I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this or not, but didn’t know where else. My wife is extremely new to gaming. She’s played Animal Crossing and Pokemon. She’s concerned about her memory loss since she has a family history of Alzheimer’s. I thought maybe getting her mind engaged in some puzzle type games might help, or at least be a step in the right direction. Does anyone have some suggestions that aren’t too difficult? I’m going to have her try Portal first.
Has she tried paper and pencil puzzles, like sudoku and crosswords? They’re often pointed out as good ways to stay sharp (I usually do sudoku and Jeopardy).
For video games, I would suggest Untitled Goose Game. It’s a lot of fun and at its core, it’s as much a puzzle game as it is a stealth game. I don’t think it’s too complicated for a beginner. My mother does an app on her phone to help keep sharp, I believe it’s called Lumosity.
Portal and Portal 2 are also great places to start, your instinct is spot on with that.
I just thought of another one. Donut County. It’s a really fun and funny puzzle game, all about getting things into a hole that grows the more you put in it.
Ok Plante and Russ I have a resties rec. It's an arcade hockey rogue like called tape to tape. It's got wacky power ups, path choosing like in Slay the Spire, and fun commentary. I grew up playing NHL hitz and this game brings me back
Russ, I just finished playing BIOMORPH and I can't wait for you to try it out. IMO a better search action game than Prince of Persia. Please don't sleep on this!
I don't know how I missed it the first time around (ten years ago) but Desert Golfing is a perfect game, especially in this day and age. Loads instantly, no ads, no daily quests, nothing to buy, hell there isn't even a menu. Absolutely no cruft at all. There are about 4 sound effects and I've seen one rock and one cactus. Maybe 2 cacti.
You know, it’s interesting. You all are the second time I’ve heard the violence of Fallout mentioned. And I think I’m realizing something here—I might be a bit desensitized to it all now. I mean, to be honest, I didn’t even really notice it as over the top violent or graphic (except, perhaps, the boot scene in the first episode). Compared to shows I’d seen before, like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The Boys, Hannibal, etc., Fallout’s level of graphic violence seems almost tame compared to a lot of TV these days. There’s just so much over the top gore in TV now, most of Fallout doesn’t even register, which is odd to say about a show that features a very early massacre and a very early beheading, but they cut away from the beheading, as I recall. They haven’t take every opportunity to be as gory as possible, which I do appreciate, because, I admit, it can be a bit much for me. I tapped out of Hannibal because it was just too gruesome for me.
I was very skeptical of Fallout when I saw Jonathan Nolan attached because Westworld was just so bad, but the writing has been a delight. The moment you described between Goggins and his daughter in the first episode and later on in episode 6 (no spoilers), Goggins has a conversation with a Native man (whom you might recognize from Reservation Dogs) and they share a line about ranchers and sheriffs that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I wrote it down on a note and saved it on my phone, so I never forget it. I’m thoroughly impressed by the writing in this show and I’m not easily impressed. I consume a lot of media and I do it critically and analyze it for my own blog (it’s on Squarespace, don’t worry), so it takes something special to raise the needle for me. And so far, 6 episodes in, Fallout is doing it.
Did you guys watch the Zelda TOTK talk at GDC 2024? They talk about overhauling the physics and audio system for Tears of the Kingdom - surprisingly, the audio part of it amazed me the most. They basically simulate all sound effects as if it's a physical space using real world formulas, and even ray casting. It makes me want to go back and play TOTK and really appreciate how immersive the world is.
I just wanna say to the Bestie’s, I should have listened to ya’ll about playing Dave the Diver. It became free on PS+ recently and oh…my…lord. I haven’t put it down. There’s so much to do, the graphics are so entrancing, the restaurant sim is the perfect kind of exciting, and the story is simple yet funny. If anyone hasn’t tried it yet, please don’t let this one slip by you!
Hey Besties (and readers): do y’all have a favorite mobile game dev that consistently makes excellent games on a tiny (like a handful of people on the team) scale? Specifically talking about games that release for free or for under $5. I have a slight obsession with Mani Morishita’s escape games on iOS — they’re bite-sized “room escape” style games that are so clever and have such unique art. Basically, any recs y’all have for tiny, tiny games or devs that make great use of the resources they have. Much appreciated!
Late night with the devil does rule! But brief spoiler free content warning that the main characters wife having cancer is a major plot point. My wife had breast cancer and it was a little triggering and something I wish I knew going in but still a great flick!
I don't know if y'all missed this or just chose not to talk about it, but I feel like the 3 main characters represent the aspect of player choice in the games. They fall on different spots on the spectrum between order and chaos. Lucy represents a player being altruistic and lawful, The Ghoul is much more selfish and chaotic even downright evil sometimes, and Maximus represents a more morally grey player character. In that way, I think Maximus is brilliantly written. A player that makes choices by the seat of their pants, based on current circumstances might look a lot like Maximus. His choices may seem erratic, but that's exactly how many players may act, particularly if they aren't interested in roleplaying.
It's a really good feeling when one of your favorite franchises gets a good adaptation. I'm glad so many new people will get to see what I love about Fallout. Season 2 already confirmed as well!
I've seen other podcasts add time stamps along with the topic in Spotify. Easy Allies does this. Would it be possible for you all to do the same? Would be greatly appreciated.
We have an official release date (May 9th) for my most anticipated game of 2024, Little Kitty Big City. Coming to Steam, Xbox X|S, GamePass, and Switch on release. Would love to hear if anyone else in the comments or any of the Besties have this one on their radar.
Hey Besties. I just played through a game called Journey. It’s a puzzle game where after you’ve played about 5 mins you find another player, but you can’t communicate in anyway beside making this little ping sound. It’s really cool to play with a different people through the game and find ways to communicate. The game is also gorgeous. It really is the definition of “It’s not about the destination, but the friends you made along the way” it’s pretty fun and I recommend anyone who hasn’t played it to give it a try. It takes about 2 hours to beat, so I would recommend buying it on sale since it’s normally $10. It just came to mind after listing to the chicken soup episode, and this is one of those games for me.
Fun fact this was one of their first games they ever talked about. They loved it. The episodes humor def shows it's age (some of the jokes aren't as PC) but I enjoyed listening to them. I think it comes up within the first five episodes
It's besties episode 4 and 5 where they bring it up the first time. All the way back in 2012. They love it a lot. They've also mentioned it a couple times
The rimworld anomaly is absolutely incredible. It's the best time ever to get into rimworld, I'd love it if you guys would give it a try. I'm at around 600 hours and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Definitely got my monies worth
It's really only the last 10 minutes or so that they don't talk about it. About 2/3 of the way through they have a tangent on other video game adaptations but do mention some things that happen in Fallout. Good news is that they discuss only the first two episodes. So you don't need to watch the whole season to listen to the podcast.
I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this or not, but didn’t know where else. My wife is extremely new to gaming. She’s played Animal Crossing and Pokemon. She’s concerned about her memory loss since she has a family history of Alzheimer’s. I thought maybe getting her mind engaged in some puzzle type games might help, or at least be a step in the right direction. Does anyone have some suggestions that aren’t too difficult? I’m going to have her try Portal first.
Has she tried paper and pencil puzzles, like sudoku and crosswords? They’re often pointed out as good ways to stay sharp (I usually do sudoku and Jeopardy).
For video games, I would suggest Untitled Goose Game. It’s a lot of fun and at its core, it’s as much a puzzle game as it is a stealth game. I don’t think it’s too complicated for a beginner. My mother does an app on her phone to help keep sharp, I believe it’s called Lumosity.
Portal and Portal 2 are also great places to start, your instinct is spot on with that.
Goose Game is a great suggestion! Thanks!
I just thought of another one. Donut County. It’s a really fun and funny puzzle game, all about getting things into a hole that grows the more you put in it.
Ok Plante and Russ I have a resties rec. It's an arcade hockey rogue like called tape to tape. It's got wacky power ups, path choosing like in Slay the Spire, and fun commentary. I grew up playing NHL hitz and this game brings me back
"arcade hockey rogue like" sounds absolutely incredble lol
Russ, I just finished playing BIOMORPH and I can't wait for you to try it out. IMO a better search action game than Prince of Persia. Please don't sleep on this!
I don't know how I missed it the first time around (ten years ago) but Desert Golfing is a perfect game, especially in this day and age. Loads instantly, no ads, no daily quests, nothing to buy, hell there isn't even a menu. Absolutely no cruft at all. There are about 4 sound effects and I've seen one rock and one cactus. Maybe 2 cacti.
You know, it’s interesting. You all are the second time I’ve heard the violence of Fallout mentioned. And I think I’m realizing something here—I might be a bit desensitized to it all now. I mean, to be honest, I didn’t even really notice it as over the top violent or graphic (except, perhaps, the boot scene in the first episode). Compared to shows I’d seen before, like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The Boys, Hannibal, etc., Fallout’s level of graphic violence seems almost tame compared to a lot of TV these days. There’s just so much over the top gore in TV now, most of Fallout doesn’t even register, which is odd to say about a show that features a very early massacre and a very early beheading, but they cut away from the beheading, as I recall. They haven’t take every opportunity to be as gory as possible, which I do appreciate, because, I admit, it can be a bit much for me. I tapped out of Hannibal because it was just too gruesome for me.
I was very skeptical of Fallout when I saw Jonathan Nolan attached because Westworld was just so bad, but the writing has been a delight. The moment you described between Goggins and his daughter in the first episode and later on in episode 6 (no spoilers), Goggins has a conversation with a Native man (whom you might recognize from Reservation Dogs) and they share a line about ranchers and sheriffs that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I wrote it down on a note and saved it on my phone, so I never forget it. I’m thoroughly impressed by the writing in this show and I’m not easily impressed. I consume a lot of media and I do it critically and analyze it for my own blog (it’s on Squarespace, don’t worry), so it takes something special to raise the needle for me. And so far, 6 episodes in, Fallout is doing it.
Did you guys watch the Zelda TOTK talk at GDC 2024? They talk about overhauling the physics and audio system for Tears of the Kingdom - surprisingly, the audio part of it amazed me the most. They basically simulate all sound effects as if it's a physical space using real world formulas, and even ray casting. It makes me want to go back and play TOTK and really appreciate how immersive the world is.
I just wanna say to the Bestie’s, I should have listened to ya’ll about playing Dave the Diver. It became free on PS+ recently and oh…my…lord. I haven’t put it down. There’s so much to do, the graphics are so entrancing, the restaurant sim is the perfect kind of exciting, and the story is simple yet funny. If anyone hasn’t tried it yet, please don’t let this one slip by you!
Hey Besties (and readers): do y’all have a favorite mobile game dev that consistently makes excellent games on a tiny (like a handful of people on the team) scale? Specifically talking about games that release for free or for under $5. I have a slight obsession with Mani Morishita’s escape games on iOS — they’re bite-sized “room escape” style games that are so clever and have such unique art. Basically, any recs y’all have for tiny, tiny games or devs that make great use of the resources they have. Much appreciated!
Late night with the devil does rule! But brief spoiler free content warning that the main characters wife having cancer is a major plot point. My wife had breast cancer and it was a little triggering and something I wish I knew going in but still a great flick!
I don't know if y'all missed this or just chose not to talk about it, but I feel like the 3 main characters represent the aspect of player choice in the games. They fall on different spots on the spectrum between order and chaos. Lucy represents a player being altruistic and lawful, The Ghoul is much more selfish and chaotic even downright evil sometimes, and Maximus represents a more morally grey player character. In that way, I think Maximus is brilliantly written. A player that makes choices by the seat of their pants, based on current circumstances might look a lot like Maximus. His choices may seem erratic, but that's exactly how many players may act, particularly if they aren't interested in roleplaying.
It's a really good feeling when one of your favorite franchises gets a good adaptation. I'm glad so many new people will get to see what I love about Fallout. Season 2 already confirmed as well!
I've seen other podcasts add time stamps along with the topic in Spotify. Easy Allies does this. Would it be possible for you all to do the same? Would be greatly appreciated.
We have an official release date (May 9th) for my most anticipated game of 2024, Little Kitty Big City. Coming to Steam, Xbox X|S, GamePass, and Switch on release. Would love to hear if anyone else in the comments or any of the Besties have this one on their radar.
Looks ridiculously cute!!
Hey Besties. I just played through a game called Journey. It’s a puzzle game where after you’ve played about 5 mins you find another player, but you can’t communicate in anyway beside making this little ping sound. It’s really cool to play with a different people through the game and find ways to communicate. The game is also gorgeous. It really is the definition of “It’s not about the destination, but the friends you made along the way” it’s pretty fun and I recommend anyone who hasn’t played it to give it a try. It takes about 2 hours to beat, so I would recommend buying it on sale since it’s normally $10. It just came to mind after listing to the chicken soup episode, and this is one of those games for me.
Fun fact this was one of their first games they ever talked about. They loved it. The episodes humor def shows it's age (some of the jokes aren't as PC) but I enjoyed listening to them. I think it comes up within the first five episodes
It's besties episode 4 and 5 where they bring it up the first time. All the way back in 2012. They love it a lot. They've also mentioned it a couple times
The rimworld anomaly is absolutely incredible. It's the best time ever to get into rimworld, I'd love it if you guys would give it a try. I'm at around 600 hours and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Definitely got my monies worth
Does anyone have a time stamp to skip spoilers for Fallout. I’m planning on watching it this weekend.
It's really only the last 10 minutes or so that they don't talk about it. About 2/3 of the way through they have a tangent on other video game adaptations but do mention some things that happen in Fallout. Good news is that they discuss only the first two episodes. So you don't need to watch the whole season to listen to the podcast.
Thanks, this is the first time I’ve skipped an episode and I saw here that they were talking about a game I asked about on Patreon, go figure