[Blanko]

If the deal is that the consumer, in exchange for their money and time, gets a free copy of the finished game[...]

That's what early access releases are, at least on Steam. You pay a discount price for an unfinished product and get the finished product when it comes out. You're not really paying to test the game, in fact in most cases I believe testing isn't the main motivating factor for developers at all - rather, they use early access releasing to fund development without having to rely on investors or compromise vision. It's a pretty effective way to bring independent development to the scope of big studio productions.

The only real risk for the customer is that there's no actual guarantee that the game will ever be finished, but it's still a much better system than Kickstarter where products are sold purely on concept alone. Early access at least is proof of concept.

[Crudblud]

If the deal is that the consumer, in exchange for their money and time, gets a free copy of the finished game[...]

That's what early access releases are, at least on Steam. You pay a discount price for an unfinished product and get the finished product when it comes out. You're not really paying to test the game, in fact in most cases I believe testing isn't the main motivating factor for developers at all - rather, they use early access releasing to fund development without having to rely on investors or compromise vision. It's a pretty effective way to bring independent development to the scope of big studio productions.

That's fair. I should probably adopt a less pessimistic view of the industry.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

If the deal is that the consumer, in exchange for their money and time, gets a free copy of the finished game[...]

That's what early access releases are, at least on Steam. You pay a discount price for an unfinished product and get the finished product when it comes out. You're not really paying to test the game, in fact in most cases I believe testing isn't the main motivating factor for developers at all - rather, they use early access releasing to fund development without having to rely on investors or compromise vision. It's a pretty effective way to bring independent development to the scope of big studio productions.

The only real risk for the customer is that there's no actual guarantee that the game will ever be finished, but it's still a much better system than Kickstarter where products are sold purely on concept alone. Early access at least is proof of concept.

The only game I ever paid for Early Access was Kerbal Space Project. They had quite a nice pricing structure in that the very earliest public access version of the game was left as a free demo, and the price went up with every new iteration until full release, but those who paid the small amounts early got every new version, including the final game for the small cost they paid at the start. I ended up getting the game when only the home planet and the Mun, plus a handful of parts (Supplemented by modded parts) were implemented for something like $10.
KSP had a very active forum with developers who released weekly news updates, kept the community informed of changes, and fixed bugs reported by players. Basically it was a really positive experience and if there was an early-access game which intrigued me (and I had the time to put into a good long game) I'd definitely try it again.

[beardo]

I bought Overwatch (standard), but Battle.net is being a flaming cuntbag so I can't log in and start installing the game.

[George]

On the notion of Dishonored 2.  Setting aside the fact that the PC port is lousy, it's a lot of fun.  Most of what was there in the first game is improved on, and you once again have wide-open levels with multiple routes through them, an enormous variety of weapons and supernatural powers to experiment with, and of course, the brilliant "chaos" feature that's determined by whether or not you can resist the temptation to wreak havoc with your abilities and leave a trail of ludicrous carnage in your wake.  The biggest problem I have with the game is the story, which is largely just a rehash of the first game, along with the main villain from the DLC giving a repeat performance as the main villain here.  That last part especially bugs me.  Delilah was a genuinely creepy and memorable villain in The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches, but there was absolutely no reason or narrative benefit to bringing her back.  We already know all about her - her backstory, her abilities, what she's willing to do to gain power, etc.  There's almost nothing new to say about her.  Even the non-lethal method of eliminating her is virtually the same as the one from the DLC.

Going back to the story, it feels like a waste to do the exact same thing all over again with the same characters.  The fictional world this series takes place in is a fantastic setting, with countless potential stories to tell.  Instead of being a direct sequel, it should have gone somewhere else and focused on a different situation with different characters.  It would make the game feel fresher, and from a business standpoint, would lend itself more naturally to a long-running franchise.

[rooster]

Fallout 4

So disappointed. I don't care for any of it. The story is lame, the settlement building is dumb, the dialogue options are fucking awful, and it's just not fun.

Whatever. I guess I'll power through just because.

[George]

[Benjamin Franklin]

I'm on that Battlefield 1 hype, hit me up if you wanna play.

[beardo]

One of the best RPGs, Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition, is currently free for a limited time on GOG.
Go get it. https://www.gog.com/game/neverwinter_nights_diamond_edition

Edit: The deal has expired.

[Fortuna]

One of the best RPGs, Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition, is currently free for a limited time on GOG.
Go get it. https://www.gog.com/game/neverwinter_nights_diamond_edition

Edit: The deal has expired.

Allow me a few moments to lament this very sad turn of events.

[beardo]

3dgy

[Ghost Spaghetti]

Just finished the Mass Effect trilogy and agree with most people that the ending was pants (In case you're interested, I picked the red Instagram filter over the explosion) but otherwise, I loved the series.

ME1 is the best Star Trek game I've ever played, building up a varied crew and exploring a vast galaxy together. Shame the item management system stinks.

If ME1 was Star Trek, then ME2 feels more Star Wars. The universe feels grittier, seedier, and more lived in, your crew is a roster of rogues, and there's much more of a 'get the job done' feeling to the missions. I especially liked the mission in the Collector Base which saw you properly commanding your whole crew for the first time..

After ME2, ME3 was a bit of a disappointment. The galaxy felt smaller, there wasn't as much focus on exploration, and after the end of ME2, I expected more 'command your crew' missions. The decision to partly base your ending on how well you do in multiplayer was also a dick move. Once I learned that it was impossible to raise your War Readiness without playing it, I just shrugged and waded into the final mission. After all, what was the point of doing endless boring fetch-quests if they didn't affect the outcome.

[George]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  This was good.  Not amazing or anything, but enjoyable.  The boss fights sucked, and it irritated me that they didn't bother including any non-lethal options to take them down.  It really clashes with the rest of the game if you're trying to go for a non-lethal playthrough.  Also, chronologically setting the DLC right before the final mission was a terrible idea.  Everything is building up to the conclusion, the climax is finally getting underway - and then all of a sudden, you find yourself in a whole new story, only tangentially related to the main plot, and you have to resolve it all before you can play the final mission.  Way to take the wind out of my sails.

[rooster]

Stardew Valley

I'm hopelessly addicted. It's like a better Harvest Moon.

[Snupes]

Right?? I played it for like a good 20 hours on Steam, and now that's it's on PS4 I'm playing it daily again. ;__;

[Elusive Rabbit]

Paint the Town Red.

It's an insane little game that revolves around hilariously violent, excessively bloody, and ridiculously gory brawling and the use of anything-is-a-weapon weaponry.

[rooster]

Wick

Now playing it very, very poorly. I've literally never played a horror game before because Half-Life and Bioshock scared me too much.

[Elusive Rabbit]

I've literally never played a horror game before because Half-Life and Bioshock scared me too much.

As someone who casually plays Amnesia: The Dark Descent and laughs at Dead Space, this boggles my mind.

[rooster]

I've literally never played a horror game before because Half-Life and Bioshock scared me too much.

As someone who casually plays Amnesia: The Dark Descent and laughs at Dead Space, this boggles my mind.

Amnesia really isn't that scary. It just kinda stumbles after you slowly and I don't know, you don't see it that much anyway. Slow things don't scare me that much, it's the jump scares that get me.

[Elusive Rabbit]

I've literally never played a horror game before because Half-Life and Bioshock scared me too much.

As someone who casually plays Amnesia: The Dark Descent and laughs at Dead Space, this boggles my mind.

Amnesia really isn't that scary. It just kinda stumbles after you slowly and I don't know, you don't see it that much anyway. Slow things don't scare me that much, it's the jump scares that get me.

Gotcha. I've seen enough jump scares over the years that I've become pretty desensitized to them. The first one or two in a game might get me, but after that I won't have a reaction to the later ones.