Humble Choice June 2024 Review

[@khill3524]

You beat the king this month. Thank you!

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

No problem, K! And yeah, Kinglink had mentioned that the last review was the last of his really quick ones. These things just take up too much time especially in such a short time window. I imagine we'll still see it in the next day or two though at the latest!

[@gizmomogwai1041]

I'd say Kinglink's and Shiro's reviews are quite different, Kinglink's reviews are usually deeper, (I feel that he aims for a "complete" review of each game) which take him lot of time. Kingkink also livestreams while playing the games. This said, I enjoy both your review videos equally, they are really complementary. You both put lot of time and efforts into it. Meanwhile some other reviewers release a "review" the same or following day, but they just read the game description on Steam (and use footages from trailers) or use ChatGPT, which, well you know...

[@PlayingItWrong]

I'm glad to get both each month.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@gizmomogwai1041 Actually, we both do pretty much the same thing. Play an hour and tell you our thoughts. I think what really sets Kinglink apart (at least for me) is that he has experience in the game development industry as well having a lot more experience with the games we get. Whether that's from sheer fact of being alive longer than me, more time to play, or maybe just my own gut feeling. Either way, that's why I really appreciate his reviews and like to watch them after I finish my own to see how we differed in opinion or if we were on the same wavelength. And thank you for your kind words! I'm glad that people appreciate the work put in. It really does mean a lot!

[@eziothedeadpoet]

Lol I liked this bundle. - Lego 2K Drive makes a nice steam deck racing game. - Stray Gods was on my wishlist because I love music and greek myth - I didn't own Risk of Rain 2 yet and a lot of people seem to praise it a lot.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Nice! Hope you enjoy those games. I had heard the same praise with Risk of Rain 2 and I think that's honestly why I felt a bit underwhelmed by it. Too much hype. Like I said in the video, I think it's a fun game. Definitely a solid addition to the bundle. Just...not amazing. At least for me. I'm not the biggest fans of rogue-lites to begin with though.

[@Spinffx]

Miasma Chronicles takes a little while to get going, but it's a fantastic tactical RPG you'll find, apart from lore in the world which isn't exciting at all. Stray gods piques my interest the most, a unique game where 95% of the budget is in a fully orchestrated soundtrack. Would be a fun one off experience. i actually attended the orchestra debuting the soundtrack for this one but was yet to pick it up so happy to see it on Humble Bundle

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Pity to hear that the world's lore isn't that great in Miasma. I could still see myself giving it another go. Definitely happy to see Stray Gods on Humble. Indie games that try something new like this are usually worth spotlighting even if it's just for the uniqueness of it in my opinion.

[@reireireireireireireireirei]

Battlesector is glorious, I love it (got it on sale some time ago). Also the Lego game is shockingly well-made. All in all a good month.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Nice! Yeah, the Lego game is certainly a surprise. Although, at the same time, I'm not sure why. I've felt that almost every Lego game I played was actually good. And I always say "surprisingly good" but it really shouldn't be surprising anymore haha. For some reason, I just assume Lego and random genre/license means it's a cash grab I guess.

[@TropicalHaven]

I personally think risk of rain 2 is a must play! it is a game you need to spend a bit of time in to get into but once you do its one of the best roguelites ever made! everything from the gameplay to the god tier soundtrack is prefect although I can see why its not some peoples cup of tea

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Nice! I definitely want to give it another go at some point. Probably with people because it feels like that's the way the game is truly meant to be played.

[@TropicalHaven]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews totally agree, It took me awhile till I could beat the game without a friend. although the only thing about playing with friends is that since the loot isn't shared you always end up stealing the other persons stuff which can be annoying and funny at the same time.

[@oldmanonyoutube]

Lego 2K Drive looks like a lot of fun. Out of curiosity I checked the reviews on Steam. The biggest negative was that the microtransactions are incredibly predatory, especially for a game targeted towards children.

[@PlayingItWrong]

If you want to put a lego racing game in front of a kid, Forza Horizon 4 with all of the DLC is the best pick, the lego DLC is expansive and luxuriously made.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Yikes, yeah, I can see that as a problem. I did think it was a bit odd when I had an actual voiced character telling me about the Battle Pass... Obviously, I didn't look into that too much. I think if that's not a deal breaker then the game still is fun from what I played.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@PlayingItWrong I've been wanting to get into Forza Horizon for a while now. Never played the series before, but since I've recently found my new love of racing games that seemed like an appropriate choice.

[@ClumsySandbocks]

Comment for algorithm: you don't pronounce the "I" in Leinster. It's just the "e" sound from words like lend or end. Thanks for the review!

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

No problem! And thanks for the correction! Now I just have to remember to correct my ignorant self whenever talking about Ireland haha

[@themadmoderator8465]

i like it this month but mainly due two tactics games

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Glad you found some games worth playing! Can't really go wrong with a tactics game.

[@ruikuli-c6b]

I think it's good to get not so great months time to time. Makes better ones even more special 😊 Stray Gods seemed really cool! I'm not into musicals, but any TV show I've followed that had musical bit or a episode I'd love 'em ❤

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

That's a good outlook to have! And yeah, I'm the same. Don't really watch musicals, but when I do I always enjoy them.

[@opcomment]

Nothing stands out to me besides RoR2, which I already bought and returned, but that's the beauty of these bundles. I like getting to try games I would never buy even on sale!

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Yup, same. There are quite a few games I've got through Humble that I never heard of or thought I wouldn't enjoy and they've proven me wrong.

[@Raenaece]

The only game Im interested in is Stray Gods, Lego is a big maybe. Guess I'll wait for the summer sale or a coupon Also wow, you're fast with getting up! Thanks a lot for the effort

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Yup, makes sense. No point in getting the whole bundle if there's really only one calling to you. And no problem! Glad it could help :)

[@TheOrian34]

I'll be honest, when I saw the lineup for this month, I thought it was going to be the worst month ever. Empyrion, I went from ugh, to maybe giving it a try. Was originally ignored, lol. Babel I was conquered quite fast, 2D and puzzly adventure, it's just a cheat code to make me like it. Stray Gods is crazy. It's so crazy I had it in my wishlist, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes to play. Miasma seemed fine, I like tactical so yeah. 40K Battlesector, well, I like tactical so yeah. Lego 2K Drive... it's the opposite, I'm allergic to driving game, it's pretty silly, I just can't stand it. Knights 2... same story, grand strategy is brain killing when I try to play it, I just can't enjoy it. Finally, Risk of Rain 2, I was somewhat mixed, but it was still in my wishlist, and seeing some gameplay warmed me up more to it. So, in the end it's another month with 2 wishlist, 2 skip, fairly usual wouldn't you say? For now I'll go back to playing Reus 2. Heh...

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Heh, yeah, sounds about right. Hopefully the ones you do get to playing turn out to be enjoyable. If not then there's always next month. Thanks for your thoughts. Always appreciate you leaving your two cents on the bundle!

[@lankthedank6931]

You seem to have audio problems in your video, thought I would let you know.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Dang...how do you mean though? Is my audio just cutting out in certain points? I don't notice any of that on my end. However, if you mean just the overall audio quality...yeah, that's an ongoing battle. I've been meaning to get a halfway decent mic forever now. I still only use a headset mic and try to doctor the audio up the best I can. Either way, apologies! And thank you for letting me know.

[@lankthedank6931]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviewsit more sounds like you’re maybe glitching out. But it could maybe be audio quality, but I’m not an expert. I’ll mention the parts where they seem to cut off. Edit: 2:08 is the first one I noticed. When you said “rather”

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@lankthedank6931 Ah, yeah, yeah, I'm fairly sure that is my mic's quality and how it picks up my voice. Sometimes if it's little like that, I usually just let it slide because it's better than having to re-record every one of those blemishes. The best thing would be a better mic, but maybe one day. Thanks for taking the time to let me though! I'll try my best to keep these to a minimum in the future and hopefully it doesn't affect the quality too much.

[@Sen_Mayer]

Seems like a pretty uninteresting month at first glance, but after watching the video a few games did show some promises to me. For example the Lego game that seem to have interesting gameplay, unfortunately if I understand well it's a microtransaction hell and I despise that more than anything, I'm not dropping a salary for a video game. Stray Gods seem to have some charm and could be right my alley as well, it's probably the game that sound the most interesting to me there, but I might not pick a bundle only for that one. As for the rest I have either a mild interest in them (Miasma chronicle / Knights of honor 2 / Warhammer 40k) or it simply seem too far away from what I'd play in the upcoming years (Empyrion / Guidebook to Babel) and I already own RoR2 so.. Well overall thats a skip from me, if you end up making a review on Stray Gods I'll be sure to watch it.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Yeah, I heard from another commenter that Lego 2K Drive has a ton of microtransactions. Are these paywalls or only cosmetics? If it is a paywall to content...well, that's pretty crappy. If it's only cosmetics...that depends but it is a bit more forgivable if they don't go overboard with it (although Lego 2K Drive is a game with a price tag...). Definitely understand the reluctance to get the bundle though. As always, thanks for sharing your thoughts, man!

[@gizmomogwai1041]

definitely underwarming bundle. I unlocked it mostly for RoR2, and after trying it I'm a little disappointed. The visuals, the music, the objectives and gameplay are not great. in the same genre, I'd rather play Hades, Gunfire Reborn or Roboquest. on the other hand Stray Gods seems like a game I will enjoy. Hopefully next month will be better

[@PlayingItWrong]

If you liked the Telltale games stray gods is the best one of that sort of thing in a long time.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

That's too bad that you didn't really enjoy Risk of Rain 2, but hey, not for everyone. If you do jump into Stray Gods then hopefully that will work out better for you. And you're right, there's always next month haha

[@gizmomogwai1041]

@@PlayingItWrong thanks for the info! Stray Gods doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, which I like a lot. Also, having a musical is such an original idea, can't wait to try the game out 😊

[@gizmomogwai1041]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews I don't hate it tho 🙂, maybe its just that I expected a game a little bit more polished like Roboquest and Gunfire Reborn. I probably just need to play more. 🙂

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@gizmomogwai1041 Well, hey, if you end up playing me then let me know what you think sometime. I know many of sang its praises, but I also felt like maybe it was a bit overhyped. It was fun though.

[@pdraggy]

From what I hear, I'd put 2kdrive down to weak... I'm sure it's fun but I hear it's very pay 2 win/ play so I believe much of what I'd like in the game can be found in a demo-sized chunk. I wouldn't pay much for a game like that (I could be wrong ofc but impressions have to be based on hearsay- and I'm not much of a racer fan). Jury's still out on Miasma for me though. Might just be a skip. Feels like by the time I get to these games I could easily buy them for 12 bucks anyway so... I just have a GIGANTIC backlog so I unfortunately, take that into account when looking at these bundles :/.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Nah, that makes sense. There's got to be something (or multiple somethings) that is really special to merit a bundle purchase. Otherwise, the library has a hundreds of other games to choose from (literally in my case lol...). And yeah, I've heard the same with 2K Drive which that's unfortunate. I guess I'd probably just play it with my daughter and when we start hitting pay walls...well, time to uninstall and move on to something else.

[@pdraggy]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews indeed, my backlog is pushing 1500 thanks to five years in college, still a little busy with my first year working hard to earn the bosses trust. But there's a light in the tunnel almost there than I can game AND have an income to fund it xD.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@pdraggy Hey, congrats man! Hope you find some time. I know in my experience there always seems to be one other thing trying to fight for that precious commodity so it really just comes down to making sure you have time to relax and destress every once in a while.

[@vforwombat9915]

"do you agree with my thoughts...?" well, generally, but the ones about the groundhogs... sorry, gotta draw a line there.

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Huh? Groundhogs? I'm assuming this is an autocorrect issue or something but you lost me haha. What are you talking about?

[@vforwombat9915]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews "What are you talking about?' you didn't specify WHICH thoughts.

[@barberousse1149]

whats up with HB... weak mounths after weak mounths

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

Sometimes it's just like that. Not every month will be a banger. If I be a glass half full kind of guy (which I usually am), I'd say this bundle is leagues better than most of the actual bad months especially before they changed how Humble Choice worked. Hopefully next month has some better picks for you though!

[@barberousse1149]

@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews yeah! I was there from the start, when the choice meant something... Still there for discovering games i'd never probably buy or be aware of. I guess they can't please everybodys' tastes each time...

[@vforwombat9915]

i stopped buying from them. i got like 4 bundles from them, but i have a lot of games unplayed now and so i'm being a bit pickier. and clearly if i'm not buying from them, they don't want to make the effort for others. that's the most likely explanation, right?

[@WickedFader]

Strong disagree. This is the best bundle i've seen in at at least since 2022. But then, (most) AAA games bore me, so the lack of them as the headliners is refreshing to my tastes. And this is why I rarely do Humble any more. Back before the takeover, Humble Monthly was populated by a lot more experimental stuff, rarely touching AAA. And now it's more towards highlighting old AAA. I was incredibly excited for this. Sadly, other that a couple games on the best of all time list (that you don't agree with), it's still a bunch of lackluster stuff. But it is worth it just for those two!

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

I feel that we do still get a ton of decent indie titles. Not sure how experimental they might be for you but I've felt that we've definitely had some diamonds in the rough. Pity this month didn't seem to work out for you despite having more smaller titles. Always next month though, right? Also, just curious, but which games were you referring to that were on your best of all time list?

[@RustyBanner]

Did you misunderstand? They said it's the best bundle in 2 years ​@@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews

[@StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

@@RustyBanner No, I don't think I did. They said it was the best they seen in 2 years but then ended their comment by saying it was largely lackluster. I'm assuming this meant that despite being the best bundle in 2 years, it still wasn't anything they really cared for.