Color Me Skeptical About the 1,000 Planets

As I mentioned last week the hype train for several big name fall releases has fully left the station.  And, I suppose that those hype trains are pretty dang good because Starfield immediately shot up the Steam best-sellers list--this despite the fact that the game doesn't release until September!  Yes, it's shiny, and yes it's something new from the makers of Skyrim and Fallout, but let's try to maintain some common sense here people--please stop pre-ordering.  I can tell that definitely made like one person stop...lawlz  (not really).

I've been getting inundated with Starfield related articles and posts on my socials, so I thought I would share one that made me go "hmmm."  And not necessarily in a good way.  According to this article, "only about 10% of planets will have life on them."  This raises so many questions and isn't necessarily a bad thing (although my first reaction was to be a bit boggled).

One of those empty Mass Effect planets.

If we're being realistic (I mean, as realistic as one can be when they're playing a space role-playing game that will undoubtedly feature a shocking array of penis-shaped ships and weapons thanks to the customizable nature of both), most planets in space would be barren and devoid of life.  So, points for realism!  Buuuut, from a gameplay perspective...umm, what exactly are players going to be doing on the 900 planets that don't have life?  I'm vaguely hoping for something Mass Effect-like, where even if a planet is empty, there might be a bandit hideout to raid, artifacts to find, or resources to mine.  Or something exploration related.  I just hope they didn't decide to chock their game full of lame, empty planets so they could brag about those 1,000 planets...because it does sort of sound like that at points.

No Man's Sky tried to do the whole "infinite planets" deal and semi-succeeded at it.  At least landing on those planets is somewhat interesting--there are always weird new critters, plants, and minerals to discover.  I'm just not sure people are going to be into that fun "magnificent desolation" feeling that Mr. Howard seems to think will be so alluring.  I think they're going to need more to keep them landing on all those desolate planets--like some smokin' hot loot.

So, again, I'm giving the side-eye to Starfield.  I really do hope it turns out to be a modern RPG-masterpiece, but right now I'm gonna give it the ol' squinty look and totally distrust the hype.  Beware the hype, folks!

Phantom Liberty and the Death of an Ol' Reliable Friend

The hot, breaking news of the week was tied to some kind of summer games announcement/preview-fest (I don't rightly remember which one and sort of don't really care).  If you've been keeping an eye on Cyberpunk news, then you undoubtedly saw the 9 trillion articles, trailers, sponsored ads and whatnot--I know my social media feeds have been chocked full!  It finally looks like the Phantom Liberty DLC is happening and the hype train has officially left the station.  There were definitely a few pieces that stood out to me, so let's dig in!  Here's a shiny new trailer (I mean, if you haven't already seen it a dozen or so times):

1.) Expect a $29.99 price tag.

If you were hoping that Phantom Liberty would be like the DLC for The Witcher 3 in that it was very reasonably priced, well, just keep hoping because that era is over.  However, it does sound like there's going to be quite a bit of new content including new cyberware (including some that adds interesting abilities like changing your appearance as a disguise or allowing you to "air dash") and talent trees.  The story takes place in a new part of Night City, so there's also new locations that will include side missions and scanner jobs.  Apparently it's much more difficult to design content that includes a lot of verticality as opposed to the flatter terrains in The Witcher 3, so that's part of the price justification.  (Source)

2.) The system requirements for the entire game are changing.

In order to utilize all the new, shiny graphical bells and whistles (ray tracing, DLSS, etc.) the entire game is getting an upgrade.  This announcement gave me some palpitations because my 4 year old PC isn't exactly cutting edge anymore (not that I was ever running it on super-high settings).  Luckily, I should still fall somewhere on the low to medium end of things.  If you're running an older machine, you might want to check them out.  This update should be happening prior to the release of Phantom Liberty.  (Source)

3.) The age of the HDD is ending.  RIP old buddy.

One of the interesting pieces of news that hasn't just been tied to Phantom Liberty is the fact that new release games seem to be moving away from support for old school, hard disk drives.  Part of the system requirement announcement mentioned that they will be dropping support for HDD's and are pushing for people to use solid state drives (SSD's).  The game will still work if you are using a HDD but they won't be testing it or offering support for HDD based systems.  I am still using a HDD for my game storage, so maybe it's time to start looking into swapping over to a SSD (I've read that there's really not a great difference in load times...but I guess they're trying to push people into the 21st century).  Bethesda's upcoming space-Skyrim, Starfield, also includes a similar requirement, so get to upgrading those old drives if you want to be rocking the triple-A titles.

So, what?  Should we all run out and pre-order?

No, please don't do that!  I plan to keep the ol' peepers peeled and wait awhile to see what happens--it sort of doesn't seem that many people are doing that since both Phantom Liberty and Starfield shot up to the top of the Steam charts...and they're not even close to being out!  Patience, people...patience!  People who got a chance to play Phantom Liberty are saying positive things about it, but don't forget the absolute train wreck that was the Cyberpunk release.  

News n' Stuff

Sadly, I don't have much exciting personal gaming news to report.  Last night I finished up my 30 bajillionth replay of The Witcher 3--I had a great time, like always, but felt like the graphical updates in the "next gen" version caused some issues.  I had weird flickering throughout and fuzzy patches during cutscenes that I never had before this update.  I did enjoy the added content and decked my Geralt out in the Netflix series inspired armor set (it's a nice looking set if you enjoy the black leather aesthetic).  If you haven't checked out the updated version, it might be a nice summer option.

In gaming related news, this article caught my eye.  I'm a big BioWare fan so when there are any mentions about games related to their big name franchises, I'll usually bite.  Unfortunately, too much of the news we read about seems to be bad--long time team members leaving or issues/delays in development (and yes, tech seems to be in a bit of a layoff-tastic time right now).  As a Mass Effect and Dragon Age fan this news sounds good-ish in nature--it's good that they're prioritizing the flagship series.  If you're a Knights of the Old Republic player though...sorry!  We haven't really heard too much about ME4 or Dreadwolf, so it's surprising to read this little tidbit.

Shep & the Normandy.

What am I hoping for in the next iteration of BioWare goodness?  Look, I know that every RPG these days needs to be some fantastic, open world monstrosity...but does it really?  I would love to see a more story focused RPG in the classic style of BioWare games--great characters who build strong relationships and become a team that feels more like a family.  I would take that over clearing out my five thousandth pointless enemy base and checking a map marker off an absolutely glutted map of locations.  The chances of actually getting a game like that seem low--both Andromeda and Inquisition took on aspects of the open world.  I didn't hate either game (and Inquisition is most definitely the stronger of the two) but I would argue that neither are fan favorites.  The era of gaming that was more writing heavy...I think it's over and that sucks.  Why hire more writers when you can copy/paste locations, enemies, and encounters onto a map and charge $69.99?  But, would gamers accept a smaller, more focused game?  Part of me thinks that they would--I think we're seeing some rejection of certain open world formulas (Ubisoft-esque map nightmare scenarios).  The realistic part of me knows that what they really want is a way to get gamers to cough up that $69.99.

If you're a BioWare fan...let's all just keep our fingers crossed that we get some good news (no more articles about people leaving or frustration with the direction of the company/development).  I've got my toes crossed too!

Same Old, Same Old

The end of the school year is approaching--slowly, but surely, and the looming and always exciting period of early summer has me thinking about my gaming conquests.  A few titles on my wishlist are looking to be non-starters--Cook Serve Forever, which recently released and is in early access has mixed reviews.  Apparently it's more of a story-based spinoff that doesn't continue the keyboard-mashing, restaurant building tradition of the earlier games.  I think I'll be skipping it (or waiting until a full release sale price comes around...so, that could be awhile).  I'm still semi-watching the Diablo IV news, but that $69.99 price tag seems a bit steep for me.  So, who knows that the summer will hold--there are a few indies with overwhelmingly positive reviews that I'm interested in.

I'm currently continuing my The Witcher 3 next-gen playthrough (still a smidgen glitchy) and have reached Toussaint--the most beautiful place in the game (I love it!).  I wish all big RPG's that span multiple games would include a final, great DLC with a positive sendoff for our favorite heroes (like Mass Effect's "Citadel" DLC or "Blood and Wine").  Yeah, it's definitely fan service, but it's the fans who are laying down the cash, so why not?

Gearlt ponders his next move.

The new photomode is a nice addition and I've snapped a few heroic pics of Geralt in all his beardy, black leather glory.  My collection of Toussaint screenshots is sorely lacking, so there's a goal.

If you're a teacher who is still in school--the time is coming, hang in there.  I feel your pain and am looking forward to June 13th (our last school day).  May your summer dreams be fruitful and you find the strength to survive the absolute doldrums of the school year.  Amen.