emnii's recent activity
-
Comment on What’s something about you that people don’t often believe is true? in ~talk
-
Allegations of sexism, bullying, and burnout: Inside the Microsoft studio behind State Of Decay 3
4 votes -
Comment on Hulu offering Disney Plus addon for $2.99 in ~tv
emnii LinkThis pricing is very aggressive. If you're already a Hulu subscriber, this makes Disney+ cheaper than even the pre-launch three year deal, which totaled out to $4.30 monthly. I subscribe to a lot...This pricing is very aggressive. If you're already a Hulu subscriber, this makes Disney+ cheaper than even the pre-launch three year deal, which totaled out to $4.30 monthly. I subscribe to a lot of streaming services, usually opting for annual plans over monthly because annual is cheaper, and this is cheaper than every annual plan except for one. As far as big competitors, it's several dollars cheaper than Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and HBO Max. Even my niche services can't compete with $3 monthly.
-
Comment on itch.io Bundle for Ukraine in ~games
emnii Link Parentthank you for this! Sometimes rooting through the pile of games/stuff is fun, but sometimes I'm just trying to get to something specific. this site is super helpful.thank you for this! Sometimes rooting through the pile of games/stuff is fun, but sometimes I'm just trying to get to something specific. this site is super helpful.
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Final Thread in ~games
emnii LinkLost Planet 3 - Much like Alice: Madness Returns, I got into this and then quickly questioned why I would ever feel the need to see this through to the end. It's a pretty bog standard third person...-
Lost Planet 3 - Much like Alice: Madness Returns, I got into this and then quickly questioned why I would ever feel the need to see this through to the end. It's a pretty bog standard third person action game. Even worse, it's packed full of boring cutscenes. So I'm not here for the story and the gameplay isn't very exciting and then I've talked myself out of continuing.
-
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak - Okay, the last of three RTS games I played. Despite skipping the tutorial, the first level of the actual campaign is a tutorial. That was sort of an odd choice. Why give me the option to skip the tutorial if you're just going to force it on me from the start? I have the assume the tutorial was even more basic. And then I got to the first real mission and wow. I am terrible at this game. I didn't get out of the first mission without getting my functional army wiped out. I was being pulled in every damn direction and it was bad. I could restart on easy. I just uninstalled.
-
Bonus: 2064: Read Only Memories - This is a game I've picked up and put down repeatedly, and I picked it up again and put a couple more hours into it. I sort of like what it's going for, but I also find some of the characters abrasive. I might push through this one to see it to the end. I'm more looking forward to ROM: Neurodiver, and I don't want to start it without finishing 2064.
Wrap-up: I played nine backlogged games and I might actually finish two. I kind of enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, and I want to get through 2064: Read Only Memories before playing Neurodiver. If I do finish them, it's because they're so easy that it's more or less a given that I will reach the end with just time invested in playing them. No frustration or beating my head against gameplay.
The rest of them, however, validated my choice to keep these games backlogged for so long. None of them really spoke to me, though they're all fairly outside my wheelhouse. What I take away from this is that I'm not really compelled to play games that mildly interest me, and that translates to a real uphill struggle for them to keep my attention. While this was going on, I kept playing other games that I had more fun with, and checked out some really promising Steam NextFest demos that I'm excited about. It turns out I know what I like pretty well, and I don't really have to question that often.
-
-
Comment on Steam Deck launch day megathread in ~games
emnii Link ParentIt's a marketing strategy. They want all the reviews and press to hit at the same time so they make a big splash and catch a lot of attention.It's a marketing strategy. They want all the reviews and press to hit at the same time so they make a big splash and catch a lot of attention.
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion Thread in ~games
emnii LinkThe Sexy Brutale - This is fine. Only put 20 minutes into it, and I'm unlikely to play it much more, but that's just because it's not really my thing. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - I...-
The Sexy Brutale - This is fine. Only put 20 minutes into it, and I'm unlikely to play it much more, but that's just because it's not really my thing.
-
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - I played The Sinking City to completion, and it disappointed me in several ways, but what it did right was the investigation parts. This is like The Sinking City minus a lot of the disappointment because it's all investigation parts, and they have more substance. Yeah, I got stuck in a silly "trail the suspect" sequence that went on too long, but I'm otherwise enjoying it. It's a bit ugly in the human face department though. In The Sinking City, everyone looked vaguely ill but that was consistent with the setting. Can't really explain why everyone in this game also look vaguely ill. I'll probably keep playing this.
Remaining backlog: Lost Planet 3, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
-
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion Thread in ~games
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion Thread in ~games
emnii LinkThis is why I have a backlog of games I want to play but don't. Last week, I didn't play any of my backlog games, during this month of backlog game-playing, because a new shiny game came out and I...This is why I have a backlog of games I want to play but don't. Last week, I didn't play any of my backlog games, during this month of backlog game-playing, because a new shiny game came out and I played that instead. It's great and I'm having a lot of fun playing it, but it's not what I had planned. I had never intended on only playing games from my backlog this month, but I'm shuffling around three, now four games, and none of them are what I intended.
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion Thread in ~games
emnii Link ParentI loved the mystery of Return of the Obra Dinn. The process of working backwards through the disaster and piecing together what happened really captured my attention. I will admit to using a guide...I loved the mystery of Return of the Obra Dinn. The process of working backwards through the disaster and piecing together what happened really captured my attention. I will admit to using a guide to piece together a couple clues when I got stuck, but still loved it.
Carrion is so cool. What I also love about it, beyond what you mentioned, is that it's a metroidvania with virtually no platforming. You just ooze and scoot wherever you want to go.
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion Thread in ~games
emnii LinkGris - this sure is pretty. It's also pretty boring. I love the way it looks, and I don't need walls of text to get a story, but this is not really keeping me engaged. Too simple, too sparse....-
Gris - this sure is pretty. It's also pretty boring. I love the way it looks, and I don't need walls of text to get a story, but this is not really keeping me engaged. Too simple, too sparse. Unlikely to finish.
-
Ancestors: Legacy - This was in my "unplayed AND single player" dynamic collection, even though it seemed familiar, and it turns out that I've played this before. I started the game and it already had saves on it. No idea where the gameplay time went in Steam, but I still put more into this. I appreciate the way it measures health for a RTS. Each person in a squad is a pip in a life bar, and each pip has its own health state. Each pip can degrade from green to red to gone, and I'm fairly certain "gone" is irreplaceable, while better state can be healed. I don't think I've ever seen this method of health tracking in an RTS, and it's certainly better than some alternatives. I played this with a controller, which is interesting for an RTS.
-
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 3 - A lot of what I liked about Dawn of War 2 was the small scale, squad based combat. Dawn of War 3 goes back to the mass number of units of Dawn of War. It's fine. It's an RTS. I played the first mission. But it's really funny that their way of dealing with healing is to drop health packs on the map, and healing a unit doesn't restore individual unit health. If your unit is 90% dead, it'll have one space marine, and picking up the health pack will teleport in several more marines. I don't hate this game, but I don't know think I'll continue.
-
Alice: Madness Returns - This is a game I've wanted to finish for a long time, so I've added it to this endeavor. It's tough to get back into. I forgot how this game worked, and my save loaded right before a mini boss. I died a lot and it was fairly frustrating. Once I got past that, I managed to get stuck again in an optional arena fight. After getting past the first frustrating wave and finding it's followed by a second, more frustrating wave, I let this one go. I got back on track and now I'm just cruising through corrupt Wonderland. It's okay. I have some fond memories of American McGee's Alice. I think I'm just finishing this to cross it off the list.
Remaining unplayed backlog games (so far): The Sexy Brutale, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, Lost Planet 3, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (newly added)
-
-
Comment on What is your favorite game you'll never finish? in ~games
emnii Link ParentThis is the one. I don't regret not finishing a lot of games. Life is too short to force yourself to play something you don't enjoy. But I really enjoyed a lot of Hollow Knight. It's that 10% I...This is the one. I don't regret not finishing a lot of games. Life is too short to force yourself to play something you don't enjoy. But I really enjoyed a lot of Hollow Knight. It's that 10% I didn't enjoy that made me put it down. I'm not going to regret not finishing it, but I'll lament it. I wish this game were less punishing.
-
Comment on Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner Event: It Begins! in ~games
emnii LinkI've put myself into a bit of situation with this event. I have a lot of games, and I have a lot of duplicate games. Some games I've played on GOG, some I've played on Steam, some I've played on...I've put myself into a bit of situation with this event. I have a lot of games, and I have a lot of duplicate games. Some games I've played on GOG, some I've played on Steam, some I've played on console, some I've played in the original release, some I've played in the final release, etc.
For this month, I will focus on playing games I have no time in on Steam (my biggest and most played platform), and I will do my best to reach back into the old memory hole and only choose games I have no recollection of playing in any form. To give myself a fighting chance, I created a dynamic collection of unplayed single player games, scrolled past the first couple years (to avoid relatively new purchases), and started plucking out a variety.
Here's my starting pool:
- Gris - I know this highly regarded and it's one I'm most likely to finish.
- Ancestors: Legacy - sometimes I enjoy a strategy game
- Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 3 - sometimes I enjoy a strategy game and I very much enjoyed Dawn of War 2. never started the sequel because I recall it was poorly received. not entirely sure why, guess I'll find out!
- The Sexy Brutale - I remember Stephanie Sterling gushing over this way back when and I never gave it a shake.
- Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - I recently played The Sinking City, and I liked a lot of it. Hoping this one has the parts I liked about that game, and not the parts I hated.
- Lost Planet 3 - This one is approaching a decade old. I've played some Lost Planet on Xbox 360. No idea what I'm in for, other than action.
-
Comment on Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for 2022: Shrink your unplayed games list this February! in ~games
emnii LinkYeah, sure. Let's do it. I've got a big pile of games in my "Maybe Someday" steam category. I can put some time into a few of them.Yeah, sure. Let's do it. I've got a big pile of games in my "Maybe Someday" steam category. I can put some time into a few of them.
-
Comment on What are some noteworthy games that are not available through the major platforms? in ~games
emnii (edited )LinkHeavy Gear - Licensed and awkwardly Win95. I grew up with Mech Warrior 2 but I admire HG for its reduced scale and increased mobility. I know the sequel reviewed better; give me both. Heretic 2 -...Heavy Gear - Licensed and awkwardly Win95. I grew up with Mech Warrior 2 but I admire HG for its reduced scale and increased mobility. I know the sequel reviewed better; give me both.
Heretic 2 - Oh hey, another licensed game, and now MS will own all the relevant stakeholders. Not as dated as HG, but probably a pain to get running today.
KISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child - No, this isn't a gag. I'm not a KISS fan, but this was a lot of fun. But again, licensed, and both publisher and dev are long dead.
Alien vs Predator 2 - This is the Monolith sequel to Rebellion's first AvP. I loved the way the campaigns intersected. Every other AvP has paled in comparison.
Wheel of Time - Another licensed game by a dead dev/publisher. Super early Unreal engine but tons of spells instead of guns.
-
The next video game from BioShock’s creator is in development hell
13 votes -
Comment on ‘Ready Or Not’ dev splits with publisher Team17 in ~games
emnii LinkAlthough the developer notes that “we cannot say much more about the split,” many fans have speculated that it could be due to the comments of one Void Interactive dev yesterday (December 20) on the subject of a school shooting level.
When one player asked if Ready Or Not should “have a school shooting mission in the campaign”, a Void Interactive developer answered: “You better believe it’s gonna”.
-
‘Ready Or Not’ dev splits with publisher Team17
9 votes -
Comment on LastPass is going to become an independent company in ~tech
emnii LinkI'm glad they're splitting off. I've been a paying Lastpass customer since before LogMeIn. It wasn't a disastrous merger but I absolutely noticed a slowdown in features and improvement after the...I'm glad they're splitting off. I've been a paying Lastpass customer since before LogMeIn. It wasn't a disastrous merger but I absolutely noticed a slowdown in features and improvement after the buyout.
-
Comment on What were the best games you played this year? in ~games
emnii LinkCyberpunk 2077 - At first, I liked this game. I played it through to an ending, and then I did what I always do; I looked up how to get the other endings. I learned there was a secret ending, and...Cyberpunk 2077 - At first, I liked this game. I played it through to an ending, and then I did what I always do; I looked up how to get the other endings. I learned there was a secret ending, and I had a save game old enough to backtrack a dozen hours and get it. That dozen hours turned into completing every single mission (except the boxing one) and side activity, seeing a lot of the game for a second time, and getting that secret ending. By the time I completed it for the second time, I loved this game.
Devotion - I love a good horror game, and Devotion is a good horror game. It's not particularly long or difficult, but it's real dark.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water - I'm not going to pretend I fully grasp the folklore presented in FF: Maiden of the Black Water, but I did find it super creepy, and I enjoyed busting ghosts with my camera. It took me longer than it should've to grasp the combat, but it's fairly easy. I tried to go back and play the older games, but their controls aren't as good. I played this on Switch and the gyro controls really improved it for me.
Prey (2017) - I've owned Prey for a long time and just this year got around to finishing it. In my opinion, you sort of have to dedicate yourself to sinking into an immersive sim like Prey, and I guess I wasn't ready to do that until now. Prey is fantastic. I also managed to score the best ending on my first run, which I'm still pleased about because I don't play many games twice.
Metroid Dread - I've been waiting for this game for 17 years, since Zero Mission. It's a great Metroid and a great Metroidvania. I loved the moments of panic escaping and hiding from EMMI, and I especially enjoyed the process of destroying them. It does a good job of gating progress while also giving me space to explore while also pointing me in the right direction when I do want to get moving. I've seen complaints about the difficulty of Metroid Dread. I am a veteran Metroid player, and a lover of Metroidvanias in general, and I did not find this game particularly difficult. It's at least not a cheap or punishing difficulty.
I'm allergic to taco flavored Doritos. I was enlisted in the US Army. You cannot imagine how many times the question "any allergies?" comes up when you're enlisted. Every time I gave the answer "taco flavored Doritos", I'd get confusion, curiosity, disbelief, and everything in between.