crispy4000

Pretending their competitors didn’t exist is how we ended up with the Wii U. I sure hope they have a better pulse on what’s happening in the industry now apart from them. All these buyouts included. Next Level Games almost got snatched from them.

100% agreed that Valve’s history with hardware isn’t great. And that the chip shortage is really going to put a damper on any potential they have with it regardless. The difference I see with the Deck is that they’re leveraging their existing storefront/compatibility/product key approach in more desirable form factor than the past. Specifically, trying to build PC’s for the living room failed for them because anyone who wanted that was already doing it, or enjoyed their console well enough. Whereas if the Deck fails to find an inroad into portable gaming, it’ll be because most people find that the Switch is good enough. I’d agree with you that subscriptions services are also a threat. Nintendo may have the ability to Disney+ things one day. But only if they can let go of their cash hoard and join the arms race for acquisitions.

People always like to say that Nintendo exists on an island where the rest of the industry doesn’t matter to their business. I’ve never felt that to be true, because Nintendo platforms can fluctuate wildly on the success/bomb scale from one gen to the next. I just don’t see people who want indie games portably being beholden to Nintendo. We’ve already seen the ‘indie darling’ label jump across platforms before, including to Nintendo’s from elsewhere. There’s nothing to say they’ll keep it. Even if we dismiss the Deck also vying for it. (though really, we shouldn’t)

The idea of a PC in this form factor is relatively new. I think that actually gives it more appeal than the PSP (or Vita) ever had. The way its being packaged is also much more accessible than PC gaming has been before. It's Valve moving into dedicated handheld territory, if anything. 3DS didn't exactly do gangbusters out of the gate either. When Nintendo's software is underwhelming at launch, it spells a bit more trouble for them. I don't think Nintendo could be easily beaten, or will be. But they are going to lose some of the pie. How much depends on how well Valve positions the Deck against Nintendo's shortcomings.

I wouldn't take anything for granted either way. The Switch wasn't a guaranteed hot commodity after how much the Wii U flopped with pre-teens. Nintendo's challenge is that they've been riding on indies overcoming their first party deficits. Switch more or less 'solved' the 3rd party support issue they've struggled with since the N64. The Deck has the potential to take that progress away in the next cycle, since you you can play indies there for cheaper, with more of a guarantee of backwards compatibility / future proofing, and more form factors to use your game licenses with. I'd say it's the greatest outside threat to them since the PSP first came around. Doesn't mean it will ruin them or anything, but they should be taking Valve seriously.

Nintendo would be wise to give a fuck if they don't want to end up in a Wii U situation again with a Switch successor. The Switch sold on the back of its form factor, indie appeal, and a genuine killer app (BoTW). With the Deck entering the picture, Nintendo's historical disadvantages come back to the fore.

Nintendo perhaps. But Sony is playing largely to the same demographic as Microsoft. What they each keep off the other's platform is even more important now than their hardware and subscription plans. It's why the Bethesda and Activision buyouts happened. Even Nintendo isn't operating in its own niche anymore with the Deck encroaching on them. The industry is circling around itself, and whoever gets the short end of the stick in these mergers and acquisitions will find themselves with a slimmer piece of the pie. I wouldn't doubt it. Everyone's for sale. Maybe it's more likely we see a merger soon.

https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-new-year-bundle These two have been given away as Epic freebies before, but this is worth it for anyone who missed out. Outside of giveaways, its rare for games this good to go for this cheap. Impossible Lair is easily one of the most polished and enjoyable 2D platformers I've played. The 3D overworld bits don't feel tacked on either. It's 100% Nintendo in spirit. HoB is an atmospheric Zelda-like with more emphasis on platforming and overworld puzzles. It's not quite up to Zelda standards, but if you like the trailer's vibes or 2D Zelda at all, go for it.

I bought into maybe half the months this year, because of coupons that made it $6-8 instead of $12. Not every month has been a winner, but I've had no problem buying a bundle for the 1-3 games I'd actually want for that price. Humble would be a lot less attractive if you didn't get to choose your months. That flexibility & game ownership are the real benefits to it IMO. I hope the bundle model doesn't die with Games Pass (and the like) taking over public consciousness.

Wow that's soon! Game looks amazing.

Yep. People not grandfathered in were asked to pay $20 instead of $12. I can't think of any month since they changed it that was actually worth $20. I bet we see more of the coupons go away now. I've still got a discount for 3 months for $6 each.

Humble Choice is leveling up next month! | Humble Bundle Blog BLOG.HUMBLEBUNDLE.COM We’ve been listening to the Humble community about how we can make Humble Choice even better, and the message isContinue reading Everyone gets moved to the 'legacy' plan basically. Meaning $12 a month for Steam keys for the month's featured games. They're also introducing a new persistent "Humble Games Collection" and an app alongside it. It's another Games Pass-model client focused on Humble's own catalog. But all those games will be subscription DRM locked. Lastly, the Humble Trove is still there with DRM-free stuff, renamed as the Vault.

Buying Zynga isn't how you make better video games. It's how you build better virtual slot machines and money pits.

Death's Door takes precedent, but I really do want to give it a try. A sequel is in the works:

In December, I bought: Death's Door Tony Hawk 1&2 Remastered Star Wars: Fallen Order Deluxe (oops) Hades (double dipped for PC) Gears 5 Gears Tactics Dicey Dungeons Blossom Tales Samurai Gun Unravel 2 December Humble Choice (Greak: Memories of Azur, Maneater, The Survivalists, etc) Spent <$50 total, which I'm pretty thrilled about. If we're counting free stuff, as @legend did, a few of the notables: Psyconauts 2 (from D1P giveaway) Shadow of the Tomb Raider Salt and Sanctuary Loop Hero Paper Beast Neon Abyss Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Stubbs the Zombie Shemnue III Two Point Hospital

Gods Will Fall | Download and Buy Today - Epic Games Store WWW.EPICGAMES.COM Download and play Gods Will Fall at the Epic Games Store. Check for platform availability and price!

Is this game worth $6? I have a discount for humble this month, but not interested in much else in it.

Iratus: Lord of the Dead on GOG.com WWW.GOG.COM Iratus: Wrath of the Necromancer DLC is now available! In Iratus you find yourself

I think the focus is here to stay, but as a selling point to buy a newer box every 3-4 years. Series X/PS5 would then take on the role of the Series S. (leaving Series S in no man's land)

Just wanted to pop in again to say Psyconauts 2 has been great. Thanks again!

I really should get Inscryption. Don’t actively seek out horror stuff, but all the goty talk around it is convincing.

Psyconauts 2. Just got done with the casino level, I can already see why people praise this game so much. Controls are so much better than what I remember from the first game. Having to constantly reapply power-ups to face buttons is annoying though.

Only one I didn’t have already was Shadow. And that’s still pretty sweet. Props for all the DLC too.

I dreamt about a Mario 64 expansion pack when I was a kid with new levels. As an adult, I’ve played through several level pack mods for it. Dreams fulfilled.