Discussion

In the past two months alone, we've been spoiled by three high-quality, long-awaited entries in decades-old video game series — first Tears of the Kingdom, then Diablo 4, and most recently, Final Fantasy 16.

Outside of playing video games, my main hobbies would be board gaming, cross stitching, and reading.  You would think that needlecraft and reading would have been ideal stay-at-home hobbies — and superficially they are — except that I almost entirely lost the ability to focus for the length of time required to enjoy either.

I love the summer time because it's usually the time of year when a slate of blockbuster games hits the market for folks of all ages to jump in to an enjoy.

Steam's triannual Next Fest has started and the June edition is typically the largest, as many games try to extend any buzz received from Summer Game Fest with demos.

Reputation and Renown systems are prevalent in most open-world or RPG games like Skyrim, World of Warcraft, and Diablo  -- and while they add a nice touch to the game, sometimes they can leave you wanting.

One of the things that happens as you progress in playing a new game is that you grow accustomed to the control scheme and no longer have to think very hard about it.

I realize I may be in the minority here, but sometimes I would rather spend several hours on stuff that has a story -- like, a branching, unfolding series of quests that at the end have revealed something about the world or given you an insight into a character -- than play content designed to reward me with specific items on a schedule.

While Summer Game Fest isn't over yet, most of their shows have aired over the past several days and I gotta tell you: I've added a whole slew of games to my wish list.

Diablo 4 has been out for over a week now -- longer if you pre-purchased the Deluxe or Ultimate Editions -- so there's been plenty of time to explore Sanctuary.

In the original Diablo, you could just barely make out your character.