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Destruction AllStars - Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Destruction AllStars
Platforms:
Trailers:
Developer: Luicid Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 69 average - 35% recommended - 18 reviews

Critic Reviews

Ars Technica - Sam Machkovech - Unscored
The good outweighs the bad. Get a PlayStation Plus trial and give this imperfect car-combat gem a spin.
Chicas Gamers - Estela Villa - Spanish - Unscored
Destruction AllStars is a destruction derby with frenetic gameplay and a good foundation for future growth. If you like the style of play, it will give you hours and hours of fun and we hope that over time more game modes will come. A novel bet by Lucid Games that with time could become the next Rocket League.
Critical Hit - Darryn Bonthuys - 7.5 / 10
Destruction AllStars is both new and familiar, but it's a refreshing collection of cars, modes, and madcap driving that shows great promise for the future. A mental destruction derby with some admittedly annoying quirks, there's plenty of charm under the hood of this game that respects your time and smashes into the competition with a gung-ho attitude and some novel ideas.
Daily Star - Tom Hutchison - 4 / 5 stars
Destruction AllStars is a brilliant new addition to the PS5 roster and will brighten up dull February with some colourful car-smashing fun.
DualShockers - Peter Szpytek - 7.5 / 10
Destruction AllStars made me feel like a kid playing with Hot Wheels, it's just a shame how often it falls off the tracks.
Eurogamer - Wesley Yin-Poole - No Recommendation / Blank
In desperate need of depth and content, Destruction AllStars is at least a fun whiz around the corner.
Explosion Network - Dylan Blight - 7 / 10
Hopefully, there's an injection of skins and other items to chase over the next month, and it'll be able to sustain a long-term player base. I'd love to be part of that group as I'm enjoying smashing into cars like never before, but the game needs a better progression system.
Game Informer - Jeff Cork - 8 / 10
Destruction AllStars' frantic blend of bumper-car and on-foot action offers plenty of short-term fun, but the thrills are less thrilling after a few hours
GameCrate - Angelo D'Argenio - 9 / 10
Destruction AllStars may not be a killer app that sells you on a PS5, but anyone who owns a PS5 will be happy to add it to their library. It is definitely one of the best perks of owning a PS5 yet.
GamePro - Hannes Rossow - German - 78 / 100
Destruction AllStars offers innovative multiplayer action without interruptions, but monetization stands in the way of the game itself.
Hobby Consolas - Daniel Quesada - Spanish - 75 / 100
This new PS5 exclusive offers some amusing ideas while taking advantage of the superior hardware, but it's too shallow in content and uses some greedy strategies. Future updates could change the situation, though.
Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 5 / 10
A fun, uncomplicated romp that's a great way to relax for 20 minutes or so. Beyond that though it struggles to entertain, especially given the grubby approach to microtransactions.
PPE.pl - Matthew Sparrow - Polish - 5.5 / 10
Lucid Games didn't take care of immersive modes or extensive vehicle controls, which creeps into the monotony. The visuals itself will not be the title on the pedestal.
PlayStation Universe - Joe Apsey - 5 / 10
Destruction AllStars is a clunky mess of a multiplayer experience, committing a few cardinal sins when it comes to its online experience and offering uninteresting and dull gameplay most of the time. Each character feels unique and their abilities and vehicles are fun to use, but when meshed with the rest of the experience, it doesn't work. Predatory microtransactions, a lack of lore and backstory into the AllStars, and poor single-player offerings make this the weakest PlayStation Studios title in a long time.
Push Square - Stephen Tailby - 6 / 10
Destruction AllStars can be a brilliantly frantic multiplayer game, with fun characters and cars, great DualSense feedback, and entertaining modes. However, it can ring a little hollow at times when the action dips. Lacklustre customisation options and mictrotransaction-locked content doesn't help matters, but when everything is playing out smoothly, this is more than capable of giving you a good time. Currently free to PS Plus members, it's well worth taking for a spin.
Shacknews - TJ Denzer - 8 / 10
As far as gameshow/sporting event-style games go, Destruction AllStars is maybe some of the most fun I’ve had in a while. I love the pageantry when a match starts and my character does their intro before kicking things off. The visuals are smooth and pristine throughout the fast-paced action and the gameplay in different modes is absolutely delightful. I would like the foot game to be boosted a bit, and it desperately needs some better cosmetics and an easy-access Mute All function, but there’s an absolutely enthralling foundation here in Destruction AllStars. I want to see more characters, more arenas, events… I want to see where Destruction AllStars goes in the long run and I’ll be happy to keep playing as we work our way there.
TheGamer - Sam Watanuki - 2 / 5 stars
I wanted to love Destruction AllStars. I still do. There’s just not enough there to make it worth my while right now. A couple of times, I ran into a weird technical issue where I would jump into a brand-new car, but it just wouldn’t move. I think that issues like this can certainly be fixed in a future patch, though. I also know that the development team of Lucid Games has a year’s-worth of content planned for the game. As such, although I can’t recommend playing Destruction AllStars right now, I do have high hopes for the future of the game. Especially since the car combat genre is ripe for the taking with no new Twisted Metal in sight.
TheSixthAxis - Jim Hargreaves - 6 / 10
The car combat genre has long been out of fashion and still has a way to go if it wants to take us back to its glory days of the 1990s. Destruction AllStars is a mostly satisfying modernisation that has some neat ideas and looks fantastic, though ultimately spins its tyres on repetitive rival-wrecking gameplay and a lack of truly worthwhile content at launch.
Use a Potion - Daryl Leach - 8 / 10
Destruction AllStars’ chaotic vehicular-based combat makes for an exhilarating (and surprisingly strategic) experience that I’ve had a blast playing – I just hope that it gets enough post-launch content and support to keep players coming back for more.
As it stands though, it’s certainly a heck of a lot of fun to play. Sure, there’s some inconsistencies in its scoring here and there and the arenas themselves lack imaginative flair, but between its colourful cast, it’s satisfyingly destructive driving, and its slick visuals, there really is a whole lot to like about Destruction AllStars frantic showdowns.
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Broken Love

I was eight years old when my best friend’s mother ruined the words “I love you.”
She was a single mother, just like my mom. Her daughter, Bethany Florence, was in my third grade class. We lived in a place most people would dub the Middle of Nowhere. Growing up in small town America has its drawbacks and perks just like anywhere else. My childhood was full of freedoms that kids in the cities or even most suburbs could only imagine - we ran freely for miles through partially cultivated farmlands, and we even got to drive the occasional golf cart or ATV well before we hit licensable age. That said, social politics could be brutal. Bethany’s mom held Power. If you’ve ever lived in a town beholden to the grace and beneficence of a particular citizen, then you know exactly what I mean. Bethany’s mom could do no wrong. Or, rather, even if she did, she didn’t.
My mom never liked Ms. Kay Florence. She asked me all the time who else was in my grade at school and who else I’d like to make plans with over the weekend. But I was at that BFFs stage where I mainly just wanted to hang out with my one Best Friend. Plus, not that I would ever have admitted this, maintaining BFF status with Bethany was good for my popularity at school. Even the kids knew her mom had clout. We’d seen in in action, muffled but visible, when she got Mr. Wallace fired last year over something WE all knew was dumb, but that Bethany told her mother was not. Bethany didn’t like him, so her mom made him go away. Obviously there’s a bit more to that story, but the gist is that there are some people you don’t mess with, and in my town, the Florences were those people.
I kept wanting to sleep over at Bethany’s house and my mom kept on making excuses why I couldn’t go that weekend - a birthday party for my Nana, going apple-picking with my cousins visiting from Miami, I “sprained my ankle” (it was only, like, at MOST only a tiny bit sore by then!) - but eventually I flat out asked her, “Are you going to let me sleep over at Bethany’s EVER?”
My mom looked worried then, and my guess is she thought I might say something of the sort to Bethany who would say something to her mom. (Bethany had a blabbermouth reputation, but keep in mind, the girl was only eight years old and didn’t have the greatest role models.)
“Okay, fine,” my mom finally relented. “You can go.”
I could tell she wasn’t too happy about it, but I figured that had something to do with my friend’s mom being kind of weirdly powerful and my mom being weirdly anxious, which she was about a lot of things. Being a single mom can’t be easy, and we were on the run from my dad a few times during the early years of their divorce before he finally got locked up. I think that would do a number on anybody’s nerves.
On the day of the sleepover my mom dropped me off and kissed me goodnight. “I love you!” she said.
“I love you too, Mom!” I called over my shoulder as I bounced up the steps to Bethany’s front door.
We always said “I love you,” my mom and I. Always. At night, in the morning, before and after school, even sometimes when either of us would just leave the room. That’s why what happened next was especially sad.
“Welcome, Marta!” Bethany’s mom waved me inside. Bethany stood behind her, holding a giant plastic Tupperware of games and toys under one arm and a glass of some light-colored beverage in the other. “See you soon, Ms. Danes!” my friend’s mother called to my mom.
I eagerly allowed myself to be led deep into the house to the most fabulous playroom I’ve ever seen. The stuff in Bethany’s Tupperware box was only the beginning. Every game or toy or arts and crafts supply you could ever want - it was all in that room.
“Marta?” Ms. Florence tapped me on the shoulder. “Come with me, I’ll show you where to put your bag.”
I followed her dutifully, not questioning the winding, indirect path we took to the room where I’d put my things, nor Ms. Florence’s longwinded, rambling talk about random things that went on and on and on. Truthfully I don’t even remember most of it. All I remember was that her breath smelled funny and grew increasingly agitated during our “talk.” She ended with a lesson for me about what “I love you” REALLY means, and warned me not to trust anyone who says it - especially not someone who says it often. If anyone tells me otherwise, I would do well to remember that “I love you” is a phrase of manipulation and deception. Nobody REALLY means it - least of all prospective romantic partners, but not even blood relatives. No human being is capable of love, she told me. Nobody at all.
She seemed angry and sort of hostile as she spoke. Her hands shook slightly. I felt afraid then. Something was wrong with her. Was she drunk? I’d only ever seen one other grownup act this way and it was my dad. I hadn’t seen him in years by this point, however, so I couldn’t be too sure.
To be honest, I don’t remember much about that whole weekend other than trying to avoid Ms. Florence as much as possible while she encroached on my personal space - emotional and physical - and laid in hard about the idea of love. The way she said it to Bethany was weird too. At one point, Ms. Florence said, ‘I looove you,’ to Bethany with an obvious air of disdain, but looked me square in the eye while doing so, as if to further make her point. Bethany, for her part, continued playing with two dolls in her dollhouse, ignoring her mom. I noticed, though, that she seemed to tense up whenever her mom was nearby.
Later, as Bethany and I whispered in the dark, giggling quietly before we said goodnight, Ms. Florence knocked on the door and motioned for me to come talk to her. She gathered me into a warm embrace and told me to join her in the kitchen for hot chocolate, just the two of us. I didn’t know what to expect, but her whole demeanor had changed. Ms. Florence sat me down at a chair with a steaming cup of hot chocolate already waiting at each of our seats. She gave me my own package of mini marshmallows and told me to sit down, and I obeyed. That’s when she heaved a heavy sigh and told me my mother had called and confirmed Ms. Florence’s fears - not even MY mother loved her own child! She told me horrible, horrible things. She said that my mother vented to her that I was the reason she couldn’t escape my father. I was the reason my mother would never be free of him, that she’d always be worried he would break out of prison and come after us again. If not for me, she’d be able to start life anew. I sat there stunned beyond stunned.
Ms. Florence shook her head sadly. “Marta,” she said. “I’m so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but I figured you should know. Your mother begged me not to say anything, but having lived a life of heartbreak myself, I know how important it is for a person to know the truth, even if it’s painful.”
With that, she excused herself and fell asleep on the couch in the next room, while I stirred my hot chocolate in that suddenly bitter-cold kitchen, alone.
I had no frame of reference for the sort of toxic relationships Ms. Florence cultivated with everyone in her wake, including her own daughter. As an adult looking back, I realize that Ms. Florence was a broken soul who was most certainly intoxicated that entire evening - markedly so. The whole sleepover was a sickening whirlwind I tried to forget the instant it was over. I wouldn’t have believed it when I first arrived, but when the time came for my mom to pick me up, I was glad to go… although I couldn’t bring myself to look at my mother during the drive home. Sitting beside her in silence that evening at dinner, I shivered inside, knowing the pain imposed upon her by my very existence. I’d never felt so low in all my life. The light of my childhood was extinguished on that day.
I grew apart from Bethany after the sleepover. In fact, I grew apart from EVERYBODY. The fear of hurting my mother - or worse, of inciting Ms. Florence’s rage - had me silenced before I even spoke one word about our conversation that night over hot chocolate. Ms. Florence almost singlehandedly supported much of the town’s infrastructure - extracurriculars, community buildings and resources. Whether she funded them herself or funneled the cash through other connections, I don’t know. But NOBODY shined a light on the dark side of that woman. NOBODY. They knew better. Last year’s escapade with Mr. Wallace reaffirmed the situation in everyone’s minds, I was sure of it.
I didn’t know what to make of her behavior at the sleepover, and I didn’t know how to manage the guilt over what she’d told me my mother said. I also had nobody to tell. Least of all Bethany, who obviously thought her mom was totally normal. Maybe she was… I had no way of knowing. Listen, I grew up in plenty of dysfunction myself, especially in my earliest years. Ms. Florence let me know full force what she thought about my parents - both of them! She started with my dad, and how he’s a crook and a thief and a druggy and a violent criminal. Okay, okay… I’ve heard that all before. But when she started in on my MOM, claiming that she didn’t deserve me if she thought so terribly of me, how my own mother wished I was never born… well, THAT’S when my head started to spin. By the end of that horrible night, I fell asleep - in Ms. Florence’s kitchen - and then awoke several hours later crying and being consoled by Ms. Florence over my doubts about BOTH of my parents, while Ms. Florence probed for more and more information from me, encouraging me to say everything I knew about everybody, it seemed. Bethany was more than happy to comply with such requests. It was as though privacy not only didn’t exist in the Florence home, it was a preposterous idea! Perhaps that’s how Bethany learned to blab all she knows.
Over the following weeks and months, I turned that encounter over in my mind countless times. I dreamt about it. I doodled desperate doodles, wishing a teacher would see my drawings and “figure it out” so that I wasn’t the one to say anything. I couldn’t risk getting my mom in trouble. If Ms. Florence found out I told her ANYTHING, well… my mother’s meager income would dry up in flash! I didn’t know how, but I was sure it would. Plus… could I even TRUST my mom? Maybe SHE never had my best interests at heart - maybe she never really loved me after all. The idea of having my fear confirmed locked my words deep inside. I couldn’t take the risk. Better to wonder if my mom loves me than to know for sure she doesn’t.
Ms. Florence’s speech about love made me question the very meaning of love. “I love you.” My stomach churned each time I heard it since the sleepover. The words were lost to my comprehension. They became meaningless to me. Worse than meaningless - they were poison.
My mother noticed the change in me. She noticed I stopped reciprocating her “I love you”s. She noticed I stopped hanging out with Bethany. All I did, day after day after day, was play video games in my room. My dad’s mom sent me a virtual reality setup for my birthday last year. A “guilt gift” my mother called it then. At first I didn’t know if it was okay to play it, but my mom waved her hand and said she didn’t care. I played it a little at first, but after my sleepover at Bethany’s, I played it a LOT. More and more hours each day. When summer vacation rolled around, it’s ALL I did.
My mom was very worried. By that time, I’d stopped talking to her almost completely. I was in my own world, trapped and alone. My own world, that is, and the world of VR - which had become one and the same. My mother dragged me to a psychologist one morning that summer and, to my horror, the doctor caught on immediately. My mother said she suspected the problem had something to do with my sleepover, since that’s when my mom said she first noticed the change in my behavior.
“Did something happen to make you feel uncomfortable while you were there?” The doctor asked me with a critical, almost threatening eye. It was a quick glance that she swiftly corrected, but I saw it.
“No,” I said with a distant flatness.
“Good,” the psychologist commented, turning to my mom and adding, “In any case, it wouldn’t be wise to doubt the propriety of such a great benefactor, am I right?”
The two of them shared a brief chuckle. Clearly her business was controlled or at least benefitted by the Florence Foundation as well. My mom put her hand on my shoulder and when I caught her eye I saw that she knew.
“Thank you doctor,” my mother said. “Marta, come now. Let’s go.”
We walked to the car and strapped on our seatbelts.
“Tell me, Marta,” my mother begged. “Tell me! What happened that night?”
My eyes filled with tears. I wanted to tell her, but I was afraid. I wanted to cry that I was so confused and ask her if she really called Ms. Florence that night, or it that was just a strange game of make-believe. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. If it was true, it would beak my heart. If it wasn’t true, it would break my mother’s heart.
I was so ashamed because I didn’t know who to trust. By now I’d been running the story on loop in my mind for months, questioning every point I recalled. I couldn’t make sense of it. I couldn’t know if my mother was trustworthy either! I cried on the way home, but that was all.
I heard my mother softly sobbing that night through the paper thin wall that ran between our bedrooms in our rundown apartment. I softened my own cries, desperate not to be heard by her in return.
From that day on, she stopped pressuring me. She went to work and came home, while I sat on my VR gaming system dawn to dusk. I knew she wished I would go outside and enjoy the sunshine, get un-depressed somehow and go make friends with the tourist kids staying down the road. But she let me be, and I appreciated it. Unbeknownst to her, I actually DID make a friend that summer. Her name was Cherry92 and she lived in my VR headset. Her avatar was a glass of pink lemonade with a pile of cherries floating inside. I LOVE cherries, I always have. My very favorite fruit! That’s what originally made me click on Cherry92’s avatar and challenge her to a VR race. My avatar was an Orange moose with a green booger sticking out of its nose. I picked it because I thought it was funny. Cherry92 thought so too!
It started as just a random matchup at my favorite 2-player racing game, but soon we started requesting each other as opponents and using the chat feature more and more. Then we ventured into other games together, utilizing hangout zones just to chill. Our friendship unfolded over the course of several weeks. Once school was back in session, I had less time to spend with Cherry92, but I looked forward to “seeing” her every night when I got to play VR for 45 minutes before bed. By that point I’d been feeling a bit lighter - probably in large part due to finally having a friend - and my mom was happy to be able to set reasonable screen time limits again.
You might think that an online or VR relationship isn’t real, but let me tell you, Cherry92 and I had a VERY real friendship. It was healing to me in more ways than one. She helped me learn to trust again, and, strange as it is to admit this, I felt more comfortable confiding in my semi-anonymous friend from Austin, TX than in my mom or a teacher or ANYONE else in my tiny town where word might potentially get back to Ms. Florence.
And so it went. Slowly but surely I told her about my life and my hobbies and my fears, and I tiptoed into the story of what happened. Cherry92 never pushed me. She never spoke harshly or pressured me to share more. She never asked nosy questions. She was just THERE for me. And she was wise beyond her years. I know, I know, my mom and teachers always warned me that people can be whoever they want online or in gaming systems, but I’m telling you, Cherry92 was the real deal. Or so I thought.
Within a year, I’d made peace with my ordeal, not “on my own” as my mother might have thought, but with the heartfelt compassion of my VR friend, Cherry92. Eventually our correspondence petered out and we fell out of touch. I’m not sure when it happened, but probably about a month after the last time I’d “seen” her was when I realized she was gone for good. It was a bittersweet evening, but by then I’d regained my emotional health for the most part and I was more or less normal at school and at home. My mom continued her path of “letting me be” and had long ago stopped offering me “I love you”s, even though I’m sure it hurt her own heart to let that go. We bridged the gap our relationship suffered, even though I never told her exactly what caused it. It was a slow, steady process. I would say by the time I turned ten, we were really okay again. A few times during my teen years, those old nagging doubts about whether or not my mom really called Ms. Florence to complain about my existence crept back into my mind, and I mostly squashed them, or at least successfully pushed them aside. I’d say things were basically normal. What teenager doesn’t doubt their parents’ affection from time to time? My mom and I were fine, even with those few doubts, and even though it took a VR stranger kid to help me overcome what she failed to help me with. I know if she’d been able to help me, she would have. I believe it. I really do. She would do anything for me - anything in her power. I just know it… right?
Last night was my eighteenth birthday. For fun, I suggested to my mom that we break out my old (outdated!) VR system. She laughed and said sure, making some comment about how she wished she had enough money to buy me a new one. I assured her I didn’t care about a new one, I just wanted to play with HER. We played for a while and then ate a home cooked birthday meal, complete with her best amateur-decorated cake. She’s not a “Pinterest Mom,” but she’s better because she’s REAL.
“All this cake is making me thirsty!” I joked (although I wasn’t totally kidding, I WAS thirsty!).
“Well Marta, then have I got a surprise for you!” My mom stood up with a dramatic flourish and headed to the cabinets by the sink. “Close your eyes!”
I closed my eyes, wondering what surprise drink concoction my mother had in store for me. I heard grating sounds and slicing sounds and pouring sounds and squishing sounds. I was definitely intrigued, that’s for sure!
“Okay,” she said at last, setting two heavy glasses on the table. “Now… open them!”
I opened my eyes and lost my breath. On the table in front of me were two glasses of pink lemonade, each with a humorously large pile of cherries floating inside. I looked up at my mother whose eyes were filled with tears.
“Mom?” I whispered. “Were you… Cherry92?”
My mother nodded. Then she smiled through her tears. “We meet again, BoogerMoose!”
I burst out laughing and crying at the same time. It all made sense. I’d never felt more whole and loved in all my life. The pain of the past melted away into the cherry lemonade.
“I hope you’ll forgive me,” my mom said. “I couldn’t think of any other way...I just—“
“Mom!” I cried, flinging myself into her arms and hugging her tight. “I love you!”
“Oh my precious daughter, you have no idea how long I’ve yearned to hear those words. I love you too!”
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It’s a shame but I don’t think this game will have much longevity.

After playing this game on launch for several hours there are some glaring factors for this game to have any chance of survival long term.

PROS

1) The graphics and overall HUD is eye catching and pleasing. Had no frame drop or game crashes offline and overall enjoyed the colour schemes and layouts.
2) Bruce Buffer really adds to the feel of the game and is a welcomed surprise.
3) Characters cover large demographics and different looks making them very distinguished and funky.

CONS

1) Lack of music - simple issue but as minuscule of a complaint, music adds a lot to the game. Whether it be during or to add ambiance it is simply lacking.
2) Shortage of variety in tracks - again might seem minuscule but I have found very little difference between tracks to the extent I couldn’t even tell you what arena is which. None of them seem discernible enough from one another, again even music could help with this.
3) There is clearly a gap between characters and their skill sets and power ups . When it comes to online there’s is clearly a few top tier characters that have a large advantage (I’m looking at you Bluefang!) which when it comes to competitive play will be an issue.
4) Modes- Why is there no actual racing modes?!? I feel like this was a large oversight. As much as this is a “destruction derby” style game it seem perplexingly odd that there is no lap, circuit or even sprint mode.
5) Paywall for every “character story”. Instead of giving players characters arcs to truly feel like you can get behind the wheel for, you instead are given one free story (7 missions) and the next 2 are 200/400 credits (real money) each respectively. The third one showing is currently time gated which is even more odd and it’s double the price for the same amount...7 missions.
6) Skins - for both cars and characters would be much better if they each looked different rather than just colour swap. Again this could be implemented down the road but I would love to see the vehicle or the characters change appearance.
I had fun playing the game for a handful of hours but honestly don’t know if I’ll return to play it again. Online was super choppy bad frame rates and connection issues. I had high hopes for this game and was super excited to see it as part of PS+ but moving forward I just don’t know how many hours one can get out of this small amount of game modes and arenas. Hopefully you guys have a different experience but it was a bit of a let down overall.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk 👊🏻
submitted by Pettinger87 to DestructionAS [link] [comments]

My Big Recommendations List for the Steam Winter Sale

This has been an absolutely miserable year but finally it’s coming to an end, and even looking up now that Facebook and Google are being sued by Federal and State governments. If you played Cyberpunk I’m sure you’ll also have your fingers crossed that both companies get the sledgehammer into little pieces, with Amazon and the App Store soon to follow. Next year is up in the air right now; it could be the year XR is completely strangled by those soulless corpo’s at Facebook, or it could be the year that OpenXR, anti trust action, and consumer apathy towards VR cut their legs out from under them. Things look completely up in the air at this point. So take the holidays and enjoy VR while you still can, next year we might just be playing Valve’s Citadel while the ship goes down.
Well Steam’s Winter Sale is here and it’s a great time to pick up a lot of great games, hidden gems, and so on. This is my list of games to pick up. Some of them are the best prices these games have ever had. I categorized them by price tier, and I put a few standouts in bold either because they’re a great game or a great deal, or both.
Merry Christmas
[I also made a hardware guide for headsets and PC components, a guide to using steamVR, a guide about how to use the Index for AR, and a master acab list of great VR games, demos, and software]
The Sale ends on January 5th at 10AM PT
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Also worth taking a look at, over at Fanatical they’re doing a “make your own bundle.” 2 games for $6.99, 3 games for $9.99, 5 games for $14.99
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The unhappy life and sad end of the 1999 Dream Machine

Gather round my friends and listen to the very long and very sad tale of my technical nemesis the Maximum PC 1999 Dream Machine.
Back in the late 90s I did tech support in rural Alaska. What's not rural in Alaska you ask?
Well urban Alaska is a place you can drive to on a paved road.
Suburban Alaska is a place you drive to on a road.
Rural Alaska is where downtown is on the road, but the houses not so much.
Remote Alaska takes a boat, plane, train, ATV, snow machine, dog sled, or other non standard mode of transportation.
Anyway on with the story. I worked in town at a small tech shop. We had a frequent customer who lived remote. He was a friend of the shop and spent easily $10,000 a year on hardware for his off-grid "cabin." Every time he came to town he bought some new toy or component and talked shop with us techies.
He was super excited about the new millennium so when Maximum PC released their 1999 Dream Machine he came to us to put one together for him. Top of the line: Pentium 3 - Coppermine 800mhz water cooled and overclocked, 1Gb of CL2 SDRAM, GeForce 256 with dual SLI Voodoo 2s, SCSI 8GB boot drive, Striped 20GB IDE storage array. It was hell on rails and the absolute sexiest machine a gamer could ask for.
For those who aren't reaching retirement age, the Pentium 3 Coppermine CPU was basically unobtainable in 1999 it took us the better part of a month just to find someone willing to sell it to us. We paid 3x retail and considered ourselves fortunate to have gotten it at all. Then we had it overnighted to Alaska from somewhere in Indiana for an additional ton of money. CPU alone ended up costing $3000.
The CPU was the last part to arrive and the shop basically closed down when FedEx arrived. We thoroughly inspected the package for signs of damage, triple checked our grounding straps, and everyone watched in awe and trepidation as the lead tech ever so gingerly placed it into the socket. A dab of Silver Fox and the stock heat sink later we're ready for first boot... Hurray it POSTs!
So we do the usual, slap Windows 98SE install disk in let it get to work on install. Install finishes up and we start up 3DMark, gonna get us a high score! Nope... Halfway through the test BSOD! Crap, okay wire check, temp check everything is good. 2nd try, fingers crossed... Boom BSOD.
2 hours of frantic forums searching later. 98SE hates more RAM than 512 unless you tweak a bunch of system settings. So we pull out half the RAM start it back up, run 3DMark so we know it was just the RAM amount. Benchmark score is nice, like double any of our personal rig scores nice. So we tweak some system settings, shut it down, add the RAM back in, spin it up, Mark it. Success!
Burn in time. Now sure we could have set 3DMark on a loop, but this rig was worth better than half a year's salary and the hottest setup we had ever seen. So we hooked it up to the shop network, big screen, and speakers and payed Unreal Tournament till 2am. Satisfied with the hardware we made our way home.
Bright and early the next morning we show up and get to the hard work of switching from air cooled to water cooled. We ran the tubes, measured twice, cut once, plumbed the blocks, checked for leaks...
No leaks!
Drained 'em set aside to let dry, took off the fans from ALL THE THINGS!!!, installed the water blocks, filled the system, prayed to all the gods we could think of, and checked for leaks...
No leaks!!
Second burn in time! It's business hours now though so it's 3DMark on a loop. Rig runs all day CPU levels off at 45c and stays. Awesome! Full load 45c we're good for phase 3. Let's see what this baby can do! Hit the BIOS set the FSB from 100mhz to 133mhz hell yeah! We've got GHZ! Score it again, this time it's mind blowing. I can't for the life of me remember the score but it was insane. So we start the true burn in, watching like hawks crowded around the bench, staring blinkless at the CPU temp. 45, 50, 55, 60... no sign of slowing, 65, 70, 75... fingers poised to abort because none of us can afford to replace this CPU, 76, 77, 77, 77!
Stable!!!
So we let it run and call the customer. Congratulations Mr. Customer sir it's a thing of beauty, come pick it up. Per shop policy we put it in a place of prominence next to the counter and hooked up to the biggest CRT we had for the ceremonial presentation. Customer finally arrives, as giddy as a rough and tumble Alaskan fisherman can be. It's late December so we shout Merry Christmas and usher him to his newest acquisition. He's delighted of course, and since we're in town and have DSL he's got a request. He pulls a copy of Quake off the shelf, writes out a check and takes his rig to our "cyber cafe" to pwn some folks. (Yes I know this was like 5 years before pwn was coined, cut me a little slack.) He spent the rest of the day and a bunch of that evening in there happy as a clam. On the sickest rig I'd ever seen.
Now if that was the end of it this would be the long, pleasant, and anticlimactic story of building a rich guy a computer. This is the long, sad, and sordid affair of the Dream PC 1999. We're only halfway through.
Our happy customer takes his prize home, the owner cashes the $8,000 check, everyone is happy, we close up shop and take Christmas with our families.
New Year comes around and we get a call from our favorite customer. He finally got new telephone out to his place and got DSL but he can't run Quake for more than 5 minutes without the system freezing up. With great trepidation the phone tech asks if it smells funny or there's any water leaking from the bottom...
Nope dry and smell free!
"Ok then bring it in for your 12 months of free warranty service, we'll see what's up with it."
A few days later in he comes with the rig under his arm, evidently chagrined but in good spirits. He gets the favorite customer treatment and we set the rig up on the test bench immediately. It works, flawlessly. Boot up Quake crank the settings to max run a round still fine. Slap 3dMark on it it chews it up and spits out a mind blowing score. We show the customer and he asks us to keep stress testing it while he goes shopping and he'll stop by after. So we spend 2 hours poking at it trying to make it fail but no dice, it's the most stable overclocked machine we've ever seen. When the customer comes back we pronounce it provisionally fixed and he takes it home.
Two days later phone call, "Quakey no worky." Alright bring it back in... This time we're serious we keep it overnight. Which means over a week since the customer only comes in to town once a week. So for a week we poke, prod, and abuse this computer. Constantly running benchmarks and games, use it as the technical teams super gaming rig in-store after hours. We can't make it fail. We call the customer back "Look this thing works like a champ we can't break it" he comes in we show him. He takes it to the cafe it works, so he takes it home.
The next week... "Rigs not working again, maybe it wants a car ride?" In he comes with it. Per usual it works, he shops, he takes it home.
The next day, "Car ride didn't work, can I schedule a house call?" Generally house calls weren't a problem, but remember I said this guy lived remote. He was 40 miles out of town, only 20 of those were paved or plowed and the last 10 weren't even road. No one in the shop wanted to burn a full day going out there for warranty work in February in Alaska, but since Windows Server 2000 was fresh on the market we offered him a copy on the house if he brought the rig back in and let us reinstall it. We figured that maybe the issue had to do with the system tweaks we had done to make 98 accept the RAM. It was a long shot but we were desperate.
The next week in comes our customer and his dream rig. He leaves it in our care and we spend the next week backing up, wiping, installing the new OS, and burning the rig in again. It still handles like a champ the whole time. Never as much as a jitter. When he comes back in we have the rig set up in the cafe all ready for him to test, which he does but you can see the glee has gone out of him. He's waiting for the other shoe to drop when he gets home.
And drop it does. We don't hear from him for two weeks but that's because he was afraid to call the night he got it home. He still can't game on it. This time when he asks for a service call we schedule it. The lead tech was the only one of us that owned a Skidoo to make the last 10 miles so he got the pleasure of making the trip. He set it for Friday morning so he could make a whole weekend trip out of it and go skidooing after the call out.
Does the boss get his happy weekend? NO! The curse of the intermittent problem rises up to defeat him.
He's there on site for 6 hours. The customer isn't lying, the rig will idle fine, but 5 minutes of Quake and it reboots. Not BSOD, just reboots like the reset button got pushed. He used every tool he had with him but couldn't find anything wrong with it. He even took 3dMark and a copy of Unreal Tournament out in case it was somehow something about Quake in specific. It wasn't, he couldn't run anything graphics or CPU intensive without it shutting down. So he restored the FSB to 100mhz thinking it must be an OC thing...Nope still won't run, just now it fails while not performing as well. So instead of a long weekend of Skidoo he has to bring the rig back to our bench to be tested component by component.
After a week of bench testing each component we still haven't gotten anything to fail either individually or together, but we're on the hook with this guy for the most expensive rig anyone has ever built so we RMA every piece we can one at a time, with a trip back to the customer after every RMA. Over the next 2 months we made that rig onto a Ship of Theseus, that means everything from the case on in has been replaced except for the CPU. We kept the CPU for last since we got that technically aftermarket we were on the hook for it and couldn't RMA it. By that point though it was May and we just bought another one retail. It was still $1000...
I remind you that at no point has this rig been anything other than amazing for us to use in the shop and between the time and the extra expense we'd killed any profit we had on the deal but this customer was still our best customer so we kept at it.
Memorial Day rolls around and I get the delivery job for the now entirely new PC. The "road" is dry now so I can take it in my off road truck along with every tester I own, my personal bench PC, and a take no prisoners attitude. This will be a solved issue!
I rolled out with a multimeter, network tester, lineman's handset, broad spectrum RF analyzer, oscilloscope, surge protector, UPS, you name it I had it, and I checked everything. Power? He was on a generator after all. He took me and showed me his setup, 20kw pure sine wave inverter cleaner power than we had in town. Telephone? It was a new copper run... Tested dead on for voltage, coms were clear. Turns out he's paid $3000 a mile for 8 miles of run to his property line. Then hired out for another mile to the cabin privately specifically to have good enough signal to get maxed out DSL internet.
I setup both his computer and my bench rig. Bench rig first in case I was wrong about the power and network. Bench rig goes up gets online plays Quake. Not at the same settings his could but it runs gaming and then 30 min of benchmark without a hitch. So moment of truth, I took down my rig put up his. Hooked it up to all the same peripherals, then booted it up. First ran 3DMark and it went...Fine!! I stepped aside and he took over double clicked Quake III and... Quakey Worky! I shouted, he shouted, he spun up some Rage Against the Machine and we rocked out to our hard fought victory. Then I packed up all my stuff and left feeling secure in my technical superiority.
But was that the end? It was certainly long, but that's not sad enough.
Summer Solstice (June 20th) is a big day in Alaska the longest day of the year. People host BBQs and stay out late under the midnight sun. So it wasn't a huge surprise when our customer invited the whole tech support team out to his place for a solstice party. He knew how much work we'd put into making his computer the dream he had envisioned. We closed the shop a little early and headed out. When we got there there were a bunch of people, BBQ, beer, I think there was even a 3 legged race at one point. It was midweek so nobody was planning on staying too late but the host asked us to stay after everyone started to disperse.
When it was just us techies and our host he went in and brought a bottle of scotch and 5 glasses out to the deck we were all on. He poured, served, and toasted to hard work and perseverance paying off. We drank and then our host pointed out a beige box at the bottom of his field maybe 150 yards from the house. "I invited you guys out here today because you deserve to see this." he said as he went inside grabbed a .308 deer rifle off his mantle, walked down off the deck into the pasture and unloaded 5 rounds into what I then realized was a computer case.
He slung the rifle over his shoulder, went down the field and retrieved his target. Brought it back up for us to inspect. All this while we stared aghast after him wondering why he would literally shoot a dream computer to bits. We asked as much when he returned and he ushered us inside to his living room and attached a camcorder to his TV. There in full living color with a date in the corner of June 10th was a 5 minute video of a computer refusing to run Quake III...
submitted by FatBeardedSeal to talesfromtechsupport [link] [comments]

Many of you already completed Cyberpunk. So what are your thoughts about all aspects of this game, and not just first impressions? Let's share our observations and impressions!

This game had a lot of controversial opinions during it's launch, but have you changed your mind now, when you already finished it? First impressions aside - what do you think of this game as a whole?
I will try to structure my feedback, starting with things i liked the most, and the first would be visual design.
This is probably my favorite ascept of the game. I am not a "city" person, usually i find cities so boring that in my life i am not leaving my home for many years already, cause outside world is a boring concrete jungle. Yet still Night City somehow managed to earn my attention, i was amazed at the amount of details gone into shaping the vision of this futuristic city. I spent many time walking around, and looking how technologies of 2077 changing the way people living their everyday city life. Funny enough - one of the places that impressed me the most were massive junkyard, located right at the exit from the city, and having the size of half of that city - it's just perfectly shows how much people of that age stopped caring about everything but their own lives.
But the city wasn't only beautiful thing in this world - there was also the citizens. To be honest, i do not remember any other game when i stopped to many times just to stalk some random pedestrian because of how good they look - even despite many people having some major injuries, it was still a great pleasure to look at them cause they had pretty faces, nice haircuts, cool augments or incredibly stylish clothing. People from the first district where we start the game have some really good tastes in clothing - cool jackets, colourful t-shirts, and especially cool that women were wearing mostly beautiful shorts, jeans or punky leather clothing instead of fancy dresses, heels or whatever else. In this game crowd finally stopped to be a faceless grey matter for me, and i was impressed about how many colourful individuals i have met during my journey. I wish people irl were that beautiful...
And it does not end on people. All cars have cool and various designs, promoutionals are fun and memorable, as well as all the fun little interior details. I believe that 3d modellers and concept artists have done the flawless job on this game, and exceeded any expectations of mine.
Now let's go over my second favorite thing - the story. Warning - it will be a spoiler territory. If you haven't finished the game yet, better skip this... and why are you even reading the post?
I have rather bittersweet feelings about it, because the potential was clearly there, and it had a lot of very enjoyable moments - yet still there is a lot of room for improvment.
Centering the story around Silverhand was probably the best choice they did, and it was worth starting over. I feel really envious seeing how the company agreed to that just because writer said it would make the story better. As a writer myself, that kind of trust from the boss is an absolute dream. Johny was the perfect companion - never gets in a way because he isn't real, always there to offer advice, mock or comment your actions, and his bitter, cynical personality were exactly what was needed to constantly remind player what Night City truelly is (and surprisingly i find myself thinking the same way he did most of the time). He were certainly a fun guy to have around, and i only wish there could be more of him - he isn't showing in many missions, and even has nothing to say about some key moments, like players' relationships.
Some other characters were memorable as well. I really liked "no polygon prepares you to die for some elevator" Takemura, he is a decent example of a good person who got in bad company and despite being brainwashed really hard, still managed to keep his strong personality. Judy was also nice - not only looking great, but also for having that chill, nerdy personality of someone who learned to not give a fuck about terrible things around her, but managed to keep the heart and creative spark, i can relate to many of her traits. And her reaction to one of the endings were so sincere that it was heartbreaking.
Overall champaign was... good, vibrant, variable, nicely scripted adventure. I especially liked them making 3 totally different patches to the ending - by the way, does anyone noticed that each of those patches represents one of player's starting backstories?
Street kid asks for help his friends from the city, and ends up doing more tasks in the city until the very end. Nomad drives away with the tribe. Corpo relies on the help of Arasaka. I wonder, if those endings were originally tied to the backstories? And what surprised me even more, is that instead of going the route of corpo=evil, Arasaka's ending are quite reasonable.
Also i really liked absence of happy ending, it was a story of big fuck up, and it teaches player that sometimes there is simply no magical solution to everything, and no matter how hard you try - in some situations "winning" are simply out of option. That is a very mature thing, and not many writers have the balls to pull it off..
But here is where positive things end, and come... backstories? Why not start with them. They are uberly short, and feel really meaningless. I played as Nomad, and none of the special replies related to my backgroud was ever useful or even gave interesting information or point of view. It also felt like i remembered about Nomad's life only in those short moments, otherwise being a street kid. My friend reported of even more terrible expirience - he was playing as a Corpo, but despite that his V were constantly swearing, using street slang, trashing corpos, and remember about his background only in those rare moments of additional reply that does nothing. It feels like only part of the game that really reflected your starting patch - was the final mission sequences, but even there you could just pick any.
Overall champaign was also super-short, and... terribly lacked some cool plot twists. Basicly, all that happens is:
V fail the heist. V searches for a way to save her life. The end. There isn't even any cool revelations, except for fact that Arasaka stored engrams of the people to study them... what a surprise! What corporation would refuse to collect such data? But that revelation felt... small. I supose writers were inspired by the Westworld, but even in that show getting know that entire park were built as a cover to copy personalities of the guests was... well, not exactly shoking, but a big news nontheless. Here - i barely noticed and just thought "it was excepted". And that was all, apart from the V searching for the cure with a bit of corporate betrayals in the background there is nothing more to the story...
... Except Johnny. His life's story, his redemption arc is what brings some real emotions and variety to this otherwise pretty straightforward story. But it also creates another problem - moving V to the background. To me this story was a lot more about Silverhand than about some mercenary i played the entire time. It felt like CDPR could not decide if V should had some kind of a personality like Geralt did, or should it be up to player to decide what kind of a person V should be, but... they ended up with not having any role-playing options to make your character unique, and in the same time gave V a very sterile, generic type of personality that simply does not stand out in any possible way - voice, character, actions - everything just screams "default protagonist". She\he does not feel like a person, and more like a tool to interact with the world.
It was especially painful during one of the endings: when V goes to digitalize, leaving body to the Jonny, for some reasons both V and Johny are acting like V is trying to commit suicide. Come on! What is the reason for me to come back to the body that will just die in few months, if i can live forever in the net? Hell, even if i wasn't dying, becoming an immortal being vs living short life in the world where i risk dying every single day? I would take the immortality please! Yet my damn character behaves like she is about to jump from a skyscraper, and so does Johnny. And then Johnny even gets bashed by everyone for the choice i very much wanted to make... what?
Forced emotional attachments were also terrible. Why the hell my V cares about Evelyn even after learning that she is a serial betrayer, who's attempts to double-cross 3 people at once has led to everything going wrong? And instead of facing consequences and helping to solve the mess she created, she chose an easy way out. Yet my V is acting like they were friends or something... Jackie is even worse. Since the prologues are fast-forwarded, you don't get to know him, he is just shoehorned into being your best buddy despite you barely knowing him. Bad writers using that kind of characters to dramaticly die somewhere at the end, giving player motivation to avenge them or something, but here they decided to not wait so long and do it right away. Seriously, when he started telling about his plans for future life i almost laughed at how much of a cliche and predictable was what is going to happen with him after.
There is also a lot of questions to the logic of the story. Oh, Saburo is dead, nobody believes me... Guess what, there is a thing called BRAINDANCE! Just record everything you saw and publish it goddamnit! Yes, they might be some kind of excuse of why that would not work, but none of the characters even suggested such an obvious thing to do. Also, can someone explain me, how such an important person as head of Arasaka, who somehow lived for 150 years (not without help of implants for sure) can be killed just by... choking? He never bothered to install any protection or alarms? It is very hard to believe.
Then, at some point of the story Hanako brags that "If Arasaka wants to find someone, it does just that". Really? Well, they wanted to find me. I wasn't even exactly hiding, constantly making a mess all around town. But it felt like they just forgot about me ever existing.
There is a thing about corporations: they described as an ultimate power in this world, yet you can raid them, you can kill their employees every day, but they do nothing about it. Militech being allied with the government of the country? Well, they are barely present. Arasaka being one of the most powerful corps? Guess what - same dude can come to their hq and trash it over, and over, and over again, and poor bastards cannot even stop the elevator he uses to go up. Why the hell corpos are so toothless in this world? They could at least sent the elite mercs who would hunt V around the world like Assasin's Creed did, but i supose they just enjoy being shit on.
Some moments felt incredibly rushed. Backstories is the first that comes to mind, but also remember the part after stealing the chip - V wakes up on the junkyard, Takemura finds her, calls Arasaka to report, then wakes V and offers a gun to shoot some dudes who attacking them (i didn't even realized it was Arasaka, from red implants i thought they were malestrem gang), then asks V to find the ripper, and next thing... is them having friendly conversation at the dinner. Only later, after re-thinking entire situation i understood that Arasaka sent killers after Takemura when he found V, so he decided to ally with V instead to take revenge, but damn, story could at least have some kind of detailed explanation of all those events instead of letting player assume things. By the way, almost same thing happens with Silverhand - after waking up and having a fight with him i go to the side mission and suddenly he showed up, acting like my friend, and V responded him in same manner. And only then i got to the dinner, spoke with Takemura and then made pece with Silverhand...But at least this is just a misplaced content, when in case of meeting Takemura it feels like part of the game were just cut out.
And, the last, but not the least - is the length of the story. I felt like epilogue or RdR2 was longer than entire Cyberpunk campaign... I know why it was done, but i do not agree with those reasons. You cannot make a good game by relying only on analyst's data instead of feelings of the players. And you cannot possibly please everyone in the world, no matter how hard you try.
Ok, the story mode is done, and it's time to talk about side missions, but before doing that i wanted to mention something else. It was no surprise to me when they changed the genre to action-adventure, when i saw the dialogues in very first demo i already knew this game will have nothing to do with the rpg (and then it also happened that mission shown were the only one where player's choice really changed something), but do you remember how this game were advertized? Let me remind you: http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/cc2.1608985309.jpg
What have we got instead? Pretty much this: http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/chip.1608985421.jpg
There is only a few moments in game where your choice can do something. Usually any dialogue is "click to proceed, or click to bitch about it, and then click to proceed". Also even in areas where some choice is given, game simply disregards it: for example in the Clouds my weapon was taken away, so i choce to simply run past all guards because i didn't wanted to bother with stealh if i am fast. And in the end i was assaulted by man, claiming that i murdered every guard to get there... Dude, i just ran past them. Can we stop assuming things?
Now to the side missions. Some were really good, like conspiracy about Peralez family. Others - decent, i enjoyed chasing the serial killer, but still think that anime ID:Invaded did better work on this theme, since i hardly believe that anyone can have such realistic dreams. Mission about messiah was very fitting for such world.
But the absolute majority of them are just gloryfied fetch\kill quests. You go to the location where you need to kill someone or take something, listen to vague explanation of why it must be done, and proceed... if you did one gig - you did almost all of them. It feels like mmorpg, where quality was sacrificed for the quantity. And to make things even worse, missions are incredibly railed - for example, after doctor saved some ganger's life i tried to shoot him to see how she will react, but... game forbid me to use gun there. Also creators tried to fit so many references in, that sometimes they forgot to add an actual story, so the mission were just a big reference. Don't get me wrong, i love references, and i put a ton of them into my own game, but... there have to be limits, a place for your original writing, and not just meme after meme.
Execution of those missions are even worse. If you come to someone and ask them for something - item you need is already on the desk, like they are clairvoyants and prepared it before your arrival. Npc's that you need to escort just teleport everywhere instead of walking, so you can just jump from the roof to the car and your companion will be there. Most of problems in game solved by teleporting things - from infamous police, to the cars in racing - if you look at the radar you will see them constantly spawn behind you, and if you look back - they can even spawn ahead. I laughed really hard at the end of Claire's mission, when her car is just spawned few steps away from the crash side, because script demanded mission to end in her car
Also, what is that weird asset reuse? I had a mission later in the game that was set in very same appartment where we are saving girl in the prologue... and even the bodies of other victims were still there, fresh and in same positions.
I also feel really sorry for the fixers. Poor guys constantly call you to repeat very same thing - "you need to do something here, details is in your mail" in 50+ different ways. Probably the saddest role for voice actor to play.
Some quests had real disconnect between writing and game design. Quest giver is rich and are telling that you are getting incredible reward - yet sum that comes to your wallet is laughable. Viktor saying that you owe him 21k for eye implant, yet same thing but lvl2 costs 3k.
Another thing what bothered me - is that game seem to be undecided what to do with character's morals. You play as the mercenary, and mercs are rarely hired to do good things. Do you remember amazing mission from Shadowrun, where you have to deliver newest weapon, only to find out that it's using Orc's augmented body as part of the chassies and his brain as part of processing unit, while keeping his consciousness hostage inside his own body? And where you have a choice of either deliver him, or release him and let him suicide, losing the trust of your client and future missions with him (actual negative consequence for the player for doing something that is good, but not profitable)? Well, you won't find such missions here. Yes, there are few cases where you, for example, helping to chase away a good cop, or killing weapon's dealer only to find out that she did it because someone kidnapped her family member and forced her to work for him, but that is a rare ocasions. Most of the time you will feel like town's sheriff, saving people, killing really, really bad guys, etc. No moral dillemas, no questionable choices, just pull the trigger. And with all that comes the character's morale problems - it feels weird when in one mission we can do something really bad without second thoughts, and in the other V suddenly starts to complain about hurting civillians.
Then, we have gangs who are supposed to be big part of the game. But they are... not? Yes, you see them slightly more than corpo agents (except for the Vodoo boys), but the only role they play - is role of the punching bags. They do not conflicts with each other, they barely engage in firefights with the police in few scripted scenes, and they certainly give zero fucks about V murdering hundreds of their members (except for few situations from the story). They are almost as toothless and useles as the corpos, and even only real difference between them - is visual, otherwise they are just the type of enemies you will meet in specific district\mission. Idk, maybe it's an overexpectation, but i really wanted them to be something more, play bigger role in the global picture.
And, my final problem would be with notes. There is just too many of them. Seems like designers wanted for them to not only be scattered around the world, but each ganger around every point of interest having some kind of diary piece where some random conversation is written. Sometimes it's fun, like the one we finding on the roof of the church. But most of the time it was what i call a "word bloat" - text that is neither informative or entertaining, it is there just because that note needed to be filled, so it was filled with some generic and boring conversation, tech specifications or some other thing that is irrelevant to the player. As a writer, i have one important rule about in-game documents: if they do not give player valuable information, or if they do not decent entertainment value (a good story or joke to tell) - they should not exist. Cut content is better than shit content. But seems like people responcible for the dozens of documents about nothing that made me not want to pick up and read anything ever again thought differently. Idk, maybe someone loves such approach, maybe it will work to increase immersion. But i personally were really disappointed by the amount of useles text files in game.
At this moment only a huge, Witcher-like expansion will save side content in the game, and only if it will not be bloated by meaningless and boring things as well. I would rather see a lot less quests, but a lot more effort put into making them interesting and variable.
Ok, enough with the story. How about gameplay and world?
The life in game reminds me of some huge tapestry - if you just walk by it looks absolutly glorious, but if you stop just for a second to look at the details, you realize that they often do not exist at all.
https://streamable.com/ey57x3 This is a normal part of character's "living their lives within a full day and night cycle" (not my words, but CDPR's from the trailer). And instead of placing such points somewhere far away from player's eyes, they... put it right in front of his appartment, so it was the first thing i saw when entered the open world. Genius desision. Especially if one of selling points of your game is immersion. In many story scenes, such as meeting Takemura in dinner it's hard to watch looped meaningless actions of npc's on background, dev's could at least edit their behavior in such scenes where player is intended to look at one place for a long time.
Talking about immersion... npc's can do only two actions when shots are fiered or card drives nearby - run or sit with hands above head. And if you look away, they will just despawn. Also, all the cars in game have only two options - "drive" and "stop if something is in the way". This is "The most believable city in any open-word to date".
Characters who perform some kind of a conversation are just standing there after it ends, and characters who are performing animation will most likely loop it forever (i supose the guy who tries to beat his cola out of vending machine is a modern Sisyphus, and RIP the guy who infinitly waits for his ripperdoc).
But from the writing perspective conversations between characters are well done, they often teach player interesting bits of lore (like most of the animals being extinct), and if you do not stay around them for too long they can keep on the immersion of living world.
Also, many animations in game tend to glitch a lot, resulting in such a hilarious things that i am not even mad about that and secretly hope those will not be fixed to produce even more funny content.
Police... now, police systems is a huge disgrace. All they can do is spawn around you if you kill someone (stealing seems not to be a crime here) even in the middle of the desert. If they cannot spawn behind you - they will spawn directly in line of sight. And... that's it. They do not even have cars to chase the player, so all you have to do to escape is simply run or drive away.
Remember this article? http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/ss.1608991826.jpg
When i read it i imagined us being chased by normal cops with patrool cars, then - with drones that would follow player on tall structures and reduce risk for the officers to get hurt, and, finally - by special forces that we saw landing in prologue mission. Guess what? That will be the only time you will ever see them land. And then, if all means fail to capture V, said "powerful npc's" (other mercs?) would hunt out ass down. But if player wants to stop the chase, he can call the mentioned corrupt cop and bribe him to end the pursuit.
Of course, none of this were in the game. Cops only spawn and attack. Funny enough, game has the chase ai for the cars - you can see it in action if you do the gig with picking up car from the mine field, another car will chase and shoot you for the long time. The ai is rather awful, but it exists. Why it wasn't added for cops so they would at least chase player? No idea.
Combat is... fine. Not something extraordinary, but fun enough. Stealth has a lot of options with all these hackable devices scattered around the levels to distract enemies (making holo on the funeral dance was something). Hacking is good, reminds me of Syndicate a lot, maybe only a bit too slow to activate.
Clothing system looks really cool visually (but for some reason if you wear anything on your head, you will be bald in cutscenes), but it's ballance is quite terrible. You found a good item? Well, few minutes later you will find even better one. You want to keep old one because it looks cool? Sure, there is an upgrade system! Except for it makes no logical sense, since each subsequent upgrade is muhc more expencive, so eventually upgrading your pants from 5 to 9 armor will cost more than upgrading other pants from 80 to 85. Even Assasin's Creed solved that problem, they could just copy that system, but instead they made this, and i see no actual purpose for it.
Weapon customisation is lacking. The only muzzle attachment i could find were various silencers. There is also scopes, and...some mods.
Bullets are weird. Enemies rarely ever drop them. So you must either buy them at the shop (in very limited quantities), or... diassemble loot from the enemies and craft new bullets from scrap, because you obviously having a factory in your pocket. Also sometimes you can find boxes with ammo, always the wrong type) I would rather just pick them up from enemies.
Loot - there is just too many of it. I still have no idea why i should bother picking up junk, but at some point in game i stopped bothering to pick up anything at all - too much stuff to disassemble or sell, too much micromanagement for no good reason.
Implants are fine. There are various builds, one of the option is to fully remove hacking ability in favor of having powerful combat buffs, for example. Only thing i do not understand is why V are not allowed to have any visible modifications, since everyone around have them. My guess is either developers not having enough time to do that properly, or some suit coming and saying that "player cannot associate himself with heavily augmented person". For the refference - this thing were said to me once, so i would not even be surprised if it's the same here.
Jumping implants are deserving special mention - they opening up a lot more ways to complete missions and just traverce the city, doing miracles of parkour (and parkouring in this game are very satisfying, there is just too much possible ways to go trough). Best implant i had in this game, would cut my legs again.
Perks are weird. Some of them are very useful. Others - extremly situational. And i have not a slightest idea what kind of drugs used the guy who designed a perk that not allowing to spot the player under the water, or how it is suposed to be used. Also, entire progression is... idk, maybe i played wrong by using everything a bit, but in the end of the game, after completing all missions i had my max skill level at 13, there was not enough enemies to level it more.
V's appartment are rather useles feature, you do not even getting new emails because you have phone with messages. Didn't saw the reason why i should even visit that place again.
Cars were rather terrible expirience, until i bought an Appolo bike. Seriously, try out this boy: http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/bike.1608996251.jpg Compared to other bikes it looks ugly, but for some reason it was the only vechicle that had comfortable controls, were not constantly leaning right or left, and with proper use of space capable of making some really cool drifts. Not to mention it being able to easily drive between other cars (that have tendency to become stuck on the road), trough various alleys and even up the stairs. That bike was my second best investment after the leg augmentation.
Character editor... cannot say anything good about it. It's very basic, has absolutly useles features like genital customization (that you will never is in game, not even once). It lacks many basic colours like white (what is named white is actually blue in game), and has a terrible green ligthing that changes existing colours.
Music. I have no problem with music that is in the game, especially background soundrack. Found a funny new band i never heared about thanks to it. But in the same time radio kinda gets very repetitive fast. There could be much more music in game without any expences at all - i am most certain that many not very known or midly popular bands would gladly gave them their music for free just to have such ax exposure. Since one of the main characters are rockerboy, and rock\metal plays huge role in the story - i am very surpried to have very few heavy songs in the list, and most of them are quite traditional (so no sympho, gothic, even electro-metal, that would be very much suiting in this setting). How all the cyber punks are living without cyber punk rock? Also, i remember game producer saying that Japenese are considered as an upper class in this universe, but we only have one Japanese band for an entire game. Why? Just take a moment and listen to this: https://rokugenalice.bandcamp.com/track/this-community I can almost guarantee that nobody here knows this band, yet they are simply amazing, and if you will translate the lyrics - you will also see that it would be quite fitting into this setting. Both game and band would benefit greatly if this would end up being among the soundtrack, and i know a lot more bands like that.
Bugs... a lot of them, mostly cosmetic and hilarious, but sometimes i had to reload my saves, and even more than just once because either i, or my mission progress were stuck. Could not finish cyberpsycho questline because guy with key item just despwaned. Especially liked Arasaka soldier with key from the elevator who blinked in and out of existence, it took a lot of reloads to figure out what to do with this toughest of bosses: https://youtu.be/4rQZ2UQzK2I?t=62
Also, remember the quest line with meditation? The one that involved looking at beautiful landscapes? Well, here is how last of them were looking for me >_< http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/C8.1608998452.jpg
But bugs are bugs, any big game comes out with them, and they eventually will be fixed. What bothers me more is all that unfinished or half-assed mechanics, some of them (such as police) looks like mere placeholder, while others (like clothing system) are clearly results of a bad design. And most of those elements are not just bad - they are more primitive than features available in games 10 or even 20 years ago. In the end, CDPR wanted too much, but ended up making game with aaa-quality world, and mechanics that are bellow quality of indie games with no budget.
So... what happened? How could the company who had 7 years since the initial announcment, all the money in the world and incredible amount of employees allow such an unprofessional works and unfinished features to be shipped? And especially if it's a company who's reputation were one of the most valuable assets? After thinking a lot about it, bad management and direction is the only thing that comes in mind. Someone were responcible for all the planning, for hiring wrong people for the wrong job and either realizing it too late or not realizing at all, for cutting various corners when initial plans failed, and finally for shipping the game with unfinished features despite promising not to. It felt like there were no real game designer's vision behind the game, and instead lots of ideas were thrown in pretty randomly, and developed as well - various departments working on their own with very little communication or direction. Of course, that is only my assumption, but the fact that on emergency investor call CDPR representative said that "hiring more people would not solve the issue" only proves my theory. It is rather ironic - to see how game about corpos ruining and exploiting everything they touch also being ruined by the corporate leadership...
Overall, i can say that i enjoyed the game despite all the issues. Great visual design and decent story did a good job at distracting me from problematic moments, and i wanted to thank all the talanted workers who made it possible. Your work is breathtaking!
But at the same time the amount of obvious, glaring failures, combined with tons of false promises is inexcusable. I am glad to see that company are working on fixing it, and even delayed online version to do that, but only time will tell how it will go, because this game needs a ton of work to become at least close to it's marketed image.
I hope someone... at least read this far, let alone found some useful information in this review >_< See you, choombas! http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/End.1609002406.jpg
submitted by ElvenNeko to pcgaming [link] [comments]

18 [F4M] Online/Anywhere ~ Read this even if you don't think you should. You never know :)

Hi. I'm Olivia, but people call me Liv or Olive, but whatever works is fine. I posted here recently looking for "anything" & that led me to a lot of friends, but after doing that I realized that I definitely want more than just a friend.
I have a picture of me on my page so go check that out if you care. If you're potentially interested in me then feel free to keep reading to see what we have in common & if you think we'd be a good fit :)
Things about me..
I'm blonde with blue eyes & freckles.
I'm 5'4 & "thicc" or "curvy" I guess. My friends always tell me they'd love to trade bodies because mine is perfect, but I don't personally agree with that statement lol.
I love video games & right now I'm learning how to play COD warzone & I'm obsessed with it so if you're down to play that then by all means message me right now. A guy that can carry me in warzone is... oof hot. (same with fortnite)
I played halo, mortal kombat, & OSRS when I was younger & I still love them deeply to this day. I also love board games & really all table top games. Oh, & I play BTD & COC. Bonus points if you know what those are.
I love cooking & just love food in general.. I'm a sucker for some good spaghetti or mac n cheese.
I also love cleaning & may have a tad bit of OCD. I like things clean & where they belong hehe.
I love all kinds of animals, but cats & dogs really have my heart. If you have one & you don't send me pictures every day I'm cutting you off because that's just simply unacceptable 💁🏼‍♀️
I love kids, especially babies, & I hope to have many, many, many (ok maybe not THAT many) of my own some day. I've known since I was a little girl that being a mother was part of my calling & I've always been the motherly friend just preparing for my little beans lol.
I like all types of movies (don't care for horror much though), but prefer action & comedy over anything. Baby driver, Deadpool & anything with Will Smith, Vin Diesel, or Adam Sandler I LOOOOOVE.
I love all types of music, but 90s music really does it for me. Country, pop, hip hop, r&b, alternative.. I can enjoy a lot of it.
I graduated high school at 16 & moved into a place with my friend & started my first business.
I nanny (on pause because of covid though) do hair & nails, detail cars, & do doordash when I'm bored lol.
I'd like to start a baby & momma boutique (with baby related items like clothes, bibs, toys, etc, & pregnancy items & clothing) at some point in the near future, but I definitely need to save a lot more for that as it is kinda pricey to start.
I've moved around my whole life so I really only have one best friend because she's an online friend (I have met her a bunch of times IRL though) so she goes with me wherever I go.
I've been in a few relationships, but they haven't worked out due to me moving, them being abusive or them cheating because I didn't want to lose my virginity to them yet.
I've never smoked, drank, done drugs, partied, or slept around. I have no issue with people that choose to partake in those activities.. they're just not my cup of tea.
I've never traveled just because my life hasn't allowed for it, but I'd love to when I have the money & it's safe to do so.
I'm a very open-minded & open-hearted person. I love seeing people happy & making people happy makes me happy.
Laughter truly is a medicine that so many people need, especially right now, & I love to be the one to supply it. Having people in my life that can make me laugh & just find humor in the dumbest things is really important for me.
II'm very much a people person & I love making deep connections. I will listen to your pour your heart & soul out & I will keep all your secrets. I will never judge you for anything because I'm not perfect, so I have no right. I love being a safe place for people because I know how it feels to live without one & it's lonely & miserable.
I've been through more than most people go through in their entire lifetime & I know I'm probably not done suffering yet, but I always try to stay positive & focus on keeping good energy & vibes around me, especially for those in my life.
I'm a very emotional person & I am most definitely an empath because if you hurt, I hurt & if you're happy, I'm happy. That's just how my heart works & I think this is why I'm able to have such deep friendships so quickly when I meet someone.
Also, I feel very comfortable talking to people & they usually do with me as well because they know they can be unapologetically themself with me & I love that so much.
I'm a firm believer in "it's only awkward if you make it awkward". 💁🏼‍♀️
I'm a try anything twice type of girl. I try it once to get over the initial shock of it & a second time to decide how I truly feel about it. I think everyone should do this.
Intelligence & wit is super sexy to me. If you can have a conversation where it's flowing & we're being playful & also learning.. just wow. 10/10 conversation.
The type of convo that's ideal for me is where you don't ever want to stop talking because it's that's great.
I do happen to be a flirt/tease & it honestly just makes things fun.
I prefer phone/discord calls over texting & ideally my person would too. Actually.. it's kinda necessary. I need it.
What I'm interested in in a guy..
I'm pretty open in terms of age (though I'd prefer a few years older than me at least for maturity/experience & I don't have a limit on this age atm), race, beliefs, size (as long as you're healthy with good hygiene), relationship history, or anything like that.
Having a job & your poop grouped is a must because I'm not interested in taking care of another person at this point in my life when I'm trying to get my situation worked out & get where I want to be in life.
A guy that is affectionate & caters to my love languages is very important because I've never been with someone that really showed me they cared.
I've always been the one to plan out dates, buy them things, pay for dinners, & go the extra mile in general & I'm dying to be with someone who puts in that effort for me too.
Thoughtfulness & willingness to just do things to see your partner happy is honestly so attractive. I just want my energy reciprocated & to not be the only one putting in effort. Someone supportive & accepting like I am is also a must because I've had a kinda terrible life so far & I'm always scared to open up to people about it because it's a lot & can be overwhelming. 2020 was also a crazy year & a lot happened that completely changed my life so that's stuff I'd like to be able to open up about.
I'd like to be able to call on discord & play games & watch movies & just spend time together & if things go well eventually meet.
If you're interested feel free to message me. I prefer the messaging function over chats. I'd love for you to send a recent picture of you, but you don't have to until I respond if that makes you feel more comfortable.
Not looking for a "hey what's up" type of message so please don't message me if that's all you're willing to contribute. I'm not asking for a novel, but a response to what I said & somewhat equivalent info about you is exactly what I hope for. :)
*Bonus points if you tell me WHY you messaged me. What part interested you? I love knowing what people think. *
submitted by livrsin to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]

State of Nintendo in 2021 (rumors and predictions)

I am here with another year of reflection and prediction. I have done this for 2020, 2019 and 2018 as well: You can see those predictions here:
2020 mid-year: https://www.reddit.com/nintendo/comments/i3i7jm/state_of_nintendo_in_2020_7_month_retrospective/
2020: https://www.reddit.com/nintendo/comments/ee2xav/state_of_nintendo_in_2020/
2019: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/77354321
E3 2018: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/76268685
2018: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/76150741
Keep in mind that this is meant to drive discussion, don’t be a hater. Predicting the future of company plans from a fan perspective is not a precise science and some may be correct and many may be wrong. State what you think will happen in the coming year and why to add to the discussion.

2020 Retrospective

What a year, this is definitely one that will go down in history if only for how the world was shut down economically. Not going into what should have been done, so with the global pandemic hitting many industries, programmers had work from home orders which in turn caused numerous delays to titles that were being prepared for release. Regardless we still saw a steady stream of high-quality titles and the completion of DLC for titles of previous years.
DLC releases
Fire Emblem: Cindered Shadows (February) final DLC with the season pass included new characters and a bonus story playable at any time focused on the catacombs below the school
Super Mario Maker 2: The final update included new snow mechanics and a world maker where you could create a full Mario game (April)
Luigi’s Mansion 3: saw the release of two multiplayer packs (April)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The final expansion “Fantastic 4: Shadow of Doom” (March)
Pokémon Sword/Shield: Two expansion packs in one pass “The Isle of Armor” (July) and “The Crown Tundra” (October) for the first time in a Pokémon game, bringing back many favorite Pokémon
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: finished the first character pass with Byleth (January) and had previously announced a second waiver of character pass with 6 characters. Currently we have seen 3 – Min Min (June), Steve from Minecraft (October), and Sephiroth (December) and 3 more to go.
Major Releases
Super Mario time
Celebrating his 35th anniversary, Nintendo came out with a slew of products starring our favorite Italian Plumber. First was Paper Mario: The Origami King (July) which advanced past the previous two entries but was not quite back to its RPG routes like fans want. Next was Super Mario 3D All-stars (September) which included ports of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. Adjusting control schemes to account for the lack of analog triggers and pointing controls, the ports were solid but not the best way to play the games. Also missing was Super Mario Galaxy 2 from the package and any extras like documentaries making the games. An MMO-platformer Super Mario 35 (October) was also released free to NSO subscribers where you compete to complete levels in the original Super Mario Bros. Lastly was a Game & Watch version of the original Super Mario Bros.
Pokémon Battle
As stated before, we got the first DLC ever for a Pokémon game and it came in two packages “The Ilse of Armor” and “The Crown Tundra” which added extra Pokémon (both new and old) and new areas to the game. Some criticism on the way the DLC was handled as if you bought the expansion for the wrong version, it would not work despite being the same content. Pokémon Home (February) final arrived on the Switch. The spin off Mystery Dungeon series came in the form of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (March) which was an updated port of the old Mystery Dungeon games. A free puzzle game Pokémon Café (June) to little fanfare. Also promises of a new Pokémon Snap which was delayed into 2021.
Other notable releases
· Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (January): port of the Wii U game with a few added extras and English voice acting.
· Animal Crossing: New Horizons (March): hit at the start of the pandemic, added features and a promise of evergreen additions made this game Switch’s best-selling game that has not been a pack-in (ie only beat by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). This game allowed gamers to escape reality and build their own island.
· Streets of Rage 4 (April): Return of the 2D brawler
· Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (May): a remake of one of Wii’s top RPGs with newer graphics, and a cleaner layout, it also included a bonus mission that connects the ending to the sequel.
· Bioshock Collection (May): A collection of all three critically acclaimed Bioshock games for the first time on an Nintendo console.
· Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (June): A collection of various minigames like Connect Four, various card games, Mahjong and more. Barebone options and quick online play for random or with friends.
· Jump Rope Challenge (June): A free exercise type game that makes use of the joycon to mimic jumping rope
· Burnout Paradise Remastered (June): An open world arcade racer that was critically acclaimed at its original release and updated for modern consoles. Also shows EA putting in more dedication to the Switch console.
· Kirby Fighters 2 (September): A fighting game starring Kirby and his power ups and nobody else.
· Hades (September): Rogue like game that tells the story as you die. Many different gameplay styles depending on which weapons you use.
· Ori and the Will of the Wisps (September): Metroidvania that is visually stunning and developed originally only for Xbox.
· Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (October): Not wanting to give up on the AR experience, Nintendo released toy RC cars that you control with the Switch and a free software download.
· Pikmin 3 Deluxe (October): not done porting all their Wii U games to Switch, this includes all the added DLC at no extra charge
· No More Heroes/No More Heroes 2 (October): Ports of the Wii games with better graphics and framerate and alternate control style to prepare for the upcoming sequel.
· Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (November): Based on the past events of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this musou game changes up its formula but still plays like a musou game.
· Doom Eternal (December): competent port of the PS4/XB1 first person shooter by Bethesda.
· Among Us (December): Shadow dropped indie title that has taken mobile and Twitch by storm.
While not the best year, it was far from empty. Still lacking some key releases such as the sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 3 and Super Mario Odyssey 2. There are many Nintendo teams that we have yet to see titles. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a lot of development has been postponed due to work at home directives set by government.

Current Release List for 2021

· Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game (Jan 14)
· Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (Jan 26)
· Cyber Shadow (Jan 26)
· Little Nightmares 2 (Feb 11)
· Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 (Feb 11)
· Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Feb 12)
· Persona 5 Strikers (Feb 22)
· Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection (Feb 25)
· Bravely Default 2 (Feb 26)
· Harvest Moon: One World (Mar 2)
· Balan Wonderworld (Mar 26)
· Monster Hunter Rise (Mar 26)

First Party Software

Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Tokyo
Kenta Motokura
In charge of the team that was previously under Yoshiaki Koizumi (whom was promoted to Deputy General Manager of the Tokyo office). This team was previously the lead development group of Super Mario Odyssey and developed Super Mario 3D All-stars for September 2020. Due to ports being easier to produce. Now that has wrapped up and they have created an update to allow for inverted camera controls, chances are they have been placed back on developing a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey which will likely be seen in 2022.
Koichi Hayashida
The other team that helped with Super Mario Odyssey also did the port of Captain Toad: Treasure Trackers. They have been busy working on a port of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for Switch due February 2021. They have been focused on implementing numerous changes to that title including: full 3D movement, online gameplay, and amiibo support with Cat Mario and Cat Peach. With all the extras being added, this game probably got pushed out of 2020 and into 2021 due to the pandemic changing the development lifestyle. Also, there is a highly likelihood was that they were working with Motokura’s group originally on Odyssey 2 but plans changed to get out more games for Mario’s 35th Anniversary. I expect them to fold back into Motokura’s group on Odyssey 2 when their port is completed.
Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Kyoto
Eiji Aonuma
Known as the “Zelda team”, there are two core teams. I believe both are working under Hidemaro Fujibayashi and Hiromasa Shikata to help develop the sequel to Breath of the Wild. Nintendo knows that Zelda sells consoles and what they have shown at e3 (2019) while stating the title is “in full development”. Nintendo know the popularity of the Breath of the Wild game and wants grow on that title. They have done so with the musou game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in which this team has assisted Tecmo Koei with development and the overall story. In September 2020 during an online presentation for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Aonuma stated that gamers will have to “wait a bit longer before we can provide more updates” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifm8tpcO4vw). With the 35th Anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series coming in 2021, I do expect this title to be a highlight for the holiday season as long as the game is not pushed back due to unforeseen circumstances in development.
Hideki Konno
This team is the team behind the Mario Kart series. Their latest endeavor was with Augmented Reality (AR) and developing Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit which was released this past October. Not having a full game released since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2017, they have been developing something over the past 3 and a half years. The problem though is MK8D still sells incredibly well and if they develop Mario Kart 9 that will cannibalize any additional sales of their previous title. While chances are they could have altered their development to change it from Mario Kart 9 to another kart racer such as Donkey Kong Racing, I think gamers will probably see something from them when Nintendo showcases a newer model Switch (either the rumored PRO or an actual Switch 2) so I would not expect a full game release until 2022 at the earliest.
Hiroyuki Kimura
Super Mario Maker 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe were developed under Kimura with the help of Takashi Tezuka. In April 2020, Nintendo released the final major update for Super Mario Maker 2 which included a World creator, where you can make your own full fledged Mario game. They also released New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe in January which is an updated port of the Wii U game. There have been rumors of a new Wario platformer being developed which this team has likely been developing. Chances are likely that we will hear about their new title this year.
Kosuke Yubuki
Previously worked on ARMS in 2017 and its DLC. This producer also worked with Konno so it is likely this team was folded back into the Mario Kart team to prepare something for this year or next. It is possible they are working on an ARMS follow up, but with the success of Smash and one of its main characters Min Min being the first of the second waive of Smash DLC, it is unlikely. Most likely working on something brand new which we may see in 2021 or the following year.
Hisashi Nogami
This is the young producer in charge of both Animal Crossing and Splatoon series. He worked with another young producer Aya Kyogoku on Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. With the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons taking an evergreen approach with constant DLC content, especially when it comes to special occasions. A more seamless online experience and a lot more to do, I am sure this group is still working on Animal Crossing. Its next game will be a while away while they focus on Animal Crossing in the current future. Do not expect anything new from this team for a while.

2nd Party Studios

Camelot Software Planning
Their last title was Mario Tennis Aces (2018) and its respective DLC. Being a smaller studio, it takes some time for development. The team was hit harder due to the pandemic. Now, with all the DLC on Mario Tennis Aces completed early 2019, they have likely been busy in full development on Mario Golf. Most likely will see Mario Golf sometime in 2021. It is likely they were probably aiming for a 2020 title buy delayed the development into 2021 – so expect a release this year.
Game Freak
They just released the 2 DLC packages for Pokémon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch this year to mixed review. They typically have something Pokémon related out each year and they also developed their own title Little Town Hero last year meaning they have been hard developing some titles. Current rumors suggest either a Let’s Go remake of Gold/Silver or a full remake of Diamond/Pearl since Ruby/Sapphire were the last full remakes. Personally, I think we will either see Sword/Shield 2 or a whole new Pokémon game due out this year since they have been incredibly busy, are a larger studio that works on many titles at once, and have not had a big release in 2020.
Grezzo
This team just release the port of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening in 2019. Mostly known for their 3DS ports of Zelda titles and TriForce Heroes, chances are they are still working on the Zelda franchise. With 2021 being Zelda’s 35th Anniversary, there have been many rumors of a collection or ports of some of the older Zelda games to be released in 2021. Since 2018, there has also been rumor of a Zelda: Skyward Sword port (which was shot down by Aonuma) (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-11-26-nintendo-fans-excited-by-zelda-skyward-sword-nintendo-switch-port-reports)
Good Feel
They released Yoshi’s Crafted World in 2019 and has likely they have started on the next Yoshi game as it tends to sell well and it is what they know. It is also possible that Nintendo has given them another 2D IP to work with such as Wario Land, however; I think that series might be in development by the 2D Mario team under Kimura. It is highly likely that we will see something from them in 2021 and depending on how the pandemic hit their development cycle it may have either a 2021 or 2022 release.
HAL Laboratory
Developer of all things Kirby, we have seen some smaller Kirby titles lately. Their last games were Kirby Fighters 2 and Part-time UFO both digital only eShop games. They have teased something for early this year but on the smaller scale (https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/12/kirby_developer_hal_laboratory_teases_new_projects_for_20211) . I think they may also have a full-fledged Kirby game due this year as our last one was early 2018.
Intelligent Systems
This team was hard at work as it finished the DLC on Fire Emblem: 3 Houses and released Paper Mario: The Origami King in July of 2020. They also continue to work on Fire Emblem Heroes on mobile as that is Nintendo’s highest grossing mobile project. Growing the studio in 2019 to be able to handle numerous projects at a time, they likely have a few titles in development. The biggest rumor is that Nintendo is readying another Fire Emblem game but a remake of an older title. Current rumors are remakes of Geneology (next one in line for a remake) or Binding Blade (the game that introduced Roy). If it is a remake, then we will likely see the release in 2021. If it is not a remake, then creating the scenario will take some time so we will likely see the game this year with a release for 2022. Chances are they are likely working on another title as well but that probably won’t be seen until 2022.
Next Level Games
Last responsible for Luigi’s Mansion 3 and its DLC that was released in 2020. They have also worked on Metroid and Punch-out! With actual 3D Mario titles being handled internally by Nintendo’s Tokyo studio, they are likely working on something new. Possibly a sports title, new Punch Out, or even a 2D Metroid (though I doubt this despite rumors of development). We may see what they have developed this year, but I would expect a 2022 release to be more realistic for what they are working on.
NDCube
Responsible for Super Mario Party in 2018 and they did Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics for 2020, which was a barebones release in the form of options. Considering the lack of DLC for Super Mario Party, chances are they are working on a sequel to the game that sold well. The single problem if they are working on Super Mario Party 2 is that the original is still selling incredibly well even 2 years after release with over 12 million units. Even if the game is ready this year, I think Nintendo will hold out on Super Mario Party 2 until 2022.
Monolith Soft
Responsible for help with Breath of the Wild and the Xenoblade franchise. We did not hear much from them in 2019 or 2020 with their only release being a remake of the original Xenoblade Chronicles in May. In 2017 they advertised jobs for a new fantasy action-RPG which likely was transferred to their help with the Zelda franchise. I believe we will see the sequel to Breath of the Wild this year and first glimpse of a new Xenoblade game for 2022.
Retro Studios
This year also marks the 35th Anniversary for the Metroid series. Unfortunately, the series is not as high priority as many other Nintendo franchises. With the sequel of Breath of the Wild likely coming out this year, it will be the focus for Nintendo in 2021; we probably will not see any development from Metroid Prime 4 until 2022. Nintendo knows that they need to make Metroid Prime a quality title so they will give Retro Studios as much time as they need for the title. As for the long-rumored port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy, I still have hopes that we will see some information on it this year, potentially in August to support the anniversary and prepare for Metroid Prime 4 the following year.

3rd Party collaborations

Bandai Namco
Collaborating with Nintendo on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its DLC, there are still 3 character-packages to go before they are finished with that game. Additionally, they are the development team behind New Pokémon Snap, which was originally due 2020 but delayed into an unknown time 2021 – so expect that title. The Tales team is busy on Tales of Arise which is not bound for Switch, so outside the DLC and Pokémon game do not expect much.
Bethesda
The parent company Zenimax was recently purchased by Microsoft. The sale included Bethesda and all its partnering companies. The last release was Doom Eternal released in December 2020 and was a digital only release. The move from physical to digital only was due to the fact it came 9 months after the main PS4/XB1 release. With no Switch games scheduled on the horizon and its recent acquisition and focus on next generation, I think we have seen the last Switch game from Bethesda
Capcom
They have ported many of their older titles (REmake, RE0, RE4, RE5, RE6, Rev1, Rev2 DMC 1,2,3) to Switch and have brand new games: Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories due in 2021. With the Capcom leak, there is a game due Q4 of 2021 called Biohazard Outrage which is rumored to be Resident Evil Revelations 3 and featuring Rebecca Chambers. There was also a leak of a new Dragon’s Dogma and Ace Attorney 7 which are rumored to come to Switch.
Electronic Arts
They have pledged 14 games from April 2020 to March 2021 fiscal year. EA has kept the games closely guarded and it is unsure if the global pandemic has postponed any of the planned games. Still waiting on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 and some Plants vs Zombie games.
Koei Tecmo
Since Nintendo has invested heavily in this studio, they have worked increasing hard for Nintendo hardware. They finished the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 DLC, assisted with Breath of the Wild in 2017, assisted with Fire Emblem: 3 Houses and released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in 2020. They co-own the Fatal Frame franchise with Nintendo and it has a game that is rumored to be in development. There is also a possibility of a port of the Wii U game to come to Switch. It is likely they are helping with the sequel to Breath of the Wild as well. Lastly there has been a year long rumor on the return of Ninja Gaiden and it seems that Switch would be likely candidate for that game considering how well their games are selling on Switch
Platinum Games
They are working on Bayonetta 3 and have a good relationship with Nintendo. Being in development the over the past 3 years, I do expect to at least hear something about the title in 2021 if not a release but I have been wrong before.
Ubisoft
I went out on a limb last year and said Assassin Creed ports and they are working with Nintendo on a new Star Fox game. We have seen ports for Assassins Creed 3, Liberty, 4: Black Flag and Rebel. New Assassins Creed games are a bit too much for Ubisoft, but I still think we will see another Nintendo collaboration and I am positive it will be a new Star Fox game. Ubisoft will also continue to support Nintendo with Just Dance and look forward to a lot of their smaller titles to also come to the Switch.
Sega
Their biggest releases were games along the Sega Ages line (which they recently discontinued https://nintendoeverything.com/sega-confirms-the-end-of-sega-ages-but-teases-more-plans-for-switch-and-past-titles/), Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, and Football Manager 2021. They also released Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo Olympics late 2019. They are likely working on a new Sonic game for Switch and while the Sega Ages line is gone, they are still open to port older titles on the system.
Square Enix
Bravely Default 2 has a release date of February 2021 after being pushed out of 2020. They have also released in 2020 a few collections of older games, Trials of Mana, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory which is a music game spin off for the Kingdom Hearts series. Rumored to have The World Ends with You 2 in development for Switch. I would also expect some more collections to come out (or at least ports) and a rumored new entry in the SaGa or Mana series.
Take Two Games
Released 3 collections for Switch in May of 2020 with their 2K Games development studio. I think they likely will have some more games in development, especially with the way EA has provided lackluster support in the sports games field. There has also been a long rumor of Rockstar developing Grand Theft Auto V for Switch but that seems to be more of a dream than an actual rumor as Rockstar is working on development of GTAV for PS5 and XSX. Ports and complication packages being quick and easy turnover, I am certain they will delve into their back catalogue and find a release for the Switch in 2021.
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