Hey Bruce, since you read the comments know this. You guys are a treasure and have made the internet better for a long time now. I appreciate you guys.
Or do what I do, buy AAA games a year after release. Lower price, better performance, less bugs, more content. FOMO is the real killer, there's no reason to buy games day one these days unless it's an online game
@azshorty2003 just shows how much effort they put in the game if they are willing to abandon them so quickly. Just another shiney cash grab with a familiar name
I haven't bought a Ubisoft game in almost 10 years. I refuse to. I very rarely buy a full priced AAA game. I've almost always regretted buying AAA day one. So I don't.
The future is a class of low income people watching streamers that can afford AAA games and the hardware to play them in high fidelity. The middle class of gaming is disappearing before our eyes.
The middle-class is disappearing. Cost of living is high even though companies have been posting record profits, wages have stayed stagnant since the 70's even though productivity has gone up exponentially, and the gap between the rich and poor is growing. Welcome to late stage capitalism.
As much as I appreciate Steam as a platform I think it is also important to recommend prioritizing buying the DRM free version of games from places like GOG whenever possible; normalize actually owning the videogames you buy. Thanks for sharing!
My indie catalogue has only been getting bigger and my top games list from the past few years have nearly all been indie. It turns out having a smaller independent team not hungry for profits and have at least a little love left for the art make better games. Shocking I know
I've been on this kick for about a year now... Thanks for supporting the indie space. Way more fun to be had there! (being a patient gamer tends to help too!)
Favorite non-comedy piece I've seen you guys put out in some time. The news stuff is good, but this feels like old school gaming coverage and gets me hyped to try out some new games. Would like to see more of this(but maybe that's just me)
No joke, this channel has legitimately changed my spending habits and when i think of buying a micro-transaction i hear Bruce and Laurence in my head telling me to stop.
I've had more fun playing Dead Rising 1 recently, for the 100th time than i have playing most AAA games the last few years. If it's not a broken mess at release it'll probably still just be an expensive & soulless experience.
Is that a current trend? I can't imagine a time when the industry wasn't blanketed with medieval fantasy. Along with flashy sci-fi/cyberpunk, and zombies. Consistent pillars of the industry.
Yeah I agree, I've seen every variation of Western medieval fantasy in the past 6 or 7 years, and now admittedly it has evolved a bit.. to Samurai fantasy 😂 I think part of it is coz swords and magic are very well known mechanics and every dev knows how the fantasy genre works, we were all brought up on Skyrim, Witcher, Baldurs Gate etc being really huge.
Here are some of my recommendations. GAMES RELEASED THIS YEAR: - Mullet MadJack - Crow Country - Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom DEMOS FROM STEAM NEXTFEST: - 500 Caliber Contractz - Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation - Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Lawrence and Bruce, thank you for making videos like this. It's a great way for me to find those unique titles without spending heaps of time myself sifting though title after title thats "coming soon".
I'd recommend any Tropico as city builders beyond "sea monkeys" as you have to balance objectives, politics (elections), and production chains on top of it being really funny and outlandish. Plus, the music is fantastic. Also, Lawrence mentioning Madoka brings joy to my heart. Weeb Lawrence is my favorite Lawrence.
That got me thinking. Do you consider city builders as closer to business tycoons or engineering problems? I've been trying to find the genre that best encapsulates engineering. Factorio seems to narrow, but city builders involve politics and social issues...
Bombrush Cyberphunk was a spiritual successor to JetSet Radio in that you could explore a big city environment, doing tricks on bikes, boards and inline skates while tagging the world with graffiti and has killer soundtracks. The art style is Dreamcast retro and it’s very well made.
Great video, guys. It's nice to see a highlight on more obscure games. Only one of these I've played is manor lords and I love it! 10/10 city builder for me, excited for future updates.
Last 'new' AAA game I bought was Mario 3D All Stars, simply because I knew what to expect. Too many faulty, buggy or bare bones day 1 releases these days to consider buying one on launch sadly.
I really like this episodes concept and format. Nice to get recommendations on smaller steam games that i would have otherwise not found out about. I'd like to see this style of video again in the future, good stuff.
You guys introduced me to my favourite game - My summer car. From the 1st time i saw that game i knew id love it and i needed to get a pc to play it. Now its my most played game on steam. Ive been watching you guys ever since i stumbled onto a demo disc episode many years ago, thank you for all the entertaining content you have provided
Please do this again it's fun hearing about cool new games you guys find. Bruce and Lawrence both have unique gaming preferences so the choices cross a wide margin. Awesome picks.
It's really great to see how these guys are doing post FH - Lawrence especially seems so much happier and in his groove here. Really lovely to see - keep up the good work lads!
Not advocating for one thing or another, just asking a question. I vaguely remember hearing sometime in the early 8th gen days that major publishers were even using piracy metrics to justify further development of an IP. Is there much truth to that?
I never cared for the Don't Starve series, but that studio has a title in early access now called Mind Over Magic that I've been absolutely hooked on, it's like... A Sim Tower magic school builder/manager with a similar complexity to Manor Lords and a really fun Laika-esque aesthetic.
Bruce, don't read the comments! But seriously, a lot of the comments are just people venting and I know you guys know that. I just wanted to try an Inside Games-style comment.
Love that indie games are getting some love here, its hard to keep up with how many amazing titles are coming out week to week by small developers. Would love to see this format continue maybe we could even get some as Lawrence would say capital A Art game recommendations. Also you're a real one Bruce for reading the comments, you are the best paras-uncle a Gamer could ask for even though I'm older than you
Edit: LOL you recorded during the xbox live issues thats crazy timing haha. good time to bring up another issue in big games now: always online and 3rd party login requirements/DRM, they need to be done away with. Also Bruce ngl id be down if you guys did a long form quick run-through of indies you got on your wishlist, also wish we could share indies with you that we've found so that you could share those in a later video cause im sure you got games we havent seen, and vice versa. The biggest worry I have now from these big games is how more of them are demanding they monitor your browsing interactions when the game is closed, the fact thats something normal to push on customers is disgusting. So much could be taken and if they grab the right stuff and that then gets lost in a leak, it could be heavily misused and ruin us. Sadly even smaller games are now demanding the same thing so read everything they put infront of you. But yeah its true, indies and AA games are the best thing we got, I have 450+ games on my GOG wish list and least 100 are small indie games, not including the ones that have yet to release. Were not starving for a solution, time to leave the big name games for games with actual love for gaming.
As a billy no mates who played Abiotic Factor for 30 hours solo, I gotta say it is a lot of fun playing it as a single-player game and I didn't feel like I was missing out on the full experience by not playing with a group. It is a really well-made game, and the parallel between Subnautica is actually completely spot on. I would recommend it to anybody.
Unless a Triple-A game that I've been waiting years for really excites me AND gets good reviews, there's no way I'm paying 70 dollars day 1 and then buying a 40 dollar DLC. The only one I've done that for in the last few years is Elden Ring. There's so many games out there that are on sale for like 50% off two years later that I haven't played yet that can entertain me. Also as far as indies go, Lethal Company was the greatest $10 I've ever spent. I've gotten so much bang for my buck there.
The last triple game i bought was FF7 Rebirth this year. I built my first gaming rig in 2020 and since then i've been buying the games i had on the past PlayStation consoles like borderlands and BioShock collection. My backlog is so big that I'm kinda glad 2024, for me anyways, is a soft year before the big ones comes in 2025.
I love buying AAA games! Final Fantasy, Dragon's Dogma 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Granblue: Relink, haven't regretted a single purchase. But I also love buying AA and indie games. Hard to complain when there are so many different great games.
Awesome video. Love hearing you guys talk about video games. I'm a lover of both indie and AAA games. It's ultimately comes down to whether I want to play the game.
coming from a viewer that has stayed away from the Hoyoverse games, i've gotten started on Zenless Zone Zero and have been, very much, enjoying the hell out of the gameplay! It really has been a real surprise and treat to me because I havent touched any of their other games and ZZZ has totally gotten so much work done because the cutscenes are absolutely stunning with how much work and talent was put into them! ALTHOUGH it is STILL a Gatcha style game (meaning you have to "buy/unlock" the characters you want to play (on a total chance system btw)), i'm still super enjoying the gameplay and loving all the little heart all the characters have and how stand out they all are in their own ways. I will totally recommend this to try out since it is totally ACTUALLY free to play and only on Epic btw. but the dodge system they have is really great to work with and although i'm not a fan of having to lvl up your characters, it's still a real surprise to me how enjoyable gameplay can really be (to me) in this day and age lol
EvoLand is an interesting game that follows Lawrence's old school games interest. It evolves from an older game to a newer game as you complete each level. Fun adventure through game history.
That last bit about word of mouth, you’re right on that like obvi what's going on, on twitch is good/valuable for the flavor of the week, but like music the best way is def to follow some kind of agregate outlet, like promo channels, mv film crews, reviewers, twitch open-mic reacts etc. for rec's. I think Gen Z has already been doing this I remember when I was an unseasoned gamer I'd follow small reviewers for rec's and for awhile I stopped doing that but now I follow one for VR rec's & a few for indie, I think one of the most valuable players in the game rn is AlphaBetaGaming they? (Ik nothing about the creator(s)) run an old school blog as well as no-commentary gameplay on their channel but that's how Ive found out about indie releases like Crow Country during alpha/pre-alpha stages and they did a game expo around summer game fest week as well (that I still have to get thru). But although you can still browse the steam store pretty intituitively it’s nothing like back in the day going to a wiki of a console or scrolling down the metacritic page like so many passionate and good things coming our rn.
I'm probably one of many people to say this but the indie boomer shooter market is absolutely filled with bangers right now: Ultrakill, Blood West, Turbo Overkill, Selaco, Fallen Aces, Dread Templar, Boltgun, Zortch, Mullet Madjack, Slayers X, Postal Brain Damaged, Hrot, Gloomwood, Dark Forces just got remastered, and I'm sure there's some in early access, and there's definitely more I didn't even name that are already out! Please for the love of games if you're tired of AAA shooters play any of these games and you'll have a much better experience. Bruce i think you'll love Fallen Aces, I played the demo the day it released and it had been my most anticipated game until its release. Its Watchmen by way of pulpy 20s noir comics, the character you're teamed up with is basically Rorschach but likeable (maybe? i wont spoil) and if you love just sitting and listening to the enemies bullshit with each other youre in for a good time.
I love the discussion being had here about AAA while Bruce is wearing a The Crew shirt. I'm unsure if it's related to the game but just having that title on a shirt while having a discussion about AAA gaming is just so perfect for this discussion. The reality of AAA gaming is a game like The Crew which doesn't not have any players it had some people still playing and now anyone and everyone who bought it digitally or not lost access to that game permanently and its not even that old compared to other games that are still being sold today. I just had to share that I thought the shirt was apt for this discussion and I don't want to have to witness more games end up like The Crew
Thanks for this amazing episode! Most consumers just buy what is most popular and/or familiar (which is why so many IPs keep being recycled) and Indie's don't have the budget to market themselves with new IP sufficiently. As someone who worked for EA before and now does Indie, EA is not evil, the people working there do care, but unfortunately there is a huge disconnect between the business management and the development studios that leads to subpar releases. Funny enough, while sometimes it is bad management decisions, often enough I've seen studios mess around in development until EA corporate stepped in to put their feet to the fire and make them finally build something shippable. Sadly, the same goes for most AAA studios...
My most anticipated sequels are Cat Quest III and YS X Nordics. My most anticipated new IP is Caravan Sandwitch. If yall haven't heard of these games, it's because they aren't AAA in budget, but absolutely in quality.
This is exactly like the situation with films nowadays. Many a straw-man claim, "There aren't any good films out now" or "It's all just superheroes and Star Wars." But seriously, just go look at the IMDb release calendar, browse through each film, and note down the ones you want to see. We live in an age where every piece of art is at your fingertips; it's never been easier to look beyond the major releases in any media. Indies and older triple-A games are definitely worth it and as Tom Savini once said, "It ain't old if you haven't seen it."
The majority of games on my Steam wishlist, I want to say like 90-95%, are all indie games. Kriegsfront Tactics is one I'm especially looking forward to.
I buy so many indy games. I barely ever buy a triple AAA game. There are exceptions. Mostly Nintendo games, but outside of Nintendo if I pick up a triple A game than it's usually on sale. The only time i pay full price for games is indy game physical releases or indy games that I'm truly excited about like the Momodora franchise. Just an absolutely charming series of atmospheric metroidvanias. And the first 3 are free.
I don't remember the last time I actually bought a AAA game the same year it came out. The closest is Baldur's Gate 3, but I found out recently it wasn't a AAA game, but it cost as much and felt like what AAA's used to feel like.
If it costs as much as a AAA game then I’d say it is a AAA. This rating method more or less designate the game’s budget. It is a pretty niche game so I get why we wouldn’t see it as « safe » investment.
Yes! Indie gaming is where true innovation lies. If you grew up in the PS1 and PS2 generations, then you may remember how many games pushed the envelope and weren't afraid to try new things. Modern indie games are the same way and with the AA market on the rise again, things are looking very good for the future.
Good news Bruce! Subnautica 2 is slated to have optional multiplayer! So you can preserve the horror of single player, or play with a buddy, all up to the player!
I'm happy to not feel any need to always be playing the latest and greatest. A few months ago, I started playing The Legend of Heroes series and I'm having so much fun. A phenomenal story with even better characters and world building. I'm 3 games into the Cold Steel arc and have 8 more games to go through in the entire Legend of Heroes series. Having the time of my life.
Manor Lords is good but tough. I think I built a couple towns that had critical issues before I really figured out the hustle of not starving to death.
Unfortunately, it feels like most people who complain that games aren’t good anymore, only say that because the only games they’re ever interested in is the COD’s or Battlefield’s and as of recent, those games do suck ass. Good video though, does outline the hypocrisy in “game’s aren’t good” discourse when it’s more a “I only play bad games” discourse.
FF14 just released a new expansion pack. It's an entire games worth of content for only $40!!! They even updated the graphics, giving us FSR and DLSS, new lighting, shadows, reflections, and higher resolution textures.
Diablo 4 told me not to buy new games for at least 5 years now. D4 launch = 70$. 1 year later new dlc comes out: base game +. Dlc = $70. After 1 year base game is only worth $30 after they decide to increase from $60 to $70? Might as well wait 5 years for 5 dlc + base game for $70
Not really.@@Beastmode-hk3fj. Dlc is 40$. Base game is 30$. You don't think they'll keep doing it? Blizzard don't care. There was no point in raising to $70 but greed. They shipped an unfinished product. Immortals had more content
I haven't bought a AAA game in years. I honestly just support indie devs. Indie devs offer so much more and are way more involved with their communities.
I think this message unfortunately is going to be sorely needed in this shift we are seeing in the industry. So many effected by layoffs will likely sprout indie devs and giving them as much support as we can will be imperative to retaining amazing minds and artists. Indies will be a bastion of true artists in an environment of larger companies having to rely on garbage generative AI to maximize profit margins on the larger scale. You and Laurence are awesome for doing this, much respect ❤
Unfortunately, as people spread out to new indies, it will become very hard for the right audience to find the right game. We'll need to rely on word-of-mouth more than ever. I don't trust algorithms and podcasts to handle it.
@@arckinenso7615 not individually and in isolation of course but all of this does help start that spread of word of mouth. All these little things can add up to help and nurturing more of environment to talk about interesting and unique indie games that are not backed by a lot of marketing. It definitely is not an easy road but if we have more ways of getting that word spread out, the better.
Maybe it’s just me, but I still buy new triple A stuff if I feel it’s worth it. I was not waiting to play Alan Wake 2. But I also utilize the older games that the PSN service gives you because there’s also a lot I just didn’t play over the past few years due to life being in the way. For instance, I beat RE4: Remake and then went back and platinumed all the numbered games except for 6. And in between that I got things like Helldivers, Hi-Fi Rush, Vampire Survivors, etc.
What do you guys think about older games and their value? I like a lot of AAA modern games, but I get the same excitement coming across like an old ps2 game that I've never heard of that I can play for like 5 bucks that scratches the same itch lol
I am actually curious about Lawrence's take on survival games because I felt the same way. The only ones that have hooked me were both Subnautica titles and even then I still would stop from all the grind built into the first one. And I know he's normally a little AAA-averse but I wonder if he likes games that utilize loot resources to feed back into crafting for the core game (ala the Horizon games where a lot of upgrades and your tools are built on crafting from your kills in a really smooth and streamlined way).
I will always recommend Rimworld to anyone who hasn't played it. While it's entry cost being 40$ is a little steep i have got 1.1k hours of enjoyment out of it. It has a very very passionate modding scene that pretty much allows you to make the game however you want it to be whether that's more like something like Mass Effect or really out there sexual stuff. While the expansion that are out for the game are also a little steep in price, I think that the amount they add to the game makes it feel like a completely new experience (Royalty and Biotech specifically) but also so do some of the mods made for it that are the same size as an official expansion but entirely free. A game though that I feel like is a hidden gem and one that I've not heard talked about enough is Atomicrops. It's like if you put Stardew Valley and Binding of Isaac into a blender and came out with a farming action rogue like. It's on both PC and Console (Nintendo included) . If you like something like Vampire Survivors or Binding of Isaac i think that you would really love it. It has two DLC which are 7$ and 5$ while it's base cost is 15$. However if you are reading this during Summer sale, it is 5$ right now or 10$ with all DLC. Cannot recommend it enough. If you're not sure and read this before the sale ends grab it for 5$ and give it a try. If you don't like it get the 5$ refund.
Bruce if you’re really reading every comment I just wanna let me know you saved my life. Before i watched inside games I was held at gunpoint and told to find games journalists that aren’t owned by black rock or epic games and aren’t a mouthpiece for the evil world rulers. if i couldn’t name one games journalist they would pull the trigger. i said, “ma’am i’ll do you one better” and i told her about you and laurence and she let me go and actually gave me $10,000 so yeah like literally saved my life bro thank you 🙏
Hey Bruce, since you read the comments know this. You guys are a treasure and have made the internet better for a long time now. I appreciate you guys.
The funhaus crew was the best part of RT, I'm glad the boys are still doing their thing
The metroidvania game Lawrence is referring to may be Shadow Complex. If so, that game is AMAZING!!!!
Word
I agree although I don't agree with them on everything.
Or do what I do, buy AAA games a year after release. Lower price, better performance, less bugs, more content. FOMO is the real killer, there's no reason to buy games day one these days unless it's an online game
nah
Or if it's Alan Wake 2. That's really the one exception I'll allow.
@@jordanolson11 So insightful! Thank you for this immense wisdom.
I've made it a rule to only buy a new game at least a month after release. Buying games day 1 these days is really just you doing free beta testing.
@azshorty2003 just shows how much effort they put in the game if they are willing to abandon them so quickly. Just another shiney cash grab with a familiar name
haha watching Lawrence experience the Xbox service issues in real time
love you guys been watching from the old show to this!!
Lawrence was trying to think of Shadow Complex! I loved that game when it came out.
...but Pappa Bruce, Indie games don't have marketing shoved down my throat all the time! How am I supposed to know what to buy?!
🤣
so what your saying bruce is........."Spool was right......" $1 1 hour
I haven't bought a Ubisoft game in almost 10 years. I refuse to. I very rarely buy a full priced AAA game. I've almost always regretted buying AAA day one. So I don't.
If you're a year or two behind, all the games are cheaper and fixed
I really like that you guys added something positive to the conversation rather than just going over the same "AAA is bad" talking points.
The future is a class of low income people watching streamers that can afford AAA games and the hardware to play them in high fidelity. The middle class of gaming is disappearing before our eyes.
Exactly, your gaming observation is a microcosm of the economy at large, this is only one expression of it
The middle-class is disappearing. Cost of living is high even though companies have been posting record profits, wages have stayed stagnant since the 70's even though productivity has gone up exponentially, and the gap between the rich and poor is growing. Welcome to late stage capitalism.
brother, balatro is the best game of this decade
Love you guys!
Love you too ❤️
You guys are the true heroes. People hate being told not do something, even if it makes sense. They rather do it anyway and just be angry. XD
As much as I appreciate Steam as a platform I think it is also important to recommend prioritizing buying the DRM free version of games from places like GOG whenever possible; normalize actually owning the videogames you buy. Thanks for sharing!
I immediately downloaded the Demo for Kunitsu-Gami. It looks incredible. Also amazing they're doing an Okami crossover event as well.
My indie catalogue has only been getting bigger and my top games list from the past few years have nearly all been indie. It turns out having a smaller independent team not hungry for profits and have at least a little love left for the art make better games. Shocking I know
These long format videos are my favorite 🙀
I've been on this kick for about a year now... Thanks for supporting the indie space. Way more fun to be had there! (being a patient gamer tends to help too!)
Favorite non-comedy piece I've seen you guys put out in some time. The news stuff is good, but this feels like old school gaming coverage and gets me hyped to try out some new games. Would like to see more of this(but maybe that's just me)
Bruce reads every single comment! 😊 ahhh shucks Thanks Bruce. Sharing my love, keep up the great content
Thanks guys, I hope you look at more niche genres that you wouldn't typically be into or look at.
would have been nice to have some links in the description!
Dammit, that is a good idea.
And remember folks, the publisher doesn’t get money for second hand games if you have to get it, wait for it to show up used.
You read these Bruce?
Thanks for all the content over the years. You and the whole crew.
No joke, this channel has legitimately changed my spending habits and when i think of buying a micro-transaction i hear Bruce and Laurence in my head telling me to stop.
I've had more fun playing Dead Rising 1 recently, for the 100th time than i have playing most AAA games the last few years. If it's not a broken mess at release it'll probably still just be an expensive & soulless experience.
One of my biggest personal gripes with the current trends in gaming: I'm burned out on medieval and medieval fantasy settings.
Is that a current trend? I can't imagine a time when the industry wasn't blanketed with medieval fantasy. Along with flashy sci-fi/cyberpunk, and zombies. Consistent pillars of the industry.
Yeah I agree, I've seen every variation of Western medieval fantasy in the past 6 or 7 years, and now admittedly it has evolved a bit.. to Samurai fantasy 😂
I think part of it is coz swords and magic are very well known mechanics and every dev knows how the fantasy genre works, we were all brought up on Skyrim, Witcher, Baldurs Gate etc being really huge.
Here are some of my recommendations.
GAMES RELEASED THIS YEAR:
- Mullet MadJack
- Crow Country
- Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom
DEMOS FROM STEAM NEXTFEST:
- 500 Caliber Contractz
- Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Lawrence and Bruce, thank you for making videos like this. It's a great way for me to find those unique titles without spending heaps of time myself sifting though title after title thats "coming soon".
I'd recommend any Tropico as city builders beyond "sea monkeys" as you have to balance objectives, politics (elections), and production chains on top of it being really funny and outlandish. Plus, the music is fantastic.
Also, Lawrence mentioning Madoka brings joy to my heart. Weeb Lawrence is my favorite Lawrence.
That got me thinking. Do you consider city builders as closer to business tycoons or engineering problems? I've been trying to find the genre that best encapsulates engineering. Factorio seems to narrow, but city builders involve politics and social issues...
Bombrush Cyberphunk was a spiritual successor to JetSet Radio in that you could explore a big city environment, doing tricks on bikes, boards and inline skates while tagging the world with graffiti and has killer soundtracks. The art style is Dreamcast retro and it’s very well made.
Press the like button! Get these guys into the stratosphere!!
Great video, guys. It's nice to see a highlight on more obscure games. Only one of these I've played is manor lords and I love it! 10/10 city builder for me, excited for future updates.
Last 'new' AAA game I bought was Mario 3D All Stars, simply because I knew what to expect. Too many faulty, buggy or bare bones day 1 releases these days to consider buying one on launch sadly.
I really like this episodes concept and format. Nice to get recommendations on smaller steam games that i would have otherwise not found out about. I'd like to see this style of video again in the future, good stuff.
You guys introduced me to my favourite game - My summer car. From the 1st time i saw that game i knew id love it and i needed to get a pc to play it. Now its my most played game on steam. Ive been watching you guys ever since i stumbled onto a demo disc episode many years ago, thank you for all the entertaining content you have provided
33:33 Phoenix Springs is labeled as Cyber punk
Please do this again it's fun hearing about cool new games you guys find. Bruce and Lawrence both have unique gaming preferences so the choices cross a wide margin. Awesome picks.
Are y'all gonna link to all the games you talk about? Just getting people to wishlist the games would help the creators out
Cheers from Brazil Bruce!
I love this round up of indie games found some games im actually gonna keep an eye on
It's really great to see how these guys are doing post FH - Lawrence especially seems so much happier and in his groove here. Really lovely to see - keep up the good work lads!
Hi Bruce reading the comments! Love ya bud.
Not advocating for one thing or another, just asking a question. I vaguely remember hearing sometime in the early 8th gen days that major publishers were even using piracy metrics to justify further development of an IP. Is there much truth to that?
I never cared for the Don't Starve series, but that studio has a title in early access now called Mind Over Magic that I've been absolutely hooked on, it's like... A Sim Tower magic school builder/manager with a similar complexity to Manor Lords and a really fun Laika-esque aesthetic.
I just picked up Balatro again so I don’t think I’ll be touching a Triple-A game for a while.
Bruce, don't read the comments!
But seriously, a lot of the comments are just people venting and I know you guys know that. I just wanted to try an Inside Games-style comment.
Love that indie games are getting some love here, its hard to keep up with how many amazing titles are coming out week to week by small developers. Would love to see this format continue maybe we could even get some as Lawrence would say capital A Art game recommendations. Also you're a real one Bruce for reading the comments, you are the best paras-uncle a Gamer could ask for even though I'm older than you
love these discussions :) !
Edit: LOL you recorded during the xbox live issues thats crazy timing haha. good time to bring up another issue in big games now: always online and 3rd party login requirements/DRM, they need to be done away with. Also Bruce ngl id be down if you guys did a long form quick run-through of indies you got on your wishlist, also wish we could share indies with you that we've found so that you could share those in a later video cause im sure you got games we havent seen, and vice versa.
The biggest worry I have now from these big games is how more of them are demanding they monitor your browsing interactions when the game is closed, the fact thats something normal to push on customers is disgusting. So much could be taken and if they grab the right stuff and that then gets lost in a leak, it could be heavily misused and ruin us. Sadly even smaller games are now demanding the same thing so read everything they put infront of you.
But yeah its true, indies and AA games are the best thing we got, I have 450+ games on my GOG wish list and least 100 are small indie games, not including the ones that have yet to release. Were not starving for a solution, time to leave the big name games for games with actual love for gaming.
It is nice to get good recommendations for games from a source you know you like. Thanks as always guys
Banner Lord is on xbox pass
As a billy no mates who played Abiotic Factor for 30 hours solo, I gotta say it is a lot of fun playing it as a single-player game and I didn't feel like I was missing out on the full experience by not playing with a group. It is a really well-made game, and the parallel between Subnautica is actually completely spot on. I would recommend it to anybody.
Unless a Triple-A game that I've been waiting years for really excites me AND gets good reviews, there's no way I'm paying 70 dollars day 1 and then buying a 40 dollar DLC. The only one I've done that for in the last few years is Elden Ring. There's so many games out there that are on sale for like 50% off two years later that I haven't played yet that can entertain me. Also as far as indies go, Lethal Company was the greatest $10 I've ever spent. I've gotten so much bang for my buck there.
I thought Lethal Company was streamer bait. Looked like it would be empty and boring without streamers trolling each other and screaming for content.
The last triple game i bought was FF7 Rebirth this year. I built my first gaming rig in 2020 and since then i've been buying the games i had on the past PlayStation consoles like borderlands and BioShock collection. My backlog is so big that I'm kinda glad 2024, for me anyways, is a soft year before the big ones comes in 2025.
I love buying AAA games! Final Fantasy, Dragon's Dogma 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Granblue: Relink, haven't regretted a single purchase. But I also love buying AA and indie games. Hard to complain when there are so many different great games.
Awesome video. Love hearing you guys talk about video games. I'm a lover of both indie and AAA games. It's ultimately comes down to whether I want to play the game.
coming from a viewer that has stayed away from the Hoyoverse games, i've gotten started on Zenless Zone Zero and have been, very much, enjoying the hell out of the gameplay! It really has been a real surprise and treat to me because I havent touched any of their other games and ZZZ has totally gotten so much work done because the cutscenes are absolutely stunning with how much work and talent was put into them!
ALTHOUGH it is STILL a Gatcha style game (meaning you have to "buy/unlock" the characters you want to play (on a total chance system btw)), i'm still super enjoying the gameplay and loving all the little heart all the characters have and how stand out they all are in their own ways.
I will totally recommend this to try out since it is totally ACTUALLY free to play and only on Epic btw. but the dodge system they have is really great to work with and although i'm not a fan of having to lvl up your characters, it's still a real surprise to me how enjoyable gameplay can really be (to me) in this day and age lol
EvoLand is an interesting game that follows Lawrence's old school games interest. It evolves from an older game to a newer game as you complete each level. Fun adventure through game history.
You guys are the real deal and always have been.
Would you guys consider doing an episode or 2 about the top 10 non triple A games to check out?
That last bit about word of mouth, you’re right on that like obvi what's going on, on twitch is good/valuable for the flavor of the week, but like music the best way is def to follow some kind of agregate outlet, like promo channels, mv film crews, reviewers, twitch open-mic reacts etc. for rec's. I think Gen Z has already been doing this I remember when I was an unseasoned gamer I'd follow small reviewers for rec's and for awhile I stopped doing that but now I follow one for VR rec's & a few for indie, I think one of the most valuable players in the game rn is AlphaBetaGaming they? (Ik nothing about the creator(s)) run an old school blog as well as no-commentary gameplay on their channel but that's how Ive found out about indie releases like Crow Country during alpha/pre-alpha stages and they did a game expo around summer game fest week as well (that I still have to get thru). But although you can still browse the steam store pretty intituitively it’s nothing like back in the day going to a wiki of a console or scrolling down the metacritic page like so many passionate and good things coming our rn.
I'm probably one of many people to say this but the indie boomer shooter market is absolutely filled with bangers right now: Ultrakill, Blood West, Turbo Overkill, Selaco, Fallen Aces, Dread Templar, Boltgun, Zortch, Mullet Madjack, Slayers X, Postal Brain Damaged, Hrot, Gloomwood, Dark Forces just got remastered, and I'm sure there's some in early access, and there's definitely more I didn't even name that are already out! Please for the love of games if you're tired of AAA shooters play any of these games and you'll have a much better experience. Bruce i think you'll love Fallen Aces, I played the demo the day it released and it had been my most anticipated game until its release. Its Watchmen by way of pulpy 20s noir comics, the character you're teamed up with is basically Rorschach but likeable (maybe? i wont spoil) and if you love just sitting and listening to the enemies bullshit with each other youre in for a good time.
Love it guys keep it up
I love the discussion being had here about AAA while Bruce is wearing a The Crew shirt. I'm unsure if it's related to the game but just having that title on a shirt while having a discussion about AAA gaming is just so perfect for this discussion. The reality of AAA gaming is a game like The Crew which doesn't not have any players it had some people still playing and now anyone and everyone who bought it digitally or not lost access to that game permanently and its not even that old compared to other games that are still being sold today. I just had to share that I thought the shirt was apt for this discussion and I don't want to have to witness more games end up like The Crew
Thanks for this amazing episode! Most consumers just buy what is most popular and/or familiar (which is why so many IPs keep being recycled) and Indie's don't have the budget to market themselves with new IP sufficiently. As someone who worked for EA before and now does Indie, EA is not evil, the people working there do care, but unfortunately there is a huge disconnect between the business management and the development studios that leads to subpar releases. Funny enough, while sometimes it is bad management decisions, often enough I've seen studios mess around in development until EA corporate stepped in to put their feet to the fire and make them finally build something shippable. Sadly, the same goes for most AAA studios...
Against the Storm is another really good city builder with some roguelike stuff framed around it
Since we're talking indie games, I have to recommend the recent Steam game "Until Then". It's AMAZING.
My most anticipated sequels are Cat Quest III and YS X Nordics.
My most anticipated new IP is Caravan Sandwitch.
If yall haven't heard of these games, it's because they aren't AAA in budget, but absolutely in quality.
Just started Madoka thanks to you. Bar Stewards... ps keep up the awesome work.
I’m so distracted by Law Dog’s glorious pompadour
This is exactly like the situation with films nowadays. Many a straw-man claim, "There aren't any good films out now" or "It's all just superheroes and Star Wars." But seriously, just go look at the IMDb release calendar, browse through each film, and note down the ones you want to see.
We live in an age where every piece of art is at your fingertips; it's never been easier to look beyond the major releases in any media.
Indies and older triple-A games are definitely worth it and as Tom Savini once said, "It ain't old if you haven't seen it."
The majority of games on my Steam wishlist, I want to say like 90-95%, are all indie games. Kriegsfront Tactics is one I'm especially looking forward to.
Supermarket simulator is my new obsession, I cannot stop playing this masterpiece.
Fan since Machinima - keep doing this. I’m very happy for all of you!
I buy so many indy games. I barely ever buy a triple AAA game. There are exceptions. Mostly Nintendo games, but outside of Nintendo if I pick up a triple A game than it's usually on sale. The only time i pay full price for games is indy game physical releases or indy games that I'm truly excited about like the Momodora franchise. Just an absolutely charming series of atmospheric metroidvanias. And the first 3 are free.
I don't remember the last time I actually bought a AAA game the same year it came out. The closest is Baldur's Gate 3, but I found out recently it wasn't a AAA game, but it cost as much and felt like what AAA's used to feel like.
If it costs as much as a AAA game then I’d say it is a AAA. This rating method more or less designate the game’s budget.
It is a pretty niche game so I get why we wouldn’t see it as « safe » investment.
10:40 You are thinking of JAZZ JACKRABBIT Lawrence! 😎👍🏾
Super hyped for Kunitsu-Gami 🙌
Yes! Indie gaming is where true innovation lies. If you grew up in the PS1 and PS2 generations, then you may remember how many games pushed the envelope and weren't afraid to try new things. Modern indie games are the same way and with the AA market on the rise again, things are looking very good for the future.
Good news Bruce! Subnautica 2 is slated to have optional multiplayer! So you can preserve the horror of single player, or play with a buddy, all up to the player!
I'm happy to not feel any need to always be playing the latest and greatest. A few months ago, I started playing The Legend of Heroes series and I'm having so much fun. A phenomenal story with even better characters and world building. I'm 3 games into the Cold Steel arc and have 8 more games to go through in the entire Legend of Heroes series. Having the time of my life.
Manor Lords is good but tough. I think I built a couple towns that had critical issues before I really figured out the hustle of not starving to death.
I haven’t given Ubisoft money in years. They do not deserve it
After playing Edith Finch, A Short Hike and Stardew Valley, what will make me cry? A plus if it has achievements.
Unfortunately, it feels like most people who complain that games aren’t good anymore, only say that because the only games they’re ever interested in is the COD’s or Battlefield’s and as of recent, those games do suck ass.
Good video though, does outline the hypocrisy in “game’s aren’t good” discourse when it’s more a “I only play bad games” discourse.
FF14 just released a new expansion pack. It's an entire games worth of content for only $40!!! They even updated the graphics, giving us FSR and DLSS, new lighting, shadows, reflections, and higher resolution textures.
Diablo 4 told me not to buy new games for at least 5 years now. D4 launch = 70$. 1 year later new dlc comes out: base game +. Dlc = $70. After 1 year base game is only worth $30 after they decide to increase from $60 to $70? Might as well wait 5 years for 5 dlc + base game for $70
Ugh, knock it off. Your reasoning is ridiculous.
Not really.@@Beastmode-hk3fj. Dlc is 40$. Base game is 30$. You don't think they'll keep doing it? Blizzard don't care. There was no point in raising to $70 but greed. They shipped an unfinished product. Immortals had more content
Hey Bruce love the content, keep up the great work. Cya on movie night.
I haven't bought a AAA game in years. I honestly just support indie devs. Indie devs offer so much more and are way more involved with their communities.
Time is the biggest issue for me, not money. I miss playing a wide variety of games but I don’t have the time to do that any more.
I think this message unfortunately is going to be sorely needed in this shift we are seeing in the industry. So many effected by layoffs will likely sprout indie devs and giving them as much support as we can will be imperative to retaining amazing minds and artists. Indies will be a bastion of true artists in an environment of larger companies having to rely on garbage generative AI to maximize profit margins on the larger scale. You and Laurence are awesome for doing this, much respect ❤
Unfortunately, as people spread out to new indies, it will become very hard for the right audience to find the right game. We'll need to rely on word-of-mouth more than ever. I don't trust algorithms and podcasts to handle it.
@@arckinenso7615 not individually and in isolation of course but all of this does help start that spread of word of mouth. All these little things can add up to help and nurturing more of environment to talk about interesting and unique indie games that are not backed by a lot of marketing. It definitely is not an easy road but if we have more ways of getting that word spread out, the better.
Shout out to Selaco and Fallen Aces, two amazing indie FPS
Maybe it’s just me, but I still buy new triple A stuff if I feel it’s worth it. I was not waiting to play Alan Wake 2. But I also utilize the older games that the PSN service gives you because there’s also a lot I just didn’t play over the past few years due to life being in the way. For instance, I beat RE4: Remake and then went back and platinumed all the numbered games except for 6. And in between that I got things like Helldivers, Hi-Fi Rush, Vampire Survivors, etc.
Bruce might read this!!
What do you guys think about older games and their value? I like a lot of AAA modern games, but I get the same excitement coming across like an old ps2 game that I've never heard of that I can play for like 5 bucks that scratches the same itch lol
I am actually curious about Lawrence's take on survival games because I felt the same way. The only ones that have hooked me were both Subnautica titles and even then I still would stop from all the grind built into the first one. And I know he's normally a little AAA-averse but I wonder if he likes games that utilize loot resources to feed back into crafting for the core game (ala the Horizon games where a lot of upgrades and your tools are built on crafting from your kills in a really smooth and streamlined way).
I will always recommend Rimworld to anyone who hasn't played it. While it's entry cost being 40$ is a little steep i have got 1.1k hours of enjoyment out of it. It has a very very passionate modding scene that pretty much allows you to make the game however you want it to be whether that's more like something like Mass Effect or really out there sexual stuff. While the expansion that are out for the game are also a little steep in price, I think that the amount they add to the game makes it feel like a completely new experience (Royalty and Biotech specifically) but also so do some of the mods made for it that are the same size as an official expansion but entirely free.
A game though that I feel like is a hidden gem and one that I've not heard talked about enough is Atomicrops. It's like if you put Stardew Valley and Binding of Isaac into a blender and came out with a farming action rogue like. It's on both PC and Console (Nintendo included) . If you like something like Vampire Survivors or Binding of Isaac i think that you would really love it. It has two DLC which are 7$ and 5$ while it's base cost is 15$. However if you are reading this during Summer sale, it is 5$ right now or 10$ with all DLC. Cannot recommend it enough. If you're not sure and read this before the sale ends grab it for 5$ and give it a try. If you don't like it get the 5$ refund.
Bruce if you’re really reading every comment I just wanna let me know you saved my life. Before i watched inside games I was held at gunpoint and told to find games journalists that aren’t owned by black rock or epic games and aren’t a mouthpiece for the evil world rulers. if i couldn’t name one games journalist they would pull the trigger. i said, “ma’am i’ll do you one better” and i told her about you and laurence and she let me go and actually gave me $10,000 so yeah like literally saved my life bro thank you 🙏
Psuedoregalia is a pretty good and short indie. For those who like 3D platformers with retro inspired graphics.
I can't believe these guys just convinced me to buy something like Supermarket Simulator.