Loved Hades, saw end credits, had a blast running the same areas over and over
Returnal, though. Felt to me too intense, like I had to maintain too sharp a focus for too long a stretch, and the permanent unlocks felt too underpowered and too spread out, and I couldn't jive with the gameplay loop for any more than, like, three days. It was too demoralizing to start fresh.
Thinking on it more, I wonder how much of my Hades appreciation was impacted by the downtime also being fun. Like, when I died, the sting was ameliorated by the idea of new conversations with my cool weird friends, or the possibility of a cool new treat back at base. With Returnal, dying meant... Running out of the door in the starting area and getting back to the grind.
Yeah, I've heard a lot about Returnal's difficulty and it's made me hesitant to try it out
But everything I've heard about Returnal's story is so cool and I want to see it!
Didn't they add a lower difficulty mode or the ability to save in an update or something?
No difficulty mode, but they did add mid-run saving and 2-player co-op.
(Also, unrelated to what you asked, an endless mode where you climb a tower that has more story)
Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 employees as part of broader cost-cutting measures, the company said in a securities filing on Wednesday, making it the latest tech company to reduce staff because of growing economic uncertainty.
Speaking before the layoff announcement at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company was not immune to a weaker global economy.
"No one can defy gravity and gravity here is inflation-adjusted economic growth," he told WEF founder Klaus Schwab in a livestreamed discussion.
In a memo to staffers Wednesday, Nadella also cited changing demand years for digital services years into the pandemic as well as looming recession fears.
"We're living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear," he wrote. "First, as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we're now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less."
Microsoft had approximately 221,000 full-time employees globally as of June 30, 2022, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with some 122,000 of those staffers based in the United States.
Nadella said the job the cuts represent less than 5% of the company's total workforce and the reductions will be complete by the end of its fiscal third quarter this year, which ends in March.
Returnal was fun for a bit, but yeah, I couldn't play for very long before it got too frustrating to be worth playing.
Punishing difficulty.
Long runs
"Win-more" design, where doing well is critical for continuing to do well.
Annoyingly back-tracky within runs, especially if you're trying to optimize by dodging pickups etc. until you get a good streak/level to make them more powerful.
Limited meaningful permanent upgrades.
Those permanent upgrades mostly letting you check out more stuff in early areas, actually lengthening runs not just because you go further, but because you do more in each area.
Not much to actually do between runs.
Way harder to get into and maintain a flow state due to the game length and the 3D nature of the game, which made it a lot harder to read and perfectly dodge everything.
milski on
I ate an engineer
+1
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MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
Picking up a new thing in Returnal didn't really feel like it changed the way I engaged with the game, which is maybe the cardinal sin in a roguelike for me
Returnal was fun for a bit, but yeah, I couldn't play for very long before it got too frustrating to be worth playing.
Punishing difficulty.
Long runs
"Win-more" design, where doing well is critical for continuing to do well.
Annoyingly back-tracky within runs, especially if you're trying to optimize by dodging pickups etc. until you get a good streak/level to make them more powerful.
Limited meaningful permanent upgrades.
Those permanent upgrades mostly letting you check out more stuff in early areas, actually lengthening runs not just because you go further, but because you do more in each area.
Not much to actually do between runs.
Way harder to get into and maintain a flow state due to the game length and the 3D nature of the game, which made it a lot harder to read and perfectly dodge everything.
Yeah. I don't think it's a bad game by any stretch, I think it's a really gorgeous and singular thing that I just couldn't fully vibe with.
I wonder how old-time spies feel about today where you can get top secret military documents just by finding someone on a game forum who wants to win an internet argument?
Next 007 movie is going to be weird.
+4
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MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
The actual answer is that a lot of the stuff being posted is only technically classified at a pretty low level, as I understand it, and isn't really very sensitive information at all
Still, very funny
0
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PiptheFairFrequently not in boats.Registered Userregular
the majority of vehicles in warthunder are pre-ww2 to end of the cold war
theres very few modern design vehicles going on, so a lot of classified documents are 20+ years old
0
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I loved Returnal, however it never really felt like a rougelike to me. Which is honestly one of the reasons I dug it so much.
Like sure when you die you start over at the beginning of that set of biomes and most of the upgrades and weapons you grab are just for that one run, but the length of the runs as well as the way the game is structured and have an actual End once you beat the final biome made it feel completely different to me in a way that's hard to describe. Like when I beat the game I was good. I didn't feel the need to go back and do more runs. I was satisfied. I had seen the house sequences. I had seen the ending. The game was over for me and felt done in a way I don't often get with rougelike games.
Also just from a gameplay perspective I really dug what Returnal was doing and while I don't typically care much about how difficult games are, Returnal managed to walk the knives edge of keeping me on the edge of my seat while usually not feeling like bullshit. The entire last biome had me sweating bullets with the last boss being one of the most white knuckle gripping moments of focus I've had in a video game and it felt incredible.
It also doesn't hurt that the game is real fucking pretty and the audio and visual design of the boss fights is top tier.
Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 employees as part of broader cost-cutting measures, the company said in a securities filing on Wednesday, making it the latest tech company to reduce staff because of growing economic uncertainty.
Speaking before the layoff announcement at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company was not immune to a weaker global economy.
"No one can defy gravity and gravity here is inflation-adjusted economic growth," he told WEF founder Klaus Schwab in a livestreamed discussion.
In a memo to staffers Wednesday, Nadella also cited changing demand years for digital services years into the pandemic as well as looming recession fears.
"We're living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear," he wrote. "First, as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we're now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less."
Microsoft had approximately 221,000 full-time employees globally as of June 30, 2022, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with some 122,000 of those staffers based in the United States.
Nadella said the job the cuts represent less than 5% of the company's total workforce and the reductions will be complete by the end of its fiscal third quarter this year, which ends in March.
boooooooooooo
Oh no, the economy is in a slump, fire 10,000 people. Yes, of course they're still trying to buy Activision for $69B, what does that have to do with it.
+30
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
Returnal upsets me a lot because it's a really great narrative, but the gameplay just feels actively designed to infuriate and frustrate me. I mean, I slogged through it for the story, but I would have loved the story enough more if I didn't feel like I was being punished for experiencing it.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
0
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BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
The Tomb Raider Free Special Pack rappels into PWS on all platforms on January 31st, alongside PlayStation 4/5 and Nintendo Switch launches! ๐ฆ
Powerwash Simulator is gettingโฆ a Tomb Raider crossover?
Yeah. Ok.
i very much doubt this is the case, but it would be really funny if there was compatibility between the engines from tomb raider and power wash sim, so you could just load lara_croft_mansion.bsp, drop in some extra "grime" assets to interact with, and then just let the player go to town with cleaning
probably significantly more complicated than that though
Ubisoft Paris called to strike after "catastrophic communication" from Yves Guillemot
"Because Mr. Guillemot and his clique only understand the relationship of power, Solidaires Informatique is calling on the employees of Ubisoft Paris to go on strike."
was microsoft's plan to just keep 343 on halo infinite to try and turn it into a destiny-like GaaS?
or were they supposed to start development on a new game?
they've said in the past that they want Infinite to be a "platform" that lasts for a long time, potentially being the 1 Halo game on the system
There's been rumors and leaks of campaign DLC, so expansions instead of a sequel
But then, you know, Halo Infinite came out, so who knows
was microsoft's plan to just keep 343 on halo infinite to try and turn it into a destiny-like GaaS?
or were they supposed to start development on a new game?
they've said in the past that they want Infinite to be a "platform" that lasts for a long time, potentially being the 1 Halo game on the system
There's been rumors and leaks of campaign DLC, so expansions instead of a sequel
But then, you know, Halo Infinite came out, so who knows
yeah if they're cutting staff I'm guessing it'll be hard to get another halo game out
would be kinda weird if halo infinite was their only title for the entire lifespan of the series X though
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
edited January 2023
So Iโm playing that new WW2 Rebuilding simulator and it is way more educational about both the post war period and the horrible destruction of the war.
It still needs some work though. Like some actions seem like they are missing sound effects.
Also I had to defuse a bomb and it was actually stressful.
This new mission has workers you can see outside your area and I feel that they are placeholders since they are wearing medieval clothing?
So Iโm playing that new WW2 Rebuilding simulator and it is way more educational about both the post war period and the horrible destruction of the war.
It still needs some work though. Like some actions seem like they are missing sound effects.
Also I had to defuse a bomb and it was actually stressful.
This new mission has workers you can see outside your area and I feel that they are placeholders since they are wearing medieval clothing?
Look, sometimes you can't afford the unit upgrades when the era clicks over, it happens to the best of us
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
+16
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Olivawgood name, isn't it?the foot of mt fujiRegistered Userregular
As someone who really likes all the individual parts of Halo Infinite, it is astounding to me how bad the support for that game has been. I still donโt know how bad the technical side must be for 343 not to just churn out maps for the multiplayer, but it must be pretty bad. And now this! This isnโt gonna help!
Thereโs no way Microsoft abandons Halo, but this isโฆ really strange treatment for the developer of their marquee franchise! Youโd think theyโd be throwing money at it to get it where it needs to be, safeguard the brand and all
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
Yeah but does an evil clown, bahamut, or a different evil clown nuke the entire planet?
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
Yeah but does an evil clown, bahamut, or a different evil clown nuke the entire planet?
"Industrialization" is a different evil clown, of a sort
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
Yeah but does an evil clown, bahamut, or a different evil clown nuke the entire planet?
"Industrialization" is a different evil clown, of a sort
More games definitely need to use the moon as the primary antagonist.
In that case you should definitely try the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime. Sign up, and enjoy Eorzea today!
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
Yeah but does an evil clown, bahamut, or a different evil clown nuke the entire planet?
"Industrialization" is a different evil clown, of a sort
Posts
No difficulty mode, but they did add mid-run saving and 2-player co-op.
(Also, unrelated to what you asked, an endless mode where you climb a tower that has more story)
boooooooooooo
Yeah. I don't think it's a bad game by any stretch, I think it's a really gorgeous and singular thing that I just couldn't fully vibe with.
IT HAPPENED AGAIN A DAY LATER (spoiler for size, someone leaked a bunch of F-15 Strike Eagle manuals and training documents)
Next 007 movie is going to be weird.
Still, very funny
theres very few modern design vehicles going on, so a lot of classified documents are 20+ years old
Like sure when you die you start over at the beginning of that set of biomes and most of the upgrades and weapons you grab are just for that one run, but the length of the runs as well as the way the game is structured and have an actual End once you beat the final biome made it feel completely different to me in a way that's hard to describe. Like when I beat the game I was good. I didn't feel the need to go back and do more runs. I was satisfied. I had seen the house sequences. I had seen the ending. The game was over for me and felt done in a way I don't often get with rougelike games.
Also just from a gameplay perspective I really dug what Returnal was doing and while I don't typically care much about how difficult games are, Returnal managed to walk the knives edge of keeping me on the edge of my seat while usually not feeling like bullshit. The entire last biome had me sweating bullets with the last boss being one of the most white knuckle gripping moments of focus I've had in a video game and it felt incredible.
It also doesn't hurt that the game is real fucking pretty and the audio and visual design of the boss fights is top tier.
Powerwash Simulator is gettingโฆ a Tomb Raider crossover?
Yeah. Ok.
i very much doubt this is the case, but it would be really funny if there was compatibility between the engines from tomb raider and power wash sim, so you could just load lara_croft_mansion.bsp, drop in some extra "grime" assets to interact with, and then just let the player go to town with cleaning
probably significantly more complicated than that though
YAKUZA FARMING
YAKUZA COOKING
YAKUZA PETS
oof, that is really not good
or were they supposed to start development on a new game?
hell yeah fuck him up
I was hoping for some of that GOOD French protesting, with bricks and fire and shit
No, no: guillotine.
they've said in the past that they want Infinite to be a "platform" that lasts for a long time, potentially being the 1 Halo game on the system
There's been rumors and leaks of campaign DLC, so expansions instead of a sequel
But then, you know, Halo Infinite came out, so who knows
but you know you asked us to make halo right
these things aren't...compatible in the way you want"
yeah if they're cutting staff I'm guessing it'll be hard to get another halo game out
would be kinda weird if halo infinite was their only title for the entire lifespan of the series X though
did anyone watch it
Master Chief has the sex and that blew up the Twitters for awhile, otherwise I dunno
I just wanna actually emphasis how cool this was:
When they were shutting down the game the first time around, in the lead up - one of the moons started getting bigger.
And bigger.
And bigger.
And then right at the end, it's this hanging, dire threat and then bam, everyone gets kicked off the server and
This plays.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
Switch: 0293 6817 9891
It still needs some work though. Like some actions seem like they are missing sound effects.
Also I had to defuse a bomb and it was actually stressful.
This new mission has workers you can see outside your area and I feel that they are placeholders since they are wearing medieval clothing?
Look, sometimes you can't afford the unit upgrades when the era clicks over, it happens to the best of us
Thinking about it, Final Fantasy probably has most of the top 5 slots in the extremely narrow niche of "best game at blowing up the world you were playing in."
If you like the feeling of watching the world die despite your best efforts to save it, might I recommend... Pathologic 2?
Thereโs no way Microsoft abandons Halo, but this isโฆ really strange treatment for the developer of their marquee franchise! Youโd think theyโd be throwing money at it to get it where it needs to be, safeguard the brand and all
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Yeah but does an evil clown, bahamut, or a different evil clown nuke the entire planet?
"Industrialization" is a different evil clown, of a sort
Ah yes, Pantalone
well he was played by oscar isaac
We have French Protesting at home, put it back.
I was thinking more whiteface.