General Video Game Thread

[Sunny]

@arkandel

I mean employees are still staging walkouts, and the entire industry isn’t so bad that employees are driven to suicide, but YMMV I guess.

ETA: do they all have a Cosby room, too?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/09/activision-union-strike-fund/ <-- current situation, they are actually on strike RIGHT NOW.

The WSJ released a bombshell report (it's behind a paywall, alas) that Bobby Kotick (whom they have NOT fired, yet) actually knew about the rapes and everything and hid them from the board. Had receipts and everything (emails). It's not hard to find if you don't mind paying the WSJ sub.

[Carma]

This post is deleted!

[GreenFlashlight]

@carma Jesus Christ, men tire me out. I'm fighting so hard not to go to the custard place for a giant brownie concrete which I will guzzle on the way home before going to bed at 4:30pm, and I don't even work for Actiblizzion.

[Sunny]

I am actually a terrible person, or I suppose I can just be bought? My desire to mitigate my pain has proven to be stronger than my ethics; stupid WoW has become a fixation. I think I'm feeling the urge to play so strongly because 1- I'm in crisis (and this has long been a way for me to vent some of that pressure, and 2- I have told myself NO (and because it's off limits it becomes much more attractive).

BLEH.

[Rucket]

@sunny said in General Video Game Thread:

I am actually a terrible person, or I suppose I can just be bought? My desire to mitigate my pain has proven to be stronger than my ethics; stupid WoW has become a fixation. I think I'm feeling the urge to play so strongly because 1- I'm in crisis (and this has long been a way for me to vent some of that pressure, and 2- I have told myself NO (and because it's off limits it becomes much more attractive).

BLEH.

Well, I think you can play WoW without giving them money. Can't you just play like levels 1-20 for free whenever you want? Maybe that can give you your fix while not providing monetary support for the time being.

[GreenFlashlight]

@sunny said in General Video Game Thread:

1- I'm in crisis (and this has long been a way for me to vent some of that pressure, and 2- I have told myself NO (and because it's off limits it becomes much more attractive).

That's Papa John's pizza for me.

[SixRegrets]

I'm still working on building my MUSH that borrows from Control among other things, but Control is today's EGS free game of the day. Give it a whirl if you think you might be into it: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/control

[geeklure]

@sixregrets This is a very interesting thing to me as it's one of my fave genres, and it might be helpful to you to know - if you didn't already - that 'cosmic horror' is usually the go-to descriptor for control/lovecraft/xfiles-esque biz

[TNP]

I haven't played it (though I just got it since it's free) but it seems similar in concept to Prey by the makers of Dishonored. If you like Control you might like those as well.

[SixRegrets]

@geeklure said in General Video Game Thread:

@sixregrets This is a very interesting thing to me as it's one of my fave genres, and it might be helpful to you to know - if you didn't already - that 'cosmic horror' is usually the go-to descriptor for control/lovecraft/xfiles-esque biz

Yeah, I just tend to shy away from that label because usually the next word out that comes up is Lovecraftian, and then that brings out all sorts of racist weirdos.

@tnp said in General Video Game Thread:

I haven't played it (though I just got it since it's free) but it seems similar in concept to Prey by the makers of Dishonored. If you like Control you might like those as well.

Prey was free on the 25th, actually! I love both of those games but I'd really only call them similar to theming to a degree. Prey is an immersive sim, while Control is more of a shooter. Prey is more about fighting monsters - Control's enemies are considerably more on the human side of things in terms of appearance.

[BetterNow]

@tnp said in General Video Game Thread:

I haven't played it (though I just got it since it's free) but it seems similar in concept to Prey by the makers of Dishonored. If you like Control you might like those as well.

Both Prey and Dishonored are very enjoyable and very replayable as well.

[Derp]

Prey is bonkers fun. I love that game so much. It's never the same twice.

[Testament]

Interesting.

https://www.polygon.com/22889270/microsoft-buys-activision-blizzard-xbox-phil-spencer-ceo

[Solstice]

@testament

What a weird point in time where I think, "Ooh, Microsoft bought a company. I bet that will improve the quality of their games and their workplace culture."

I hope it gets Bobby out of the industry, even if it's on a golden parachute.

[Macha]

@solstice I have heard this echoed in multiple gaming discord servers today.

ETA: And here is apparently the answer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-01-18-activision-blizzard-boss-bobby-kotick-expected-to-leave-once-microsoft-deal-closes-report

[Sunny]

@macha

That is so exciting.

Microsoft’s gaming side has thus far only been an improvement to those IPs they have acquired that I have been invested in. I have been thrilled with the Xbox gaming studios content pretty across the board, and we’re already starting to see an impact on the Bethesda stuff (speculation from what I’ve seen, not necessarily fact).

Given the shithole that is currently Activision/Blizzard, and Phil?? (I think his name is Phil)’s comments on the acquisition, this is going to be an improvement. I don’t know if it will be enough to save WoW, but it surely won’t get WORSE.

[Roz]

We'll see if they get through antitrust examinations.

[Ganymede]

@sunny said in General Video Game Thread:

That is so exciting.

I am cautiously optimistic.

Activision / Blizzard's entire corporate structure needs to be razed. The timing of the acquisition is a bit suspect too, that it is facing sexual harassment complaints. If I were an investor, I would want out before the entire house of cards comes down in flames.

As for improvement on the IP, I hope Microsoft fares better than EA but, frankly, I haven't been impressed with any of its own IP and its failure to capitalize and improve its acquired IP suggests to me that they have no fracking clue what they are doing.

[flyrannosaurus]

@ganymede Bobby Kotick is meant to be stepping down after the acquisition settles, and I'm pretty sure Microsoft is savvy enough to navigate recent Activision Blizzard fires and get the ship righted. As far as Microsoft's own IP, they've been doing a stellar job of late - Game Pass is wildly successful and incredibly consumer-friendly, and Halo Infinite is probably the best title they've put out since Halo 3.

Companies acquired by Microsoft have a tendency to improve quickly and often dramatically.

[Solstice]

@flyrannosaurus said in General Video Game Thread:

Halo Infinite is probably the best title they've put out since Halo 3.

As much as I agree with the rest of your post, this snippet made me giggle.

Halo is the best title they've put out since Halo!

Their first-party title ship is not stellar. Small wonder they feel the need to bolster it.