Lately I’ve been playing the revamped Ghost of Tsushima on my PS5. I’ve really been enjoying it. The intro is a bit lengthy and on rails, but it sets up the story and situation pretty well. After that, it’s the usual open world goodness with story missions, side missions, and collectables, but it is very pretty and I am enjoying the combat system.
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I loved Ghost of Tsushima after the intro/on-rails part. The world is beautiful and engaging!
It took me forever to learn not to just mash my way through combat. Once I approached it like a rhythm game my success in combat, especially against multiple opponents, shot straight up.
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I just need to remember to change stances more often. Still getting the timing down for the perfect parry/counterattack, though, which just kills grunts outright, no matter my stance.
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Playing Mass Effect Legendary edition. Have previously played the hell out of 1, 2 and 3, so it’s not like much is going to be new.
Completed ME1 already (FemShep full biotic). Either I was rubbish ten years ago, or it’s MUCH easier than it was. (The Mako sections certainly are - you’re not made of tissue paper anymore, and a single hit won’t wreck you, so there’s less dancing around to avoid incoming fire).
Quite amazing how many hours of my life have gone into these games. Honestly, half the point is to get to the Citadel DLC again because it’s so fun. (Grunt’s drunken adventures, romancing Jack on the fight course).
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Trying out New World, the new MMO from Amazon. Or, should I say, Queue World…I kid, I kid. But not about the queues. I’m on an Australian server, and the queues aren’t long, but they are lengthy.
I’m only at level 5, and so far it’s…fine, I guess. Pretty easy to get into, grab a weapon and use it to get better at that weapon. And there’s a bit of a tech tree to build up, to get three abilities with that weapon. I think that’s the way it works, I’ve only got a sword and a shield. Combat seems ok, but you’ve got a choice of a light attack, heavy attack, or block. Plus your special abilities. Looks fine on my pretty modest laptop, getting 60 fps. But I havent had much on the screen, that might change in a busy area.
So, yeah. Would I recommend it? Tough question. There’s no subscription fee, which I expected, and the price isn’t bad (56 AUD).
Eventually you join a faction, and then you have some sort of area control fighting, that sounds cool.
I’d like to see something different in an MMO, and I just don’t know what that could be. Maybe I’m just getting old…
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I am playing a little Diablo 2 Resurrected.
It’s basically identical to the original with updated graphics… and they did that neat thing where the graphics are definitely updated, but look exactly how you remember Diablo 2 looking until you hit the “Legacy Version” button and holy crap does the old Diablo 2 look like crap in comparison now.
The game is basically the same as far as I can tell, warts and all (the aiming for ranged weapons is really… weird… there are some strange “you were missed but took damage” visuals sometimes, and the game oscillates between cakewalk and brutal grindfest without any warning occasionally). Plus tiny inventory, the weird “go to these three people scattered around town every time to repair, heal, and identify your stuff”…
Aw, who am I kidding. I’m loving it. But it’s just mashing the nostalgia button.
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Funny that, as I think there is a resurgence of nostalgia-based face-lifted games. I am enjoying Rome:Total War Remastered a lot. Better graphics (if not amazing, definitely way better than the old polygon soldiers from the original version that made me cringe even back in 2004) and a revamped AI that is a bit more prone to negotiation is doing the trick for me. Cannot wait to finish my game with the Julii faction to play with non-Roman factions or the Barbarian Invasion new expansion (I guess also with a face-lift…?)
I haven’t really looked into the demographics of PC gamers, but something makes me think that I am bang right in the middle of the target age for these re-makes.
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I play a lot of Death Loop right now and it is great. So much fun. I finally don’t get punished for using my abilities to kill people like in Dishonored and that makes it so much better for me at least.
In Dishonored I always felt forced to be non violent but the setting here makes that superfluous. It is a fun game and the idea is really good and done very well.
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It’s a fun game but the ps5 version is giving me mad motion sickness.
Re-started Outer Wilds in order to play the new DLC. It’s one of my favorite games of all time, possibly even my favorite game. I beat it around 2 years ago, and I still think about the ending.
I wasn’t sure how it would hold up to a replay, since it’s mostly a game about discovery. But so far, it’s still great. I may remember a lot of the stuff, but it’s such a lovingly-crafted universe to explore it’s still fun.
And the DLC … well, I was a bit worried. I wasn’t sure how they could add anything into the game, but after just accessing the first part of the new content (which is seamlessly integrated into the game) my first thought was … whoa.
I haven’t explored it much, and won’t go into more details, but somehow they managed to add something that matches, and maybe even exceeds, the sense of wonder I felt playing the original game.
It’s amazing what they’ve managed to create.
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So I got a XBox game pass for 3 months to play some games I was interested in.
What remains of Edith Finch - I always thought it is a horror game, never looked into it and dismissed it instantly. But now I took a look and it is something very different. I always liked Gone Home and Firewatch and this is doing a very similar thing but just better imo. Great game, was a lot of fun.
Twelve Minutes - Was many years in development and I looked forward to it. It is a fine game but not really great. Got annoyed by the many repetitions I had to do and for a game in such tight space I found that they didn’t change some dialog lines in certain situations which broke the immersion. Still worth to be played I guess.
Also started Age of Empires IV but I prefer the graphics of the AoE II. Not a fan of these 3D looks. Have to start the campaign yet to see how that plays out 
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Jupiter Hell A short roguelike based on DoomRL, so the theme is a lone doomguy against an army of demons. Fun, but a little too easy?
Golden Krone Hotel Another short roguelike a bit like a much shorter DCSS, where you are trying to kill a vampire prince on the 10th floor of the eponymous hotel. Some interesting things going on with sunlight, time of day, potions, and the fact that you are also a vampire.
Cogmind A huge(?) roguelike that feels a bit like a futuristic Nethack, where you are a thing that can attach and detach components of robots you destroy, in an attempt to escape from wherever it is you are. Very difficult, and there seems to be quite an involved story going on, with various factions. I’m finding it really interesting, but way more stressful than the other two.
Anyway, some great modern roguelikes with snazzy graphics and sound(!) I just wish I had more time to play them all.
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On my second run of Rome: Total War Remastered, now with my favourite faction the Seleucid Empire. The East side of the map is a gold mine! Now I own all the Middle East, Asia Minor and half of Greece, my Brutii allies decide to attack me. Magna Grecia, here I come! At least I’m proud to say I have not started a single war in this game. All has been defensive - expansive…
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I’ve been playing a lot (A LOT) of Hades recently. I got every Achievement on the PC, and I’ve recently finished it on Hell Mode on the xBox, too.
It’s basically going to tide me over until 2nd of December when the follow up to my favourite game ever comes out, Solar Ash. Please god let it be good.
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Oh goodness we finally finished Cuphead! I’ve really really enjoyed playing this through with my 7-year old, it’s punishing but rarely unfair and absolutely gorgeous, like me.
When he told me he wanted to try it, I said, ‘Elliot, I think that game is too hard.’ Thankfully, he’s only reminded me of that 12584644323566 times so I’ve got away quite lightly. Winning has also ever so slightly taken the sting out of the continued meltage of my main desktop computer, which has genuinely caused a little bit of depression as that thing has been my lifeline through some difficult times.
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I am playing through Mass Effect Legendary edition.
Gosh I forgot what a slog ME1 is. A lovely, deep, fascinating slog, but yeah, a slog.
I’m waffling on whether to make a MaleShep after I play through once. The thought of slogging through ME1 again is already making my stomach flip and I’m only 30% of the way through this playthrough…
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Just like everyone else, I’m playing inscryption. So far, the 1st act was way more interesting than the second, but it’s been fun.
(Also more Cogmind, that game is huge.)
I feel like I missed something?