 | Jerec buys a PS5, loses 2 months of his life to another Xenoblade game, and returns to Monkey Island |
It's hard to believe that three months has gone by since my last update. In that time, I bought a PlayStation 5. I now have all the current gaming systems (for the first time in about a decade, as I skipped the Xbox One last gen).
FINISHED
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch)
I started this game on release date, and pretty much played nothing else for 125 hours until this game was beaten. This was an absolutely incredible game. I love the characters, the journey they take together, and the way the circumstances of the world are revealed was just amazing. Eunie is the best character. Loved the battle system, the music. I did leave a few side quests unfinished, but I'll be dropping back into this later when the Expansion Pass is finished.
Triangle Strategy (Switch) - second ending
I finished the second storyline path in Triangle Strategy, siding with Benedict for the end-game. It looks like the characters max out at level 50 so when I go back to this game for the third ending and then fourth/golden ending, along with recruiting the last couple of characters, the whole thing should go a lot quicker as I won't need to do anymore grinding. The strategy gameplay is still quite addictive even after a second run. I did jump into a third, but after getting through the first couple of chapters, I've decided to let it sit for a while.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch)
Completed the Golden Deer path. There's a fair bit of content here, and a lot of battles. I'll probably go back in for the other routes at some future time when I'm feeling the need for more of this Warriors-type gameplay. Seems to be a thing lately where I've "finished" games but really only finished one path.
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (PC) - Replay
I replayed the Monkey Island series for the first time in about a decade, because of the unexpected revival of the franchise. This game still holds up on a puzzle design/writing aspect, but the UI for the special edition is kinda meh.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge: Special Edition (PC) - Replay
10/10. The UI annoyances in the first game are fixed here (really wish they'd go back and update Secret). It had been long enough that quite a few of the puzzles stumped me, especially in chapter 2 where you are let loose on three islands and have to gather the four map pieces.
The Curse of Monkey Island (PC) - Replay
Love this game, still holds up. If they ever remaster this, just needs HD graphics in a modern aspect ratio. Leave everything else alone.
Escape from Monkey Island (PC) - Replay
This does not hold up at all. How is this game so ugly, when Grim Fandango came out a couple of years earlier in this same engine, and looks amazing? The jokes get a bit too self-referential, and my God, Monkey Kombat is the worst idea in this series by far. So tedious.
Tales of Monkey Island (PS3) - Replay
I like this 5 chapter Telltale game. I feel this is from when Telltale were at their best. This and Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse were my favourites from them, just prior to hitting it big with The Walking Dead, which changed their trajectory from then until they went bust. I think Chapter 1 is a bit weak, it tries too hard with the jokes, but the last three chapters in particular are really well written, reasonably funny, and have a good amount of heart. The puzzles are overall much easier in this game, because each of the five chapters needs to be a self-contained game, but it works.
Return to Monkey Island (PC)
I'm still not entirely sure what I think about this. I absolutely loved it while playing, but like the ending of Monkey Island 2, this one also ends in a way that feels a little... off. The art style takes some getting used to - it does look better in motion once you're playing it. The first half of the game feels like a nostalgic retread of the first game, then it opens up into something a bit like the second chapter in Monkey Island 2, where you get to go between a few different islands and collect a whole bunch of macguffins. I can sense the meta story here where everyone involved is much older, and wants to recapture the feeling of when they were younger. That seems to be Guybrush's vibe, too. I'll need to give this a replay sometime soon, but I'll let it sit for now.
IN PROGRESS
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth (PS4)
I actually finished this up for my post 3 months ago, 55 hours for the main story. I'm now at 85 hours, and still working through the post-game content. There is a lot! I'm still not done with it. But I feel like I must be getting close. It's kinda a low priority at the moment. I've got the battle settings to their absolute fastest. It does seem like I need to do a bit of grinding since the jumps in levels for these challenge battles can be quite high. The quickest method of grinding seems to be a New Game+ which lets me get the bonus EXP from clearing missions again for the first time, the downside of which is I have to fast forward through a lot of story.
Hades (XSX)
I sampled this on GamePass for a bit, but then it vanished. Fortunately I found a very cheap physical copy. I'm not usually a roguelike fan, but if I'm going to play one, this is the one I'm told is the best one to try.
Tales of Arise (XSX)
I'm about 7 hours in at the moment, already gone from the fire zone to the snow area. Combat is fast paced, and a bit simpler than I remember from a Tales game, which is fine. If you're going to do an action RPG where you control one character at a time, best not to make it too complicated. The dynamic between the main characters so far is interesting, and the premise of the game itself has me intrigued.
13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)
My current visual novel focus. Good lord this is a beautiful game. Love the art style. The story is being told in a fragmented way, jumping between the multiple protagonists. Each segment is usually pretty short, so I'm usually just chipping away at this a bit at a time. The battle mode is kinda eh, but so far it isn't too difficult, so I just get through it. I like the sci-fi/time travel shenannigans of this so far, but I'm hoping it all comes together satisfactorily in the end.
Elden Ring (PS5)
The only PS5 game I have so far. I made a little progress, got out into the world after the cave of tutorial. Explore a bit, die, try again, die, ragequit. I suspected I wouldn't get into this because I don't find this sort of challenge all that engaging, but everyone keeps saying how good it is, how great the world is, etc. etc. I don't know if I have the patience for this.
Opus: Echo of Starsong (Switch)
This is a relaxing experience. Visual novel/starfaring sim. It's set in space where it feels very alien and disconnected. The characters have heart, and the story/worldbuilding is good. The gameplay revolves around collecting resources for money and ship upgrades, and keeping fuel/armour/probes stocked up as you travel around the galaxy following leads for places to explore for Lumen (apparently the main driving force for everything). I'm about half way based on the progress bar when you start a new chapter.
Picross (Switch)
I dunno, I've made a bit of progress in Picross S, and S4, but haven't really felt the call for it in some time. Not gonna bother opening the games to get a % count.
Pic-a-Pix Pieces (Vita)
I got to the 20x20 pictures and it's borderline unplayable on the Vita screen. It hurts my eyes, so I'm giving up. The interesting thing is that I can just fill it out at random, use the check/correct button to fix it for me, and I can still progress (albeit without the medal). But it still gives me the completion trophy. So I guess I'll just do the rest of it like this.
Cyberpunk 2077 (XSX)
Still going, but no notable progress. Just a few side gigs.
THE NEGLECTED
Ys V (SNES)
I'm right at the end but I haven't touched it in months...
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honestgamer - October 06, 2022 (01:35 PM) I like Elden Ring a lot. I wrote guides for a lot of the areas in the first few major regions, which gave me extra incentive on top of just loving the world. I did stop playing shy of beating it, which is why I haven't reviewed it, but I wouldn't mind getting back to it if someone found a few extra hours for me in every day. What helps is getting ball bearings so you can upgrade equipment quickly and find a comfort level. The sprawling world is a joy. Probably my favorite, after Breath of the Wild (which has a totally different vibe, of course). |
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