PancakeCats's recent activity
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: Voting topic in ~games
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: Voting topic in ~games
PancakeCats LinkThe Grue That Binds (3) Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) (2) Populous (2) Crystalis (2) Tetris (4) Seaman (3) Threads of Fate (1) Uplink (1) Fighters Megamix (2)The Grue That Binds (3)
Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) (2)
Populous (2)
Crystalis (2)
Tetris (4)
Seaman (3)
Threads of Fate (1)
Uplink (1)
Fighters Megamix (2) -
Comment on Tildes' Colossal Game Adventure: Inauguration and nominations in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAll my suggestions have already been offered up, namely ZORK and Tetris, so im just trying to get on the notification list. Thanks for organizing this :)All my suggestions have already been offered up, namely ZORK and Tetris, so im just trying to get on the notification list. Thanks for organizing this :)
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
PancakeCats Link ParentI will admit, I have not read much classic literature. Im in my mid twenties, so by the time I would be reading them in highshool, the curriculum had opted for slightly more contemporary...I will admit, I have not read much classic literature. Im in my mid twenties, so by the time I would be reading them in highshool, the curriculum had opted for slightly more contemporary literature (Night, 1984, The Things They Carried, Things Fall Apart, The Road, In Cold Blood etc.), but even in my AP classes, we never touched anything near russian literature or Moby Dick. Honestly, McCarthy is probably the closest thing to that level that I read.
Digression aside, its been just shy of a decade since I read blood meridian, so forgive any mistakes here. I remember interesting commentary on the US Military and their relationship with the Natives on the land. A lot of the group the Kid travels with is or was military, and it might be that I was reading "The Things they Carried" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" around the same time for school, but I found the depiction of the other members of the group and that aspect of their characters very fascinating. Seeing different depictions of the military in differnt historical eras, but seeing the same rot and callousness of the military on the display in all of them. I could see lumping this in with violence in terms of pondering, however. And it might be something that is largely personal to my own experience and not really supported in the text.
I do agree the Judge was by far the best part of the book. His description is one that immediately produced haunting visual imagery that has stuck with me to this day. He has an otherworldy presence throughout the book, silver tongued and manipulative to everyone around him with unsettling ease. He has stuck with me as one of my favorite antagonists in literature.
I think your last sentence is something I feel with all of his books I have read so far. They really inspire me to analyze them deeper and I often keep thinking about them long after i finished reading. I still think about moments and the themes from the Passenger frequently, despite having finished the book years ago. I have even been considering doing what is essentially a book report for the Border Trilogy, assuming i find enough there to write about.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
PancakeCats Link ParentIm a fan of McCarthy, having read "The Road", "Blood Meridian", "The Passenger", and am now starting "All The Pretty Horses." Its been about ten years since I read it in highschool, but I...Im a fan of McCarthy, having read "The Road", "Blood Meridian", "The Passenger", and am now starting "All The Pretty Horses." Its been about ten years since I read it in highschool, but I definitely think that the lack of internal monologue in Blood Meridian is intentional. Mostly to keep you on edge and not exactly comfortable or rooting for any of the characters barring maybe the Kid as the focal point character. And partly because I think McCarthy's characters tend to speak through their actions more than anything else. We dont get to know these people on an internal level, so it puts the onus more on us to suss out their values, intentions etc. Its down to interpretation and your personal values and beliefs to inform you on characters. I can definitely see this being a con to some, but its something I really love about his books.
Something I love about McCarthy's dialogue is how odd and specific the subjects of conversation are, and especially how much is always left unsaid. A recent example that springs to mind is the conversation between the father and son at the start of All The Pretty Horses, where its dripping with words left unsaid and a conversation dancing around the true subject. In the end, the dad is unable to communicate sincerely, and shares a gambling anecdote instead. There is something so real and sad about this moment. I feel like most of us can relate or are close to someone who can, as a failure to communicate is all to common. Its like McCarthy plucks stories of people from real life and puts them on the page, in a prose both flowery in vocabulary and brutalist in tone.
But this feeling is most prevalent, in my experience, in the Passenger. It was one of the last books he wrote before he died, with a sister book releasing shortly after. I haven't read the sister book yet, but the passenger was a great blend of conspiratorial mystery and the hyper specific conversations I love. There is just something so Real about the way he writes them. Its impressive how defined the voice of each character is, often carrying pages of conversation without ever telling you " ___ said, ___ exclaimed." Most often you just know intuitively who is talking. The main character and the choices they make, the consuqences of those choices, the relationships they have with their sister and family, all are bizarre and tragic.
Its a really good read, highly recommend you give it a shot when you next have the energy for one of his books. Would love to hear your thoughts on Blood Meridian when you have had time to process. The plan is to read the border trilogy and then circle back to Blood Meridian for a proper reread.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link"Omelette You Cook" is a new balatro esque game I have been playing quite a bit of. It has the basic gameplay of the Papa's broswer games, which is adding Ingredients to cute art of X food, X..."Omelette You Cook" is a new balatro esque game I have been playing quite a bit of. It has the basic gameplay of the Papa's broswer games, which is adding Ingredients to cute art of X food, X being omelettes in this case, trying to fill customer requests. This game slaps balatro like synergies to that concept. Tomatos give three points, but lose four points if they touch another tomato. Broccoli gives two points per vegetable its touching, but loses two points per meat that it's touching. There a lot of different ingridients and modifiers, as well as relics that affect the scoring of different types of ingridients and helps shape your playstyle for a given run.
On all difficulties above the default, the conveyor that dispenses ingridients is always moving, giving you limited time to make your choice. You need to be thinking on your feet and move fast to get everything you need set up well on the omelette. It scratches the same itch as balatro for me, but using different parts of the brain, namely maximizing space efficiency and on the fly planning. Its a lot of fun and for 7.99$ i highly recommend any fans of this genre of roguelike give it a shot.
Outside of that, i have also been playing a new solo playthrough of Abiotic Factor, for its 1.0 launch. I made it a decent way in with some friends last year, playing along as early access updates dropped, but due to a lack of interest on picking that save back up, i decided to run a solo save instead. Upped the difficulty and went a construction flavored class to try and anchor a playstyle around defensive play, as i would not have the numbers needed in the late game.
This game is a triumph though. The setting and map design is well put together and compelling, and the whole aesthetic and vibe is dripping with tragic aura. Even though i know most of the early layout, its still fun to explore and slowly conquer the facility again. Crafting is actually something i like to engage with in this game, which is not usually the case for survival games especially recently. The aesthetic of everything you craft being cobbled together from office supplies and duct tape really works for me, and keeps you guessing on what comes next and what itll be made of. This game was high on my goty last year, and now with a full release, its certainly on the list again. -
Comment on Why free buses in NYC could backfire horribly in ~transport
PancakeCats Link ParentIn regards to where this funding for public transit might come from, I think the obvious answer to me is to defund the NYPD. The numbers for 2024 were over 11 billion in funding. Take even just a...In regards to where this funding for public transit might come from, I think the obvious answer to me is to defund the NYPD. The numbers for 2024 were over 11 billion in funding. Take even just a single billion from there, distribute it to things that do make peoples lives better, like public transit and social services. Boom, funding problem resolved.
A lot of people get very upset at the thought of defunding the police, because they think they'll be less safe as a result. But realistically, the main thing that money goes towards is equipment that is excessive at best. The NYPD does not need to be militarized, with full tactical gear and vehicles. They need to be used to help the general public, and they are more often oppressors of those people. The only people I can imagine feeling safe in the presence of armed people with no oversight, accountability, and no obligation to do anything to help anybody, are the 1%. After all that is where the police force's primary focus lies, protecting the interests of the wealthy. And yet so much of our money, tax payer money to whom it matters most to, is used in turn to oppress us at every opportunity. So if we cant tax the corps, which we should, we should take the money we already have and reconfigure it to help the majority, not armed bullies who harm more than they help.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAlways when happy when Far Cry 2 gets mentioned. My favorite of the series and the only one i finished several times over the years and never got tired of it. Although i havent finished a Far Cry...Always when happy when Far Cry 2 gets mentioned. My favorite of the series and the only one i finished several times over the years and never got tired of it.
Although i havent finished a Far Cry game besides this one and Far Cry 3. Far Cry 2 holds up way better imo, as i find the open world much more enthralling and engaging. The story is more a vehicle to the games loop in moment to moment gameplay, and is a pretty light direct narrative overall. However every mission and every activity all ties into and builds the themes of the game, which are conflict being a net negative for almost all involved parties, as conflict is endless, unceasing, and uncertain. Your character wrecks the factions of this country as a bandaid fix but how long befor the fighting begins again. Did you do anything worthwhile here?
Meanwhile the gun play is scrappy, and gritty, and feels really good. Which makes a nice duality between your actions being reprehensible but the act of carrying them out being so much fun i think is definitely able to be read as a commentary of the horrible affects of violence eand large conflict on society and the soul.
Some of the games larger issues can be fixed with a mod called far cry 2 redux, like changing outpost spawning time, a big one to not want to die every time i drive anywhere. Playing on infamous feels the best and how the game is meant to be playedin my option. Overall great game.
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Comment on The Great Tildes Archipelago Randomizer - May 8th YAML thread in ~games
PancakeCats Link Parentedited it and seems like it should be working properly now? let me know if there is any more trouble.edited it and seems like it should be working properly now? let me know if there is any more trouble.
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Comment on The Great Tildes Archipelago Randomizer - May 8th YAML thread in ~games
PancakeCats (edited )LinkGoing with Wind Waker, with a slightly modified version of an available preset. Excited to start, but wont be able to until 11pm Thursday night. YAML name: Shtink game: The Wind Waker description:...Going with Wind Waker, with a slightly modified version of an available preset. Excited to start, but wont be able to until 11pm Thursday night.
YAML
name: Shtink game: The Wind Waker description: Generated by https://archipelago.gg/ for The Wind Waker The Wind Waker: progression_balancing: '50' accessibility: full death_link: 'false' progression_dungeons: 'true' progression_dungeon_secrets: 'false' progression_tingle_chests: 'false' progression_puzzle_secret_caves: 'true' progression_combat_secret_caves: 'false' progression_savage_labyrinth: 'false' progression_island_puzzles: 'true' progression_great_fairies: 'false' progression_submarines: 'false' progression_platforms_rafts: 'false' progression_short_sidequests: 'true' progression_long_sidequests: 'false' progression_spoils_trading: 'false' progression_eye_reef_chests: 'false' progression_big_octos_gunboats: 'false' progression_misc: 'true' progression_minigames: 'false' progression_battlesquid: 'false' progression_free_gifts: 'true' progression_mail: 'true' progression_expensive_purchases: 'false' progression_triforce_charts: 'false' progression_treasure_charts: 'false' sword_mode: start_with_sword randomize_mapcompass: startwith randomize_smallkeys: dungeon randomize_bigkeys: dungeon chest_type_matches_contents: 'true' randomize_dungeon_entrances: 'false' randomize_boss_entrances: 'false' randomize_miniboss_entrances: 'false' randomize_secret_cave_entrances: 'false' randomize_secret_cave_inner_entrances: 'false' randomize_fairy_fountain_entrances: 'false' mix_entrances: separate_pools randomize_starting_island: 'true' randomize_charts: 'false' swift_sail: 'true' instant_text_boxes: 'true' reveal_full_sea_chart: 'true' skip_rematch_bosses: 'true' add_shortcut_warps_between_dungeons: 'true' remove_music: 'false' required_bosses: 'true' num_required_bosses: '3' excluded_dungeons: Earth Temple hero_mode: 'false' logic_obscurity: none logic_precision: none enable_tuner_logic: 'false' randomize_enemies: 'false' start_location_hints: Ganon's Tower - Maze Chest exclude_locations: - Horseshoe Island - Play Golf - Outset Island - Jabun's Cave - Tingle Island - Ankle - Reward for All Tingle Statues - Windfall Island - Cafe Bar - Postman - Windfall Island - Jail - Maze Chest - Windfall Island - Jail - Tingle - First Gift - Windfall Island - Jail - Tingle - Second Gift - Windfall Island - Maggie - Delivery Reward - Windfall Island - Zunari - Stock Exotic Flower in Zunari's Shop start_inventory: {} start_inventory_from_pool: Ballad of Gales: 1 Bomb Bag Capacity Upgrade: 1 Command Melody: 1 Din's Pearl: 1 Earth God's Lyric: 1 Nayru's Pearl: 1 Piece of Heart: 12 Progressive Magic Meter: 2 Progressive Shield: 1 Quiver Capacity Upgrade: 1 Song of Passing: 1 Telescope: 1 Wind God's Aria: 1 Wind Waker: 1 Wind's Requiem: 1 -
Comment on The great Tildes Archipelago multiworld randomizer! Interest thread! in ~games
PancakeCats LinkI would like to join! Probably ocarina of time or the wind waker for me.I would like to join! Probably ocarina of time or the wind waker for me.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentYakuza comparisons and inventory management is an instant pull for me, and the game seems super interesting. Thanks for the rec, will hopefully pick it up soon.Yakuza comparisons and inventory management is an instant pull for me, and the game seems super interesting. Thanks for the rec, will hopefully pick it up soon.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI too havent had much of a toxic experience in the few games I have played without a preordained group. Generally I am pretty lucky with online games though, I never run into much toxicity in most...I too havent had much of a toxic experience in the few games I have played without a preordained group. Generally I am pretty lucky with online games though, I never run into much toxicity in most multiplayer games I put time into. They definitely got more generous woth the grind for gear, so agree on it being an improvement.
The monetization isnt awful either you're right, but often the presence of it can feel a little gross. I know its a necessary evil in some aspects of keeping an online game going and updated. It also helps that content expansions are free instead of gated by money, so it doesnt segment a playerbase or reduce access to those with less disposable income. Still though, knowing its always there and the game is designed to encourage more spending always feels a little gross.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentWell we have three of us, so i grow and harvest, one of us mixes and packs, and one of us deals. It definitely speeds up the process. But the automation comes from talking to the fella upstairs in...Well we have three of us, so i grow and harvest, one of us mixes and packs, and one of us deals. It definitely speeds up the process. But the automation comes from talking to the fella upstairs in the Night Market. The game eventually directs you there, but if you go to the warehouse behind the pawn shop after 6pm, you can get some more illicit goods as well as hire employees.
There a couple different types that have different tasks split amongst them, increasing in price as you move up the job types. A cleaner for trash, someone who just moves things from point A to point B and packs for you, an herbalist who will do a lot of the basic weed process for you, and a chemist who will do mixing as well as later game drug production from the sounds of it. They all have a sign on cost, and then need to be paid daily to work, the highest being the chemist at 300 cash a day. You can seemingly get granular with the automation for them, my buddy was the one doing it but you can assign them shelves and workstations and they'll just do their thing. Combine that with the dealers and theoretically you can just automate the entire business from top to bottom, only needing to collect the profit and pay your employess.
They do have drawbacks though. Obviously the startup cost here is going to be steep, so you need significant capital already, and dealers take a 20% cut and the employees eat into your revenue as well, so its something we have been putting a lot of money away for. They also need a bed to sleep at on site, which makes space limitations even more challenging. And on top of that, they are just slower than you by default, at the trade off of keeping things moving while you progress further in the game. But if you are playing solo, maybe getting someone to help you pack might be worth it, and relying on dealers more to move product while you keep producing. Or vice versa, the game is kind of freeform on what it lets you do as you scale up which i really appreciate.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentSchedule 1 really surprised me. I initially wrote it off as another boring simulator game, but after hearing so mych good press about it, i convinced a friend to pick it up with me. the loop is...Schedule 1 really surprised me. I initially wrote it off as another boring simulator game, but after hearing so mych good press about it, i convinced a friend to pick it up with me. the loop is very enjoyable and involved, and you are actually doing everything, its not abstracted by a menu like most sim games i see. It's really a blast with friends and there are lots of fun little systems to find in game finding the clothes and tattoo shop led to some fun moments and decent personalization. We have been weed maxxing in game, we have a really good setup to divy up labor and keep things from getting too overwhelming. Next time we play we are gonna try and get that almost fully automated and move to the next drug up. Definitely up there as one of the best surprises of the year so far.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkLately the game I keep coming back to and putting a lot of time in is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. I played the original PS2 release of the game quite a bit as a kid, beating the game multiple...Lately the game I keep coming back to and putting a lot of time in is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. I played the original PS2 release of the game quite a bit as a kid, beating the game multiple times. It was flashy and fun and the combat didnt take any real thought or effort, and it was fun to play games in disney movies i liked and hang with sora donald and goofy. After a recent ish replay of the original Kingdom Hearts, which i really fell in love with after finally learning the RPG systems i kind of ignored as a kid, im finally getting around to replaying the second, specifically on the Steam Deck. The one crucial difference of this replay and the whole reason im making this post, is that I decided to play through the game on Critical Mode.
For those unaware, Critical Mode is a new difficulty added in the Final Mix version of the game. Its positioned by the game as the hardest difficulty, handicapping your health by quite a lot, making enemies hit harder, and changing some movesets that bosses will throw at you. The juicy bit however, is that it ups your damage to compensate, and gives you a higher starting AP (ability points you allot to abilities that change how Sora plays) and a slew of attack and mobility abilities right at the start that really lets you hit the ground running. Instead of being slow and weak, you are a force to be reckoned with right off the bat, fast and agile. If you know the combo system well, you can shred bosses really fast and finish enemy encounters quick. The enemies hit hard though, and you have so little health its often just one or two hits until you are down for the count. This results in high intensity combat where mistakes are often fatal but rewards skill with satisfying lethality. You are forced to block or really focus on dodging to stay out of harms way, which is something bordernline unnecessary on standard. You have to be agressive but act with intent, keep your combo's flowing but know when to pull out. It makes the combat so engaging and forces you to actually earn it, while reaction commands become a powerful boon to be used carefully as some can leave you open and lead to a quick demise. Parrying is actually useful and can be game changing. All of these mechanics were fine to good on other difficulties, but it really feels like Critical gives you a reason and need to engage with them.
It has been a lot fun to fully engage with a childhood classic in a new light. It also helps i tend to really enjoy high lethality difficulties in games and for the most part dont get too frustrated with repeat deaths. I really love when game devs add things like this, difficulties or modes that significantly change the experience and let you see the game in new eyes.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAgree on the story. The game feels caught between wanting to be a live service coop shooter and wanting to be an interesting story in the 40k setting. I dont think it threads it very well though....Agree on the story. The game feels caught between wanting to be a live service coop shooter and wanting to be an interesting story in the 40k setting. I dont think it threads it very well though. I do appreciate the character creation and feel like it does a fairly good job at getting you invested in the immediate experience, especially with the different voices and personalities you can select. My Ogryn, Nork, is such a freak and i really love him, but long term i just dont really care when most interactions with npcs are glorified menus.
Gameplay is kind of a similar story, the moment to moment is great, but the overarching systems dont really grab me. I often err on the side of annoyance rather than enjoyment in gear based systems like this, where there are so many different resources and dozens of drops with mostly negligible differences unless you really really invest into them. They did a good job at making the skill investments more meaningful after a recent update, but the gear system is still lacking to me. Often with randomized gear like this, i find that the lack of intentionality damages the experience for me. I dont care about the weapons or gear im getting, and that makes it hard to care about the game in turn.
That said, mid mission fighting Chaos and its followers, boy does the game sing. Fatshark has really mastered the first person melee/ranged hybrid combat, the weight of your attacks feel so heavy and impactful, and the slight tactical control of your swings based on movement keeps it from just being a button masher. The different weapon types also do feel varied enough to be interesting as well, so points there. All in all a very conflicted experience.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkBeen playing through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice again, after having gotten all the way to the final boss before taking a short break for 5 years. After shaking off a little of the rust, i have been...Been playing through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice again, after having gotten all the way to the final boss before taking a short break for 5 years. After shaking off a little of the rust, i have been moving through this game like an unstoppable force. As a longtime Souls player, the first time i played Sekiro was probably tens of hours of trying to untrain dodge rolling as my instinct and learning to parry instead, which i remember being supremely frustrating. But when it clicks oh boy does it click. The parrying is generous enough but when you get a proper deflect, the sound is so satisfying and clean, and then when you really get into a flow state with the boss/enemy it really is a high all of its own. A lot people compare Sekiro to a rhythm game which defenitely has merit, as a lot of the boss fights feel like a dance, a back and forth between you and your opponent until one of you makes a fatal slip. After learning a boss, you start to instinctively feel out the patterns and upcoming keypresses in your song, leading to an intense exchange that feels choreographed. Few other games can make you consistently feel like you are in a choreographed anime swordfight quite like this one does.
Its also been REALLY satisfying to trounce on these early bosses that took me hours my first time around. Lady Butterfly on my third attempt, and Genichiro i was able to learn and conquer in an evening instead a week. Most recently, after struggling a bit with No. 1 on my hit list, the Guardian Ape, i proceeded to go further down and take on the follow up 2 on 1 Ape Battle on my first try. Believe me when i tell i have not experienced natural highs of that caliber in a long time. FromSoft games tend to have themes of Determination and Perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity, and i think Sekiro exemplifies that well in both story and gameplay, which resonates a lot with me as an American staring down an uncertain and dark future.
It also looks and plays very well on the Steam Deck, which alongside playing GTAIV on there, were the first games to really make me feel like i was living in the future my kid self wanted, to play amazing console games in a handheld form factor. Playing a good looking console GTA game on a handheld was truly a trip, even if it is from 2008, but a face paced game like Sekiro from 2019 is more impressive.
On the other end of the gaming spectrum, I have been playing Caves of Qud, an RPG Roguelike that plays almost like a bespoke dwarf fortress adventure mode, or an old Brogue/Nethack Style game but with an interesting setting and expansive world map full of mutated monstrosities. The character building mainly comes in the form of Mutations which drastically change how you play. Physical mutations like Wings that let you fly in the air to avoid some melee attacks and travel the overworld more efficiently, but cant be used underground where most of the major dungeons are. Carapace that replaces your body armor slot with a turtle shell or other natural armor, in which you can hunker down to raise your armor value and with enough investment can be on par with some of the best armor in the game, at the cost of useful secondary effects. Burrowing claws that let you have natural claw weapons which scale with your strength stat and let you burrow through terrain and walls. And then there are mental mutations like Clairvoyance that lets you see through walls and hidden enemies nearby, sunder mind which makes targets head explode, mental mirror to raise your own mental defences and reflect a mental attack back at the sender.
Its a lot fun to spin up a build and see what works, and though i havent really left the starting biome yet, i have already found a lot of interesting locales and mutants to keep me interested. The writing is also alien and poetic, really provocative but economical with its word count, which is a really impressive feat to pull off in a game with such a colossal scale where just about everything you can look at has a unique description. Truly a triump in fictional writing in an expansive interactive medium such as this.
And suprisingly enough this game also plays great on the deck, due to the devs implementing some masterful controller support. Its a little complicated at first, though even off the bat its leagues better than other controller implementations in games of similar complexity i have tried in the past. But once you get it internalized, it becomes very comfortable, to the point that im almost starting to prefer it to KB+M. A lot of the keybinds are spread out and harder to remember on KB+M, but on controller, its often just a variation of one of the triggers and a face button. And the menus just feel better to navigate with stick than the arrow keys, as an arrow keys hater (mainly just for when its replacing wasd as a form of movement both character and menu based.)
Finally Nubby's Number Factory. The game is a Balatro-esque plinko roguelike where you shoot our leading lad Nubby at a bunch of numbered pegs which when hit give you their score towards a round goal you have to clear, and bounce Nubby rapidly. Hitting a peg will also halve it down to one where it will then pop and Nubby will pass through and if he falls through the bottom of the stage, he dies. Clearing a round goal gives you a gold and restocks your board, adding new pegs and doubling the ones you have left, as well as giving you a life, and these stack if you clear the goal multiple times over. The balatro part comes in the form of perks and items you get/buy that interact with and manipulate all these mechanics. A finger puppet that every time nubby bounces, adds a score equal to the number of times nubby has bounced that round. Kazoo which will double a random peg every 1.5 seconds. A sea cucumber which when nubby dies will give points equal to the total number of pegs popped that round for each empty space on the board. There are tons more items that all play off similar effects, as well perks that will force trigger items in specific slots at specific times. There are also black market items that are rarer to find but substantially more powerful, like King Baby who turns the lowest value peg into the highest peg every 1.5 seconds or a pregnancy test that on the first peg hit will spawn a copy of nubby. These items cant be force triggered, but can be upgraded like the normal items to get more powerful affects. So all the systemic fun is there and satisfying, but then its wrapped in this late 90s claymation/flash game aesthetic, with a truly juicy soundtrack that brings to mind vaporwave and operating system beats. Its a really good time and only 4.99, and as is the theme for this post plays great on the deck. Trackpad works wonderfully for the aiming and cursor interactions, and the form factor turns it into feeling like a random DS cartridge you found in a bin that turned out to be a true gem.
I also recently picked up the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece and Art of Rally on the steam sale, so i plan to start playing through those after i wrap up some other loose ends.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
PancakeCats LinkFlipturn's Lastest Album Burnout Days has been on loop in my speakers since it dropped. Every song is a banger, the vocalist is constantly killing it, and whether calm or intense, his voice always...Flipturn's Lastest Album Burnout Days has been on loop in my speakers since it dropped. Every song is a banger, the vocalist is constantly killing it, and whether calm or intense, his voice always has a real soothing tone to my ears. The songs i was initially lukewarm on later grew to be earworms and bangers, specifically the first two. Those songs are great, and set a good vibe for the album off the bat, but the Album really gets pumping for me at Inner Wave. Every song from there to Tides are all vying for #1 in my mind, Sunlight and Right are two especially big ones for me. The percussion and bass are both really satisfying as well. The whole thing feels cohesive and flows well. Its all just such an amazing package, i really do highly recommend taking some time to listen if Indie Rock is your thing.
I have been a fan of this band for a while, since their first EP Heavy Colors popped up in my spotify weekly, and i have been hooked ever since. Hearing their progression in skill has been delightful because they started off amazing and really honed their craft into a unique sound. I highly recommend their previous album Shadowglow if you like Burnout Days, though the mood is much different. Space Cowboy is probably the highlight here for me. Something You Needed EP is also definitely worth a listen, which has my all time favorite of their catalogue, Glistening
Yap fest over. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of them if you end up giving them a shot.
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Comment on Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy expected to retire this year in ~movies
PancakeCats Link ParentYou are right, but it is important to note that the first three had different directors and the last four were all one director. David Yates. Arguably those four are when the series starts to feel...You are right, but it is important to note that the first three had different directors and the last four were all one director. David Yates. Arguably those four are when the series starts to feel a little samey production wise. Also in my opinion i would say the last four just dont hold up the same. They just feel less inspired to me, maybe its the loss of color and whimsy, maybe its that trying to follow up Alfonso Cuarón, director of the third, and best imo, HP film is just a really tough hand to stand out, or maybe its what this potential director feared. Making more of a product to keep with a brand than an artistic film.
Edit that popped in my head literally seconds after i posted. Thematically the stark shift in tone and color id say is most present after the fourth book, which ends with Cedric getting murdered right in front of Harry. This used as an explanation for why the rest of the films lose the color could be a visual reflection of Harry truly losing his innocence in that extreme way.
For me personally, I liked a nice spread of gameplay styles and genre. Tetris is a personal favorite of mine and a landmark in the medium, and I would be delighted to engage in thoughtful discussion about it. Seaman is such an odd experience that could really only happen in video games. I think it is certainly worth analyzing and was a great pull, thanks to whoever nominated that.