Computerchairgeneral

I’ve been grinding away at Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Spent the last few days running up against the brick wall of the Chapter Twelve Two-against-four boss fight that still manages to make you feel outnumbered. I was suspicious of just how the insistent the game was about checking out the battle arena, but it kind of feels mandatory if you want to get through that fight. Also managed to get spoiled for that Chapter 14 boss fight while looking up strategies, so I’ve got that to look forward to.

So after banning adult content a few years ago, Tumblr decided to shoot itself in the other foot? It feels like the people in charge are actively trying to drive off the site’s users.

You know if anyone needs to be let go maybe it’s the management who were spending like there was no tomorrow and are now throwing everyone overboard to stop the ship from sinking. Or, you know, just keep cancelling games and shuttering studios. I’m sure that’ll work out eventually.

Seven years feels about right for a length between consoles. I am curious to see what they do with it. It’s hard to see Nintendo not sticking with the handheld console approach with the Switch 2, but just building a more powerful Switch doesn’t feel very Nintendo, if that makes sense. Like there has to be some feature or gimmick to set it apart from the Switch.

They’re charging people higher prices and refusing to allow them to keep their digital content? They’re basically just handing out the pirate hats and eye patches at this point.

It’s really been whiplash inducing to go from reading about how Microsoft was going to dominate gaming because of the Activision buyout to reading about how Microsoft is going to be the next Sega and are possibly exiting the console market. And it all happened in the span of a few months.

Yes, because console wars. A lot of people that bought into the Xbox brand are angry Microsoft is “giving up” and “disgracing” developers by putting their games on PlayStation. It doesn’t help that without a clear statement from Microsoft people are free to speculate that Microsoft is going to be the next Sega and Phil Spencer is going to personally come to their house and destroy their Xbox.

More seriously, there is some genuine concern about what will happen to the digital libraries of people who bought into the Xbox eco-system if Xbox stops being a thing. Or what will happen if the AAA game market comes down to Sony and Nintendo. But there are a lot of people angry their favorite mega-corporation “lost” even though we have no idea what Microsoft’s actual plans are.

Basically. The main rumor is that Starfield, the new Indiana Jones game, and all of their other first-party exclusives are going to be coming to PS5 and Microsoft is giving up on the idea of console exclusivity. Not sure what that means for Xbox in the long-term, but it is going to be an interesting week.

Well, that’s certainly not going to reassure Xbox fans. Just seems like they’re waiting for things to die down before confirming the rumors. It will be interesting to see how that goes. If they start treating PlayStation the way Sony treats PC in terms of releases then I could maybe see the Xbox consoles staying afloat as a Gamepass box. I’ve seen speculation that they’ll pull out of the console market entirely, but I just can’t see Gamepass coming to the PS5 or Switch especially since Sony has been trying to build up their own answer to Gamepass with their PS plus tiers. Then again stranger things have happened. If they do decide to become the next Sega it’s going to be surreal watching Halo and Gears of War show up on PlayStation.

Honestly, I’m curious to see if this rumor turns out to be true. If it does then I’m not really sure what that means for Xbox in the long-term. Putting just Starfield out on PS5 is one thing, but it sounds like they are thinking of putting most if not all of their first-party games on other platforms. If you’re releasing your first-party games on other consoles then what exactly is the point of the Xbox? Is it just going to become a Game Pass box or are they planning on pulling out of the hardware business entirely like Sega?

Finally got around to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, so I’ve been making my way through that. Enjoying the turn-based RPG game-play a lot more than I was expecting. Focused on the main story right now, but the side-content I’ve dabbled in has been pretty fun. Feels like one of those games I’m going to be chipping away at for a while.

I’ve also been playing Dread Delusion and absolutely loving it. I don’t tend to pick up Early Access games, but hearing it described as a “Morrowind-like” RPG caught my interest and it is the perfect way to describe the game. It really captures that feeling of playing Morrowind for the first time, of being a nobody in a strange land. The game doesn’t even give you a map when you start out. You have to get by on directions and landmarks until you complete the side quest that gives you a map. And even then you have to fill it out as you explore the world. More than that, it’s that sense that you never really know what you’re going to encounter around the next corner. You can wander into a town looking for your contact to continue the main quest only to end up accepting a quest from the atheistic Inquisition to help them hunt down a rogue god and their followers.

Like I said it’s still Early Access so it is a little rough around the edges. There’s more than a handful of bugs and the combat is…fine, but not much else. Then again there’s such a focus on sneaking, talking, and magicing your way around problems that that might be intentional. Still, what I’ve played so far has got me excited for when the finished product releases.

Sony finally remembered that Bloodborne existed at the worst possible time. Still, at least the game isn’t being outright canceled and judging from the Micolash redesign, it looks like the creator is making the best of it. I do wonder if there’s a possibility the creator could sell the game now, since it’s now a legally distinct gothic kart racing game and not a Bloodborne fan game.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I’ve been meaning to get to it for a while. Still early on in the game when it’s still introducing new mechanics, but I’m enjoying it so far. I was kind of skeptical if I’d enjoy a turn-based RPG Yakuza game as much as I’d enjoyed the previous ones, but the combat is winning me over. Being able to summon a flock of pigeons to peck enemies unconsciously certainly helped.

Painful for who? I highly doubt any of the CEOs and investors interviewed are going to suffer all that much compared to the artists, programmers, and other employees that are going to be laid off because their company wants to be leaner, more dynamic, or whatever the latest buzzword is.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see someone actually brainstorm solutions to these problems rather than just telling people to get mad. It’s a long shot but a legal win in any major market could see business practices start to change. Like when the EU revamped its privacy laws and suddenly every website gives you the option to reject some of their tracking cookies. Or whatever the impact of China’s new regulations on spending in games actually ends up being. It’s worth the effort at the very least.

Cautiously optimistic that this will be good. I appreciate they are at least trying to make combat seem more in-depth than just hacking away at enemy’s with a sword. Hopefully the game lives up to that promise. It’s a shame we’re not getting a proper third Pillars game, but at least we’re getting something else set in the that world.

Saw the headline, wondered what had happened, and then saw that they were owned by Embracer. It’s a shame to see them go. Gothic has been on my list of series to try for a while now and the Elex games looked interesting.

While it’s better than nothing, and I understand why they made the choice, it’s still disappointing it’s a settlement and not going to trial. Oh well. Just have to wait and see what happens with the other lawsuits he’s tangled up in.

Honestly, the fact that Gameshark is coming back feels like a bigger surprise than the fact that we might be getting a Switch successor this year.

Disappointing, but not surprising. I know I’m not going to “learn” a language with Duolingo, but it’s been nice recognizing a few words and phrases when I hear them. But I don’t really trust that a bunch of overworked and underpaid contractors are going to catch every error using AI is going to introduce. At least there are already alternatives in this thread for me to look through.