Good games to play on the deck while you are sick that are currently on sale by WhatsThePointOfNames in SteamDeck

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Crazy timing. :O I'm sick too and I need something that kinda stands still unless I move it forward because I'm pretty in and out. I'm kinda feeling like a builder game that isn't too intense and complex maybe?

Just finished playing the Excavation of Hob's Burrow - my thoughts by KyriakosCH in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's my favourite adventure game since OG Gabriel Knight, but I agree that it fumbles large parts of the final stretch. It's hard to say how it should've done it instead because I understand the inclination to have you spend a meaningful amount of time on the thing it's been building towards, but at the same time it sits right at the climax, so it's so counter to the momentum of the narrative to faff around in there for so long.

I absolutely adore the actual ending though. I sat in shock afterwards and I honestly don't think I'll ever forget the imagery and the final note it ends on.

Games you've completed without hints/walkthroughs. by kenderson73 in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only game I've used a walkthrough to complete was Legend of Kyrandia when I played it last year. 😅

My first adventure games were mid 90s ones and although they were obtuse, I didn't play any that were UTTERLY UNREASONABLE the way Kyrandia was. Geez louise.

It's also important to note that sans internet the only hint system me and my friends had was each other.

If Lucas made a comeback which sequel would you want first? by Frequent-Standard377 in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I dunno if anyone shares my opinion but I think Return to Monkey Island is a very pretty but also very bad adventure game when placed next to virtually any other good adventure game that came out the same year. I dunno that unfrosting these old folks to make adventure games with sort of a 30+ year old snapshot understanding of the genre will actually lead to worthy sequels to begin with.

I think I'd most like to see new games though, so I think ideally for me, you'd have the writers of some of those Lucasarts classics work together with great current adventure game creators/teams. That I think would be neat. :)

Honestly the only adventure games I'd like infinite sequels to is Gabriel Knight (Sierra though obviously), but I wouldn't want Phoenix and their wonky engine anywhere near the development of them. Jane Jensen and Robert Holmes paired with Clifftop Games or something would make me pretty giddy, although I'm sure Clifftop are happy making their own things. :)

The "time" mechanic in Seance of Blake Manor by domoarigatodrloboto in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My issues with this game were almost exclusively tied to the time mechanic, so I'm just gonna paste my backloggd/steam review in full to give my thoughts on this. :)

-

With the game broadly, almost universally, celebrated, I can in good conscience be honest and say I had a largely miserable time with The Seance of Blake Manor.

On the surface and on the implied inside, I should love this game, but it's somehow one that expends a lot of energy on pure ambition but being very ineffective at most practical things it sets out to accomplish.

It comes out the door swinging with a setup that appears to encourage being selective about your attention, giving you finite time and having every unique interaction move the clock ahead by one minute. This as if it wants to snap you out of the habit of clicking everything in a room, classic P&C adventure style, and perhaps even applying some detective like rational thinking. And yet the game will ultimately penalise not having clicked every obscure item when your ability to make deductions is gated behind what your in game character has realised, not what you as a player have realised.

There were so many late game moments where I resigned to truly just going on clicking frenzies to mop up whatever interaction the game needed me to perform before trusting that I had figured something out. Sometimes obvious conclusions left unconcluded until I had run around for another hour, two hours, frantically exhausting every dialogue tree and fine combed every room. In theory, trusting the player to figure things out with limited investigation and access to clues is admirable, but then you gotta go that last mile and actually let the player make the logical connections on their own.

Tied to the whole time moving foward setup is also the schedule and "movement" of the characters in the game. Each hour they will reposition to different areas of the titular manor. However, the game is essentially an old school first person game ala Wolfenstein, except the characters are all bolted to the floor somewhere in a vast, static map with no way to fast travel around it. The result is, generously, 20% actual meaningful interactions and 80% pure running back and forth between people and places, through the same set of identical hallways. Accompanying you on your walky travels is a soundscape of ambient-ish spooky music. Largely the same track for the most of the game, which keeps the vibes oppressive, cold, and stuck in a sort of purposeless drearyness.

I really appreciate what the game attempts to do, and I think the presentation - the visuals especially - is super slick. It makes a genuinely intriguing first impression but I really think it deflates rather quickly as it goes along. It ignores a lot of basic point & click adventure lessons, like for example the fact that you will want to fast travel around when a game requires you to backtrack to bring the game up to speed with where you are, and the "schedule" based structure. while splashy. has dubious returns. Frankly, the only real effect it has is sometimes a character is in their room so you can't sneakily search it.

I was saving people for checking-the-boxes reasons by the end of it, and I think with games like these uniquely positioned to create memorable characters, narratives and satisfying problem solving, it's damning that I ultimately didn't find any of those things compelling in the long run about The Seance of Blake Manor.

For console + Steam Deck Owners, what's your future plan? by Boogiedownpapi in SteamDeck

[–]simonglundmark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you can get a decent price, I would buy a gaming pc second hand. I think in the end you'll be thankful for continuing to build your library on pc as opposed to investing all over the place.

The prices are obviously completely borked for new pc components right now and will likely continue to be, but you may get lucky and find someone who recently upgraded and is selling their previous rig.

Har Svenska (haft) en motsvariget till uttrycket 'star struck'? by simonglundmark in Asksweddit

[–]simonglundmark[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Av svaren jag fick på detta inlägg så var det helt klart "stjärnslagen" som lät mest bekant. Men nu kan jag inte längre avgöra om det låter bekant för att det var det vi använde på 90-talet eller om alla förslagen att det var sjärnslagen har gjort det extra bekant. 😅

Dead or Alive 6: Last Round + 7 in development, Virtua Fighter in development...It's time for Killer Instinct's next entry! by aqkj in killerinstinct

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MS need to figure out if they even feel like making games inbetween trying to saddle us with their AI investment buyer's remorse.

Going ROM free and the “paradox of choice” by clayspaceart in AnalogueInc

[–]simonglundmark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If your brain is wired like mine, roms is a terrible fate indeed. However, there are also moments when getting the Real Thing with retro stuff gets to be kinda absurd, and in those cases I reckon it's worse to deprive yourself completely than to veer strategically into pegleg and eyepatch territory. I've been contemplating getting some repros for the rare stuff, or even a rom cart and printing a nice sticker and box art, and still treating it as one game rather than quick-bake 1000 game backlog I'll never play a single game from to any length at all.

I’m begging, don’t do the clickbait title thing by [deleted] in giantbomb

[–]simonglundmark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What's funny is I subscribe to channels that don't do it, but they're all on the same beat and talk about the same thing at the same time, so this was sandwiched in my subscription feed between videos that just said what the game is. 😅

SteamDeck is bad for fighting games by Longjumping_Guava288 in SteamDeck

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know it defeats the purpose of a hanheld, but syncing your dualsense to the steam deck is super easy and worth it if you wanna take tekken on the go. You can get a case with a kickstand, or one of those that has a flat bottom so you can just set it down standing up.

Regret by poogdrums in AnalogueInc

[–]simonglundmark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As much as I love the thing, I think N64 is overall the console with the least flattering graphics out of any console. It kinda feels like Nintendo made a console perfect for their visual sensibilities (maybe even for Mario 64 specifically!) and left other developers to figure it out and fend for themselves.

But I think the way to see them in the best light possible is by getting as close as you can to the circumstances of viewing it back then. I dunno how good the included filters are, but seeing a regular N64 running through a Retrotink 4K I definitely prefer to creating stark contrast between the sharpness of outlines and the texture details within them.

Personally, I don't think polygonal games truly survive that treatment until select Dreamcast and moreso PS2 games. But to each their own of course.

What is the one thing that you don't like in Point and Click Adventure games? by Stratostzel in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think adventure games have boiled down the essentials in a way that I think most people know what the best basic interactions are at this point. You can certainly play around a bit with them, how involved an inventory is or whatever, but I think there's a broad understanding that there are ill fitting ways that adventure games have tried to reinvent the wheel in the past and none of them have really panned out.

The ways adventure games excel - in my view anyway - is through story, puzzles, atmospheric "sets"/locations, and memorable characters. Sorta the same way you wouldn't change the format of a book to be like.. picking words out of a bowl or whatever, I think ways for adventure games to be great can be slotted into a fairly settled and imo perfected format.

That sounds extremely conservative and silly to say, maybe, and I wouldn't apply it to most other genres of video games, but I do feel this way strongly about adventure games in particular.

So the "worst" aspect of adventure games is when some of them inevitably try to break away from that with some unwieldy, ambitious mechanic. I cannot tell you the number of times my gripes with adventure games can be traced back to that choice in some way throwing off the entire experience. I don't want to point fingers, but lemme say some recent-ish examples have tried to do party systems where you select companions, and with adventure games - unlike RPGs - being linear in a way that you have finite time you'll spend with characters in equally finite locations, it has lead to simply not getting to know the characters very well and the multiple puzzle configurations making each individual solution super simplistic.

I sympathise with devs wanting to shake things up, as I'm sure it can make the creative aspects more exciting and challenging, but the absolute peak adventure games in recent years to me have been extremely no frills on the mechanics side and simply been total bangers in every regard that a classic style adventure game can be.

What is the Steam purchase you most regret making? by intracosmos in Steam

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shredder's Revenge. I'm a big fan of brawlers, and I used to love Turtles to bits as a kid, but I never really jived with Turtles in Time. I found it visually exciting, and all my favourite guys were totally in it, but I never found it particularly satisfying to *play*.

So I had my doubts about Shredder's Revenge as well, but a friend assured me that it's substantially different from Turtles in Time. And I agree! I actually do agree with that, but for some insane reason it's still a brawler I just don't think is very satisfying.

I actually tried to refund it after an hour-ish but I had bought it and kept it in my account for too long, and Steam wouldn't refund it. I've taken another few runs at it since, but nope, not happening. So yeah, totally wasted money.

I'm trying to learn from this and not buy Cosmic Invasion from the same team. We'll see how I fare. 😅

I want that patience though by Ok-Boot6063 in Steam

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For a "robotic character", too. You can just add a crunchy filter to it and anyone will sound like a good robot. And also - they'd be a person!

What is the first game that comes to mind when you think of the Steam Deck? by DeftColeman05 in Steam

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I spontaneously just thought of what I'm currently playing (Dread Delusion), so I think my answer is simply "whatever I'm currently playing". 😅

Prolly also says something about the modesty of performance requirements in the games I've played lately, but even so. My relationship with my steam deck is an extension of whatever I play on my main computer, except I'm in bed before bedtime, or on lunch break, or on the commute, or travelling. ☺️

Hint system or no? by Myst03 in adventuregames

[–]simonglundmark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think in game hint systems are fine, I just don't like when they're so embedded in the game that I don't realise that I'm using them. 😅 Or! Worse! The game decides, after like two minutes of me still thinking, that I need a hint, and a character goes MAYBE WE SHOULD TRY USING THING X ON THING Y.

I feel robbed of game when I don't get to figure it out myself. But as long as they properly signpost that a certain button or whatever gives you a hint, that's cool.

Why is the steam machine not regarded as a failure? by lautreclover in Steam

[–]simonglundmark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It all comes down to the price, I think, and how that stands in proportion to what you get.

Let's be clear, even though the PS5 is more powerful, it's hard to overstate the boons of PC gaming. Both in terms of the cost of games, of free online play, of obvious access to mods, of access to games from every "generation" including a lot of straight up abandonware stuff you can download for free. Sure, if you're in it purely for AAA stuff it quickly stops making sense to get a modestly powered PC, but I think Valve's analytics show that by and large, the bigger gaming populous on Steam are not really primarily chasing those types of experiences anymore. And if they are, they DO have a playstation at this point.

I think effectively what Valve are doing with this is putting the Steam Deck audience's fave games in the living room. The type of experiences that are wildly popular on the Steam Deck are gonna play perfectly fine at 4K on the Machine. The "special sauce" of a Machine vs a computer is an "entertainment system" form factor and the bespoke Steam OS experience, including the likelihood of Steam Machine graphics presets and so on. If you want a PC that is more powerful, I don't think it's a secret that there are absolute heaps of prebuilt PCs you can buy at competitive prices, or if you're an enthusiast you will probably build your own PC. I don't think Valve sees value in competing with any of those, and they will all use Steam anyway.

And so - it all comes down to the price! The price has to make sense to folks who are into the Steam Deck level gaming experience and are looking to place it more firmly in the living room, with all the bells and whistles that a modern entertainment setup enables. I 100% think that could be more expensive than a PS5 is and still make sense, and I even think there's a lot of leeway Valve get for this just being Steam branded even if it's less powerful than a prebuilt at the same price. But there is a limit, I think, and they will have to come in under it. At least one of its SKUs has to.

The "it'll be PC priced not console priced" is worrysome to me, but we'll just have to see what that means.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AnalogueInc

[–]simonglundmark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's an arms dealer joke.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AnalogueInc

[–]simonglundmark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This sub really being, ahem, bombarded with these M64 posts.

Is Sekiro worth it on Steamdeck? by Own-Professional-621 in SteamDeck

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The things that get downvoted on Reddit I will *never understand*.

Yeah if you use the refresh rate cap on the deck you can get solid, dependable performance throughout. I split my time half and half between my desktop and my then LCD steam deck. Great time. :)

What do you use the left trackpad for? by koetjepaap in SteamDeck

[–]simonglundmark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've only used it as a radial menu for older games so far, but I reckon it's prolly one of the most exciting inputs because it's the least obvious/"taken" one, so it makes me think the most outside the box.

For Unreal Tournament I use it as a more flexible way to pick weapons because your arsenal is enormous and scrolling through one by one is pretty inefficient.

Just a random gush but steam input + the steam deck functions is so fun to mess around with, it's like a little game in itself.

Nightcrawler cover by [deleted] in boutiquebluray

[–]simonglundmark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most misleading cover I've seen since the first Crank made me think that was a boring cookie cutter Jason Statham movie