Re: Diversions

1

I like Alcazar and English Country Tune.

A puzzle game with a nice world and a lot of personality is Machinarium. Daymare town is nice also, but exists as flash only, so no iOS access.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 11:54 AM
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2

We're all about the Minecraft Storymode today.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:03 PM
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3

The people who made Machinarium did another one after that called Botanicula, which is well worth checking out, if not quite as lovely as Machinarium. And they're working on the next Samorost.

For recent(ish) stuff, I'd recommend The Room 3, which is more of the same excellent puzzling, and Badland 2, a beautiful flappy platformer.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:07 PM
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4

a beautiful flappy platformer

Am I old? I am old.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:15 PM
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5

So someone gave me a Roku3 for Christmas. I already have Netflix streaming through my TV. Is there some extra special cool thing that you can do via Roku that you can't do using a standard smart TV?

I declare this not to be a threadjack since this is the diversions and electronic toys thread.


Posted by: AcademicLurker | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:18 PM
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6

4: There's probably a better term for it. The basic interaction is a la Flappy Bird, but it plays more like a platformer than a skill challenge. You're navigating designed levels with a variety of obstacles rather than just pipes.

5. Depends on the TV, for the most part. Roku likely has more services available than your smart TV, literally thousands. And it has universal search across services that your TV almost certainly doesn't.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:30 PM
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7

I've been playing "Loop" a lot. Simple connect-the-pipes puzzles but some are really hard and there are at least 1000 of them. Nice soothing music while you play, in a futile attempt to ease your frustration.

Also Twilight Struggle but that's not on any electronic platform yet, although there is a kickstarter.


Posted by: DaveLMA | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:39 PM
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8

The electronic version alpha is available to Kickstarter backers now. And they just sent the promo cards.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 12:47 PM
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9

Desert Golfing... I'm on hole 1700-something. i've seen a half-dozen water traps, one cloud, one cactus, and one rock. it's about as minimal as a game can get: it shows total strokes, strokes this hole and the current hole #. there's no do-over (you can only go to the next hole), no ranking chart, no intro screen, no settings, no music. it looks like Atari 2600 graphics.

but it's still fun.


Posted by: cleek | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 1:05 PM
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10

I like Botanicula even better than Machinarium, actually! Also its soundtrack is excellent.


Posted by: redfoxtailshrub | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 1:51 PM
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11

7.1: hey that game is fun.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 2:28 PM
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12

Dissatisfied by our new 40" smart tv, which was a tad too large, performed clumsily compared with our old roku2, and had security concerns--smart tvs report your viewing to the maker, who sells it on--my wife exchanged it for a more handsome, slightly smaller, cheaper, non-smart tv, and used the savings for a Roku3.

For my part I pulled cable from the router so that we had a hard connection, not available for the Roku2, and we were in business. This was what CR recommended, and it really works for us.


Posted by: idp | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 2:44 PM
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13

My kid is hugely annoyed that episode 4 of Minecraft Story Mode hasn't downloaded for him yet. So he went on YouTube and watched other people play the whole thing. Repeatedly. But, if he's just going to watch the whole thing on YouTube, why did I pay for the game?


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 4:21 PM
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14

smart tvs report your viewing to the maker, who sells it on

This. How inappropriate is it that I needed click "agree" on letting them monitor me just so I can use a TV that I paid for?


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 4:24 PM
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15

13: It's really not that game-like for a game.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 4:38 PM
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16

Agreed. Choose-your-own adventure plus occasionally spamming the Q button doesn't make for much of a game.



Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 4:42 PM
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17

We just got to episode 4 now. Spoiler: That thing isn't dead.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 5:41 PM
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18

Episode 4 is a real tear-jerker.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-30-15 6:14 PM
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19

14: wait, really? What happens if you click don't click "agree"?


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 6:42 AM
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20

I'm not sure. It was vague enough that I got the impression a whole lot of stuff wouldn't work. Like, I got the impression I wouldn't be able to do the wireless hook up from my computer to the TV without that stuff. So I clicked Agree. And now I can't my wireless hook up to the TV for some other stupid reason.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 6:59 AM
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21

My kids and I have been playing the card game dominion. I like that games are pretty quick.

we got the board game "Arabian Nights" for Christmas. It was fun but with 5 players it took 4 hours and absolutely crushed the life out of Dec 26.


Posted by: lemmy caution | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 8:16 AM
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22

That counts as terrorism.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 8:27 AM
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23

21: Dominion's a great game; I still enjoy going back to it. If you like the mechanic but want something new, there are a bunch of games that copied its core mechanic and introduced a twist. Ascension is one popular one.


Posted by: Mooseking | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 8:54 AM
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24

Also Sentinels of the Multiverse, except it's coop.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 12-31-15 12:11 PM
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25

I just bought Undertale for the kid. He needs an RPG thats not Pokemon.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 01- 1-16 7:28 AM
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