Rift crystals are earned by playing just like the first game. Their only purpose is to hire higher level pawns, but you earn them when people pay for your pawn or you complete their quests. It’s part of the interplay of players exchange pawns.

Recent Capcom games have all done this where it’s a great game and right on release they stuff a bunch of micro transactions in for in-game currency but you would have to be an absolute chud to buy any of it because it’s so trivial to earn.

DMCV did the same thing with trying to sell red orbs, the primary upgrade currency, but if you didn’t see people complain about it online, you wouldn’t even notice it in game.

They are ticking a checkbox for the suits.

Oolimo, the website and phone app is a great resource for me. It lets you enter notes on a fretboard to identify chords.

That’s about how well it fits in. You produce and find guns and can equip yourself and the pals with certain weapons. Modern firearms in a generic fantasy setting. It’s like a meme game that has too much production budget.

Unfortunately it’s fully supported by the statistics and multiple large channels have tried to get away from the shitty thumbnails, but those videos get significantly less clicks.

We can hate it, but it works.

They are mission based and very fast paced. AC games are generally pretty challenging and designed to be replayed a lot for mastery and for trying out different mech loadouts as you unlock parts and weapons over time.

I picked up 2 copies of Helldivers for me and my partner during the steam sale. Game is great fun and runs smoothly on steam deck. Totally worth $5.

Oh dang I didnt know it came to steam! I am tempted to buy it but also feeling like I should just let it stay in my childhood memories.

Same. I made it to act 3 and was immediately completely screwed. Hate to give up on such a long campaign run so I had to give the game a break.

Yeah I was in the same boat. Things can go bad very quickly. I think the game expects you to hang out in each chapter for a long time and really optimize your station. It’s HARD.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113120/IXION/

Ixion comes to mind. You are in charge of managing a space station as you try to navigate the last of humanity to a new planet. Its more directed than most Sims, with a campaign split in to multiple acts but I found it quite challenging and engaging.

Looking back on it it was like it wanted to be an early Mass Effect. Full on space opera story, cool complex alien races, tons of cutscene story telling. I’m sure the game doesn’t hold up anymore but man I was invested!

OG Xbox games like Alter Echo and Advent Rising. Those games blew my god damn mind as a kid. Doesn’t helpt they were pretty early for the generation and never escaped the console.

A little intimidating at first but after finding a decent mobile app (connect) and following a few communities I think I’m getting it. The whole federation and indexing is really interesting to me and eventually I could see myself hosting a small instance.