Westernwolf4

@LiamCroft An easier to read map was all I wanted to know before being all in. Thanks for the great review!

I played this on Gamepass. For what it is worth, I think this review is right on the money with the good and the not as good. Sleeper is def. worth playing, especially if you like story heavy games.

@FinneasGH Tails is not an easy game, but I don’t think it is on a souls tier of difficulty. I was worried about the difficulty after reading reviews, but it really isn’t that punishing. You can’t just button mash, but if you pay attention at all you won’t be tearing your hair out or anything.

If a gamer of limited ability (and declining reflexes) like myself can finish and plat the game, anyone can!

I got a plat for Tails of Iron-a relatively rare event for me. The game is good. It looks great and the combat is challenging but fun (if a bit repetitive by the end). Not much story, but a fun way to pass 10-12 hours.

And, it is narrated by the same actor who plays Geralt if you need a Witcher 3 fix!

In the US our kids are being exposed to gun violence everywhere. Another school shooting happened just yesterday. But heaven forbid our “leaders” do anything about it instead of taking the time to placate donors like Microsoft.

It would be great to see some actual governing go on, just as a change of pace.

I am going to play this eventually but-did the gameplay look really stiff to anyone else? I am usually way out of step with people when it comes to this stuff, so it is fine if the answer is no. But my first thought was that the movement here was not great.

@wiiware I have Eastward pre-loaded as the game I play next. Really looking forward to it!

Moonlighter is a fantastic game, and even more awesome at $3.99.

I just finished this game on Game Pass last week. It is good. There is not much gameplay and it is mostly reading text and rolling dice. But if you like narrative games, Citizen Sleeper is a journey worth taking.

I thought the First season was very good-much more than a shoulder shrug. The character interactions the show added deepened the world, and the bond between Joel and Ellie was great thanks to great performances by Ramsey and Pascal.

It did feel rushed, although I don't know if that is a complaint unique to those of us who have finished the game. As I have posted here before, I think not having more infected in the show was a significant misstep, The need for a vaccine is what makes Joel's decision at the end have so much weight. In the show, the infected did not feel like enough of a threat to bring this home. When you waltz through a major city like SLC without seeing one infected, that is a problem for the narrative.

Still: I got chills when the show cut to black just like I did in 2013 playing the game. The story of Joel and Ellie was told very well. It just could have used more/longer episodes.

7 or 8 out of 10 for me. Very interested to see what they do with TLOU2-a game I liked, but that will be a challenge to turn into a season of television.

@MayaMousavi I agree for the most part-but I also think the overall journey has to have more weight for an aspect of the ending to work. I am tiptoeing around this to avoid spoilers; all I will say is that I look forward to resuming the discussion next week! I truly hope the ending is fantastic (and the game has one of my favorite endings of all time in any media), because the series has been something special.

@MayaMousavi Thank you for your well stated argument. I think the show has done a fantastic job of showing the growing bond between Joel and Ellie, and the general state of humanity in this world: where the ties that bind us are so important and so fragile. And it was clear from the start that some of the action scenes were going to have to be removed for TV. Undeniably, the show has been great.

As I talked about in my last post, I am nervous as we get to the end because without at least a few of the action scenes, I think the weight behind the journey to get to the Fireflies has been mostly lost. The infected have largely been an afterthought on the show for a few episodes now, and without that Ellie and Joel's journey feels important on a personal level but like wandering around in the grand scheme of things. I don't want to say more than this until the series is over-only that I think placing a similar weight on the purpose of the journey that the game did would be to the show's benefit. It is hard to do that if the infected are sidelined for half the show.

Again, I am glad the show is more character focused drama. I think that is the way to go. I am worried they have gone too far that way, not because I crave more bloody action, but because I think that the reason for the journey beyond Joel and Ellie growing closer is getting short shrift.

I think the TV series has been great-a real achievement. And, even though I am going to criticize it, I liked this episode. There was a lot good about it. But it was by far the most disappointing episode for me up to this point. Two big reasons:

1.The game simply did this part much better. I know that is not a consideration for those who have not played it, and to some degree the show needs to be judged on how it works as a TV show. But for those who did play this masterpiece in video game form, this is gonna be hard. The game simply had more time to ratchet up the tension and flesh out the situation, and some key scenes were missing from this version. Again: what we got was good. The episode could have really soared with thirty minutes or so added. I really think a lot who played are going to be underwhelmed by this installment-I was.

2. There really have not been enough infected in the show. Trust me, I don’t want the Walking Dead, a show I could not even get through the second season of. I am glad that the show has worked to established that humans are such a big threat.

But the infected here are not simply a plot device-they are the stakes. The whole reason this journey HAS to work is because Ellie holds the promise of the vaccine. The game does such a fantastic job of driving this home so that there is tension about the outcome of the journey. Here, they establish the relationship between Joel and Ellie well, and the desperation for survival. But we go long stretches forgetting that the infected are even around, and other than Episode 5 there are just a few wandering around when there should be many. Humans are bad here, but the infected don’t feel like much of a threat-and they need to for the journey Joel and Ellie are on to have weight beyond their growing bond. I think this is a big mistake the show is making.

It is strange that the early episodes went to such length to establish the Clickers and the fungal network stuff, only for the infected to then be used sparingly except for one episode. This has been a great show, but for the first time I am nervous about the creative team sticking the landing.

I played this game when it came out in 2021. It is great. As was Battlechasers before it.

I was so bored by the other games in this series. But God help me, this looks fun. Just when I thought I was out……..

I am a sucker for a dynamic combat system. Looks cool!

I enjoyed Outer Worlds-it was a good solid game. I absolutely plan to play the sequel once it hits Xbox.

But........is anyone actually crying out for a remaster of Outer Worlds? Which came out in 2019 and ran just fine? It is fine if people are, but this is the first I am hearing of it. I finished the game a long time ago, and I am certainly not paying additional money for better graphics and a dynamic weather system for a 2019 game.

@Cherip-the-Ripper

Well done-I heard your comment with the music and everything!

@Diowine I was just telling my wife that I was torn about that. It did feel more grounded to have only one infected bursting in, but seeing a lot of infected burst in was a terrifying moment in the game that I missed here. I am not sure how I feel about that choice yet.

My wife has not played the game (but is loving the show) and thought more infected would have been over the top.

Still, this was a really good episode. Reid and Ramsey were so great, and just like the game the story of their characters was beautifully told. It has been great to see Left Behind integrated into the series (not just here but in hints along the way) in a way that was not possible in the first game. The events are such a huge part of Ellie’s journey.

@Chaotic_Goat I am glad I am not the only one. Maybe I am being unfair, but as soon as I hear "gear system" I bristle. I played three games with that as a main component this past year, and they were all very underwhelming.

There was not much here for me. I am sure other people enjoyed it more, and I am glad for them. But not much shown raised my enthusiasm.

I love Rocksteady and comics, but I have never been interested in the Suicide Squad in the comics or elsewhere. Nothing Rocksteady has shown has gotten me very interested. With the gear system and the way fighting looks (and the "It can be SP we swear") it reminds me of Outriders or Avengers-which I thought was incredibly boring. Deep sale for me, and only because it is Rocksteady.

I am disappointed but again-that is just me. I am sure there is a lot here for others to love.

I really like Dontnod, but if they are going to take this step I hope they learned lessons from the missteps of Vampyr. That game had a lot of high points, but the map was a terrible chore, the pacing was all wrong, and the combat was super bland. The ideas from this studio are always so good-I hope the execution matches them.

This show continues to be incredibly excellent. I am so glad both game and show exist.

@theheadofabroom I thought GOW 2018 was good, not great. In contrast, GOWR was my game of the year 2022. The character development and story in this entry is soooooo good.

I am glad you are feeling well enough to game-best of luck with continued healing!

@SJBUK

1.I have read them, well before today. I reject her statements and the assumptions behind them.

2.I don't condone threats against Rowling or anyone. Anyone doing something like that should be condemned also. I don't see why troll or inappropriate reactions to what she said should change my view about the validity of her statements one way or the other. Trolls on both sides should go away, because there is a legitimate discussion to be had here.

3.Our civil discourse is truly a cesspool, but I can only control my own conduct. I have endeavored to conduct myself appropriately and politely here, and I will continue to try to do so.

I see a lot of people here saying: "why is what she said so hateful?" and I am just really floored by that. However you feel about what JK Rowling said: How do you think you would feel if someone denied who you know in your heart that you are? If you knew you were a woman in spite of the gender you were assigned at birth, and someone with a huge platform said everything you felt was BS, that would really hurt.

I am a person with an obvious physical disability. Being marginalized sucks. I really don't think some people understand what that feels like or what it means.

I didn't mean to get into this today, and I won't continue. People can have whatever opinion they choose. I just don't understand how it isn't obvious why Rowling's statements are problematic.

@theGoodChap Why don't you read the responses to her statements in that article concerning why people find it offensive and make your own judgements? The statement Daniel Radcliffe made is a good summary of how I feel about it. There are lots of others there and elsewhere.

@Marquez I agree with this fully. I am a civil rights lawyer, and the community we are talking about is still subject to shocking discrimination and violence. I have no problem, and I in fact encourage, Push Square devoting two small paragraphs in an otherwise glowing review to the defense of human rights and a notation of the controversy that was a big news item well before this game was released. No one is keeping anyone from buying the game, or expressing their own opinion about the issue in a non-troll way-they are just expressing their own. I would rather err on the side of advocating for human rights than not, especially since we live in a country where large groups of marginalized people who cannot simply go about their business in peace. We may want to ignore it, but it is true. Slightly noting it in a highly positive review is not too much to ask.

I am glad the game is good-it looks like Avalanche did a good job. I will pick it up during a sale and have some Hogwarts fun. I do not like the way JK Rowling has been using her vast and in no way incumbered by this review platform, so I will make a donation to a group that advocates for human rights when I do.

I started playing Deathloop on Groundhog Day because I am totes clever, so I am playing more of that. Liking it so far!

I set this month aside to play the Shadow Run Trilogy on Game Pass, because I missed it first time around. But I encountered two bugs that set back a lot of progress during the first part of the first game. There are too many good games to play to put up with that.

Did someone say a fusion of Bastion and Rogue Legacy? Holy crap am I in!

The one casting choice I questioned before the show came out was not bringing W. Earl Brown back to play Bill. He did such a great job in the game, and he is such a great actor (The regular cast of Deadwood may be the best cast assembled for anything anywhere).

I was totally wrong. Offerman was perfect for the direction they went with the story, and the whole episode was just beautifully acted and beautifully told. I was watching with two non-gamers, and they were completely enthralled by the entire hour.

I was looking forward to an action packed romp through Bill's town, but last night was just fantastic television without it. Cannot wait for episode 4.

@Loamy

1.The Mass Effect Trilogy is my favorite gaming experience from the PS3 era-and I also count it as one game! I will die on this hill!

Witcher 3 is also my top game of the PS4 era. I like your taste in games my friend.

2.I think it needs to be said more that Mass Effect Andromeda really has some good action in it. Best fighting in the series. It even has some decent quests thrown in there. Those quests are just buried under a mountain of meaningless fetch quests that populate every area of the game for reasons I will never understand.

"and the freeing sensation of taking off across the landscape in a magically-propelled sprint is sullied by the knowledge that there's nowhere to go or anything fun to do."

I still plan to play this a few years from now when it is in the bargain bin, but still: Ouch.

I am a gamer today because of my Atari 2600 and Sierra Games. I am def. checking this out.

I am sorry for repeating myself, but I am in the middle of playing GOWR and I cannot believe how good it is. I liked the 2018 game but I did not love it. This game is better in every way. It looks better (obviously). The combat is better. The story is better and the side quests are better and full of character development. I was expecting to like the game, not have it be my game of the year.

There are a lot of little things that bugged me about Jedi: Fallen Order. I hated the maps, and a lot of the environment was just a pain. And while feeling under powered for a lot of the game fit the story, it wasn't really the power fantasy I always want when I play a Jedi game (I am a Force Unleashed guy myself!).

But....the last thirty minutes or so of that game are pure Star Wars gold. I adore the concluding chapter of that game. It is worth a play for that alone.

I played a lot of these, and they are all worthy. What a great year for gaming this was, even with a bunch of delays.

I am playing GOWR right now, and I can’t believe how good it is. I liked the 2018 version, but I actually found it a tad overrated. Everything is so improved in the sequel-story, combat, visuals. Wow.

Unless something goes horribly wrong in the Endgame, Ragnarok is absolutely my game of the year.

I loved this game. The story went a little too far off the rails for my taste in the back half. But everything else (combat, side characters, side quests, visuals and sound) were like the first but improved. It was an absolute blast to play.

The story was always going to suffer in comparison to the first game, because uncovering the mystery of what happened to our world was the most interesting part. But the sequel was still great, even if the conclusion got messy.

JUST UNWRAPPED GOW Ragnarok!!!!!!

My backlog weeps.

@Ipslore Thanks, I did read that yesterday, and I thought their reasoning was cool.

It does not take away from my preference that Supergiant come up with a new idea, because they do so much unique cool stuff. But I also recognize that SG has no obligation to make their decisions based on my preferences. 😃

@SlySnake0407 I posted something very similar to this over at Pure Xbox last night. I liked Hades (although it is also my least favorite SG game). I LOVE Supergiant. And I will definitely play this once it is out of early access.

But I agree with you: Supergiant is truly special because they make a unique game each time. That team being locked into sequels makes me uneasy.

I hope the map isn’t such a chore this time.

Generally, online free to play is not my thing. If any team could lure me in to that kind of game, it would be Airship Syndicate. Battlechasers and Ruined King are amazingly fun games.

I will have to give this some thought……..

What a dumb tantrum. I liked Days Gone and finished it. But I agree fully with the Push Square review: it is a solid 7/10 game. It has good, fun elements. The hordes were fantastic-everything else has been done better in other games. And a lot of people thought that, and that is why they are getting no sequel. They simply did not move enough people with their game-period.

They have every right to be proud of their game. I know they are disappointed. But this is the second or third Twitter tantrum the developers have thrown, and it is embarrassing for them. It is making me regret buying the game.

I played this with my youngest son on Switch. It really is very short, but every minute is delightful. We laughed throughout.

You will never have more fun tearing up documents than you will in this game!

There is a new game in the series coming out in January-Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. We are def. getting it-I do not know what platforms it is on other than Switch.............

@DETfaninATL Thank you so much for the kind suggestion, but I have absolutely played Guardians! You are right-great game, FUNNY game. And surprisingly heartfelt too.

SP: FBH is…….NOT heartfelt, as much as Cartman tries to tell you otherwise. 😃😃

@Lup There are not enough truly funny games out there. SP:FBW had me laughing all the way through. One of the few games where I actively decided to get the platinum to uncover everything the game had to offer. It was super fun (except for the last few toilet mini-games-those were actually pretty tough).

I wish the gaming industry would produce more truly funny games……..

I am playing Gotham Knights. I snagged it on sale, and I am having more fun with it than I expected given the reviews. The combat is solid enough, and the story and moving around the city options are actually pretty great.

I want to play GOWR, but I know my sweet and wonderful wife purchased it for me for Christmas. Which is so awesome of her-but it means I have to wait! 😀

I look at my boxes of Mass Effect Trilogy and BioMutant sitting on my shelf and shed a single tear for December PS Plus. But for those who do not have those games, it is a pretty great month.

1.The Mass Effect games are my favorite gaming experience of the PS3 era. For those yet to play it: I envy you. For those deciding whether to play it: Do yourself a favor. One of the best gaming experiences you can have is sitting there for no additional charge.

2.I found BioMutant somewhat charming, but ultimately pretty boring. There is a point in the game where you are given the option to take a short cut and do away with a pretty significant game system or keep playing all the way through. The fact that I jumped at the chance to significantly shorten the game says a lot. Still-it is worth checking out for no additional charge. Especially if you enjoy running in circles and shooting!