Very much feels like Brandon would love Outer Wilds, it has exactly that vibe to it of an open world with clues leading you to huge discoveries, and finding out what your goal is, executed in an incredible way. It gives you that sense of wonder and discovery amped up to 11, and I wish I could play it blind again.
I tried to get this game because it sounded so interesting and I was very excited when Outer Worlds was announced for the switch. So I went out and bought it...and that's not the same game. Lol. Still haven't played either title.
Some recent games with interesting narrative design: - Outer Wilds (must play) - Slay the Princess - 1000xResist - Indika - The Holy Gosh Darn - Immortality
Brandon, since you're a writer, I highly recommend a game, Slay the Princess, that can be completely fairly quickly. It seems so simple, but the writing is far more than meets the eye on the surface. I finally completed the game 1 time and found I'd only managed to get about 16% of the achievements.
Against the Storm and FTL are two of my favorite games of all time. Great to see more niche of games mentioned like those. I will echo a few of the other comments that Outer Wilds is one of the best games of all time and probably my best gaming experiences of all times. Outer Wilds is the closest I have been to that feeling of waking up to play a game and obsessively thinking about it throughout the day like I did when I was a kid. Tunic came close getting to lean on the Zelda nostalgia as well, but Outer Wilds edges it out just slightly for me.
Outer Wilds I highly recommend! Going in blind to play it will give you the best experience. If you ever do play it many of us sould love to hear your thoughts on it!
I'm going to recommend two games: Outer Wilds and Frosptunk. Outer Wilds is all about the wonder of discovery. You have to explore and solve a mystery. The less you spoil yourself the better. Frostpunk is a survival city builder. The world has frozen and you have to build the last city on Earth. It has a very nice story with a good progression. I think it's amazing because it perfectly marries everything: gameplay, story, worldbuilding, aesthetic, soundtrack and sound design.
Outer Wilds is so insanely good, I played it a long time ago and I still think about it weekly. Even now I chase a similar feeling in all new games/books/shows I got from playing it. Highly recommended x 2.
16:47 he hits the nail on the head about the luster of gaming as we age. Books have definitely stolen my heart as I get older. I find them easier, more enjoyable, and more escapist than 200hr daunting open world RPGs.
It's so cool to hear my favorite talking about how much they also enjoy my favorite games. Battle Brothers. Such a great game. If you enjoy strategy / tactics games, roguelikes, and emergent storytelling, it simply can't be beat. I love it more and more each time I play.
He has said before that if anyone had $100 million that he could use he had some ideas for his books. That’s the problem with video games, they’re so expensive to produce
I have two suggestions for you Brandon, first keep an eye out for the new dune game "Dune: Awakening". Second buy a steam deck. It opens so many doors to being able to play games, on the go, on the couch, giving you a chance to play the games you want during points in your life you wouldn't do much else anyway.
An amazing roguelike game is Inscryption! You build a deck of creature cards while following a story on a map. You are guided by a gamemaster type person who switches masks to be different characters you meet. But the problem is, you don't know where you are or why you are playing this game and you have to figure it out. Highly Recommend. Also I am bad at explaining it but check it out!
I love hearing other people talk about games and how they interface with them, it's always fascinating to me. The most recent game I can think of that gave me that sense of wonder was Tears of the Kingdom. It's rare for me to wish I could play a game for the first time again (for various reasons) but I frequently wish I could play that game for the first time again.
As a writer himself I think Brandon might appreciate Disco Elysium, the world building and rules to the world are really cool. Something a worldbuilder like him would appreciate!
Hades was incredible. Hands down one of my favorite games of the last decade. My first real experience with the roguelike genre and I’ve been looking for another game to scratch that itch for years.
B-Money!! We seem to have very similar video game preferences haha. I came running to the comments to shout Outer Wilds and saw many others doing the same already. It is life changing and fits your busy schedule (less than 20 hours to complete and can be played in smaller stints). Go into it blind!
Seconding Brian's "Valheim is a vibe." The music is chill and somewhere between forlorn and wistful. Visually, the biggest things Valheim has going for it are its skybox and its color choices in the meadows, black forest, plains, and mountains (haven't made it to the mistlands, although they look gorgeous is shorts). I haven't had looking up at the sky of a video game make me feel that way since WoW's Burning Crusade expac in 2007. The color choices just make the game look like it's glowing through your screen. Sunsets and moonrises are amazing. Unless you're in the swamp. The color palette for the swamp is brown rain. The swamp is universally hated.
Mistlands is the most beautiful biome in the game, no contest imo. You definitely need to play again now that Ashlands is out too. Obvious disclaimer that both biomes are extremely dangerous
BG3 I really enjoy. Some people really get into the story and RP of it, but I enjoy just going all out into the tactics that you are never really able to pull off in normal DnD. It is also really fun finding exploits in that game and creating OP builds for your characters.
5:05 Tears of the Kingdom is just such a joy. If I had to choose between entirely forgetting Tears of the Kingdom or A Stormlight Archive book, allowing me to enjoy them anew again, I would have a very tough choice to make.
Valheim is truly excellent. I’ve done about 6 playthroughs solo and 3 with friends on a server. Ark used to be my fav game despite its many issues. Nearly 6k hours in the original and about 500 in the remake. Sadly, it’s been driven into the ground with cash grabs and it’s trending to pay to win so I dropped it. Also there’s already an AI companion mod on Skyrim that will talk to you. It’s insane. Only issue is it takes a second to process what you say and then reply. I imagine stuff like this will be implemented in games going forward and it’ll probably only get better
I remember playing old Civ games, I don't remember which I stated on, the units were little squares with pictures. It was like playing a chits board game, but lots of fun. OG wolfenstein shareware disks were great, played that first bit over and over so many times, Hexen and Heratic were both good as well.
27:30 my worst experience playing skyrim was BEING the arch mage, the actual ARCH MAGE and walking up to a court wizard who treats me like some novice prestidigitator who might not be able to handle his spells. Its like, DUDE, I am THE mage in the land. Max skill in all magic, master of the secret spells, and Arch Mage of the University of magic. Figure it out! Obviously its because skyrim has limited dialog, but I am so looking forward to them just throwing the quest log and skills at a chatbot trained on the original scrip and told "modify to fit this character"
Valheim, yeeeeeeeeees! I haven't played it recently, but my friend and I have an absurd amount of hours in it. The timing was just flawless for them, and the game itself is SO fun, espeeeeecially with friends!
Pretty ironic that someone who makes their living from writing is so supportive of AI in video games that would ultimately result in writers losing their jobs.
One game that the early talk brings to mind for me is Abiotic Factor, which is also a explore & craft game where you have a clear end goal of escape the facility. (Except for the fact that it's in EA and isn't implemented up to an actual ending yet.)
11:12 if you like FTL consider trying Space Haven! Even though they list it as early access, it plays like a complete, polished game. It's a bit like FTL but with more emphasis on the building and simulation aspects, and it's a bit more free-form (but still has a definite ending to work towards). Also, the music and iso art are amazing
I super disagree with wanting AI to simulate real relationships in games. That is a tempting dangerous drug for antisocial or even introverted individuals.
To a degree for sure. I think AI being used to make generic npcs more adaptive and immersive (walk up to random guy on street corner, ask for directions, he tells you to piss off because he's an asshole). However I do think trying to form very deep relationships with ai characters is a dangerous mental trap that will do exactly like what you say, in the same way some people already do even without the help of AI
I see using AI for voices in gaming to be a bad thing simply because what happens to actors that have dedicated their lives to acting in video games if were heading to a future that only uses AI voices?
I worry less about AI replacing the people who have dedicated their careers to voice acting and more about replacing the people just starting out. The small gigs will disappear first, preventing the next generation of aspiring voice actors from getting their foot in the door. Current professionals will have work for years, but once they retire that’s when the industry will begin truly falling apart.
I was playing Freelancer recently, and I realised what they were trying to do with NPCs would work well with AI voices. Approaching a new person and having AI say "Hello {name}, I'm {NPC_name} from {faction}. I need some help delivering {goods} to {planet}, I'll give you 15% of the proceeds." just seems like a good use. Not a full chatbot, all the interactions have been pre-designed, but the delivery could be so much more natural when you don't have to splice together 15 separate soundbites for those 2 sentences.
26:59 In the early 80's Atari was working on a system which would generate stories on the fly, for interactive fiction. They called it an Interactive Fantasy System. Ray Bradbury helped, since he wrote some stories about similar systems. And because Atari had money to burn. They stopped their research in 1982 or '83, when they fell on hard times.
Possibly the first game to implement procedural narrative was Murder on the Zinderneuf (1983), one of Electronic Arts' first games. It randomized suspects and clues in a murder mystery style game - a natural fit, if a clumsy implementation. I've always had heart that this type of storytelling can work, and there's a really interesting roguelike working with the idea of generating cultures and story called Ultima Ratio Regum which is worth checking out.
High recommendation for Valheim. Not so much for the story... There are dwarves you might be able to trap into your town if you want NPCs. I absolutely love the building mechanics of that game. You can get super intricate with the details to make really whatever you want, from viking towns to entire castles and strongholds. It's always fun when you are able to play with a group of friends.
Elden Ring can be a hard game, but I believe it is a complete master class of environmental storytelling and ambience. Each new corner inspires a sense of wonder and gets the imagination roaring
Finally, some love for Valheim! Hopefully in two years when it gets out of early access i can get more people to play it. Also the modding community there is fantastic!
Wow, never have I hreard so many of my favorite games mentioned in 33 minutes… Valheim, Terraria, Tears of the Kingdom, FTL, Monument Valley, Hades, even Don’t Starve for some reason.
Idk if Sanderson reads the comments but for everyone else, if youre looking for real games on mobile, check out Slice and Dice. Its a roguelike class based rpg where your class determines what dice you roll. Very very very good
For people who love the Civ franchise and haven't played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, that one comes highly recommended, such a unique setting and atmosphere! And now that it's available to play natively on Steam, and running flawlessly in Windows 10/11 environment, only costing a few bucks, well you know what to do!
ARK I liked. It's definitely not the best when it comes to base building, but it was fun being able to tame pretty much anything, and it is super satisfying being able to breed armies to follow you into battle. I don't enjoy doing that open online when people will ransack your base and you lose all of your progress.
If you like valheim / terraria try core keeper! You can do a dedicated server with up to 6 players. It's fantastic. Definitely can vill the void valheim leaves behind.
I love Brandon, I love Brian, and I love gaming. This was such a fantastic episode for me! I can't agree on Civ VI though. Civ V was infinitely better imo.
20:30 GOG is an alternative. It's DRM free and they try their best to keep the games on the store, and playable and not run into licensing issues like how Spec Ops: The Line or Alpha Protocol had. Warcraft 1 and 2 were on GOG for a good while, until Blizzard decided to remaster them (poorly, might I add) and GOG were forced to take the games off the store. Two of the games I wish I could buy on Steam/GOG are Transformers War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, they were dumb games but I found them entertaining.
That could be the strangest description of Balatro I’ve ever heard. Chips as hit points, interesting. This game is also on Apple Arcade and it’s amazing.
I liked the idea of Valheim, and started playing it, but my problem was honestly the fact that half of it was all about logistics and then half was the boss fights. I really wanted them to triple down on that building system and make it mean way more. Make it not just build a giant long house at every spot. I want each build I make to need to be different to fill different jobs.
Weird enough I kinda had a bit of the same experience. I wanted to get into Mass effect, so I played the first games remaster and absolutely adored it. I’m a bit of a completionist so the experience did get a bit too grind-y going to all these different planets and exploring them. But the second game just sorta had a massively different vibe from the outset and changed mechanics fundamental to the game like Amo count. I definitely wanna finish playing ME2 but I definitely understand why people have a hard time starting it
If you like FTL check out Battle Brothers-- Absolute gem of a roguelike that I'd pitch to Brandon as a roguelike where you play as the Black Company by Glen Cook.
My biggest indie recommendation is Tunic. Top-down zelda like with some souls mechanics. That doesn’t even properly summarize the game but basically you learn how the game works all by yourself. The in-game language isn’t even english. It’s a fully translatable made up language. And you have to find the game manual in-game as part of the process. Amazing game. Fun adventure and mind bending puzzles. One of my favorites.
I'm going to share my unsolicited recomendation, you have to try Cyberpunk 2077 with the Phantom Liberty DLC. The story, writing, the setting and the gameplay are all top tier, and the lore it's based on an awesome TRPG from Mike Pondsmith as you probably know.
“Steam is great” The user experience of Steam _is_ great. I imagine that the creators who are paying 30%, might have a different viewpoint. As a comparison, my user experience with Amazon has been great. That’s usually enough for consumers to not peek behind the curtain.
Mass Effect 2, that's the feeling your SUPPOSED to have. Like they wanted you to feel upset and wanting the old crew back, so that when you see them again its a big moment.
I really don’t want to see AI chatbots completely erase NPC dialogue writing. Maybe AI can fill in the gaps after you’ve exhausted every human written dialogue that’d be pertinent to the story/mission. That way you don’t have repeated dialogue for eternity after you’ve done all of that NPC’s quest interactions.
Brandon Sanderson
&
Sander Branderson
THIS 😂
I had to perform a double-take...
Also, technically it would be Sander Brandonson. But it does sound kinda wonky.
Sandman Brandhandsome
I'm sorry, I thought you were messing around at first; you guys look so similar, even how you dress, the glasses, it got me!
Evil twin. You know because one is blue and the other is red.
Ahaha that happened to me in last stream I was like "did Brandon had a brother?"
FR! They could easily pass as twins.
Lmao I literally thought he was doing like an ai interview with himself when I looked at the thumbnail
I legit thought this was a Between Two Ferns video.
Very much feels like Brandon would love Outer Wilds, it has exactly that vibe to it of an open world with clues leading you to huge discoveries, and finding out what your goal is, executed in an incredible way. It gives you that sense of wonder and discovery amped up to 11, and I wish I could play it blind again.
Ooh maybe yes! I'm in the middle of that game (took a break, probably will continue later)
I tried to get this game because it sounded so interesting and I was very excited when Outer Worlds was announced for the switch. So I went out and bought it...and that's not the same game. Lol. Still haven't played either title.
wish I recorded my playthrough ),: the game is soo good and i can't ever play it or it's DLC again.
I was going to say this!
Outer Wilds is the good one! Not Outer Worlds @@jamesmontgomery7074
At first glance I thought it was an AI generated Brandon Sanderson on the right 💀
This was one of my fav intentionally blank episodes! Love hearing Brandon talk about what video games he enjoys.
Some recent games with interesting narrative design:
- Outer Wilds (must play)
- Slay the Princess
- 1000xResist
- Indika
- The Holy Gosh Darn
- Immortality
Yeah, Outer Wilds is a solid game, but one that's very hard to sell people on because just about anything you learn about the game is a spoiler.
Obra dinn too
Slay the Princess is so underrated.
I really hope brandon gets recomended and plays outer wilds if he hasn't, that game is an actual once in a lifetime experience
and its whole core is to wonder about the world that surrounds you
Yes!!
Never thought I'd hear Brandon shout out Balatro. Awesome game
Wait Brandon never even finished ME2??? Yes that absolutely needs to be the series that you binge next, such amazing characters and world building.
Mass Effect needs to be on the list
Brandon, since you're a writer, I highly recommend a game, Slay the Princess, that can be completely fairly quickly. It seems so simple, but the writing is far more than meets the eye on the surface. I finally completed the game 1 time and found I'd only managed to get about 16% of the achievements.
Against the Storm and FTL are two of my favorite games of all time. Great to see more niche of games mentioned like those. I will echo a few of the other comments that Outer Wilds is one of the best games of all time and probably my best gaming experiences of all times. Outer Wilds is the closest I have been to that feeling of waking up to play a game and obsessively thinking about it throughout the day like I did when I was a kid. Tunic came close getting to lean on the Zelda nostalgia as well, but Outer Wilds edges it out just slightly for me.
Against the Storm is so underrated
yay we got two Brandon Sandersons for a price of one! Great deal!
Outer Wilds I highly recommend!
Going in blind to play it will give you the best experience.
If you ever do play it many of us sould love to hear your thoughts on it!
I'm going to recommend two games: Outer Wilds and Frosptunk. Outer Wilds is all about the wonder of discovery. You have to explore and solve a mystery. The less you spoil yourself the better. Frostpunk is a survival city builder. The world has frozen and you have to build the last city on Earth. It has a very nice story with a good progression. I think it's amazing because it perfectly marries everything: gameplay, story, worldbuilding, aesthetic, soundtrack and sound design.
Just wanted to tell you that I appreciate you and hope you have a great day.
Everyone should check out Outer Wilds. Story driven puzzle game. Go in blind tho
Outer Wilds is so insanely good, I played it a long time ago and I still think about it weekly. Even now I chase a similar feeling in all new games/books/shows I got from playing it. Highly recommended x 2.
My housemate walked into the room in the middle of the video and asked, “Brothers?”
Brandon, do yourself a favor and play Baldurs Gate 3. So amazing.
Special shout out to early RTS Dune and StarCraft
If Brandon went on a 2 year hiatus, I'm blaming Balatro
16:47 he hits the nail on the head about the luster of gaming as we age. Books have definitely stolen my heart as I get older. I find them easier, more enjoyable, and more escapist than 200hr daunting open world RPGs.
glad you guys are fans of the Civ series! im excited for VII. love how each new one is a great mix of old and new
It's so cool to hear my favorite talking about how much they also enjoy my favorite games.
Battle Brothers. Such a great game. If you enjoy strategy / tactics games, roguelikes, and emergent storytelling, it simply can't be beat. I love it more and more each time I play.
Now we just need Brandon to make a video game based on his books
PLEASE I would burn a glyphward for this, open world Stormlight game... One can dream (at least we have the rpg so I'm happy)
He has said before that if anyone had $100 million that he could use he had some ideas for his books. That’s the problem with video games, they’re so expensive to produce
I have two suggestions for you Brandon, first keep an eye out for the new dune game "Dune: Awakening". Second buy a steam deck. It opens so many doors to being able to play games, on the go, on the couch, giving you a chance to play the games you want during points in your life you wouldn't do much else anyway.
An amazing roguelike game is Inscryption! You build a deck of creature cards while following a story on a map. You are guided by a gamemaster type person who switches masks to be different characters you meet. But the problem is, you don't know where you are or why you are playing this game and you have to figure it out. Highly Recommend. Also I am bad at explaining it but check it out!
Also the dm is a creepy sadistic serial killer!
Boulders gate three gets my vote
I love hearing other people talk about games and how they interface with them, it's always fascinating to me.
The most recent game I can think of that gave me that sense of wonder was Tears of the Kingdom. It's rare for me to wish I could play a game for the first time again (for various reasons) but I frequently wish I could play that game for the first time again.
Omg I’m so excited this episode has Brian in it! I loved in the shadow of lightning, glass immortals, one of my favorite fantasy books of all time.
Brandon should really play Outer Wilds. He will like it. A lot
As a writer himself I think Brandon might appreciate Disco Elysium, the world building and rules to the world are really cool. Something a worldbuilder like him would appreciate!
I've seen Brandon in this room in multiple videos and Im just now noticing that behind him is a bookshelf, not a vending machine. LOL!
Hades was incredible. Hands down one of my favorite games of the last decade. My first real experience with the roguelike genre and I’ve been looking for another game to scratch that itch for years.
B-Money!! We seem to have very similar video game preferences haha. I came running to the comments to shout Outer Wilds and saw many others doing the same already. It is life changing and fits your busy schedule (less than 20 hours to complete and can be played in smaller stints). Go into it blind!
Seconding Brian's "Valheim is a vibe." The music is chill and somewhere between forlorn and wistful. Visually, the biggest things Valheim has going for it are its skybox and its color choices in the meadows, black forest, plains, and mountains (haven't made it to the mistlands, although they look gorgeous is shorts). I haven't had looking up at the sky of a video game make me feel that way since WoW's Burning Crusade expac in 2007. The color choices just make the game look like it's glowing through your screen. Sunsets and moonrises are amazing.
Unless you're in the swamp. The color palette for the swamp is brown rain. The swamp is universally hated.
Mistlands is the most beautiful biome in the game, no contest imo. You definitely need to play again now that Ashlands is out too. Obvious disclaimer that both biomes are extremely dangerous
No mention of Portal and/or Portal 2?
BG3 I really enjoy. Some people really get into the story and RP of it, but I enjoy just going all out into the tactics that you are never really able to pull off in normal DnD. It is also really fun finding exploits in that game and creating OP builds for your characters.
I love Valheim!!! I’m not a gamer but I will play that game
It's so much fun! You build? You battle? You hunt? You sail? You explore? Got you covered.
5:05 Tears of the Kingdom is just such a joy. If I had to choose between entirely forgetting Tears of the Kingdom or A Stormlight Archive book, allowing me to enjoy them anew again, I would have a very tough choice to make.
Valheim is truly excellent. I’ve done about 6 playthroughs solo and 3 with friends on a server.
Ark used to be my fav game despite its many issues. Nearly 6k hours in the original and about 500 in the remake. Sadly, it’s been driven into the ground with cash grabs and it’s trending to pay to win so I dropped it.
Also there’s already an AI companion mod on Skyrim that will talk to you. It’s insane. Only issue is it takes a second to process what you say and then reply. I imagine stuff like this will be implemented in games going forward and it’ll probably only get better
I remember playing old Civ games, I don't remember which I stated on, the units were little squares with pictures. It was like playing a chits board game, but lots of fun. OG wolfenstein shareware disks were great, played that first bit over and over so many times, Hexen and Heratic were both good as well.
27:30 my worst experience playing skyrim was BEING the arch mage, the actual ARCH MAGE and walking up to a court wizard who treats me like some novice prestidigitator who might not be able to handle his spells. Its like, DUDE, I am THE mage in the land. Max skill in all magic, master of the secret spells, and Arch Mage of the University of magic. Figure it out! Obviously its because skyrim has limited dialog, but I am so looking forward to them just throwing the quest log and skills at a chatbot trained on the original scrip and told "modify to fit this character"
Valheim, yeeeeeeeeees! I haven't played it recently, but my friend and I have an absurd amount of hours in it. The timing was just flawless for them, and the game itself is SO fun, espeeeeecially with friends!
Someone has to tell Brandon Sanderson to play Outer Wilds, its hgonestly the best game ive ever played and it sounds right up his ally
Pretty ironic that someone who makes their living from writing is so supportive of AI in video games that would ultimately result in writers losing their jobs.
As presented here, not really
Valheeeeeeim! Skal!
One game that the early talk brings to mind for me is Abiotic Factor, which is also a explore & craft game where you have a clear end goal of escape the facility. (Except for the fact that it's in EA and isn't implemented up to an actual ending yet.)
11:12 if you like FTL consider trying Space Haven! Even though they list it as early access, it plays like a complete, polished game. It's a bit like FTL but with more emphasis on the building and simulation aspects, and it's a bit more free-form (but still has a definite ending to work towards). Also, the music and iso art are amazing
I super disagree with wanting AI to simulate real relationships in games. That is a tempting dangerous drug for antisocial or even introverted individuals.
To a degree for sure. I think AI being used to make generic npcs more adaptive and immersive (walk up to random guy on street corner, ask for directions, he tells you to piss off because he's an asshole). However I do think trying to form very deep relationships with ai characters is a dangerous mental trap that will do exactly like what you say, in the same way some people already do even without the help of AI
With simulations, it's awesome. With generative AI, it's slop
Brandon would probably love Against the Storm. Great rogue like + city builder combo.
“Am I mentally anywhere?”
I felt that in my soul lol
Valheim is a BANGER
I see using AI for voices in gaming to be a bad thing simply because what happens to actors that have dedicated their lives to acting in video games if were heading to a future that only uses AI voices?
I worry less about AI replacing the people who have dedicated their careers to voice acting and more about replacing the people just starting out. The small gigs will disappear first, preventing the next generation of aspiring voice actors from getting their foot in the door. Current professionals will have work for years, but once they retire that’s when the industry will begin truly falling apart.
That's just a useless argument. It's sad that people will lose their jobs, but also inevitable.
I was playing Freelancer recently, and I realised what they were trying to do with NPCs would work well with AI voices.
Approaching a new person and having AI say "Hello {name}, I'm {NPC_name} from {faction}. I need some help delivering {goods} to {planet}, I'll give you 15% of the proceeds." just seems like a good use. Not a full chatbot, all the interactions have been pre-designed, but the delivery could be so much more natural when you don't have to splice together 15 separate soundbites for those 2 sentences.
I highly recommend Age of Wonders 4, it's fantasy theme Civ with great mechanics.
Balatro and Hades are the best
26:59 In the early 80's Atari was working on a system which would generate stories on the fly, for interactive fiction. They called it an Interactive Fantasy System. Ray Bradbury helped, since he wrote some stories about similar systems. And because Atari had money to burn.
They stopped their research in 1982 or '83, when they fell on hard times.
Possibly the first game to implement procedural narrative was Murder on the Zinderneuf (1983), one of Electronic Arts' first games. It randomized suspects and clues in a murder mystery style game - a natural fit, if a clumsy implementation.
I've always had heart that this type of storytelling can work, and there's a really interesting roguelike working with the idea of generating cultures and story called Ultima Ratio Regum which is worth checking out.
Balatro is so good. Without knowing you were gonna mention it, I was actually playing balatro on one screen with the podcast on another hahahahahaha
High recommendation for Valheim. Not so much for the story... There are dwarves you might be able to trap into your town if you want NPCs. I absolutely love the building mechanics of that game. You can get super intricate with the details to make really whatever you want, from viking towns to entire castles and strongholds. It's always fun when you are able to play with a group of friends.
Elden Ring can be a hard game, but I believe it is a complete master class of environmental storytelling and ambience. Each new corner inspires a sense of wonder and gets the imagination roaring
Just wanted to mention 13 Sentinels as one of the best stories in video games.
Finally, some love for Valheim! Hopefully in two years when it gets out of early access i can get more people to play it. Also the modding community there is fantastic!
Just tried Balatro yesterday. Very fun.
Wow, never have I hreard so many of my favorite games mentioned in 33 minutes…
Valheim, Terraria, Tears of the Kingdom, FTL, Monument Valley, Hades, even Don’t Starve for some reason.
Idk if Sanderson reads the comments but for everyone else, if youre looking for real games on mobile, check out Slice and Dice. Its a roguelike class based rpg where your class determines what dice you roll. Very very very good
Against the Storm is a great game, mixing roguelite and city builder gameplay perfectly.
For people who love the Civ franchise and haven't played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, that one comes highly recommended, such a unique setting and atmosphere! And now that it's available to play natively on Steam, and running flawlessly in Windows 10/11 environment, only costing a few bucks, well you know what to do!
ARK I liked. It's definitely not the best when it comes to base building, but it was fun being able to tame pretty much anything, and it is super satisfying being able to breed armies to follow you into battle. I don't enjoy doing that open online when people will ransack your base and you lose all of your progress.
It seems to me like Brandon should try playing Enshrouded; it's like Valheim, but with everything he said he wants in a game.
I just started Enshrouded. To get my brothers to play it I said it's basically better Valheim.
Dear Brandon, In the Legendary Edition 3 game version they now all have the same control scheme. So if you decided to replay might be good for you.
I lost SO MUCH TIME to Dune II (and early Warcraft). Great call-outs!
I just put this on while playing Valheim, lol
If you like valheim / terraria try core keeper! You can do a dedicated server with up to 6 players. It's fantastic. Definitely can vill the void valheim leaves behind.
Ticket to Earth is on steam. Idk if it's different at all.
Balatro is basically Dopamine Rush: The Game
It is amazing and addictive as all hell
I love Brandon, I love Brian, and I love gaming. This was such a fantastic episode for me! I can't agree on Civ VI though. Civ V was infinitely better imo.
20:30 GOG is an alternative. It's DRM free and they try their best to keep the games on the store, and playable and not run into licensing issues like how Spec Ops: The Line or Alpha Protocol had.
Warcraft 1 and 2 were on GOG for a good while, until Blizzard decided to remaster them (poorly, might I add) and GOG were forced to take the games off the store.
Two of the games I wish I could buy on Steam/GOG are Transformers War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, they were dumb games but I found them entertaining.
That could be the strangest description of Balatro I’ve ever heard. Chips as hit points, interesting. This game is also on Apple Arcade and it’s amazing.
I liked the idea of Valheim, and started playing it, but my problem was honestly the fact that half of it was all about logistics and then half was the boss fights. I really wanted them to triple down on that building system and make it mean way more. Make it not just build a giant long house at every spot. I want each build I make to need to be different to fill different jobs.
Always a great notification
Weird enough I kinda had a bit of the same experience. I wanted to get into Mass effect, so I played the first games remaster and absolutely adored it. I’m a bit of a completionist so the experience did get a bit too grind-y going to all these different planets and exploring them. But the second game just sorta had a massively different vibe from the outset and changed mechanics fundamental to the game like Amo count. I definitely wanna finish playing ME2 but I definitely understand why people have a hard time starting it
If you like FTL check out Battle Brothers-- Absolute gem of a roguelike that I'd pitch to Brandon as a roguelike where you play as the Black Company by Glen Cook.
My biggest indie recommendation is Tunic. Top-down zelda like with some souls mechanics. That doesn’t even properly summarize the game but basically you learn how the game works all by yourself. The in-game language isn’t even english. It’s a fully translatable made up language. And you have to find the game manual in-game as part of the process. Amazing game. Fun adventure and mind bending puzzles. One of my favorites.
no man's sky is a pretty chill survival game, great for roleplay too
Balatro was just nominated for Game of the Year at the Game Awards
Against The Storm!!
BRING BACK DANNNNN
Of COURSE Brando Sando loves Subnautica!! He’s based!!
I play in a very calm-natured string quartet. I am an even-cellist
Adoooonalsium
Love valheim so much too, and there are major overlaps with Terraria
I'm going to share my unsolicited recomendation, you have to try Cyberpunk 2077 with the Phantom Liberty DLC. The story, writing, the setting and the gameplay are all top tier, and the lore it's based on an awesome TRPG from Mike Pondsmith as you probably know.
Technically Minecraft can be won, it has an end boss. But few people care, the point of the game is to build stuff. It's like LEGO.
The anti-Steam is GOG since you download the titles you buy.
Against the Storm! SSS Tier!
The poker game Brandon was describing reminded me of fizzbin as he was talking about it.
Brandon should try Against the Storm for a combination of roguelike and civ game
“Steam is great”
The user experience of Steam _is_ great. I imagine that the creators who are paying 30%, might have a different viewpoint. As a comparison, my user experience with Amazon has been great.
That’s usually enough for consumers to not peek behind the curtain.
Brain I feel you on the hours of play in Civ - I'm at 1400 and counting!
Mass Effect 2, that's the feeling your SUPPOSED to have. Like they wanted you to feel upset and wanting the old crew back, so that when you see them again its a big moment.
I really don’t want to see AI chatbots completely erase NPC dialogue writing. Maybe AI can fill in the gaps after you’ve exhausted every human written dialogue that’d be pertinent to the story/mission. That way you don’t have repeated dialogue for eternity after you’ve done all of that NPC’s quest interactions.