Quoting: pete910More crap we don't need,


Instead of spending god knows how much on dlss/fsr spend it on better hardware

Problem is that the better hardware doesn't always exist.

Technology doesn't always advance in sync. Monitors first get higher resolution or refresh rate and then GPU:s need to catch up. Also GPU features like raytracing rise demands for the GPU. Dropping resolution gets the framerate back to acceptable level, but FRS and DLSS offer a good compromise.

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I bought the collection too. Though for me the C&C and Red Alert have been quite unstable and crashing during saving was bit scary. Proper fix was to buy the remasters and they have been joy to play. For me it would have been way to go right from the start and wait for the issues with collection games to be hopefully ironed out.

Did try out the Renegade with the tutorial and didn't notice mouse issues. I'm not sure if I have missed some lore as I originally played only C&C and Red Alert and then moved on to Total Annihilation. Also switched to FreeBSD so wasn't really into Windows games when the sequels came out. Have to see how they're like without the nostalgia. Having too much replaying the originals though, so it might take a while to really start playing them.

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Quoting: GetBeanedThen again, after Vampire Survivors (which I really enjoyed), nothing has really grabbed me in the same way. Halls of Torment was fun enough, but I just kept wondering why I didn't just go play VS instead. I'm yet to see a really big evolution with this genre.

I really should play the original one for reference, I have played just the clones. Though based on the clones, I think innovation have been bit more subtle.

Overall theme could be stronger gameplay loop to get you hooked bit quicker. Some of the clones have been quite shallow before the upgrades kick in and even them could be uninspiring. Automatically shooting enemies is good base, but it alone is boring.

Hall of Torment has two mystical things to discover, which both are something that introduce something new once you reach them. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor has mining and you need to be bit tactical about it as your default mining speed is quite slow. Bore Blaster has mining too and short time limit, which gives risk vs reward mechanic to the game.

Bore Blasters doesn't actually have one of the genres hallmarks: hordes. Mining is however somewhat still related to the hordes. Ground is obstacle in your way and if touch the ground with your helicopter, you receive damage.

So maybe none of the things are so influential, that they get copied in all of the clones, but at least best games in the genre are trying out new things.

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Quoting: EhvisDidn't try a lot, but nothing that I didn't know was coming stood out for me. One unfortunate find was that Escape Simulator VR is XR based and won't work.

Works for me. Though I did at some point fiddle with OpenXR settings with SteamVR beta.

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Quoting: AndroidNougat7I tried 39 games from the Next Fest (February 2024) and all games, which I tested works fine on Linux and also on my Steam Deck.

I count that I played 27 demos, though it's 29 if demos that didn't work are counted. Also I have been playing some demos even after the fest has ended. Even installed few more.

I think I have played even more in one of the previous fests, but that one was during my holiday. This time around had to balance work and other stuff at the same time, which left less time for demos. But still added seven games to wishlist, which is plenty.

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Some of the demos have already vanished, though ones I mention here still have the demos available. There's few games worth mentioning. I do have few more unplayed demos, but let's see if any of them are worth mentioning.

Worth Checking Out

Rotwood
Rotwood is reminds me bit of Cult of the Lambs "dungeons", though based on the experience on the latter, Rotwood is the more fun version it. I guess that benefit of coming later and being bit more genre pure game that can concentrate on making one gameplay loop fun. Plenty of roguelite featurures like upgrades and different weapons. Combat requires bit of skill, but learning curve feels like manageable. Though I still might hit ceiling in the full game, but hard to know as the game hasn't been released yet.

I managed to try out different weapon types and they do affect the gameplay by having different moves and combos.

Ultros
Metroidvania with interesting art style and world building is wonderfully strange. Also, you get to eat your enemies organs (which is tied to update mechanic).

Almost Fun

Death Relives
Horror game getting inspiration from Aztec mythology. Some puzzles and hiding from the monster. Only thing that managed to scare me were the jumpscares. Probably could learn trick or two from the Amnesia games. I didn't play long enough to see what the odd looking gun does, though that might have been the main reason why I downloaded the demo. Not totally sure if there's strong enough reasons for me to launch the game again.

Breachway
Space travel, space battles and a card game. Those are the main ingredients of Breachway. Lot of interesting mechanics, but ultimately bit boring. I guess that's the only thing wrong with it.

Level Up Your Body
I mentioned Beat the Beats earlier. Like it, this one is VR only game based on boxing moves. Main difference is that this one is bit of a mess. It copies few things from Beat Saber, but they don't seem to do anything at all. Ultimately fixable things, but this might be the only time I play the game ever.

Not Worth it

Hell Galaxy
What could go wrong, if the premise is sci-fi horror? Sadly tutorial execution can ruin the great premise. Seems to be some kind of space combat game, but tutorial hides the enemies behind icons (known issue) and if you die in the tutorial, you get soft locked behind door that can not be opened.

Though still, based on the store page, maybe there's good game hidden in there somewhere. Hard to know.

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Looks like the Fest is still up for a while. Slowly some of the demos are going to vanish. Shapez 2 is going to be there until 26th, so if you want to try that out, there's still time.

Todays games:

Worth Checking Out
Millenia:
This one is Civilization clone and some of the features are familiar from Civilization 6. There are though some things that makes it bit different. For example eras shape gameplay and first one to unlock the new era can affect which one it will be. Different eras have different requirements, so unlocking specific one is not necessarily easy. Refreshing in a sense that there's not launcher, but as games publisher is Paradox, so can't totally rule that out.

Balatro:
there's already article up about this one. In short it's gambling rogulelite based on poker. Good fun and quite addictive.

Lightyear Frontier:
Satisfactory with mechs and with more farming and less automation. I had fun and based on the store page there's some potential and it's advertised to be on the cozier side. So there might be some Slime Rancher influences too as exploration is a thing. Demo had ancient ruin to explore, and full game seems to have few more additional areas to explore, which were walled off in the demo.

Pacific Drive:
Stalker meets driving with fixing the car and all. There's already article up for it.

Still fun
Homeworld 3: it's a Homeworld game, I didn't play past the tutorial yet. Could be maybe higher maybe based on the actual gameplay.

Almost Fun:
The Carrier And Crows:. It's a survival game alright. You can punch trees, but you do have axe rightaway so you don't have to.

Crafting takes quite lot of resources and there seems to be something weird going on. Water looks like a gel and doesn't flow downriver, crow might hover in air. There's also crow person in a hollow tree. Some of these might actually be bugs. Based on the screenshots there's more weird stuff in the game, but it was too little too late for me.

Farcaster:
VR only. Sci-fi western on the rails shooter. I got trouble starting up the games and it seems that menus don't work all the time as guns don't work as pointers consistently. Also for some reason, second eye was having view too far apart, so I got double vision.

After warmup, difficulty raises drastically. Might be more fun if I get better at dodging bullets. Though still best arcade VR shooter so far, but the bar is quite low. Actually Superhot might scratch the shooter itch bit better, though it's quite hard as well.

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Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: SeegrasLooks good, but.. is it intentionally "Stalker"? Even the Region is called "Exclusion Zone" too...

Well, yes, but presumably this one is full of zombified athletes . . . sprinters, javelin and discus and hammer throwers, weight lifters and whatnot . . . it is the Olympic Exclusion Zone, after all.

I didn't see any Olympics going on, so I guess the Olympics exclusion is working.

As for the technical issues, I must have done something wrong as the game worked for me. It asks to choose between DX11 and DX12 at startup and I left the default which was DX12.

Performance was tolerable.

As for the game, it was fun. Just got the car pimped up, so the regular gameplay loop is probably going to start. Let's see how much I have time and how long the demo is going the be available.

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Roguelite gambling is not yet a category in Steam, but now there's at least two of them, this and Luck Be A Landlord.

I thought that I found perfect synergy for second round by creating tarot engine. But I guess plain multiplication generation is not enough. Need to get also chips. One and half hours went quite fast.

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I have played few of these, not totally sure if what I don't already have makes worthwhile bundle me. I have so far avoided getting The Talos Principle, so at least that would be an excuse to get the bundle.

Superliminal, is quite good, even when it doesn't beat Portal. It just keeps things fresh for the whole game.

The Witness is puzzle game in a lush environment, but mostly your just staring at screens. You have to figure out the puzzle mechanics on your own and that was bit too much for me.

The Pedestrian is nice puzzle platformer, with different perspective. If the Witness about staring at the screens, in this one you're staring at street signs.

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