Shagger

For racing, how about GRIP? I've had my eye on this for a while. Kind of a spiritual successor to Rollcage from back in the day and has 82% of on steam right now. For Adventure, after digging through my Steam library, I found Blades of Time. It is something of a product of it's time, but is a fun, action packed game sure to please even the most ardent fans of Devil May Cry. FYI, "indie" isn't a genre. It's a shortened terms tagged to an independently published product. So it's kina difficult yo generate a recommendation with such a vague term.

I watched IGN's review yesterday when I noticed the game had been added to game pass. Not exactly flying colours, but potentially quite interesting if one is will to look past some of the game's apparent issues with combat.

The threads for PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold and Free Games with Epic are up. If there are others you want to see included, please let me know.

Welcome This is the PS+ Update Thread, a place to keep up to date on the latest offerings from PlayStation's subscription service. This opening post will be updated regularly to show what is currently available for PS+ customers along with details of what dates these games are available. Full details from PlayStation here. Of course this thread is also available to discuss rumours, games you want to see added and how you feel about the current line up as well as a place to discuss how you feel about the service in general. So, here are the currently available on on PS+ as the Monthly Games. What is PlayStation Plus? PlayStation Plus is a kind of subscription that grants access to online play, exclusive discounts and access number of games per month across PS4 and PS5 selected by the powers that be at Sony as part of the package. They can also be purchased as shorter terms subscriptions, but these will be a little more expensive per month than the annual cost. Basically, it's way for these companies to subsidize the running costs of their online services and earn additional revenue at the same time. The "free" games and discounts are basically there to sweeten the deal and make it worth buying. The service also includes a licence to play online multiplayer, although some games are exempt from this (For example, subscription based MMO's (like FFXIV), but most games you have to be subscribed to these services to play games online. The choice is not yours in what games in included in the package. Sometimes they're superb, sometimes not so much or you may already own them. You only retain the right to keep playing games you acquired through PS+ so long you're still subscribed. The benefits of the service? The overall cost of the games offered if you were to buy them is significantly higher than the cost of the subscription. Frequently, one month's offering would cost more to buy from the PlayStation Store than the annual subscription, so there is a lot of value to be found in these services. PS+ Essential PS+ Extra PS+ Premium Any questions or if this thread needs updating and hasn't been then let me know, but please don't do so until these games are available, not when they're announced as the thread will only be updated when the games actually change. Also please check out the other threads we have for Games with Gold and Epic Games Store to stay up to date with those as well. Feel free to keeps using the Video Game Deals to tell the VGR community about other offers you have come across. Updated: February 1st 2024

Important Announcement As has been previously stated in the final post of this thread, Microsoft announced that on September 1st 2023 Xbox Games with Gold is coming to an end and will be dissolved into Xbox Gamepass as a new, starter tier called Xbox Gamepass Core. Current Xbox Live Gold members will be added to this new tier of Gamepass automatically. Find more details on this at this link. As I edit this, it is now September 1st 2023, so this thread meant to keep VGR members up to date with the latest offerings through Games with Gold has become obsolete. There was really two options to choose from when it comes to moving forward. Reorganise this thread into a Gamepass Update thread. Retire and lock the thread. Having considered these options and consulted with my fellow staff members, I have decided to retire and lock this thread once this new service goes live. Trying maintain this thread as a Gamepass thread in such a way that is is useful would be laborious and time consuming. Xbox Gamepass user's receive updates on what is happening with the service that I don't think that a Gamepass Update thread would be worth the considerable effort that it would take to keep it up to date. I would be willing to keep this thread active as a Gampepass update thread if the idea received enough support from VGR members. However, as I type this on September 1st, such a motion has received no support. If there is enough support from VGR members to have a Gamepass thread, I will of course make it so. Anyone who does want to see a Gampepass thread to replace this, please send me a PM. As it stands, this thread is now retired and locked. Updated: September 1st 2023

Welcome This is the EGS (Epic Games Store) free games update thread. Epic offers PC games for free each week on it's store with no subscription or anything to pay. And, that's about that really. This thread is here to offer a convenient place to check what games are currently available at no cost from EGS as part of this initiative they have going. The game(s) available to claim for free and upcoming free games (if announced) are; Of course this thread is also available to discuss rumours, games you want to see added and how you feel about the current line up as well as a place to discuss how you feel about the service in general. Like I mentioned, this is just free games, so no need to go into detail on how this works. Just sign into your/ sign up for an EGS account on the website above, download the EGS Games Launcher, and you're ready to go. Any questions or if this thread needs updating and hasn't been then let me know, but please don't do so until these games are available, not when they're announced as the thread will only be updated when the games actually change. Also please check out the other threads we have for PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold to stay up to date with those as well. Feel free to keeps using the Video Game Deals to tell the VGR community about other offers you have come across. Updated: February 9nth 2024

Thanks @DC. I'll begin right away.

With all due respect to parents everywhere, I don't think reading the labels on a video game's box before you buy it is asking for much out of even the busiest parent.

We don't need a more strict rating system, what we need is for parents/guardians to respect the systems we already have. There are still to many adults out there who don't respect video games as an entertainment media the same way they look at movies and television. They still see video games as "toys" to then be appalled to find these "toys" are full of violence, sex and so on. It never occurs to them that it's their fault for ignoring the badge on the front with a big age stamp or "M Rated" or whatever. PEGI, the ESRB and the other rating agencies out there aren't perfect, but it's hardly thier fault if ignorant parents choose to ignore their advice. No new system will fix the fundamental problem no matter how strict it is.

Former Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime has issued a statement/apology on the issue published by Kotaku. I believe he's sincere in his apology, but Mike, you were at Blizzard for nearly 30 years with this happening right under you nose, so this is too little and far, FAR to late given that at least one woman has lost her life over this and god knows how many others have has thier self-esteem destroyed. If this misogynistic, "Frat Boy" culture was not what you and J. Allen Brack wanted at the company, why didn't you do something about it? Morhaime, Brack, you can both shove a large, seasoned onion between the lips you never kiss with like the turkeys you both are. At least Mike Morhaime is showing some sincerity and taking responsibility.

Most games give you an option to re-bind the keyboard to other commands that aren't the default. Even if a game doesn't allow it, there's always third party software and programmable keyboards and mice that will do the same thing. I use a programmable mouse as I like to transfer as much control away from the keyboard as possible. In my perfect world, I'd only use the keyboard to access to access and navigate menus, WASD keys to move, number keys for hotkey shortcuts for items and weapons and that's it. It's not perfect, though. Programmable peripherals take time to get set up right. I was only satisfied with how I had set up the M/K controls for Horizon Zero Dawn on PC after about 2-3 hours of fiddling with it. For me though, the whole issue of preference when it comes to control is mostly down to the game. I would hate trying to play a RTS game with a controller, and would equally hate a very stealth focused 3rd person game like Metal Gear Solid or Assassin's Creed using M/K as a keyboard just doesn't allow for the same control over speed of movement. It's useally a toggle choice between fast as a thief at market or slow as an ass with no legs. Even in games like Skyrim I find it annoying.

I thought about this, and if the community wants it, I would create Sticky threads in the Video Game Deals sub-form with the purpose of keeping people up to date on what the latest games on offer through PS+, GWG and other such services are. It would be laborious and I'd think most people get that information in good time anyway, but if the community thinks this would be helpful, I'm all for helping out. It would also be a place to discuss what games you want to see, discuss rumours and post your thoughts on the games these services are currently offering. So tell me what you think. Do you think this is a useful idea or not and what services you want to see included if we go ahead with the idea.

This article from Gamespot has the full details, but also check out this video from ReviewTechUSA This is surely the final nail in Sadia's coffin. There are also rumours abut Netflix partnering with Playstation (as published by What Hi-Fi), but take that with a gain of salt. If there was one company I wanted to see do this, it would be Netflix and I'm so glad they won't be charging extra for it. They've proven over the years that they can deliver a reliable service and aren't afraid to be brave how they invest, so this is exiting for me. The one that's a little disappointing is that they'll be focused, at least initially, on mobiles games, but I'm sure that wont last. What's your thoughts?

Like I said, I refused to baited by you, so I'm responding to any of that nonsense you just said (although I do feel sorry for anyone who has had the misfortune to work for you if you think that's how it's supposed to work, but commission based jobs aside that really isn't how it works, so that's probably not true), but I do need point out that the quote above is a blatant a lie. This is what you said;

YongYea made a follow up video detailing Blizzard's response, and this has not helped thier case at all. Well, there is little doubt in my mind that the "Frat Boy" culture at Blizzard is a real thing and that little to nothing has been done about it. I hope the get shafted for this. J Allan Barrack should resign and someone from outside he company with a proven record of managing a company with a favourable reputation when it comes to employee fait treatment should come i to weed out this current culture at Blizzard. Employees shouldn't trust the current management and thier word that things will "get better" and that they have a "zero tolerance pricy" against harassment when it's the same management who let this carry on for years. Why am I not surprised to see you and try and make victims out to be problem for calling this shit out? Paying men more than woman for doing the same job is a valid part of the lawsuit as it's misogynistic and discriminatory in exactly the same way as denying woman promotions because "if the get pregnant they wouldn't be able to fulfil their duties". I worked in a number of places and the only time I have never seen two people doing the same job in the same department at the same place of work getting payed different amounts is when is when one is a contractor and the other a core employee with the company (Typically contractors get payed more at the cost of having less benefits and less job security). That claim of yours that it's fair for two people in the same job at the same company as employees of that company with similar experience can get payed different amounts because "the tasks are different" is bullshit, and whoever told you that is a liar. I doesn't matter if one of them is far better at the job than the other, that is never a factor. If the company decided they're both qualified by hiring them, they're both same on paper, and that's that and they deserve equal pay and benefits. If the tasks were different enough to warrant different amounts of pay, it would be listed as a different job entirely, or at least that's how it should be. So even if that is Blizzards excuse, it doesn't exactly help them. It'll just be another example of employees being mistreated. That would be the case even if it turned out the woman was getting payed more, so you're right about one thing, that issue has got nothing to with sexism. However, I can't help but get the feeling that it's the woman getting payed less in this scenario with Blizzard and does bring the possibility of sexual discrimination back into it. This isn't cancel culture, this isn't anti-cooperate mobbing, this real life with real people where really get hurt and have thier will, self-esteem and mental health in general be badly affected. One woman even committed suicide during one of Blizzard's company trips because the "guys" were passing around nude photo's of her. So forgive me for offering no sympathy that this situation has once again questioned the reality you want to live in, but I really don't care how this affects you. I don't care because it's people like you who deny how racism, sexism, misogyny ect has been ingrained into society that is what allows it to keep happening. You are part of the problem, and you will continue to be part of the problem until you get off whatever planet your on and come back to earth. I've said my piece and thusly I will not respond you you on this thread because I know how stubborn we both are and refuse to waste any more of my time, but for your sake you have got to re-evaluate yourself.

@StaceyPowers I'm gonna be honest, here. If it were really up to me, I might not let topics like this be posted at all. I feel that way because this serves a platform to bash one platform over others and that can cause real problems on gaming forums. "Fanboying" and "Waring" over platform preference has not really been an issue on VGR compared to other multi-platform gaming forums and communities in my experience. The VGR community has proven that these discussions can happen here on without it getting out of hand. I'm very thankful for that, but I want to keep it that way. So, whilst that's a marginal concern at best, there is another issue. That other issue being with this particular thread is the original title, it limits people to post very much in bias in favour of PC's as a platform without giving room to post otherwise. The core of the topic is fine, it's really about discussing differences in game controls and user interfaces, but it should be OK to post from various perspectives rather than just one. M/K controls and other control methods indigenous to PC's have drawbacks as well, and it's only fair to open this topic up to discuss those. This shouldn't be limited to PC's and consoles either, it would also be great to discuss the advantages and disadvantages mobile gaming bring to the table. So having thought about it, I have decided I will not lock nor delete this topic, but I am going to change the title to open the discussion up to accommodate a more broad and general perspective. Remember, we'll all gamers. Regardless of what we play on, we deserve equal respect. And @StaceyPowers, consider the title change a "working title". If you have a title in mind that would fit the new, more accommodating theme I've described, please let me know. This is still your topic, after all.

Exactly, don't believe a word of it. Never watch those youtubers and don't follow thier social media. They are liars and con artists. That "leak" 3 days ago was not a significant day, it was Wednesday and nothing more. You said yourself that the information wasn't authenticated and there's a good reason for that. It's FAKE. People have making up and selling rumours on GTA6 for years and never comes to anything because it's fake. Trust me, it is better for your mental health to ignore them.

You don't that feeling of connection or immersion from using a gamepad (Well you said joystick, but I'm gonna assume you meant a modern game controller) when playing racing games, but you do when using what a mouse and keyboard? Something that's, and let's be honest, even further separated from what is actually done to control a car in real life? Dose that some sort of sense that I'm not in on?

I don't know where you get your information from, but here's a tip. Never go there again. Peddling lies about GTA6 has become industry all of it's own. People have had hugely successful YouTube channels by doing just that, and only that. That game is not expected to launch soon and there is no reason to believe it'll be the last GTA game. There isn't even sold proof the game is coming out al all.

Honestly, I don't think I've played a game to date that really gets this right, and I am including TLOU in that bracket. So sorry, @StaceyPowers, but I think you're wrong. Ellie (and the other followers in TLOU) only behaved like people during very scripted moments. Otherwise, they had a habit of getting in the way, taking cover at your position instead of flanking and running around in front of enemies during stealth and somehow not being spotted. Now, I get that last part because in terms of gameplay because it really wouldn't be fair to have your position discovered on account of confused follower AI, but it still breaks immersion. TLOU2 improved a lot, but it ways still not perfect and, if anything, relied more heavily of scripted scenarios to make the follower AI work. At least the followers in that game were actually able to hit enemies and make some contribution in combat, and that is more than I can say for a lot of other games.

Kind of, but The Last of Us is chess to RE checkers when it come to post-infection-apocalyptic storytelling. Everything I have to say about The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 can be found in those links (WARNING: Long reads and there will be spoilers, especially for the first game).

I don't have a big personal interest in this franchise, but I can see why fans aren't happy. The problem isn't the game itself. Truthfully, I think it looks kind of cool. The issue as far as I can tell is that it's a creative design and gameplay concept that hasn't really got anything to do with Tom Clancy as current fans know it. It's like if we get a Fallout game that's not a single player RPG, but a online looter-shooter MMO. No wait, that actually happened, and it didn't go down well. Same story with Metal Gear: Survive, Even if it were any good as the zombie hoard PVE multiplayer game that it was (It wasn't, it couldn't even meet that low bar), it still wouldn't have sat any better with fans as that it not what people want in a Metal Gear game. This doesn't mean XDefiant is gonna be a bad game, like I said I think it looks quite promising, but a colourful, anarchistic-punk themed online shooter is simply not Tom Clancy. I have no objections to Ubisoft making this game, but they've just slapped the Tom Clancy name it instead of doing what they should have done, that being releasing it as it's own IP. It's obvious why they did that, it's because they think the Tom Clancy name will help it sell. That is a terrible PR and promotional decision for two reasons; It alienates and frustrates current Tom Clancy fans who know what they like about the franchise and offering something that doesn't fit those hopes and expectations will make said fans less likely to buy the game. By slapping a famous name onto a game that doesn't conform to that specific franchise, what Ubisoft is basically telling potential gamers is "We don't think this this game is strong enough to stand on it's own and be successful by itself. We're making it, but already don't have an faith in it.". If the people making the game don't believe in in it, what reason does anybody else have to believe in it? Like I said, this doesn't mean that this will be a bad game, but when game companies have done this, especially recently, it has typically not turned out well. So this is a "wait for review" title at the absolute best for me, but that probably still means I'm the VGR member most exited for it .

You thought that was bad, just check out the mascots for London 2012; Don't worry, you don't have a dirty mind, everyone thought the same damb thing.