Nintendo Switch: Use It Or Lose It

February 11, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I bought my Nintendo Switch in April 2021. I initially played a lot of MarioKart 8 as it’s a near perfect game and because my granddaughters liked it. We’d connect the device to the TV in the lounge and it quickly became a mainstay of any visit. I also tried the Switch version of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag but I struggled with the controls, so I bought a PC version instead. After a while the novelty of Mario Kart wore off and my granddaughters became more interested in the MMOs I play on my PC. To cut a long story short, I simply stopped using the Nintendo Switch because I didn’t have sufficient games to hold my interest, compared to the prodigious library I’ve built up on Steam and the Epic Games store. So I moved the device into my office, connected it to a monitor (which has integral speakers) and placed it on the corner of my desk where it is out of the way. I then effectively forgot about it until recently when my grandson spotted it and asked if he could play on it.

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categories / Gaming, Nintendo Switch, Use It Or Lose It, Nintendo

Watching Other People Play Video Games

February 06, 2025 / Roger Edwards

The notion of live streaming or recording video game playthroughs is now a clearly established part of popular culture. It is something you can do while sitting on your sofa, watching TV in your lounge. A decade ago, people were far more sceptical about it and would scratch their head and ask “why would you want to watch someone else play a game”? Yet here we are in 2025 and 15% of YouTube content is about video games. Furthermore 20 out of the top 100 content creators are producing video game related material. As of last year, YouTube videos about games were generating 6 billion monthly views, on average. Where there are views, there’s advertising. Hence there’s the potential to make a lot of money, which only encourages further growth.

4 Comments 1 Likes

categories / Gaming, YouTube, Twitch TV, Streaming, Video Games

Sniper Elite Resistance: 10 Tips

February 03, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I have played Sniper Elite for over a decade, through all its various iterations. Although the core game mechanics stay broadly the same, over time a lot of additional features have been added to the game (and some removed). As a result, from time to time I will watch someone playing Sniper Elite via a stream or YouTube and see a feature that I didn’t know existed. Often these are small things but I find that it’s these minor embellishments that tend to prove the most beneficial. Hence, I have drawn up a list of 10 tips to share with fellow Sniper Elite players. Some may be well known, others may not. Due to the recent release of Sniper Elite Resistance, there are a lot of new players joining the community and this post is essentially aimed at them. Please note this is not a tactical guide but simply a list of a few “quality of life” tips .

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categories / Gaming, Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite Resistance, 10 Tips

LOTRO: Will Your Kinship Survive the Server Migration?

February 02, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I have many pleasant memories associated with playing the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online during its first decade. A lot of them are due to the kinship (guild) that I have been a member of since 2009. I started playing LOTRO in December 2008 and it took me a while to find a suitable kinship but once I did, it made logging into the game a real pleasure. I was at a point in my life where I had sufficient time to play the game regularly and take part in kinship organised raids. It was also an added bonus to be able to spend some time and chat with some like minded people. I’m sure such an experience is not unique to me and that many LOTRO players have enjoyed similar periods of time. The lucky ones may still be enjoying a comparable kinship experience today.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Kinships, Guilds, Server Migration

Sniper Elite Resistance

January 28, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Let me start by stating what Sniper Elite Resistance isn’t. It is not the next iteration of the franchise. It is a tangential sequel to Sniper Elite 5 with a story that runs in parallel with the events of that game. While Karl Fairburne is tackling “Operation Kraken” in Sniper Elite 5, Sniper Elite Resistance sees fellow SOE operative Harry Hawker assisting the French Resistance uncover a new German “Wunderwaffe” (wonder weapon). Sniper Elite Resistance shares the same setting, game mechanics and soundtrack with its predecessor. There are seven new missions, set in pre D-Day France, which take place in very expansive maps. There is more to explore, a greater degree of choice with regard to how you tackle each mission and increased scope for long range sniping. The game also benefits from a lot of new weapons along with established favourites.

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categories / Gaming, Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite Resistance, Rebellion

Today Is a Good Day to Die

January 26, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Star Trek Online is currently running its yearly Klingon Recruitment Event for PC players. Characters created from January 21st to February 11th gain additional rewards and account wide unlocks while levelling. It is a particularly useful way to orientate new and returning players. I created a Klingon Engineer during the 2021 Klingon Recruitment Event which I previously levelled to the current cap. However, I hadn’t taken this character through all the episodic missions, so I thought the current event would be a good time to resume their progress. Therefore today I resumed playing through the Romulan Mystery story arc. It was during the course of the final part of the episode, “Mine Enemy”, that I encountered a curious bug. It amused me sufficiently to prompt this blog post and make a lazy pop culture reference.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, Star Trek Online, Bug, A Good Day to Die

Playing MMOs on a Second Monitor

January 24, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I have two monitors on my desk. The first (which is the primary monitor as far as my PC is concerned), is on the left and the second is on the right. The primary monitor is a 24 Dell U2412M, which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It therefore has an aspect ratio of 16:10 which adds a little extra desktop real estate, which I prefer when writing. The second monitor is a 24 inch Dell S2421H with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 which is standard FHD. My chair is adjacent to the middle of my desk and I can turn according to each monitor I’m using. I tend to use the primary, larger monitor on the left for tasks such as writing via Google Docs and emails. The second monitor on the right is used for YouTube and gaming. This is because of its FHD format. I also have a Nintendo Switch connected to the second monitor for the same reason.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, Second Monitor, Star Trek Online, SWTOR, LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online

Do You Know What You're Doing?

January 16, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Do you know what you're doing? For clarification, this question is regarding video games and not how you run your life. The latter would make for an interesting discussion but that is not what I am asking. On this occasion the question is to establish whether you are the sort of player who strives to understand the mechanics of a video game? Do you make it your business to become au fait with all the statistics and the formulas behind them? Do you keep a spreadsheet filled with data pertaining to your gear or build? Do you fully comprehend the consequences of swapping out an item and seeing a particular statistic increase or decrease. Does all of this inherently appeal to you and contribute to overall the enjoyment you get from a game? If the answer is yes, then bravo. I kind of admire your dedication to this aspect of gaming. Because I tend to switch off when it comes to min-maxing.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, RPG, Skills, Game Mechanics

LOTRO: Server Migration Concerns

January 14, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I always remember the sage wisdom of the great children’s TV character Huxley Pig. “If in panic, if in doubt. Run in circles, scream and shout”. Such was the initial reaction of players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, when it was announced recently that there is to be a new 64-bit server rollout in Q1 of 2025. At first glance, new servers are surely a good thing? The 64-bit legendary servers, which were tested in 2024, have proven to be a success and do much to address the lag issues that plague the existing 32-bit servers. Surely this is what players want? Well, yes it is, in principle but new infrastructure ultimately raises the issue of server migrations. Developer’s Standing Stone Games intend to consolidate the player population in the long term with the addition of 4 new 64-bit servers. The 2 legendary servers will remain but the 32-bit legacy servers will eventually close.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, 64-Bit Servers, Server Migration

Revisiting Star Wars: The Old Republic Part 4

January 13, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I resumed playing Star Wars: The Old Republic at the start of December 2024, after a two and a half year break. This is an MMORPG that I have never consistently played, compared to The Lord of the Rings Online or Star Trek: Online. I bought the game at launch and spent about a year or so slogging through content. Gameplay was a lot slower back then and I got stuck at a certain point in the Smuggler Class story, so I moved on to something else. I returned to the game when it went free to play but didn’t stay for long. However, when I came back to SWTOR in 2022, the game had significantly altered and I found that levelling new alts was a lot less grindy. I discovered that the best way to play the game as a solo player, was to treat it as an RPG and work my way through the class stories as each one is unique. My recent return has focused on completing the last three class stories I had outstanding.

2 Comments 3 Likes

categories / Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR, Revisiting SWTOR, Part 4

Star Trek Online: Earth Spacedock Update

January 10, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Yesterday the MMORPG Star Trek Online updated Earth Spacedock for the PC version of the game. The console version will be released a little later on. This replacement impacts upon Sol system space, the entire exterior model of ESD and elements of the interior. The outgoing model was somewhat old with several anomalies that linked to aspects of the game that have changed over the years. Perhaps the biggest reason for the change is a canon update to ESD as seen in the third season of Star Trek: Picard. The TV show features a new Earth Spacedock, also known as Probert Station, which boasts a larger superstructure designed to meet the demand of Starfleet in 2401. It would appear that this update is the first substantial release from the developers at DECA Games and may potentially indicate the quality of future content.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, Star Trek Online, Earth Spacedock, Update

Are MMORPGs Expensive to Play?

January 03, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Bree Royce, editor-in chief at Massively Overpowered, recently asked the question “what is the most expensive MMORPG right now”. My first thought was to search through my old draft blog posts and track down an MMO cost analysis I wrote circa 2019. It includes data such as subscription rates and the price of current expansions. There was also information on what were the most popular cash shop items at the time. However, I then read some of the comments that had been left on Bree’s post and I quickly realised that this wasn’t just a matter of financial expenditure. Whether or not an MMO is expensive is also determined by one’s disposable income, respective wealth and personal relationship with money. The latter is perhaps the most important, irrespective whether you consider yourself rich or poor.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, SWTOR, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online

PC Game Pass

January 01, 2025 / Roger Edwards

As a retired person, my monthly income is dependent on interest rates and the state of the wider economy. The UK economic prospects for 2025 are not looking especially good at present. As such, I shall be adopting a more cautious financial policy in the New Year, especially with regard to my spending on leisure activities. New release video games have crept up in price in recent years, with new titles costing between £75 and £100 if you want the full game, season pass and bonus content. There is always a cheaper option to buy just the base game but that tends to be a false economy, especially if you enjoy the title you’ve bought. Hence buying several new video games over the course of a year can be quite an expensive proposition. The obvious way to save money is to wait several months until prices drop as a game’s ages within the context of its lifecycle.

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categories / Gaming, PC Games Pass

A Year in Gaming

December 23, 2024 / Roger Edwards

It is customary for me to write an end of year summary of my gaming activities but I suspect that on this occasion it will be somewhat short. For me, 2024 has really hammered home the notion of the ephemeral nature of video games as well as their commercial ubiquity. The moment a game fails to satisfy for whatever reason, rather than complain or worry about it, I just move on to something else. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of games out there. I have a substantial back catalogue of games that Epic and Amazon prime regularly giveaway. I have bought numerous discounted bundles in the past, in the pious hope that I’ll play one of the games included, at some point in the future. Games may well be enjoyable and engaging but many are also disposable. That’s not to say they’re bad. While playing them you are indeed “entertained”. However, when you’re “done”, it’s amazing how you quickly find another and forget what you were previously playing.

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categories / A Year in, Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, SWTOR, Star Trek Online, Dragon's Dogma 2, 2024, A Year in Gaming

Star Wars: The Old Republic Dynamic Encounters

December 17, 2024 / Roger Edwards

The MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic recently added Dynamic Encounters to the game in the latest patch. These are repeatable, time limited public event quests that randomly appear at present on the planets Tatooine, Hoth and Rishi. Some events are combat focused with a set amount of enemies to defeat before a boss appears. Others are more leisurely, involving herding Banthas or catching juvenile Tauntauns. Dynamic Encounters vary in difficulty, ranging from easy to hard. All players participating in Dynamic Encounters share progress with NPC kills. Thankfully, there is no sharing or competing for item looting. Dynamic Events run for between 30 and 60 minutes and repeat every 2 hours. Overall these are broadly similar to comparable events in Guild Wars 2 or The Elder Scrolls Online.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR, Dynamic Encounters

MMO Tropes: Name Unavailable

December 13, 2024 / Roger Edwards

If you’ve ever played an MMORPG, then you have more than likely encountered this problem. Especially if you start playing a game that has been long established. You diligently create your character and spend time and effort customising them to suit your needs. All you’ve got to do next is choose a name, so you type in a pithy and droll title only to find that it has already been taken. So you quickly come up with another and that too is rejected. Next you try the same name but with some “alternative” spelling but the game resolutely tells you that even that permutation is already in use. I have found that even with a list of names that I’ve drawn up prior to playing the game, it can still take anything from 5 to 30 minutes to find one that is available. Naturally, this process is very frustrating, which is hardly the ideal user experience for a new player.

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categories / MMO Tropes, Name Unavailable, Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, SWTOR, Star Trek Online

LOTRO: Staying Busy

December 08, 2024 / Roger Edwards

Exactly what do you do when you reach level cap in the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online? Raiding is the obvious answer and arguably the one the developers would suggest. But only a small percentage of players regularly raid. The last raid I participated in was early 2012 when twelve of our kinship attempted the “Tower of Orthanc”. If memory serves, we failed miserably after investing about 4 hours of our time. Many of us found that we simply didn’t have sufficient time available to pursue raiding in any meaningful way. Those members of the kinship that were focused on this aspect of gameplay ended up leaving and moving to other guilds. I have used the group finder on occasions since then but it has seldom yielded good results. Hence, for me most multiplayer content in LOTRO is “off the table”.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Staying Busy

MMO Tropes: The Time Sink

December 04, 2024 / Roger Edwards

It would appear that one of the reasons potential new players avoid the MMORPG genre is due to the perception that they are all time sinks. I wouldn’t argue against this assumption because the reality is that it’s true. However any game that you enjoy, irrespective of genre, can become a time sink. That being said, the main difference between other genres and MMOs is as follows. A new player can jump straight into a FPS game and within minutes enjoy some multiplayer action, whereas in an MMO, a new player has to play through a tutorial and several hours of a starter zone before they start making headway in the game. This distinction does not have to be a deal breaker. An FPS can provide a quick fix of gaming and as such fulfils a need. MMORPGs can provide long term entertainment which scratches an ongoing gaming itch. Both are valid ways to enjoy gaming.

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categories / MMO Tropes, Time Sink, Gaming, MMORPG, Star Trek Online, LOTRO

Revisiting Star Wars: The Old Republic Part 3

December 01, 2024 / Roger Edwards

A recent email prompted me to return to the MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Developers Broadsword are “encouraging” former players to log back into the game to prevent the potential “release” of character names from “inactive” accounts. This has happened in the past, so I decided it would be a good time to return to the game. I last played in early 2022 when I created Trooper, Sith Warrior and Imperial Agent alts. The great thing about SWTOR is that all classes have unique stories so alts are never dull. This time I intend to complete the Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight and Sith Inquisitor classes. So I reinstalled the game, subscribed to enjoy full access to all content and also purchased a few Cartel Coins in case anything in the game store took my fancy. Hence the latest instalment of this recurring post, after a sizable break.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR, Revisiting SWTOR, Part 3

LOTRO: Voice Acting

November 03, 2024 / Roger Edwards

One of the most noticeable things that ages the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, is the lack of comprehensive voice acting throughout the game. If a player interacts with an NPC, they will provide generic greetings or ambient dialogue. Phrases such as “hello there” of “our mission is dire” occur regularly. However, the majority of quest text is not spoken, unless it is part of the Epic Story line. If it is, the first sentence is usually voice acted but no more than that. Cutscenes within instances have dialogue, as are those that occur at key parts of the Epic Story. Overall, LOTRO does not have the extensive voice acting that a similar MMO such as Star Trek Online has. This is a shame, considering how much time and effort has been taken with other aspects of the game.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Voice Acting

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