Conquering Puberty and Xenofauna

After fiercely contemplating my Steam wishlist, I finally decided to make two summer sale purchases.  I chose to grab I was a Teenage Exocolonist and Stray.  What spurred me to these two very different titles?  Mostly the fact that they both had "overwhelmingly positive" reviews.  I started off with I was a Teenage Exocolonist and have completed a full playthrough and have to say that I'm pleased with my purchase.

What is it?

At first glance the title seems slightly zany and silly--I was a Teenage Exocolonist though is anything but that!  It's a sort of deckbuilder, card puzzler/battler, RPG, and according to its Steam tag, a "life sim."  The story has you playing a the role of a colonist from Earth who is attempting to settle a new planet.  You start off at the age of 10 (so you're just a kid) and then the story takes place throughout your teenage years.  Gameplay takes place each "month" in the new calendar year of the planet--during each phase you get to choose how your character spends their time--there are a variety of tasks that reward you with skill points in specific areas.  No matter which activity you choose you will play a card-based challenge (although some challenges are specifically skill based and reward points in specific skills) that requires you to combine cards to earn a specific score in order to succeed (you can fail).  As you complete activities and interact with the other colonists you are rewarded with "memories" in the form of new cards.  Activities also cause your stress level to rise and you need to periodically spend time relaxing--each time you relax you can choose to forget up to two memories (which are randomly selected and then you can opt which you want to forget--or not forget) which can be a useful way to slim down your deck and get rid of low value cards.  The scoring for the card play seems fairly straightforward--basically you get points based on the face value of the cards, but you also get bonus points for things like matching pairs (of number or color), straights, or flushes--but is actually complex.  Card "colors" are tied to skills that you build for your character by choosing specific activities--there are three large categories--social skills (represented by yellow), intellectual skills (blue), and physical skills (red) that break further down into four specific subskills for each category.

There's also a social aspect to the story--you can gain the friendship of other colonists through engaging with them.  You can also give them gifts of items that you find (and, yes, they do have their own likes and dislikes).  As you get to know them better they will reveal information about themselves.  It's fairly challenging to fully befriend all the other colonists because they all have their own interests and activities--if you focus on a different skill set you probably won't fully earn their friendship.

A full playthrough sees your character aging through their teenage years--from 10-19.  I clocked mine at 17 hours (there is likely some paused time in there), so count on a decent chunk of time.

Pros:

+ The gameplay is easy to pick up and was fairly easy (maybe a bit too easy, but there are options to crank up the difficulty of the card challenges).  It's very forgiving and you can experiment with different cards/combos before you complete your hands.  I think I only failed 2 challenges throughout the entire game.

I enjoyed how the deckbuilding was tied to the story and that cards are "memories" tied to the events you choose.  Since I focused on the "physical" category I accumulated several cards related to winning the yearly festival strength competition.  You can also acquire cards that have a negative effect from bad memories (they're good ones to forget while relaxing).

There are also special "perk" cards that can be equipped in equipment slots.  These cards are either rewarded for certain events or can be purchased using "kudos" that your character earns from doing certain tasks.  As you become more skilled you can unlock more equipment slots.  "Perks" are very useful and often buff certain cards or combos and can even give you a small boost of certain skill points.

+ Extremely choice based.  From the very beginning you get to make a ton of choices--your first choice is the sex/gender of your character (it's very inclusive allowing you to choose your pronouns--including an option for they/them--and if you want a feminine, masculine, or androgynous character), your name, and a genetic augment (every colonist has one and half the fun of learning about the others is finding out about their augments).  Your genetic augment sort of leads you toward a specific skill set--I chose a physical augment that gave me bonus perception.

Once you've landed on Vertumna (your colony planet) you choose how to spend your time--you can choose activities that help build up specific skills.  Each activity presents you with a new scenario which plays out with a story and a card play phase.  Depending on your success/failure in the card play phase you often gain a new memory (card) which can be good or bad.  You also earn friendship with the other colony kids through participating in activities, interacting with them, and giving them gifts.  Early on your activity choices are a bit limited (which is tied to the story and the age of your character), but more options unlock throughout the story (some might hinge on specific skill levels in certain skills).

When you interact with the other colonists you also get to choose dialogue.  Your choices can impact how much friendship you gain (or lose) depending on those choices.  Paying attention and knowing more about other characters and their personalities/quirks can help you make better choices.

The choices you make have a direct impact on the story and its outcomes.  I had several negative outcomes and will definitely try to remedy them on a re-play.

+ Engaging story and characters.  Part of the story deals with the challenges of your colony group trying to establish a firm foothold on a new planet.  The other part deals with the challenges of growing up.  I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that the colony has a rough time (in my playthrough it did...which also might be tied to some of my choices) and is frequently confronted with challenges.

The cast of characters in the game is fun--they each have unique personalities and interests.  There's Anemone, the spunky redhead who loves Sportsball (my BFF in my playthrough); there are the twins Tangent, a genius, and her anti-social brother Dys; there's Cal, the animal-loving pacifist...and many more!  As you befriend different colonists you can unlock new information about them--things like when their birthday is (so you can be sure to give them a special gift), what their genetic augments are, and their general likes/dislikes.  Getting older also means that you can establish romantic relationships with other characters.

+ Vastly, vastly replayable.  The choice based nature of the game means that there are always different choices to be made.  There are 29 different endings and over a hundred different cards/memories to be unlocked!  It's the kind of game you can go back to time and time again and experience it a different way every time.

+ Vibrant artwork and some fun "collectible" type of mechanics.  As you experience different events in the game certain events trigger special artwork to appear.  The artwork does a great job of reflecting the spirit of the characters and events and can be viewed through the menu.  If you fully befriend specific characters they will appear on the main menu window--it's very cute and gives you yet another reason for a replay.

+ Nice music that matches the tone and vibes of the game.

+ A casual affair.  You can play as little or much as you like within one session.  The game autosaves frequently and you can create your own saved game at almost any time.

Cons:

- If you are the type of person who doesn't enjoy reading in your games...well, there's no voice acting and lots of text to read.  I didn't find the amount of text overwhelming and it's well written and easy to read.

- Gameplay loop gets a bit repetitive.  I found myself getting a bit bored and played something else at a few points.  Especially in the early years where your options are a bit limited.

- Story choices that felt unclear.  At certain points of the story there are major events where it is hinted that you need to do something or go to a certain place to try to find a solution to an issue--that's clear, but once you find what you think might be the solution there's not really an event or dialogue that's like "wow, you solved that!"  Maybe that's a bit hand-holdy, but I feel like I had some bad outcomes due to the fact that I had found the solution I needed to find, but that I didn't do the correct event the following month to address it because it wasn't completely clear.  My advice--just check everything if you feel unsure about an event.

- Capping out your skills isn't too difficult, but figuring out what to do once you've capped them can be confusing.  Doing exploration related tasks seemed fairly mandatory for completing parts of the story (even though they're not) but it felt a bit like wasted time--the events in a zone are the same and respawn in a different location/order--the major plus is that you can do different challenges and earn some new skill points.

- Star rating system tied to card encounters.  After you complete each card activity there are three stars that appear on the top panel--it seems like you get some kind of rating during card battles.  For some reason, I feel like this is never explained (although, it might've been explained during the tutorial and I just didn't fully absorb it).  I don't think the star rating effects anything though.

Recommendation:

Despite getting a little bored with the gameplay in the early part of the game, I ended up enjoying I was a Teenage Exocolonist.  The vast array of choices and options offers up a game begging to be replayed.  If you're in the mood for a casual game that gives you a ton of choices, I would highly recommend giving it a shot.

Who Powerwashes a Pineapple Under the Sea? Me!

At the end of June the newest DLC for the magnificent PowerWash Simulator was released--the Spongebob Squarepants pack!  Even though my knowledge and experience with the Spongebob franchise is fairly limited (I did not grow up with it like many younger folks did but have a passing familiarity with the characters and general vibe from pop culture and a few short experiences watching it), I snatched it right up because I enjoy the game and am down for any new opportunities for additional gameplay.  I had a nice time with it and the $7.99 price tag makes it an affordable way to enjoy more content.

Conch Street needs some cleaning!

Pros:

+ If you're a fan of Spongebob Squarepants the nostalgia factor will probably hit you pretty hard.  The DLC includes locations and objects central to the show--Conch Street, home to Spongebob, Patrick, and Squidward; The Chum Bucket and Krusty Krab; and the Underwater Bus are a few of the six new cleaning jobs that are featured.  The locations all have that cartoony feeling the matches the show.

+ New Spongebob washer and character skin.  (You can really only see the character skin during the summary gifs at the end of the level)

+ The locations/objects to clean are (mostly) fairly small and relatively simple.  Of the six new objects/locations to clean, the whackiest to clean is the invisible boatmobile.  It's invisible, so as you clean it, actually being able to see it gets harder (you can still see a vague outline).  The final location (which I won't give away because it is tied to the story/plot of the pack) is probably the most complicated to clean (and it's still small compared to some of the locations in the base game).

Cons:

- It's fairly short and if you're hoping for larger, more complex maps--it's not that.  (However, if you want shorter/smaller locations, you might like this fact).

- No new purchases/additional items from the store.  The skins in the DLC appear to be specific to the DLC and not something you could purchase and then carry over into the rest of the game.

Buy it or skip it?

As a big fan of PowerWash Simulator, I will happily scoop up any new content.  I think that if you're either a fan of the game of a fan of Spongebob this new DLC will scratch a nice itch.  It's only $7.99, so it's not going to break the bank, but you also shouldn't expect a ton of new content (it's 6 new locations/objects).  I had fun cleaning everything even though I didn't fully understand them the way a Spongebob fan might.

Two Gripes and a Fun

It's time to get all crotchety and cranky about gaming related gripes--oh, and to celebrate something fun.  I took a week off to celebrate the fourth of July with family, but I'm back and have had time to contemplate something that happened just prior to my little vacay.  I hope everyone else is having a relaxing summer and has had a chance to enjoy some quality down-time (even if you don't celebrate the fourth of July--which IMO is overrated...but you do get time off work, so cool!).  Now, let's get the crabby, griping going at full tilt!

Gripe #1:  "Always Online" is a PITA!

If you're one of the die hard Diablo IV players you were probably aware of the issues that happened (now a couple of weeks ago) when poor Blizz was Ddos'd and folks couldn't get logged in.  Of course this resulted in a lot of angry internet rage because people couldn't play as a result (understandable).  Blizz did manage to get the issue under control somewhat quickly.  I, as someone who is not playing Diablo IV, was not impacted by this event, but was impacted by something that I have a feeling was related.  I was happily tooling away with a new Commander Shepard in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and decided to take a break and do some other stuff.  When I returned to the game, I found that I couldn't get logged in!  Apparently, EA's log-in server system was having issues (I strongly suspect that it could've been tied to the Ddos attacks--kiddies got shut down on Blizz so decided to turn their ire onto another favorite target of online hate).  The issue was fixed within an hour, but it was nonetheless irritating.

Why, oh why, do single player games need to have ANY online requirements?  This is one aspect of gaming that I desperately wish would go away.  If you want to play co-op or multiplayer games--you need that online aspect, but for single player games it just feels like an annoying way for developers to gather data for free (which could be a good or bad thing).  In the long run, most down time is brief, but why should people be prevented from using something they've paid for just because they need to be online?

I just wanna MELE!

Gripe #2: Launchers within Launchers.

My issue with ME also brought up another irritating aspect of gamine--the fact that most games are now sold through digital storefronts that are tied to multiple developers and all require their own launchers.  Part of my issue with being unable to play ME was related to the fact that Steam was working just fine, but in order to launch it I also needed to go through the EA app (which wasn't working at the time).  I'm so tired of the multi-launcher nightmare that has emerged.  I just want to log-in to one thing!  (And I know that GoG has their own "single-launcher" system, but to me it just feels like basically the exact same thing).  And this is directly related to the "always online" issue!

Alright, I'm done griping now.

Fun:  The Steam Summer Sale is in full swing!

Steam sales are definitely the highlight of the gaming year and I've been eyeballing my wishlist and trying to figure out which title(s) I might want to snatch up.  So far I haven't bitten, but I will probably grab something by the end.  The only recent purchase I have made is the new DLC for Powerwash Simulator--the Spongebob Pack (which I will write up next week).

For now, enjoy perusing those sweet, sweet summer sale deals and try to avoid the angry, cranky feelings when stupid online requirements break things.

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.