ox1973

4 minutes ago, Wiper said:

I'm just relieved that this one apparently walks things back a little — though the allusions to Awakening's structure (and particularly its optional-but-not-really risk-free levelling battles) make my blood run cold.

Agree. The one thing I hated about Awakening more than anything else was the 'optional' levelling up battles. It completely screws up the progression through the game when you can just out level any problem that comes up. I wasn't crazy about the introduction of DLC for the first time either now I think about it.

Yeah, Awakening and Fates are the weakest in the series by some distance I would say. I did like Echoes, although that was a remake of Gaiden so not a 3DS original. The three GBA games are the highlights of the series for me. Honourable mention to the Super Famicom games which I would have loved at the time had I played them but only discovered later.

Final 2022 Update:

1. Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters Clash (Nintendo Switch) - £4.19

2. Elden Ring (PC) - £36.99

3. Peglin (PC) - £13.49

4. Steam Deck 512GB - £565.00

5. Roundguard (PC) - £3.74

6. Cursed to Golf (PC) - £15.29

7. Arcade Paradise (PC) - £15.99

8. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (PC) - £16.64 (As part of RPG Legends Humble Bundle)

9. Front Mission 1st: Remake (Nintendo Switch) - £31.49

10. Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (Nintendo Switch) - £21.99

And that's it for 2022. A couple of thoughts when reflecting back on the year:

• Apart from Front Mission (only bought a few days ago) and Atari 50 (on it's way but will be wrapped up by Santa for Christmas Day) I have completely rinsed all of these games. Elden Ring alone kept me going for about 6 months! Best game of the year, the decade, maybe ever?
• The Steam Deck was a game changer. It worked as a way to eat into the backlog, as opposed to just buying new game after new game and leaving them on the (metaphorical) shelf. I got through more 'old' games than I ever have and there is a lot of satisfaction in that.
• With the Epic, Amazon, GOG, etc. giveaways there are so many 'free' games now that you could buy nothing and still never run out of stuff to play. More than ever, time has become the limiting factor.

So, overall, job done and very happy. Where do I sign up for next year?

Due to the latest Humble Bundle I have a steam key for the game + DLC up for grabs.

Let me know if you want 'em!

The infinity engine CRPGs still hold up today (and have modern enhanced editions):

Baldurs Gate I and II

Icewind Dale I and II

Planescape Torment

Also, in no particular order:

Star Wars KOTOR 1 and 2

Elder Scrolls: Morrowind

Fallout 1 and 2 (and maybe Tactics)

Mechwarrior 2, 3, and 4 (+ expansions)

Mechcommander 1 and 2

Counter Strike

Max Payne 1 and 2

Age of Empires 2

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines

Broken Sword 1 and 2

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Civ 2

1 hour ago, ChewMagma said:

How is Battletech on Steam Deck?

It will run but performance and battery life will be big issues, and controls/screen real estate willbe even bigger issues. It needs a big screen and mouse/keyboard really.

5 hours ago, bradigor said:

What are people's thoughts on Battletech? I have a code for it from an old bundled e but can't tell if it looks complicated or not.

I love Battletech - have put 1000+ of hours into it, partly because I loved the old Mechwarrior and Mechcommander games but mostly because it's the very definition of a top tier open ended sandbox tactics game. Plenty of amazing mods as well once you get to grips with the basics (BEX, BTA, Roguetech).

Play through the campaign first to learn the game then move on to career if it grabs you.

Lots of good advice in this thread already. I would say game choice is important - Into the Breach might look simple on the surface but it requires a good deal of thought. It's more like chess than a traditional SRPG I would say.

I would recommend starting with some older, simpler games and working your way up to more modern, complex tactics games. Some recommendations:

Advance Wars (GBA/DS). Start with the first as it's the best but they are all worth playing.

Shining Force (Megadrive). Again, start with the first.

Older Fire Emblem games. Sacred Stones on GBA is a good place to start - has a very good, lenghty (and not boring) tutorial. The Gamecube (Path of Radiance) and Wii (Radiant Dawn) games are good starters too, but very pricy now if you want physical copies.

Front Mission 3/4/5 (PS1/PS2) if you like stompy robots. I would say Front Mission 4 (PS2) is the best place to start. There are also re-makes of Front Mission 1 and 2 in the pipeline for Switch.

And for more modern tactics games:

Shadowrun Trilogy. I liked Hong Kong the best but all 3 are great.

XCOM 2. Can be hard as nails but very, very satisfying.

Battletech. More stompy robots, but at the more demanding end of the spectrum (both in terms of PC specs and complexity).

Wasteland 3. Post-apocalyptic turn based squad battles. The original Wasteland was the progenitor of the Fallout games.

Yeah, that sucks. I haven't even got as far as ordering one given they are never in stock and seemingly sell out 2 seconds before they go on sale.

10 minutes ago, Graham S said:

Mine didn't. Getting Nintendo customer service involved to find out what happened has taken hours of website errors, poor customer service calls, ignored emails. And now they've told me there was a problem with delivery, they've cancelled my order, and to fuck off basically.

 

Gah!

Please understand.

Update:

1. Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters Clash (Nintendo Switch) - £4.19

2. Elden Ring (PC) - £36.99

3. Peglin (PC) - £13.49

4. Steam Deck 512GB - £565.00

5. Roundguard (PC) - £3.74

6. Cursed to Golf (PC) - £15.29

7. Arcade Paradise (PC) - £15.99

I loved the PS Vita version of Everybody's Golf so Easy Come Easy Golf on Switch is on the radar. Front Mission 1st remake too, if it arrives this year. Also waiting for a price drop for the Judgment games on PC. Will probably end up somewhere near 12 for the year after all.

14 minutes ago, gospvg said:

Slightly concerning on no Judgement news.

Judgment and Lost Judgment now available on Steam. Can buy them separately or as a bundle.

Yeah, back in stock on Amazon. I was wavering but have pre-ordered. The pull of the Mega CD games proved too strong in the end; one of my big gaming regrets is selling my Megadrive + Mega CD + games back in the mists of time (don't ask about the Neo Geo Pocket Colour, that's still too raw).

1 hour ago, Rex Grossman said:

The Konami EXP they are going to announce at Christmas should be brilliant as well. Then of course it's the SNK EXP a few months later. Hopefully Sega after after that. It will be so nice to have a shelf full of identical consoles but with different built-in games.

I think this trick only works once.

The fact that they are built in to the new console, rather than coming as a cart (like the IREM and Toaplan carts) makes me think not.

3 hours ago, Broker said:

I struggle with the voting with your wallet thing. I try not to think too hard about where my money is going because there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.

Nailed it. We are all complict (we have no choice) and this is just an argument about how visible the suffering we support is.

Summer Update:

1. Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters Clash (Nintendo Switch) - £4.19

2. Elden Ring (PC) - £36.99

3. Peglin (PC) - £13.49

4. Steam Deck 512GB - £565.00

5. Roundguard (PC) - £3.74

6. Cursed to Golf (PC) - £15.29

Even with the lack of blockbusters released this year I'm a little surprised by how well it has gone. I'm still doing plenty of gaming but it's all perennials like Slay the Spire or eating into the backlog. The Steam Deck has definitely helped with that!

There are a couple of Switch games on the horizon that I'll no doubt pick up (Neo-Geo Pocket Collection Volume 2, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp) but not much else.

I'm still hanging on to my PS3 for now but it isn't hooked up at the moment. I agree that it isn't anywhere near the PS2 in terms or breadth and quality of games but there are some gems. Demon's Souls (no, I don't have a PS5), Dark Souls, Uncharted, Dead Space, XCOM, Yakuza, Persona, The Last of Us, Fallout 3/New Vegas. I put a lot of hours into these games.

I think what has diluted the PS3 legacy is that so many of the best games became available on other formats (PS4/PS5/PC) which means that it isn't as necessary to hold on to the system. Off the top of my head, from my list above it's only Yakuza: Dead Souls (not the best in the series but an interesting curiosity) that isn't available elsewhere.

The grain affects the speed of the putt - if you're putting against the grain (i.e. uphill) then you need more power.

Headphones might be an issue as the USB port is covered when using the controller. You could opt for a controller that uses the USB port and then use the bluetooth connection for headphones?

Emulators - depends what systems you want to emulate. I have the following installed as standalone emulators:

Dolphin (Gamecube/Wii)

PPSSPP (PSP)

Duckstation (PS1)

AetherSX2 (PS2)

Yaba Sanshiro (Saturn)

Reicast (Dreamcast)

And Retroarch for the rest (Arcade, Neo Geo Pocket, PC Engine, etc.). To be honest, if you don't mind tinkering then Retroarch will cover everything.

I have a Powkiddy V90 that I use for 8/16 bit stuff so can't help there unfortunately.

I picked up a Gamesir X2 (bluetooth model) a few weeks ago for similar reasons - to use on my S22 Ultra. I chose bluetooth as I didn't want to use the USB port as a connector. Thumbs up from me - connects instantly (and a solid connection), no faff, just works with everything I've thrown at it.

I should also say that I'm not particularly sensitive to input lag (aging reflexes no doubt) so it might be present but for me it's no issue, even with shmups or the like.

I think everyone gets that message - I like to think of it as a rite of passage welcoming us into the world of the Deck.

11 minutes ago, Sarlaccfood said:

Isn’t Chun Li’s fireball a charge move? Also I can’t recall which SF2 is on the snes mini, but did she actually have it as a move originally or did they add it later?

I think it depends on the version? Half circle + punch or charge move depending on which flavour of SFII you're playing?

It's been a while since I played SFII admittedly.

I have a gaming capable laptop (it's an older model, but it checks out) and a deck. I think they are different enough to warrant having both.

Full fat, GPU melting, bleeding edge stuff (e.g. Cyberpunk at max settings) = laptop.

Mouse and keyboard/HOTAS/steering wheel/weird controller preferable (e.g. Elite Dangerous, Battletech, F1) = laptop.

Indies and low spec gaming (e.g. Slay the Spire, Monster Train) = deck.

Gamepad preferred (e.g Yakuza, Souls) = deck.

Emulation on deck is a bonus. Plenty of other (cheaper) options for that, but it's nice to have as an extra. The fact that I can sit in the garden with a cold beverage and chill with the deck in this punishing heat is use case enough for me.