Wasn't that like, 2 years ago? Isn't it possible that his health situation has changed since then?

Breaking the "show, don't tell" rule. In a similar vein, exposition dumps bug me.

No Man's Sky had a couple for me. The first time I summoned my freighter from a planet was pretty incredible

Isn't that just in the new difficulty?

It's the same with Nord. I have to pause my VPN any time I want to access Fextralife wikis

Sometimes it's just about ease of access. I'm happy to pay for games but it's often harder to track down legal copies of retro or delisted games than it is to find a torrent.

And a number of the files you find on torrent sites were uploaded by someone who bought the content legally. Torrenting is just peer-to-peer file sharing, someone has to acquire the first copy somehow

Isn't this the point of the OP, to get info from a few people who actually are doing the hobby?

Oh God I hope award speech edits don't make it over here

The monkey's paw curls. Your sweat is forever sealed within the shoes.

Somewhat related: kids that are clearly written by someone who has never spoken to a child in their life

Someone has to fight the good fight

In AC: Odyssey it gave you the option to outright skip the modern day sections

I hit a couple walls like that but I had fun with this game. I appreciate that it encouraged me to rework my build to fit the mission or encounter.

In the souls series and the like, you're encouraged (and somewhat forced) to pick a build and commit to it. Gear is expensive to upgrade, many of the best weapons have high stat requirements, and respecs are limited.

With Armored Core I felt like they wanted me to constantly rebuild my mech. They're pretty generous with the currency so I was able to build up a huge stock of parts without much trouble. They also give the option to rework your mech whenever you die. If a boss gave me trouble I could usually pivot without restarting the whole mission

With how terrible the monetization practices in Destiny already are, I honestly don't know if Sony taking over would be a bad thing

Now she just has to figure out how to speak...

Agreed, the paper-like screen is non-negotiable for me.

Anyone else grow up hearing about that one crazy, estranged aunt/uncle who cut ties with the family years prior, only to eventually understand, then become them?

My version of this is the dodge roll, I just think they look so dumb. Especially with characters wearing heavy armor or backpacks, or when you have to chain multiple rolls back to back. I just can't help but think of that video of Solaire cosplayer rolling around people at comicon

I much prefer the look of the sidestep from Bloodborne

Great list! The only thing I'd add is to check with your credit card company if you plan to use it abroad. Some require you to notify them if you're traveling, otherwise they may flag your transactions as fraud and deny them.

So many great ones in this trilogy.

Ride out with me.

and

a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!

get me every time.

Some people credit Bethesda and the horse armor DLC as the progenitor of the shitty DLCs and micro transactions we see in the gaming industry today

I would even say NMS is a good example of this sentiment. The game has been good for years now and has had tons of free updates. There's a lot of people out there who just don't care and you can see this in forums whenever the game makes news. People still show up to decry the game for how terrible the release was.

Public sentiment on the game and the studio is still pretty mixed

I think it comes down to different approaches to writing. One is to only keep what's absolutely necessary to the plot. Done well, this can result in a tight narrative, but done poorly it can be way too predictable.

Another is to add little details that, while not necessary to the plot, may make the world/characters feel more real. Done well you can get some believably human characters, but done poorly it just feels bloated.

I think it's more the miscommunication trope, which is kind of a sub-trope of the idiot plot

And you are young and life is long

And there is time to kill today

And then one day you find

Ten years have got behind you

No one told you when to run

You missed the starting gun

Pink Floyd, Time

In my experience, most multiplayer games launch pretty casual/relaxed. I'd guess the sweat level will increase if the game has staying power.

I started helping a friend with his first playthrough of Elden Ring and I've been completely sucked back in. I've got a couple new characters going now

Outer Wilds is spectacular and I'd recommend that game to just about anyone.

My only recommendation to anyone interested: spoilers can completely ruin this game so try to do it blind if you can.

And don't confuse it with The Outer Worlds, totally different games.

I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan is one of my go-tos. Just over 3 minutes, basically all singing, and it's just verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus

It really does look like they're putting in the work and I'm excited to check it out. I'm just waiting to hear that the performance has been ironed out to pick it up.

My partner and I got an espresso machine earlier this year. It's great, I haven't gone out for a cup of coffee in months now

This + the occasional LAN party with the boys has gotten me through just about anything

Hot or cold?

It's not that I'm surprised. Personally, it's that I felt the procedurally generated content in Skyrim and Fallout 4 was their weakest aspect. The quality, hand crafted content is why I enjoy their games.

I've been skeptical of this one since they announced the whole 1000 planets thing. I'm checking up on reviews and waiting for the general public to get their hands on it cause I just don't really trust that they can make quality procedurally generated content.

https://aftermath.site/i-hate-double-jump

Here's the counter article, both are pretty fun reads

If it's World 2 I'm gonna lose my mind

It's pretty awful but it's always the first search result for anything souls related. It's bearable with an adblocker though

I loved the game but totally agree on the EMMI sections, I just didn't enjoy those and they're all basically the same.

I could see that. I loved playing them as a kid, but I never really enjoyed the tailing missions. I think they could take some inspiration from the Hitman series. I always thought that series had the assassin gameplay nailed better than AC.

https://youtu.be/KCzwyFHSMdY?si=m4j93JsM1SqEHx5X

I think this one speaks for itself.