Community MetaSteam | May 2023 - Bloody hell!

[C-Dub]

I really should give the Yakuza games more of a go. Loved Judgment and Like a Dragon, and I played a bit of 0 but got a bit lost in the characters/world/plot (I don't think it's a good first game to play for the Kiryu saga, if I'm honest), but I'm tempted to jump into the first game.

 

[Li Kao]

I kinda want an arcade stick, but it will pass I guess.
I have to change my mouse and invest in a mechanical keyboard.
Meanwhile, we just got hit by a 500 raise on our annual heating bill. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

edit
Which is funny because those fuckers send me a graph every month showing how low our heating use is compared to last year.
Well, I would hate to be in the opposite situation, then.

 

[NarohDethan]

I kinda want an arcade stick, but it will pass I guess.
I have to change my mouse and invest in a mechanical keyboard.
Meanwhile, we just got hit by a 500 raise on our annual heating bill. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

8Bitdo's is quite decent for the price

 

[ZKenir]

I kinda want an arcade stick, but it will pass I guess.

you don't want an expensive waste of room that you'll use a few times and then toss in a corner of your house and never ever look at it again

 

[C-Dub]

you don't want an expensive waste of room that you'll use a few times and then toss in a corner of your house and never ever look at it again

This is how it went for me. I had a Mad Catz FightStick TE that I had to sell because it was big and got in the way.

I already have a lapboard (Corsair K63 Wireless + lapboard) that took up a ton of space in my living room, and I use that a lot more than I did the TE, so I felt I had to choose.

Not fair on my partner to have all my gaming shit all over the place. I already have like over a dozen gamepads of various shapes and types.

 

[Li Kao]

All those posts speak the truth. To be exact the only reason the stick was in first place of my list is because it was my google craze yesterday. The 8 bit do is relatively cheap, and the reviews are good, but in the practically inexistant event that I really use it and want to customize it, the stick is hard to replace because it is soldered on AFAIK.
The Mayflash F500 is pricier but maybe easier to mod.
And the F500 Elite is fucking great, all Sanwa, but even more pricey.

Though yeah, it’s nostalgia again as I have spent a lot of time in the arcade in another life, really not sure it won’t finish as glorified paperweight outside of the super rare cases when I play some arcade games on my PC

 

[C-Dub]

Don't know if you guys have seen this before, but I was curious about what data Steam collects and stores. Valve usefully displays it in the Privacy Dashboard.

I doubt this list is comprehensive, as Valve may keep certain data secret (for anti-cheat, anti-fraud and anti-bot purposes) but it's interesting to see what they have.

 

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

Mirror's Edge Catalyst goes for 2€ right now.


I loved the original one, never looked at the sequel / reboot because...EA is a pain, but at this point, for slightly more than a baguette, it might be worth trying.

 

[thekeats1999]

All I ask of Konami is that they keep doing the collections. When they release SH2 give me a collection of SH1 to 3. Not the awful remaster, the original PS versions.

And seeing as we are talking about Konami, where the fuck is my Symphony of the Night...

and Suikoden and... and...

 

[ezodagrom]

and Suikoden and... and...

 

[Gamall Wednesday Ida]

for slightly more than a baguette, it might be worth trying.

It doesn't even manage to install; it's stuck on "installing: EA app (step 1 of 6)". (edit: on Linux)

It was 2€ and I already have buyer's remorse. Outstanding job, EA.

edit2: after a reboot, it is installing. Yay. It might not have been EA's fault, sometimes steam on Linux is a bit wonky.
edit3: it even runs, and fairly nicely, it seems. Grumpiness levels back to normal.

 

[Cacher]

Discussion - What are you currently playing? (Week 22 of 2023)

New week, new thread! What are you playing? Continuing my journey in Tears of the Kingdom. Went to Kakariko Village, the Plateau, tunnel under Hyrule Castle and explored some areas in the depth during the week. Not much to share despite being contently surprised by how packed this game is. I...

metacouncil.com

 

[thekeats1999]

OK that one had completely passed me by. While I would still kind of prefer a collection of the original ROMS, I will definatly keep an eye on them. Wishlisted.

 

[Stevey]

 

[Acidote]

8Bitdo's is quite decent for the price

That's the one I have. Fantastic stick for the price point, I got it for 79€. Although I've been slowly modding it.

That said, it's not the most comfortable one. There's too little space to rest your wrists, I've been using it putting an arm cushion from a broken sofa we had to throw away in front of it for that reason.

I guess it's some form of recycle / reuse.

 

[Ge0force]

I didn't have a lot of time to play games lately because of work, looking for a new job and some medical shit. So I'm playing in short bursts and the Steam Deck is perfect for this. Most of the time I've been playing Fights in Tight Spaces, which is a brilliant hybrid between Slay the Spire and turn-based strategy. I can't recommend this game enough!

 

[MegaApple]

Mirror's Edge Catalyst goes for 2€ right now.


I loved the original one, never looked at the sequel / reboot because...EA is a pain, but at this point, for slightly more than a baguette, it might be worth trying.

It is pretty cool but incredibly cut short in potential by chasing open world trends + other annoyances. Seems DICE was too busy with Battlefield 1.
Core free running is great though.

 

[toxicitizen]

I really should give the Yakuza games more of a go. Loved Judgment and Like a Dragon, and I played a bit of 0 but got a bit lost in the characters/world/plot (I don't think it's a good first game to play for the Kiryu saga, if I'm honest), but I'm tempted to jump into the first game.

I'm not sure exactly what it was you found unapproachable in Y0 but I assure you it's the best entry point to the series. Yakuza 1 is even worse in that regard and it's also nowhere near as good. Playing them in chronological order, Y1 ends up feeling kinda like an epilogue DLC for Y0. I'm convinced the entire reason Y0 exists is because while in the process of remaking Y1 they realized it actually does a godawful job of introducing people to the world and characters of the series.

If you're getting confused by all the "Johnny Yakuza from the Johnny Clan, a subsidiary of the bla bla bla" nonsense that constantly appears on-screen, that's just how the series is, tbh. You just gotta roll with it. I could never keep all of that shit straight (probably doesn't help that I play like one of these games per year) but it never got in the way of me just enjoying the story.

 

[NarohDethan]

I really should give the Yakuza games more of a go. Loved Judgment and Like a Dragon, and I played a bit of 0 but got a bit lost in the characters/world/plot (I don't think it's a good first game to play for the Kiryu saga, if I'm honest), but I'm tempted to jump into the first game.

0 is very exposition heavy and it’s a good 5 hours before it lets you somewhat free, but it’s a better starting point than 1/Kiwami.

 

[STHX]

 

[Stevey]

NFTs have got to be the dumbest thing of all time.

 

[inky]

Just as a final coda to the 4060ti discussion, DF show clearly here why DLSS3/Frame Gen doesn't help this card realize those "phantom gains" against the previous gen 3060ti/3070: frame gen requires frames to be kept in memory for a longer period of time, which is causing massive micro-stutters in select titles (because presumably the card is running out of VRAM in the background and is being bottlenecked by the reduced bandwidth too).

For people upgrading from 1060/70 series, $400 is a massive ripoff (that's a whole new console!) and there are no performance gains over previous gens (which are cheaper), only on power consumption (which is great tbf) and even if the $500 model could alleviate these issues, paying $500 for 3060ti performance? (basically low mid range from 2020... just no). The more modern games that get released, the faster this card will become obsolete. 1060/70 were incredible leaps and that's why they lasted across 2 generations (that, and cross-gen games). 4060/ti won't last you, and ppl will regret it sooner than later.

There is also the point that people upgrading from that tier might still be on PCI-E 3.0 platforms, and this card is worse than last gen on those. A lot of reviewers miss this kind of stuff because they use top specs to test even low or midrange products (to eliminate potential bottlenecks and have the best case scenario possible), but most people who have waited this long to upgrade are not all building a whole new machine to put these cards in, instead it's more likely they just want something they can slot in on an older build.

Pretty much everyone across the board is recommending you to save your money. This is a 4050ti in disguise, overpriced by at least $150 USD. Buy something cheaper or used if you can't wait for better cards.

 

[NarohDethan]

Nvidia is out of control and it sucks that they’re basically unchallenged

 

[Kyougar]

For people upgrading from 1060/70 series, $400 is a massive ripoff (that's a whole new console!) and there are no performance gains over previous gens (which are cheaper), only on power consumption (which is great tbf) and even if the $500 model could alleviate these issues, paying $500 for 3060ti performance? (basically low mid range from 2020... just no). The more modern games that get released, the faster this card will become obsolete. 1060/70 were incredible leaps and that's why they lasted across 2 generations (that, and cross-gen games). 4060/ti won't last you, and ppl will regret it sooner than later.

I would like to see those "cheaper" 30xx cards in the wild. They are still MSRP in Germany/EU And 50€ below the 40xx cards isn't an argument that holds up. At least with the 4060 cards you have SOME of those phantom gains and there is a chance that more mature drivers down the line can come up with another few percent.

The reality is, I am unwilling to wait another 18-24 months for the next generation 50xx cards that MAYBE have better perf/price.
And I am unwilling to purchase a 30xx card unless they are AT LEAST half the price of the 40xx cards (and unwilling to buy used cards) so that I can upgrade to a 50xx down the line. Because my next purchase should hold me over for 2-4 years.

Nvidea sucks ass, but AMD isn't much better currently.

 

[Parsnip]

OK that one had completely passed me by. While I would still kind of prefer a collection of the original ROMS, I will definatly keep an eye on them. Wishlisted.

I bet the original ps1 isos are going to be there under it all. I'm guessing the remaster will be some kind of emulation + "unity graphic layer" on top. I think some/all of the ps4 remaster of patapon, parappa etc were done that way too.
Whether you can access the isos without too much hassle is another question.

 

[inky]

I would like to see those "cheaper" 30xx cards in the wild. They are still MSRP in Germany/EU And 50€ below the 40xx cards isn't an argument that holds up. At least with the 4060 cards you have SOME of those phantom gains and there is a chance that more mature drivers down the line can come up with another few percent.

The reality is, I am unwilling to wait another 18-24 months for the next generation 50xx cards that MAYBE have better perf/price.
And I am unwilling to purchase a 30xx card unless they are AT LEAST half the price of the 40xx cards (and unwilling to buy used cards) so that I can upgrade to a 50xx down the line. Because my next purchase should hold me over for 2-4 years.

Nvidea sucks ass, but AMD isn't much better currently.

I can't speak for everyone or what they have access to, and the market sucks, that's the reality. I'm not pretending stores are flooded with better performing cheaper options, but at least cards that offer a percentage of the performance at a fraction of the price exist, like the 6700xt which I've seen way cheaper for like 90%+ performance. To tide you over for a couple years and alleviate some of those vram concerns it's a better option imo (money saved now can mean a step up to a better tier then and 6700xt and 4060ti are unlikely to have any decent resale value anyway). If you don't want them that's understandable. I probably wouldn't buy one either, but I'm not in the same position of needing to upgrade a 6 year old (great) card.

If it works for you, spend your money as you wish of course, I'm not trying to castigate anyone for their choices. But the recommendation is out there for anyone, and the assessment is thorough and accurate. These cards are very poor value, and will age like milk.

 

[toxicitizen]

After a 5 months long break, I'm finally done!

Holy shit, this game is long. I put 70 hours into it last Fall and another ~90h this month. At least according to Steam. There's probably something like ~15h that could be shaved off to account for tabbing out or times when I just left the game idle but still. What the hell? The insane part is that the game doesn't really overstay its welcome. It's good all the way through. If you try to rush it you'll probably get burned out on it because of the repetitive nature of the gameplay loop but I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed every second with the game.

Feels good to have finally played it. And it only took a little over half a decade because I patiently waited for the PC version. No regrets!

But seriously Atlus, please don't ever make me wait that long again...

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

I've been watching streamers play "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and it looks really good. I'm excited for it's launch.

 

[fantomena]

Sorry I haven't been active much in this thread as of late.

I have been.....playing games.

 

[lashman]

 

[sprinkles]

Nvidia is out of control and it sucks that they’re basically unchallenged

I feel dirty for buying my 4070...
And still a bit glad I did not go full the 4090 / new PSU / new CPU (to a 5800x3D from my 3700x) upgrade I had initially planned.

 

[lashman]

Sorry I haven't been active much in this thread as of late.

I have been.....playing games.

 

[Lashley]

Fuck NVIDIA but also I <3 my 4090

I am weak, they have me by the testes

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

Summer Games Done Quick is live.

 

[dex3108]

Nvidia Computex talk: "Everything is AI, yes everything is AI, even you, yes you are AI. Also more you buy, more you save, yes, more you buy more you save".

 

[Alexandros]

Fuck NVIDIA but also I <3 my 4090

I am weak, they have me by the testes

The 4090 is the only decent card they released. It is very expensive but also very good. Everything else is crap.

 

[Acidote]

Nvidia Computex talk: "Everything is AI, yes everything is AI, even you, yes you are AI. Also more you buy, more you save, yes, more you buy more you save".

NVDA stock goes BRRRR

 

[C-Dub]

After many, many years I got around to playing Policenauts.

My god this game is gross. There’s a part where you can sexually assault a woman, who is doing the whole Sharon Stone Basic Instinct thing.

You can choose to touch her breasts and sniff her. Absolutely insane. There’s games that are a “product of their time” (which I generally find to be a flimsy excuse anyway), and then there’s this.

Blegh.

It’s a shame because, aside from the pervy stuff, it’s a great VN with outrageously brilliant production values for the time.

 

[Mivey]

After many, many years I got around to playing Policenauts.

My god this game is gross. There’s a part where you can sexually assault a woman, who is doing the whole Sharon Stone Basic Instinct thing.

You can choose to touch her breasts and sniff her. Absolutely insane. There’s games that are a “product of their time” (which I generally find to be a flimsy excuse anyway), and then there’s this.

Blegh.

It’s a shame because, aside from the pervy stuff, it’s a great VN with outrageously brilliant production values for the time.

Being a gross pervert is one of the few consistent aspects of Kojima's career, even if he had to tone it down over the years to get games released on consoles.
I think Death Stranding might be his "best" game in this respect, at least I can't think of problematic stuff in this direction in it.

 

[lashman]

 

[Hektor]

Being a gross pervert is one of the few consistent aspects of Kojima's career, even if he had to tone it down over the years to get games released on consoles.
I think Death Stranding might be his "best" game in this respect, at least I can't think of problematic stuff in this direction in it.

Death stranding is all about mothers and babies, with the announcement trailers lyrics just being an endless repeat of "ill keep Cumming". Its clearly about a breeding kink thematically

 

[yuraya]

MGS4 was peak pervert Kojima. There was a lot of weird and unnecessary things in that game but ever since he has held back. MGSV/GZ and Death Stranding was overall very mild.

Wouldn't surprise me if he ramps it up for Death Stranding 2 tho. He builds this weird shit up for sequels. MGS2 had a lot of crazy easter egg perv trolling compared to the first. And I expect his horror game to very disgusting too. Maybe not sexually but he will definitely go overboard since he talked about making it the scariest game ever.

 

[C-Dub]

Being a gross pervert is one of the few consistent aspects of Kojima's career, even if he had to tone it down over the years to get games released on consoles.
I think Death Stranding might be his "best" game in this respect, at least I can't think of problematic stuff in this direction in it.

Yeah, Kojima's always been a bit weird. But if this is what he's like without a filter... well...

MGS4 was peak pervert Kojima. There was a lot of weird and unnecessary things in that game but ever since he has held back. MGSV/GZ and Death Stranding was overall very mild.

Play Policenauts and tell me MGS4 is peak pervert for Kojima.

Actually, don't. The game is completely depraved.

 

[Li Kao]

I just saw some footage of Policenauts yesterday while looking at a video about fan translated PS1 games. At face value, I’m not totally horrified by what you mention, just your classic pervy ADV stuff, but damn ‘depraved’, either we don’t see eye to eye (which is cool) or there is more to it than what you say. Or in context it’s horrible, yeah.
I have no strong opinion here, it’s clear there is a deep rooted pervy issue in Japanese video games history, no denying.

I want to play Policenauts in theory, but before that I want to play Snatcher, and there is no undub version of it AFAIK. Which is an issue for someone who is not 100% on spoken English like me.

 

[Paul]

The 4090 is the only decent card they released. It is very expensive but also very good. Everything else is crap.

4070 is not great, but it is ok. It is about three times as fast than 1070 (without DLSS) while costing almost the same (in my country at least) as 1070 did when it launched in 2016. Considering the inflation, I find this fairly decent value. And the power consumption is great. Plus DLSS and RT perf.

 

[Li Kao]

Lol I was looking into Snatcher and found this blog. It seems it’s as pervy as Policenauts.

Snatcher – An MSX investigation

Buy a mulitformat game in 2021 and you can generally expect that you’re going to get the same experience no matter what system you play it on, give or take a few frames-per-second or a difference i…

gamesfromtheblackhole.wordpress.com

Elsewhere, it’s noticeable just how much of the 1994 localisation also had to tone down the perviness of Kojima’s script. Now I knew that this was a trait of Kojima’s. Just look at the stir caused by the scantily clad Quiet in Metal Gear Solid V. I’d also played the fan translation of Policenauts about a decade earlier and was surprised by how many inappropriate choices are presented to the player. But Snatcher is just relentless… I honestly can’t think of a single female character in the game that isn’t objectified by the available dialogue options. If you so wish, you can pester women for their phone numbers, hound them for a date, ogle or even request to grope them. There are even the odd scenes of graphical nudity, such as the dead Snatcher with her breasts exposed, which serve very little story purpose and just feel gratuitous.

Now if you were being very kind, you might hand wave all of this away by saying, “It was a different time,” or “That’s just what Japan was like.” You could certainly claim that the unregulated PC games market allowed for more adult material than strict console platform holders would allow. Each of these statements contains varying degrees of truth but there’s something about the objectification in Snatcher that feels like more than just cheeky HBO titillation. It’s an all-pervasive perversion. One that makes every single woman an object first and a character second. One to be examined, inspected and acquired just as much as any collectible item in the adventure, even if they do all reject and repel Gillian’s childish advances in the end.

Dayum !

 

[dex3108]

 

[Censored]

Policenauts PC98 is so much better than console version, not only is less censored, pixel graphic style is nicer. And it works pretty decent on retroarch with neko project II kai core -not easy to configure-.


Rumors say Sony is going to acquire CDProject Red. Let’s see what happens with GOG if this end being true. And Days Gone 2 is in development.

 

[yuraya]

Rumors say Sony is going to acquire CDProject Red. Let’s see what happens with GOG if this end being true. And Days Gone 2 is in development.

Better be fake news. Sony's PC strategy is far too shit to be going after companies like CDPR.

Nothing good can happen from an acquisition like that.

 

[Lashley]

Policenauts PC98 is so much better than console version, not only is less censored, pixel graphic style is nicer. And it works pretty decent on retroarch with neko project II kai core -not easy to configure-.


Rumors say Sony is going to acquire CDProject Red. Let’s see what happens with GOG if this end being true. And Days Gone 2 is in development.

I'm so tired of these acquisitions

And the warriors will moan on if this is allowed but other deals aren't

But afaik, acquisitions usually don't leak