ErrantRob

@Constable_What I’m always fascinated by what games don’t tell you like case of Wo Long and blocking or Wanted Dead and canceling. I respect your opinion on Wanted Dead. We just differ on its value. I stuck 20 hours into it a week after release and loved the length. I also have two small ones so time is precious and letting me finish a game under 8 hours for one playthrough is perfect. Combat once it clicked was more than serviceable.

@jrt87 that not learning the mechanics before wanting to progress is exactly what happened with Wanted Dead, and the reason I think it scored so low. It’s got a parry system and roll dodge mechanic and cancel system that once learned really open it up. Most people don’t want to be bothered with that, most of my friends aren’t interested in learning mechanics as much as bulldozing through a game.

@Constable_What Blocking the entire time while tapping to deflect definitely makes the difference! I discovered that early on and wish the tutorial had said as much because that’s the best way to play. I wonder how many struggle with the game by not doing so and taking the hit on a missed deflect.

@PenguinLtd every year since 2019 I play ten hours of BOTW to tell myself this is the year I get into it. Ten hours later I tell myself it’s not for me lol. So I understand that.

Wrapping up Wo Long- incredible game. Then moving on to Resident Evil 4 Remake as I’ve already started it. Absolute blast having only played the village section of the original.

Otherwise Diablo 3 on Switch and maybe revisiting Wanted Dead on Japanese Difficulty. Wanted Dead is still the most “fun” I’ve had playing a game this year. It’s not the best game this year but definitely the most fun.

@Constable_What Lu Bu got inside my head based on all the posts I had seen about him. I loved that fight, and while it didn't take me more than 4 attempts to take him down, he's definitely a huge skill check, and demonstrates a good reason to invest points in the deflect (Wood) tree so you can earn spirit faster playing defensively. I was more irritated by the cloning guy before him that felt like twenty on one until I figured out how to really move through that fight. I love seeing who struggles with what boss, because it speaks to some sense of how we process and read action and respond with our inputs.

@awp69 I played Hong Kong a few years ago when it came out. It's a nice little top down Max Payne style game that is also parts Hotline Miami with enemy location memorization. I loved it and at 2.99 it's well worth the price.

I’d be willing to bet this is a day 1 ps extra drop. I’ll check it out. Wanted Dead reminded me how far off critics can be from understanding what a game wants to do.

@GrimReaper I think they start with 3 for the sake of the MGS timeline.

My backbone and remote play have made up at least 25 hours of my gaming the last two months while I hold my child napping. It’s a fantastic feature.

@Northern_munkey I started Lost Epic but other stuff came out and I never got back to it. Sounds like I should get back to it if it’s that good.

As for this Dead Cells DLC i really need to dive into it. Might be the thing that gets me to play Dead Cells for longer than an hour.

I’ve been diving into the Diablo IV beta. I’m not a Diablo guy but I’m all in on this one.

Otherwise more Wo Long and Wanted Dead. I’d like to pick up Resi 4 as I never played the original (that and 6 are the only two I never played) and I know I’ll love it, but I’ve got to commit to finishing some games first!

@AFCC I actually think Wanted Dead is the closest to an action John Wick game we have at the moment. It has its jank and issues, but it makes me feel like John Wick with its executions. I'd like to see a studio like that be given a higher budget and the property, as I think they could really take it on.

@themightyant Came here to say the same thing! It's definitely traces of Genshin design not just graphically, but with characters!

Hopefully this will be more than the 15 min switch demo which really didn’t give me a feel for the game like I hoped it would.

@misak192 To be fair, I do think games like The Messenger and Celeste are incredible experiences in both 16 bit and 8 bit designs. That doesn't include stuff like Enter the Gungeon, Dead Cells and Blasphemous to name a few. But I know it is not everyone's cup of tea.

I am all for 2D experiences. Trek to Yomi let me down a bit with how it handled, so I am hoping this is more in the vein of F.I.S.T. or Bloodstained.

@Nightcrawler71 good to hear. Yea that week long trial I hope is enough to get an idea. I really want to like the genre but I just think a game like Frostpunk soured me (I poured like 20 hours into it before I got frustrated by inflexibility).

@Nightcrawler71 as someone about to dive into Anno 1800 but has no real love for the genre, is that type of broader appeal? Perhaps I’m asking how much you yourself dive into that style of game for a frame of reference.

When the kids get to bed again for the eve, I’ll be cracking on with Wo Long and mixing it up with the fantastic Wanted:Dead.

Anno 1800 has a free week trial on PSN and my curiosity is peaked so I’ll dive into that as well.

@KaijuKaiser I also should add I get about 45mins to an hour in four to five nights a week after the wife and kids head to bed. So it’s less, but the backbone let’s me sneak in another 30mins to an hour while holding my son on weekends when he won’t settle for a nap. I always volunteer 😂

@KaijuKaiser hey sorry about the delay. Highly recommend. I have two kids and especially in that sleepy stage of newborns when they’re on your chest and you’re in the bed or on the couch it’s great for indie games. I’ve played something as intense as Wo Long on it recently and beat bosses! That internet connection sounds spot on with the numbers I pull too so you should be good.

@Northern_munkey yea graphically I’m content with it. The playing well, the enemies and the ridiculous use of historical figures was enough to count me in.

@Otherbarry as a father of two I also got a backbone and it is fantastic. Those need to be held naps are great to squeeze in games like OCTOPATH or Hog Leg.

@Northern_munkey Steelrising was one of my top games last year. The aesthetic is great and the weapons were awesome. I still go back to it for a level here and there.

For me it’s all about a poorly received but excellent little gem called Wanted Dead. I think knowing how to properly play the game goes a long way for it, and accepting that it’s Japanese style storytelling is a mix of 80s action movies and Japanese humor. I’m loving.
I’ll also continue Wo Long as I’m almost at the most infamous boss in the game and about to judge him for myself.

Some Hog Leg if I have time too. 12 hours in and I’m still waiting for the story to really pick up.

@UltimateOtaku91 Chainsaw Man was a blast to enjoy every week. Looking forward to season 2 whenever that comes along.

@The_Pixel_King I will say be patient with it. I loved all the Souls and Nioh games, and I had written this one off as not for me after becoming incredibly frustrated by the beta and the boss at the end of the first demo level. However, I can safely say something clicked and it's as enjoyable as Sekiro with the parry system. Give it a shot!

@KaijuKaiser I'll play on PS, I will be buying it despite having Gamepass. I'm too much of the mind of needing to support devs I like so we can get games like this in the future.

@Gilvin I second what @KaijuKaiser said. I have a two year old and a 10 month old, and I've managed to beat multiple soulslikes having them. I made it through the demo as well, it just took me several days as opposed to an evening because of my children. However, since you can pause this, you can also find those quiet moments, put the PS5 in rest mode, and suspend a level until later. It might take awhile but you will there! I am planning on it while my son sleeps on my chest with the backbone controller!

Atomic Heart really appeals to me but I just can’t get past the broken trophies as a trophy hunter and father with limited time. Awesome to see it selling well since it’s a small team who only wants to make a game and not have political discourse tie them down.

@UltimateOtaku91 just wanted to let you know as someone who has been playing Triangle Strategy for about 25-30 hours now it’s pretty on par with OCTOPATH Traveler for graphical fidelity. Both were made in the HD 2D style. I think both are great looking and offer different gameplay and storylines. So if you like OCTOPATH you may like Triangle as well. There is a demo on switch to try and that’s what sold me on it!

I know trailers are a great way to gauge interest but I also know that for me if I see something I’m interested in, I tend to go on media blackout as much as possible. I was doing that for suicide squad until I heard the reactions, but had to then check it out myself to see because it sounds like it might be a stinker.

Both the children are sick, so when I have time it’ll be starting Hogwarts Legacy

I checked out the Humanity demo and I’m a sucker for puzzle style games so this is my jam. That music too.

Lastly, I hope to play through Bright Memory Infinite. Feels like a solid shooter even if it’s only two hours or so in length.

@Shigurui Thymesia was a nice souls like that once’s I cracked the combat it became even more enjoyable.

Dead space is the game I hope to wrap up so I can start Hogwarts Legacy.

Otherwise it’s a weekend of the occasional dip into Bayonetta 2 and Triangle Strategy. Two kids doesn’t leave much time for games haha.

Dead Space Remake and Bayonetta 2 for me. I think I’ll finally cave in to Hogwarts Legacy. It just sounds too good.

Beyond that just waiting on Atomic Heart and Wanted Dead to fill those action voids.

@Bentleyma for the most part those demos are all Square Enix games that I think they wanted to try and drive sales with: OCTOPATH, Valkyrie, diofield, Triangle Strategy, etc. Tactics has more of a legacy so I guess I’m not surprised they don’t do it with a title like that, similar to FF7 Remake.

For me it’s a Dead Space weekend. Maybe some Bayonetta 2 and Hi Fi Rush.

Lastly if time allows I’ll continue my F1 career in F122

Dead Space Bayonetta 2 and Vengeful Guardian for me.

I’ll also squeeze in a few F122 races because I’ve recently fallen in love with the sport.

Wrapping up Evil West. Last boss on hard and then maybe NG+ on Evil difficulty.

Otherwise it’s Bayonetta 2 and 3, with some Weird West and Chained Echoes mixed in.

I may pick up Crisis Core before months end as I don’t want to pay full price for the DS Renake.

Wrapping up Evil West this weekend. What a charming old school game that deserves more support.

Also diving into Chained Echoes some more. Hard to believe one person made it.

If time I’m tempted to get Midnight Suns but haven’t taken the plunge. So more likely I’ll wrap up Bayonetta 2 or work on more Weird West.

Loving Evil West, as well as Chained Echoes right now. In between those two squeezing in Alan Wake Remastered, and Vampire Survivors.

So many games already to play I am not looking forward to 2023 release schedules.

@RaZieLDaNtE I too am slowly working through Alan Wake Re and gotta say, I love the atmosphere. Enjoy!

While it didn’t blow me away like Elden Ring and I’ve games over 30 years, I see someone like my sister who is coming from the Switch, from not playing a game since PS1 days with me, playing Ragnarok, and she is blown away. In that perspective this game is mind blowing to those with fresh eyes, and easily is the best example this year of new games and narrative done right.

Trails from Zero is a foreign entity to me and I’ve seen it on enough top 10 lists this year that I feel the need to dive into the Trails series. As far as #1 goes, it makes sense. No one quite does it like Sony.

I splurged on Evil West and am not disappointed. I love alternate history experience so I’ll be soaking that in along with another western, Weird West.

I’ve also contemplated picking up Tactics Ogre but I can’t seem to convince myself to purchase that or Crisis Core.

With the Ragnarok platinum in the bag, I’ll probably finish saving the world from well, Ragnarok in Valkyrie Elysium.

Then I’d like to dig deep into Weird West and Evil West.

If time wrap up Bayonetta 2 and Triangle Strategy. But I won’t wrap up those as much as just advance myself a wee bit further in both.

@ItsBritneyB_tch chorus is incredible. I can’t seem to ever convince people how special that is for an indie. Loved every minute of it.

I’d be willing to give this a shot and see if it spikes my interest.