Discover Games

I’ve thought about it, and decided to suspend this blog indefinitely. And much like when political candidates say they are “suspending” their campaigns, that likely means permanently. I probably won’t delete it - at least not right away - since I might want to archive some of the stuff here for my own nerdy and/or self-centered purposes. But I am going to stop posting and stop using the site altogether.

I’ve spent a ton of time here over the past 5 years, so it’s perhaps strange that I have no strong feelings about leaving. I’ve met a lot of really lovely and decent people here - who I hope to stay in contact with - but it hasn’t really been all that fun or rewarding for a good long while now. I’ve often said that I have no problem quitting a game when I stop getting anything out of it, and this is no different. 

I assume most of the people who would still want to hear from me are already connected with me elsewhere, but just in case, you can find me in the following places: I think maybe I’ll still use Steam to review games, so if you want to hook up on there, my profile is here and my Steam Curator page is here. My Backloggery account is here and my twitter is here. I’m still always down to talk games, so your messages, comments, touching tributes, fawning accolades, and gifts of free Steam games are always welcome in those places (one or two of those are jokes.)

So long and thanks, y’all!

Originally posted by imthehuman

Eh, on second thought I’ve deleted that last post (though I do appreciate the input that came in). And I may finally go through with a plan I’ve flirted with before - that is, it might be time to follow the advice of Hillary Clinton’s social media team and delete my account.

Review - Contrast (PC, 2013)

Stylish and memorable - an unpolished gem

For me, a unique identity and a bit of style go a long way. A game that is flawed but memorable will almost always be preferable to a game that’s competent but bland. Contrast is most definitely in the former category. This game has a number of serious issues - most notably technical and control problems - that might sink a less interesting experience. But it’s also got a neat 1920s Paris setting, unique 3D/2D shadow-based gameplay, a fun carnival atmosphere and aesthetic, and a surprisingly moving story with solid voice acting. The lack of polish can be frustrating, but even then, all of these things come together to make a memorable and worthwhile experience.

Keep reading

caramelzappa:

I wonder if the villain in The Last Guardian is just going to be the camera system again.

prokopetz:

godicannotthinkofausername:

prokopetz:

Let Female Video Game Characters Wear Trousers 2016

If that’s what you want, make your own fucking game

Yo.

It’s always fun to see non-game designers tell game designers that the latter doesn’t design games. Fun bonus: the description of this angry reactionary’s blog is just this: “I have no intention of producing any content. Here, all you’ll find is stuff I reblog." 

Check it: this person is criticizing the content of someone else’ blog, while refusing to make their own content, and the substance of that criticism is that you shouldn’t criticize other people’s content if you’re not going to make your own. That is pure ironic gold, completely lacking in self-awareness or internal logical consistency.

titleknown:

I kinda wonder what Tumblr discourse would have to say about those infamously abhorrent rom hacks that used to circulate back in the day.*

Like, would it mainly use it as an opportunity to point and laugh at the edgelord idiots behind those, or point out the disquieting connection between the “ironic” racism/sexism/homophobia/transphobia of these and the rise of the scary-ass internet alt-right.

@zennistrad, @discovergames, you’re smarter than me on The Discourse regarding games, where do you think of it within that context and its history?

Because, I think it’d distressingly important to look at when thinking of the rise of Gamergate in a way that’s been overlooked, because as above, so below…

*Trigger Warning: ALL OF THEM. Like, these hacks have racism, sexism, homophobia,transphobia, gore, nudity, as many slurs as you think of, they’re real nasty stuff…

Well, I don’t think I’m smarter than anyone when it comes to this stuff (you should probably ask folks like @feministgamingmatters, @why-i-need-diverse-games, and @gamingfeminism), but I’m not convinced it’s appropriate to write off the ugliness of these sorts of things as “ironic.” There’s certainly a way to embrace “ironic” sexism/racism/homophobia, etc., but that generally looks a lot more like satire, whereas these hacks - silly as they may be - do not appear to be that way at all. I think these things are quite sincerely sexist/racist/homophobic, etc. The fact that they do it in a “jokey” tone doesn’t hide the underlying sensibilities.

So, with that said, I’m not sure there’s much else to say about them. At best, most of these hacks are just a waste of skill and technical knowledge, and there are already plenty of examples of those skills being used for ugly, hateful purposes (like the game where people beat up Anita Sarkeesian, or mods that make diverse games all white, etc.) My point is that, while you’ve presented these things as being something that doesn’t get talked about, I actually think they’re not significantly distinguishable from these other incidents which get plenty of attention and dissection. But that’s just me.

EDIT: You’re right about one thing, though: I would totally laugh at these guys and their “edgy” & “offensive” schtick.

taluwrath:

Review - The Saboteur (PS3, 2009)

Sloppy controls, but it’s never not fun to blow up nazis

The Saboteur is a wild mix of mostly good ideas, many of which were borrowed from other games, and most of which were executed with less than perfection. It’s a sandbox game set during the nazi occupation of Paris, where you spend the majority of the time “liberating” areas of the city by blowing up all the nazis’ stuff. Each individual mechanic - from the shooting to the driving to the climbing - is sloppy and frustrating to various degrees, but this main nazi-killing core (along with a surprisingly solid stealth system and unique aesthetic) is enjoyable enough to make the game a worthwhile experience overall. 

Keep reading

Steam Sale Tools - Sale starts 23rd!

oldmanyellsatcloud:

pyronoid-d:

Use IsThereAnyDeal to check current prices and price history from a range of retailers - Steam might not be the cheapest retailer at any given time!

Use PC Gaming Wiki to see if a game has any mandatory or recommended mods or tweaks to get it up and running smoothly - they also publish Reports on their blog where they detail how well optimised big new releases are

Shop in your browser and use Enhanced Steam for a bunch of extra features to improve your shopping experience, including MetaCritic user scores, third-party DRM notifications, price history and more

Sales don’t seem to rotate on a daily basis anymore (as of Christmas 2016) but in the event that they do here’s that good old helpful infographic

Keep an eye out at your local stores for any deals on Steam gift cards - previously gift cards have been sold cheaper than their actual value (a $50 gift card for $45, for instance) - great if you have an idea of how much you plan to spend

Happy shopping!

“You don’t REALLY need to eat for the next two days, do you?”

manta184:

its time for some video game Grey Morality! so we’ve got an oppressed minority here who are being enslaved and murdered, do you want to join them and help fight for their freedom, or side with the oppressors to eradicate them completely? but wait!! before you make your decision, get this - and this is where it gets really grey - some of the minority aren’t very nice to you

rabbiteclair:

prokopetz:

prokopetz:

Hey, Steam now lets you blacklist user-defined tags in your discovery queue.

Neat!

*immediately blacklists “zombies”*

(Now if only there were a well-defined tag for “obvious Terraria clone” that I could blacklist, that’d be two birds with one stone…)

also:

• “obvious Minecraft clone”
• “has the graphics and complexity of a 2006 Newgrounds Flash game for $15″
• “contains two or more tags from: Survival, Crafting, Sandbox, Procedurally-Generated”
• “fourth installment in a story-heavy series you have never touched in your life”
• “has the word Simulator or Tycoon in the title and was made after 2005″
• “has the word Sakura in the title…… ever”
  
• “has one or more gameplay mechanics related to breasts”
• “Pixel art graphics by somebody who does not know how to do pixel art properly”
• “decent game but you will find out a month later that the creator is a constant asshole on Twitter and feel bad for supporting them”