I had the impression this would happen and backed the NijiCancelled videos. Can't say I expected an outright wipe of the entire archive. After Pomu I think this is pretty much over for NijiSanji to me, they were both my regular watches.

And I don't blame her for it, I'm just remarking its a show of inexperience on being part of Lemmy.

While this was happening here, I was wondering how larger instances were handling the matter, especially Beehaw. In retrospect, however, it makes sense that they just defederated on sight since they're clearly more experienced and organized. Sadly Ada mostly has to do everything here, given the recent foundation of the instance.

Hexbear is what happens when kids (I hope they're all in their early 20s or teens, because otherwise this gets much sadder) spend years reading on leftist theory but have zero real world experience. They get intense, volatile, argumentative and have no idea how those points reflect on themselves and in reality. This is why they go around prancing those absurd beliefs and fencing anyone who disagrees out, while also dogpilling and swarming communities that don't agree: They only know what its like to be leftists in theory.

The one person who made the """"""peace"""""" thread had an earlier post here in Blahaj saying that since working under capitalism is coercion then everyone who solicits sex workers is a rapist, and that's basically the level of being disconnected from reality that they operate in. Unfortunately for them, their echo chamber is going to go on and be the equivalent of a left wing /pol/. For us - and hopefully all other major instances - its a relief to be rid of such crowd.

You already caused enough damage, please just leave. You are not wanted or welcome, and the defederation needs to be permanent and mutual to keep the rest of you out.

Perfect outcome, they get to feel superior despite doing nothing - which is their only goal - and we get to clean their mess.

The comparison to SomethingAwful is extremely on point, as that's the exact way they behave. Frankly, I think that type of volatile internet space should be left behind, and that's as a former goon. They're just ultimately shallow people who argue for the sake of arguing and bring nothing but discomfort to others.

I would not even call Hexbear extremists or allies, they are just plain trolls who use leftist arguments and tone policing to establish themselves as superior. The current thread on the supposed ableism that is being argued is a clear example of that: Tone policing, forcing absolute rules on who can and who can't use their dialects, moral judgement on strangers based on absurd rules, and not to mention the flooding and baiting that has been done so far. They are the equivalent of a SomethingAwful leftism, loud, demanding and pointless.

Voting for defederation, if only to clean up the mess that they've been making.

I agree with the space issue, even considering a possible Dazzler combo she's still not that viable.

Been using Forge on a Destroy deck for the evening in the Proving Grounds, makes for some meaty Deadpool and Nimrod. I wouldn't say its optimal, but its fun.

This does make sense. The biggest Shanna vulnerability is being targetted by Killmonger before the game ends, though for me particularly I always found the tightness of space to be a large constraint, especially considering a possible Dazzler. That also makes her somewhat Surfer viable, though maybe an odd mix.

Been going through Borderlands 3. The general planet trotting is a weird way to introduce new environments instead of just saying Pandora has more than one climate. Shooting is entertaining, and the twins are somewhat amusing villains - though the story does retread the old trap of "Oh no, the big bad villains just killed [powerful named character], we can't stop them!" too often for a game where I will only get bigger guns.

Played a little bit of Death's Door. Its a good isometric action game and the way the world was crafted stands out very well. There's something about the way everything looks, and how enemies stay dead after you defeated them, which makes the whole landscape eerie and unpleasant, even if overall the game doesn't seem to be quite depressing.

Picked up Guardians of the Galaxy again, with the intent of finishing it off for real. The game is surprisingly very good, but also quite slow. They clearly wanted to give a lot of time for characters' back and forth, which isn't bad given that the game spends a significant amount of effort making them likable and investing in their growth but it also makes the game as chatty as your average RPG but with less interactions. Looks fantastic and has surprisingly good writing.

Considering giving Original Sin 2 a retry given all the current Larian hype.

"Show Nudity" is still very vague. For any other videogame, it'd mean at best some nipples. The instance of full frontal in any media is extremely rare, hence the reactions are still justified. It would be a surprise, yes.

I see we have reached the point where people are going to start saying "Okay, its time for everyone stop having fun" and writing about how the game isn't that big of deal.

Point being: let’s not listen to the shrieking streamers and strange subsection of Japanese game defenders, and just calm down about some naked adult bodies standing around in a character creator, shall we? It’s time games got comfortable with the human form.

Let's be frank: The real point is that the writer wants to feel superior to both of these demographics. Not that I support either, but this is just someone acting smug and superior and wanting a cookie for it. But I gotta say that the more blatant aspect is this ridiculous take that keeps popping up in modern criticism:

But there’s also plain old casual nudity—something that US cinema has historically shied away from (particularly with the male form), but that European cinema has been way more comfortable with for years. The whole gap between how the US and European ratings boards react to nudity is pretty well documented, and well summarised in this piece written at Quartz. Baldur’s Gate 3 is, of course, a European-made game, and we—yep, even us fusty old Brits—are historically a lot more relaxed about that kind of stuff.

Which is just absurd. I'm not North American, but let me tell you, if I see any plain dicks or pussy in a movie or TV series or game, it will be A Thing for me. I won't just sit there and act like a robot thinking "That's just a organic human body, much like mine, there's nothing unusual about that". There's no homogenous understanding in Europe, or South America or in any other non-US country where full blown nudity is just a casual happening that anyone would not bat an eye at, adult or not.

Furthermore:

Streamers are “shocked” by the nudity? Well, that’s because they’re either a) sheltered people whose lives are largely based in their bedrooms and/or b) aware of the fact that looking aghast, being shocked, and squealing at the sight of a willy or tuft of pubes counts as entertainment. It’s a tale as old as PewDiePie: overreact on camera to things that happen in a game, and you’ll keep viewers, especially younger ones, engaged.

Whether it’s a performance or genuine shock, or a bit of both, video game streamers exist in a pretty particular bubble whose reactions aren’t exactly a gauge of society at large.

I won't deny that streamers overact for views and content, but honestly? Fuck this guy. If I were playing by myself and saw a random cock dangling on my screen, I would have a reaction and feel flustered. If I were playing in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of strangers online? You can bet your ass that I would have a mini-anxiety attack. If the average streamer is a "sheltered people whose lives are largely based in their bedrooms " (again, fuck this writer) then that's even more reason to not make light of a moment of panic. Having a hobby where you get to interact with people beyond your screen instead of face-to-face can be a mirror, but it also opens you to a lot of repercussions and a human, if overblown reaction like this being talked down is genuinely infuriating.

Frankly, this is just a plain asshole of a person, and the fact that every other writing of theirs on BG3 is "Its not that good, everyone" just solidifies my stance.

Hi there! I saw someone mentioning this game on Cohost and was reminded of this old-ass post of yours

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1768650/Path_of_the_Abyss/

I'm not sure if there's an english version yet (Its still in Early Access) but I think that's your type of game?

For Spider-Man, I guess the easy answer would be Miles Morales, huh? :P

But I know what you meant, its a game with ridiculously fun mobility though its hard to find a good equivalent. There's few things that feel as good as webslinging. So on that front (Open world + Mobility) I'm going to suggest the Just Cause series. 2 is generally the one people are the most fond of, though I vastly preferred 3. 4 is a mix of both but it didn't gel well with me. You are not quite Spider-man, but a grappling hook and wingsuit go a long way of providing a similar experience.

For Genshin, the one game with open-world and exploration I've swapped around with it before is Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Large world, fair number of sidequests (I've actually never finished the game from how big it is) and a lot of climbing - with no stamina bars. The loot quality feeds the same endorphins as a good gacha roll, and its free.

I've recently played a bit of FarCry 6 since its on PS+ Extra and...honestly, I don't get who these games are made for these days. There's a veneer of absurdity and seriousness but it doesn't fully commit to either, while having the typical overstuffed Ubisoft open-world. Ends up not going into either the military shooter direction or the goofy, zany shooter direction or in any other direction. It just kinda is, like a fatty, filling but ultimately bland fast food.

So yea, a reinvention would be good, but I at this point I believe Ubisoft games are their own genre, for better or for worse.

Girthyanki

there's no far left in the US

Frankly, it depends on how micro or macro you're willing to think, and how much that personally bothers you. At the end of the day we live in multiple systems of oppression and exploitation that make it very hard - and sometimes outright impossible - to properly consume something without being unethical. From The Good Place:

“Life now is so complicated, it’s impossible for anyone to be good enough for the Good Place. These days, just buying a tomato at a grocery store means that you are unwittingly supporting toxic pesticides, exploiting labor, contributing to global warming. Humans think that they’re making one choice, but they’re actually making dozens of choices they don’t even know they’re making!”

From my personal point of view, there's a few choices. The first is, you can just not consume. There's more than enough indie games, as well as plenty of old-AAA games that won't directly benefit their companies anymore. You can also pirate, if that's not an online game.

From a more cynical point of view, your individual purchase (and, frankly, even a organized boycott) won't make a difference to these companies. Modern capitalism doesn't rely on genuine profit, just on the idea that an IP or corporation is profitable, and that's enough to attract investors and investments, and inflate its share price as well as its value in the eyes of capitalists. This is a gross oversimplification, and generally only applies to the largest names, but still sadly relevant.

So at the end of the day, you have to think to yourself: Does it bother you to consume something? I won't buy or play anything related to Harry Potter media because JKR disgusts me, but I see no issue with indirectly supporting WotC. Likewise, while the decision to not support Blizzard products is very easy (they don't really make that many), I can't say their scandals forced me to stop playing any more than their lack of dedicated support to their products.

There's rarely an absolute moral good when it comes to consuming products, even indie ones; Publishers like Chucklefish and Dangen had their own share of abuse and neglect, and sometimes individual creators are just, well, assholes.

I haven't found/heard of a good, meaty new game in a while. Recetly I've dug back into Leaf Blower Revolution but like a lot of incremental games it eventually devolves into having very specific strategies or goals.

I have quite enjoyed Synergism in the past, as well as Wizard and Minion Idle and NGU.