Ugh. I've tried playing a bit of KCD2 and there appears to be a newly introduced bug in a recent update. Damn game is crashing all the time now and I'm losing progress every time it happens unless I save like crazy. Some of the Windows prompts indicate out of memory issues, and it does appear that when I have browsers open (which use a ton of RAM), the crashes happen all the time, whereas when I keep browsers closed, the crashes rarely happen. But I'm nowhere near using up all RAM. I have 32GB, and the crashes seem to happen more when my total system usage is >16GB. But the game used to run fine with >20GB system usage prior to recent updates. I don't think I've ever seen my system usage over 22GB. That's with both Chrome and Firefox open with tons of tabs, Libre Office, Gnucash, and KCD2.

^^ The wonders of multi-process architecture of modern web browsers virtual machines for executing huge blobs of JavaScript that nobody really needs, but is justified in the name of job security.

https://thebestmotherfucking.website/

clueless1 wrote on 2025-07-05, 14:19:

Ugh. I've tried playing a bit of KCD2 and there appears to be a newly introduced bug in a recent update. Damn game is crashing all the time now and I'm losing progress every time it happens unless I save like crazy. Some of the Windows prompts indicate out of memory issues, and it does appear that when I have browsers open (which use a ton of RAM), the crashes happen all the time, whereas when I keep browsers closed, the crashes rarely happen. But I'm nowhere near using up all RAM. I have 32GB, and the crashes seem to happen more when my total system usage is >16GB. But the game used to run fine with >20GB system usage prior to recent updates. I don't think I've ever seen my system usage over 22GB. That's with both Chrome and Firefox open with tons of tabs, Libre Office, Gnucash, and KCD2.

"Out of memory" errors are ambiguious, you're either actually unable to allocate the physical RAM or the virtual address space itself is becoming exhausted.

If it's the latter I'd be very concerned how the hell that's even happening since 64-bit native executables have a virtual address space in the size of several terabytes.

clueless1 wrote on 2025-07-05, 14:19:

Ugh. I've tried playing a bit of KCD2 and there appears to be a newly introduced bug in a recent update. Damn game is crashing all the time now and I'm losing progress every time it happens unless I save like crazy. Some of the Windows prompts indicate out of memory issues, and it does appear that when I have browsers open (which use a ton of RAM), the crashes happen all the time, whereas when I keep browsers closed, the crashes rarely happen. But I'm nowhere near using up all RAM. I have 32GB, and the crashes seem to happen more when my total system usage is >16GB. But the game used to run fine with >20GB system usage prior to recent updates. I don't think I've ever seen my system usage over 22GB. That's with both Chrome and Firefox open with tons of tabs, Libre Office, Gnucash, and KCD2.

Too much memory fragmentation maybe ?

Web browsers are OSes now. I close them out of spite anyway.

Apparently my system needed a reboot (even though I restarted it only a couple days prior). Now it's working like a champ with both browsers open.

Tyranny
I just completed this a couple of hours ago. It took me just over 40 hours to do everything I could find, including the "Bastard's Wound" expansion, and I really liked the game overall.

The most interesting thing about Tyranny is its setting. Instead of being the chosen one out to save the world, you're a high-ranking official in a brutal, conquering regime, and it's your duty to act basically as judge, jury, and executioner as you see fit, in order to carry out the will of Overlord Kyros. The game gives you quite some leeway in how you solve problems, and you can be as brutal or lenient (or even traitorous) as you want. In true Obsidian style, there are multiple factions to ally with or betray, and many of the choices you make throughout the game determine where the story goes and how it ends.

It plays mostly like any other similar isometric RPG with real-time-with-pause combat (Baldur's Gate, Pillars, etc.). There are some interesting differences, however. The most interesting is the spell creation system, in which you combine a root element with various effect sigils. Even better, you can upgrade your existing spells by swapping in more powerful sigils as you find them and also by adding even more effects as your Lore skill improves throughout the game.

Unlike many other similar games, I actually found the companions to be interesting and mostly likeable, though Verse does suffer from "edgy badass" syndrome from time to time. One very cool thing about companion interaction is that you can inspire loyalty or fear (or both!) in them, and each "path" unlocks a unique ability from them. The loyalty/fear score also unlocks dialogue options throughout the game.

Character and party development are both excellent. In addition to leveling up with experience points, each character has a bunch of skills that level up with use or through training. You can even "lock" skills you don't need so that your other skills level up faster. Most of the equipment you find is your typical modern RPG trash ("+0.7% DPS," "+0.1% recovery" etc.), but the game is actually chock full of artifact weapons and armor with unique abilities unlocked through use. You also eventually unlock the ability to create and upgrade equipment at a forge.

---

Unfortunately, the game (on the default difficulty level anyway) becomes unbelievably easy not even halfway through the game. You automatically heal in between fights, and all abilities/spells are on countdown timers (with the exception of a handful of unique abilities that can only be used once per rest), so there is no resource management whatsoever; just blast every enemy with every ability, one after another. Every battle ends up feeling pretty much the same a few hours into the game.

Also unfortunate is that some of the dialogue is extremely juvenile and crass, which stands in stark contrast with the serious and somber tone of the game. Unfortunately, most of this dialogue comes from the two major factions of the game, so it sometimes seems like every other character is an edgy badass written by a 13-year-old. This reaches its worst point fairly early into the game, where you have to stand there while the leaders of these two factions bicker and insult each other like children.

---

Although combat and some of the dialogue are pretty disappointing, it was worth putting up with that to play such an entertaining game, and I could definitely see myself playing through it again and making different choices.

One of the games I picked up on the Steam Summer Sale, Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi. Being a huge Castlevania fan, this one pays homage to the classic series with some of its own flare.

Fun, challenging, good music, 16/32-bit style visuals (think CV4 and beyond) and Dracula is portrayed as Bela Lugosi! Officially licensed in partnership with Lugosi Enterprises! How cool is that! Worth every penny so far. 😀

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Ca … ng_Bela_Lugosi/

StriderTR wrote on 2025-07-07, 04:46:

One of the games I picked up on the Steam Summer Sale, Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi. Being a huge Castlevania fan, this one pays homage to the classic series with some of its own flare.

Fun, challenging, good music, 16/32-bit style visuals (think CV4 and beyond) and Dracula is portrayed as Bela Lugosi! Officially licensed in partnership with Lugosi Enterprises! How cool is that! Worth every penny so far. 😀

it looks good, it looks like a late entry into a 16 bit console - when code and graphics have matured and optimised. it's kind of interesting that such games are still being made, some 30 years after the heyday, i guess there will be younger gamers for whom this era was before being born, who spend money on these games - perhaps they do have a link with old systems they had access too or emulation, or maybe there is a real appeal that just keep on appealing regardless, for a niche anyway

unrelated gta sa follow up:

gerry wrote on 2025-06-30, 09:16:

There are times when it seems like "the public" are deliberately working against you, but i'm sure that's just a consequence of the way they tend to pile up around you at times.

i was replaying the street races....... winning really is much up to luck, one false 'touch' from the wrong pixel and you spin out, and the 'traffic' ai ensures plenty of those. the only thing on your side is that the AI rivals - although it seem they get tougher vehicles, somehow sidestep traffic and if out of sight seem less error prone - are almost always awful. the longer the race the more likely they will be crashing into things and leaving the road. In a short race it's important to get into 1st as quickly as possible and the challenge is not hitting anything and spinning out, in longer races the challenge is not letting your car explode from damage - it will accumulate damage. GTA SA ai drivers are entertainingly bad, but also borderline game breakingly bad at times

gerry wrote on 2025-07-07, 09:56:

it looks good, it looks like a late entry into a 16 bit console - when code and graphics have matured and optimised. it's kind of interesting that such games are still being made, some 30 years after the heyday, i guess there will be younger gamers for whom this era was before being born, who spend money on these games - perhaps they do have a link with old systems they had access too or emulation, or maybe there is a real appeal that just keep on appealing regardless, for a niche anyway

Yeah, so far it feels like another Castelvania installment. They did a good job capturing the look, sounds, and feel of the era.

I love the fact that there are a lot of indie studios out there still making games like this. Of course, some are better than others, but it's always been that way. I think a lot of it has to do with the current popularity of "retro gaming". You can defiantly see how they would appeal to older games like myself, but also cash in on the retro trends.

It's kinds funny sometimes to read the reviews on games like this and others. A common complaint I see, often from players where the game style was from before their time, is when a game keep too much of it's 80's/90's roots. They say it's harder to play and wish the developers had updated control aspects of the games. For me, I don't care either way, becasue I was there and an am used to it and don't see it as a inconvenience.

Either way, I like the fact these games are out there, and I've been playing quite a few recently. Great way to scratch the nostalgia itch. Ion Fury is another good one, this one is from 3D Realms. Just got the the DLC for it, just h haven't had time to play it yet. The core game is a blast! I'm also a huge fan of the Nightdive Studios remakes they've been doing. They've been getting a lot of my money. 😜

@gerry
About vehicles' health being bumped up in GTA:SA, it appears to be mission specific. About the races, Ryder would say: "Just don't drive like no fool!"

I started playing Payne Max...I mean, Max Payne. Wikipedia says Remedy's remaking Max Payne 1 and 2 as a single game. I wonder how that'll look and play. Do you people think they'll dump the old save system? Does any new game even have good 'ol quick save / quick load?

Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees
I completed the first game several years ago and, while I liked it, I also felt it was a bit too simplified even compared with its inspiration (Might & Magic III). When the sequel was released, I took a look at the screenshots and figured it would be just more of the same... and passed on it.

Fast forward to July 2025, and I finally got the game and started playing it... and have really been enjoying it! Even though the first game is a very, very simplified version of M&MIII, it was still a total blast to play, and I guess I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed playing through the first game.

Even better, the sequel improves on a lot of the things I didn't like so much about the first game. It adds some new interesting classes, and the classes are also balanced quite a bit better (I recall the spellcasters in the first game being extremely weak). It also adds a fun skill system that is pretty much taken straight from M&MII; it's simple, but it's cool how each skill has three levels, so it's one more thing to look forward to as you explore. Most importantly, the dungeons are much better than they were in the first game, with interesting layouts and unique themes.

The automapping system in this game is amazing. You can very easily leave notes on your maps, and the game not only supports adding text labels to individual squares, but also a handful of built-in categories you can set for your notes (such as "partially explored" or "too difficult"). This makes it a breeze to mark areas or encounters for exploration later.

A lot of fun so far!

Played through Streets of Rage 4 for the first time today. Brilliant game all around. It was clearly made by people who were huge fans of the original SoR trilogy. Everything feels right, including the basic attacks, movement, combos and specials. I also love the new sprites, which were evidently crafted with much love and care. It's also great that they brought back old favorites like Adam and Max, though I think they only unlock after you complete the game once, due to their roles in the main story. Axel and Blaze are of course available from the start, and there are (initially) two new characters as well. Lastly, I like how the devs gave that police woman boss the player's old special attack from SoR1 i.e. the police car firing a bazooka. Really nice callback.

If I had to find a single, minuscule thing to nitpick about this game, I'd say the music, while decent, isn't quite on pair with SoR2. But to be fair, that's a really tough act to follow. Thankfully, the devs included a "Retro Soundtrack" option, which basically replaces all the music in the game with SoR1 and SoR2 tracks. Pure perfection.

In summary, if you're a fan of the original Streets of Rage games, definitively give this a try. It's a fantastic follow up in every possible way. It also has couch co-op, so we can play with a buddy in front of the same TV, just like in the good old days. Now, I kinda wish these developers would make Golden Axe 4 using this engine.

Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees
I finished this earlier this morning, and overall I had a good time with it. Much like the first game in the series, it's a pretty short game (just over 16 hours to do absolutely everything), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's nice to play a breezy RPG you can finish over a week or so.

Although I did like the first game, it suffered from uninteresting combat and dull dungeons. The second game doesn't really make combat any more interesting, but it does have much better dungeons to explore. It also improves on all the stuff I really liked about the first game, such as the open world (larger and even more interesting to explore) and character/party development.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on Yesterday, 18:42:

If I had to find a single, minuscule thing to nitpick about this game, I'd say the music, while decent, isn't quite on pair with SoR2. But to be fair, that's a really tough act to follow. Thankfully, the devs included a "Retro Soundtrack" option, which basically replaces all the music in the game with SoR1 and SoR2 tracks. Pure perfection.

I didn't know it had the option for SoR1&2 music! While SoR4's soundtrack has a few bangers I really do like a lot it also disappointed me a little overall.

That's just me checking out the OST, I haven't played it myself. Honestly the only thing that has kept me from trying it is that I STILL haven't completed SoR1 or SoR2. Not mentioning SoR3, I can't stand the highly experimental soundtrack it has.

As much as I like beat 'em ups I think I might suck at them? I'm sure it's just a matter of git gud, but still. Eh, maybe SoR4 has some kind of baby mode. Does it have any kind of save system or do you still need to play it all the way through in one sitting?

Sombrero wrote on Today, 07:55:

Honestly the only thing that has kept me from trying it is that I STILL haven't completed SoR1 or SoR2. Not mentioning SoR3, I can't stand the highly experimental soundtrack it has.

The story isn't that important. As long as you know who Axel, Blaze, Adam and Mr. X are, you're good to go. I also didn't finish SoR3 because of the crappy music and the insane difficulty bump in the US release, not to mention the censorship. From what I gather, it's possible to apply an English translation patch to the JP release of SoR3 nowadays, so I'll probably go with that the next time I revisit it.

As much as I like beat 'em ups I think I might suck at them? I'm sure it's just a matter of git gud, but still. Eh, maybe SoR4 has some kind of baby mode.

Since I no longer have the reflexes from my youth, I played it on Easy and didn't have any problems. I'll probably bump that up a notch now that I've gotten a better understanding of the combo system and the air juggling of enemies. There's also a practice mode where you can freely try out attacks, combos and special moves, which is much appreciated.

Does it have any kind of save system or do you still need to play it all the way through in one sitting?

The game auto-saves at the last stage that you've reached. So let's say you just finished stage 4, started stage 5, and then quit. Next time, you will resume at the beginning of stage 5. There's also a stage selection menu, so you can revisit any level that you've completed at your leisure.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on Today, 08:14:

The story isn't that important. As long as you know who Axel, Blaze, Adam and Mr. X are, you're good to go.

It's not the story (did it even have one?), it's me getting my ass handed to me! Generally I don't like hopping on a game before completing the earlier installments, especially if my ability to complete even the newer one is at question.

I played it on Easy and didn't have any problems.
The game auto-saves at the last stage that you've reached.

Oh thank goodness. Alright, since it also has the option for SoR1&2 music I'll add this one on my to-do list. Though first I'm going to have to see if I can finally complete SoR1&2 at some point.