So, I’m in good company. cool.
Oddly I find the average shooter far more relaxing than the “figure out the exact timing and detailed build you need to fight boss X, which differs from Y, which differs from Z” strain. “Forget beating them if you just try to waltz in with generic good build and what seem like logical tactics!”
Get a good weapon, learn to use it, move from cover to cover, and aim well and fast. That’s why I didn’t like Doom Eternal, because the same tactics that worked in Doom from the 1990s to 2016 no longer was worth anything.
Another thing is I find the perception interesting. By my count, besides online BF and CoD (because their SP modes are not), almost every other shooter is not what I would call fast paced by any means. They seem to be methodical, perhaps military perhaps not, where you spend more time shooting while still than moving.
Games like Doom and Quake are barely made at all anymore. That’s why the 2016 Doom was such a hit because it was a blast from the past so unlike the previous decade of shooters. Some of them do have BS AI with godlike aim and health, but it’s not too fast paced more just a case of using tactics to counter that vs dodging and jumping everywhere.
1 Like
It was released in April, and I am still having a blast with Helldivers 2.
They added a new enemy faction, so now there‘s
- the Automatons (Terminators, AT-AT, AT-ST, etc…)
- Terminids (Bugs from Starship Troopers)
- the Illuminates (Zombies, War of the Worlds, Independence Day)
It‘s the best coop game. Just so well done. Difficulty level can be chosen freely. Very low amount of toxicity in players. Good pacing, no exhausting grind. Every weapon counts, even the one you start with.
And the music is epic:
4 Likes
The addition of urban environments has been a much needed change and I’m loving it.
2 Likes
Destroying some blue trucks. The last challenge is a lot of fun, and while travelling with 2 trucks, you can usually use one to tip the other back on its feet when it tips over on the uneven rocky ground.
Check this, got all the bonus objectives in the 9th challenge, and both trucks are within a few meters of the destination:
But:
Eventually though:
This is a perfect game for on the road: relaxed, instantly pauseable and resumable and time flies!
4 Likes
Obi and I Have been playing mudrunner all afternoon. Its much more fun now I’m not driving lorries anymore. He’s got a heavy foot.
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Has he found the “crawl gear”? Helps me to drive carefully without any restraint in my “throttle finger”.
In general, I find the challenges to be an excellent tutorial!
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Its not needed. He’s pretty much perfected the art of absolutely GUNNING it until he gets stuck then calling his father to unstick him (which is my favourite part of the game anyway) its a fairly robust system
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I have close to 80 hours now in Stalker 2. This is like the big boy grown up version of the Fallout games. The post apocalyptic world is much darker and scarier!
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One of those New Year resolutions … to weed through my Steam Library and discover which games I intended to play and never did. So I just booted up Flight Level, an ATC sim/game in Early Access, and directed a few flights left to right and reverse… No idea what I’m doing. But back in the 90ies I was quite keen on atc, an ASCII graphics game on … ATC! Maybe I will have the patience to read through all of the info of Flight Level so I can make sense of what this is all about 
Plus side is, it’s running on Mac OS X as well as on Win.
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I’m tired of troubleshooting new releases - I’m looking at your MSFS2024, so I just fire up old and tested classics, Recently PixelWings unearthed a really rare copy of Gunship 2000 - the long lost EGA version. During early 90s Microprose released a VGA and EGA versions separately to save on floppies (that was the case with F-117 and Gunship 2000), earlier games usually had several display modes included in a single package (like F-19 with Hercules/CGA/EGA/MCGA), but F-117 and GS2000 were introducing the full blown VGA graphics with 2d artwork gatting full 256 color treatment (F-15 SE2 had full 256 colors during missions, but the artwork between missions were still 16 color).
So, MPS released separate EGA and VGA versions. Of course the VGA was highly more popular, because at the time many gamers had that graphics adapter in their rigs and wanted the best graphics possible. So EGA became a forgotten gem that at the time even pirates wouldn’t touch, which could ironically increase chances of preserving this game in the future.
The only proof of its existance was a screenshot from it on some old website I found long time ago. Later more screenshots were uploaded to mobygames by a guy who apparently wanted to keep that game to himself. I was looking for it on auction sites for years to no avail, though I saw it once but the shipping costs were 3x more than the game itself and there was no telling if the disks weren’t corrupted (the seller didn’t have a floppy drive to confirm).
So yeah, that’s the story of this long forgotten version. I know it looks worse than the VGA, but somehow I’m able to appreciate its dithered graphics style and marvel at what the programmers were able to do with that limited fixed 16 color palette of EGA board.
Here’s some gameplay, I also linked the PixelWings’ videos in this video description where he provides links for the download if you want to try it yourself. Note that it’s the original non cracked version so you will need GS2000 manual with the GPS codes acting as copy protection to fully enjoy the game.
10 Likes
Thats amazing! I’ve only ever seen the bundled versions as well. Didnt know there was seperate released editions
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I stumbled across Outbrk on Steam. It looked different and I thought I would give it a whirl… basically Twister/Twisters in a game. I have just dabbled with it playing solo, but I am guessing the real fun is with multi-player. The graphics are nothing stellar, but they do the job. The first hour of play, I managed to see one tornado, but I was unable to deploy a sensor package anywhere near close enough to score points. You start off with a basic vehicle, but as you earn money, you can purchase more specialist rides.
It’s on sale right now for $27 in case anyone wants to give it a try.
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Can’t say it is something I would play, but it is nice to see devs doing something different.
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I don’t play a lot of stuff. So the effect of playing something good gets to my head the way smoking a cigar after a year-long hiatus might. Take my effluent enthusiasm with that in mind.
This game, especially the 3rd act in Siam, is the most beautiful, cinematic and lush gaming experience ever for me. It’s not even close. I watch my daughter play the Star Wars: Outlaws and, by comparison, her game looks like Tomb Raider on the PS2. Getting lost in temples is a delight. I don’t care if I never get out. Indy’s and Gina’s corpses will be found with smiles on their faces.
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Gosh you brought back so many core simulation memories with that. Amazing.
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Now have about 128 hours in Stalker 2 and I’m exploring Pripyat before I head on to the next story mission. Pripyat is freaking spooky!
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I signed up for Game Pass a few days ago and Indiana Jones was the first game I downloaded (actually the only game). It’s a very well done. I’m working my way through the Giza section right now. Great game so far with an excellent balance between stealth, action and puzzle solving.
3 Likes