Jerec's Games of March 2022

I didn't finish anything this month. I wasn't sure I'd even continue this monthly write-up as my focus was more split than ever. I bought an Xbox Series X this month, with a subscription to Gamepass. I've been sampling some stuff here and there. Not going to feel pressured to finish anything on Gamepass unless it really does resonate with me though. I loaded up my 360 for one last time to put all my save files in the cloud so I could get them on the Series X. The Xbox 360 is now retired, back in its box. It might prompt me to finish off some of the old 360 games I abandoned back then. Maybe.

IN PROGRESS

Triangle Strategy (Switch)

This is the big one. I had a couple of misgivings based on the demo, but the full game has hooked me in. I'm at around Chapter 13 or 14, I think, with about 30 hours on the clock. The voice acting is rubbish, and the UI could be better, but I'm really into this story and I'm really hooked on the tactical gameplay. I might have to come out of retirement and review this. We'll see.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth (PS4)

Slow, steady progress. Kinda waiting for the moment when everyone figures out all the secrets. For a game set in a massive civil war, there's a surprising amount of wheel-spinning slice of life stuff, with short bursts of things actually getting serious. Good relaxing evening game for when I'm too tired to do much else.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)

Progress has slowed down a bit, but I'm chipping away at it. I finished Act III and I've dipped my toes into Act IV. The story segments are beginning to grate, since the antagonists are just eeeevil and the good guys are so good. There was some decent enough drama when Alm and Celica briefly interacted, but both protagonists are off on their own journies and all they do is spare each other a thought now and then. I think the story has forgotten that what we really want to see is these two characters together. Oh well, maybe it'll build up to something worth it.

Muv Luv Unlimited (Vita)

Finished two endings (one of the character's standard/good ending). It does look like the endings branch off quite late in the story, since I can probably knock out the others without too much retreading. Plus now I can skip text of stuff I've already read, I'll probably be able to finish this one next month.

Picross S series (Switch)

Spent less time on Picross. I usually try to finish a page of 15 puzzles in each game, plus whatever clip pieces I unlock. I didn't get as far as S4 this time, so it'll be first up next month. It's probably a good sign that more interesting stuff than Picross has come up.

Picross S - 90/300 - 30%
Picross S2 - 162/420 - 38.6%
Picross S3 - 180/480 - 37.5%
Picross S4 - 150/485 - 30.92% * no progress

Pic-a-Pix Pieces (Vita)

24 more 15x15 colour picross pictures, total 193 minutes. This one is of some birds in a tree.

Cyberpunk 2077 (XSX)

The Xbox One copy for this was going really cheap, and now that the free next gen update is available, it seemed like a good time. I've enjoyed what I've played of it so far, though it's been a little over an hour. The world is set up well, and the hacking/shooting seem to complement each other. No performance issues noted yet, so it looks like they have solved a lot of the issues this game had at launch. It pays to be a patient gamer.

The Forgotten City (GamePass)

This is one I had my eye on for a while, and it was the first game I downloaded. I love the mix of different ancient cultures and their mythologies as you get sucked into this mysterious city and you're tasked with solving a mystery of who is about to commit a crime - in a place where the crime of one person will cause the deaths of all. The twist is that you can go through the time loop over and over again, learning more each time. And as you follow the threads of the mystery, they lead to more and more quests. I've put about 6 hours into this one so far and I'm curious to reach the heart of the mystery.

Kentucky Route Zero (GamePass)

Only played a bit so far, initial impressions are good.

Rare Replay (GamePass)

I started Conker's Bad Fur Day, which is full of that N64 jankiness I never used to notice. The collection overall seems quite impressive, and it also sync'd up my Xbox 360 progress from some of these games like Banjo and Perfect Dark, giving me some stamps without doing anything. The documentary videos on Rare are probably what interests me the most, so far.

No Progress

Ys V (SNES) - I left this on some annoying platforming bit.

Dragon Quest XI S (Switch) - Keep meaning to finish this, but I'm never in the mood.

Comments 4

honestgamer Staff Apr 1, 2022

I too recently acquired an Xbox Series X, though the only game I have played on it so far is Forza Horizon 5. That game is awesome, in part because the draw distance is amazing without noticeable pop-in. My wife is pleased and will probably be pleased all over again the next time a Forza game hits, or whenever Fable 4 finally releases. I kind of want to try out Flight Simulator, also. Microsoft does the best job of anyone (currently) with backwards compatibility across various platforms, but there's still stuff I would have to do without if I were to retire my Xbox 360, so I expect it to remain in rotation and the one I will retire is the Xbox One. Kind of like how with Sony, I'm keeping the PS5 and PS3 going but giving the PS4 a rest. In my opinion, Conker's Bad Fur Day has ALWAYS felt a bit rough, so it doesn't feel a lot worse now than ever. I do also have the upgraded version they released on Xbox, which you might want to try if you haven't yet.

jerec Blogger Apr 1, 2022

I'm keen to give Forza a try, and probably will at some point. And Flight Simulator. Big downloads, though. So much stuff to try, though. I could fill up this system's HDD in no time at all.

I think the only reason I'd pull my 360 back out is if I had an urge to play the Guitar Hero/Rock Band stuff, but I've kinda been over that for about a decade now. Never owned an Xbox One, so it's been cool how much has opened up for me, though Xbox didn't have too many exclusives last gen.

I do have the Xbox version of Conker, but it felt kinda weird at the time, but maybe it was too soon after playing the N64 version for me. They were only a few years apart.

dagoss Apr 4, 2022

How do you feel about the about of text in Triangle Strategy? I played both demos and was really put off by it. It felt like at least half the text could have been scrapped without affecting the story.

jerec Blogger Apr 4, 2022

I've been playing a lot of visual novels lately so I'm completely fine with it. And the segments usually aren't that long, so you can always go back to your encampment between scenes and fight a battle if you want.