OT: Video Games/Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos

[Siefer]

I just finished Anonymous;Code, which was a banger. I'm usually not a visual novel guy (I much prefer adventure games), but A;C was so snappy and narratively wild that I just breezed through it. It's in the Steins;Gate universe, and asks the question, "what if Devs wasn't chicken ****?"

This has been a deep year for quality games - AC6, Octopath 2, and Sea of Stars are all still on my to-do list, and I'll be playing BG3 for months still. Of the upcoming games, I'm most excited for FF VII: Rebirth and Alan Wake 2.

[MikeIsGood]

C:S2 performance. Appreciate them making a statement about this and the transparency, but it's disappointing to hear and I'd greatly prefer they delay.

On another note, we've noticed the concerns raised about Cities: Skylines II performance, especially after our previous statement with raised minimum and recommended specs. As we've always believed in transparency, we'd like to further shed some light on the current state of the build.

Cities: Skylines II is a next-gen title, and naturally, it demands certain hardware requirements. With that said, while our team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best experience possible, we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted.

In light of this, we still think for the long-term of the project, releasing now is the best way forward. We are proud of the unique gameplay and features in Cities: Skylines II, and we genuinely believe that it offers a great experience that you will enjoy.

We will continually improve the game over the coming months, but we also want to manage expectations on performance for the coming release. Our ambition is for Cities: Skylines II to be enjoyed by as many players as possible, and we're committed to ensuring it reaches its full potential.

Also, it sounds like they're pulling Steam Workshop support for mods in favor of a Paradox-hosted app. Big benefit for consoles, as it will support them too, but as a PC player I am hesitant on the news at-best.

[jschligs]

C:S2 performance. Appreciate them making a statement about this and the transparency, but it's disappointing to hear and I'd greatly prefer they delay.

On another note, we've noticed the concerns raised about Cities: Skylines II performance, especially after our previous statement with raised minimum and recommended specs. As we've always believed in transparency, we'd like to further shed some light on the current state of the build.

Cities: Skylines II is a next-gen title, and naturally, it demands certain hardware requirements. With that said, while our team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best experience possible, we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted.

In light of this, we still think for the long-term of the project, releasing now is the best way forward. We are proud of the unique gameplay and features in Cities: Skylines II, and we genuinely believe that it offers a great experience that you will enjoy.

We will continually improve the game over the coming months, but we also want to manage expectations on performance for the coming release. Our ambition is for Cities: Skylines II to be enjoyed by as many players as possible, and we're committed to ensuring it reaches its full potential.

Also, it sounds like they're pulling Steam Workshop support for mods in favor of a Paradox-hosted app. Big benefit for consoles, as it will support them too, but as a PC player I am hesitant on the news at-best.

Jesus, recommended is 5800 and 3080. I literally barely make the cut...oh well, I don't mind lowering specs if needed, but I'll likely play windowed and lower the resolution.

[Prez]

Spider Man 2 on PS5 currently sitting on a 91 in Metacritic, on over 100 reviews. LFG. Definitely getting this now.

Insomniac cementing themselves as an S tier dev.

[machu46]

I can’t wait for Spider-Man. Praying my house renovation is done in time for me to play on release day.


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[MikeIsGood]

Spiderman 2 actually sounds good-not-great to me personally. It sounds like they have the same (quite outdated IMO) side quest structure from the first game, and have effectively just doubled-down on it with the map being gigantic. I suspect I'll love the story, and I will play it, but not itching to at launch.

[PintSizedBox10]

Jedi Survivor is $45 on the PS store.

[crkone]

Hot take: Three quarters of Lords of the Fallen is like Iron Keep.

[TroyD92]

2023 so far

GotY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nothing else really close or in the discussion. Wo Long and Remnant 2 would probably be my next.

Good, solid:
Weird West: Definitive Edition
Street Fighter 6
Final Fantasy XVI
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Lies of P
Mortal Kombat 1

Still planning to play:
Baldur's Gate 3
Dave the Diver
Octopath Traveler II
Darkest Dungeon II
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
Sea of Stars
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Lords of the Fallen

Huge disappointments:
Fire Emblem Engage
Diablo IV
Starfield

Yet to arrive:
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Cities: Skylines II
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1
Alan Wake II
EA Sports UFC 5
Star Ocean: The Second Story R
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Super Mario RPG
SteamWorld Build

Surprised to see you have Starfield as a huge disappointment. It's actually exactly what I expected to a degree and I've enjoyed it when I played. What's been strange though, is I have zero desire to go and play it right now. Maybe that in and of itself is why its a disappointment. But if I being honest, I'm just not as big on space as I am medieval/mythical times. It's just hard for me to get into singleplayer story driven games lately with my time limits.

But I think you're spot on, TotK is top shelf right now all by itself. One of the few single player games I actually have played this year. I've heard good things about CoD and Cities 2, but don't expect those to be in contention for GotY.

Meh BG3 is clearly the best game of the year. I don't think its even remotely close either

[crkone]

2023 so far

GotY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nothing else really close or in the discussion. Wo Long and Remnant 2 would probably be my next.

Good, solid:
Weird West: Definitive Edition
Street Fighter 6
Final Fantasy XVI
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Lies of P
Mortal Kombat 1

Still planning to play:
Baldur's Gate 3
Dave the Diver
Octopath Traveler II
Darkest Dungeon II
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
Sea of Stars
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Lords of the Fallen

Huge disappointments:
Fire Emblem Engage
Diablo IV
Starfield

Yet to arrive:
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Cities: Skylines II
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1
Alan Wake II
EA Sports UFC 5
Star Ocean: The Second Story R
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Super Mario RPG
SteamWorld Build

Surprised to see you have Starfield as a huge disappointment. It's actually exactly what I expected to a degree and I've enjoyed it when I played. What's been strange though, is I have zero desire to go and play it right now. Maybe that in and of itself is why its a disappointment. But if I being honest, I'm just not as big on space as I am medieval/mythical times. It's just hard for me to get into singleplayer story driven games lately with my time limits.

But I think you're spot on, TotK is top shelf right now all by itself. One of the few single player games I actually have played this year. I've heard good things about CoD and Cities 2, but don't expect those to be in contention for GotY.

Meh BG3 is clearly the best game of the year. I don't think its even remotely close either

And for me it's RE4 remake.

[jschligs]

While I’ve enjoyed BG3 since I started playing early access, it’s just not my type of game so I couldn’t make it that. But wouldn’t be upset if they got it overall from the masses.

[ReasonablySober]

Wo Long is so high on my list because of the quality of life improvements it brought to the Souls formula. Being able to save builds, and being able to respec at any time, and having a large pool of NPCs to accompany you on missions is just so nice. Farming runs are so much more efficient with guaranteed pick ups. There's just zero anxiety about what to dump ability points into. You can also max out all your spells. No need to pick a path and worry about committing to the wrong one.

I really hope more Souls game steal the mechanics.

[ReasonablySober]

Picked Wo Long back up tonight. Haven't played it since it came out, never beat the first boss. Since LoP was so parry heavy I thought I'd give WL a second look. Laughed when I fired it up because I was gifted so LoP gear that's surprisingly effective.

Just biding time with whatever until Lords of the Fallen comes out.

Apparently I did beat the first boss, and bunch after. I keep coming upon levels I know I already played. I don't know what road block I hit back then to make me bounce, but I'm enjoying it now.

ETA: LOL, found the exact place I put the game down. Determined to push through this time but I've had a couple scream at the TV incidents tonight.

ETA2: Beat the big bitch on the next attempt. Game is fun.

ETA3: And then game opens up in a huge way that I wish other SoulsLike games would with infinite respecing.

Finished the main quest and all the sides tonight.

I'm super not used to killing most of the bosses in the first try in a Team Ninja game. I think I only had to face two more than five times. I think I give TN credit. Despite plowing through most of the game, I still mostly think it's because I'm so awesome.

Absolutely diving right into all the DLC.



Just an absolutely awesome game.

[MikeIsGood]

Wo Long's actually been on my list after playing the demo. It seemed more manageable to me than other Soulslikes I've played, and I liked the loot system as an ARPG fan. I just didn't pick it up right away because the PC performance was godawful and the control mapping was literally broken. I think that's been fixed.

There weren't enough good games, so Nintendo came through to save us all with what is apparently the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World.

[ReasonablySober]

Wow, that Mario game looks rad as hell.

[Ron Swanson]

Been going back and playing old Mario games so I'm super psyched for Wonder. Super Mario 64 is still a GOAT contender FYI.

[Sauce Boss]

Work has been crazy busy so Mario snuck up on me. I think I can wait for someone to snag it for me during the Holidays, but also another part of me says get it get it get it…

[ReasonablySober]

I haven't enjoyed a Mario game since Super Mario World 24 years ago. Wonder looks really good, though. Maybe I'll buy it, play it for the weekend, then gift it and the Switch to my nieces.

[machu46]

Spiderman 2 actually sounds good-not-great to me personally. It sounds like they have the same (quite outdated IMO) side quest structure from the first game, and have effectively just doubled-down on it with the map being gigantic. I suspect I'll love the story, and I will play it, but not itching to at launch.

I’m hoping it’s more like the Miles Morales game where you just needed to complete like one of each side quest type in each neighborhood but I will complete them regardless personally. These two games are the only two I’ve ever gotten the 100% completion achievement for. Without having played it or really even seen trailers and stuff, I feel like I can pretty much guarantee this will be my game of the year.


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[MikeIsGood]

Very glad I cancelled my C:S2 preorder. Very sad I needed to. Reviews are kind of all over the place, but what I care about most are the performance reviews from the streamers who have been playing for weeks already. And (from Reddit)...

1440p with a 4090 and 5800X3D just barely getting 60 fps is terrible performance.

Edit: City planner Plays is not even getting a stable 30 fps at 1440p high settings with a 4090 and 7950X3D on one of his already built cities. He said weather like rain and snow really kills the fps. He says people will need to tweak their settings to achieve a decent fps. He says the game is actually GPU heavy and not as CPU heavy as people think. The game is GPU locked in all his testing. He has a video coming out Saturday going into more details.

I have a 2070. I'm screwed.