Games with Gold....

Calico a game about a cat café, a sim in all aspects from café(furniture/decor/food) to townsfolk relationships. For me this game isn't appealing; one to claim but can't see myself playing.

ScourgeBringer a fast-paced 'roguelite' platformer. Despite my liking of games like this, they either sink or swim on actually getting to play them; So the proof is in the pudding as they say. One to claim and try. Plus the soundtrack is good.

Saint’s Row 2. I've never been fully into a Saint's Row game since the first one(while waiting for the next GTA at the time). There's been a lot of off the wall versions since. SR2 seems to still bridge the gap of serious GTA action and fun without being too far out there. All that said it's a game I've already claimed(July 2020) and still not played so, I guess I was right.

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine. Another game that was given away years ago. Another one I've previously claimed and not played(Sept 2014).... Best described as a 2d sarcastic comedy version of payday 2; Best in co-op...... Just not a game for me.

Between games being given away for free and games claimable like these it's becoming harder to sink time and effort into games I don't choose. The choice of too many is a real problem. Way more extreme today than a magazine disk crammed with demos which I'd spend time on back in the day. Too much of a good thing now perhaps; And one making me choose and discard full and free games more casually without playing them. Then again if I spent time on every free game I'd do nothing else.....

There was some info going around the interwebs that the 360 games were leaving the Games with Gold as freebies; I can only hope that this both improves the quality of games that are given for free as well as their playability. As much as I may say I'll claim and not play the variety offered is wide and surprise titles/game-play is nice when it happens.

Star Trek Online....

Since last time I posted; this last week or so has seen patches and patches to fix problems coming from the patches. It's all good in the end. Events have ended on Xbox(Iuppiter Iratus) and started on PC(Red Alerts and Phoenix Prize packs); All the while the summer event is ongoing on both. 

I've cut back my daily activities on Risa for the event, not all but a good few and still doing the daily for the Dil reward. With the event store and the Phoenix event available I've taken all my characters to both stores to make sure they 'have all they need'... Work for idle hands an all. Which has gotten out of control to the point of getting pets(mainly Caracals) the match the alt....

Which also means I've done enough to claim the summer events reward ship. A ship in practice that's more divisive than I thought it would be. Still not as many players in space in the ship on claim day...

Not from what I've seen; Nor many of them about in general. However seeing it in action I'm more conflicted about the ship than I thought I would be. 

When viewed from a distance the new ship model seems to appear as a frame rather than a full ship... I'm sure that'll get patched.

The Cnidarian Defender; In non jelly fish mode it's not as bad as I thought, as it still has some maneuverability(more than I thought it would have). I'm conflicted because I want to say that any other ship would be better than it for any kind of general/casual player over it; But as niche as it is ... It's still 'decent'. Saying not to choose it is unfair. But I'm still left wondering why fly it over any other with the same number of console slots..... Obvious answer is it's specific console mode.

In jellyfish mode(Cnidarian Defense) it is as niche as I thought it would be; Which in practice means you need to know when to activate it. In that mode it does do massive damage. So much so I've named my(PC) mains version of the ship AFK.DND. Seeing it in action it boggles my mind on how such a ship has actually gotten into the game. A ship with a mode that doesn't need a player to do anything.... 

Free may be free but again, any cheap ship(like really cheap) off the exchange should be a better ship to fly in general for the majority of players. Niche is niche. You can still fly the ship with effective use in 'normal mode' but I think a player would get more(speed, utility, effectiveness, less time wasted) from any other ship.

Time will tell how this ship fairs with longterm useage.... I think it will peter out leaving only a handful of top end min/max players using it.

Counterpoint was a very interesting TFO to play with another player in group who was also in the new ship; We both took jelly form on the opposing stations(then both in jelly mode for the end fight). Timings worked well and it was a quick TFO. One TFO run to rule them all.... 

Other TFO's proved that players were just popping jelly mode whenever just because(then be on cooldown for the 'boss' fights or other opportunities where it would have been of better use). 

It's a fun ship in situations but unless you use it well and don't waste the jelly mode on small out of the way trash it does makes TFO's quicker.... It's just niche.

That said there are some great TFOs and patrols where you can sit in one spot, activate the jelly mode and just let the auto DPS do it's work.....  Great for certain endeavours etc.

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Even with a shít fit from the bottom of the inventory and in non jelly mode it's not that bad. 

I've tried to test it as much as I can and it's proved adequate when I've been optimal with it. It's OP in jelly mode and fun; Again when it's in the right situation.... Yet it's so so hard as a player(maybe its just me) to do nothing while in jelly mode...... The rotation muscle memory is strong and I kept clicking on buttons/abilities to make myself 'feel' useful even if the abilities do noting to help. I'm sure there are many players who have worked out what does and does not help and have optimized that angle of game-play.

Maybe there's a fit and optimization that allows the Jelly more to be activated sooner form the default cooldown(that would be interesting).

In a patrol, with my sheeeet fit from the bottom of my inventory in an optimal jelly mode position it hit up to over 150k DPS. That as a casual player is great.... It's OP for what it is and what it does.  For players in general... In certain situations.....

Like I said the ship is divisive. Love or loath it, for yourself or how groups see it; It'll be welcomed by groups or shunned....

If I'm constantly bemoaning the casual PUG's that can't DPS marked targets or understand basic TFO's, never mind the tactics(even when the NPC's keep repeating themselves).... Best of luck if they want to fly and try it as their day in day ship; But they would be better off (as would the players they are with, know them or not) if they were in any other ship.... Catch 22 when a player wants to get used to it in action, making the mistakes of the learning process.....

But for me for now I'll keep the ship with the fit it has and wheel it out every now and again just for fun.....

I've not played with the ship on any character on Xbox; I likely never will.

On a completely different note... I've seen some cool fun characters in game, Kudos to them all:

Fights in Tight Spaces....

Still pottering away, still having fun with it. 

That fun was halted by a brick wall of difficulty as the main story progressed. Not the games fault unless you count the RNG nature of it. Maybe I'm just making a lot of bad calls with it. Either way I'm no longer playing the game on a 'normal' difficulty by default, it's all casual suave from here on in(more than before). I can see how a lot of players can take this game super seriously in a hardcore way and make it as difficult for themselves as possible. Each to their own. Difficulty for difficulties sake isn't why I play the game. I'm happy to mix and match. It's fun as long as I'm making some progress. With all that said I've been having more fun with an 'aggressive' deck. 

A Casual Carebear Gamer

PowerWash Simulator....

Getting the chance to play the game via Xbox Ultimate for PC has been an interesting one. A game I thought I'd like and in playing I can say I do; But also glad it's a game I've not bought(yet?). Then again if I thought it was a limited time thing; That I'd not get the most out of it in that time available I'd probably be more concerned about that angle. 

The game is a game that your either gonna be into or not. It's a niche game never mind a niche simulation. Same as House Flipper.

FuturLab

Unlike my wife I was never into House Flipper. PowerWash Sim by comparison is both less work but more detailed in what you do do. Specialist gotta special after all. I have only a passing interest in House Flipper and she the same for PowerWash, so different sides of the same coin. It does make me think what co-op could have been.... But each to their own.

All that waffle aside I'm into it. The bell/ding with each element cleaned is satisfaction embodied. For each ding you get cash for each project big and small you get payed and it adds up. Spending it on new powerwash equipment, cleaning liquids for different surfaces and protective clothing for your character. A positive motivational feedback loop if ever there was one.

FuturLab

Battlefield 1....

In more messing about with past content and YouTube Shorts, I've reedited two of (what I consider) the better videos as 'Shorts'..... Works out surprisingly well....

Back to more basics from PC.

And Mashup 4 of Xbox gamplay

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Exo One....

I'd not seen or heard of the game before glimpsing it on the Xbox app as I was looking to install PowerWash Simulator(which I did). Exo One(also on Steam) from the promo screenshots reminded me of two things; The Flight of the Navigator movie for the ship morphing/flying and a C64 game Cosmic Causeway because a player as a ball trying to avoid stuff isn't common.

Exo One is 'one of those games', that tells you little, leaves a lot to player interpretation and is all about the 'Journey'. I've waffled about games like this when I posted about playing Journey(the game), here and here; And others in the same genre(Abzu, Skye. Alpha Planet, The Artful Escape) that I've grown to give time to. With this game also linking into my liking of Twilight Zone and Outer Limits episodes; Yea a game wide open to a lot of player interpretation and not just for the 'story'. 

Two planets that I liked 'doing':

 Darwin III

 Obias III

A Casual Carebear Gamer

While I played it on PC(Xbox Ultimate gamepass) the achievements are still linked. I'm always interested in the stats. 

10.30% of players completed the game with 6.83% doing it under 3 hours(2 hours and 54 minutes for me.. Taking my time).

There were two 'hard' parts to the game for me. One being a planet(Sojournus XXIII) where you've lost all powers and abilities except one and it's not a fun one to use(nose dive into ground). I'd say a lot of players got peeved at it. I almost did but with persistence I got going and then the game helped me, lightning strikes to allow power to fly; I'm sure it was a game design deliberate choice to move players on. The other is just as awkward as your in actual outer space(Coronides); I could not master the sun aurora glide so had to slow boat as a ball in space....

These things happen. The wanting to know more was motivation enough to keep going.

Even a few days after finishing the game I'm not sure what was really happening and the sequence they were supposed to be in. A Jupiter mission leads to disaster but in your travelling your able to alter actions and save the crew which includes yourself. Or at least I think that's what 'is'. After you and your crew are home your character is a loner when an alien signal is picked up and your given a chance to pilot the 'device' from that signal's data(all very Contact-esque).... So it's like a temporal paradox, you save you by putting yourself in the position to be able to save yourself...... Yea it's all Twilight Zone and Outer Limits territory. You save yourself and the crew but in doing so your still out there..... Bit like the ending of Quantum Leap.

 

I've no issues with the game, the story or the ending. It's supposed to be mysterious.... It's supposed to be about the journey. I really like the graphics and the physics of it all. I'm not sure I'll ever play it again, some things are best left unknown. Hunting for answers may not be the best thing to do with the game.

Divinity Middle-earth Original Shadow Sin 2 of Mordor....

The last two games of my long-term game uninstall reconsideration hit-list..... Two of the harder games to consider, but in the end it makes sense to call it on them.

Divinity: OS2:

It's been a long time since I've been back to the game. It's stayed installed in the hope(ever fading) that I'll get back to it(solo or with a friend). That hasn't happened. I should have learnt by now.

It's a game a player will either love or loath, for one reason or another(or many). For me I'm neither as funny/odd as that may sound. I liked what I saw and I bought an all bells and whistles edition to play. I'd hope I'd get a lot out of it; Liked that the option to play co-op with a friend was there. However he like me found the reality of the game 'meh'. So solo and co-op play pretty much fell at the first hurdle. Maybe it was too much choice, too much game; Maybe it was the top down view that was unsustainable.... A combination of all? Whatever it was it dissuaded me and my friend from playing it.  

Looking back at old posts early on you'd not guess that(like this one). All gung-ho for hundreds of hours of content. Between buying, liking and playing it early on, there were a lot of good updates/patches(here, here, here and here); But it was on a downhill trajectory for me/us. Two years on from this post which was two years on from buying it says it all; And yet I still have the game installed. A game that's been uninstalled and reinstalled as me and my friend attempted to get into it again(we needed something like it to play together) it was worth another try...... But again things haven't happened.... It is what it is, hard to pinpoint and explain the 'meh'. 

If it was going to get played it would have been by now.... Hope springs eternal till the final uninstall, today.

Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor

There's nothing that knocks the wind out of the a players game-play sails than to loose progress due to a 'bug'. It's what happened to my 'go' at the game. When such a bug hit and the main objective marker disappeared never to return. Not knowing it was a bug at the time I went on to do other content which only compounded the loss of progress I was facing.

I tried restarting on a new save a good while ago; But it never felt the same again. As good as the game is my enthusiasm was drained. Especially with a potential prospect of a 'bug' happening again. 

Bug aside it's a good game. It's not flawless but the nemesis system, worg riding and (assassination)take-down's are fun.

A Casual Carebear Gamer

In a wait and see mode to get back into the game, other games have taken precedence in a similar vein of gameplay. Mainly Assassins Creed Origins. A better world with better systems and a better story to get lost in....

Mandragora....

Mandragora, A story driven dark fantasy action RPG. I've only briefly seen this game's promotion material and already it's on my Steam wishlist. It looks the part, the graphics and detailed flow of the animations.... I hope that the combat stands up as well. It reminds me of a side scrolling Souls-esque Deadcell mix. A mix for sure and one that needs to be balanced well. I hope it will be. Definitely on to keep an eye on!

I'm not sure what the deal is with it's past development funding, it seems to have a label with Epic games(mega grant?) on it and it's also got a Kickstarter page.

Main site for it:

https://mandragoragame.com/#home

Official Teaser:

Kickstarter - Announcement Trailer:

Mandragora

But it's looking very, very cool.

Really nice artwork.

Star Trek Online....

Star Trek Online has been eventful the last few weeks and will be for the next couple as well. Tis the summer event season.

Five more days will see the event ship reward be claimable and then dilithium rewards for continuing the daily for the rest of the event. 

The reward ship is a very different ship in how it's used. I've not seen much talk about it or it's uses so it seems it's either niche niche of a niche and/or not really worth the effort. Early use from those that know seemed to like it and get a lot of DPS out of it; But time will tell when reality hits and everyone can fly it. Probably like everyone else I'll throw a fit on it to play just because.... and see what sticks.

While my main has been doing the bulk of the activities and dailies I've taken my time and messed about with other characters there.

The summer event on Risa is one I enjoy, I'm all for rewards and the summer event is always a good one(overall).  But this year I seem to have been 'more into it'. I've been doing more activities more often as time allows than in previous years. So I've more than enough of the event currency, bought all I need/want, given plenty to my wife, splurged on my alts etc.

Of those alts I've taken a few to activities just 'mix things up'. Including a garland garbed gorn....

I'm not sure why I'm 'into' doing more this year but I am. From sandcastles to raising birds(as pets not mark handins). It's something different to do in game for sure.

I mean even Death seems to be getting in on the action!

Over on the Xbox side it's much more of a 'normal' and 'casual' event. Two events are crossing over time wise so a daily for each. Whatever one is close on Risa for the summer event and a TFO for the Heart of the Storm.

The Summer event on Xbox is the same for both end date and reward claim(not missed any daily in either); But given the ship that it is I can't see even my main messing with it unless it's a massively OP thing. For the Heart of the Storm I'm still doing the daily for the Dil reward. The ground set reward has been claimed. Claimed on each character and for each bridge officer on each character, same as on my PC characters. I find it to be the best ground set I've come across. Mainly because of the lightning storm ability. It's one that makes me giggle and giggle some more when all my officers trigger it at the same time.... It may be OP but it makes me want to play ground missions; I hope it never changes(gets nerfed).

Not to finish on a sour note but it amazes me that an event TFO Iuppiter Iratus(Xbox TFO as the event is ongoing); That has been in game for some time, still has players that do not know the 'boss tactics'. Let alone the general tactics of what to do in the TFO. Four points to defend alpha, beta, gamma, and the station in the middle. 

But what really grinds my gears..... The 'boss' has 4 shield ships that shield the boss, these need to be killed before the boss takes damage.... But when groups don't shoot the shield ships and apply all their cool-down abilities on a boss that's not taking damage. Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!

I know casual is casual but the large markers, the objective text and the NPC voice saying kill the shield ships.... That are ignored. It's just annoying. It wastes time for all involved. 

Never mind groups that don't kill the shield ships, do't target the boss and run off chasing mobs that don't matter. 

Or those that just go AFK at the end....

I guess I'm petty, in one run I was the only player killing the shield ships till the 3rd appearance of the boss... When I didn't kill the ships and the group went bananas with voice and text expletives about the group, the boss, not doing DPS. It was a shítshow of interaction. Both comical and sad.

It's funny(not haha funny) as the TFO is not hard. On the last appearance of the boss, if the shield ships are not killed after a certain amount of time, the TFO seems to remove any remaining anyway so the boss can be 'killed'. The TFO can't be failed but some players just make it so hard to win.  

Anyway that's off my chest... It's not everyone's fault. There are good players out there as well as snobby elites and ignorant casuals.... I'm not sure where I fit in that scale. Casual with a side of snobby elite at times.

Anyway that's enough waffle from me.

Have a good weekend!

Overcrowd Poly Bridge 2....

Overcrowd A Commute 'Em Up

A self described 2.5D management/tycoon/simulator; All that's no lie. It is what it says it is.

For me it's got the looks of a tycoon game, but with a better 'cute' factor. It's that 'cute' factor that hides how much of a simulation it really is. Hide or belies are too strong of words yet the simulation takes away from the fun of it. It's all in a players perspective and for me the 'cute' gives the impression of fun that just isn't there in the gameplay(again a me thing that I'm waffling here to understand). Too much simulation than what I'd expected. I think what I said previously(post when I bought it) it still valid and true. 

Another game I hung onto to see if more gameplay and value/fun could be had. Even today after it's received patches/updates etc it's just still not a game for me.

Sandbox mode can be as open and generous or as restrictive as you want. A mode that will scratch every itch a fan of the game could have. The game is good, there may be some animation glitchiness but nothing I'd complain over(nothing that stops game-play).

It's not that the game does't help you to play it(like being able to automate certain tasks); like staff work rotas and break schedules. I'm usually into micromanagement but this game doesn't 'do it for me' with the fun I need to make it through. Yet I can't say the game hasn't got soul. It does. But the fact that it has so much simulation kills the fun for me at almost every turn. Again it's a me thing and I've tried again and again to 'get into it'. At this stage it 'feels' like I'm missing something....

What it boils down to is that I'm looking for a game that's a cross between this and Mini Metro. Hands on without being overly complex in a hop-in intuitive way.

Overcrowd has elements that are great. The animations(most of them), sounds and music; The 2.5D looks are as I said cute. Super cute in places. 

But the more I try to play the more the game drains my soul. It's just not a game for me. I'm glad to have tried it; Glad I got it at a sale price and still helped a dev duo. I'm sure it's a game that will receive a lot more love from them and the community that're 'into it'; But after a year and a half I think I now know that it's not going to change into a game I can play. 

Polybridge 2

In the last post I did on the game I ended with the line:

"As you can probably tell I'm in a game de-cluttering mode. If I was into this game I'd have at least been back to it once a week.... That hasn't happened. If I get back to it I get back to it..... Somewhere down the line." 

I am now well and truly down the line and it(gameplay) hasn't happened. It's been a year and a half since then(my first post here) and still the game hasn't been played.... Maybe two or three times since; Not enough to justify it's installed statues. Not that it's a large install of a game, so even if it's uninstalled and I wanted to play it could be done in a blink of an eye.

I click on a world/zone/land and start to go through the bridge problems and things start to fade, theres no motivation for me. I guess that means the brdge problems are not enough and the cute animations aren't enough either. As I say it's a me thing. As good as the game is if I was 'into it' I'd be playing it more. Some games are like that with me, some not so much(like here).