Dec 2023: This Month's Games
NSFW this month i guess
a public journal of everything i've played this month
any notes should be treated as "first impressions"
a public journal of everything i've played this month
any notes should be treated as "first impressions"
27 Games
tons of respect for these very simple games that choose ambient background noise over some soundtrack (NKODICE is "more of a game" than this but is probably where the boundary lies imo)
i very much encourage you NOT to listen to music or watch youtube videos while doing this, just turn the lights off in the room and try to imagine what the restaurant around you looks like
i very much encourage you NOT to listen to music or watch youtube videos while doing this, just turn the lights off in the room and try to imagine what the restaurant around you looks like
Very effective for people like me: I have such a low tolerance for jumpscares (the initial shock fades into annoyance, not relief) that I almost refuse to play horror games entirely. The problem is that I can't get enough of eerie stuff, and that's all this is.
The anomalies are perfectly crafted, it's got everything from emotionless spot-the-difference to situations that are obviously wrong in ways that make you question just how far the game will go to freak you out.
The anomalies are perfectly crafted, it's got everything from emotionless spot-the-difference to situations that are obviously wrong in ways that make you question just how far the game will go to freak you out.
i've played a lot more of this game during Dec than i have during any other month and i think my ultimate conclusion is this:
i really like the game that this is trying to be, but i don't really like the game that it is. cumbersome menuing and overacted dialogue completely kill any attachment i would have to any story, and while the number of things pawns can react to is pretty cool, i wish they would stop reacting to the same intersection over and over like i'm crossing the rubicon. also the health values for enemies are like 20% too high for this to be enjoyable despite me constantly grabbing the best gear, so i'll probably just crank the difficulty down so that i can cruise through this without turning the whole affair into homework
i really like the game that this is trying to be, but i don't really like the game that it is. cumbersome menuing and overacted dialogue completely kill any attachment i would have to any story, and while the number of things pawns can react to is pretty cool, i wish they would stop reacting to the same intersection over and over like i'm crossing the rubicon. also the health values for enemies are like 20% too high for this to be enjoyable despite me constantly grabbing the best gear, so i'll probably just crank the difficulty down so that i can cruise through this without turning the whole affair into homework
Management sim in which you manually juggle worker assignments and fill out orders. Diner Dash for blacksmiths.
Strikes a decent balance when it comes to budgeting attention for each mechanic but this just isn't the kind of game I really want to put a substantial amount of time into - i have a very hard time imagining what this game could offer me at hour 10 or 20 if the core loop isn't really grabbing me
Strikes a decent balance when it comes to budgeting attention for each mechanic but this just isn't the kind of game I really want to put a substantial amount of time into - i have a very hard time imagining what this game could offer me at hour 10 or 20 if the core loop isn't really grabbing me
the true successor to mario hoops
a little better than its predecessor in most ways - you can select your team's formation, players have stats, but it feels a little easier to score in this one? you can dunk from a mile out and fully charged shots feel way more accurate. i kinda wish that they scaled that back, but otherwise this is pretty good. seems like a fun game for local coop/steam's "remote play together" feature, but you're not gonna get a lot of playtime in this as a solo player.
a little better than its predecessor in most ways - you can select your team's formation, players have stats, but it feels a little easier to score in this one? you can dunk from a mile out and fully charged shots feel way more accurate. i kinda wish that they scaled that back, but otherwise this is pretty good. seems like a fun game for local coop/steam's "remote play together" feature, but you're not gonna get a lot of playtime in this as a solo player.
genuinely a really cool foundation for an arcade-y soccer game, with just the right balance of tactics and nonsense. powerups keep things feeling like the same sport (think "speed boost" and "longer-range tackles) and the total lack of fouls and free kicks is nice. still needs some refinement though, controls feel a bit inconsistent and the total lack of resolution options or volume sliders really sucks
i found this less compelling than ramen oil pecking simulator because it actually sets a concrete goal, although i imagine some would find that more appealing. the most enjoyable part of ramen oil pecking simulator is settling into the game and letting your mind wander, but i just didnt get much of that here
kind of brilliant and would be a masterpiece if they could fix:
-a tutorial that is 90% text (no illustrations, no gameplay) and straight up leaves some things unexplained (lockpicking?)
-some clunky keybindings (blocking?)
-the platforming is a no-go and i wish this particular part were thrown out wholesale
-a tutorial that is 90% text (no illustrations, no gameplay) and straight up leaves some things unexplained (lockpicking?)
-some clunky keybindings (blocking?)
-the platforming is a no-go and i wish this particular part were thrown out wholesale
A lot of materials to keep track of means you end up with the Dwarf Fortress problem where you're not always sure how some resources get used or produced, not to mention whatever stockpile you should be maintaining. pedestrians being functionally identical to cars also makes things weird because they'll get into little traffic jams for seemingly no reason at all
the early levels of this are really and truly kinda sick but after taking a peek at the achievements and seeing they're naming their missions after doom and using a similar weapon selection to doom and referencing doom, i'm getting nervous about what's in store. the world and scenery are rad tho, i would really prefer that more cyberpunk environments lean into being grimy and dingy like this instead of settling for neon everything and flying cars
it looks like a flash game but it's deadass one of the better options out there if you're desperate for a basketball game on steam. the mechanics are really basic here but they don't really seem to favor a particular strategy too heavily. there's not really any great ways to contest shots but it doesn't matter when it's so easy to steal the ball, and the ball being easy to steal doesn't matter too much when the offense can hit the net from a mile away on their logo lillard shit
wrote a big long thing about this being mechanically similar to doukyuusei (although it makes that game look tame in comparison) and then lost it by clicking out of this text box on accident. whatever man
it's uhhh problematic at times but less so than you might expect for a game of this type. the RPG mechanics are pretty decent but all the content for the female protag DLC sucks big shit and makes the game feel super empty compared to the male MC, who instead gets a neat little interwoven social web connecting the love interests in unique ways, creating consequences that can lock you out of content or fail permanently with a particular candidate. also the game lets you meet basically any love interest and then say "no more of this person ever again please" which is a pretty neat feature and something that real life desperately needs
also the city map has a miniature version of the ryugyong hotel for some reason
it's uhhh problematic at times but less so than you might expect for a game of this type. the RPG mechanics are pretty decent but all the content for the female protag DLC sucks big shit and makes the game feel super empty compared to the male MC, who instead gets a neat little interwoven social web connecting the love interests in unique ways, creating consequences that can lock you out of content or fail permanently with a particular candidate. also the game lets you meet basically any love interest and then say "no more of this person ever again please" which is a pretty neat feature and something that real life desperately needs
also the city map has a miniature version of the ryugyong hotel for some reason
fuckin shame that nimblebit makes some really good idle games for map nerds and then has some of the most shameless begging i've ever seen. just advertise your microtransaction bundles like a normal person, all this groveling to make people watch 30 second video ads is filling me with secondhand embarrassment
the game that brink wanted to be, and it turns out its still Just Alright
sort of a neat way to handle this premise mechanically, but 1. it's still just a personality test at its core, and 2. a list of actions I took that the game noticed is less valuable for replayability than telling me a bunch of actions I didn't take despite the game allowing them
i mean, some of the characters are cute. most of them are terrifying in that live2d way where they writhe and undulate for the sake of it
i dont really fw idle rpgs like that but its nice to have one that doesnt really have combat in it. there are a fuckload of systems tho and they actually weave together fairly well to turbocharge your early progress if you're investing wisely. still predatory as shit tho and i don't think this game has anything in it that you couldn't get from a better game aside from the fact that it gives out characters like candy
i dont really fw idle rpgs like that but its nice to have one that doesnt really have combat in it. there are a fuckload of systems tho and they actually weave together fairly well to turbocharge your early progress if you're investing wisely. still predatory as shit tho and i don't think this game has anything in it that you couldn't get from a better game aside from the fact that it gives out characters like candy
very, very cool idea. the entirety of basic strategy for standard blackjack gets thrown out the window immediately and you have to decide whether you should hit or not based on your knowledge of your own deck. really cool concept, really fun card ideas
most hideous game i've ever seen (i say this with love in my heart). i need to spend more time with this because i want to know what else its got going on beyond blingee-ass graphics
not very hopeful of this one. received an invite to a closed beta and this feels like they tried to take exactly 50% of sea of thieves and 50% of an assassin's creed game and i dont think these systems work great together. if you want a pirate-themed MMO-lite then i guess you could play this, i like this more than sea of thieves, but i'm very worried how this'll look on launch. predicting a 56% positive on steam upon release, take a screenshot now
i think there's some stuff of value here but i think this thing will be dead in the water by the end of its release year. the most interesting decisions it makes come right at the beginning by giving you a little rinky-dink boat instead of a full-on pirate ship. working your way up after the intro is a fun idea. no other notes
i think there's some stuff of value here but i think this thing will be dead in the water by the end of its release year. the most interesting decisions it makes come right at the beginning by giving you a little rinky-dink boat instead of a full-on pirate ship. working your way up after the intro is a fun idea. no other notes
this game technically starts up but I cannot get the screen to display anything no matter what. since i am unable to play it i will say that the store page gives off 4/10 vibes
jobosno
4 months ago