Rebel Galaxy Outlaw....

I'd intended to post this last Friday but when a backup hard drive with 5 terabytes of saved game footage/edits(I'm a data hoarder) decides to die and take all data with it... So an excuse for being 'distracted'..... Seems to be happening a lot lately, drives and data loss/recovery(Xbox & PC's, thumb drives and external hard disks etc).... Thankfully I did get 98% recovered. Tricks of the trade, software, luck and a lot of time.... Some things were lost but not stuff I'd really miss, or couldn't replace from elsewhere.... Just waiting for the next big thing to happen... Has me really paranoid now....

Anyhow.....

My way of playing this game has been different than I'd normally do elsewhere; Less focused on what I want and more going with the flow of the character. Or at least it seems that way. The main character is already developed, backstory that drives/motivates her need for progress in the story, the main reason for the game..... I'm a passenger on this journey while doing other things of interest. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy. Having a wider universe to interact with is coincidental. There's nothing stopping a gamer from doing anything in game; But as a gamer I get more out of it following along. Not that it's a truly narrative on rails kind of game either. At least in my opinion. There's a lot to it in a lot of ways. The game is generous in it's reactions when you do. Most gamers are law abiding, so when the story needs you to 'go up against' the law there are no lasting effects to the 20 ships you just shot. As if it was a random criminal act, like your incognito for that mission. That kind of way. Which works for me. I'm a middle of the road, all options open kind of gamer so no surprise(replay saves in other games are for 'alternative' storyline directions). Of course if you go out of your way to be criminal then you'll be treated as such longterm, but it's not what the game is generally about.

It's down to story/universe immersion as well. It's more a thing for me in this game than I've felt in other genre games. Privateer 2, even with it's FMV and character story wasn't as visceral as I'm finding RGO's immersion. That's not to denigrate the Priv2 experience or other games like it. Priv 2; It's still a great game even showing it's age. A game of it's time but a game that still stands. RGO at least for me also has the Firefly effect. I'm invested with nostalgia for that show via the game now. As I keep saying the game covers a lot of ground genere wise, games and Sci-Fi TV, there's a lot to like.

RGO is the fist game I've played in a long while where I felt an urge to go play a mini game(8-ball/pool)... Spend 30 minutes on a few rounds, win, loose and still want more.....

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Maybe it's the little things of the game that make it more relatable. Like when enemies are piling on the damage and the character reacts just like I'd wtf react. Maybe that's just me in the here and now of my gaming life-cycle. RGO's space combat is still arcadey retro fun (to me), but I can get why it's not everyone's cup of tea. Each to their own. I don't get why a lot of gamers can't let it live alongside other genre games that are more 'simulation'-esque, spewing their disdain in reviews..... Like a bit of game-play give and take would be the worst thing in the world.

The game is getting a lot of 'nuanced' hate dislike that's very gamer specific. That's putting it kindly. There're a lot of biased A.F. haters out there. The few negatively swaying the many in the middle.

I 'just' think the game deserves better.

Then again I'm a blogger waffling away. I do like the simulation side (of some games)as well... I 'get' ETS 2 and Farm Sim but I don't 'get' MS Flight Sim or Train Sim World 2... I guess that makes me a simulation fan but not hardcore.......It's all gamer specific, moods and tastes can change but online reviews seem to last forever with no cleanup, retrospective editing or true player context. At least for my part I have a blog and waffle and update posts and explain views(explain?!?); All of which can be seen over time and looked up with blog tags.....  But then again(again, again) who's gonna really spend time and effort to look up a blog or do some detective homework on a game when there's an easy yes/no, like/dislike quick glance on game reviews/comments etc.

As for my own gameplay even now I'm not sure why I reacted as strongly as I did to upgrading my ship. I guess the fact that my thoughts on a balanced ship being 'unfairly' stomped on got to me. Upgrading again to a 'lighter' but more capable ship has proved better for sure and has for the last while gotten me through tougher situations than I'd have thought possible. I do now 'like'/appreciate the Sandhawk. 

A Casual Carebear Gamer

As a further upgrade I'm eyeing the Coyote with a side of Durston; They are a while away yet. I'm still looking for 'that one' ship that does it all and won't need me to change it again....

Looking down the main quest line I'm at the Durgan fight, the last part of stage III. Only a third the way into the game. I thought I'd done more. Maybe I've done a lot more of my own thing than I'd thought. Trading, pirate hunting etc. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is also not the only game I'm playing. If it was then I'd have completed more, sooner. That adds to the 'illusion' of gamepaly time and progress. Dodge sector, the game world, isn't that big but it's not small either with a lot of variation in between. I think I need more time in game to grow my assets/wealth. Some call that a grind, others immersion. For me, now, it feels best done with a push on the Bountiful Vista Questline to open things up. Options, more options are always good. Doing that quest line will clue me in better to the broader game. Once that's well in hand the main questline should be easier. Addin in the Buddy and Friend Questlines will add to the mix.