I did a short guest spot in this @AGH video about "OH HELL NO" moments in #adventuregames. My pick might surprise you because it's from a game I actually love and adore... Gabriel Knight 2.
Call it nostalgia, but the moment video games on consoles couldn't launch and be played as quickly as the machine could load them, they went astray.
Consoles were pretty much always proprietary computers, but the tradeoff was that they were dedicated to playing games, removing complexities to get you to playing ASAP.
Adding in online updates and license checks, and subscriptions for online play? You're getting closer to being any other device, or worse.
Plus it does well to remember that part of how Nintendo brought back the console market from its downturn was its seal of quality across games for its system.
With online updates even on console games, any sort of quality assurance for being on a console might as well be tossed out. That undercuts what could still be a big selling point for consoles.
Classic convenience plus games Just Working™. But money and its momentum don't care about that.
Hear ye, hear ye! 📯 Baladins will release on May 15th on PC!
A joly adventure for friends en family!
Gather your team of up to 4 (local or online co-op) and traverse the four regions of Gatherac on your journey to appease Colobra, the time-eating dragon who's awoken from its deep slumber.
I wouldn't recommend it at the moment, but maybe the game is totally for you? I spent two hours with it and tried my hand at editing it down to something more watchable.
Last repost is of music from a defunct(?) Half-Life 2 mod called Neotokyo. It was a multiplayer shooter mod that drew heavily from cyberpunk aesthetics, specifically from Japanese cyberpunk aesthetics as seen in anime like Ghost in the Shell.
It had a notable level of aesthetic quality to it that set it apart when it came out, & honestly I'd love to read more on how the team coordinated it all.
Gamers were so focused on Xbox vs PlayStation, they didn't notice that little ole Steam coming in as the future king of the gaming industry. Both Microsoft and Sony are now focusing on being publishers for PC, while Valve focuses on hardware.