I think Steam NextFests have been a big part of the prevalence of demos. Before we had those, sure, a few games would have demos, but they wouldn’t really gather much attention. NextFests are a good excuse for players to try a bunch of demos (think of the old demo discs that came with gaming magazines) and post about them on social media. This is a great way for smaller games to attract eyes, so now developers are more incentivized to actually produce demos, rather than just neat trailers and screenshots for marketing purposes.

Number was plucked out of my ass. But sure, let’s look at a redwood and see when they start reproducing.

The Sierra Redwood can reproduce sexually (seeds in cones) as early as 24 years old, but one source I found said that seeds are usually not high-quality until the tree is 200+ years old. It also takes about a 2-year maturation period within the cone before being ready for planting. Other types of redwoods can reproduce asexually, which may have an effect on the rate of expression of the mutated genes.

A generation just has to be the age gap between a plant and a plant from any of its seeds. So if a tree can start to flower and drop seeds around year 3, then it’s as minimal as a 3-year gap between “generations”.

From what I’ve played and heard, it’s a bit of a “reset” after the highs of Endwalker, and the story takes a while to get started. It takes 20 quests to even reach the first new dungeon, which will take at least an hour+ of gameplay and cutscenes. I’m still looking forward to getting through it, but I understand the muted responses.

This is one of those games that I never played, but heard years later that there was a cult following for it.

A friend of mine apparently played it during childhood, and it’s one of their core games of that era. The variety of gameplay with the bright yet grim style just spoke to them deeply.

Super Mario Sunshine

Apparently 3 is a prequel to 1 and 2, though you can obviously play it 312 or 123, whichever you prefer.

It is hard to stay afloat as a comic book store.

It depends on what I’m trying to maximize.

If I just want the happiness spike ASAP, then I would just buy $15 worth of Magic cards, or maybe a booster pack or three, depending on the set.

If I’m trying to maximize my overall happiness over any amount of time, I think spending $15 on something reusable, like a nice pair of socks or a hat would work out for me.

If I want to maximize happiness in general, then spending it on someone else I care about does double duty. It makes someone else happy, and I get happiness from being involved in the process.

They’re just fun little nods to PlayStation’s history. Previous AstroBot games have been fun little 3D platformers, with little tidbits that pay tribute to the PlayStation and its various controllers and accessories and even major series.

This is just saying that there are going to be a ton of references, hinting at the scope and budget of the game.

Mine is mostly a machine for travel. It’s a godsend on flights, or for keeping up with an MMO like FFXIV when I’m gone for a week or longer. It’s also handy for group things when we have a TV (Jackbox for family, or Moonrakers: Luminor for my board game group).

Are you telling me you don’t like my (hypothetical) Child of Alara boardwipes deck?

In actuality, I’m with you. I build my decks so that they’re fun to play, and hopefully fun to play against. A guy at my local store apparently only builds decks that are a slog to play against. Thalia and Gitrog death and taxes, with Winter Orb and fogs to show the game down so he can win with Gates. Norin thievery. Anikthea enchantment lockout, with multiple ways to populate copies of Sphere of Safety and other pillowfort enchantments. You get the idea.

I got it a few months ago but haven’t given it a shot yet. I’ve always been a little wary of 3D Metroidvanias because I feel like I’ll get way too lost. Might give it a play on the Steam Deck next week, though.

RGG Studio has been stellar, but yeah, I haven’t really played much else from Sega lately.

I was scrolling all the way down, looking for someone to mention Swatch Internet Time. I never got the hang of it, with regards to what beats related to various times of the day for myself, but I love the idea.

I used to type like that a lot, back in the era of AIM and FB chat being my primary social and communication outlets. Not sure why, but if I had to point fingers, I’d say it was an attempt to look not-too-tryhard and to emphasize the feeling of it being like a chat. It’s off the cuff, not super planned or thought-out or composed.

One of my hens came up to me as I stepped outside, but instead of following me around, she leaped at something to my left. She shredded apart a 4-inch long mantis!

Looks like the original tweet ended as (Rock Band) to indicate the game that took #1 back in 2008, and either OP or the auto-titler missed the parentheses?

First, I’m glad they found the kid. No one deserves to be manipulated and taken like that.

Second, dude, wtf? He’s in his 30s and thinks that this is something he should do? The kid is literally half his age, and he seems to think that they’re in any position for a genuine romantic relationship? Gross.

I second the nomination for The Witness! A game that teaches you the puzzle systems and challenges you without using a single word. And then when you realize what’s going on, the game suddenly gets twice as deep.