Back in my day (yep), you got a game for Christmas, you opened the box, you installed it from the physical media in the box, and you played it. 3 steps, roughly, if my counting fingers are still good in my advancing years.

In 2024, you get a PC game for Christmas, and this is what happens:

1. Santa purchases a digital license for a game.
2. Child receives game and installs it. Parent leaves, thinking child will be happy with their new game.
3. Child opens the game, is greeted with a message that they need a Sony account (in addition to their age-appropriate Steam account, which is in addition to their age-appropriate Google account needed to have an email address and their age-appropriate Microsoft account to have access to Windows).
4. Child calls for parent that they need a Sony account.
5. Parent clicks through "child account creation" page, which requires an adult account to provision.
6. Parent forgets their adult Sony login information (we're on a PC, not a PS5), has to look up their credentials, which are locked behind MFA on their phone.
7. Parent must satisfy Sony MFA via emailed auth code.
8. Parent signs in -- must re-auth email for the adult account (despite MFA already using said email).
9. Parent signs up for child account.
10. Parent must verify child email by signing into child Gmail account.
11. Parent must provide payment info to demonstrate that they are an adult. $0.50 must be charged to their adult-shaped credit card.
12. Parent enters credit card info.
13. Parent agrees to the $0.50 transaction using newly added credit card.
14. Unknown Error
15. Parent agrees to $0.50 transaction.
16. Unknown Error
17. Parent uses semi-child-appropriate curse word ("for crap's sake") signs out of adult account, signs back in, finds where to create a child account, goes back through child account creation, agrees to $0.50 transaction. Success.
18. Parent must specify child account settings (age limits, etc). 1 or 2 EULAs here.
19. Parent goes back to game, signs in as child with new child account.
20. Parent must verify email account with MFA token sent to child account email.
21. Error
22. Retry. Probably another EULA. Success.
23. Child plays game

Literally, this is the process I went through to get Lego Horizon Adventures working on my kids PC via Steam. It was INSANE. I've been gaming my whole life and the way things have gone is just so depressing and so dystopian. It's a goddamn video game. I felt like I was trying to get a car loan!

Obviously the answer here is "just sign up as an adult" or better "don't buy Sony PC games," but this is the "proper" method that Sony wants their PC customers to follow. It's unhinged. I'm not the type of person to pick a specific game launcher or bandwagon hate on whatever is the hot topic to hate at the moment, but boy howdy did this experience make it plain to me how godawful things have gotten.

I'm thankful most purchases on Steam are NOT like this, but I'm going to be on the lookout for any future titles that are and avoid them like the plague.

Which 2024 games do you think are worthy of attention after going into full release? For some reason in the recent post about this year's best sales Valve skipped usual section with the year's best games that leaves early access.

the steam sales are looking preem but my gonk brain is having analysis paralysis on what to buy.

I'll start with my top 5 (in no specific order):

1. Cyberpunk 2077
2. Elden Ring
3. Divinity Original Sin 2
4. Guild Wars 1
5. Diablo 2

I feel like only warhammer 40k gets the fun games like the only good warhammer fantasy games are the total war warhammer trilogy but 40k gets a lot of great stuffs like a wonderful CRPG like warhammer 40k rouge trader , or amazing FPS like Boltgun and etc

Howdy y'all, accidentally re-purchased Fallout New Vegas - Ultimate Edition for Steam. Since I don't need the code, whomever sees this first gets it haha.

Steam Code: HMBRM-36QNC-3H5QX

Have a good Christmas everyone!

As A life long gamer.. primarily in PvP games, I have now and always felt that Spawn Peeking should never be allowed. I understand the point of PvP is to beat the other team.. But it requires zero skill, zero sport, and zero competition. I think this takes the fun away from both attacker and defender.. I feel the game needs to be played as a sport, not a quick wipe.

Recently I made a post about the lack of optimized games released this generation, other people have as well - be we all get scoffed off with things like “bro, you can’t expect to play on a toaster” and “games are looking better than ever, you just need to not be poor."  

Below is a list of games that all target 30fps in a promised 60fps generation, all of these games run poorly on consoles and an RTX 3060 12GB which is the most common GPU spec at the moment according to Steam.  It’s always been the case that the most common PC spec is just slightly above the current console generation, but nowhere near a far amount.  None of the games on this list hold 60fps at native 1080p medium, most of them are upscaled from sub 1080p and look soft and noisy.  Note:  These are all links to random benchmarks, I am not affiliated with any channels in any way and are all available via search.

Alan Wake 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dBl-bOzwmM

Star Wars Jedi Survivor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIUn6f_1RgQ

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I33KjNEdKJI

Star Wars Outlaws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSMGhqRLoNk

Silent Hill 2 Remake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiEm4f72afU

Forspoken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMsduCRJiA

Immortals of Aveum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgjmuPa1eKw

Remnant 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k5effSBh4U

STALKER 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbPcvAc4ikU

Final Fantasy 16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgLgcE6FY-8

Starfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMlhfnwD3dA

Hellblade 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRCPRrrITn8

Below are a list of games from all over last generation which look almost as good - some better - than current generation games that all hit 1080p 60fps on PC and some of them very close on their consoles.  Notice how much sharper and cleaner these games look.  All running on a GTX 1060 6GB which was the most popular GPU at the time.  

Horizon Zero Dawn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXwa0oRQST4

Strange Brigade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5qL4-0VFck

Nier Automata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y05sf6pQJpY

Resident Evil VII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajEwnqE3IXI

Resident Evil VII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri7J717WAEk

Assassin’s Creed Origins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxNQ3oBCXyc

Shadow of War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohf5uS3Z_Xk

The Evil Within 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Cp2F2S26g

Prey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXKqeK7ZlBA

Call of Duty WWII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18El3YKDhQc

Destiny 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM12SA9fucQ

Star Wars Battlefront II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQuslX0p1Ao

Final Fantasy 15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV0YRHkDQAI

Days Gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woplHlanL8Y

Star Wars Jedi - Fallen Order

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWY-ugORJFo

Gears 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhvZzFhMsc

Remnant: From the Ashes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUjV2e1Hekk

Devil May Cry 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-gVBLIaGK4

Resident Evil 2 Remake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg43QIGHebI

The Outer Worlds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayw1dMzOiS8

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS52Mo6M9ao

And here’s a few notable mentions on the GTX 1060, a few hold outs of good optimization, these were end of generation games that performed very well on the old GPU.  I doubt we’ll see many games on this type of list at the end of the current generation.  

Callisto Protocol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKvju6EZM3Q

Dead Island 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lra0iRtYmZU

High on Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvtiphvzEeU

Hitman 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uhx9r6s5-A

Spider-Man 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qds-xZfgGk8

Watch_Dogs Legion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8_rrIuP6Zc

We do have a couple of stand outs this generation setting the example of what games should look like and run like, but there’s more low performing games than high.  All at shitty sub 1080p resolutions upscaling to blurry and noisy fake 4K.  

Are there any versions anywhere of these games that don't crash? Original vs remake, steam vs Gog... or seems like they are all trash? (Tried all the fixes in the steam guides etc to no avail)

Game released on December 11 sits with 33k "Overwhelmingly positive" reviews and no one seemingly talks about it, at least on Reddit. For comparison, other 2024 hits like Dragon Age: Veilguard - has 32k reviews, Persona 3 Reload and Silent Hill 2 - 36k, God of War Ragnarök "only" 22k. What do you think? Is it worth it?