Saturday Morning Gaming: Digging In The Back Catalog
I admit that I buy more games than I play. Sometimes it’s just something that one does in order to lie to oneself about the future. “Hey. We’ll have a relaxing day. Tomorrow, maybe. Maybe this coming weekend. And we’re going to play this game. And we’re going to be happy.” Spending a few bucks on a game can be a mild form of self-care, in that case. I’ve heard that there are people who do that sort of thing with books.
However, sometimes you find yourself in a global pandemic and you think “Maybe I should actually play one of those games?”
And so I have started playing Hand of Fate and Ruiner. Seriously, this time.
Hand of Fate was a game I picked up in 2015 and it got rave reviews and I played it for a couple of hours and then moved on. Well, having picked up a controller between then and now and, jeez louise, this game is awesome.
The voice actor for The Bad Guy is out of this world. The gameplay of randomizing each dungeon based on cards that *YOU* pick beforehand is brilliant and makes the game exceptionally replayable. The map part of the game where you move your token around on the board is exceptionally fun. The combat? Meh. The combat is what the combat is, I guess. Something to endure before you get back to the good part of the game.
Here is the trailer:
It’s a pity that the voice actor for The Bad Guy isn’t featured in the trailer because he makes the game. He comments on your level as you open it up and explore, critiques how you’re playing (“I made that card too powerful… I will have to rebalance it next time.”), and insults you occasionally. I laugh out loud about once per level.
There is, apparently, a sequel to the game as well that has improved things. I dunno. I haven’t played it yet. Tomorrow, maybe. Maybe this coming weekend.
Ruiner is a game that also got lauded back in 2017. An action twin-stick shooter that has you running around and shooting people in a Cyberpunk future (or, you know, hitting them with a pipe). There are multiple skills for you to learn (RPG elements!) and tons of different kinds of weapons and they even hung a story on it. You’ve just been hacked to attack a cyberpunk corporation and your adventures in that building provide a tutorial for your skills… how to fight, how to shoot, how to dash, how to use an energy shield, how to switch weapons… you name it. The level ends and you find that you are really, really ticked off about being hacked.
And at that point the game starts in earnest. There is a *LOT* of violence in this one. Like, I said “oooh, brutal” a couple of times. If you’ve been looking for a twin-stick shooter with RPG elements set in a cyberpunk future that happens to have a lot of violence? You should at least check out the trailer:
I keep finding myself thinking “I should have gotten a controller years ago…”
So… what are you playing?
(Featured image is “So many books” by nichellestephens is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
I’ve been playing a ton of “Oxygen Not Included” the past couple of weeks. I tend to shepherd a colony along until something difficult to fix happens–and it could be anything from “inconvenient” to “catastrophic”–and I’ll abandon the colony and start over. This time I’m trying for the “One year, to be exact” achievement, which is to reach cycle 365.25 with at least one dupe alive. I’m about a third of the way there and I don’t think I’m producing enough food, but otherwise the colony is stable–I’ve got plenty of algae for oxygen production, plenty of coal for electricity, and solid methods for dealing with unbreathable gasses and disease. My biggest issue is this particular asteroid seems to have been generated with no other power generating source BUT coal, and all the nearby vents I’ve found are dubiously useful or downright deadly (I found a damn volcano in the next biome over, dammit!).
We’ll see how it goes. I need to give my dupes a couple of cycles without any major overhaul projects so they can settle in a bit, and then I’m going to have to address the food issue…Report
Okay… I need some “gaming” help.
We want to outfit the kids with a Nintendo Switch. There are three kids.
We have a Nintendo Switch console thingy which came with one controller set. One of the kids already has a Nintendo Switch Lite.
Is the Lite compatible with the Full Console? If we want all three of them to play together, I assume we need three controllers. There ARE games for more than two players, right? I mean, four-player Mario Kart existed 25 years ago! It still exists today, right?
Do I not have enough stuff? Too much? Is a “lite” and a full console redundant? How do video games work?
In terms of software, I was thinking of getting Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, and Minecraft. The kids are 6, 8, and 14. Will that keep them busy or the next 10 years??? 10 minutes???
GAMERS, HELP!!!Report
Okay. You’ve got the switch hooked up to the tv. You have one controller set already. For Mario Kart 8, you split up the controllers and give them to two of the kids.
If you have a second controller set with the switch lite, I *BELIEVE* you can just take that controller set and (TURN THE SWITCH LITE OFF FIRST) and sync the controllers with the switch attached to the tv.
Now you’ve got 4 controllers that you can use for Mario Kart 8.
I do not know if you need to resync with the Switch Lite when you go back to the Switch Lite.
I also recommend Super Smash Brothers for chaotic multiplayer.
I *LOVED* the Mario Parties but those might be games that are perfect for kids who are 6, 8, and 40 instead of 6, 8, and 14.Report
They only need one half of the controller for MK? WHY ARE THERE HALF CONTROLLERS?!?!? WHAT WORLD IS THIS?!?!?!
What is Mario Parties? There are humans in the house with ages in or near the 40s.Report
Well, a game like Zelda or Mario Odyssey will require both controllers to be used by one player (they have a special controller holder and everything). You require precision and complexity.
For games like Mario Kart, you only need the gas. Well, maybe the brakes. Oooh, items. That blue shell, man.Report
They still make Zeldas?
I think we’ll stick with the 2 controllers (4 half controllers?) we already have on hand and will invest in another if the need arises. THANK YOU! The kids will be very happy… and hopefully VERY occupied.Report
Not only do they still make Zeldas, it might make a fine, fine gift for the 14 year old.
(It’s $60 new but you can pick it up used at Gamestop for cheaper.)Report