Maybe it's a random itch.io find; maybe it's a minor title from a long forgotten console; maybe it's a dev project your friend asked you to play test. Whatever it is, you think it's neat, and you never see it mentioned anywhere.

Tell us about the game -- what is it? Why is it noteworthy? Do you think it deserves more recognition than it's gotten? Why do you think it's as hidden away as it is?

Note that this question is touched upon here, but only for very large, expansive mods.

Also, I don't play a lot of games and have never installed a mod (and most mobile games don't allow it anyway and none on console) so this is mostly based on how much I like the concept of the mod and the footage I've seen of it, which is obviously to be taken with a grain of salt and is gonna be a lot different from a list from someone who actually plays the game with the mod. This list will also be biased towards well known mods and won't be expansive for the same reason.

KSP

Principia

Kerbal space program simplifies gravity by only doing calculations for one body generating gravity, meaning Lagrange points don't exist and orbits are generally simplified. This mod changes that, and not just for your ship, it does for the planets too.

RSS (Real Solar System) mod

Title. Basically it recreates the real solar system in Kerbal space program since KSP has it's own system with it's own planets. Usually followed by Realism Overhaul (a mod with includes real rockets because the KSP system is 10 times smaller for playability) and Realistic progression (a mod that makes all those rockets disponible in the game's tech tree and would probably be high on this list.)

Outer planets mod

Basically a mod that adds Saturn, Uranus and Neptune analogues to the game, and some of their associated satellites, while still being relatively original. (note that they do add a pluto analogue but the stock game already has a pluto analogue. It's turned into an Enceladus analogue around the Saturn analogue.)

Honorable mentions:

10x Kerbol system, because it scales up all the celestial bodies in the game to a realistic size without needing to change the rest of the game.

Tilt' em!, for adding axial tilt into the game, something that is moderately important to orbital mechanics (if your planet is inclined relative to the rest of the solar system, your orbit might need to align with the solar system instead of the planet to reduce inclination in interplanetary space.

Admittedly the game probably has to have a devlog of some form, otherwise this question is synonymous with "what games are you waiting for?", which is far too generic a question.

The game I'm most interested in is Songs of the Eons (itch.io, most active), which wants to be like Dwarf Fortress but a grand strategy game (main post, for context). Obviously they've noted that such a project will have Dwarf Fortress esque development, so waiting is very much in order.

There's also Hyperbolica (trailer) which I've posted about here somewhat.

There's also Hytale, Creeper World 4 and to an extent KSP 2, which I like but don't follow that regularly, for not much reason TBH.

I'd probably also follow Deltarune but Toby doesn't seem to really do dev updates too often.

So are there any games that you're following as they're developed?

Spurred by this (sub)thread on the topic of 3D Mario All Stars, I thought it would be interesting to discuss different types of 3D platformers, comparing them and perhaps even managing to group the similar ones together.

I hope such a discussion might lead people to try some other games that they haven’t before based on what they have enjoyed before.

Some example topics, to kick-start the discussion:

• how the character feels/controls (e.g. their momentum, jump, move-set)
• audio-visual package
• story and general ambience/feeling
• completionist goals
• specific game mechanics
• any other reason why one is a “must play” and how is it similar or different to others
• …

I'm interested in hearing about the first game you ever loved and, more importantly, what it was that made you feel that way. Don't just give me the game title, but tell me the whole love story!

If more than one game fits the bill, that's fine too. I'd love to hear about all of them.

In your opinion, what is a game/what are some games that were inventive/unique/original or just otherwise superb that you feel didn't receive the praise it deserved?

Personally, I feel that the Scribblenauts series (Mainly the first two) are amazingly imaginative games that I don't hear talked about often. I feel that this is perhaps due to its being on the DS, a platform that was sort of mired in shovelware. I hadn't ever seen a game quite as painstakingly made as this one. The developers clearly had fun thinking of all the different ways to solve their puzzles. The soundtrack is also unexpectedly wonderful, and is very reminiscent (imo) of Katamari Damacy

Edit: I suppose mediocre popular reception would have been a better way to say it instead if critical reception

I heard someone with the Sonic "ring loss" chime as their text message alert today and it instantly brought a smile to my face. Just wondered what other sound effects would be most nostalgic for you if you were to hear it in a similar situation, as there are many games/franchises/systems I have little to no experience with.

This is, of course, subjective, so go with whatever your feelings are. Also, you can choose to judge quality as based on the time of the game's release, or by current standards. However you choose to evaluate the question, I'm interested in hearing about which series haven't faltered in releasing good titles across a large number of entries or span of time.

I also think it would be fun to examine some that barely miss the mark: series that are almost entirely great -- if only weren't for those one or two titles that really brought them down.

So recently I've been playing Destiny 2. After you launch the game you need to press "X" for the game to start loading (which takes multiple minutes, it's ridiculous).

I've seen this in other games and I never understood the point. Yes I want to move past that screen, load the game and play it. Do you guys know why game developers do this?

We're halfway through 2020 (can you believe it?) and I'm curious to know what everyone's highlights are so far. They don't have to be games released in 2020, just ones that you've played in 2020. Let us know what they are and why you took to them.

I'm interested in hearing about games that exist off the main map of gaming: games that I can't buy from any of the common storefronts and games that aren't easily playable through an emulator.

Examples of things I'm interested in hearing about:

• Long-forgotten abandonware
• Homebrew games for consoles
• Romhacks
• Legally dubious fan-games
• Total conversion mods
• ARGs
• Web games (not ones on sites like Kongregate/GameJolt though)
• Independently distributed games (that you can't get through, say, itch.io)
• Games for systems that aren't currently emulatable
• Games that have been removed from distribution
• Games with servers or content that are no longer operational
• Anything else you think fits the question, really

Tell me about the game(s) you know of and what makes them noteworthy.

I've been out of PC gaming for at least 10 years. Although I have a PS4 and I loved playing God of War 4 and Witcher 3.

Through what might only be described as a mishap, I've ended up building a computer with a kickass GPU. 3700X, RX 5700XT, 2TB Gigabyte Aorus NVMe. The works.

Build's half done, I plan on dual booting hackintosh & windows 10 -- the latter I haven't used in many years as well, I'm a UNIX guy.

What should I even install on this thing? I've been very disconnected from the gaming industry and I've no idea what games are new or good or cool to show off what my hardware can do

Exploding barrels, invisible walls, cutscene deaths -- gaming has a whole host of tropes that range from loveable to hateable. Which are the ones you most like, and which are the ones you most dislike? Give examples of games that demonstrate these, and talk about how and why you feel the way that you do about them.

For those that you like, what games have really elevated their use? For those that you dislike, which games are the most egregious offenders? Also, have any games played with the tropes and subverted them in interesting or meaningful ways?

For the purposes of the question, these don't have to be tropes that only exist in gaming -- it's fine if there's crossover with other media.

Also, please mark any spoilers!

We're trying to start a Gamecircle (kind of like a Bookcircle) with friends and accuintances and I'm looking for some good Games to start. It is a daunting task to be honest, as there will be some first time gamers taking part. And for me as a singleplayer for year (mostly factorio and some round and grand strategy games) I dont even know where to start looking.
I'm looking for something like mario kart, which is easy to understand and fun for everybody to play, for the first months. Not cost more than 10$, be aviable through steam or gog or itch.io, preferably cross-platform (steam play works fine too).

On another note, has someboy tried something like this? how did/does it work out? What would be your Advice?

I'm currently reorganizing my Steam library, as I do every other year or so, and I'm curious as to how people here organize things (or not). Do you have certain categories or a taxonomy you put your games into? What are the benefits and limitations for the way you've chosen?

I find with a lot of video-games, particularly RPGs, I have trouble just doing a casual playthrough. I just can't really stop myself from chasing down every quest marker, so if anyone has advice about how I can keep my playstyle focused on stuff I actually enjoy, I'd love to hear it.

I've found what ends up happening is I will play a game long after the point where the core gameplay loops are fun or challenging for me. This negatively impacts my impressions of games I play. It's like, chewing a stick of gum for way WAY too long. My jaw is sore, it tastes like cardboard. But I. Just. Keep. Going. I don't go into dumb collect-a-thons as much, so I'm not the worst at this, but I end up chasing every side-quest, every "do thing to befriend party member," and so on. Basically everything that counts as "content."

To be clear, I definitely blame the game designers for this. They stretch 30 hour games to 60 with a bunch of filler. And with open-world systems, it's just really hard to tell what's important and what isn't which just triggers my FoMO about missing something cool or plot critical.I just want some strategies on how to work around the bullshit and not have to bother with padding content.

DLC can often feel nickel-and-dimey, where you're paying out real money for cosmetics or other minor additions. For example, Borderlands 2 has dozens of DLC packs that merely unlock extra skins for your in-game characters. On the other hand, DLC can also significantly expand a game's scope, or add a lot more value to the base game. Borderlands 2, again, several additional campaign DLCs that extend the game playtime by hours, with new maps, missions, stories, etc.

I'm curious as to what DLCs out there fit this latter category. Also, for the purposes of the question, assume "DLC" to refer to any official expansion or additional content, even if it's not explicitly referred to as "DLC" by the devs or storefront or whatnot. What are some of the most worthwhile DLCs you've played?

I’m going to be making an fully libre, tactical, co-op, WW2 FPS in the ioquake3 engine. I need an idea for a name. Anyone have ideas?

It's going to be kind of like Day of Infamy, if you've ever played it. You're going to be working through the enemy's base (Axis or Allies, depending on which side you choose) with your friends, trying to complete an objective. You can either be stealthy, go guns blazing, or anywhere in between. There's also going to be TDM, where you either attack or defend against another team of players. I'm hoping to increase longevity by making it completely open source.

Romantic relationships in gaming are often heavily debated, with lots of criticism and lots of support for the myriad experiences out there. I don't have a single specific question related to the topic, only some guiding ones. Feel free to answer any/all of these, or simply give your thoughts on the topic:

• What are some games that you feel have handled romance well?
• What are some games that you feel have not handled romance well?
• What particular advantages does gaming have with regard to portraying romantic relationships?
• What particular disadvantages does gaming have with regard to portraying romantic relationships?
• Are there any games that have depicted romantic relationships that were particularly resonant to you?
• What would you define as some "best practices" for game writers/designers with regard to in-game romance?
• What would you define as some "mistakes/errors" for game writers/designers to avoid with regard to in-game romance?

My wife and I enjoy playing mystery walking simulators together and have been looking for more-- Steam's recommendation engine is pretty terrible in finding others or lesser-known titles, so I thought I'd ask around for what others play! They don't have to be full-on walking simulators, just games where dying is rare/not a big component of the experience (looking at you, Visage!), and the rest of the game is all about solving a mystery/thriller of some sort. Preferably first-person games with realistic-enough graphics.

Ones we've played so far and have loved are:

• Dead Secret
• Gone Home (loose fit)
• The Painscreek Killings (really loved this one)
• The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Ones I've got in my queue:

• Anna
• Bohemian Killing
• Dead Secret 2
• Return of Obra Dinn

I've also played What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, Firewatch, and some others-- but those didn't really have a big enough mystery component to them (to be clear I liked them, they just didn’t have a dark/thriller vibe to em).

Any other suggestions?

I know my question isn't worded great! If anyone has a better edit after reading all of this, let me know!

I have a half-formed idea in my head and I want to brainstorm a bit.

Here's the idea: games as a whole have a ton of different aspects/lenses through which we can enjoy and appreciate them, and I want to know what they all are. Here are some examples to show what I mean:

I feel like there are dozens of these we could come up with if we get really specific. The diversity of gaming experiences and genres really lends itself to a broad swath of these aspects. After all, the appreciation someone gets from playing something like Katamari Damacy is very different from that which someone gets from, say, ARMA 2.

I think later it might be interesting to try to apply some sort of analysis or taxonomy to this, but right now I just want to brainstorm. What are all of the different reasons we can like games? Be as specific as you can, try to cover lots of different titles and genres so that all of gaming is represented, and feel free to critique or edit my examples as well (e.g. I think it might be worth breaking up "Narrative" into "Plot" and "Characters", for example).

Aggregated List So Far

I'll keep updating this as we go. For entries that didn't follow the table format (which I didn't intend to be prescriptive but it looks like it caught on!), I've tried to incorporate them as best as I can, but if you feel I've misrepresented something let me know! Again, I'm mostly just interested in brainstorming at the moment, and then I think we can have a secondary thread later for analysis/synthesis.