It's "Year in Review" Time!

Love it or hate it, it's the end of 2023 and the magical (or horrid...depends on your feelings) time when everyone starts posting their "wrapped" or "year in review" lists.  Did we ask to see them?  No.  Do we care to see them?  Probably, also no.  Personally, I enjoy seeing my end of the year lists because they're a nice reminder of all the things we played, watched, or listened to that we promptly forgot about because humans have horrible memories.  I know that there is some irritation about some of the lists--many parents express irritation because their Spotify "wrapped" list usually includes the Disney songs their kids asked to listen to over and over.  I play a lot of instrumental/chill/lo-fi music in my classroom, so Spotify likes to identify it as a genre that I very much enjoy (I mean, it's okay, but not what I listen to outside of the classroom).  Steam has rolled out its own version of a personalized "year in review" list and, of course, I have to reflect on mine.  Here's the link to mine:  Steam Year in Review 

My most played game was Two Point Campus.  They released lots of DLC this year and I happily snatched it all up.  The Two Point games are some of my favorite and have been since their roots in the 1990's when they were the Theme games.  They're management-lite games with a fairly silly vibe and I would strongly recommend them to anyone who wants something semi-challenging, but that is mostly just a chill experience that keeps you busy managing the multitude of tasks required to run a fictional college filled with goofy classes.

I was a bit surprised that The Witcher 3 appeared on my list.  It's my most played game and I generally opt to do a re-play about once a year.  This year I opted to do it a bit early because they decided to release the free "next-gen" update and I wanted to check out all the fabulous "next-geness" that was being offered up.  I found the experience to be mostly the same, but did enjoy the addition of several low-level armor sets that help to fill some gear gaps prior to crafting the Witcher gear sets.  It's still a great game that I just don't get bored with.

The same is true of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition--I just love it to death and it doesn't matter how many times I play through the story (...and make the exact same choices), it doesn't get old.  I don't remember exactly what spurred me to play through the trilogy for the umpteenth time, but sometimes you just feel that longing for a little bit of Shepard time.

I've found a special love for PowerWash Simulator.  There's something that I find extremely relaxing and satisfying about cleaning up fictional, dirty locations.  It might seem weird, but seriously, don't knock it until you try it.  It's on sale right now--give it a spray and I guarantee you'll be hooked too.

My reasons for playing Cyberpunk 2077 were similar to The Witcher 3--the 2.0 updated promised to make a bunch of fabulous changes to the game, so I had to check it out.  I found many of the changes to be pretty "meh," but it is nice to see CD Projekt trying to redeem themselves.  I think they've earned their redemption arc.  I still haven't check out "Phantom Liberty," but hope to give it a whirl in 2024.

Those were my most payed games, but I played many others.  I enjoyed my time with the cute, cat adventure game Stray--downside being that it's pretty short.  It's definitely worth a play if you're a cat lover or want to play as a cat.  I navigated the challenges of settling an alien planet and growing up in I was a Teenage Exocolonist--a game that definitely warrants a re-play at sometime in the future.

If I had to pick a game as my personal 2023 "Game of the Year" it would have to be Dave the Diver.  I walked into it not knowing what to expect and it surprised me with its depth and its enjoyable gameplay loop.  It's a great game, and it's part of the current holiday sale, so I would be snatching it up (*added bonus--you can get it bundled with Dredge another supposedly excellent game from this year).  I've been checking out the Dredge crossover content and it has been nice to be back in the waters of the Blue Hole.

Happy New Year to all!  I hope your 2024 is filled with many excellent games and time in which to enjoy them.

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us--this means potential time off of work to relax and play some games, gifting some games, playing games with your family, or just contemplating all those sweet holiday deals that start popping up.  It's a great time for games!  I've been enjoying some time off work and dipping my toes into the God of War waters while also thinking deeply about some holiday sale purchases (haven't done it yet though).  Weirdly, God of War was 50% off in a weekend sale just before the holiday sale began (and, it's still 50% off as part of the holiday sale!).  I'm in no way close to reporting on my God of War experience, but am feeling a bit weird about the Steam Awards.

One feature of the annual Steam Holiday Sale is the Steam Awards.  Basically, as part of the autumn sale (in November), gamers are given the opportunity to nominate games in a number of different categories such as the straightforward Game of the Year to the more esoteric Labor of Love award.  There are 11 total categories and since I generally don't play a lot of new releases, I just randomly vote because you get free silly virtual rewards like chat emojis.  Here's my lukewarm take on the nominees in each category.

Game of the Year: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, and Hogwart's Legacy.

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

Have I played it yet?  No.  I've read very good things about it and people seem to love it.  I've played Larian's other titles and enjoyed them (although I will admit that getting myself going with CRPG's is always a bit of a struggle).  Someday in the future I might give it a go (maybe when it's a bit cheaper).

Should RE4 even be eligible since it's a remake?  I did enjoy the first Star Wars: Jedi game, but haven't played Jedi Survivor yet--it looks cool, but I think it might be on the high end for my aging PC (pretty sure I read some not-so-great performance reviews).  I've never even heard of Love is All Around--it looks like some sort of Korean dating sim type thing.  Not my cup o' tea.  Hogwart's Legacy looks pretty cool, but I'm not a die hard enough Harry Potter fan to feel a real calling toward it.

VR Game of the Year: (nominees include--Gorilla Tag, Labyrinthine, F1 23, Ghosts of Tabor, I Expect You to Die 3)

My Vote:  I Expect You to Die 3

Do I care about this category at all?  Nope.  Have I every played a single VR game?  Also, nope.  As someone who gets motion sickness, I don't see VR gaming in my future.  I've heard that the nausea kicks in pretty quick.  I picked this one because the name seems vaguely funny.

Labor of Love Award: (nominees include--Red Dead Redemption II, DOTA 2, Apex Legends, Deep Rock Galactic, Rust)

My Vote:  Deep Rock Galactic

This category is always one that sparks a bit of contention.  It's meant to represent a game that is continuing to be improved even if it's an older release.  Last year, Cyberpunk 2077 was the winner and some folks weren't thrilled about that one (given the state of the game upon release + cut content on release + general gaming grudges = bitter taste for some folks).  This years nominees seem to also cut a vein along the confusing line--most of them are multiplayer sort of "games as a service" types that basically have to be updated to keep people playing.  Should that even count?  And then there's RDR2, which feels a bit like a sarcastic kind of vote.  It's a great game, and yes there's an online component, but I'm fairly positive that players have complained that it's very neglected (whereas GTA V seems to get lots of updates to its online components).  I voted for Deep Rock Galactic because out of all those games it seems like one I might be tempted to play.

Best Game on Steam Deck Award:  (nominees include--The Outlast Trials, Brotato, Dredge, Hogwart's Legacy, Diablo IV)

My Vote:  Dredge

This is another one of those niche categories that I probably shouldn't even vote for because I don't have a Steam Deck.  Dredge has been on my wishlist for awhile and looks interesting, so I voted for it.  Diablo IV probably would be pretty good on a handheld system, but I haven't played it yet (and my carpal tunnel is thanking me).

Better with Friends Award: (nominees include--Sons of the Forest, Sunkenland, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Lethal Company, Party Animals)

My Vote: Party Animals

I don't really play multiplayer games anymore, so I voted for the game that has cute little animals.

Outstanding Visual Style Award: (nominees include--High on Life, Inward, Darkest Dungeon II, Cocoon, Atomic Heart)

My Vote: Cocoon

I read some favorable things about Cocoon, a game that I had never heard of before a few days ago.  It was on an end of the year " best of" list and it sounds like a great game.  Darkest Dungeon II  being on the list seems like a bit of a surprise--I read that there's not much variety between the first and second game, so I opted to skip it (even though I did spend many torturous hours getting to the point of giving up on the first game).

Most Innovative Gameplay Award:  (nominees include--Your Only Move is Hustle, Contraband Police, Starfield, Remnant II, Shadows of Doubt)

My Vote:  Shadows of Doubt

Shockingly, this was the only category in which Starfield was nominated.  I figured it would be on the Game of the Year list for sure.  Again, I have zero experience with any of these games so I picked on that I thought looked the most fun or interesting.  I didn't read anything about Starfield's gameplay being innovative, so I'm wondering if this wasn't a bit of a ha-ha kind of nomination.

Best Games You Suck at Award:  (nominees include--Overwatch 2, FC24, Sifu, Lords of the Fallen, Street Fighter 6)

My Vote:  Street Fighter 6

I have played exactly zero of these games, but I know how badly I suck at fighting games, so I bet I would be very bad at Street Fighter 6.

Best Soundtrack Award:  (nominees include--Chants of Sennaar, Hi-Fi Rush, Persona 5 Tactica, Pizza Tower, The Last of Us Part 1)

My Vote: Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush has been sitting on my wishlist for awhile.  It's a rhythm based fighting game that has very positive reviews.  I've been hesitant to purchase it due to my total lack of rhythmic skills.  So, why not vote for it?  I've also read some very positive things about Pizza Tower but find modern platformers to be difficult.  Of course, The Last of Us does include some very nice music, but I haven't played it (and probably won't).

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, Lies of P)

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

This category almost exactly mirrors the Game of the Year one which makes me think...maybe having good stories in games actually matters!  I hope all the devs are paying attention to that.  Knowing the strength of writing in Larian's games, I had to vote for Baldur's Gate III.

My Bancho Sushi in Dave the Diver.

Sit Back and Relax Award: (nominees include--Train Sim World 4, Cities: Skylines II, Dave the Diver, Potion Craft, Coral Island)

My Vote: Dave the Diver

Of all the categories, this one actually had a game that I nominated and I played.  Of course I had to vote for Dave the Diver!  If you haven't played it yet, I would highly recommend it.  Calling it "relaxing" might be a bit of a stretch, but it is a highly enjoyable game that surprised me in a lot of ways.  (You can read my full review here) If you're a fan of Dredge, there's also a free DLC that is a crossover between the games (I haven't checked it out yet, but plan to at some point).  If there's one game you should definitely vote for, it's Dave the Diver.

The entire concept of the Steam Awards is kind of silly.  I don't even think that the winners get much other than a trophy and getting to call themselves award winners.  Some of the nominations always seem a bit jokey (which is going to happen anytime you have internet voting) or sarcastic.  You'd have to be buying a ton of games to be in tune with all the different categories (and, according to the Steam Year in Review, most people aren't playing many "new" games).  I think we can take the Steam Awards with a grain of salt--I'm sure most people vote exactly along the lines that I did--"oh that sounds cool!" "what a goofy name--I'll vote for it."  

Happy holidays, go vote for games you've never played, and take advantage of those magical sales!

Look Ma, I'm Building! SteamWorld Build Review

It's that magical holiday time filled with family, fun, and of course, those sweet, sweet holiday sales.  Although it's a bit of a newer title, so likely won't see much, if any, kind of discount, you might give SteamWorld Build some consideration.  I've been playing through the newest entry in the multi-genre SteamWorld series and finished the story so it's time for the review.

What is it?

SteamWorld Build is the newest entry in the indie SteamWorld series.  The most unique thing about the series is the fact that it crosses genres but the stories take place in the same universe--one that is filled with steam powered robots known as steambots.  The series includes SteamWorld Dig/SteamWorld Dig 2--classified on Steam as platformers/metroidvanias; SteamWorld Heist--a turn-based, strategy game and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech a deckbuilder.  SteamWorld Build offers up a city builder to round out the lineup.

What's the gameplay like?

It's a combination of city builder-lite, management, and some light tower defense type of mechanics.   Part of the gameplay takes place on the surface of the map you choose (there are 5 to choose from).  That part is the city-builder portion--it largely consists of building housing for worker-bots, building factories to produce items to meet the needs of your workforce, and upgrading your bots.  Building all of this is, of course, dependent on producing the needed resources.  The gameplay loop centers around unlocking upgrades by accomplishing certain population-based milestones--for example, you might need to have 80 workers before you can begin upgrading them to engineers.  Upgrading your bots is essential to unlocking more advanced production and the items needed to keep your bots satisfied.

Once you've upgraded to a certain point, you unlock the ability to repair the broken mineshaft.  This unlocks the underground portion of the gameplay which is more centered on exploration and resource management.  It's somewhat reminiscent of SteamWorld Dig with workers who dig through cubes of earth to discover new parts of the map and find resources.  The mine uses special workers to mine, gather resources, provide protection from underground threats, and mechanics to build and repair machines used for defense or resource gathering.

The first map you play covers the story portion of the game.  I won't spoil it, but it hinges around exploring the different mine levels to find hidden rocket parts, to fully assemble a rocket, to fuel it, and then to escape.  After you've finished the story once the other maps follow that pattern--to complete a map you need to assemble the rocket and escape.

I finished the initial story map in around 6-7 hours, so if you just play through the story, it's fairly short.

Pros:

+ Cute, SteamWorld style.  You've got the different kinds of steambots from the past games and the nod to SteamWorld Dig.  It's a nice, familiar feeling for fans of the series.

+ The story ties into other games in the series.  It's nice to see the connection between the games.

One of my cities (using the holiday Jingle Bolts theme).

+ The five maps each have their own unique, fun designs.  One map contains the ruins of an old, abandoned amusement park--another has an abandoned drive-in movie theater and sort of abandoned movie set theme.  Each map is worth scrolling through to find the fun features.

+ There are different difficulties to choose from.  I've been playing on the recommended "balanced" setting, but there are easier and harder difficulties.  There's also a sandbox option if you just want to build cool cities.  On the balanced setting it's a fairly casual type of city builder--most of the focus is on making sure you have the correct number of workers and are producing the needed resources for upgrades and keeping your bots' needs met.

+ Lots of little cosmetic items to make your city feel unique.  They're all robot-themed and cute.

A view of a mine level.

+ The mine map changes on each new map you choose.  The mine portion of the game is fun because it involves exploration and finding all the hidden nooks and crannies.  There's also a light element of defense as certain levels of the mines have "hives" of enemies that will periodically spawn attacks on your operations.  You need to build defensive structures and maintain a force of guards for protection.  Things get a little chaotic the closer you get to competing the rocket--attacks happen much more frequently.  Exploring the mines is worthwhile because you can find special items that can provide buffs for your surface and mine level structures.

+ A helpful tutorial to get you started.

+ Even though you can complete the story on one map, it's worth playing through the others because you can unlock special structures that grant bonuses that are nice to have on the other maps--for example, the first special structure makes trains move faster (trains deliver special purchaseable items to the train station every 5 minutes or so).

Cons:

- The story is short.  I was hoping there would be more to it, but after the credits rolled when I finished the first map, I realized that it was over.  I really wish that it stretched over all the maps and there was more to it.  The gameplay is fun enough that you'll likely want to play the other maps anyway.

- I sort of wish there were more little details built in.  I want to be able to click on an individual bot and find out about them.  Maybe it's just me, but I like those dumb, little fun things.

Recommendation:

If you're looking for something that's more on the casual side of the city building genre, SteamWorld Build would be good. The gameplay is relaxing and enjoyable even though the story portion of the game is a bit disappointing.  If I had to give it a score out of 10, I'd probably go with a 7 or 7.5.  

A Work in Progress

I'm currently playing my way through the recently released SteamWorld Build and hope to have a full playthrough completed in the next couple of weeks.  Until then, it's more video game news and thoughts.  Who doesn't need more of that--amirite?

CyberPunk 2.1 is out!

More time to hang out with Judy?   Yes, please.

With the release of the "ultimate edition," CD Projekt rolled out a whole bunch of surprise updates.  One of the new features that was described in fairly vague terms was "romance hangouts" with your main squeeze.  Weirdly, this feature is something that I have seem people requesting for a very long time.  Is it all it's cracked up to be?  I suppose that depends on your expectations.  According to this article, the romance hangouts are a bit "meh."  There's no new dialogue between V and their partner, but there are small opportunities to participate in activities in V or the partner's home.  The article describes options to do yoga with Kerry (and do some fun showering afterword) and the ability to sleep and then wake up next to your partner--even in V's own crib.

This new feature should satisfy fans who have noted that their interactions with their romantic partner(s) were very limited outside of the character story missions.  It's nice to see some of the best characters in the game getting some much needed love!

Holiday Updates & Content

Tis the season for fun holiday themed updates to games.  PowerWash Simulator has been dropping hints on its Instagram page that there might be a few holiday maps in the works (hopefully as bonus jobs).  Even SteamWorld Build  (which just released on the 1st) is popping out some holiday themed items.  I've always enjoyed the fun seasonal content and have fond memories of the World of Warcraft events.  It's worth checking your favorite games to see if they have any holiday events or content coming up.

GTA VI Trailer

So you would've straight up had to have been living under a rock not to have seen it, read about it, or been asked to watch 9,000 videos picking it apart, but a new trailer for the hotly anticipated next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series dropped this week.  The next entry in the series looks to return to the sunny beaches and neon lit ambiance of Vice City...only this is modern Vice City with modern graphics, and it looks amazing!  The story looks like it's going to focus on a couple who, of course, are trying to make a name for themselves in the criminal world.  There are tons of cool cars, beautiful locations, and colorful characters to punctuate the normal zaniness that is the sprawling, open world of GTA.  However...even with all the excitement, people were mostly focused on one thing--namely the 2025 release date.  Yep, it's a ways off folks.  If you're on PC, the wait could be even longer--it took several years for GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 to make their way to the PC world.  My only thought...I'd build a new PC for it (and it's going to be about upgrade time anyway).  In case you were under a deep, deep rock, here is the trailer for your perusal--don't drool too much:

And yes, it's worth remembering--this is a trailer, and a very early one at that, so who knows what'll actually roll out circa 2025 (or more for us poor PC folks).  Nonetheless, it's still fun to see the potential.

A Whole Mess of Video Game Related News Thoughts

There have been a few fun gaming related announcements and news this week...plus, I'm not playing anything new at the moment (but that's likely to change since SteamWorld Build released yesterday--yay!), so I thought I would highlight a few pieces of interest.

Gaming News #1:  CyberPunk is getting even Punkier

CD Projekt clearly stated that with the 2.0 update & the "Phantom Liberty" DLC that there wouldn't be any more "big" updates to the game.  Just this week they announced (*just in time for holiday shopping!) that they are releasing an "ultimate edition" that includes the whole she-bang--CyberPunk in its 2.0 glory and the "Phantom Liberty" DLC.  Apparently though, 2.0 is not the end of new content.  With the release of the ultimate edition on December 5th, there will also be a 2.1 update that promises to add several (apparently) hotly requested additions.  One that stood out to me is the addition of a fully functioning metro system that allows players to ride a train throughout Night City--and we're talking actually ride the train, not just fast travel--you can look out the window and enjoy all the sights (or, just skip the ride...ya know).  If I remember correctly, the NCART system was supposed to be implemented in the original release, but ended up on the cutting room floor.

Of course, the addition of a rideable metro system isn't the only improvement--here are a few other highlights:

--a whole host of new accessibility features.

--the ability to re-play races and a new race organizer NPC who will offer up races beyond Claire's missions.

--new vehicles.  Several new motorcyles and at least one new car (another Porsche).

--"car chases."  Gangs will now chase players who make certain choices or get caught stealing cars.  (Maybe the lackluster vehicle combat system from 2.0 will actually offer something up?)

--the ability to listen to the radio while on foot.

--improvements to the Adam Smasher fight (it has definitely changed, but I guess it's still not hard enough)

--"romance hangouts" with your main squeeze.  There aren't a lot of details about this feature yet and they've promised to offer up more info at a Twitch event.

I was a bit underwhelmed with some of the "major" 2.0 improvements to CyberPunk, but I do have to admit that CD Projekt keeps on adding many player requested features.  Maybe they do deserve the "redemption arc" narrative that seems to pop up in many articles.  You can read about the 2.1 update here and here.

Gaming News #2:  Fallout streaming series releases a trailer.

There's one eternal question whose answer we all seem to already know--do all video game inspired TV/streaming shows suck?  The answer:  mostly.  I watched seasons one and two of Netflix's The Witcher and found it to be pretty okay.  It started off very slowly, but then managed to pick up to a manageable pace and get more interesting.  It's not the best thing I've ever watched and it definitely doesn't compare to the games, but it wasn't absolutely horrible.  I liked the way they gave Yennefer a backstory and we all know that Henry Cavill is king of the nerds (although he has moved on from the series).  I'm not an anime watcher, but Netflix's Edgerunners seems to be very loved and one of the possible exceptions to the "sucky" quotient.

News broke sometime in the recent past that Amazon Studios was producing a Fallout inspired series.  I didn't pay much attention to the news about it but just today saw a new trailer for the series pop up on my socials.  If you haven't watched it already, give it a gander:

I've gotta admit, it's got all the things we love about Fallout in it--the vault, vault suits, radroaches, Dogmeat, Power Armor, the Brotherhood of Steel, a Mr. Handy, a ghoul (although, I wish he was a bit...ghoulier), human bones, the wastes...but alas, no deathclaws (maybe if they make it to season two).  There's also a pretty strong undercurrent of the entire "research" aspect related to the vaults hinted at throughout the trailer.  Overall, it's got some nice vibes.  But basically any trailer can make anything look good...soooo, yeah.

Am I going to watch it?  Maybe.  Do I think it'll break the sucky video game adaptation trend?  Probably not.  Although not a video game adaptation, I wasn't terribly impressed with Amazon's Lord of the Rings spinoff series--it also ranks in the "pretty okay" category.  The credits rolled out Todd Howard's name as a producer and I think some of his ideas about what gamers want/find fun have been a bit misguided (I'm talking about the whole "empty planets are soooo much fun" type of comments related to Starfield), so I wonder about his input on this project.  Here's to hoping that it breaks the trend.

Happy weekend and happy gaming!

PowerWashing a Classic

The Steam Autumn Sale (aka "Black Friday") has been rolling along for the last few days and looks to continue until Tuesday.  I've decided to restrain myself since I just recently purchased the magnificent Dave the Diver and instead invested in the most recent DLC for on of my favorite oddly soothing games, PowerWash Simulator.  The "Back to the Future" pack offers up the chance to wash some very filthy vehicles and locations related to the now classic three film series from the 1980's and 90's.  But is it worth those $8?

Pros:

+ If you're a fan of the movies it's fun seeing some of the iconic locations and vehicles again.  I can't even remember the last time I actually watched the movies and was marveling at the amount of detail in the vehicles.  At first I was a little bit skeptical of this pack--a film series that's not exactly recent seemed like an odd choice, but the nostalgia factor turned out to be enjoyable.

+ Fun animations and achievements.  I always kick myself because I never look at the achievements before cleaning and wind up missing them (many require you to clean in a certain order).  A couple of the vehicles you clean surprisingly will move and animate!  It shocked me but adds something novel.

A very filthy time machine waiting to be cleaned.

+ A mix of buildings and vehicles to clean.  Doc's van, the DeLorean, the steam engine (from the third movie) are the vehicles featured.  The locations to clean include the clock tower (from the first movie) and the movie theater (from the second).  The DeLorean and steam engine are remarkably detailed with tons of little parts (I'm curious if they had to look up what all the tiny parts were supposed to be) that we all undoubtedly missed in the films.

Cons:

- Most of the reviews on Steam mention the fact that the DLC is short and doesn't include any large maps.  Some reviewers claimed that they finished it in two hours (I might just be cripplingly slow, but it definitely took me much longer than that).  

- All those fun small details on the vehicles can be somewhat frustrating to clean, but are definitely doable.  My advice, just spray from every possible angle, no matter how illogical or silly it seems.

- No new items/skins (if that's your jam).

Recommendation:

I am thrilled for any new PowerWash content and thought the choice of theme was a bit odd (are the children of today even familiar with Back to the Future?  I'm guess they aren't the target demographic for this game), but I found it enjoyable.  For only $8 you get more power washing fun times.  If you enjoy the soothing, oddly pleasant joy of cleaning virtual dirty surfaces, go for it!  If you are hoping for some large maps or content that isn't tied to a movie series from almost 30 years ago, maybe give it a skip. 

It's Got Depth--Dave the Diver Review

I am constantly on the lookout for new, interesting, and positively reviewed games.  It was a bit of a surprise that a certain pixel graphic game with a simple title kept popping up.  Since the post-Stardew Valley glut of pixel games came out I've been a bit skeptical.  After consistently seeing overwhelmingly positive reviews, I decided to set my skepticism aside and give Dave the Diver a try.  It was a great choice and it has quickly become one of the best games I've played this year.

What is it?

The first thing that's worth stating about Dave the Diver is that comparisons to Stardew Valley are fairly off the mark.  They do share some characteristics, but I walked into Dave expecting a gameplay loop that was similar, and it's so much more than that.  My advice--drop any preconceived notions about what to expect.  The Steam tags describe it as a singleplayer adventure RPG and to me that's much more aligned with the gameplay.

Each dive is slightly different.

Each day is split into three phases--morning, afternoon, and night.  During the morning and afternoon Dave can take dives.  The game touts the fact that there are some roguelite elements--each dive the environments are slightly different.  Dave is equipped with a harpoon and dive knife and can utilize those tools to catch fish.  The Blue Hole where Dave takes his dives is also scattered with crates, objects, plants, and treasures that can be collected.  The RPG elements come into play because as gameplay progresses, Dave can upgrade his gear allowing him to dive to even greater depths, carry more items, and wield more powerful weapons.

Catching fish is one of the central activities because at night Dave helps out in Bancho Sushi--a small, struggling sushi restaurant.  The gameplay in the restaurant portion is more management oriented--you get to pick the menu (based on the fish caught previously) and help serve drinks and food to the customers that arrive.  Eventually you unlock the ability to hire more staff and then the management gets slightly more complicated as you need to balance training and placing them where their skills are best suited.  You want to do a good job in the restaurant portion because the money made each night determines the ability to purchase upgrades (for Dave's gear and for running the restaurant).

The part that surprised me the most was that there's a central story and boss fights--the Stardew Valley comparisons that I had read made me think the game was mostly about the daily gameplay loop.  The story is fun and provides more depth than I was expecting.  It also helps give the game more playtime--I completed the story at around 35-40 hours--not too shabby for a $20 game.

Pros:

+ A cast of goofy, fun characters that grows as you progress through the story.  Each character offers something different to help Dave or provides more tasks--Duff, the anime-girl loving weapons expert can craft and improve Dave's weapons; Sato teaches Dave about collecting Marinca cards (a Pokemon-like collecting task--each fish you catch or photograph unlocks a new card--Gotta Catch em' All); Leah offers up Ecowatch objectives to gather certain items to unlock rewards...and there are many more!

+ The gameplay and story takes a lot of surprising turns.  You might find yourself in a boss battle with a giant shark or completing rhythm game-like QTE's as part of a character sequence.  They're always fun and provide a lot of variety to the gameplay.  Random characters arrive at the sushi restaurant throughout the game and will provide opportunities where certain ingredients need to be gathered.

+ Low requirements.  Even if you have a PC that's on the more potato side of things, it should run like a charm.  I had zero performance issues.

+ The daily loop gets more complex and there's more management as gameplay advances.  Eventually you unlock the ability to grow fresh vegetables and manage a fish farm to supply ingredients to the restaurant.  Both require making decisions around where to spend resources and what crops to grow/fish to stock.

+ Plenty of collectibles and side goals.  There's Marinca card collecting, seahorse racing, catching rare fish, and completing Ecowatcher goals (which include things like collecting certain plants or eliminating invasive species).

+ Diving is fun and challenging.  Each depth (which must be unlocked through upgrades to Dave's diving suit) has unique fish and features--there are also aggressive fish (such as sharks) which must be avoided or killed.  The diving environment does change slightly with each dive and certain unique biomes can appear on a dive.

+ Boss fights that are challenging, but not too tough.  This is where I think some people who are walking into the game with Stardew Valley expectations might be a bit surprised.  The game is mostly a casual affair, but some of these sequences might be tough for gamers hoping for a truly casual experience (there is a menu option to automate button tapping sequences--this might help some people).  Some of the boss fights are optional, but others are part of the story.  The nice thing about the boss fights is that you don't get penalized for dying (if you die on a dive you can only loot one item and must return to the boat--basically you lose a chunk of time during the day and almost all of your items).

Dave's boat with a lightning skin unlocked from an event.

+ Personalization options for the restaurant and Dave's boat.  As you progress you unlock interior decorations for Bancho Sushi and can choose the look of the restaurant.

+ Tons of upgrades and unlockables to choose from.  You can opt for powerful weapons--good for dispatching aggressive fish--or net guns/tranquilizer guns which are better for catching and capturing fish in good condition.  Each weapon has multiple branches of upgrades so you can pick the options that best suit your preferences.

+ Gameplay continues beyond the end of the story.  There are some pretty lofty goals related to the sushi restaurant that will keep you playing.

Cons:

- Certain parts of the gameplay aren't explained very well and you might find yourself having to Google.  There aren't a ton, but occasionally you might find yourself stymied about some aspect of the gameplay.  I had to look up what the little arrows on the seahorses (one side activity is seahorse racing) meant because I don't think it was ever explained.  I also didn't understand how enhancing dishes in the sushi restaurant worked and didn't do it for a long time (which impacted the amount of money I made).

Recommendation:

For only $20, Dave the Diver is an absolute bargain.  The game has a surprising amount of depth and so many fun, unexpected moments.  I would highly recommend grabbing it--even at full price, it's well worth it.  It has been one of the best games I've played this year (and I'm still playing it).

N7 Day Leaves Unanswered Questions

When November 7th rolls around each year the nerdy Mass Effect fanbase gets all a tither.  November 7th roughly aligns with Commander Shepherd's N7 rank in the series and has become the date on which BioWare rolls out some info about upcoming Mass Effect projects.  This year they rolled out several teasers filled with cryptic binary codes and challenged the most ardent fans to decode tiny tidbits of information.  I'm a member of two fabulous groups on Facebook--one dedicated to Mass Effect and the other to the Dragon Age series--and the ME group was buzzing about a new poster release that is supposed to be chock full of clues as to the next entry in the series.  Take a gander:

The description of the content of the poster on the BioWare gear store is one sentence:  "Prepare for a bold new future with this brand-new art print commemorating #N7Day 2023!" Absolutely no hints as to what any of this actually means. There was much conjecture about different aspects of the poster--is it depicting a new protagonist? Could it be Shepherd reborn? Much of the guessing was focused on the lower portion--if you zoom in there's what appears to be a depiction of a bar/nightclub scene. In that scene you can plainly see the original ME races depicted--there are Turians, Asari, Salarians, Humans, and Quarians. Some very keen eyed folks also pointed out the fact that they could see what appears to be a Geth and an Angara. Does this potentially suggest that there is going to be some sort of tie-in with Andromeda? There's plenty to question in this very cryptic teaser.

Much of the debate seemed to center around two things--firstly, who will be the protagonist in the next game. There is definitely a faction of fans who very much hope that they plan to bring Shepherd back in some form (this, despite the fact that the multiple endings of ME3 all pointed at the demise of our favorite commander). Many pointed out the fact that the teaser trailer from last year showed Liara picking up a fragment of a broken N7 helmet which would indicate the the next game at least has some sort of tie with the original series and could potentially be steering itself away from the redheaded stepchild that is Andromeda. The figure in this poster appears to be female (which doesn't mean much since the series features a male/female option for the protagonist), is rocking a very cool Cyberpunk-esque jacket that gives off a sort of assassin vibe, is carrying what looks like a silenced pistol, has the signature N7 red stripe, and is wearing a helmet that is vaguely similar to the helmets in Andromeda. Personally, I don't love the Shepherd theories and think the series needs to move on to a different protagonist. Many were also proposing ideas about potential descendants of Shepherd (supposing the game does take place in the future), but that seems even more far-fetched to me.

The second area of debate centered around the bar/nightclub scene depicted in the lower portion of the jacket. Hardcore internet sleuths dedicated a lot of bandwidth to zooming in and trying to pick apart every detail in the scene. Some claimed to see Garrus and Liara; there's supposedly a Geth and Angara in there too. Does this suggest that the game will take place in the Milky Way with some sort of link to Andromeda? If so, the timeline would be odd--it would need to be far in the future (at least 600+ years). The teaser from last year also seemed to point to this scenario with many people pointing out that Liara looked much older in the trailer. Many fans were declaring a hope that the remnants of the crew of the Normandy would be involved in some way--to me, if it does take place in the future, that would be tough. Some of the species are long-lived, but not all of them, and 600 years is well beyond the supposed lifespan of many of them. I also think it would be unwise to completely pretend that Andromeda didn't happen and that it would be beneficial to tie it to the original series. It would be nice if the Andromeda series continued in some way.

So, what did we actually learn from this smattering of cryptic information? Not a whole heck of a lot, to be completely honest. A new game is being developed. That's basically it. One of the hotter post-N7 Day takes came from PC Gamer who rolled out this article openly criticizing BioWare for essentially stringing fans along and not really providing any substantial information about the development of either of its flagship games--Mass Effect or the more upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Sadly, most of the news out of BioWare lately hasn't been good--ugly layoffs and staff protesting over getting severance pay. As much as I want to disagree with the author of this article, I really can't. There hasn't been anything meatier than the N7 day teaser trailers. I don't want to be pessimistic, but I don't have high hopes for either the new Dragon Age game or the much farther off Mass Effect. I believe the era of strong writing, memorable characters, and stories in singleplayer RPG's is basically over...sadly replaced with more gameplay that centers around microtransactions and continuous profits. Many other fans have also bemoaned the fact that that BioWare's golden age has likely passed. People will point to the last two games as clear evidence--the flop that was Anthem and the much maligned Andromeda.

But we can always hope, right? Here's to hoping--and here's the full teaser trailer:

Riding off Into the Sunset--My CyberPunk 2.0 Adventure Comes to an End

Phew!  After a lengthy playthrough of the newest (2.0--which is now 2.02 thanks to a couple of small patches) iteration of CyberPunk 2077 I'm ready to move onto my next adventure.  So...is 2.0 all that CD Projekt said that it would be?  Sort of...that's my verdict.

What's good:

+ The new and improved talents seem to offer up more variety when it comes to builds.  I opted (and then regretted) for my stereotypical stealthy talents with some shooting and hacking mixed in.  There's an interesting new avenue in the "cool" talent that is built around throwing knives which I wish I had given a chance (I found throwing knives to be completely pointless in the OG game--basically you can equip one knife and have to fetch it after you throw it.  I didn't like this at all--even if it does make some sort of logical sense).  Overall though, I didn't think the talents felt too different (there are definitely a few that offer up some unique abilities), but have been improved.

+ I love the new wardrobe function!  I'm not 100% sure it was something added strictly in 2.0, but as someone who does like to play around with clothing, it's fabulous.  Every article of clothing you loot is automatically added to V's closet (you can sell it all and still use it).  You can save up to 6 different outfits that can be swapped out at any time.

+ All rippers sell all items--there's no need to search up which ripper offers up which specific high level pieces of cyberware.  In some ways this sort of detracts from the uniqueness of each ripperdoc--instead of interacting with more than one person, I found myself returning to good ol' Viktor.  I guess the loss of some lore-related interactions is worth the convenience.

+ There is lots of new cyberware and being able to utilize it is pretty easy.  Opting for a stealthy build, I found the optical camo to be particularly nice for navigating tricky situations.  There's a stealth talent that allows you to sprint while crouching and will automatically engage your optical camo system.  There's definitely much more room to shape your cyberware around your build.

+ Iconic weapons have new, special abilities.  I enjoyed using Jackie's pistol for its crit chance increase based on headshots and chance to randomly ignite enemies.  Picking out a favorite is a lot more fun than in the past.

+ There's some new dialogue with friends & associates.  I had several new text exchanges with Judy and Panam--one of the best was with Judy's grandmother who is very curious about V's relationship with her granddaughter.  It's fun and adds a new layer of depth to some of the key relationships in the game.

+ Making money is much easier than in the base game.  I didn't try to purchase all the vehicles for the one achievement, but it seems like it's more doable than in the past.

The stereotypical Us Cracks selfie.

What's lackluster:

- The 2.0 release video really tried to upsell a couple of "improved" features that turned out to be a lot of nothing.  The first major feature is vehicle combat.  I didn't encounter a single mission or situation that required me to engage in vehicular combat.  The addition of a few new, cool weaponized vehicles is fun, but I expected to be frequently engaging in full out gun battles.  Maybe it's more of a part of "Phantom Liberty," which I haven't played.

The other major "improvement" was supposedly to the way the police function--the video hinted that the cops would be much more of a factor in V's activities in Night City.  If you're hoping for the pulse pounding escapes from a police chase ala Grand Theft Auto--well, keep holding your breath for GTA 6 because this ain't it.  Basically, it seems like they added in more police, so there's a much higher chance of engaging with them (meaning running them over due to out of control driving).  Even if you do make direct contact with the po-po, the most you'll face is a need to quickly exit the area to avoid any other police in the area.  I never saw my wanted level rise above 2 stars and found it extremely easy to evade their notice.  You'd pretty much have to launch an all out assault on the police to enjoy 5 star chaos.

- Some bugs STILL have persisted.  I'm talking mainly about the bugs that impact drops of iconic weapon crafting plans.  I missed out on 2 sets of plans because they simply didn't drop.  I also opted for the nomad ending and noticed that my V was buck nekkid (again) when Saul decides to gift her with the Aldecaldos jacket.  Le sigh...they just can't get a handle of these things.  I was also getting weird crashes like every time I exited out of the game (I was given a prompt to send a bug report, but I had already quit, so it didn't impact the actual game--annoying mostly, but 2.02 seems to have fixed it).

Overall, there have been many nice, quality of life improvements to CyberPunk and it's definitely gotten better.  I think they oversold some of the 2.0 changes, but if it has been awhile since you stepped into V's shoes, you'll definitely notice the differences.  I'm going to wait awhile to purchase "Phantom Liberty" and might wait till it starts going on sale (hopefully the holiday sale)--its reviews have been positive and players are saying it's good.

Upcoming Titles I'm Excited About

The bad news, I'm STILL trucking through my Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 playthrough.  I can't stop myself now that I'm like 75% done with all the scanner jobs and gigs.  I don't want to write about it any more though because I'm not feeling like there's anything too new or notable about what I'm experiencing.  I'd rather think about some upcoming games that I'm looking forward to.

Game #1:  SteamWorld Build

If you haven't already checked out the SteamWorld series from Thunderful Games, I would highly recommend them.  Interestingly, they stretch over several gaming genres but have a fun, shared world.  With their upcoming game SteamWorld Build, the series looks to branch out into the genre of city builder.  You get to build fabulous, steam-tastic cities for the steambots!  It looks like just the right combination of casual, relaxing gameplay and management.  Here's the trailer:

I'm very much looking forward to designing fabulous, steambot filled cities.  SteamWorld Build releases on December 1st!

Game #2: Slime Rancher 2

Speaking of cozy, fun games, it'd be almost criminal not to consider Slime Rancher 2.  While it is currently available in early access, I've been on the fence about purchasing it.  Part of me really wants to wait until the full release so that I will have access to all the features rather than watching things get cobbled together piece by piece.  At the same time, wrangling all those cute slimes is almost irresistible.  If you're looking for something casual, cute, and enjoyable, do check out the first game in the series--Slime Rancher (it's currently on sale on Steam for $4.99--a total deal!).

Overwhelming cuteness!  There is no official release date, but the early access statement on Steam says that the intention is for the game to be in EA for at least 18 months.  It might be awhile until we have the full release, but I can appreciate the statement that Monomi Park is a no crunch studio.

There really aren't any triple-A/big name titles that I'm clamoring for.  It was a bit disappointing to see that Cities: Skylines II released in a not-so-great state and that people have been panning it all week.  Not only that, but it's doubly disappointing that developers seem content to release unoptimized, poorly functioning games.  I think I'm going to be sticking mostly to my cute indies and non-tirple A titles.

Happy gaming and happy Halloween!

Wanted: Decent Male Romance Option in Games

That magical time has come in my current Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough where I get to make a major decision.  Is this decision about talents?  Nope.  Is it about some major story arc?  Also, no.  Is it about which uber-weapon I'm going to use to blast some baddies?  Not all all.  Instead, it's about the least important but weirdly gratifying part of many modern RPG's...which fictional character my fictional character is going to have a fictional romantic relationship with!  While quite possibly the silliest decision to make in any game, it's something that must be at least a little bit important to gamers because so many modern RPG's include options for these fictional relationships.  And so many gamers seem to care very deeply about them--I've encountered numerous lengthy threads bemoaning the many aspects of video game romantic relationships or with very detailed suggestions for improvements.  Don't get me wrong, as someone who is an introvert and sort of secretly loves the ability to play a confident, badass character who can pick up all the hottest video game folks out there, I too care about video game relationships.  However, I have one serious gripe (okay, semi-serious because as I've hinted, it's a pretty minor issue) about these relationships.  I would like to have some better male romantic options in my video games.  Gay, straight, I don't care, but romancing a male character is usually the worst option.

One of my main issues with male options is that they tend to be very bland.  They fall into two sort of general archetypes--the "good guy" or the "bad boy."  Take Cyberpunk for example--option #1 is River Ward, your stereotypical "good cop" who's trying to fight against a corrupt system.  Option #2 is Kerry Eurodyne (and that's only if you are playing a gay, male V) who takes on the "bad boy" role.  Of the two I find Kerry to be the better written and more interesting character--he's dealing with a bit of an identity crisis and that gives him more depth.

It just feels like so much more detail and nuance goes into creating the female romantic options.  Both Judy and Panam don't feel like they fall into the archetype trap and each character has their own unique set of character flaws to add depth.  I find it interesting that there's not really a super-feminine (the general "hot girl" vibe) option and that both Judy and Panam are attractive, but not overly "girly."

One of the best moments of the Shepard/Garrus romance.

I would love it if we could get some well-written, more interesting male romantic options that have more nuance than your typical "good guy" vs. "bad boy" spectrum.  I think BioWare games have offered up some of the better male romance options.  One of my favorite romances is the one between female Shepard and Garrus Vakarian.  Garrus falls firmly outside the spectrum I described above--he's kind of a dork (always trying to calibrate things), he's awkward (and it's just generally awkward due to the inter-species nature of the relationship), but he's also a badass sniper with a secret sexy side (remember the whole "reach & flexibility" commentary?).  So many people pass up the option to romance Garrus in Mass Effect because Turians aren't exactly the most attractive of the alien species in that series, but I would argue that it's one of the best!

If you're someone who writes characters for video games...please, write a male romantic option who has some nuance.  I know that the ratio of people who play video games skews strongly to the straight, male demographic, but it'd be great to have some variety.  Maybe a skinny, nerdy type who impresses through their knowledge and wisecracking attitude?  Or the confident leader with some serious emotional baggage?  Just please, no more bland "good guy" or edgy "bad boy" types.

Panam is my BFF

A thought occurred to me as I was playing my way through the story missions in Cyberpunk 2077--Panam is actually a good friend, maybe even more so than the other "relationship" options.  As a character, she has grown on me through my multiple playthroughs.  Sure, Kerry, River, and Judy all have their own fun qualities, but when it comes down to who would be an actual good friend, I'd go with Panam--here's why.

1.) Panam seems to be genuinely concerned about V after the biochip issues become apparent.  The other "friend/relationship" characters do too, but none as much as Panam.  She immediately wants to help find a solution and expresses a lot of worry.  The other characters all feel like they have a very surface reaction to V's distressing state of being.

2.) At first I found Panam to be a bit needy.  She texts V about her personal problems (her tenuous status with her clan) and it can feel whiny.  However, after helping Panam and the nomads, they are genuinely accepting of V--I mean they are even willing to take the risk of launching an all out assault against Arasaka.  They freely welcome V into the fold.  The nomads just seem like a cool group of people.

Iconic weapons have new, unique abilities.

Other than deep thoughts about Panam, I've also noticed that most (if not all) iconic weapons now have a special ability.  For example, Jackie's pistol now features an increased chance of burn damage and a temporary crit chance increase for each headshot.  You also receive bonus ammo the next time you use the weapon that is equal to the number of headshots.  I've been using it as my "in case of emergency" weapon for when my sad stealthing skills result in the need to pop a fool in the melon.  I slapped a silencer on it and I've got to say that the increased crit chance is very nice.

My Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 adventures are slowly, but surely progressing.  Thus far, I feel like they oversold some of the "major improvements" that were part of the 2.0 hype.  I wish that they had added in a few new missions that actually utilize things like vehicle combat or conflicts with the NCPD, because so far neither have figured into my current playthrough.  A couple of times the police weren't happy with getting run over (it happens) but speeding off in a different direction easily solved that problem.  Some Witcher 3 style free stuff could've made that possible!

In a way, I'm kind of happy that Cyberpunk has been having a bit of a redemption arc.  I'm just not completely sure that the changes to the game have been as drastic as they were made out to be.  I've yet to try out Phantom Liberty, so maybe it'll offer a vastly improved experience.
  

The Definition of Insanity

Unsurprisingly, my Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 adventures are continuing.  What can I say, it's a big game and I like to play one thing at a time.  My V has become a regular stealth powerhouse and I'm digging the talent path that I've chosen.

Last week I expressed some disappointment in the fact that it seemed like the stealth talents that added in movement bonuses were gone.  That was wrong, and in fact, there are several different movement bonus oriented talents that unlock with points in cool.  Best of all...there's a new "stealth sprint" ability that is pretty awesome.  And, the best part, it works in concert with optical camo!  Sneaking around has gotten so much better with the ability to quickly and invisibly buzz past a problem area and set up a plan to choke out a bunch of bozos.

Slightly less harcore V.  (with cursor because I used the wrong screenshot key)

Beside all my stealth talents, I've spread out the remainder of my point in a few areas.  Reflex talents are nice for those time when you can't avoid a straight up fight--mostly for boss fights and cyberpsychos (although I did still manage to stealth takedown one psycho).  If you want to utilize a decent amount of cyberware, the ability to expand your number of slots is tied to the technical skills tree.  Point in intelligence aren't usually wasted either--especially if you want to do some light hacking.  My only concern is that I may have spread my points out a bit too much, but I haven't had any problems so far.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over...right?  As I was playing, I noticed that I was following my normal pattern of working on side content first and then saving the story missions until later.  One of the things that I dislike (and it's a very petty and silly thing) is the fact that for some missions a specific amount of time needs to pass before you get a call and the mission triggers.  Could I do the simple thing and just "wait" for an amount of time?  Why, yes...yes, I could.  But I refuse!  I don't like to wait and I would rather that my gameplay flows together--I hate the entire concept of "waiting."  My ideal play state is completing side content while I wait for the main missions to trigger with no waiting.  It's dumb, I know.  So, this time around, I'm completing the main story missions first and saving the side stuff for later.

I haven't purchased Phantom Liberty yet, but there do seem to be some tie-ins in the form of new side content.  While completing scanner gigs and side missions in Watson I encountered a new gig that involves rescuing a wounded merc from a safehouse that has been swarmed by Militech goons.  The dude is called "Tiny Mike" and I got the impression that he's somehow attached to part of the new DLC.  He seems cool and rescuing him was a cinch.

Initially I was a bit perplexed by the crafting and upgrade system, but it seems pretty straightforward.  Iconic weapons start at a specific tier and can be upgraded to the next tier with a significant number of tier components.  The confusing part is the fact that they added in a sort of half tier that might make a weapon "tier 3+."  It's fairly expensive (component wise) to upgrade iconic weapons, so I'm trying to be selective by only improving my favorites.

Sadly, my venture into the world of "very hard" difficulty has come to an end.  Most of the scanner missions and gigs are a piece of cake, it's the story missions where the difficulty becomes an issue.  It surprised me in a strange place...the mission with Panam where you sabotage the power station.  Four drones pop out and you have to use the roof turret on Panam's rig to quickly shoot them down.  Those stupid drones were wasting me in like 2 seconds flat!  After attempting it about 25 times I decided that it just wasn't worth the pain (there's no achievement for completing it on "very hard" and I mostly just wanted to see how much harder it actually is).  I turned down the difficulty and the turned it back up--only to shortly encounter the Oda fight and find myself in the same predicament.  Maybe my idea to do the story missions first wasn't so great.

Happy Cyberpunk-ing to everyone out there checking out 2.0!  (Or if you're lucky enough to be playing Phantom Liberty)

Cyberpunking it Up

I've spent some time checking out the 2.0 update for Cyberpunk 2077 and I've mostly liked what I see.  The "Phantom Liberty" DLC currently has "very positive" reviews, so now is a good time to revisit or expand your Cyberpunk experience.  Here are my impressions thus far (**for reference, that's not very far.  I've complete the heist mission and haven't touched the main story missions yet.  I've mostly been tooling around in the open world completing scanner jobs and cyberpsychos)

Like

1.) The new talent system does offer up some unique abilities (and I've barely dipped my toes into it).  I've gone for a stealth/reflex build and I've gained the ability to "dash"--a sort of high speed dodge that consumes stamina.  That doesn't seem very exciting, but it's handy for buzzing away from a melee enemy who might creep up on you unnoticed or quickly getting into cover.  I am missing the stealth abilities that offered up increased movement speed upon incapacitating an enemy.  The stealth abilities seem a bit meh (although there's a whole strand that seems to be built around throwing knives.  Throwing knives were almost totally useless in the OG game because you had to fetch them out of the bodies of enemies before you could toss more.  Maybe they're worth checking out now?)

2.) No more 5 bajillion obnoxious phone calls and messages!  Car sales have been streamlined into a website, so you won't have every fixer in Night City calling to drop the details about a new vehicle for sale.  I have yet to check out the vehicle sales website, but this is a change that I'm enjoying.

Tyger Claws V...rawr!

3.) The new wardrobe feature is amazing.  Every item of clothing you loot is automatically added, so you can sell it all and still use the appearance of the items.  It's very nice not to have to hoard a bunch of clothing in the stash so that I could play dress up with V.

4.) Every ripperdoc now sells all cyberware items.  There's no longer a need to search up which doc carries which upgrade and spend a bunch of time fast traveling all over Night City.

Dislike/Mixed Feelings

1.) Hoping to go non-lethal?  It's not much of an option anymore.  There are no more weapon mods to turn damage to non-lethal.  Overall, that's not a big deal--it's not like there's really any difference in the story/game if you opt for a lethal or non-lethal playstyle.  The place where it sucks the most though is in cyberpsycho fights.  The whole goal is to keep them alive, which in the past was simply an issue of popping on a pax mod and firing away.  Now, you have to burn them down to a low health percentage and either use the short circuit hack (which requires a lot of RAM at lower levels) or find a non-lethal melee weapon to stun them with--or I should say, sometimes stuns them and sometimes kills them.

I've struggled the most with the cyberpsycho fights this time around.  It may be that I raised the difficulty or that my stealth heavy build just isn't good for straight up fights, but the fights do seem harder now.  Cyberpsycho's 2.0 have new tactics which include freely chucking grenades at you--something that they didn't do before.  Several times I manage to whittle them down to 2-3% and then accidentally kill them by whacking them with an electric baton.  Don't be surprised if you find these fights to be more challenging (that's not necessarily a bad thing, they should be tough fights--after all, they are supposed to be chromed out psychos).

I haven't found Skippy yet, but it might be the best option for keeping things non-lethal.

2.) Vehicle combat.  I have not directly engaged in it myself, but I have been blithely standing on the street and had rival gangs go speeding past while shooting at each other.  It does give Night City more of a chaotic feel, but seems like a fairly lackluster addition.

3.) New and improved cops.  So far my experiences with the Night City cops 2.0 have been just as unimpressive as they were in the original game.  I've accidentally mowed down a few pedestrians and had the cops take notice, but avoiding attention is still basically a matter of quickly leaving the area and evading them.  I get the feeling that unless you're directly taking aim at them, there's just not much of a difference from before.  I have noticed that there are now more cops just roving about the streets, so there is an increased chance that you'll grab unwanted attention.

3.) I'm still trying to figure out the item upgrade system.  It's slightly different than before and it seems to have really detracted from upgrading iconic weapons (possibly...it's a bit hard to tell this early).  The cost of upgrading seems high compared to looting a higher tier weapon.  Upgrading quickhacks is still a bit boggling--it doesn't appear that there is a way to get more components other than 1.) doing the little cracking puzzles from jacking into certain interfaces or 2.) disassembling old or unneeded quickhacks.  I suppose you could buy components--that might be the best route.  You cannot craft quickhack components (maybe it's an intelligence related talent that I haven't come across yet?).

ADDITION (10/1/23):  I'm fairly certain that some obnoxious bugs are still present in 2.0--namely those involving iconic weapon blueprints.  I've completed two jobs (and killed/disabled the leaders who should've dropped the weapons) which should have dropped the blueprints for Psalms 11:5 and Buzzsaw...but got nada.  Of course I didn't notice until it was too late, so there's no possibility of re-loading a past save to remedy the problem.  I seriously thought they fixed this bug a few patches ago.

I'm hoping that the perks get more robust as I get into the upper tiers.  Build-wise, I'm having some regrets over not going with a melee build.  One of my favorite playthroughs was with a katana based melee build (which I thought would be ridiculous but actually turned out to be a lot of fun).  If you're checking out the 2.0 changes too, I hope you're having a dandy time.

Cyberpunk 2.0 is here!

There is only 1 day until Phantom Liberty releases for Cyberpunk 2077 and luckily for us we have a good reason to boot it back up prior to release day--namely the huge slate of promised changes in the 2.0 update.  I've decided to join in on the action and spent a stupid amount of time creating my current V (who will undoubtedly share traits with my other V's--I'm bad at doing something new).  I've barely dipped my toes into the Night City waters, but I'm already excited about what I'm seeing.

My V 2.0

The new talent system is exciting!  Opening up the talent menu and seeing all the options is a big change.  I'm sliding back into old habits with my build--a fun combo of stealthy with a side of shooty for when things get hairy.  Since I've barely started I haven't been able to invest many points, but I've already taken an ability that gives V more mitigation when crouched and an lurking around the talents that increase crouched movement speed.  The initial tier of perks includes some oddballs--one talent gives the ability to basically exit cars with some level of flair.  I'm intrigued, but it sounds kind of silly.  There are also many base tier perks built around vehicle combat (you can add weapons to your vehicle now), but I have this gut feeling that those will be pretty useless (I honestly cannot see vehicle combat as being a big part of the game).

One of the most exciting changes (at least for me) is the addition of the wardrobe function in V's apartment.  Any clothing you loot (or buy) gets saved to the wardrobe and the appearance can be used even if you sell the item.  You can save multiple outfits for V and I can't wait to put together some absolute bangers.

I was also a bit shocked by the cyberware menu when I swung by Vik's clinic for one of the early missions.  Things have gotten much more complicated in that realm with limits to the amount of cyberware that V can equip (you can spend points on talents that increase it) and a new display tied to the amount of armor provided by specific items.  There's definitely more to pay attention to, but I like the attention to detail.

This time around I decided to take a stab at the "very hard" difficulty.  We'll see how it goes, but so far I've definitely noticed that enemies will detect you must faster if you're not cautious with your stealth.  Like the description warns...I'm going to need to rely on all the tricks to make it work.

As to my concerns about having the game on my HDD, it turns out that it's very easy to create a new Steam folder on a SSD and move games there.  All you have to do is go into your Steam settings; go to "storage" and click on the + to make a new Steam folder on your SSD.  Then it's simply a matter of moving your files over from one drive to the other--this took between 5-10 minutes for me (Cyberpunk is pretty big), but worked like a charm.  Have I noticed a drastic difference in load times?  Nope, not at all!  I'm just glad that it's working and that I can continue to play.

I'm looking forward to checking out more of the changes in the 2.0 update and petting some more cats (I already pet the one by Vik's clinic).  Happy gaming!

Cyberpunk Hype

I'm still blithely plugging along with my Mass Effect: Andromeda playthrough, but as the release date for Cyberpunk 2077's first (and apparently only) DLC creeps closer I've been seeing more Phantom Liberty news.  I've been feeling a hankering for a re-play of Cyberpunk but it's looking like it's better to wait for a little while.  There has been some good news--especially if you're like me and not intending to pounce on Phantom Liberty immediately (it releases on September 26th).

According to this PC Gamer article, the 2.0 update to the core game will make a new playthrough completely worthwhile.  The highlights for me--a total rework of the talent system!  Let's be real, the talent system was pretty blah--it's hard to get excited for abilities that are like "increase x ability by 3%," but the new system sounds like it adds in some legitimate skills to make V feel like a cyberware sporting badass.

This is an outfit with the best stats that my V sported for awhile.
Would you be scared of this person?

Other highlights include the fact that armor is no longer tied to clothing and instead is part of cyberware stats.  Personally, this is a change I'm stoked for.  All too often my V wound up looking like a goober because the gear with the best stats (which were mostly tied to armor) wasn't the best looking.  Although it's purely cosmetic, it'll be nice to let V look cool.  Also, they added in the ability to pet cats!  Definite plus there.

The 2.0 update is scheduled to release on September 21st, so it's not long until we'll get to see all these changes in action.  One thing I'm a little bit worried about is the fact that they've said that they're dropping HDD support.  My PC is getting a little bit long in the tooth and when I built it (almost 5 years ago), I decided to go with a larger, cheaper HDD as my game storage drive, and that's starting to look like it might be a problem.  Starfield released with a SSD requirement and the HDD is going the way of the dodo.  SSD's are now much cheaper than they were 5 years ago, so adding another wouldn't be too much of a budget crunch.  Another worry is the fact that they bumped the specs up a bit for Phantom Liberty (but in the core game too).  My PC still falls the range of requirements, but it's more toward the minimum side now.  We'll see how it goes.

If you haven't seen it, a new cinematic trailer for Phantom Liberty dropped a couple of days ago.  It's pretty intense and definitely makes me curious about the story and characters.  Take a gander if you haven't already:

I'm looking forward to checking out all the 2.0 changes to the core game.  I'm probably going to sit on Phantom Liberty for awhile and see how it shapes up (and if it'll actually work with my HDD).  Happy gaming!

The Red Headed Step-Child of the Mass Effect Universe

Usually I opt to re-play one of my favorite series during the summer months when I have lots of time.  This summer I decided that it has been awhile since I had delved back into one of my favorite series, Mass Effect.  In general, I'm content to play through the three core ME games (which are now nicely bundled together in the Legendary Edition).  This time around, I decided to revisit Mass Effect: Andromeda, the newest, but most reviled game in the series.

I'm part of a very awesome Facebook group of Mass Effect fans (you can find it here--it's very well moderated and one of the least toxic fandom groups you will find) and a question that gets regularly asked is by new players who want to know if Andromeda is worth playing.  In general, the feedback is fairly divisive.  I'm here to say yes, it's worth playing, but just know that it's not the same experience as the core trilogy.  They definitely made an effort with Andromeda to incorporate more open world gameplay and less of the dialogue heavy interactions with squadmates. 

The Andromeda squad.

Part of me has always thought that Andromeda gets a bit of a bad rap.  So many people act like it is an absolutely abysmal game and it's not (although, it's definitely not of the same caliber as the core trilogy).  There are some things that it does pretty well--the combat is some of the best in the series and is challenging at the upper difficulty levels.  It's not perfect, I do wish they had left the ability to give commands to your squadmates (...and that they didn't feel so utterly useless), but it's definitely fun.  The squadmate banter is also highly entertaining and helps to make those long stretches of exploration a bit more fun.  The planets you visit in Andromeda are quite stunning too and piloting the Nomad definitely beats the Mako.

As I've been playing back through it, I've also remembered the things that make it less enjoyable.  The open world format is...mostly okay.  I dislike the fact that they sprinkled lots of interesting Kett outposts, crash sites, and smaller Remnant sites but gave players basically no impetus to stop and interact with those sites (yes, there are the random "task" missions that ask you to find certain objects, but those are some of the most annoying in the game).  In previous playthroughs I've had very few bug/glitch issues, but this time around is my time, I guess.  I've found my Ryder falling through planets just as I have landed on multiple occasions; I've had my Ryder fall through a set of stairs and get stuck...and then found that it had autosaved under the stairs (luckily I had another recent save to re-load).  I absolutely hate the way that Kadara Port is divided up into two separate zones the require you to load into them (and that the doors there are frustratingly slow to open--why do they need so many stupid doors anyway?) The story feels a bit underwhelming too--it's a bit of a re-hash of the Mass Effect story but with different evil aliens with semi-understandable motives.

If you're looking to check out Andromeda the "deluxe" edition can be purchased on Steam for $39.99.  That price seems a bit crazy to me, but you can also subscribe to EA Play for $4.99 a month and check it out.  I've seen it on sale for very cheap, so that is probably the best time to purchase.