Community MetaSteam | March 2023 - You know, Wo Leon, we really are the last of March

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Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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Just bought Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana, which is my first ever Ys game.
Never realized these were action RPGs, so they’re now on my radar. Looks like this one’s currently a historic low on GMG at $12, and Steam Deck verified if anyone’s interested.
Hope you'll enjoy it, it's among my favorites.
It gets really fun during boss fights at higher difficulties, so if you feel up to it I would try starting at something harder than Normal (you can lower it at any time afterwards if you don't feel comfortable with it anyway).
 
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fantomena

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Dec 17, 2018
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That's not it. People are buying games with issues at launch because they don't know that the games might have issues or they don't perceive them as issues. Over the last decade PC gaming has become a mainstream way of playing games, it's no longer the realm of the power user. As such the biggest part of the audience out there either doesn't follow gaming news closely enough or any issues do not get in the way of their enjoyment.
Yup, exactly it.

I tried the Captain Sparrow version of the game yesterday and it ran pretty well, on my soon 7 year old computer.

Was the performance perfect? No. Was it playable? Yes.

If there was any stuttering or other weird things, I didn't notice it.
 

Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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That's not it. People are buying games with issues at launch because they don't know that the games might have issues or they don't perceive them as issues. Over the last decade PC gaming has become a mainstream way of playing games, it's no longer the realm of the power user. As such the biggest part of the audience out there either doesn't follow gaming news closely enough or any issues do not get in the way of their enjoyment.
There is also the point, that there are so many users on Steam that the amount of users who either don't care or were not aware of the issues are a significant user base in their own right and the game could have double the CCU or ten times the CCU if it was a competent port.
Sure it sends the wrong signals, but the Steam userbase has also proven to be quite ferocious and with a long memory where bad user reviews and a bad experience will result in getting ignored, fast.
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
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We don't have a Wo Long thread, and as an agnostic Souls fan, even a Nioh amateur, this offends me greatly.
That said I have no OT energy today so if someone wants to do it...
 

DrShrapnel

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Oct 14, 2021
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This is one of the best ones. Early Ys are short but really satisfying adventures. Particularly Ys 1+2, Oath in Felghana and Origins (haven't played the rest until VIII)

If you're interested in learning more about Ys games :


He has mentioned PC gaming and even steam throughout his videos (I've been watching each and every episode).
It's likely he plays some of the PC centric genres.
Thank you, I’ll check those videos out, and the three you mentioned look really good. The action style like Ys is right up my alley.

Better late then never in getting into this long running series!
 
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Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
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(EA, Fifa) Lootboxes are illegal gambling in Austria and Sony has to refund the money. An Austrian court has ruled in the first instance yesterday.
A Fifa player had sued the company and won (in first instance).
It will have a massive impact if it gets uphold.

Haven't found an English article yet.

whats curious: the player had sued Sony and not EA and still won, which will have a momentous impact if the ruling is final.
 
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gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
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(EA, Fifa) Lootboxes are illegal gambling in Austria and Sony has to refund the money. An Austrian court has ruled in the first instance yesterday.
A Fifa player had sued the company and won (in first instance).
It will have a massive impact if it gets uphold.

Haven't found a german article yet.

whats curious: the player had sued Sony and not EA and still won, which will have a momentous impact if the ruling is final.
Read over a google-translated version, so bear with me, if this is upheld (which I have my doubts on), would it have any impact outside the EU?
I can't see EA turning down the money they bring from every other territory if they just need to make the lootbox-free version for Europe but can still release the unchanged version to Australia, Asia, and the Americas - EA would probably tout it as some kind of special/complete edition knowing their marketing.

Or would Sony want to keep itself out of court as much as possible and just blanket ban some wording of loot boxes?
 
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Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
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Read over a google-translated version, so bear with me, if this is upheld (which I have my doubts on), would it have any impact outside the EU?
I can't see EA turning down the money they bring from every other territory if they just need to make the lootbox-free version for Europe but can still release the unchanged version to Australia, Asia, and the Americas - EA would probably tout it as some kind of special/complete edition knowing their marketing.
First, it needs to be adapted by more EU countries to make it semi-EU-wide. For now, it is only an Austrian ruling. Germany, for example has also very strict gambling laws, but no-one has of yet tried to apply it to gaming. Netherlands and Belgium already restrict lootboxes. Germany could be the kingmaker to adopt it EU-wide. There just needs to be someone who sues a company.

And if it gets adopted by the EU or most gaming-relevant EU members, the Brussels-Effect comes into play:

With the economic power of the EU (and China, who also have hard restriction on lootboxes), it is quite possible that the companies will have to change.

The biggest thing is: this is a ruling against the platform holder (Sony) and not the company doing the lootboxes (EA). Gaming Companies could just take the hit and make 2 or 3 versions of the game if they want, but Platform holders are more likely to completely ban gambling lootboxes to not get more eyes and more rulings against them.
 
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Mivey

MetaMember
Sep 20, 2018
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(EA, Fifa) Lootboxes are illegal gambling in Austria and Sony has to refund the money. An Austrian court has ruled in the first instance yesterday.
A Fifa player had sued the company and won (in first instance).
It will have a massive impact if it gets uphold.

Haven't found a german article yet.

whats curious: the player had sued Sony and not EA and still won, which will have a momentous impact if the ruling is final.
It's very likely that EA will fight against this, so it's too early to celebrate yet. Though it's a very promising thing for sure.
 

Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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It's very likely that EA will fight against this, so it's too early to celebrate yet. Though it's a very promising thing for sure.
Legally, EA cant fight against shit, because it is a ruling against Sony :D
What they can do, is lobby against it, and that's where they will most likely win.
 
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Mivey

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Legally, EA cant fight against shit, because it is a ruling against Sony :D
What they can do, is lobby against it, and that's where they will most likely win.
Then it will be Sony, doesn't matter. Of course, it's no guarantee that it will be overturned, especially if the initial ruling is sound. From what I understand, Austria doesn't have the same system as US courts where higher courts get to reinterpret the ruling and legal reasoning. It's mostly about finding methodological errors, so the chance of getting things overturned is lower.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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This is very interesting.

My personal opinion on this is a bit split.

On the one hand, I think all (for-profit/paid of course) lootbox mechanics could be banned entirely globally and nothing of value would be lost.

On the other hand, I fail to see a substantial difference from a legal perspective between digital lootboxes and MTG card packs, which have been available in Austria for 3 decades or so.
  • Both give you a random reward with different in-game impact depending on chance.
  • Both are bought using real-world currency.
  • Both can be traded for a real monetary value (sometimes with third party mechanisms -- with varying degrees of convenience or lack thereof).
So if one of them constitutes illegal gambling then surely the other must as well.
I guess one could argue that MTG just slipped through the cracks of legal enforcement by being more niche.
 

Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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This is very interesting.

My personal opinion on this is a bit split.

On the one hand, I think all (for-profit/paid of course) lootbox mechanics could be banned entirely globally and nothing of value would be lost.

On the other hand, I fail to see a substantial difference from a legal perspective between digital lootboxes and MTG card packs, which have been available in Austria for 3 decades or so.
  • Both give you a random reward with different in-game impact depending on chance.
  • Both are bought using real-world currency.
  • Both can be traded for a real monetary value (sometimes with third party mechanisms -- with varying degrees of convenience or lack thereof).
So if one of them constitutes illegal gambling then surely the other must as well.
I guess one could argue that MTG just slipped through the cracks of legal enforcement by being more niche.
One could argue:
the digital nature of the purchase makes it easier, especially for underage customers to overspend
and the other thing, and what I think will have far more reasoning and chance of upholding the ruling: The fact that you use a fake currency to obfuscate and hide the real cost of lootboxes.
And third: that you can't just spend exactly what you want with companies not letting you buy the exact amount, where you always need to buy more credits than you want because the system is so designed that the amount you can buy is always a few credits shy of what a lootbox costs.
 

Stone Ocean

Proud Degenerate
Apr 17, 2019
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On the other hand, I fail to see a substantial difference from a legal perspective between digital lootboxes and MTG card packs, which have been available in Austria for 3 decades or so.
The difference boils down to packs being physical in nature.

Being physical means they're limited by supply, so it's not as easy to buy as many as your gambling compulsion wants, specially when it comes to packs with more limited runs. Secondly, once a pack is sealed its contents are set in stone, its rates cannot be changed anymore while digital lootboxes allow publishers to pull the same kind of rigged shit you see in slot machines and the like without anyone knowing, it's all scouts honor as they don't have to prove anything.
Lastly, lootboxes are accompained by a plethora of game and social systems specifically meant to fuel gambling tendencies and induce FOMO, and while that can also be the case with limited card packs and the like, it's a lot more upfront than say children being led to believe having a skin = cool so they mock friends that are using default skins and peer pressure them into lootbox hell. Hell, Activision has even dabbled with the idea of using matchmaking to force people to want microtransactions.

And on top of all that, card packs are already regulated while lootboxes are still a wild west for the most part, so at the absolute minimum lootboxes should have been following card pack legistation but they don't even get that in most of the world.
 

yuraya

MetaMember
May 4, 2019
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Played through a good chunk of Wo Long now and gotta say kinda surprised how easy the game is so far. Basically destroyed the first 5 or so bosses of the game. I was expecting the game to kick my ass but for the most part it has been pretty straightforward. Maybe I'm just too used to these type of games after spending like 1000+ hours across the FromSoft and TeamNinja games over the past decade. I am aware of all the traps and ambushes around every corner now lol. You just sense this shit. I mean I have died to plenty of bs in this but none of it really felt as punishing and frustrating as it did in Nioh 2.

The combat can be so overpowered + fast/chaotic and its so easy to evade enemies. You can quickly jump out by pressing the typical roll button but now its so acrobatic you really do feel like you are evading enemy hits. And you can also run away very easily. Maybe the game gets harder but so far its been a very basic difficulty curve.

I love that they made this but I do hope they return to and go all out with the eventual Nioh 3. Since they are so inspired by FromSoft I wonder if they take their sweet time and make Nioh 3 a giant open world like Elden Ring. KT needs to let them cook for a couple years to pull it off and give them time to make a good port too.
 

Mona

The Giveaway Gal
AI
Jul 10, 2021
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Giveaway

Restrictions & Conditions:

Hello, I'm the Giveaway Bot! TioChuck is giving away 3 gift(s).

This is a first-come, first-served giveaway. Once you enter, your key will be delivered to you instantly via a PM.

Just grab it. :shrugblob:

The following games are being given away:

 

PC-tan

Low Tier Weeb
Jan 19, 2019
3,803
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California
He has mentioned PC gaming and even steam throughout his videos (I've been watching each and every episode).
It's likely he plays some of the PC centric genres.
As far as I'm aware, he has had his Steam account since the launch of Half-Life 2

By the way I am curious as to what he mentions about PC gaming and Steam in said videos. The cool thing is that Sakurai seems to be keeping on eye and the gaming landscape as a whole (he plays a ton of games from my understanding) and that's on top of him also being a workaholic as well?
 

xinek

日本語が苦手
Apr 17, 2019
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Thanks for System Shock 2, TioChuck !! The first one has been on my backlog for an embarassingly long time, so this is good motivation to play through them both finally.
 

PC-tan

Low Tier Weeb
Jan 19, 2019
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This is very interesting.

My personal opinion on this is a bit split.

On the one hand, I think all (for-profit/paid of course) lootbox mechanics could be banned entirely globally and nothing of value would be lost.

On the other hand, I fail to see a substantial difference from a legal perspective between digital lootboxes and MTG card packs, which have been available in Austria for 3 decades or so.
  • Both give you a random reward with different in-game impact depending on chance.
  • Both are bought using real-world currency.
  • Both can be traded for a real monetary value (sometimes with third party mechanisms -- with varying degrees of convenience or lack thereof).
So if one of them constitutes illegal gambling then surely the other must as well.
I guess one could argue that MTG just slipped through the cracks of legal enforcement by being more niche.
I say we take down the Pokemon Company and ban all cards that are not Charizard
 
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gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
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What tier did you back? I have access (and played 2 hours last night) to the closed Beta.
I see it's the $50 tiers and higher. Sadly I backed this when I was still living the poor student life, so I don't get access. I hope you're enjoying it :)
 
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Arc

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Sep 19, 2020
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Richard Lewis, a reputable esports reporter, says Counter-Strike 2 is coming soon. It reads more like an engine upgrade to Source 2 and various QOL features than a brand new game.
 

yuraya

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May 4, 2019
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Richard Lewis, a reputable esports reporter, says Counter-Strike 2 is coming soon. It reads more like an engine upgrade to Source 2 and various QOL features than a brand new game.
Maybe they made some new Source 2 exclusive maps. Could be fun and why they would do a beta.

Other than that I'm not expecting much.
 
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sprinkles

Junior Member
Dec 8, 2018
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I see it's the $50 tiers and higher. Sadly I backed this when I was still living the poor student life, so I don't get access. I hope you're enjoying it :)
Ah that's it. I backed a physical Steel Book back then for way too much. It was my last Kickstarter, different times. I think I backed four games in total. Really happy with Pillars of Eternity. Never started up Broken Age. Really disappointed that the Dysfunctional Systems episodes never got released (at least they refunded me). Satisfied with what I played of System Shock so far (even it took seven year to finally release) - I played a few more hours today up until reaching Maintenance deck.

I feel the Kickstarter wave came and went, not much crowdfunding going on today. Or maybe I just don't pay attention any more? What experiences did the rest of you have with Kickstarter?
 

gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
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Ah that's it. I backed a physical Steel Book back then for way too much. It was my last Kickstarter, different times. I think I backed four games in total. Really happy with Pillars of Eternity. Never started up Broken Age. Really disappointed that the Dysfunctional Systems episodes never got released (at least they refunded me). Satisfied with what I played of System Shock so far (even it took seven year to finally release) - I played a few more hours today up until reaching Maintenance deck.

I feel the Kickstarter wave came and went, not much crowdfunding going on today. Or maybe I just don't pay attention any more? What experiences did the rest of you have with Kickstarter?
29 back projects that meet the funding goal, 19 of which were for PC games. The only two-three that haven't come to fruition/failed completely post KS campaign have been games (one is in EA hell it seems - the other two died in dev with no real public statements/refunds). Not every game has been good but I've not had any downright awful games out of it either.

I really jumped into KS during the DoubleFine period, but split it between games and other things (mostly Mystery Science Theater 3000). Will back the occasional game if it piques my interest: the hockey roguelike Tape to Tape for instance, but there are way fewer games than 5-7 years ago - especially that pass the smell test. The first thing I ever backed was the Manos the Hands of Fate HD remaster in 2011.
 

Deku

Just nothing
Oct 19, 2018
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20XX
www.seikens.com


I bought Jurassic World Evolution 2 several months ago but never got around to playing it. You're welcome.
To be honest, I have totally forgotten about Humble Choice :D
Kinda feels good actually....

Biomutant seems nice. How is Hero's Hour a headliner?
 
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