emnii's recent activity
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Comment on What are the best games you've played so far this year? in ~games
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Comment on The 2020 Steam Summer Sale is live and goes until July 9th in ~games
emnii Link ParentSame, and this is the right time to trim. If I'm not going to buy it when it's highly discounted, then I probably don't need to keep it on my wishlist.Same, and this is the right time to trim. If I'm not going to buy it when it's highly discounted, then I probably don't need to keep it on my wishlist.
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Comment on The 2020 Steam Summer Sale is live and goes until July 9th in ~games
emnii LinkMy point total for less than 6 months of purchases is frankly embarrassing.My point total for less than 6 months of purchases is frankly embarrassing.
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Comment on With YouTube Music, Google is holding my speakers for ransom in ~tech
emnii LinkAt first, I was mad about this because I thought they were cutting out Bluetooth paired speakers. But it's just another case of Google fucking their own customers by not letting them cast music to...At first, I was mad about this because I thought they were cutting out Bluetooth paired speakers. But it's just another case of Google fucking their own customers by not letting them cast music to Google Home attached speakers.
It does give me reason to look around for a replacement music library service. I'm aware that Youtube Music won't stream while the screen is locked unless you pay, but I hope that doesn't extend to music played from my library. And if they decide to charge for playing through Bluetooth paired speakers, I'm in the same boat as this author.
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With YouTube Music, Google is holding my speakers for ransom
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii LinkDead Space 2 - EA just put Dead Space 3 on Steam so I thought I'd take the opportunity to replay the last good Dead Space for a third (fourth?) time. This game is a lot easier than I remember. The...Dead Space 2 - EA just put Dead Space 3 on Steam so I thought I'd take the opportunity to replay the last good Dead Space for a third (fourth?) time. This game is a lot easier than I remember. The Steam version comes with all of the pre-order DLC, which adds all of the weapons and all of the suits right at the beginning of the game. I'm only partially taking advantage of this. When I find the blueprints for a new weapon or suit, I'll instead use a DLC item, which has some marginal benefit over the base model. Since the DLC items are free, it's saving me some credits that I can spend on power nodes for upgrades.
Or maybe it feels easier because I know the game's tricks. I don't know every hole a monster's going to pop out of, but I know what each one of them is going to do, and what weapons I like. I'm mostly just on a walking tour of this space station, but every now and then I've got to chop up some necromorphs with my ripper. I do find myself lower on ammo than I remember, but I've been aggressively selling excess ammo too, so I guess I only have myself to blame there.
I still love this game. The feeling of the weapons, the grating sound effects, the atmosphere of the infested space station, it's all great. I might slightly prefer the original, but this was a fantastic sequel. It's such a shame that they screwed up so much of Dead Space 3, and then EA killed the series for its failure.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii Link ParentIt's really incredible to me how much combined time I've spend in Destiny between the two games and three platforms (PS3 -> Xbox One -> PC) but Bungie knows how to make a fun shooter. It's like a...It's really incredible to me how much combined time I've spend in Destiny between the two games and three platforms (PS3 -> Xbox One -> PC) but Bungie knows how to make a fun shooter. It's like a comfort food game. If I haven't played it in six months, I can go back and play some more. It'll be slightly different but it's still Destiny.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii LinkDestiny 2 - I'm back on my bullshit again. Okay, I guess that's not all. I left off at some point mid season 8 and I'm back now in season 11. I'm doing the seasonal stuff. I'm cleaning up some...Destiny 2 - I'm back on my bullshit again.
Okay, I guess that's not all. I left off at some point mid season 8 and I'm back now in season 11. I'm doing the seasonal stuff. I'm cleaning up some Shadowkeep quests. But I usually hit a motivation wall once I get near the power level limits for a solo player. I've put another half dozen hours in here and I might be reaching the limit again. I'm not the person to run the same missions/strikes/bounties forever, and I'm running out of unique stuff to do. Might run some crucible and gambit because I've been itching for some low-commitment multiplayer. And of course I'm going to re-up for Beyond Light.
Jackbox Party Pack 6: Press the Button - I didn't necessarily play this so much as observe as I played host. For a second time, I ran a "virtual fun" event for my work team and hosted two rounds of Press the Button. The aliens won both games, but they almost got ejected in the second one. A failed vote saved them. This is the same formula as Mafia or Werewolf, except codified in minigames. The short amount of time to identify the aliens was a real pressure cooker. Scheduled another event for this Friday because the players had so much fun.
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Comment on Ending my relationship with Cards Against Humanity and Max Temkin in ~games.tabletop
emnii Link ParentI backed the kickstarter for 12 issues of his Maxistenialism zine. 1 issue per month for one year, that was the pitch. He delivered 5 issues over the course of 18 months. There hasn't been an...I backed the kickstarter for 12 issues of his Maxistenialism zine. 1 issue per month for one year, that was the pitch. He delivered 5 issues over the course of 18 months. There hasn't been an update since.
I guess this KS was small potatoes, but I don't understand how he gets $3.4M when he couldn't deliver on 12 zines.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii LinkSystem Shock (remake) demo - I've been patiently waiting for this since I backed the Kickstarter campaign. I've played most of the original without ever actually finishing it, so I've played the...System Shock (remake) demo - I've been patiently waiting for this since I backed the Kickstarter campaign. I've played most of the original without ever actually finishing it, so I've played the Medical level repeatedly. This is about exactly what I want out of the remake. It's still System Shock. I opened a door to meet a mutant for the first time and it almost elicited a gasp. It looks as horrifying as it should. I love the subtly pixelated texturing on everything, like it's both trying to be faithful to the look of the original, while also looking like you're seeing the world through not-human eyes. Like you've replaced your eyes with implants that are hi-def but not IRL-def. I didn't finish the level because I want to save it for the full release, but I'm now very excited for that finished product.
Valorant - I played one match (match? round?) of Valorant and determined it is Not My Thing. It's Not My Thing because it's Counter-Strike, which was also Not My Thing. I've never been a fan of Counter-Strike, despite giving it multiple attempts over the decades since it was released. My specific complaints about Valorant is that the movement speed feels like a choice between slow and slower but quiet, and there's no firing range for abilities, which are both vital to success and consume credits. I didn't want to waste credits on misfiring my abilities, which I only had the vaguest knowledge of based on a text description. When I did have so much money I could afford to blow some on misfired abilities, I can't tell you how many times I flashbanged myself. I never fired my ult because I could hardly remember what it did and I died so quickly it never felt like I had a need for it.
I do love the way it looks though. The art style, the design of the characters, the look of the weapons and abilities, all of it looks cool. I guess I just wish this were in a single player game that I was interested in playing.
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Comment on itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality in ~games
emnii LinkIt should be noted that this isn't just video games. There are a bunch of TTRPGs in here too. Here are some that some people might have heard of: Blades in the Dark Lancer Troika: Numinous Edition...It should be noted that this isn't just video games. There are a bunch of TTRPGs in here too. Here are some that some people might have heard of:
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Blades in the Dark
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Lancer
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Troika: Numinous Edition + the Fronds of Benevolence module
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Comment on Let's give some love to indies! What's your favourite indie game? in ~games
emnii LinkRecently, DUSK. It's a little bit Quake and a little bit Blood and I loved it. It's ugly in all the right ways, fast, and fun. If we're talking about classics, I'm fairly split between Bastion and...Recently, DUSK. It's a little bit Quake and a little bit Blood and I loved it. It's ugly in all the right ways, fast, and fun.
If we're talking about classics, I'm fairly split between Bastion and Fez. Bastion is just a complete package of a beautiful looking and sounding game with a fun action game, but Fez had all the mysteries. It's a damn shame we'll never get a Fez 2.
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Comment on Podcast discussions & recommendations! What are you listening to? in ~talk
emnii LinkSince COVID19 lockdown? Not a lot! That's only half a joke. I tend to listen to podcasts when I'm driving (which I'm not doing much of now) or sitting at my desk in the office (which I'm not...Since COVID19 lockdown? Not a lot! That's only half a joke. I tend to listen to podcasts when I'm driving (which I'm not doing much of now) or sitting at my desk in the office (which I'm not working in now). That said, I'm trying to keep up on the ones I like the most.
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Giant Bombcast/Giant Beastcast - Smart, fun video game discussions. I've been a listener from the start of both podcasts and I can't imagine skipping them. They're both "current events" focused, and extremely low on in-jokes, so pick up on the latest episode.
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Race Chaser with Alaska and Willam - I love RuPaul's Drag Race, but I don't really engage with the fan community. I love Race Chaser because Alaska and Willam were on the show, have tons of insight on their seasons, tons of insight on drag and Drag Race, friends feeding them inside information, and they're both very funny. Since they do one episode per episode of the show, you can pick it up on whatever episode of RPDR you just watched. I skip Hot Goss though, which is their gossip podcast on the same RSS feed.
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My Brother, My Brother, and Me - I just love those McElroy boys. I picked it up a couple years ago at whatever their current episode was, and I haven't gone back to listen to old ones. They occasionally do a "best of" episode.
When I recommend podcasts, I recommend the above, but those are based on my tastes. I also recommend Serial, S-Town, and Bundyville, because they're limited series and a bit more accessible than a video game podcast that's been running for 500 weeks.
In the last year or so, I've dropped a few just because I didn't have time to keep up on them weekly. Those were Tights & Fights, and the Cultaholic Wrestling Podcast. They're both wrestling podcasts that are pretty WWE centric. I sometimes listen to Cultaholic in the background. And I'm not exactly keeping up on Waypoint Radio anymore, but it's another video game podcast that stays in my queue. It just gets deprioritized if I have one of the three above.
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Comment on Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning listed in Xbox Store in ~games
emnii LinkI think someone forgot to reschedule this reveal. Release date is listed August 11th. Super late in the remaster game, and I personally don't have fond memories of it. I remember spending a ton of...I think someone forgot to reschedule this reveal. Release date is listed August 11th.
Super late in the remaster game, and I personally don't have fond memories of it. I remember spending a ton of time doing mindless sidequests. It seemed like every NPC had a fetch quest. I also recall the game world being absolutely enormous. It definitely felt like a MMO repurposed into a single player game.
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Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning listed in Xbox Store
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Comment on Total War Saga: TROY will be released on the Epic Games Store on 13 August 2020 - and will be free to keep if claimed within the first 24 hours of release in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii LinkShrine - This was unexpected. It's what we used to call a Doom Total Conversion, now free on Steam. The replacements of enemies and weapons are fairly obvious, but it's got a good HR Giger look to...Shrine - This was unexpected. It's what we used to call a Doom Total Conversion, now free on Steam. The replacements of enemies and weapons are fairly obvious, but it's got a good HR Giger look to it. The level textures are a bit simple, particularly in the first half, but it amps up the weirdness in the second half. I finished it in under 90 minutes, but I had fun.
Chex Quest HD - Speaking of Doom TCs, here's a remake of Chex Quest except now in the Unreal engine! It's surprisingly well done, but it did make me want to go back to the original game. It's also a little wonky with weapons refusing to fire unless they're on or near an enemy, and sometimes you can't just get it "close enough". Another short one, took less than 40 minutes to run through all of the levels once.
Warhammer 40K: Gladius - Ugh. I played one game that ended in defeat. It took me about 5 hours to get there. For the first two hours, I was really into this. I was marching my space marines around and building my city and researching, just like a good 4X. But this game only has two win conditions, total domination or completing a quest line (ala Endless Legend, which is a much better game). Since this was my first time playing this, I half-heartedly pursued both. I was surprised to find I'd reached the end of the quest line, which resulted in a final quest: defend a unit for 20 turns.
At this point, I was growing a bit tired of the brainless Civ-like RPS combat, and the flat tech tree is just bolstering your existing military might or adding new combat units. The game was feeling very one dimensional, like we're playing a 1X and not a 4X. But I had an economy prepared to pump out reinforcements, I had the military might to defend a single unit, and I knew where my competitors were and what they were up to.
So imagine how surprised I was when the game peppered the map with neutral, high level enemies converging on that one unit, inside my "borders", behind my defenses, and quickly destroyed it, resulting in my defeat.
This is where I decided I was done with this game permanently. I'm okay with losing in a 4X. It sucks, but I learn something. All I learned here was that this game doesn't have a lot of tactical nuance, it knows it doesn't have a lot of tactical nuance, and I should've just meat shielded that one unit and mashed the "next turn" button until the end.
Don't play WH40K: Gladius. There are better 4X games out there.
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Comment on GOG's summer sale has started and runs through June 15 in ~games
emnii Link ParentI've always been okay with GOG's exclusives precisely because they're putting in the work to resurrect forgotten games. There are too many old games on Steam that are either functionally inop or...I've always been okay with GOG's exclusives precisely because they're putting in the work to resurrect forgotten games. There are too many old games on Steam that are either functionally inop or need a detailed guide to get running just because the rights owner wanted to make a buck on their game's prior reputation. At least I know on GOG the game will run right. I'd rather own the GOG copy of an old game than the Steam copy.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
emnii Link ParentYou've really hit the nail on the head about why I call myself a Dragon Age 2 hater. I remember my sinking disappointment when I realized that the cave map I had already seen once was used in...You've really hit the nail on the head about why I call myself a Dragon Age 2 hater. I remember my sinking disappointment when I realized that the cave map I had already seen once was used in another location but they blocked off some of the tunnels and doors while unblocking others. The map was exactly the same. They were just gating some areas depending on which location I was visiting.
Some people praise the story. All I can remember about it is "apostates! apostates! apostates!"
I appreciate what they were trying to do with DA2 and, in another form, I probably would've loved it. The actual game was far too undeveloped to deliver.
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Comment on What's the weather/climate like where you live? in ~talk
emnii LinkI came from the US midwest. Summers are too hot and humid. Winters are too cold and dry. The seasons between are too short because the temperature flips from too hot to too cold very quickly and...I came from the US midwest. Summers are too hot and humid. Winters are too cold and dry. The seasons between are too short because the temperature flips from too hot to too cold very quickly and vice versa. When it rains, it's probably storming. The year before I moved, my basement was constantly wet. Either the snow would build and melt and freeze and melt and dribble into my basement, or the storms would come so often that my yard was constantly saturated.
I'm in the US Pacific Northwest. I've lived here for a year. It's my perfect climate. The winter wasn't all that cold (very few days below 32F) and the summer wasn't all that hot (very few days over 80F). Low humidity, even on hot days. It's fascinating how few storms I've seen here. When thunder peals, it causes a flurry of local Facebook/Nextdoor posts. "Hope you like rain," is what my former boss said when I told him I was leaving to move to this area. My SO and I still laugh about it. Sure, January was a wet month, but the overall wetness is overblown. Some light rain here and there is pleasant compared to the alternative. The seasons feel like smooth, gradual transitions rather than midwest switch flips.
I'm not moving back. I'll probably live in this region until I die.
Doom Eternal - I wasn't taken by it right off the bat. After finishing the first level (and dialing the difficulty down from Ultra Violence), I put it down to play Doom 64. But I came back after finishing that game, and I grew to love Doom Eternal. It tries too hard and does too much, but it's so much fun once you've internalized all of what it is doing. Sure, you can't have a favorite weapon, and you won't get far without using all of your combat options, but it is a heart-pounding experience in a world where all of the sharp edges and excitement is usually relegated to the multiplayer.
Doom 64 - I think of this game as the ugly step sibling of Doom, but it's a Doom nonetheless. The enemy designs have not aged well at all, but this is a worthy addition to the Doom lineage. I'm glad it's been pulled out of the Nintendo 64 dumpster. It's fun. It's Doom.
Kentucky Route Zero - I played each chapter as they were released, so I was a bit taken aback by the ending. In short, I thought my save was corrupted because it drops you into a story already in progress, but not what I had remembered. It doesn't help that the final chapter is short and ends abruptly, but beautifully. I immediately replayed the previous chapters, including the interludes, and the finale fits. It's still short, but it's absolutely a fitting end to a unique and haunting game.