. I definitely doesn't feel as weighty as BG, D:OS or Pathfinder - but it's still a heap of fun, and there's some nice mechanics in the game too - from puzzles to NPCs joining your party, and a reasonable user interface.

If you fancy a bit of retro BG Enhanced Edition then you could do worse than this CE reduced to £25 (+p&p) - and it comes with a spiral-bound copy of the official Baldur's Gate Adventurer's Guide with updated rules and mechanics. The site is reputable - it's the clearance arm of Gameslore online boardgame shop - I've bought boardgames from the site (and their main site) with no issues - and the owner, Paul Bryant, is active on the BGT&C UK Facebook group. https://www.bggbasement.com/games/PR-Baldurs-Gate-Enhanced-Edition-Siege-Of-Dragonspear-Collectors-Edition.html#SID=1

Dang ! Doesn't look like they are doing a Series S version (with all the goodies but with download code rather than discs).

Oh, in that case you can play the remastered Bard's Tale Original Trilogy on Gamepass too.....

The Shadowrun RPGs are still on GP (if you fancy trying out a turn based RPG) and Pillars of Eternity 1+2.

Does "Alan Wake 2" completely miss out the chart as it's a digital only release ? It's a little weird nowadays that they only chart physical copies - wonder if 'code in a box' games count or not ?

Fair enough - probably a bit like the Oscars, that if you release something too early in the year it gets a bit forgotten about when the nomination season comes around