fuzmeister: Consolidating to (the) Steam (Deck)

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In what may be a foolish endeavor, I decided last year to attempt to consolidate my personal library of games to the Steam ecosystem (where plausible).

What this boils down to is trying to sell my "gently-used" video games through craigslist, f***book marketplace, and the like... then I repurchase those games on Steam during one of the famous Steam sales for next to nothing. Yes, see, I said it may be a foolish endeavor... the good news is, thus far, the value of the games I've sold outweighs what it costs to purchase them at a hefty discount during a Steam sale.

While I appreciate owning physical media, video games haven't even included instruction booklets in over a decade now - that's a damn shame, but it really makes owning most non-exclusive games on a platform outside of PC seem worthless. Also, it's worth noting that Valve has delivered on the promise of a console-like experience with SteamOS on the SteamDeck... provided a given developer has implemented SteamCloud support for saves, it's great to be able to just pick up a game on any of my PCs or SteamDeck and resume progress.

And now - with even Sony publishing some previously-exclusive titles on PC the past few years, it seems like a no brainer to clean house and avoid future disc rot, low-ball offers, etc. Good old Nintendo will probably not follow that behavior, so I'll at least be hanging onto first-party Switch games (for now).

What might be fun (or depressing) is to report back at the end of '24 with the current state of my physical collection. I can't say I'm a huge fan of an all-digital future, but when the incentive to purchase a product physically can't outweigh buying it digitally, what are you going to do?

Restricted ownership at fantastic prices - I'll embrace that (for now).

Mood: Steamy
Music: Ben Folds - Prison Food


Tags (beta): video games

Comments (3)

fuzmeister: The Glorious Demise of the Wii Brand

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Earlier today, Nintendo announced a new video game console to be released next year. While I have my own collection of thoughts specifically on that, one of the highlights of today was the realization that the poisonous Wii brand is finally dead and Nintendo can finally be released from the shackles of the past.

When the Wii came out ten years ago (!!!), it was a hot item for months and months. It encouraged non-gamers and casual bystanders to pick one up with its prospect of motion-gaming and a "new level of interactivity." Unfortunately, after the hype-dust settled, Nintendo's core audience was alienated by a system plagued by loads of shovelware and missing the ever-crucial support of third-party developers.

When the successor Wii U was eventually announced, Nintendo's attachment to the Wii brand and lack of aggressive marketing caused the console to stagger right out of the gate. Many who had played the Wii were confused about what the Wii U exactly was. While third-party support started out very promising, low sales eventually caused key players to pull their support of the console. I personally love the games I have for Wii U, but let's be real - the majority of classic titles made for the Wii U have been first-party Nintendo games. No doubt.

Now in late 2016, the Nintendo Switch has been revealed. I don't want to comment too much on the system or its potential at this point, but the first press release makes it a point to list FORTY-EIGHT third-party companies (most developers) that will support their new console. I want to remain optimistic they will be able to move past the last decade which started off so much more promising than it ended. Ditching the Wii branding was a great first step in potentially doing so.

Mood: Optimistic
Music: The Rolling Stones - It's All Over Now


Tags (beta): video games, nintendo

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fuzmeister: The Days Have Shortened

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As the seasons transition, Kate and I are transitioning as well. We've finally relocated to a new home; I was happy to have this happen before the cold bleakness of another Western Pennsylvania winter sets in too.

Kate found me a Wii U secondhand from a local guy before we moved. The price was half of what the bundle is going for new and it was barely used.

I have to say that, while Nintendo has made some horrible mistakes in the past decade, I am enjoying the Wii U so far. The tablet controller kind of sucks, but it's got some potential in terms of changing how games are played. Super Mario Maker proves that most people can't design a good level if their lives depended on it and, unfortunately, most of the top content are levels that play themselves (which is cool really only the first time you see it)...

Also, I think my PC can run Fallout 4, so dodged a bullet there as well... looks like I'm PC/Wii U this gen... until X-Station 5U is announced - I'm all over that.

Mood: Eh
Music: TV On The Radio - Happy Idiot


Tags (beta): video games, real life

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fuzmeister: Symphony of The Night Holds Up

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So I recently re-played Castlevania Symphony of the Night on my PSP. I was concerned that the game wouldn't hold up since the last time I played it (2003).

I was actually pleasantly surprised that the game still holds up pretty well despite being 17 years old. Some of the soundtrack comes off as a little dated, but even some of the now-primitive 3D graphics worked alright in the context of a 2D adventure.

For whatever reason, it seems these quality 2D games hold up much better than the first generation 3D stuff on PS1, N64, and Saturn... don't get me started on stuff that used the SuperFX chip on SNES; those games haven't aged well at all.

Mood: Pleased


Tags (beta): video games

Comments (1)

fuzmeister: Sonic Dash & The New Model

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I'm willing to pay for Sega's Sonic Dash on Android. I'd be willing to pay maybe $5 for it. A lot of folks would say that's a lot for a mobile game. The problem is there is NO paid version for it. The only version available is ad-supported. It's even started giving me notifications about playing the game.

Want an easy way to ruin an otherwise great game? Throw in micro-transactions and mandatory advertising. Seriously, this is probably the most fun I've had with a Sonic game in the past 15 years and its totally botched by the fact that I'm forced to watch videos after every game. I understand this is the "new model" for video games, but if this mentality fully leeches from the casual to core market, there's going to be all kinds of abundant crumminess.

Mood: Old Geezer-ish
Music: Metallica - ...and Justice for All


Tags (beta): when i was your age, video games, android

Comments (1)