It's been a little while since we had a community-chat post to round-up what you've all been gaming on Linux lately, so let's have a chat shall we.
We're all a bit spoilt for choice thanks to the likes of native Linux games, Steam Play Proton, cloud game streaming, lots of great emulators and more that you can all do right on Linux. This often makes choosing a game to play rather difficult doesn't it? It does for me.
I end up quite often going back to what I see as comfort games, those that you can just repeat over and over and you know them well, like a gaming comfort blanket with the likes of XCOM 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Streets of Rogue and others but there's a new one in my own personal list: Ziggurat 2 which released into Early Access with Linux support in late October.
Milkstone Studios seem to have crafted an absolutely magical first-person dungeon crawler, that I can quite easily see myself putting hundreds of hours into. There's something so supremely satisfying about running around a room waving a wand or a staff around, unleashing powering magics on somewhat freaky enemies (like those damn running carrots). When you get into the boss battles, it really gets your blood flowing too.
Over to you in the comments: what have you been gaming on Linux lately? Let us know what you've newly discovered, what you keep going back to and more.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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silverhikari Nov 8, 2020
i have been playing skyrim special edition, 40 hours in so far.
0 Likes
Has no one mentioned Hades ? I'm 30 hours in and still enjoying it. Runs perfectly out of the box with steamplay. Although you have to use the directx version as the Vulkan one surprisingly doesn't work.
I have six times more and it's still enjoyable. Good luck getting third Skelly's statue.
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Now that the 1.2 patch is out and most of the issues are solved, I'm starting Amnesia: Rebirth.
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I finished Hellblade, not native, but runs well with some tweaking to the settings on a "poor" 1060 3GB after setting my monitor to 50hz.
Anyway, man, what an experience, play with earbuds in a dark room and enjoy.
Very interesting the final documentary too.
Ninja theory releases are for PS3/4 and or windows only, but they really deserve attention.
I read that they have been hired by Microsoft and hopefully they will develop Hellblade 2 for PC.
Now i'm trying to enjoy the observer, on my backlog since 2 years and...meh.
Someone say you neey a couple of hours to get into the story, but i already smell i'm not going to like the repetitive gameplay, who knows.
Also, mouse controls are somehow funky...sometimes is better with a joypad, some others with the mouse. Very distracting.
-
EDIT ok, i'm into the story and it is definitely better.
Mouse problems are still there thoug.
Last edited by kokoko3k on 9 November 2020 at 3:20 pm UTC
Anyway, man, what an experience, play with earbuds in a dark room and enjoy.
Very interesting the final documentary too.
Ninja theory releases are for PS3/4 and or windows only, but they really deserve attention.
I read that they have been hired by Microsoft and hopefully they will develop Hellblade 2 for PC.
Now i'm trying to enjoy the observer, on my backlog since 2 years and...meh.
Someone say you neey a couple of hours to get into the story, but i already smell i'm not going to like the repetitive gameplay, who knows.
Also, mouse controls are somehow funky...sometimes is better with a joypad, some others with the mouse. Very distracting.
-
EDIT ok, i'm into the story and it is definitely better.
Mouse problems are still there thoug.
Last edited by kokoko3k on 9 November 2020 at 3:20 pm UTC
0 Likes
I have played quite a few lately, but the one I come back to again and again is art of rally. It's not perfect, what game is, but it comes pretty darn close. Close enough that I'm nearing the 1000 stages achievement.
When it comes to driving I'm average, to be honest, but I am having a lot of fun. My biggest problems so far are the spectators. I have to make a conscious effort not to brake and swerve for the poor dears. They are clearly close relatives to the pedestrians from Midtown Madness. No risk of hitting anyone, they get out the way. But some part of my brain can't accept that simple fact. How they managed back in thegood bad old days, with real people, not only lining the roads, but standing in the middle of it up the last moment I shall never understand. Me? I brake for pixels.
Problem number two involves the stages in Germany. They are lined with large rocks. Hinkelsteins? What are they good for? No idea, but they look surprisingly like grave stones. Ominous! But it's not like Germany got a dark hideous past or anything like that. Anyhow, smashing into one of those at 170 kph = instant death. The first time I ran one of those stages I subconsciously held my breath. Had I not gasped for air in time I would have fallen of the chair and become the first person to sustain serious head trauma from sim racing.
An imagination is a terrible thing to have sometimes.
!vrooom
Surprise tank attack, that's a triple caution.
When it comes to driving I'm average, to be honest, but I am having a lot of fun. My biggest problems so far are the spectators. I have to make a conscious effort not to brake and swerve for the poor dears. They are clearly close relatives to the pedestrians from Midtown Madness. No risk of hitting anyone, they get out the way. But some part of my brain can't accept that simple fact. How they managed back in the
Problem number two involves the stages in Germany. They are lined with large rocks. Hinkelsteins? What are they good for? No idea, but they look surprisingly like grave stones. Ominous! But it's not like Germany got a dark hideous past or anything like that. Anyhow, smashing into one of those at 170 kph = instant death. The first time I ran one of those stages I subconsciously held my breath. Had I not gasped for air in time I would have fallen of the chair and become the first person to sustain serious head trauma from sim racing.
An imagination is a terrible thing to have sometimes.
!vrooom
Surprise tank attack, that's a triple caution.
1 Likes, Who?
I have also found a new PlayStation 1 emulator recently, DuckStation (available as a Libretro core for RetroArch as well). It's going to be my favourite PS1 emulator. It has a lot a graphics settings like widescreen for 3D games without stretching videos and better game compatibility than Beetle-PSX-HW which has troubles with running modified games, e.g. translated ones.Wonderful! I have been looking for something like this!
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I've just finished the excellent Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, though apparently there is an NG+ and NG++. Probably leave that for a while, though :-) I also finished Synergia which is a very thoughtful visual novel.
Ziggurat 2 and Crystal Caves HD are one ones getting my attention at the moment, though :-)
Ziggurat 2 and Crystal Caves HD are one ones getting my attention at the moment, though :-)
0 Likes
TobyGornow Nov 8, 2020
I've just finished Shadow Warrior (2013) and I loved it from start to finish. It's a pure mindless shooter/slicer, it's fun, it's beautiful and the Linux port is perfect. What else ?
I've started Return of the Obra Dinn and I don't know if I will ever finish it. Apart from the visuals, which are a bit repulsive at start, the pace and the goal are way too slow for my taste. You're just watching events and investigating for clues in order to put the pieces of the story together. Not my definition of a fun gameplay. Better reading a real book or a comic.
I've started Tales of Berseria and the first hours seemed fun. They managed to remove a big chunk of why I hate anime in the first place, too much stereotypes and unfunny comedy (mostly shonen I assume...). Compare Valkyria Chronicles 1 & 4 and see what I mean. First one was top notch, Fourth got on my nerve real quick. I digress... It's classical Tales Of gameplay with a darker setting and so far I like it. I'll surely pick it up again.
Last but not least, I started a new The Last Remnant run and I loved it until it became a crash fest, one every half an hour on average. I've tried every tricks in the books but it seems too randomly plague Windows user too. Too bad, the game has a unique JRPG combat mechanics that seems really deep and different from what we are used to see. Hope the remaster won't stay an Epic exclusive too long.
Else, I'm trying my hand on Ardour, trying to mix my latest track since my friend mastering Cubase left living another life in an other country. Learning a DAW seems too have a really steep curve or I just plain suck at it.
Last edited by TobyGornow on 8 November 2020 at 6:12 pm UTC
I've started Return of the Obra Dinn and I don't know if I will ever finish it. Apart from the visuals, which are a bit repulsive at start, the pace and the goal are way too slow for my taste. You're just watching events and investigating for clues in order to put the pieces of the story together. Not my definition of a fun gameplay. Better reading a real book or a comic.
I've started Tales of Berseria and the first hours seemed fun. They managed to remove a big chunk of why I hate anime in the first place, too much stereotypes and unfunny comedy (mostly shonen I assume...). Compare Valkyria Chronicles 1 & 4 and see what I mean. First one was top notch, Fourth got on my nerve real quick. I digress... It's classical Tales Of gameplay with a darker setting and so far I like it. I'll surely pick it up again.
Last but not least, I started a new The Last Remnant run and I loved it until it became a crash fest, one every half an hour on average. I've tried every tricks in the books but it seems too randomly plague Windows user too. Too bad, the game has a unique JRPG combat mechanics that seems really deep and different from what we are used to see. Hope the remaster won't stay an Epic exclusive too long.
Else, I'm trying my hand on Ardour, trying to mix my latest track since my friend mastering Cubase left living another life in an other country. Learning a DAW seems too have a really steep curve or I just plain suck at it.
Last edited by TobyGornow on 8 November 2020 at 6:12 pm UTC
2 Likes, Who?
I'm playing Opus Magnum, and it's excellent.
What I like the most is how you constantly feel motivated to do better. It's not about completing the game. It's not about being better at it than others (at least for me).
It's about doing a bit better with every iteration of your contraption - sometimes by making minor tweaks that lower the number of cycles, sometimes by ripping everything apart and trying a brave new design that turns out to be a disaster, but you still learn something from it.
Also, I love that there's no threat of dying, no timers, no pressure. The game doesn't force you to find a specific solution - any solution does the trick. It's up to you to decide if you're satisfied with your latest creation. You get a problem and building blocks and all the time in the world to do what you like.
It's one of those rare games where everything you do feels satisfying, and the amount of fun is directly proportional to the amount of time and effort you invested.
What a great sandbox! :)
Last edited by Gooda on 8 November 2020 at 7:24 pm UTC
What I like the most is how you constantly feel motivated to do better. It's not about completing the game. It's not about being better at it than others (at least for me).
It's about doing a bit better with every iteration of your contraption - sometimes by making minor tweaks that lower the number of cycles, sometimes by ripping everything apart and trying a brave new design that turns out to be a disaster, but you still learn something from it.
Also, I love that there's no threat of dying, no timers, no pressure. The game doesn't force you to find a specific solution - any solution does the trick. It's up to you to decide if you're satisfied with your latest creation. You get a problem and building blocks and all the time in the world to do what you like.
It's one of those rare games where everything you do feels satisfying, and the amount of fun is directly proportional to the amount of time and effort you invested.
What a great sandbox! :)
Last edited by Gooda on 8 November 2020 at 7:24 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Hinkelsteins? What are they good for? No idea, but they look surprisingly like grave stones.Stopping tanks, apparently. The WRC German Rally is held on a military training ground.
Good job busting those stereotypes, guys.
1 Likes, Who?
Playing a bit of Black Future `88 on Steam lately.. tough rogue-like game
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I've just finished Shadow Warrior (2013) and I loved it from start to finish. It's a pure mindless shooter/slicer, it's fun, it's beautiful and the Linux port is perfect. What else ?
Shadow Warrior is a great fortune cookie hunter game
It's model example how to liven up the old fashioned FPS. Exploration is rewarded in multiple ways, getting further in the level is rewarded with funny banter that sometimes reveals something story related. Gunplay is spiced up with swordplay and magical powers.
I have been playing Graveyard Keeper again as that had new Game of Crone DLC. It's still fun and there were bit of new gameplay and story has again some choices to be made. Game itself is graveyard keeper simulation with some farming thrown in and spiced with occultism. Kind of twisted version of Stardew Valley.
As DLC is fairly short, I moved on to Tropico 6. I tried to finish Tropico 5 first, but it was horribly broken and for me the workaround didn't work. Tropico 6 is pretty much as fun as 5 though, it's still about ruling tropical island as a dictator and gameplay is not drastically different.
I'll have to learn to save few times in a session as it has few game over scenarios and being able to avoid the disaster might need going somewhat more back what's available in autosaves. Or maybe arranging accident for rival could be solution instead of trying to get enough support in order to win the election, I might have been doing that bit too late though...
Though maybe replaying about five years or so is good, because I can avoid the mess altogether. Having the islands as nuclear bomb testing site wrecks up the approval and benefits don't seem to be worth it unless you're desperate.
Last edited by Anza on 8 November 2020 at 7:50 pm UTC
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Hadean Lands. Dozens of hours. It's a text adventure (a genre called interactive fiction nowadays), so great and so difficult...
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I'm playing Hades using Proton: after 26 hours I must say that it runs so well it seems native!
1 Likes, Who?
I recently discovered Eco, no idea how this managed to slip past my radar. Been playing it from shortly before the big 9.0 update to until around patch 9.0.3, when something broke; I don't think it was the patch itself, but something in between the kernel and Mesa. So far no combination of old/new/bleeding edge versions managed to get the game working again. I even gave it a try with both Proton and Wine, to no avail, so I'll just sit back and hope it will fix itself one day...
The other game I've been playing extensively for the past month or so is Avorion, which I immensely enjoy, and have been on and off for the past few years, mostly on though ;)
EDIT: Was missing a zero
Last edited by Valck on 9 November 2020 at 10:29 am UTC
The other game I've been playing extensively for the past month or so is Avorion, which I immensely enjoy, and have been on and off for the past few years, mostly on though ;)
EDIT: Was missing a zero
Last edited by Valck on 9 November 2020 at 10:29 am UTC
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So, I played a good few hours of Lightmatter on Proton from last month's bundle. Then I started and completed The Suicide of Rachel Foster.
After the article Liam ran, I turned to Superliminal and finished that. Now I'm a few hours into Carrion.
So two proton releases and two native. I'm more impressed by the latter so far, although both of the proton games were pretty good. Lightmatter tries to ape Portal's style a little too much, and the puzzles aren't quite as elegant, but it's fairly tight and enjoyable.
After the article Liam ran, I turned to Superliminal and finished that. Now I'm a few hours into Carrion.
So two proton releases and two native. I'm more impressed by the latter so far, although both of the proton games were pretty good. Lightmatter tries to ape Portal's style a little too much, and the puzzles aren't quite as elegant, but it's fairly tight and enjoyable.
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Played some smaller games this weekend, like Valiant Hearts and Blue Estate. Getting ready to start on Pray.
Considering we're going to have another 4 or more months of lockdown, I sure wish I find some more interesting games to pass my time, I fear boredom might make me lose my marbles this winter.
Considering we're going to have another 4 or more months of lockdown, I sure wish I find some more interesting games to pass my time, I fear boredom might make me lose my marbles this winter.
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Started and finished Superliminal. Great little game.
Played a bit of Automachef from my humble backlog. It's an ok game, but it doesn't present that need to continue like Zachtronics manages.
Start on Blasphemous as well.
And most importantly, I finally finished my megabase in Factorio! Here are the results of 190 hours of hard labour!
!link
2.7k SPM in all its (map) glory.
Played a bit of Automachef from my humble backlog. It's an ok game, but it doesn't present that need to continue like Zachtronics manages.
Start on Blasphemous as well.
And most importantly, I finally finished my megabase in Factorio! Here are the results of 190 hours of hard labour!
!link
2.7k SPM in all its (map) glory.
3 Likes, Who?
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