Maluvin

Been poking at the Witcher 3 again. Having beat it once already I don't have the urgency to find out what happened Ciri so now I feel more free to explore more of the side content. It is glorious and really fun. Also having fun playing through it using different skills and signs. Updates to the UI are great.

Finally got around to beating Pillars of Eternity. Gorgeous game although it has things that bother me. Still really glad that I finally got around to beating it finally after stalling out twice before.

I'm going to laugh my ass off if this ends up being a match 3 game with amazing cutscenes.

@dudeglove: Really agree with the point about burnout. One thing that I've been curious about when it comes to smaller operations is what happens when you don't have something like an HR, IT, or accounting department. When you don't have people dedicated to those roles that means those aspects either get neglected or you have to pass along those duties to other people. Having worked for a small business in the past I've come to appreciate the role of those departments even if sometimes they can be burdensome at times.

I love the work that Danny is doing right now and agree with a lot of his analysis of some of the problems in games coverage both in terms of how things feel overall and how approaching coverage with different models can make a huge impact on the content that results.

The feeling I can't entirely escape though is that, even if the individual projects are backed by dedicated subscribers, this "new model" is still ultimately dependent on some really big corporate interests. If your content is being distributed on Twitch or Youtube or whatever streaming platform there's still a business backbone that has to be fed and even if a project like Noclip isn't directly paying for that backbone that whole ecosystem is floating in the background and they're not providing bandwidth out of the goodness of their hearts - somewhere down the pipeline they're getting theirs and it has to have some sort of effect on what we see and experience. Not saying there's necessarily a better model right but I think it's still something to keep in the back of our heads.

Really having a good time in Titanfall 2 currently. I was talking to my brother about it the other day and I came to the realization that I love Titanfall 2 for a lot of the reasons that I loved Tribes 2 back in the day. It controls in a completely different manner obviously but the there's something about the mobility and speed you can build up that scratches an itch that misses the unique dynamics of Tribes skiing.

I really go for mindless loot games like Diablo, open world Elder Scrolls games, and builder/crafting games. Basically anything where I can set my own pace with no pausing issues.

One more vote here for the Samsung Evo drives. I've used them for both personal computers and at work for staff laptops. Solid performance and reliability.

Good god, this is a scene from a house of monsters.

@ryanmchenry: Just wanted to say thanks for the code. Really appreciate it!

I'll probably continue to play Bethesda games but the change in policy probably changes when exactly I'll pick them up and at what price. I haven't preordered anything in years and I won't pick anything up until either one of my close friends gives a game a recommendation, I've read a few professional reviews post-launch, or something to that effect. I think it's a really crappy policy by Bethesda and shows a lack of confidence in their creative teams which is absurd given the quality of the games they've put out at times and the strong sales they've seen even on titles that were somewhat lacking at release like (Fallout 4).

I'm also realistic in thinking this is a policy change that isn't really aimed at a lot of gamers like us. It's about the bigger broader market who only have a passing relationship with professional reviews.