Gotta try this now.

I've played about 40 minutes of Rebel Galaxy now. I'm really digging it so far. The tone seems perfect, the soundtrack is great, it's pretty to look at.

Like you, I was initially disappointed that everything is limited to one plane rather than full 3D, but I guess I can see why they went that route. Combat (so far) seems simplistic, but it's fun! Switching between broadsides to take on big ships and quickly switching to the turret to take down fighters and incoming missiles is a blast. I really like flying around and investigating distress signals. It seems like there's also a pretty robust economy with mining and different markets and prices in different sectors. Obviously I've nowhere near played enough to know, but judging by the "news" section in the space station, it looks like there are events happening in different sectors that may affect pricing of goods in different areas. I've never been one for playing the numbers game, but it looks like that option is there.

I definitely look forward to playing it more! But . . .

I also bought ABZU and am eager to dive into this evening. A lot of my gaming as switched over to focus on more low-key, low-stakes games like this, and it looks gorgeous. I've heard that maybe there's not quite enough "play" in the game (like, even less than Journey), but that sounds alright for me at the moment.

Also, one of the other upcoming Summer PLAY games, Bound, looks great. I mean, the trailer looks amazing, anyway. I'll be damned if it tells me much about what the game actually is, but it looks gorgeous. I can't wait to see what's up with it.

The moment the music kicked in at the title screen I got a weird Firefly nostalgia boner. I'm a little sad that the space flight all takes place in a plane rather than true 3D space, but other than that the visuals and SFX are great, the music is pitch-perfect, and the tone of the game world is spot on. So, so great. Space combat I'm not super used to, but it seems robust enough. I'll definitely be spending some quality time with this one, at least until August 9th.

If you rescue merchants/trade vessels, get close to them, use your Command option, and Hail. They will usually be willing to give you great deals on a trade. In case you needed incentive to save them.

It would be nice if flight wasn't on a plane, but I feel like things would get real tipsy turvy quick, which isn't the best thing on a controller...

I haven't yet played Rebel Galaxy, and I'm sure that based on what I've read here I'll enjoy it quite a bit...

But boy howdy, am I ever addicted to Tricky Towers, the other PS+ free-game-of-the-month. At first glance it looks like Tetris- but it is in no way Tetris. It has tetrimonos, but they have realistic mass and physics, and you have to construct a sturdy-yet-menacing wizard tower out of them, while using magic to thwart the similar efforts of your adversaries.

I tried joining a multiplayer game set to the hardest difficulty (where wind is a factor) last night, and somehow won despite floundering for the first 30 seconds or so. I'm on the far left:

Played that with my siblings. It's real fun in short bursts, but lacks variety (compared to Towerfall, another PS+ couch-based party game), and the few powerups and gametypes get old real quick for me. That said, I wouldn't mind hopping on for a bit and playing with you if you need a fourth wizard. I ain't too shabby at the whole stacking thing.

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Wind would definitely throw my Tetris instincts* out of the window, but it sounds really, really fun as a party game.

*Remember the OXbox had a Clone Wars+Tetris pack? Yeah, I played that Tetris almost as much as Halo back then.

Hey, since I know you're an Xbox Elite: Dangerous enthusiast, how does it compare?

On what, PC?

I like a lot of the game in theory, but it's just not clicking, to the point where Im wondering if Im missing something?

The market appeals to me, but Im finding the interface is really inconvenient. Is there an easy way to compare market prices? Or do I just have to leave the station, head to the map and scroll between stations?

If you scroll over to any item in the Market, the top right will show you pricing trends for it in the region, and the bottom right feed will show you recent prices at stations that often buy/sell it. Those two should give you a good idea, and going to nearby stations can help. Otherwise, keeping an eye on the Average is the best way to compare; if your prices show up red, that means it's one of (if not the) the lowest available in the region (especially if there's an exclamation mark next to the price).

Broadside combat makes me smile, but seems awfully fiddly. Small, nippy ships can navigate in an extra dimension, so I have to rely largely on turrets, while larger ships tank my shots like they're nothing. (I spent a solid three minutes wailing on a missile corvette with my broadsides, and managed to deal zero damage. Is there a mechanic I'm oblivious to that I should be taking advantage of?)

Keep in mind that each ship (besides the smallest fighters) has four shields, one for each side. If you're not doing DPS, the shield returns. You have to keep hammering away at one side until the shield breaks (the targeting UI tells you the health of each shield). Then you can directly damage the ship's armor. If you're circling a ship, you're going to have a harder time. A good solution is to set your turrets to prioritize locked-on targets (Pause the game, then press R1 or L1 until you get to the Weapons menu that lets you control your weapon AI. And while it's risky, you should also consider slowing your own ship's speed to match the enemy's so you can hit him with your Broadside weapon.

Dealing with the fighters that can go above and below can get frustrating, but remember that you can always upgrade the weapons below the ship first to help swat them out of the air (I recommend the Pulse cannon), and set those turrets to target your locked-on enemy.

And don't be afraid to hire a Mercenary. Feel free to go for the most expensive guy that you can afford, as there's no time limit to hiring a merc, and they're really good at taking down fighters (and even corvettes). As long as you keep them alive (and they have a ton of health), you'll always have an extra gun at your side.

Navigation feels awfully clunky in my "maneuverable" Hammerhead, but that might just be me not adjusting to it yet.

Don't forget to go back to Broadside targeting when you want to maneuver. If you stay in Turret control, it's slower and clunkier. And use your Boost and Brakes often for added control and turning speed.

I really want to like it, but I just feel like I'm blundering from one objective to the next. Can anyone offer me some advice?

It took me a good while to get good at the combat, but I'm really enjoying it.

This thread is making it sound a lot like Escape Velocity in 3D. I need to download it and try it.

I'd describe it more as 3rd person EV (since you can only move in a plane), but yes, the feeling is exactly like EV, except without the sandbags. At least, I haven't found any sandbags yet.

This is great for just getting started faster, but it can also work to get you out of tricky situations if the enemy is swarming you. You may be pulled back out of Warp immediately, but you it's typically enough to give you a bit of distance and can usually get to Warp on the second try.

On the first try while zooming back in, the presence of enemies doesn't prevent warping?

Just roaming around doing busywork for assholes and getting into trouble. Needs more Grappler Arms though please.

I miss Outlaw Star.

Reading the Reddit forum for this game I stumbled upon a message that the systems are randomly generated when you start a new game. Sector layout, station layout, resources and economy, factions... all procedurally placed so no one play through is the same as another.

Makes sense as to why my buddy didn't understand when I told him about the super sweet Space Slave trading route I found.

Okay, that's a neat touch. I really can't get over how much I dig this game. I'll definitely get back to it when I need a break from No Man's Sky.

When's a good time to leave the first system? I bought Jump Drive, but I'm still flying around in a Mastadon and have just now done the Reliquary quest. Am I going to get destroyed in the next system?