Sadly that is the trend, but not always (thank goodness). I do think people are getting wise to this smoke and mirrors garbage though. Anyone can make a sexy looking rendered scene. Without a hint of what the actual gameplay will look like, it’s just pointless.

Visually stunning? check Meaningless? check About as relevant to the actual game as that Witcher 4 Unreal Engine tech demo? check checkety check.

Really nice list and well laid out too. Currently downloading the demo for Revenge of the Savage Planet from it :) (and have now bought it. Such a fun game!)

Multiplayer games are absolutely off limits cheating wise for me. HOWEVER… using trainers and mods and things like Cheat Engine in single player games is not only ok, but I often treat it like it’s a mini game. Can I give myself an extra 100k gold? Hmm fire up CE and let’s see :)

The immense thrill I get from reducing some horrible grind from hours to minutes is just huge fun. I’m basically a sandbox guy. GTA5 cheats, for example, have led to more unexpected sandbox fun than I could ever have imagined over the years.

Not using cheats in single player grindfests is like having a first class ticket on a plane but choosing to travel economy. I think it’s basically that I don’t like being told to grind for the sake of it or for some “moral” reason.

I love a FUN grind though. I’ve spent days in games like My Time At Portia just fishing for example. It comes down to this: If a grind is fun, I’ll happily do it but if it’s just like I’m a mouse being toyed with by some cat then hello God mode lol

Excellent! Thanks for those :)

Oh yeah definitely :) Also I’ve noticed there’s kind of a new feeling of satisfaction when a game does somehow make it through this assault course and I buy it finally. It feels like an achievement in itself.

Douglas Adams absolutely predicted this :)

Well ok but I did say it was long. Tbh, my checklist is almost a minigame itself now 🤣

So once I’ve found a game that looks interesting, I do the following:

Google video search for the game’s title and filter to past week, then month, then year and that shows me how many people are actually talking about this game right now and who’s doing the talking.

I look at the Steam reviews and initially filter to only show negative ones. I find it’s a lot easier to see if the game’s been review bombed that way. Also, a lot of negative reviews complain about features I find positive so that’s helpful too “This game was way too easy! I finished it in 30 hours and I still had all my hair at the end, harumph!”. I also check phrases like “Abandoned by the devs” or “Yet another asset flip” or “Beware! The EULA is a privacy nightmare”.

I then switch to positive reviews and read the short ones. The dissertations are just way too much detail at this stage (or any stage really for me).

At some point early on I check the Steam update history. If the last update was years ago I factor that in. I also try to keep on top of relevant news like that time the entire staff of Annapurna Interactive quit, making a sequel to Stray unlikely.

Also, if it hasn’t had that many recent updates I’ll join the Discord and see how active that is. That’s usually so revealing. Often in a positive way like with the G-Rebels devs.

Then I go through my top YT game reviewers like Raptor, Scarlett Seeker, Splattercat Gaming, Orbital Potato and Nookrium and see if they’ve talked about the game.

I look for the title on Allkeyshop to see if there’s a cheaper EU unlockable Steam game key available.

I check for trainers in case I need an escape hatch if it turns out to be too grindy or tedious but still worth playing.

If all the searches have been positive so far I’ll wishlist it around this point. If there’s a demo I’ll play it. If it looks amazing from the start I’ll install the demo after looking at a couple of gameplay videos.

I also have a 21:9 monitor so I hop into the Steam discussion group for the game and look for confirmation that it’s compatible.

If it’s too expensive I’ll check SteamDB and look at it’s price history. My personal limit is <7 bucks for an old game and <18 for a relatively new one (unless something exceptional suddenly appears like Eriksholm).

I’ll check if there any Steam sales coming and if the theme is likely to match the game I’m looking at.

I really do actually do all this by the way. It’s the only way I’ve been able to get more sensible about the games I buy.

The urge to shout “HE CAN CHANGE! YOU DON’T KNOW HIM LIKE I DO!” is pretty strong right now 🤣

I used to buy Steam games without a care in the world. Now to spend even 5 bucks I make myself go through a quality control checklist so vast it would impress a space shuttle commander. There’s just been too many abandoned games, terrible sequels, fake reviews, unnecessary game launchers and disappointing Steam sales. That’s not to say there isn’t still an excellent bunch of games on there, but they’re all hidden deep in the forest and I have to go sniff em out like a basset hound.

I’d love to see what happens if I keep being nice and you keep doubling down on the negative vibes, but it seems to me we’re already straining several of this community’s rules so I’m gonna leave it there. Enjoy the rest of your day.

I’m being polite. Try it, it’s more fun :)

I get it. You’re basically lovable hippies who found a cool thing and can’t imagine why anyone would want to use something less good (in their view). Best answer to my question so far thanks :)

“Microsoft is an awful company all around that deserves no one’s business”

Wait… all of the 228,000 people at Microsoft don’t deserve anyone’s business? That seems harsh and a little bit of a broad brush.

I’m going to die of thirst if I don’t use Linux? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh 😧

My OS is not abusing me. I’m fine. In fact it’s been incredibly empowering for the last 40 years. I mean it WAS abuse back then, trying to install the damn thing from those 5.25" floppies. Now it’s smooth as butter and I love it because I remember the journey from then to now so clearly.

No need for that mate.

Wow, you learnt that today RandomGS310 did you? The joy that must have given you that you immediately created an account and this was your first and only post? Good for you my totally authentic friend.

If we could all just break character for a sec… I’ve been meaning to ask you Linux lovers a question for a while. Why is it so important to you that everyone starts using Linux? It just seems like you all put so much effort into trying to convert/coerce/shame people into using Linux and I’ve just never understood why?

This feels like just more Epstein distraction. Look over here! Look at the brave man you admire. I’m gonna hurt him. Ooh let’s talk about that lots.

There really is no need for this rudeness. I’m sure you can make your point without resorting to this kind of language. Please see rule 3 and let’s try not to turn into reddit (Clarification: I am not a mod or trying to impersonate one. This is just my opinion).