Quoting: ageres

Quoting: kaimanMust be something bloated like Unity.

It is Unity indeed: https://steamcommunity.com/app/603390/discussions/0/1474221865198212654/

Ha! Though given the rather brilliant effects on display in the trailer, it was pretty clear that it wasn't based on something like ncurses or aa-lib. So definitely not running in the terminal ;-).

Also mind you, I'm not so much opposed to general-purpose game engines that save people from having to re-invent the wheel for every game they write. But I am a bit sensitive to the waste of resources due to sloppy programming. Sometimes I'm under the impression that software (be that OS, productivity software or games) is gobbling up the advances in computing power faster than that power is indeed advancing.

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Requiring 370MB RAM, it sadly will not run on my old Laptop ;-). Given that it requires less disk space than RAM, one wonders what the technology behind it is. Must be something bloated like Unity.

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Quoting: PhlebiacWhat is NDS? Nintendo DS?

Not Demanding a Second guess.

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Quoting: rustybroomhandleGames I favour tend to be one-and-done type games, mostly single player. The last non-native AAA(ish) game I played was A Plague Tale, which was great, but unlikely to ever show up in a list like this, even during release week.

Same for me. But I guess the list is still a good indication whether Linux is suitable for the "masses", as these are games played by a large number of people.

Depending on personal preference, the situation is actually not as bleak as the article makes it out to be. In fact, my own little statistic of game purchases shows more native Linux titles than non-Linux titles since 2014. Obviously, that's just me and should be considered somewhat skewed by a preference for Linux games. Though I did not completely ditch Windows until end of 2015, and basically did all gaming on Windows until then.

Games by release date and platform:

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Quoting: MrNilssonWell I think the last one I played was Grim Fandango or a Leisure Suit Larry game. The last few years I just played the Counter Strike games, Rainbow Six Siege and some Fortnite on the PC and sport & adventure games on the PS4. If you're up you can tell me some must plays on Linux. Doesn't have to be only point-and-click adventures. But it would be nice if the games were native Linux games. I just want to explore Linux games at the moment as I'm new to Linux.

Since I kind of started this, I'll throw in my favorites as well (though I spotted some of them already). As per request, native Linux games only.

As far as P&C adventures (and adventure/narrative games in general) are concerned:

• The Deponia series makes the top of the list. In my book, it's the Monkey Island of this decade, if perhaps a bit less innocent (not to say: more controversial). As you should be playing the original German version, quality of writing and voice work will be excellent. I really liked how a lot of your actions will bring about small and large catastrophes, and doubly so when I didn't see them coming :-).
• The premise behind Thimbleweed Park is that it looks and feels like a long-lost LucasArts adventure, and it's executed brilliantly. No wonder, as it was made by the people behind the original Maniac Mansion (and Monkey Island). Very good puzzles, decent story, even though it develops in a somewhat unexpected direction.
• Firewatch is a purely narrative game, and one of the best I played. In my view, it features the most natural sounding dialog I encountered in a game so far, and its down-to-earth story resonated with me quite well. And while the graphics aren't quite AAA quality, it manages to set a very beautiful mood, further enhanced by an excellent soundtrack.
• State of Mind is more focused on the narrative, with some lighter puzzles. The story is set in a near-future dystopian Berlin and quite thought-provoking. Luckily, some decisions are left in the hand of the player, so it never feels patronizing. As it meshed well with my own worries and hopes for the future, I found playing it a fairly pleasant experience.
• Broken Age is made by Tim Shafer, the guy behind Grim Fandango. Not quite in the same league, but it's a fun and relaxing P&C adventure, with an artsy look to it. I find the story pretty tranquil, and a perfect escape from the troubles of the real world.
• I really liked the looks of Unforeseen Incidents, and it's a decent enough P&C adventure too. It's your typical conspiracy plot, with the typical foreseeable twists, but characters are lovable and puzzles not too bad. Did I mention the very distinctive and in my view fantastic graphics?

Outside the adventure genre, it really depends what you're after. Again, some of my favorites:

• Divinity: Original Sin (Enhanced Edition) was the first RPG from Larian I played, and it had me mightily impressed. I love the vibrant art style, the wacky humor and the turn-based combat. In my book, it's far better than the sequel.
• AER: Memories of Old is very, very relaxing, with some light platforming. The best (bird)-flight mechanics I've ever experienced, and I also like the visuals.
• For the King is best described as board game meets Rogue-like, and I found it fairly addictive. Linux version isn't on GOG, though, just on Steam.
• Torment: Tides of Numenera is the spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, and while it (naturally) fails to live up to the greatness of PS:T, it's an interesting RPG in its own right, with very little combat and lots of text instead.
• Else Heart.Break() is quite unusual, as it has you writing code to reach your objectives. Otherwise, it comes across as a kind of adventure game, except that there are no traditional puzzles.

If you're more after a AAA experience, it might make sense to check out the Linux catalogue of Aspyr or Feral respectively. Personally, I've played Civilization VI, Civilization: Beyond Earth and a bit of F1 2017, with no complaints. Don't think any of those are on GOG though. You'd have to get them on Steam.

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Quoting: MrNilssonI haven't played a point-and-click adventure for ages.

Just by reading the article, I'd wager there are better candidates worthy of your attention :-). P&C Adventures had a pretty fruitful phase over the past couple years, and more hot stuff in the pipeline.

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Quoting: NeverthelessLike I said before, because you're feeding proprietary AIs, training them manipulating people.

Not too unlikely. A lot more is to be gained from harvesting lengthy game play sessions than from occasionally being forced to solve one of Google's stupid captchas.

Quoting: elmapulwhat scary me the most is that Stadia is powered by Linux, and if we ever enter an world where the standartd is gaming without preservation of old games, gaming without the freedom of mods to makew your own maps, characters etc. it will be google and linux fault that we were able to reach that world.

That came up in my mind as well, but I quickly decided to not pursue that train of thought. As with a lot of technologies, there's the potential for abuse, but that's not to say that the technology in question isn't doing more good than evil overall. And with Linux, there's no doubt about that.

But perhaps that's pointing to the issue with the (current) GPL losing its edge in a world of cloud-computing. It's not unheard of developers to move to more restrictive licenses because of cloud companies reaping the benefits of some open source product or other without giving anything back in return.

TBH, right now I'm fairly skeptical whether anything Google does to enable Stadia will make its way back to improve gaming on the Linux desktop. But hey, I don't mind being proven wrong :-).

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Quoting: GustyGhostThis will be great for anyone who wants a 3rd party to have complete control over their access to games. At that point, you're not even renting.

And that's one reason I will stay wide away from this. The others being privacy concerns and Chrome.

I mean I see the appeal of playing hardware-hungry games on cheap client systems or for playing games that are not compatible on the OS level, but personally I'd rather not play these than giving up possession of the game binaries and assets (I've already given up on getting a box, disc and printed manual).


One question that also comes to mind is how game streaming might change games as a whole, if it ever catches on. I'm pretty sure it's not good for business if people keep streaming the same game (they paid once) again and again. So it's either in-game advertising, micro transactions, shorter or generally less re-playable games (or a mix of those), neither of which I find potentially appealing.

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Quoting: GrabbyI've just finished Firewatch. I quite liked it, the writing and voice acting are excellent (even if the ending is a bit anticlimatic...), so it's definitely a recommendation if you like story-focused games in the same vein as Tacoma or Life is Strange.

I loved Firewatch, as I could absolutely relate to the main character. I only ever watched a bit of gameplay footage of Life is Strange, and all it did for me was make me feel old and shake my head about those silly teens with their funny language and odd problems.

Firewatch on the other hand felt like it has been made for my age group :-). So I am very much looking forward to In the Valley of Gods. Given that Campo Santo have been absorbed by Valve, I'd hope that this will also be a native Linux title.

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Quoting: subBG is fantastic!
I hope I can finish it this time.
After all these years.

BG I and II are probably the best games I never finished :-). I still have my saves from back then, and if I could use them with the Enhanced Edition, I likely would grab that and play some more. Until I get to a point where the combat starts feeling tedious and I'll stop again.

All the more reason to be hyped for (and terrified of) Baldur's Gate III.

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