Last time, you determined by a slim margin that turning into overpowered is healthier than a chunky handbook. With no chunky handbook to show you a game’s techniques, I assume you may be busy experimenting with that for some time. This week, I’ve had a queer fancy to (for as soon as) make you decide between issues which have completely no connection. What’s higher: seasonal occasions, or dynamic snow? I do know, it’s kind of of a foolish selection, however hey, it is the final week of labor earlier than Christmas, let’s goof off.
Seasonal occasions
At sure occasions of the 12 months—Lunar New Year, the spring equinox, Halloween, Christmas, and so forth—dwell service games relax and relax with particular occasions themed for the season. Even severe games grow to be eager at hand out foolish hats, give ranges a seasonal twist, and possibly introduce some get together games.
GTA Online has a few of my favorite seasonal occasions. On the 4th of July, it rolls out firework launchers and patriotic monster vehicles (I’ve had blended success in beginning Independence Day events on servers). Come Halloween, you may be stalked by the streets by murderous NPCs together with flaming Christine automobiles and slashers, and may even be kidnapped by aliens. At Christmas, the California solar vanishes behind snowclouds as Los Santos will get a skiddy dusting and snowball fights escape. I do not play GTAO a lot anymore however I’ll all the time return for a day or two of seasonal celebrations.
Which are your favourites, reader expensive?
One disadvantage to seasonal occasions is that may be grindathons, particularly at Christmas. Games typically get just a little too hungry to fill your free time, too eager to monopolise your consideration. Holding the shiniest presents behind lengthy grinds feels miserly in the course of the season for giving, and anti-social at a time that is supposedly for household (however truly about assembly your real love at a Christmas tree farm, obs). Heaven forbid a game merely provide you with good presents, EH DESTINY 2? But we should not get carried away judging a factor by its worst implementation.
Dynamic snow
When I first ventured onto Europa in Destiny 2’s Beyond Light growth, I missed quite a lot of the early story as a result of I used to be so distracted by the snow. Parts of the frozen moon have deep snowdrifts which not solely make that good snow footstep noise (the most effective noise in video games? we would must return to this) and go away good snowy bootprints, they deform and get flattened as you slide by them and stomp down. Wonderful. It’s nonetheless pleasant to me. And in the course of the Christmas occasion, when snow reaches the social hub, I all the time loved filling time whereas ready for my fireteam by making an attempt to skid the snow away from the steps close to the postmaster. Because a real hero makes use of their bum as a magic snow shovel to save lots of individuals from slipping.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has even fancier dynamic snow, even leaving ridges between your legs as you kick by it. Snowboarding games and different wintersport bonanzas are clearly on prime of dynamic snow. Many driving games too, resembling Forza Horizon 5. And SnowRunner! Glorious SnowRunner. Ah, please inform me about extra good snow.
Dynamic snow is a kind of video game know-how tips which I hope by no means ceases to thrill me. I do know it is a trick. I can see the tough edges, and the area of interest conditions the place the know-how can not preserve the facade and falls aside. But I’m delighted by the game doing its finest to fill me with surprise by tricking me. The game is a magician and I’m the viewers member eager to imagine it is truly a wizard.
But which is healthier?
Pick your winner, vote within the ballot beneath, and make your case within the feedback to persuade others. We’ll reconvene after our Christmas hols to see which factor stands triumphant—and proceed the nice contest.