Eternal Strands
Avowed
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper 2
And Expedition 33. The ambition and style of this thing far outstrip its shortcomings, and once I learned to accept its level design as more about the vibe than logic things moved much more smoothly. I desperately need something less French now, though. I suspect I'll give it another run at some point, but I'm also very curious to see what Sandfall do next.
And under 100 hours, crazy concept!
Spoiler - click to showWhat ending did you choose? I chose Maelle but I've seen Verso and while both ARE great and thought provoking (the ending to Maelle's is so god damn haunting), making me think about them for a while after I finished the game, I really don't like the way the citizens of Lumiere were basically treated as collateral for the sake of a family we barely know. In my eyes, they were as real as it gets, but it felt like the game wants to tell me they're not
Spoiler - click to showWhat ending did you choose?
Spoiler - click to showI also picked Maelle, because I didn't like the idea of everyone being wiped out for the sake of Verso's issues. Though to be honest, I never really liked Verso; he was a poor substitute for Gustave and I'm not sure I managed to forgive the game for killing him off, even by the end.
Spoiler - click to showI didn't mind the Lumière stuff so much, but I never really felt like the game thought they were less real just because they were in the Canvas. It didn't seem to be saying that the gestrals or Esquie were "lesser", at least, and they're even more obviously fictional.
Spoiler - click to showI would have liked to know a little bit more about the situation between the Painters and Writers, though. I'm not normally one for excessive backstory, but it might have helped clarify some motives if the stakes were better-defined.
Spoiler - click to showIt's the way they don't even get a say in their future (other than because the duel for the future of the canvas took place in relative seclusion I guess) Even Maelle's ending feels like it was for the sake of her attachment and mental health rather than to save them all. At least we got the Lune DEATH STARE in Verso's ending…which still isn't as dripping with pure contempt as the one Verso gave Maelle in her ending somehow
Spoiler - click to showThe lore drops about the Painters and Writers were kinda wild, feels like some kind of fucked god sorceror war going on? It's practically screaming 'DLC chapter', so here's hoping… (also more Clea please)
I finished a game!
God of War Ragnarok. What an ending. What a final 3 hours, in fact. The game itself almost outstayed its welcome, not because of a lack of novelty, but because trying to sustain this level of RAGE KILL DEATH SAD EMOTIONS RAGE DEATH for 35 hours is quite the feat. But in the end, I reckon they just about pulled it off. And despite just how ridiculous the idea of Kratos 'bettering' himself is, I had a lump in my throat at the end.
Spoiler - click to showNo idea where they're going next. This seems to be the end of the Norse saga, but there was little in the way of 'putting the toys back in the pram' for the next game. Will he go back to Greece and become the beloved god that the final panel foretold? How will that work when the R3 button makes you rip dogs' heads off?
Ninja Gaiden Black 2 > Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Baldur's Gate 3
Shadow Hearts > Atelier Sophie: the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book
Gunstar Heroes
Koudelka
The Punisher
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
Doom: The Dark Ages
Shadow Hearts 2
Xenoblade X - Finally, this took so long to beat because quite frankly I was was not enjoying the absolutely insane sidequest bloat of this game. I honestly think it's fine to ignore like 90% of it or something stupidly high like that and stick to the stuff that makes this game great, exploration and flying around on a mech.
All said and done, when I forced myself to come back to this on a Switch 2 to see how it ran, I honestly started really enjoying it again because I just beelined the final quest (I was on the quest, not like I went through like 4 in a row) and focused on getting a better Mech and gear and all that good stuff. The new Definitive Edition stuff is absolutely wild in how much it overshadows the events of the entire preceding 12 Chapters and I'm not sure what to make of the new ending.
Overall, this isn't the secret golden child of the series like I used to think, it's just a good Xenoblade game. This doesn't mean I have gone cold on it or anything but…the second and third games are just better. I realise now that the freeform open world experience that is at it's absolute peak here when you really get all the tools is still present in those games too even if the world in X is clearly the best one and you can mountain goat everywhere and go where you want. Those games just also have other stuff to offer too.
Unbelievable hyped for this
I have been close to getting the 1up arcade for these a few times but just don't have the space. Going to look into getting this for the PC and seeing about getting some kind of trackball going for it once it's out and cleverer people do that, and make a video about it.
South of Midnight
This was absolutely brilliant, and feels destined to end up as one of those hidden gems of the generation that hardly anybody played. While the gameplay is pretty straightforward (basic 3D platforming, basic 3D combat), the setting, characters, aesthetic and music are all out of this world. While it's been a bit lost on the Xbox crowd, hopefully it'll find a bigger audience on PlayStation when it finally lands there.
Looks fantastic!
Ninja Gaiden Black 2 > Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Baldur's Gate 3
Shadow Hearts > Atelier Sophie: the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book
Gunstar Heroes
Koudelka
The Punisher
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
Doom: The Dark Ages
Shadow Hearts 2
Xenoblade X
Goldeneye - I should have probably waited a level to post about this but yeah, fun gameplay, some not so fun levels. Still one of the best N64 games though without a doubt, including the multiplayer here notthat I'm going to try it today.
EDIT - Not doing Aztec, fuck that
EDIT 2 - not technically Goldeneye specific, but I really got used to playing this on the N64 pad by the end.
EDIT 3 - Why is Goldeneye on N64 NSO and Perfect Dark is in the Mature section?
I remember Perfect Dark got a BBFC 18 rating when it first came out. I was never sure why, because it's the same sort of thing as Goldeneye.
I played the first level (might not be Dam tier but for PE it's a perfect intro imo) and their are puddles and blood plats everyehere
Monster Hunter Rise & Sunbreak
Ys Chronicles 1
Metaphor Refantazio
Monster Hunter Wilds
Ys Chronicles II
Astro Bot
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla
Luigi’s Mansion
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A fantastic game, which I eventually had to accept I would need to platinum to get out of my head. This in itself is rare for me, as I'm generally borderline opportunistic about platinum trophies, rather than dedicated, but I went out of my way on this one, and enjoyed it immensely. That thing down at the bottom of that thing can go fuck themself though, as can all the "beach events".
In fact, that highlights nicely "the thing" about this game - it is not without its faults, far from it, but it still so rarely betrays its relatively humble origins, and does things with some imagination and verve (and je ne sais quoi, I suppose) that it stands not just as some kind of plucky underdog, but as just a really bloody good game. I've played both Persona 5 and Metaphor: Refantazio in the last year, and while this may not prove to be my favourite of the three, it should be mentioned in the same breath, certainly in terms of quality, while also standing apart in doing something a bit different, and not being beholden to the usual JRPG trappings and tropes.
The mashup of JRPG, Soulslike, and actual grown-up story was a breath of fresh air, and I join a lot of other people in now being very, very interested in what comes next from Sandfall.
Monster Hunter Rise & Sunbreak
Ys Chronicles 1
Metaphor Refantazio
Monster Hunter Wilds
Ys Chronicles II
Astro Bot
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla
Luigi’s Mansion
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Nuclear Blaze
Looking through my library for a palette cleanser, and spotted this, a game I bought years ago, on a whim, as it was ‘by the creator of Dead Cells’, and which then later almost inexplicably got a PS5 upgrade.
It’s a 2d platformer with mild puzzling, where you’re a firefighter sent to deal with a blaze, who stumbles upon a mysterious facility, and has to battle through that solo putting out fires. It was apparently made for a competition, and that is perhaps borne out by the reuse of the odd Dead Cells asset here and there, but it is fun and unique, and doesn’t outstay its welcome; it is very short. It also has multiple settings you can change to tailor your experience/difficulty, as well as multiple modes, including a Kid Mode, and a harder ‘Hold My Beer’ mode unlocked after completing the game. The latter does shake things up nicely, and I should know, as I had to complete that too to get the Platinum, and the whole thing took less than a day.
I liked it. I needed a game to kill some time yesterday, and it did that admirably. I also liked the multiple modes thing; even if I didn’t test out Kid Mode myself, I do like that it’s there. The whole thing was just an amiable, fun time.