Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

2021 VIDEO GAME CATCH ALL THREAD


RIPPA

Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, J.T. said:

I agree, Jen.  It is a token resignation that allows Brack to collect his entitlements and land on his feet rather than a straight termination and using that golden parachute money for something else. 

I agree somewhat.  He'll likely be allowed to keep whatever money and "golden parachute" benefits are specified in his contract.  But I dunno that I regard being forced to resign and written up in Bloomberg as a token gesture that allows me to land on my feet.  The scandal is sufficiently public that it's going to follow him.  He's not likely to leave and become president of Capcom or whatever.  Odds are more likely he'll simply go away quietly and never be heard from again.  Whether that's sufficient punishment, I dunno.  Probably not, but it is what it is.

I'm not president of my firm, but I am in a management position.  If similar allegations surfaced in my department, the story wouldn't be big enough to make Bloomberg or probably even the local papers, but it most likely still ruin me professionally even if I were allowed to resign.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Kevin Wilson said:

Since it was added to PS Now and its Olympic season, I decided to play the 2020 Tokyo Olympics game. What a joke that game is. I remember the old days (when I was a kid) when Olympic games were the shit. I'd love a "realistic" full style Olympics game but the 2020 version is cartoony and some of the games are legitimately broken. Maybe one day.

You must have played different Olympic video games than me, because you just described everyone I've ever played.  They have one or two sports that work pretty well, and 9 or 10 that don't work at all.  It's incredibly hard to create a sports game that feels satisfying when focusing on one sport, it's impossible to create a satisfying version of multiple sports to be included in one game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Eoae said:

I agree somewhat.  He'll likely be allowed to keep whatever money and "golden parachute" benefits are specified in his contract.  But I dunno that I regard being forced to resign and written up in Bloomberg as a token gesture that allows me to land on my feet.  The scandal is sufficiently public that it's going to follow him.

Will it?  Humans have remarkably short attention spans (gamer geeks even moreso) and this whole thing may eventually die down to the point where Brack feels comfortable enough to resurface.   Given the disturbingly misogynist tendencies of some turbo nerds, he may even be heralded as a folk hero in some circles.

This is the guy who navigated ActiBlizz through the golden years of WoW and the birth of Overwatch.  Someone will take a chance on him eventually if the risk is worth it or he'll start his own thing with his GP money.

Edited by J.T.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, J.T. said:

This is the guy who navigated ActiBlizz through the golden years of WoW and the birth of Overwatch.  Someone will take a chance on him eventually if the risk is worth it or he'll start his own thing with his GP money.

Brack wasn't in charge till 2018 so I am not sure why you are giving him credit for either of those things

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Brack wasn't in charge till 2018 so I am not sure why you are giving him credit for either of those things

Wait, so he was in charge for all the bullshit, but none of the success?  How'd he last this long?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, RIPPA said:

It's okay - Fran Townsend is still at Activision. She will make everything better once she stops blocking employees on Twitter and stops telling them to stop snitching

Hey, at least she's not actively defending torture anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, supremebve said:

You must have played different Olympic video games than me, because you just described everyone I've ever played.  They have one or two sports that work pretty well, and 9 or 10 that don't work at all.  It's incredibly hard to create a sports game that feels satisfying when focusing on one sport, it's impossible to create a satisfying version of multiple sports to be included in one game.

Yeah, I agree.  I guess Winter Games worked well for pretty much every event.  Maybe Summer Games, too, but I'd have to think about it.  Most of them throw in some stuff that they have no idea how to do right (pole vault or high jump or something) and then make it way too complicated and just mess everything up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, supremebve said:

Wait, so he was in charge for all the bullshit, but none of the success?  How'd he last this long?

So legit - it seems the only reason he is going is because everything saw the light of day and nothing sticks to Bobby Kotick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

Brack wasn't in charge till 2018 so I am not sure why you are giving him credit for either of those things

Brack wasn't in charge of the whole thing, but he pretty much carried WoW on his back when he was WoW Executive Producer and head of WoW creative.  He's been leadership through a lot of important shit and it's no secret that he got tapped to lead because WoW was ActiBizz's most important cash cow until Overwatch was released.

Brack and Alex Afrasiabi have been problematic figures in ActiBlizz's recent history.  I wasn't sad to see Afrasiabi get shitcanned and I weep dry tears for the loss of Brack.

Edited by J.T.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Speaking of Overwatch and finances - T-Mobile has withdrawn as a sponsor for the Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues due to all of this. I can't imagine they will be the last of the sponsors to bail

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Speaking of Overwatch and finances - T-Mobile has withdrawn as a sponsor for the Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues due to all of this. I can't imagine they will be the last of the sponsors to bail

In a group text I'm in, I pointed out that ActivisionBlizzard from a revenue standpoint will probably not take significant hits over this outside of sponsorship losses. Your average WarZone player is oblivious to this, and WoW has done a fair amount to alienate its core base for years now.  Plus, it does sound like Overwatch was on the downturn and the issues with getting Overwatch 2 out have added to that issue. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Tabe said:

Yeah, I agree.  I guess Winter Games worked well for pretty much every event.  Maybe Summer Games, too, but I'd have to think about it.  Most of them throw in some stuff that they have no idea how to do right (pole vault or high jump or something) and then make it way too complicated and just mess everything up.

Do you mean the Commodore 64 Epyx games? I remember them having something like a 2/3 "work-rate". AFAIR alpine skiing and figure skating sucked. Do the Track & Field games by Konami (or similar games like Daley Thompson's Decathlon) count? Those also had a pretty good success rate (if you ignore the number of broken joysticks you inevitably had).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, supremebve said:

You must have played different Olympic video games than me, because you just described everyone I've ever played.  They have one or two sports that work pretty well, and 9 or 10 that don't work at all.  It's incredibly hard to create a sports game that feels satisfying when focusing on one sport, it's impossible to create a satisfying version of multiple sports to be included in one game.

Capcom's Gold Medal Challenge '92 was a goddamn masterpiece and I refuse to listen to anyone that feels otherwise.

More serious answer - some of the older ones were far from classics but they were good enough that my brother and I could sit for a full day and do the different co-op ones that were well done and have a good time. I can't do that with 2020, its just not good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Robert s said:

Do you mean the Commodore 64 Epyx games? I remember them having something like a 2/3 "work-rate". AFAIR alpine skiing and figure skating sucked. Do the Track & Field games by Konami (or similar games like Daley Thompson's Decathlon) count? Those also had a pretty good success rate (if you ignore the number of broken joysticks you inevitably had).

Well, Apple IIe and IIGS games in my case but, yes, the Epyx ones.  I liked all of the events but mainly Hot Dog and Biathlon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted something like Animal Crossing, but I don't have a Switch or plans to get one, so I splurged on the $15 to buy Stardew Valley for the XBox One. 

I realize I am a 52-year-old man playing a farming simulator, but I take solace in the fact that you guys are playing Animal Crossing and they're sorta similar. I'm kinda tired of kill or be killed and would like something I can play while listening to podcasts and whatnot.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, jstout said:

I wanted something like Animal Crossing, but I don't have a Switch or plans to get one, so I splurged on the $15 to buy Stardew Valley for the XBox One. 

I realize I am a 52-year-old man playing a farming simulator, but I take solace in the fact that you guys are playing Animal Crossing and they're sorta similar. I'm kinda tired of kill or be killed and would like something I can play while listening to podcasts and whatnot.

I'm a year behind you next month and I love games like this.

You might want to check out Haven Park which drops on Thursday, I think.

It's on Steam and looks like a cross between Animal Crossing and A Short Hike.

We all need something to help us decompress and I'll never be ashamed of any outlet I seek for such and neither should you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I preferred Stardew Valley by quite a bit so I'd see that as an upgrade. I wanted a chill game but Animal Crossing was too chill, I lost interest after about a month of it. Stardew Valley is chill but did have more to do when I was in the mood to do something productive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find Stardew Valley weirdly hard to get into. I always feel like there is so much I could be doing that I somewhat freeze on what to actually do when playing it.

Littlewood is quite fun, though a similar experience in some ways.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Game gives you enough to do besides all of the farming, and I typically run out of energy at about 2 p.m., so I get about 16 hours of sleep a day. There's just a buttload of stuff to craft, and I gotta remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

For example, game wants me to build a coop. Problem is, it would nearly bankrupt me. No money, no seeds, no farming, no making more money. So I have to concentrate on farming right now to the detriment of building a coop and foraging around for the hundreds of items needed to repair the community center. And that's without getting too heavily into the caves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Liam said:

I find Stardew Valley weirdly hard to get into. I always feel like there is so much I could be doing that I somewhat freeze on what to actually do when playing it.

I get that.  But you just have to ignore 99% of the stuff and focus on just developing your farm to begin with.  Plant a few crops, clear the debris, get comfortable.  Get a fishing rod.  Etc.  There's no rush - absolutely none of the achievements or things that can be missed completely.  There's always another shot at stuff.  And then, as you get more comfortable, you'll find all kinds of ways to save time or figure out what you can ignore.  If you're on PC, you might also consider installing a speed mod that lets you move just a little faster.  After awhile, I got tired of the glacial foot speed and upgraded my speed just a little bit.  I also now have an endless supply of spicy eel and espresso, both of which make you move faster.  That really helps.

The important thing, though, is to not be paralyzed by having so many options.  Just relax and enjoy the game.  Pick one thing and ignore the other stuff.  You can't possibly wreck things permanently so don't sweat it. It will all open up over time.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Tabe said:

I get that.  But you just have to ignore 99% of the stuff and focus on just developing your farm to begin with.  Plant a few crops, clear the debris, get comfortable.  Get a fishing rod.  Etc.  There's no rush - absolutely none of the achievements or things that can be missed completely.  There's always another shot at stuff.  And then, as you get more comfortable, you'll find all kinds of ways to save time or figure out what you can ignore.  If you're on PC, you might also consider installing a speed mod that lets you move just a little faster.  After awhile, I got tired of the glacial foot speed and upgraded my speed just a little bit.  I also now have an endless supply of spicy eel and espresso, both of which make you move faster.  That really helps.

The important thing, though, is to not be paralyzed by having so many options.  Just relax and enjoy the game.  Pick one thing and ignore the other stuff.  You can't possibly wreck things permanently so don't sweat it. It will all open up over time.

 

That is basically what I need to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

apparently my Dad just has a bunch of SSD external harddrives laying around (?!?) so I grabbed a 1TB version from him and holy shit are these things fast. On the Xbox, it took me like 3 minutes to move 130GB+ Master Chief Collection from the internal storage to the external. I'm used to my WD_Black HDD I have on the PS5, which takes foreverrrrr, so this is an upgrade. And Halo: MCC, despite being "optimized" for Series X/S, still runs from an external SSD - apparently there are some Series S/X games, and optimized ones, that'll run from an external harddrive. If the file info for a Series X/S or optimized game says "XboxOneGen9Aware" it can be played off an external drive.

The Medium can't, nor can The Ascent, so I just moved them back to my console storage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Played a few levels of Katamari Damacy Reroll last night (after GamePass finally decided to download it at 8:30 pm)

Like slipping into a warm bath.

I missed this soundtrack so much

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...