Ah. The other problem you will have then is that you will need to buy the Microsoft Store version of the game if you want to continue your existing save. I'm pretty sure their save games are incompatible with any other versions like Steam. They've got you over a barrel, sadly.
Anyway, additional Play: Lies of P. I knew this was a "Soulslike" (actually I guess it's more Bloodborne than Dark Souls) but it's an astonishingly brazen clone, stealing everything from the control system to the screen layout and even the font. That said - it's pretty good so far (early days) - in the way these things always are, there's something really satisfying about inching your way through a hostile landscape and mentally mapping it out in your mind. No doubt in about an hour's time I will get stomped flat repeatedly by some massively unfair boss creature, which is always the point I give up on these things, but for now I am having fun.
Three hours just vanished in Spider-Man 2. I'm not even that far into the story, but being around the city is joyous, especially now I've unlocked a couple of traversal upgrades and gotten back some of the stuff from the first game (mainly improved Point Launch).
Had missed the Kindoms of Amalur talk prior, similarly I started the remake about a month or so back, and it also reminded me of WoW. I often wonder about returning to WoW, not sure my character even exists as had changed so much it had pretty much been reset or something last I recall.
Anyway, finally started Advanced Wars. Its half term so it's me and my Daughter during the day, been playing Goat Simulator 3 with her today as she is still crazy into that, but been then playing little goes on Advanced Wars inbetween.
Quick Play F.E.A.R 3
This was released in 2011. So 3 years old then? (checks calendar) dear god 12 years old. I was installing a few smaller games just to check the graphics performance on something and ended up playing a good 45 minutes of this. The bullet time is kinetic and brilliant. The cover mechanic is inspired. The combat is brutal, and doubly so because this seems to have genuinely intelligent enemies that use grenades to flush you out and flank. The violence is balletic and even the horror elements aren't too bad. I was reading a couple of articles from the time and they seemed to be moaning about the graphics back then - but to my eyes with everything cranked up on PC I'm getting 144fps+ and it looks pretty damn good. A bit of an eye opener for sure (things really haven't advanced much in the last 15 years), and surely a series ripe for a remaster/reboot.
I plugged my Xbox in for the first time in months last night. I'd been considering restarting my sub to gamepass but it feels like throwing money away when there's a reasonable chance that I won't pick up the controller in any particular month. But then I got an email telling me that Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and Mass Effect Legendary Edition were both cheap and I figured that those were the games I'd probably end up playing anyway so I grabbed both and spent the evening playing Star Wars, which is still great.
Fallen Order is great but the sequel Jedi Survivor is amazing. A real step up in every department. Hopefully it'll be cheap by the time you get around to it.
Anyway, additional Play: Lies of P. I knew this was a "Soulslike" (actually I guess it's more Bloodborne than Dark Souls) but it's an astonishingly brazen clone, stealing everything from the control system to the screen layout and even the font. That said - it's pretty good so far (early days) - in the way these things always are, there's something really satisfying about inching your way through a hostile landscape and mentally mapping it out in your mind. No doubt in about an hour's time I will get stomped flat repeatedly by some massively unfair boss creature, which is always the point I give up on these things, but for now I am having fun.
Reached the first big boss, got stomped flat repeatedly, didn't enjoy the experience at all and couldn't carry on unless I beat it. I've uninstalled the game now. One day someone will make a Souls game without boss fights and it will become my favourite game of all time.
Switched to Like a Dragon: Ishin which is like slipping into a warm bath, I do love these games. I try and pace them out now as I know there aren't many left that I haven't played, but with two more due in the next six months I think I'm safe to play this one now. Enjoying the historical setting already and seeing familiar faces playing new characters, it's like watching the Yakuza cast do a pantomime.
Additional PLAY
Salt & Sanctuary - Went back to this, though I previously only played on my Vita. I really want to beat the first optional boss on the boat for the special items it drops, but it's hard… if you die, you have to start the whole game over to try again. I've only ever done it once, and now I'm failing. Gah.
Dave the Diver - Out today! Great game.
Red Dead Redemption - Got a cheap physical copy from our staff shop, since we're distributing. It's a very good port. Granted, that's because it's a PS3 game and the Switch version doesn't get the glow-up love the Xbox and PlayStation versions got. But it still looks great, especially on the handheld screen and runs really smoothly. Very impressed, so I'm looking forward to ploughing through it.
Additional BIN
Blasphemous - I did go back in for a NG+ run, but good grief… it becomes so much harder. The enemies take so much more damage, despite all the abilities carrying over… feels like too much of a struggle. So I'm out and I'll go into the sequel soon enough.
A late in the month Play - Breath of the Wild. I played this previously, put dozens of hours into it, and absolutely loved it, of course. I never finished it, though. I traded in some stuff and got myself a copy of Tears of the Kingdom, and this gave me the urge to go back and finish BotW. Going back to my old save was an absolute exercise in confusion and frustration though. I hadn't played the game in two years, and it's a game with layers upon layers of systems. The world is kept mysterious, so figuring out what you should be doing requires you to keep a picture of the whole world in your head. I couldn't remember anything. Forgetting the controls is one thing, but I couldn't remember how a single thing in the game worked. I was in a high-level area, so I thought maybe I could go to an easier one, but I couldn't remember where the easier areas were.
So I've started again. An 80-plus-hour game that I had already got 90% of the way through. It is still absolutely amazing though. I'm getting hooked on it all over again.
I am in basically the exact same position with the Switch Zeldas. One dungeon into each of them and thinking of restarting BotW.
Starting again has really made me appreciate how perfect a tutorial that Plateau area is. It's surely the best tutorial in any game.
