Yeah, it's kinda why I just look around and see the x4's and non base building games growing by each yr and I'm like

"where my base builders at?". 

You know what we haven't heard of from in donkey's years?.

KKND Krossfire and Total Annihilation, as well as Supreme Commander, those 3 are like ancient in today's industry (starting to think only the vet players know those 3 games at all these days).

I do want a new SC game, but at the same time I'm super torn, because Legacy of the Void pretty much wrapped up the main cast's story somewhat nicely. Kerrigan is like a half goddess, Tychus is dead, Zeratul is dead, Half the Protoss are extinct, the Zerg got massively fucked over, and Menx got killed by Kerrigan, as well as his secret science div got wiped out by us during Heart of the Swarm, so like, all 3 factions pretty much got wrapped up/fucked over to a point where I dunno if the writers can do much for it.

Believe me, I do want a new one, but not an MP only, always online Starcraft 3, because that would just die within a year, tops. RTS games designed purely with PVP human vs human in mind are doomed to die quick deaths, vs those that are made with SP players, VS AI players and PVP players, all of which get a piece of cake served to them, and the game gets to live on through multiple ways. 

Hey, I'm 34, how do you think I feel lol?. I honestly haven't seen a good well rounded and polished RTS since SC2, back in 2010, being serious, that game and it's two expansions were what I considered cream of the crop tier quality RTS. We had 3 campaigns to go through, tons of cinematics, units to upgrade in the SP, PVP and VS AI modes, and even a custom arcade mode for user generated maps/content. I remember played "left 2 die" in arcade mode for hours on end, or Bardock's tower defence, all great fun and that was just from the user generated content end of that game.

Most RTS games now are just no campaign at all (talking about the indie side, not TW or Warhammer), low poly units, non memorable music score, forgettable units, and poorly coded AI, or a bigger focus on limited shelf life PVP. 

You kinda get what I'm feeling at your age because this is what we're currently going through. This is exactly what arena shooter gamers have been mulling with for yrs now (I'm one of them, I fucking miss UT and was pissed when Epic decided to forget it existed, or how Quake champions got fucked over by the devs and their lack of clarity/insight into what we actually wanted done/fixed). 

Blizz making that survival game sounds like a really bad last min call for something to quickly whip up, because let's be real here, Blizz just delayed two big heavy hitter games for yet another year, and we've already seen many devs whip up survival games within 1-2 yrs tops and shove them out the door, make a few heads turn and then that scene dies down after 3 months.

I don't see that survival game doing great, and I bet you it's gonna be PVP focused, which would insta turn me off, because I'm honestly done with hardcore PVP based games these days (far too many ppl enforcing meta-style rules/gameplay and cheaters also ruin the fun, because no one has any decency or honour in PVP these days).  

You know what really makes me think about games becoming more and more generic these days?.

It's the AI, the AI in most games I've been playing these days feels largely unintelligent, as in the same AI from the early 00's that could see you through walls, know exactly the key presses you made at the right time, etc. Ubisoft's racers feature rubber banding AI, meaning you'll never truly feel like you're getting a legit challenge from it's AI (pretty sure most other racers rely on this AI method as well).

Like I just want pubs to actually experiment more with AI and not just stick us with generic shit, because as I get older, I find it ever increasingly hard to feel immersed in these world's they keep telling me are unforgettable or fantastic, and then there's a world filled with AI that doesn't move from it's designated spot, while only ever coming to life when I enter their FoV, that shit rips me right out of immersion (like that mailman in Skyrim, dude always poofs out of thin air to only ever deliver mail to just me, no one else, I always try to kill him because he is a source of immersion being broken for me).

Speaking of indies, I've noticed a bit of a nasty trend going on the past decade. Usually from indies we'd get flat out trailers featuring gameplay yeah?, well Submerged: Hidden Depths just released one of their trailers today (On Steam as well), and all you're shown is a cinematic of two characters on a conoe through a devastated and overgrowth style city.

No gameplay, just the cinematic. I had to go to Steam and look up the "about the game" section as well as the tags to know what this game was even about and what you get to do in it. I shouldn't have to do that, AAA's do that shit and it's mostly fluff and vertical slicing, indie devs shouldn't be doing that at all. Show us the gameplay, you're small, you need to tell ppl what your game is doing, not trying to emulate Pixar and make a lovey dove "aww" style cinematic, because that doesn't get me interested (maybe it works on kids, but don't just rely on kids as your sales audience for a small indie game). 

As far as I remember, only the first one really pushed the limits of what PC were capable of. Warhead was already less demanding and the other two, being console ports, didn't ask for a lot.

Yea we will see how Crysis 4 does. Really Cyberpunk is still the most demanding game out there once you turn on Ray Tracing all the way up and attempt to run it at Native. It will bring down a 3090 even at 1440p. Hopefully Crytek will give us a visual treat but yea, it will most likely be optimized for console instead of pushing PC boundaries.

Just skimmed through the store and wow at those prices. I used to get excited for Steam season and flash sales. And now not really worth looking into unless you're looking for a particular game on there. I actually can't remember when I bought directly from their store.

Like third party key websites have games cheaper than those sales normally, and by quite some margin.

isn't that quite a short support period for hyper scape?

I don't really follow Twitch trends but saw a quite fun looking shoot'emup 'Vampire Survivors' and got it. Played for a while and managed to complete one of the levels (upgraded axe is so OP!).

Not that hard, though still have to try hard mode. But yeah its one of those silly, fun rogue-like game with a lot of progression and abilities to unlock. Pretty addictive game and I wasn't expected to be that good lol. Not bad for £2. Worth a look if you want an arcadey game to play.

Ubisoft: NFTs in games is actually a good thing, gamers just don't get it yet
https://www.neowin.net/news/ubisoft-nfts-in-games-is-actually-a-good-thing-gamers-just-don039t-get-it-yet/
Ubisoft is one of the few game companies that have decided to dive into the blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) space. And while the gaming community appears to be largely in opposition to this decision, there are, of course, people who support the endeavor as well. When you're making a controversial move, one thing that you should be careful of, as a big company, is to not antagonize the other side completely. However, Ubisoft seems to be doing the exact opposite.
>>How about no and fuck off.

Valorant's Killjoy briefly enjoyed an NFT, but Riot says it was a 'whoopsie'
https://www.pcgamer.com/valorants-killjoy-briefly-enjoyed-an-nft-but-riot-says-it-was-a-whoopsie/
Killjoy is one of Valorant's most beloved playable characters, and it's easy to see why: she is a genius, she looks cool, is from Berlin, and in a canny bit of cross-promotion, is a proven fan of League of Legends. She loves robots and has an overall cheerful personality. So far, so unimpeachable.
>>Sure, sure, a "mistake".

Hitman 3 goes on sale, then off sale, in Epic's Lunar New Year Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/hitman-3-goes-on-sale-then-off-sale-in-epics-lunar-new-year-sale/
There was expectation, or at least a sense of hope, that Hitman 3 would get a hefty discount in the Steam Lunar New Year Sale that kicked off today. Many fans were unhappy about the game launching on Steam at full price last week after a year of Epic Store exclusivity, and have been expressing their discontent with negative user reviews; the reaction was strong enough that IO announced earlier today that anyone who purchases the game on Steam prior to February 19 will be upgraded to the next-higher edition for free. The price remained unchanged, however.
>>ioi can't seem to catch a break.

Crytek ramping up workforce for Crysis 4, is hiring 23 developers
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/84249/crytek-ramping-up-workforce-for-crysis-4-is-hiring-23-developers/index.html
Crysis 4 is officially happening. Instead of announcing the game with a splash at E3 or The Game Awards, Crytek instead used Crysis 4's announcement for recruitment. It's so early that Crytek isn't trying to build hype yet--it's trying to build a workforce. Blizzard just did the same thing with the announcement of its new fantasy IP.
>>Also says not to expect it until 2024, great! By then maybe GPUs will be available at reasonable prices.

Eiyuden Chronicle January 2022 Community Update
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1658290/view/4470387472662801663
It’s a new year and we’ve got tons of new information that we can’t wait to start sharing with you, so we’re kicking things off in style with a sneak peak of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising – the companion game to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes that is currently in development thanks to everyone's tremendous support during the campaign!
>>Kangaroo with large sword, dind't know I needed one until now.

Just a remainder to check with isthereanydeal.com before buying a game.

Speaking of the Lunar sale, I have found quite a few good deals.

Wasteland Remastered 89% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/875800/Wasteland_Remastered/

Halo: Spartan Bundle 75% off https://store.steampowered.com/sub/51370

Death Coming/死神来了 80% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/705120/Death_Coming/

Hell is Other Demons 80% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/595790/Hell_is_Other_Demons/

Garbage 75% https://store.steampowered.com/app/1253710/Garbage/

Mutant Football League 70% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/529520/Mutant_Football_League/

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition 75% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/459220/Halo_Wars_Definitive_Edition/

Salt and Sanctuary 75% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/283640/Salt_and_Sanctuary/

Death and Taxes 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/1166290/Death_and_Taxes/

Celeste 75% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/504230/Celeste/

ASTRO AQUA KITTY 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/1346390/ASTRO_AQUA_KITTY/

Dragon Creek 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/1495420/Dragon_Creek/

Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice | Standard Edition 75% (might be only 65% if you don't own the previous game) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373430/Leisure_Suit_Larry__Wet_Dreams_Dry_Twice/

Nexomon: Extinction 55% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196630/Nexomon_Extinction/

Prince Of Persia Franchise 82% https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/23487/Prince_Of_Persia_Franchise/

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition 70% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/961490/Travis_Strikes_Again_No_More_Heroes_Complete_Edition/

STEINS;GATE 60% https://store.steampowered.com/app/412830/STEINSGATE/

Rainbow Six Bundle 72% off https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/755/Rainbow_Six_Bundle/

Interstellar Space: Genesis 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/984680/Interstellar_Space_Genesis/

Halo: The Master Chief Collection 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/sub/376282

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut 60% off https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium__The_Final_Cut/

Conception: Bundle of Joy 75% off https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/12996/Conception_Bundle_of_Joy/

EA STAR WARS TRIPLE BUNDLE 77% off https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18052/EA_STAR_WARS_TRIPLE_BUNDLE/

For more deals you can use https://steamdb.info/sales/ to find historical lows.

Though I will be waiting to see what February's Humble Bundle games before I buy anything.

I'm kinda over Crytek tbh. After seeing how they fudged up the remaster of 1 (had a looong weird confusing debate with a friend last night about that, and he claimed it would cost 23 million dollars to "fix" the CPU issue 1's remaster had, which I honestly thought was utter bollocks of an excuse), and how 1 was EGS exclusive and now 2-3, and well...Hunt is purely PVP based, I don't really feel any sort of hype for 4 for various reasons:

it's likely to go EGS exclusive, because Crytek are honestly as bad as Blizz when it comes to actually managing your company/goals and finances (seriously, indies can be shit with their money, but Crytek is the worst at handling theirs).

The whole "it'll melt my PC" meme is funny, but we're now in a a spot in time where we can't get those high end GPU's, even if we did they are far too expensive for everyone to buy anyway, so that dampens the whole "everyone's gonna experience how POWERFUL this game really is!, yuuuuh!". 

We're also at a point in time where current gen can do RT and has it's own methods of checkerboarding, and PC has that mostly via DLSS (not even gonna mention Intel/AMD's version, because they both honestly pale in comparison to DLSS), so I don't see Crytek making 4 entirely from the ground up to take full advantage of PC's end, because why make the PC version look a whole gen ahead when it also has to adhere to console hw?.

I know we've got Hunt on both console and PC, but that's an online based PVP game with a few smallish maps, and not an massive open world game with an actual story, and the differences between versions are basically town to shadows, texture detail and LoD's (again, not like what we had with Crysis 1 being a massive night/day difference). 

I'm sure it'll look nice, but I don't really see Crytek as that company that can really make everyone look like a joke, visually speaking. Those years have long since passed, and we've got other studios in the AAA space that are doing wonders with their visuals, Crytek is just gonna be another bystander in that crowd, imo (Rare has it's water tech for example, if Crytek wants to impress me with water visuals, beat Rare in that field, and so on for other studios that have done wonders in different graphical fields).

Crytek is highly likely to make this for consoles first anyways, so I'm just likely to consider them "another" company till the day they shut down.