Yup, I believe that was me. I mentioned modding and playing DU in the past. It was a pretty fun experience, even if somewhat simple/limited due to game’s age and mechanics. Seriously though, that approach with Skyrim’s range of mods would be a sight to behold.

Good luck with Morrowind. I tried it before (without OpenMW) and it left me traumatised due to crashes so I can’t say I ever gave it a proper try it deserves. Your setup should be way more stable so I hope it works out!

TES is a weird series for me since I started on the Gothic side of things. By the time I gave TES games a try there was always something blocking me from enjoying them in full. Not that any of them are bad, they just didn’t shape my tastes like other games did.

I actually started writing a full post going in detail about all of the titles I played but the truth is all I want is a modern Daggerfall with a big modding scene. That would be my dream come true in terms of sandbox fantasy RPGs.

I honestly don’t even remember how the vanilla game feels at this point since I always play it with a ton of mods (including ones focused on damage rebalance and restoring missing mechanics from pre-2.0 days). With the right build you can break the difficulty in half regardless of the weapon type but I feel like some sections didn’t handle the skill and gameplay rework as well as the rest of the game, leading to some rough parts if you’re not prepared.

If you’re on PC there are some mods that might help with your camera issue. If not, I can only sympathise. I’m sure they’ll get it right one day…

Well, you win some, you lose some. I can only imagine how fulfilling having a kid can be (or at least seems to be based on watching my friends). Besides, kids grow up fast - you’ll have plenty of time for games before you know it.

While I prefer modern/light sci-fi settings, I don’t really mind fantasy in general. I just don’t really vibe with Skyrim specifically and, unfortunately for me, it has the biggest mod scene within the series so it’s much easier to find mods I like compared to older titles.

Getting sick did give me an excuse to double down on lazing around and going ham with the game but yeah, I can imagine living a proper “adult” lifestyle would make this more of a challenge.

I think some of my love for it has to do with the fact there aren’t many alternatives that would support my kind of playthrough. Skyrim has a huge modding scene but it’s fantasy, plus I never really managed to get into its version of the setting. GTA V has pre-made characters in solo and kinda crappy character customisation and limited peaceful gameplay in multiplayer (not to mention blocking linux players outside of private sessions). There are Five M servers but many require Discord use and I’ve read about issues with playing it on linux. Lastly, there’s Saints Row 2 but that has a pretty limited mod scene as well.

Cyberpunk is the perfect mix of modern(ish) setting, gameplay which allows for more immersive approach and big enough mod library to get me hooked. Still, it IS a fun combo.

Cyberpunk 2077

Lots and lots and lots of Cyberpunk. To an obsessive degree, really.

I’ve put more than 60 hours into the game in the span of 5 days and don’t plan to stop any time soon. I do have an excuse since I’m a bit sick and have to rest but still… it’s been a while since I dove into a game like this.

I’ve been jumping between finishing some last pieces of side content I never touched before and just driving around, taking pictures and functioning as an actual part of the world rather than “the player”. I’ll probably finish this playthrough within the next few days so I’ll finally be able to say I finished the game but I’m already thinking about setting everything from scratch, with a new mod list (this time using a mod manager) and a new character meant not for beating the story but to play pretend as a normal no-name living in Night City.

Game is far from perfect but for some reason I just can’t help but love and keep going back to it despite its flaws. I can only hope the mod scene will keep growing and keeping it alive for years to come - I’m far from being done with this world.

My reaction face folder got a much needed refill this chapter. Love to see it.

I did read the original manga (hence my question) though I came out of the experience liking both versions somewhat equally at the time. I’ll probably go through both again to make a fresh comparison, if I ever decide to return to the series.

Thanks for the info on other entries! I’m kinda wary of reading incomplete stories but I might give Zero a try. I’ll add it to the pile for now.

It’s been like a decade (possibly more) of skating maids art and there’s no sign of stopping. It’s impressive.

Yeah, I’m aware of the anime running out of the source material though I remember actually liking some of the anime choices more (or rather, in different way) than the manga ones funnily enough. I can’t really go into details since it’s been so long I don’t remember much (nor can I say I’d still think that way now) but that’s something that stuck with me.

Good to know it’s still holding up. It’s one of those titles I’m always worried about going back to so this gives me some hope I might pull the trigger on that some day.

How much of the sequel came out? Is it a longer read or something short and unceremoniously cut in the middle of an arc or something?

How does Akame hold up these days? I remember reading it a while ago and even though it wasn’t the best thing ever, I did enjoy it well enough. I’m curious if this opinion would survive a return after so much time.

Bonus question: have you seen the anime adaptation?

It’s not that I was super invested in or enjoying that arc, I simply hate story threads being swept under the rug without proper (or any, really) conclusion. It’s mostly a personal gripe rather than a genuine wish towards the series to be honest.

Not much to write about this week but I did find a new (well, unknown to me) series so there’s that. Here’s what I have:

• I stumbled upon Gunjou at random last night. It’s a short manga (30 chapters) about high-school relay races, with simple but pleasant art style and a pretty enjoyable story (at least so far). It has both comedic and serious elements and while I’m still early on, it seems like it’ll be a fun read.
• So far the new chapters of The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All seem to confirm my worry that the marriage bomb was meant as a “soft reset” to step over the whole mess with misunderstandings and lack of communications. Maybe author will go back to wrap it up eventually but I’m won’t be holding my breath on that.
• I really wish Maid Skater got more regular updates. Each and every chapter is great but having to wait months for every release is pure torture. Guess it’s my cue to get back to Japanese practice again…

Lots of Cyberpunk 2077 this week. I’ve been mostly driving around and doing side missions/gigs so I didn’t make much progress with the main story. I did however finish the parade and the intro (rescue) section of Phantom Liberty to unlock Dogtown and make sure I won’t lock myself from the expansion in case I decide to play it later.

As fun as the game is I feel myself drawn to any and all non-combat activities, which are somewhat limited in this game. Maybe I’ll do a photography tour of the map for a bit?

I’m still busy with various things so I can’t put my full attention towards the community or VNs in general just yet. I have however been on a week long trip recently which means I was finally able to relax and take a moment to spend at least some time on that.

My first priority was playing through the first (well, zeroth) episode of of the Devil. It was pretty great - writing is snappy and enjoyable, visuals simple but unique and the music is bopping (even if it can get a little repetitive by the end). I also really like the gameplay elements. They’re simple but work as a neat way to spice up the experience and nudge player’s attention towards things that could be chalked up as background lore.

What I wasn’t immediately sold on was the epilogue. The twist was fine - it wasn’t particularly surprising but I also don’t feel super strong about it in any way, negative or positive. What I was surprised by however is how milquetoast I felt about everything after solving the case. It’s not that this part was necessarily bad, it simply failed to grip me the way the rest of the episode did. I have no idea why I feel that way, it’s really strange.

I still want to continue with the rest of the episodes, more so than before in fact - I just hope their content will keep me strictly in the “main part mode”.

Secondly, I also finished D1AL-ogue, the VA-11 Hall-A inspired cyberpunk technician game.

It has an interesting story, enjoyable characters and a simple progression loop (start the day, interact with 2 clients by talking and doing puzzles, go to sleep). Even though some of the writing (or more likely the English translation) didn’t manage to reach the level of its inspiration it’s still a fun read all the way through.

I mentioned it before but I really love the art in this one - it’s a fantastic example of a classic style pixel art. For the most part anyway. There are some illustrations that look kinda funky but the stuff you spend most of your time with looks amazing and makes me want to work harder on my own pixel art skills. I’ll find the time to do that one day…

Despite simple mechanics, gameplay holds up really well until the end. I actually wish there was an endless mode just to play around with randomised puzzles or something. It’s kind of addicting once you get into it.

I’ve got nothing more to say about it right now to be honest. It’s a great VN, especially for the low price of nothing at all. All that’s left is to wait for the expanded version. Devs were actually planning a crowdfunding campaign for that but according to their new update post they managed to find a publisher instead - good for them.

I’ve been jumping back and forth between three very different games since last week. They differ in gameplay, themes, atmosphere, art style and age, leading to a pretty significant whiplash when switching between them. These titles are: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Cyberpunk 2077 and Dressmaker.

I read a few more chapters of Over rev! but I’m still somewhat mixed on how I feel about it. I think the manga itself isn’t bad, I just don’t fully vibe with its humour (and the main character at times).

I’ll give it 10 more chapters and decide what to do with it after that. I might just keep it as a “read in case of extreme boredom” kind of thing. We’ll see.

One thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that the first game was a small experimental project made as part of the Orange Box rather than a full-fledged title. It’s short and a bit simple but it was more of a neat bonus in a pack of other games, not a star of the show. That’s not to say your opinion is invalid, on the contrary, it’s just… between years of hype and the scope of the project, having Portal blow you away would be more surprising than your current feelings towards it, in my opinion.

As BurnWits said, Portal 2 is more of a full-fledged title in comparison. If you enjoyed the first game, there’s a high chance you’ll like the sequel. Will it be closer to the mind blowing expectations you had for the first one? I don’t know. It is however a bigger and more polished product so it might satisfy you more in that regard.

I do understand the unwillingness to increase your backlog though, I know this feeling really well too.

Sounds good. I don’t mind a slow build up so that’s not a problem, all I care about is story that’s enjoyable (or at least interesting) to read through - looks like I’ll be happy with it.

Length is my only worry to be honest. Not because I don’t like long VNs (or games in general) but I have a bit of a problem sticking with things at the moment. It’s what prevents me from starting SG and finishing some other games I’ve been playing on and off for… years in some cases. Mind goblins can be infuriating in the worst ways sometimes.

Weak DRM is a plus but I’m honestly over jumping through hoops for paid products. I’d rather spend money on something that’s exactly how I want it from the get go - there’s enough stuff in my backlog I can be a bit picky without feeling like I miss much.

I can understand the space concern. Thankfully (or unfortunately), my collection isn’t big enough to worry about it just yet but I can see it being a problem in the future. Besides, I spend vast majority of my time in front of the screen already so I try to find ways to step away from it for certain activities - reading physical is one of them.