There's a Sale A-Brewin'

If you're in the market to spend some of that hard earned cash the Epic Mega-Sale is currently taking place.  I know--it's Epic, but there is generally a good reason to check out their sales.  The first is the fact that they like to offer up some good games as giveaways--they're offering up Death Stranding this week only.  I very much enjoyed Death Stranding, even though the story was straight up bonkers (you can read my full review here).  Another good reason to check out the Epic sales is because their coupon offers are a nice way to knock 25% off of the price of a game (and you usually get the coupon for grabbing the free games, so it's a double bonus).  I'm not really in the market for anything right now, but I hope people find some decent deals.

Last week I stated that I hadn't really read anything too bad about Diablo IV, but this week I did.  In two different PC Gamer articles, there was some definite doubts laid down about the upcoming ARPG.  The first article described the fact that the class balance is currently really out of whack--some classes are super OP and others are miserably weak.  I suppose we can sort of give Blizz the benefit of the doubt--it's still in beta, so hopefully these issues will be hammered out before the full release.  The second article bemoaned the fact that it simply feels like more of the same--it doesn't offer up anything new or unique to the ARPG genre.  (And, actually the first article also gets into this fact).  I'm not sure about the total validity of that argument--so many of the triple-A's don't really bring anything new to the table--they have a big enough fan base and name recognition that people are willing to shell out $69.99 for the newest, shiniest iteration of almost the exact same game.  That's not necessarily a bad thing--I mean, if people genuinely enjoy the gameplay.  I think the challenge lies in the fact that eventually people will get tired of it (I think that's something that Ubisoft is currently dealing with) and then they're in a real pickle.

Myself?  I've been marching Geralt through the main story of the new and improved The Witcher 3 (I'm not so thrilled with this "new" version, but some of the issues I was having do seem to have been ironed out in a recent patch).  Even since I got the worst ending in my last playthrough I've felt a driving desire to go back and get the best ending.  And, mission accomplished, so I feel good now.  The best parts of the "new" version are the added items--there are a couple of early game armor sets and there's also a new set of plans that can be unlocked by completing a new quest in the Devil's Pit.  This quest sees Geralt investigating a haunted mine pit, finding out that the Church of the Eternal Fire is still up to no good, and meeting an old Witcher who offers up the location of a set of plans for an armor set that is inspired by Netflix's The Witcher series (which sadly has lost its Henry Cavill).  Since it was something new, I decided to give the new armor a go.  The stats seem pretty similar to the Wolven set with a few differences and it looks alright.  Check it out:

The front view.  I don't love the flat medallion, but the whole set has a very...black vibe.

The swords are interesting.  For some reason the way the silver sword narrows and flares makes it seem weirdly large.

Have a happy gaming weekend and maybe check out some of those deals on Epic!

Maybe it's Time to Give Up on Triple-A's

I was trying to think of which new, upcoming titles I'm excited for and most of them aren't the big budget bangers.  With the recent news that Redfall, Arkane's newest release, is an utter flop (and, a $69.99 at that!), I'm feeling a bit skeptical about the state of triple-A gaming.  Firstly, this $69.99 thing is ridiculous.  I realize that we're living in a period of high inflation, but for $70, I better be getting a regular masterpiece that offers up something magical.  Secondly, I can't help but think that this is tied to the fact that so many of these studios started off small, had success by making great games, and then promptly got gobbled up by the corporate powers and now, sadly, have lost what made them great in the name of profits.  Maybe it's time to start looking to smaller, indie studios for truly great games.

With that said though, there are a couple big name games that I'm interested in (however, I'm not pre-ordering, I'm not going to day 1 jump on the boat--that ship has sailed and everyone should be cautious given the current track record of recent big releases).  Bethesda's Starfield currently has a release date of September 6th and I'm intrigued by the idea of a space-Skyrim.  At the same time, I'm feeling a tad on the skeptical side thanks to a few things I've read.  Awhile back they were semi-bragging about the fact there are supposed to be a large number of "unique" explorable planets (like thousands!).  I seriously have my doubts about their "uniqueness" given the number.  My personal tenet when it comes to some of these games that like to brag about the massive size of their playable areas is that "size ain't everything."  Who cares about planet #9,000 if it's a slight variation of the other #8,999 planets?  You need a solid story and enjoyable gameplay to bring it all together, and sadly, too many of the uber-games seem to focus on a big, pretty world that is lacking in depth.

A story this week revealed that there won't be any actual sex scenes in Starfield, but apparently your character can wisecrack about the experience afterward.  Am I disappointed about this fact?  Not at all--video game sex scenes are generally cringey at best.  This news was thanks to the ESRB revealing the fact that it will release with a M (mature) rating.  No boning, but there is drug use and swearing.

Even though I'm pretty sure Diablo III is responsible for giving me a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome, I'm also a bit jazzed for Diablo IV.  I spent many an hour giving myself that carpal tunnel as I (poorly) fought through the legions of hellish enemies with multiple characters and classes.  I haven't played the beta, but I also haven't heard anything devastatingly bad about it, so I'll be keeping an eye on it.

On the indie front, I'm excited about SteamWorld Build, a new city builder in the SteamWorld universe.  If you're unfamiliar with the series, it's a very interesting one.  The games stretch out over multiple genres but take place with a set of characters based in the same universe--SteamWorld Dig is the first and is an action/platformer; SteamWorld Dig 2 is the next chapter with similar gameplay and carries over the characters from the first game.  Then the series branched out into SteamWorld Heist--a turn-based RPG set in space (it's my favorite!).  The most recent game, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, is a deck builder/card battler.  (FYI, the whole collection is currently on sale on Steam--you can get all these great games + their soundtracks for $21.97).  I'm excited to see if they can keep the SteamWorld magic rolling with a city builder.

If you are a fan of the tabletop-like RPG Wildermyth there's a new DLC that features tons of new armors and skins for just $5.  Just five bucks to make your unique heroes even more unique!  Totally worth it--plus, I enjoy the fact that it was developed by group of family members and I'll gladly throw more cash at them.