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So, what are you playing?

by: Randy -
More On: What we're playing
 
Ubisoft shows off its next generation of video games as executives quit over allegations of misconduct. A sealed 1985 Super Mario Bros. cartridge can net you a cool $114,000 today. And speaking of expensive, the return of the $70 video game has been a long time coming.
 
So, what are you playing?
 
Eric Hauter
I've taken on a different sort of review, and have been playing Pixel Tactics 4, a card game based on tactical RPG mechanics. Level 99, the maker of Pixel Tactics, specializes in board and card games that emulate video game mechanics in the physical space. My family and I broke out Pixel Tactics 4 over vacation, and while it took a bit of time to come to terms with, we've been enjoying screwing each other over with the flexible systems in the game. Look for a full review soon.
 
In the video game space, I finally picked up my own copy of Far Cry 5 this week, while it was on sale from the PlayStation Store for 85% off. I reported on the game extensively around the time of release, but only ever played a copy that I repeatedly checked out from the library. When I saw it listed as Sony's "Game of the Week", I went ahead and snagged it, along with the season pass. I played and beat Far Cry: New Eden, so now I need to go back and finish up the original. 
 
Randy Kalista
I didn't pick up Death Stranding on the PC this week—I don't have the GPU to make a difference—but the 100 hours I'd put into the PS4 version is calling me back. Death Stranding, the game that created the "strand game" genre, and, as of yet, is still the only game in that genre. Death Stranding, the game that taught a generation of gamers what aphenphosmphobia is, though not how to spell it. Death Stranding, the soundtrack that demonetized a thousand YouTuber gameplay videos with Low Roar's dream pop.
 
The only other game I could find that's even more of a walking simulator than Death Stranding is Hunting Simulator 2. I'm so in love with the woodlands hills of Harghita County in Transylvania that I've barely made it down to the Czechia Marshlands, let alone the deserts of Texas or the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado. At least my Beagle is getting better at his job, bird dogging these hogs and wolves and bears, oh my. I'm starting to see the seams in the simulator, but there are few other experiences out there that are brave enough to walk me over the river and through the woods for 45 minutes and still not bag a single kill. Imagine what no kills in 45 minutes would look like in a hero shooter or a battle royale.
 
John Yan
I finally got to play Death Stranding and...it's interesting. I'm going to continue with Kojima's latest to see if I can make sense of the story, but the game does look gorgeous on the PC with an NVIDIA card. It also runs really well. From what I read, you don't need to have a top-of-the-line PC to run the game well.
 
We got another update for 7 Days to Die, so I'm going to be hopping in again to test things out. I'm just experimenting until we play for real, which will be when they release a stable build. But let's be honest, there's never truly a stable build for the game.