Friendship

Same, although to be fair I think the reason TotK got boring was because it was so similar to BotW. Both of them are incredible games but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Agreed. I'm only two episodes in so far and it's just been a fun adventure set in the Fallout universe which is exactly what I was hoping for from the series. I don't need or even want an amazingly deep and thought provoking plot from this series so it's been basically exactly what I wanted so far.

Except that's not what's happening. They aren't increasing their FTE headcount, just screwing over their contractors to save a quick buck. Nothing to celebrate here except corporate greed.

Star Citizen, I like to poke my head in every few patches to see how things have progressed. I gotta say, despite what a lot of the naysayers claim, it has become quite a fun game and their development has only sped up since I first started playing. Still, a couple months hiatus every once and a while is worth it.

Fallout 4, I get that this is one of the more controversial choices but while the main storyline was super weak the world design was phenomenal. I love just wandering through the Boston area wastelands uncovering random things and fighting ghouls and bandits.

Something tells me you either haven't played or haven't played in the last few builds.. The game is playable today, it's got a long ways to go before it's finished but it's very playable and very fun.

100% agreed. Nobody could be blamed for not wanting to relocate for a job and it's honestly kinda ridiculous in this day and age that they're requiring them to. Remote work works!

As you mentioned, they didn't make ESO. Entirely different studios involved in the two games. They probably should have spent some time with the Zenimax developers before trying FO76 though.

Agreed, I'd much rather have no Blizzard than the toxic swamp that it was/is(?). I do wish we could have a Blizzard that designed games more like they used to, but minus the toxic culture though, which is what I'm guessing the above comment was meaning as well.

Best: Baldur's Gate 3, Star Citizen, Hunt Showdown
Worst: Starfield, Star Citizen

To jump in on Hunt Showdown, the initial learning curve of the game does require a little time to get used to compared to other shooters. However the biggest call out I would have is to not try playing the game solo. Hunt is very much a game that is made or broken by the company you keep while you play it and it takes a very special kind of player (a masochist) to enjoy playing it solo. Either way, definitely understandable to bounce off it, it's a great game but not for everyone.

The implementation makes all the difference and if the world is just a boring empty place the novelty has already worn off from all the other games in the open world genre that have already done it. That said, games like Minecraft, Valheim, and the latest Legend of Zelda's leave me with hope that open world games can still be fun.

Minecraft, especially when modded makes for a really fun experience exploring a vast world. I could see a game that leans into the adventuring and finding new dungeons and ruins to explore succeeding provided they make the experience of stumbling across them fun.

One can only hope. That policy has left Valve spinning in circles and accomplishing very little for a long time now.