AK Bell

2 - 22/01 - Donut County - Xbox Series X (Game Pass)

I was only playing this for regular achievements but dropped off ages ago just before the end. Finished it just before it went off Game Pass. To be honest, it wasn't that fun and a too easy waste of time. The dialogue was annoying to suffer through and the humour was a bit off. I didn't really get the love for it. Oh, and they spell Doughnut wrong. 

3 - 21/02 - Hi-Fi Rush - Xbox Series X (Game Pass)

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this as it involves being good at it. So I rattled through it on Easy to have a fun, relaxing time spent with some very charismatic characters and daft plot. It looks amazing as well with lots of detail floating about. 

I never really got the hang of combos but I got by with a decent sense of rhythm. The stuff lying around being 50/50 destructible and untouchable was a tad annoying too. I want to do the end game challenges but I really don't fancy having to do half a level to get to it and then make a decision if I want to carry on to save the crap I collected to get there. 

It was fun but I'm done. But I'd love another one please. 

It is feeling like a lot of these episodes is going to be getting the band back together, where if it was a movie they could have just all been attending a wedding/funeral near to where shit is going on as a quick cold open.

Which is exactly what ever other show based on an old show does. And in doing so actively avoids having any of the elements that made it good for the vast majority of it.

You have to wonder if someone high up is trying to kill of this kind of project and is intending to show the numbers of this failure as evidence. 

Square Enix's current focus is trying to work out how to do NFTs, flogging assets to make it look more tempting to being bought out, along with opening and closing down GaaS games. Actually releasing stuff people will pay money for to play seems a low, low, low priority. 

It was never looking particularly remastered in the previews. Emulator it is then. 

10 hours ago, HarryBizzle said:

Is anyone else getting an “update your console’s location” error every time they open the rewards app?

I just had to reopen it again and it worked. 

14 minutes ago, Quest said:

I have an occasional problem with sound disappearing completely after a quick resume. Only a restart of the game seems to fix it.

I just had that for the first time yesterday. Maybe a new glitch? 

I think the Series X has been good value since I got it. I've had loads of use out of it and it reignited playing games for me as it got a bit faster, slicker and even quieter to play games in a house with kids. I've said in previous similar threads, it's totally worth it for just being able to start playing a game asap without having to faff about or wait. 

But... the console itself is kind of losing worth. What's starting to get more convenient is steaming Game Pass games on a handheld. They run pretty well through the PC browser too. I just played some Hi-Fi Rush on it with no obvious lag and it still looking great. If they can sort it to play games I own as well, rather than having a rubbish 720p stream to my own Xbox, then actually owning a console seems an expensive extravagance.  

I'd still need one for 4k or twitch/driving games, probably. But I'm not £450 bothered. 

I think I'm going to go digital only. The extra few days and often sexier cover aren't worth the soggy mess that turns up and ends up in the bin. 

It needs to be wrapped in plastic. As I've said before, it's hardly saving the planet if all the paper is wasted. 

Is that the sub cover, or just the cover? I was underwhelmed if its subs. Nice if not. 

100 points on the rewards website to rattle through 5 things advertising Hogwarts Legacy. Just click them and close them. 

2 minutes ago, Lorfarius said:

 

What does this involve?

If you have the "Play with friends on a PC" reward in your profile on the xbox mobile or PC app, you can get it just from logging into a lobby on Age of Empires on PC for a bit. 

First you have to do some bonus point things. Link a social account, subscribe to game pass, and keep 7+ friends. They're on the rewards page too. You've probably already done them. That bumps up the 100 points for it to 250. 

You should have the game via Game Pass. Main Menu -> Multiplayer -> Lobby Browser. Find a lobby saying something like "MSPoints 250" and sit in it for 5-10 mins (or create your own). Everyone else there is doing the same. 

You also get points for playing a PC game to, so you'll actually get 275. Another 25 if you remember to also open the mobile app once a day. 

You can usually afford to miss a couple of weekly quests for the 500 one. Although I assume this month will be a bit tight. 

There was a return to the get an achievement weekly quest though. Have we had one of them for a while? That should make it easier.

It's hard to care when you have so many points from AoE's lobby every day. 

39 minutes ago, yakumo said:

 

Was to advanced for my little brain.

I read that! I remember getting it from the library. As I say, I was poor so "no computer needed" was important. 

This was my bible. 

I'm a bit later on, going through the 80s too young and too poor to have a computer, to hitting the 90s with an Amiga. 

It didn't really come with anything good built in. But the coverdisks on magazines were amazing. Personal Paint, Octomed, Imagine 3D, Wordworth, all sorts. 

I spent a lot of time messing with them. The first magazine I got had MovieSetter on it and I'd spend ages on that. 

I wouldn't be a games programmer today if it wasn't for free copies of AMOS. I had a good time with Amiga E too, as no one ever seemed to give away a proper C compiler.

My kid is watching Be Cool Scooby-Doo on a loop. It is actually really good. I'll allow it. It really shows you can just give it a bit of twist to modernise, keep it 90% the same, and it still holds up. You don't have to go all Velma on it. 

I couldn't be bothered looking up the answers today so just pressed B hoping I'd get half of them right. 

I got 1. 

Just ordered a Anbernic RG35XX from AliExpress (hive of scum and villainy). Fingers crossed. £55 with tax whacked on. 

I'm not hopeful of getting my hands on a Miyoo Mini, plus or no plus, and I fancy faffing about putting GarlicOS on it. More than actually playing anything. 

I need to sort out the attic anyway. Time to get a bunch of plastic tubs. 

I've more got consoles as I don't throw things out. That and to have sometime for the games I've actually worked on. But considering I found a rom the other day of some shitty kids license game I made, I probably don't need them. 

The attic has been converted (still a dumping ground) so it should be alright. Should I whack the heating on up there? 

Ah, I'm kind of ruling myself out of this one. It may well be GOTY but I hate games that take the time out to point out how shit I am at it. 

1 hour ago, scoobysi said:

Just grabbed the Senna DLC in the PS sale, another great mode. It’s crazy though, on PS only 0.3% of people have completed Chapter 1 of the Senna Career, 7 races that probably take about 30mins. I guess it must be 0.3% of all players rather than just those who have DLC? Bit of a shame if the DLC hasn’t sold well, as said above it feels like a real passion project.

Probably. There is so much content in the main game that I've not even considered touching the dlc yet.

To remove some whatabout-ism, I've worked on a few games where we've had to make a special Japanese version to remove the blood and gore. You can't even just comment it out I think, we removed the assets. 

If we can to do that, they can make a version where these poor lasses can wear a jumper or something.

I'm kind of okay with it being out there if that's what it says on the tin. And probably made with a domestic audience in mind. That Neptuna series just got a new version, for example. I know I can avoid it, someone else can enjoy that trash. Obviously there are lines that shouldn't be crossed but if you want to wank over an overly caricatured drawing then I'm not going to ban it. 

Personally I mostly find it annoying when the game is 99% not that. Dragon Quest XI was fine except for puff-puff with bunny girls and for a while being stuck with some skimpy costume on one character as the original, not pervy, costume went missing as I was rattling through them all. It makes it worse in a "this is normal and acceptable" kind of way. 

But I can guarantee that 1% is when my wife walks in like I'm watching some weird porn. "It's just how they make them... It's culturally appropriate... IT'S CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE!!!"

At least I save some money on DLC and Ultimate/GOTY/Day 1 editions. You should be put on a register if you buy them.

How about a jumper and sweatpants pack?

12 hours ago, bradigor said:

I'm in one of those ruts where I can't get into anything properly. Just playing bits of everything. 

It's still better than the usual rut of just building up a library and never playing anything. 

How much money does the magazine get through libraries? Mine does Libby and so I can read it for free, but I still subscribe because I'm nice like that. 

But might be an option @watusi