Consume

With the release of the DLC, I realized I needed to start a whole new character since it had been so long since I played. I’m glad I did. Revisiting the full game has only reinforced my belief this is one of, maybe the best, games of all the time. The open world is… absolutely insane. Build variety off the charts. I’m playing way different than my first character, playing str/fth with a greatsword and shield plus heavy armor. Loving the guard counter life. Shadow of the Erdtree so far is just more of an amazing game. Cake on top of cake. I’m taking my time and just enjoying seeing everything new.

Great to spend more time in this world, if only for a little one. Rose’s episode is just dumb action fun with a side character, great writing. Episode 2 is amazing vibes in Coffee World and nice to see Jesse from Control again. Episode 3 is probably my fave, big time Quantum Break references and a delightful little choose your own adventure at the end. I enjoyed these but I am hoping the Lake House DLC is a more substantial canon story.

I finally came back to this one for a platinum-seeking New Game + run. It’s so damn good. If the original release hadn’t been so marred by performance issues this would have been an easy GOTY contender. The performance mode runs great now anyway. I just can’t believe what a huge evolution from Fallen Order this is. That game was great, and then they layered on better combat, better traversal, a better map, much more rewarding exploration and a huge world… it’s just excellent. I hope we still get to see a finished trilogy even though Stig left Respawn.

I’ve been meaning to play Dredge since it released, and I finally got around to it. It’s pretty short, if you stick to the main quest, and it’s kind of all about the vibes. The music, the mood, the style all great. But the gameplay is generally repetitive and the upgrades never feel impactful enough. Like, now that I’ve seen the ending I have zero desire to pursue the platinum.

Damn, this is a long game. I rolled credits last night after 75 hours and there’s still a bunch of side stuff I haven’t done, not to mention a hard mode playthrough if I go for the platinum. It’s a killer game. The boss fights were the highlight for me, just like in Remake. I enjoyed the huge open world and a lot of the side content, even if I’m feeling a little burned out right now. I really don’t know how they’re going to top this for part three.

Yikes, what a slog. Mostly smooth sailing but needed a few hours of grinding before the final dungeon. I can’t imagine playing this game without a guide and map. If I had more free time maybe the exploration would be rewarding, but it feels like the game expects you to sail randomly around the world to every island and city looking for what to do next. I have no patience for that, these days. I’m looking forward to III, and I’m going to play the translated SNES version. I’ve heard III is the first truly great game in the series.

Is it time to play through all the Dragon Quest games? Maybe. I’ve only played through XI and IX, in that order. And I now, I guess. Extremely basic compared to modern RPGs, almost to the point of not really being enjoyable? I don’t know. I’m giving II a try but I might skip it if I’m not having fun, I’ve heard III is better.

What a solid little RPG. The gimmick mechanics add a lot of variety to the combat gameplay (and I won’t lie, I abused the Steam Deck programmable controls for some turbo button hax). Thanks to a fantastic translation this precursor to the Mario & Luigi RPG series is finally fully playable in English.

A roguelike based on poker hands. 100% perfectly nails the “one more round” effect. I love it, and maybe someday I will be good at it.

I wanted to play through this again before FFVII Rebirth comes out later this month. I liked it on PS4 but thought there was too much padding. I’m feeling more generous after playing through it on PS5; this game is fucking gorgeous, a technical showcase, and the “real-time with pause” combat is a great twist on the original gameplay. Really excited for Rebirth after this, it’s looking great. I’m currently playing through the DLC with Yuffie and they knocked it out of the park, her character’s a blast to play.

What a solid game. The combat is fast, fun and crunchy. The story is dumb and the voice acting is borderline terrible, but if you can look past that the combat and progression deliver a solid package.

Well I didn’t play the first three but Pikmin 4 is pretty damn great. More chill vibes over this strange holiday season, except for some of the not-so-chill boss encounters. But the main path of the game only has a few nailbiters, otherwise it’s smooth sailing.

Cozier than I expected. I enjoyed the loop of dungeon delving, simple platforming combat, and city building. Good pacing for the story but definitely grind-heavy if you’re going for 100%, which I thought I might at first, but maybe later down the road.

What a wild ride. Only my second Yakuza game—I played Yakuza 0 a few years ago. I enjoyed the turn-based combat more than the brawler gameplay of that and other entries, and the story actually held my attention through the end (despite some overly long monologues). I might be a Yakuza (Like A Dragon) fan now, could be picking up Infinite Wealth at launch.

A strong follow-up to the first two. They managed to fit some surprises into what is a very comic booky story. Best-in-class traversal.

I expected it to be good, but I wasn’t expecting a GOTY contender. Alan Wake II builds on the foundation of the first game, smashes in some Control, and boldly flips the genre for a horror masterpiece firing on all cylinders. I loved it, and it left me wanting more. Sam Lake and the rest of the team at Remedy just get better with every release.

It’s 1000x better than the game I played at launch 3 years ago. I don’t even recognize it. The skill trees are exciting, the combat feels chaotic and kinetic, and the game breaking glitches are few and far between. The storyline for the new expansion is fantastic, some great new characters with top-tier acting and animation.

Wonderful game. You could call it a love letter to SNES-era RPGs like Chrono Trigger, and that formula’s tweaked with the kind of QoL updates you expect from a 2023 title. The OST is killer. My only quiet gripe might be with the difficulty (lack of), but even that could be enhanced with some of the gameplay-altering relics. A great follow up to Sabotage’s first game, The Messenger, and I’ll be closely watching for whatever they do next.

I finished my first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 at about 80 hours. What a ride. Act 1 was a little slow for me until the last bit, but after that it just got better and better through the end. I had fun with my Circle of the Moon druid, especially once I unlocked the owlbear, but I’m looking forward to trying a monk or paladin for my next run. There’s too much sweet gear that has no effect in wild shape, which was a bummer.

It’s Skyrim in space. Planets to explore, space pirates to kill. My current goals are mostly outpost related. I want to get some supply lines set up and build some cool bases.

It’s an improvement over the first in almost every way, but for some reason it hasn’t grabbed me as much as the first did.

God it’s glorious. Epic story moments backed up by solid combat. I started off as a druid and I’ve already been thinking about what classes to try out in my next few playthroughs. I’m really digging the way companion storylines are woven into the main quest, enhanced by top tier acting.

Revisiting this N64 classic with upgraded visuals thanks to MasterKillua. It’s delightful, a fun turn-based romp.

I started off pretty hot on this game but I’m feeling cool now. The combat’s fun and flashy but the side quests suck and the mechanics for the combat are too simple to sustain a game of this length. Got some slappers on the OST though.