JDubYes

Picross S+
Holedown
Luck Be a Landlord
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Azure Striker Gunvolt
Ball x Pit
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 4
Mariokart World
Alan Wake
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana
Ridge Racer
Rave Racer
Burnout Paradise
I Am Your Beast
Nothing Door
Fashion Police Squad
Drainus
1000000
Treble Bull
Onimusha Way of the Sword
Ultrapool

Wolverine

I decided I quite fancied something short and focused, and given that I was in quite an X-Men mood the trailer with the Sentinels got me. About an hour after I ordered it on a whim the embargo lifted…

It is, as you've all heard by now, a bit crap, if not actually terrible. If it'd been released before the Spider-Man games we'd have all been able to see the progression, as it is all we can see is the cracks where they've failed to hide the presumably troubled development and the fact that it's is a PS3 game in PS5 clothing.

The performances are pretty good, I suppose, even if the story isn't particularly. It falls in a weird middle ground because it presents alternative versions of many characters we're likely familiar with… and then does almost nothing surprising with any of them. I have no issue with this kind of thing winding up overly-possessive fans, but it seems odd to have courted that disdain for such little prospective gain. It also makes the lack of surprising developments even more irritating, as we know they're coming, but the characters themselves are somehow oblivious, in spite of the evidence they're presented with that most of the characters are probably some flavour of unworthy of any esteem they're held in.

The gameplay can be quite satisfying, particularly towards the end, but the bosses are not great, and they and the combat as a whole suffer terribly in comparison to Onimusha. It has that lack of feedback you get from some games, where sometimes you'll be surprised you're dead, and other times you're surprised it's already over, and sometimes those two will be either side of a restart.

Also, while there things to collect in semi-open areas, you will find yourself firmly pushed back on course if you try and deviate too much from where the game wants you to go, and there are a couple of other borderline unforgiveable decisions - or omissions - in there to boot. There shouldn't be so many places you might have to restart a lengthy combat sequence because you've come off a surprise insta-death from falling, for starters.

If you're interested, then wait for a sale. If you're not, I can and will say nothing to change that. It is a game I have played, and garnered some enjoyment for, that's being criticised a perhaps slightly unfair amount, but then isn't worthy of too much praise either.

Yeah, Yoshitsune is such a great villain. Most of the characters are at least somewhat memorable, it’s just that there’s relatively few of them, so it feels like another way you can tell they’ve padded out this spectacular 20-25 hour game into a very good one twice its length.

Being the Japan nerd I am, I loved the fact it was Musashi - who I’ve read books by and about - being (sort of) played by Toshiro Mifune, who is in some of my favourite films, and has even been my profile picture on occasion. I also never managed to get to Kiyomizu-dera when I was in Kyoto last year, but it’s top of my list for next time now. I did get a picture of Musashi under a gate in Nijo-Jo that I have a picture of Marit under too.

Picross S+
Holedown
Luck Be a Landlord
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Azure Striker Gunvolt
Ball x Pit
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 4
Mariokart World
Alan Wake
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana
Ridge Racer
Rave Racer
Burnout Paradise
I Am Your Beast
Nothing Door
Fashion Police Squad
Drainus
1000000
Treble Bull

Onimusha Way of the Sword
Ultrapool

I was trying to work out why I hadn't completed anything in ages, but it's mainly because I've struggled to stick with anything - I like Persona 5 Strikers, and am probably halfway through, but had forgotten that until about two minutes ago, as I haven't played it in weeks. It's a really good sequel, and fun enough, but I'm just not that bothered by musou games. Pokemon FireRed and Advance Wars I am/was enjoying, but haven't got their hooks in. I'm on about my third attempt at Phoenix Wright, and I love it, but I went back to the 3DS version, and don't play it that often, despite loving it. Just need to push on, as I'm on the penultimate case, I think.

However!

Onimusha Way of the Sword did finally grab me, and has been summed up nicely by Al - it's a really great game, except for when it isn't. When it is it is so great though, and I enjoyed it immensely (most of the time), despite not being very good at it. The brilliant swordplay and resurrection of an old favourite actor of mine (Toshiro Mifune) won it a lot of goodwill, and I join most of those that've played it in hoping for a sequel that corrects some flaws and builds on its excellence.

Ultrapool is great. I love a pool game, a roguelite (most of the time), and game you can play portrait on your phone, so this latest Balatro-a-like should've been right up my street, and was. I've done every set, on every difficulty, and it will remain on my phone indefinitely.

I loved it. Felt like an (original, not meaner reboot series) Evil Dead movie wearing some Resident Evil clothes, with some Thing thrown in for good measure, so basically it combines bits of three of my favourite horror franchises of all-time, and then makes a barely 90 minute rollercoaster of a movie out of them. Just enormous fun.

I definitely feel like I’ll be at the upper end of the spectrum in terms of enjoyment, as I got the impression that not everyone in my screening found it as funny - or got as many of the references - as I did. I also understand, but don’t necessarily agree with, some of the (admittedly fairly sparse) criticism it’s facing, which seems to be based either on the fact it’s not as “important” as Cregger’s other work, or the usual entitlement from RE diehards who are pissed off the fact it isn’t literally set at the same time as RE2 (as it feels like it sort of is/could be, but has modern technology rather than being 90s-set), or just that it doesn’t have Chris, Jill, Leon, etc, in it.

I haven’t been the cinema that much in the last year or two, but seeing as that’s my favourite trip since Weapons, I will await Cregger’s next film with interest - my issues with the logistical consistency of Us notwithstanding, I’d say both he and Jordan Peele are three for three now, and if anything, as much as I love Nope, I’m giving Cregger the edge for now, for me at least.

It it an anniversary or something as I've had loads of XMen clips on the socials..

They're starting to integrate them into the MCU now, with some of the old Fox cast appearing in Avengers Doomsday later in the year, and then a lot of the new MCU casting - for a 2028 X-Men movie - being unveiled last week