Roger’s $0.02 - Sales in this Economy? (Patreon)

Unless you’re independently wealthy or as investment seminars call, “financial independence”, you’ve felt the sting of higher prices. Whether it’s take-out from a local greasy spoon, a streaming service, a new appliance, travel, or whatever you paying more for it. And when prices become dear, people like me find ways to spend less to get the same things; comparison shop, use coupons, get warehouse store membership, and keep an eye out for sales!  

When I was younger and supporting three fewer people I was watchful of sales but my consumer habits never revolved around them. If I was feeling peckish after watching X-Men with co-workers we’d hit a restaurant. Need new hard drives for a RAID array I inherited from a friend? They’re only $300 for the pair, a real bargain. I spent easily without worry because I had enough and my living costs were comparatively low. Fast forward twenty years and that $300 barely covers a week and a half worth of groceries for a family of four. Budgeting every cent has become an unwanted pastime for my wife and I. When Prime Day rolled around this week I pulled out my list I’ve written up for this very occasion. A new phone for my wife. Her OnePlus Nord is getting acting flakey dropping calls or not putting her audio through. Thankfully, I found a Pixel 7a for much less than the Google online store. Although I could have picked up something earlier I’ve timed all my tech purchases to align with the big sales of the year and score a bigger discount. 

As I wait for next month’s Black Friday sales I use my spare time to play Starfield. I know I wrote about this game a few weeks back but after 28 years of play, I can safely say that I have a much better feel for the game. On the plus side, it's an easy game to pick and put down, the graphics are nice if a little dated, the world is big enough for decent exploring and it runs well on my 10-year-old PC with a RTX 3060 Ti. The downsides are weird physics issues, most of the missions are standard Bethesda fetch quests, and the main quest’s storyline feels a bit underwhelming considering the scope of the game, tedious inventory management, and the controls could use some work. It’s a cross between Skyrim and Fallout 4 but in space with all the usual Bethesda “quirks”. But despite the issues I enjoy the game. Would I recommend it? Yes but not at its current price point of $70. Definitely look out for holiday sales on this game. If I had to rate the game I’d give a 3 - 3.5 out of 5. Good but definitely not great. 

Finally a few other game recommendations. I know D&D isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you are an RPG definitely check out Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s cheaper, at least on Steam, than Starfield and it feels polished. It took me a while to warm up to the battle mechanics but it's an engrossing adventure and a great way to spend the winter season indoors. If you’re more into 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) strategy games take a look at Dune: Spice Wars. An RTS based around the Dune franchise. It incorporates elements from the series into its mechanics although the story element is a bit sparse. The gameplay can be disjointed at times like it’s missing some bits but overall I found it to be an enjoyable game. If you have any recently released games you think I should check out let me know down in the comments section!