Coelacanth

Looks really cool. It was apparently already on my wishlist when I went to add it just now so I guess I had already heard about it. Hope it turn out good, the art style is fantastic.

As has already been stated, it's been confirmed there will be no replacements (at least for these races - we return to the middle east in the fall and those probably will have to get replaced to fulfill the broadcast quota).

But if we are allowed to pipe dream the Sepang would be cinema, although realistic drop replacements are probably Imola, Portimao and Istanbul (although the latter might also be too close to the danger zone).

Should have listened to Brad Pitt and built the cars for combat...

I mean, the open world is not any better or any worse than your garden variety Ubisoft style. You clear camps, you collect stuff (cats in this instance), you fight minibosses, you find chests with loot. I have it as pretty much equal to something like Ghost of Tsushima or the Witcher 3 (minus Gwent - the best part of that game). The loot is pretty decent - there is maybe too much trash loot, but there is still enough actually usable loot that it feels rewarding (unlike something like Witcher 3). The random events that pop up are pretty repetitive, but most of them involve combat so I don't mind because the combat is great. I will say that there is some progression stuff tied to engaging with the open world (skill points from visiting shrines, learning stances from minibosses, more skill points from completing areas etc) so you can't completely stick to the main story only I think if you really hate open world stuff (which is fair - I can only play these games in moderation and will probably wait a while until my next one).

The benefit here to me so far is that the combat is fun enough that I am kept interested regardless. There is a lot more depth and potential to optimise, style and flex on your enemies compared to say Ghost of Tsushima, and there are also a lot more weapons which lets you have more variety if you want to. Honestly instead of trailers you should watch something like this video to see what is possible in this combat system. When everything clicks and you start to utilise your whole arsenal it is super fun and satisfying.

It'll be more Rise of the Ronin for me, about halfway through it by now I think. Taking my time with it and completing the map rather than just doing the main story. The game is pretty huge, I can easily see this be a 100+ hour playthrough. I am now regretting pirating it instead ofbuying it at the last sale as I wouldn't mind logging these hours into my Steam account. Will definitely buy it next time it's for sale at around €23.

Don't have too many new things to say about it this week. Game is enjoyable. I am probably more high on it than normal as it's been over a year since my last big open world style game, but even then I am enjoying the other parts of the game as well. Combat is super fun, I am finally starting to get some flow into really utilising more of the kit in combat and you really have a lot of tools at your disposal if you want them. The story is also actually intriguing and I think several of the characters are pretty charming - Ryoma in particular is becoming someone I'm really growing fond of.

Likewise.

I think "Mixed" is where Steam reviews falter, at least for me. If a game is mostly negative it's usually bad and if it's very positive or overwhelmingly positive it's usually good. But I've certainly had experiences with several games that are much better than "Mixed" reviews would indicate.

Don't know we can say for certain that these tunnels are what inspired the Grecian myth, but this video was absolute cinema as far as entertainment goes. Really good editing, scripting and storytelling.

I think phase two is pretty good, it's like a proto-Elden Ring boss in that it has a roll catch you need to learn that will fuck you up if you panic roll. Phase one is an absolute disaster though.

Nameless King phase one type beat.

Where did you quit in Fallout 2? I love it but the opening hours are pretty rough, even fans of it meme about the temple of trials and the general first few hours.

I do definitely think you're right that FO2 defined the franchise, it's where they moved from a slightly more grim and serious post-apocalyptic tone in the first game to a more humourous style with more pop culture references and wacky stuff. Fans or the first two games tend to be divided over that, with some saying Fallout 1 is superior because of the different tone. I can see the argument, but I love Fallout 2 personally.

There are some great mods for it too, not just Restoration Project Updated but Talking Heads and Talking Heads Actually Talk are both incredible fan made mods that blend right in.

Okay, fair enough haha!

Also I love Finland for the record, the joke was just right there you know...