2026 Gaming Goals!

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Just stopping by to tell you, in case you haven't seen it yet, since I haven't seen you mentioned it...

Diablo 2 was released on Steam on 12 February this year, titled "Diablo II Resurrected - Infernal Edition". There is a new class, Warlock, using eldritch power.

Current price is pretty expensive (1 million VND !), so I'll wait until it's on sales, but I think it's worth checking.

Honestly, we'll see. I still have my original Diablo 2 discs somewhere. It looks like there's a ton of enhancements in this re-release aside from the new class though, so I might actually consider picking this one up.

The sad part is that if it's truly 1 million VND, you're actually getting a slight bargain even if you don't wait for the sale. That translates to $38.07 USD, whereas we're being charged $39.99 (plus tax in some places). The problem becomes a matter of income - $39.99 plus tax is 3 hours of work or so in my case after tax and the other stuff they take out (and would be 3 hours pre-tax for minimum wage in this state), whereas I don't know average VND per hour.

I will probably honestly wait for a sale on this one as well, regardless.

Or, if you'd prefer, I can suggest "Halls of Torment". I dunno what type it is to describe it, but basically, you pick a stage, then go around killing (or get swarmed by) hordes after hordes of monsters ; the monsters will spawn infinitely until the timer runs out (30 minutes by default). At the end, all monsters are gone and you fight the boss of the stage. Pretty fun for me.

Reason I suggest it is because there's gonna be a new update, where you can choose 2 options for each run : time-based with 30 minutes, or number of enemies you've killed. I think you'll like it.

"Robotron style" or "twinstick shooter" is what I'd probably say to describe it. Also kind of like Megabonk except not in 3D (so it might actually be easier to follow).

Another case of "we'll see". I'll put that one on the wishlist.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Aaand of course Beastro's release date happens to be the exact same day I'm getting two procedures done.

But hey, it's right before Memorial Day weekend, so maybe I can blitz through it all at once?

In other news, I've been occasionally playing Slay the Spire 2 and... I think after I get the first Ascension done with everyone, I will go back to the first game and try to finish my achievements. Though I may switch away from the Defect in that case as I am having absolutely no luck getting them to ascend. It's also the story in the second game too - I still haven't beaten a run with the Defect, whereas the very first character I won with was the supposedly underpowered Regent! I don't get it.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Hoo boy. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire.

6 hours of playtime in the last 24 hours is kind of telling for how much this hooked me. Where do I begin with this thing?

Well... it certainly isn't just the art that took eons. The makers of this game took their time making it more and more like a 1930s-era cartoon in visuals, sure, but they also took the effort in the dialogue trying to make it sound like a serious detective story too.

I won't write about this one the way I do with some other games because this is a first-person shooter, but I plan on playing the game all the way through twice. First one's on Supersleuth, and the second is going to be on Rookie with a very specific emphasis on getting every collectible.

It isn't just the fact that I evidently missed some stuff in the early missions. This is actually standard procedure with me and any FPS I buy - one serious playthrough, and one achievements run.

Oh, and apparently one of the side missions involves... well they don't call it by its actual name in-game, but evidently the bar owner outside the protagonist's office asks him to pick up surströmming at one point ("canned herring" and "not easy on the senses" are the cues given in the side mission). Jack's dialogue on mission completion implies that the stuff smells worse than the horrors of a world war. Can anyone confirm?