What Games Are You Playing?

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Read lots of positive reviews of The House in Fata Morgana on Switch. So wanting a physical copy, I decided to import the Japanese version which was the only physical edition I could find, assuming I could just change the language as I did for The Legend of Mana on PS4. No such luck, which really is genius given that I've just bought a visual NOVEL in a language I cant read....

 

[D1tchd1gger]

visual NOVEL in a language I cant read....

There might be a translated transcript somewhere online. If not there's only one other option, learn Japanese!

 

[Dai]

I decided to import the Japanese version which was the only physical edition I could find, assuming I could just change the language as I did for The Legend of Mana on PS4.

As a rule of thumb, Asian (HK) releases of games are much more likely to have English options than Japanese releases, but it's dangerous to assume in either case. That goes double for smaller developers whose games may be released by different companies in different countries, since translations (if there are any) may not be done in-house by the Japanese publisher.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

There might be a translated transcript somewhere online. If not there's only one other option, learn Japanese!

As a rule of thumb, Asian (HK) releases of games are much more likely to have English options than Japanese releases, but it's dangerous to assume in either case. That goes double for smaller developers whose games may be released by different companies in different countries, since translations (if there are any) may not be done in-house by the Japanese publisher.

Good to know about the HK releases being more likely to have English options, kind of like how I eventually realised that blu-ray imports from Oz are more likely to be UK region compatible than the US imports.

I believe the Japanese version is the only physical one available for this game from my limited searches, though fortunately there is an English version available online in the switch e-store. That was why I assumed I could just switch the language, especially with my experience with the blast-from-the past Mana game on PS4: annoying & illogical lesson learned!

Guess I'll just be paying again for this one on the e-store, and keep the physical copy handy for posterity, or for when I've learned Japanese (ha!) without it hopefully ending up on the defective discs thread! Cartridges are hardier than discs though I suspect.

 

[Winkuru]

Just finished the third large area today and i'm at the castle, Sadly the 2&3 area didn't click like the first area did and the story isn't doing much for me, but the gameplay has been hooking me and that is pretty rare thing to happen with JRPG's. I tend to play them only for story and characters and gameplay tends to be something that i just suffer through. I would say that this game has more freedom than average JRPG when it comes to exploration due to having larger open areas rather than dungeons. I also really like they added those elemental skill point's because it discourages of wasting skill slots to have multiple type of elements., now you are instead making more focused demons.

I really also like the new point system that let's you buy all sort of upgrades like having more skill slots and such.

 

[HWR]

I’ve been playing through the HD Remaster for Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne. Think I’m around 1/3 done currently.

 

[Winkuru]

I wish that the HD version had option to use the older graphics because the more vibrant colors don't in this case work for the games favor.

 

[NormanicGrav]

We are now past the third of the way through 2022 and I don't think I'll hit the 52 games mark at this point. Saying that my progress through April was a pretty surprising one.

---

Game: 09 - Onechanbara Z2: Chaos (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: April 2020

Spoiler

A couple of years ago I picked up the Japanese PS3 release of Onechanbara Z Kagura with NoNoNo and while I did not finish it, I played a bit and understood what the gameplay was like (and I had positive impressions despite the franchise being low-budget lol). Eventually I picked up the game's sequel which was localised for the west by XSEED (and published in Europe by NIS America), but did not play it until recently.

Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is an action hack n slash game that is basically D3 Publisher's attempt on a Devil May Cry style game but with mostly undead enemies or spirits as they call it. The game lets you control four different characters, each have some differing playstyles but for the most part its swords, chainsaws and gauntlet fist weapons, but they have different characteristics and attitudes which worked well in the English dub.

Each chapter is basically the same structure - you progress on a path and in some parts you'll end up trapped in a barrier where you'll have to kill all of the enemies on the screen but at the same time you have a mini-goal of trying to get the best score and rank each time. The score can be achieved with doing different combos and having your teammates join the fight which will benefit you in situations with big bosses or tons of enemies in the same area that may be overwhelming if you're on your own. The teammates won't appear all of the time as you will have to wait a brief while before each character is available to temporarily join your fight.

There are 16 chapters in total and each one has a variety of areas to differentiate, though there are some content recycled from the previous game. The gameplay is decent and because I've been playing the game on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility it does run at a solid 60fps. However, the biggest issue I have with the gameplay is the camera because locking on is an absolute pain to deal it. In addition to the fast combat and shoddy camera, I have experienced at least two instances of dizziness likely caused by motion sickness from the game which wasn't fun. Fortunately the game is pretty short with about 4-5 hours of playtime.

There is more content available like missions but the game in general relies on replaying the story campaign on harder difficulties to unlock the rest of the items. The story is decent but I found the interactions between the main leads to be the most interesting part. Overall the game is a decent time, but it's D3 Publisher so you should expect low-budget content.

---

Game: 10 - School Girl / Zombie Hunter (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: September 2021

Spoiler

Not long after finishing the previous game, I decided to use this opportunity to also check out the other D3 Publisher game I have in my backlog which is the spin-off game SG/ZH: School Girl / Zombie Hunter. This one was interesting because it's a third person shooter with zombies and was published by Aksys Games. Aksys Games did provide a physical release in Europe but it's pretty rare so I went for the US version that was cheaper and readily available.

Similar to Onechanbara, this is also a low-budget game and there's no English dub this time around. You can tell the budget was low as the cutscenes are weird and the gameplay is fine but not as polished as you would expect. Honestly the game literally plays like a PS2 game which is an amusing experience. The concept is pretty decent though, as each mission requires you to either reach a destination, take out all of the enemies, destroy a few items, collect a few items, survive for a certain amount of time, defend for a certain amount of time or straight up defeat a boss.

The story was forgettable due to how slow the cutscenes were, and the level variety isn't there as it reuses the same locations. Considering this is a game with school girls stuck in a high school in the middle of a zombie apocalypse I suppose they didn't want to wander about in other areas outside of the school like in Highschool of the Dead for budgetary reasons. The game also uses a lot of blue barriers to block you from reaching some areas though you can still hit enemies from that distance.

The game has about 6-7 main missions per chapter and 4 mini-missions each which offer the same variety as the ones above, though with an added sniper section. I think the game was a decent time since each mission is pretty short, but overall I wouldn't grab the game at full price which is what it's currently going for on digital platforms. At least the game runs at 60fps when played on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility, compared to the PS4 version which has a lower framerate.

---

Game: 11 - Ratchet & Clank: QForce (PlayStation 3)
Acquired: April 2021

Spoiler

I decided to go back and revisit the PlayStation 3 once again and finish off the remaining Ratchet & Clank titles I own on the system, which are the spin-offs. Starting with QForce, a tower defence game that is surprisingly good fun.

The idea of this game is that you have a base and you need to reach the opponent's base to then defend your own afterwards. But in-between that you will need to go around and slowly unlock the enemies base's defences so that you can safely get to that point without being hit to death. Along the way you can also locate mini-item bases that give you a weapon if you manage to beat a mini-puzzle which requires you to time the points on the screen. After getting a new weapon to your roster, you will need to go back and defend your base from incoming enemies that appear on either the left or right sides which is thankfully noted on your screen pretty well which makes travel easier.

Your base can be protected with turrets, shields and mines that does include the disco dancing ball which is pretty effective even against larger enemies. These can be acquired by using the game's pieces that is essentially currency. Do note that you will start from scratch for each level which does make sense otherwise the game would end up being too easy, however your weapon upgrades will carry over so if you want to go back and beat some challenges this will be very useful.

In terms of length per level, it will depend on what weapons you choose along the way (for instance you have to choose between a regular blaster or a drill weapon on one item box) and their upgrades because it could make your progression faster. I found each level to take about 30 mins to an hour depending on the situation. But overall the difficulty was pretty balanced and fair so I didn't find it too hard to finish the story mode. Speaking of which, there's only five levels and the game is pretty short running at about 4-6 hours playtime.

That said, I do think the game's length is pretty decent considering the game's repetitiveness and focus on online multiplayer. The online servers are still active but I did have a go at its online mode tutorial so I got a rough idea on its gameplay which is pretty interesting as well with money appearing the more you capture specific mini-bases in the area. I didn't go for a Platinum because it requires online multiplayer (you don't need PlayStation Plus for PS3 online but there's no one playing the game).

---

Game: 12 - Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PlayStation 3)
Acquired: June 2021

Spoiler

All 4 One is another spin-off of the Ratchet & Clank Future saga series and I would consider it to be the least favourable one in the series. The game's concept is pretty good with a four player storyline and there's a lot of cool ideas involved throughout, but the game has two big issues - a different control scheme which can be completely messy at times, and pacing issues.

Let's start with the pacing issues. There are 9 chapters in the campaign and they are ridiculously long. You would think it would be much faster with four players together but that's not really the case as there's a lot of moments throughout that are very slow and quite frankly just tedious to progress. These chapters feel like multiple levels at once and while there are some cool aspects throughout like the puzzles, it's very repetitive and overstays their welcome. One level for instance was on a lighthouse esque scenery and it was just too long and sufferable which is unfortunate considering there's some fun parts like the boss fight.

The control scheme is different but I feel like it struggles to decide whether it wants to be a twin-stick type shooter or a regular R&C game because the way you change weapons is just awful. Not to mention the AI partner isn't always there as you can die and the AI wouldn't want to help. The difficulty is decent but you would probably have a better experience with another player. The weapon selection feels off as a lot of the guns don't do much and the one weapon you think would be useless (the one that turns enemies into animals) is ridiculously overpowered even on boss fights which is hilarious.

The playtime was about 12-14 hours and I feel this game is not the best in the franchise. I will say that the RYNO segments (the ones where you go through trying to get a monster from one part of the level to the other like a mouse following a path) is actually pretty fun as its short and doesn't overstay its welcome but is also rewarding at the same time. While I did get more trophies in this game compared to QForce, multiplayer is need for the Platinum.

---

Game: 13 - Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation (PlayStation Vita)
Acquired: July 2018

Spoiler

Nep Nep. It's been a while since I last played a Neptunia game. I was originally going to play this remake after the first one back in September but other things had gotten in the way. I decided now was a good time to delve back and it's been an interesting experience.

For context, I have played the original version released on PS3 known as Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2. It was a much better experience compared to the original PS3 version of the first one, which was a nightmare to progress due to its battle system. But since then, the Neptunia franchise pretty much kept the same battle system from mk2 onwards. Re;Birth 1 was a complete revamp of the original first game, but Re;Birth 2 is mostly the same as before with some tweaks to the mix.

One big difference is that there's now an additional ending to the story, which is basically the 'good' ending of the Conquest storyline which was infamous for being dark. In addition, the game also has the same assets and mechanics from Re;Birth 1 which does feel a bit cheap at parts. And lastly we have a unique but tedious mini-game called Stella's Dungeon.

The story of Re;Birth 2 is the same as the original - Nepgear (SEGA portable girl) must unite with Uni (PlayStation portable girl) and Rom & Ram (Nintendo portable girls) to rescue their older sisters and protect Gamindustri. It's an enjoyable time and there's a vast amount of characters that join the roster, with Cave (based on the very hard bullet hell games so there's a lot of references to her dodging people in condensed crowds), 5pb (an idol), Falcom (an adventurer based on Nihon Falcom games Ys & Legend of Heroes), and more. Characters Nisa and Gust from the original do not return, as those publishers were not involved with the Re;Birth games. You can build the trust of each character with Lily Ranks which gives you some extra bonuses during combat like reduced SP, faster turns and more.

The battle system is like a mix between traditional turn-based RPGs and Valkyria Chronicles' tactical RPG gameplay. You can move your character around in a specific window and you then have the option to attack with some combos of various kinds, use special attacks or support moves, an EXE Drive that provides super moves which can be very handy in bigger fights, and the usual items, defend and escape if needed. The game uses a queue system where your character has to wait for their turn before they can attack which is similar to the Shin Megami Tensei games, where some abilities can move you forward in the queue or the enemy further back.

In addition to the combat system, you can customise your characters with different cosmetics like a hat, costume or for the CPUs additional components to make them even stronger during fights. You will want to constantly update their movesets and equipment because the game can get pretty challenging out of nowhere. But if you want more of a challenge, near the end of the game you'll unlock the colosseum which are boss battles or group battles to earn extra XP, credits or change the shares of each region (also you won't get a game over if you do die in these battles which is a plus). You can also create Discs which give you extra support like faster earnings, reduced damage against specific enemy types and increase the lily ranks of your teammates.

Just like the previous games, the share system is still here. When you finish a quest or take part in the colosseum, you can move around the shares between each region which determines the ending of the game as well as any characters you may unlock. Getting 15% between each region and 40% below Arfoire will let you reach Chapter 7 & the True End route. Getting 70% for one region before Chapter 6 will unlock a specific ending for that region. The conquest route requires watching a few major cutscenes in Chapter 2 and getting 55% shares on Planeptune before Chapter 6 as well as unlocking the CPUs (which each require 50% in their regions, it's a mess this whole system). The share system is a cool idea but the problem is that when you go into New Game Plus, the characters have to be re-unlocked which is just a pain to deal with. The Holy Sword route is the Conquest requirements as well as having all CPU members receive a Lily Rank of 8 with Nepgear which can also be a grind-fest.

The worlds have some variety but they do re-use a lot of areas with some tweaks to the dungeons as well as differing enemies. If you are cautious and look at every bit of detail that is shown after a story plot-point or two, with the info notes throughout the map, you will also unlock new plans. These plans include Change Dungeon, Add Enemies, Change Items and also other integral items like Destroy Symbols (kill battles before they even start) and Symbol Attack Gains (receive EXP/credits etc with the former).

Now the story itself is good fun and the combat is also pretty enjoyable when you're not stressed due to the difficulty. But here is where I want to go over more on the trophies aspect to it. This game does have a fairly easy Platinum but it's challenge is down to patience and time. In addition to having to earn all of the endings, you'll also have to get Level 99 for every character, defeat a secret boss, earn a culminative total of 100 million credits, use 200 plans and the most tedious of them all - Stella's Dungeon.

Stella's Dungeon is an RNG mini-game where you have Stella traverse in a dungeon and you have to wait and see if she manages to finish it alive or not. If she reaches all of the areas in a dungeon, that's cleared for the completion. The challenge here is that the amount of time she takes to complete a dungeon is based on real-time i.e. if it takes 3 hours to finish a dungeon, you literally have to wait 3 hours. Not to mention, Stella can die so you will have to start all over again to see if she can live the next.

When Stella dies, she will lose all of her equipment making the mini-game completion even more ridiculous. This is why I made the decision to acquire the 79p DLC which will not only half the time it takes for Stella to finish the dungeon, but will also allow her to keep the equipment when she gets killed. The developers did fix this tedious aspect with Re;Birth 3 at least (but it is recommended you get the 79p DLC for that game too for the equipment saving and timesaving for different reasons).

But that's not the only problem. You will also have to get access to every single dungeon in the game which will also require having access to specific plans like Add Enemies to unlock those dungeons. There are 4 dungeons that can't be accessed until New Game Plus and they're located in Chapter 2, and if you're not careful enough they are easily missable which can be a nightmare to deal with.

The positives of the mini-game is that you can save the game after Stella starts her dungeon exploration, turn off the Vita (either by sleep mode or switching it off entirely) and then come back later in the day to get the result, so you don't have to be actively staring at the screen to see if she is making progress or not.

Because of the Stella Dungeon mini-game, my playtime took 3 complete playthroughs, and a couple of days waiting for the mini-game to be completed for the Platinum trophy. I did admittedly also spend an extra 79p to increase the Level cap from 99 to 399 to get the secret boss and some of the tougher enemies in the hidden dungeons out of the way because even if you're max level you can easily get killed or spend ages just to get the items you want which is also a massive pain. That said I also acquired free DLC packs which actually sped up the game's progress as well thanks to a weapon for Nepgear which basically killed or took out a majority of the enemy HP in a few turns which really caught me off guard but was a nice addition (especially since I have already experience the game's challenges and such with the original PS3 version).

Overall, Neptunia Re;Birth 2 is a pretty decent remake for the original game. I do wish they had more variety but I suppose the blame is down to Re;Birth 1 taking the assets and such beforehand. I do wish they had made the mini-game a lot faster but its not a bad concept in general.

---

My backlog so far:

Spoiler

#​	PC/Steam Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky	Turn-Based RPG
2​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation 3 Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	3D Dot Game Heroes	Action RPG
2​	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow	Action, Hack n Slash
3​	Catherine	Puzzle
4​	Drakengard 3	Action RPG
5​	Eternal Sonata	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Folklore	Action RPG
7​	inFAMOUS	Action
8​	inFAMOUS 2	Action
9​	Katamari Forever	Puzzle
10​	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	Turn-Based RPG
11​	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time HD	Action, Hack n Slash
12​	Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones HD	Action, Hack n Slash
13​	Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD	Action, Hack n Slash
14​	Puppeteer	Platformer
15​	Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles HD	On-Rails Shooter
16​	Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles HD	On-Rails Shooter
17​	Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time	Action, Platformer
18​	Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
19​	Way of the Samurai 4	Action

#​	PlayStation 4 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
2​	AI: The Somnium Files	Adventure, Visual Novel
3​	Black Clover: Quartet Knights	Action, Fighting
4​	Bullet Girls Phantasia	Action, Shooter
5​	The Caligula Effect: Overdose	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions	Sports
7​	Chaos;Child	Visual Novel
8​	Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars	Turn-Based RPG
9​	Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses Online	Action RPG
10​	Danganronpa 1 Reload	Visual Novel
11​	Danganronpa 2 Reload	Visual Novel
12​	Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony	Visual Novel
13​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne Utopia	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
14​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars Install	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
15​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
16​	Death Mark	Visual Novel
17​	Dragon's Crown Pro	Action RPG
18​	Fate/Extella Link	Musou
19​	Final Fantasy VIII Remastered	Turn-Based RPG
20​	Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Win	Tactical RPG
21​	Gal*Gun 2	On-Rails Shooter
22​	Gintama Rumble	Action, Musou
23​	Gravity Rush 2	Action, Platformer
24​	Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate	Action RPG
25​	JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven	Fighting
26​	Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa	Puzzle, Visual Novel
27​	Langrisser	Tactical RPG
28​	Langrisser II	Tactical RPG
29​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel	Turn-Based RPG
30​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II	Turn-Based RPG
31​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III	Turn-Based RPG
32​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV	Turn-Based RPG
33​	Megadimension Neptunia VII	Turn-Based RPG
34​	Megadimension Neptunia VIIR	Turn-Based RPG
35​	NG	Visual Novel
36​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm	Action, Fighting
37​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2	Action, Fighting
38​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3	Action, Fighting
39​	Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom	Action RPG
40​	Nights of Azure	Action RPG
41​	Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon	Action RPG
42​	One Piece Unlimited World Red	Action
43​	One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3	Musou
44​	Our World Is Ended	Visual Novel
45​	Persona 5 Royal	Turn-Based RPG
46​	Persona 5 Strikers	Action RPG, Musou
47​	Punch Line	Visual Novel
48​	Raging Loop	Visual Novel
49​	Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the Throne	Visual Novel
50​	Robotics;Notes DaSH	Visual Novel
51​	Robotics;Notes ELITE	Visual Novel
52​	SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays	Tactical RPG
53​	SD Gundam G Generation Genesis	Tactical RPG
54​	Secret of Mana	Action RPG
55​	Sengoku Basara 4: Sumeragi	Musou
56​	Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal	Action
57​	Shining Resonance: Refrain	Action RPG
58​	Sisters Royale	Shoot em up
59​	Steins;Gate Elite	Visual Novel
60​	Steins;Gate: Linear Bound Phenogram	Visual Novel
61​	Super Robot Wars 30	Tactical RPG
62​	Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers	Tactical RPG
63​	Super Robot Wars T	Tactical RPG
64​	Super Robot Wars X	Tactical RPG
65​	Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet	Action RPG
66​	Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions!	Music, Rhythm
67​	Tales of Berseria	Action RPG
68​	Tales of Vesperia	Action RPG
69​	Tales of Zestiria	Action RPG
70​	Tokyo Xanadu eX+	Action RPG
71​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
72​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
73​	Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
74​	Utawarerumono: Zan	Action, Musou
75​	Valkyria Chronicles 4	Tactical RPG
76​	Valkyria Revolution	Action RPG
77​	The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival Edition	Action RPG
78​	WORLDEND SYNDROME	Visual Novel
79​	YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World	Visual Novel
80​	Ys IX: Monstrum Nox	Action RPG

#	PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Judgment	Action, Beat em up
2​	Lost Judgment	Action, Beat em up
3​	Nioh	Action Souls RPG
4​	Nioh 2	Action Souls RPG
5​	Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder Labyrinth	Metroidvania RPG
6​	Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Bullet Girls	Action, Shooter
2​	Demon Gaze	Dungeon RPG
3​	Freedom Wars	Action
4​	Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart	Tactical RPG
5​	Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed	Action
7​	MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies	Action, Musou
8​	Muv-Luv	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
9​	Muv-Luv Alternative	Visual Novel
10​	Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard Girls	Turn-Based RPG
11​	Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni	Action

#	Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Fire Emblem: Three Houses	Tactical RPG
2​	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Racing
3​	Senran Kagura Reflexions	Simulation
4​	Super Mario 64	Action, Platformer
5​	Super Mario Galaxy	Action, Platformer
6​	Super Mario Sunshine	Action, Platformer
7​	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Fighting
8​	Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition	Action RPG
9​	Xenoblade Chronicles 2	Action RPG

52 Games Goal:

Spoiler

No.	Game	Console​	Acquired​	Genre
1​	Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes	PS3​	2017​	Musou
2​	Toukiden 2	PS4​	2019​	Hunter RPG
3​	Fist of the Nort Star: Lost Paradise	PS4​	2019​	Action, Beat em Up
4​	JUMP FORCE	PS4​	2022​	Fighting
5​	Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul	PS4​	2020​	Fighting
6​	Code Vein	PS4​	2020​	Action Souls RPG
7​	Super Robot Wars V	PS4​	2019​	Tactical RPG
8​	Gran Turismo 7	PS5​	2022​	Racing
9​	Onechanbara Z2: Chaos	PS4​	2020​	Action, Hack n Slash
10​	SG/ZH: School Girl / Zombie Hunter	PS4​	2021​	Action, Shooter
11​	Ratchet & Clank: QForce	PS3​	2021​	Action, Platformer
12​	Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One	PS3​	2021​	Action, Platformer
13​	Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation	Vita​	2018​	Turn-Based RPG

 

[SAHO]

World End Syndrome​

View attachment 21068

This game has pretty much been backlogged since launch. Haven't played through a VN for lord knows how long but decided to give it a shot. Well gotta say, I almost dropped this game as the first three routes hadn't been what I'd expect from the lore of World End. For me the emphasis on romance, minor personal problems and daddy issues had me lost as I had expected a Physiological Mystery and Horror vibe. Boy I was so wrong. Once you get to the fourth route onwards, that's where the core of game truly awaits. Many tense situations and the characters who seemed friendly reveal their real colours once you begin to delve too deep into the mysteries. The Final route + "Truth Chapter" had been absolutely wild and tragic. The twists really has you hooked and you'll be unable to drop out until you've reached the end of these parts. What's even crazier is that even though the main story felt pretty wrapped up. The epilogue is tearing into you that these events are only the beginning for the worst to come. That is to say... The upcoming sequel World End Phenomenon. Verdict: Although not a must have VN, it is definitely worth looking into as the story (though slow in the beginning), character design, art, background and soundtrack is amazing to witness. Especially playing on Nintendo Switch feels great on the go. Rating:★7/10 - GOOD

CLANNAD -complete-​

This was the last VN I completed late 2021. Forget what you've seen in the Anime. This is the complete package for Clannad and was worth every minute.

Although it's very lengthy, you'll get to see many character interactions and routes (even a Sunohara one ) that wasn't included in the anime adaption.

For me Clannad After Story (not the BS ending) and Tomoyo After (past midpoint) are without a doubt one of the most impactful stories I've read in VNs.

Although Tomoya and Tomoyo are bit out of character early game. Eventually they begin to revert back into their original personalities as seen in Clannad.

End game is where the Utsuge kicks off, making you believe life is comfortable after things settle down. With great accomplishments comes consequences that will challenge yourself and those dear to you. Life will always have pending obstacles with every action taken.

Many may already know Clannad's conclusion hence why I'll refrain from giving my thoughts this time.

The ending for Tomoyo After was real tragic to experience and gives the thought that maybe it wasn't exactly "a wonderful life". Contrarily, despite the downfall the cast go through, as time moves forward they'll stand tall again. As they rely on each other once more, walk their paths and eventually pass away. They'll be able to cherish their life and the special memories of that summer. With that, perhaps it is a "a wonderful life"

Throughout the week after completion of CLANNAD Complete. I've been reflecting on my choices and whether I've been living the best I can. Providing the incentive to such thinking after game. That's truly some powerful writing right there.

Thank you key for creating this wonderful work. I'll always look back to this story as inspiration for my own journey of life.

 

[Dai]

Persona 5 Royal
I've had a long and troubled history with the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, stretching back over 20 years to when I imported Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PS1). I loved the idea of the game, but that one was undone by a clunky interface that made battles about as enjoyable as navigating a mid-90s Microsoft Works database, so I never finished it. A few years later Persona 3 looked like a big step forward, so I imported that, loved it at first, but gave up after 50 hours thanks to a story that refused to get out of second gear and some of the most tedious randomly-generated dungeons I've ever seen.

This series does some things so well though (the settings, characters, atmosphere, social aspects, battle system, and persona fusion system) and I kept hoping they'd fix the pacing and dungeons, so I tried Persona 4 multiple times, but each time I bounced off it after 30-40 hours due to the same flaws as P3. Until this year, the only SMT game I'd ever completed was the first Digital Devil Saga, thanks to its manageable duration. I never finished the second one due to losing patience with a battle system that could see my party wiped out before I could take a turn, combined with save points often an hour apart.

So I approached Persona 5 Royal with some trepidation, but I'm glad I gave it a chance because it's now the first Persona game I've completed. It has all the strengths of the earlier games, but finally fixes most of the flaws. Save points are much more frequent and fast-travelling between them is straightforward. The main dungeons are now bespoke designs with all sorts of area-specific gimmicks to keep things interesting, and there's a rudimentary stealth system that elevates exploration above just running around thwacking amorphous blobs to initiate battle. There are all sorts of nice little refinements that make combat flow faster and smoother. Social activities now include some playable minigames like darts and fishing mixed in with the countless dialogue scenes.

It only has a few lingering problems. Annoyingly, the bespoke dungeons aren't a replacement for the tedious randomly-generated corridors, but in addition to them. Mementos is 81 floors of repetitive tedium that the game would have been much stronger without, and is only borderline tolerable because it's so easy to dodge around enemies to avoid combat. It should have at least been optional, but you have to trudge all the way through it to complete the game. That leads into the other problem: for such a great game, the story still takes too long to get going and the game massively, massively outstays its welcome. I had 142 hours on the clock by the end, and the combat was really getting repetitive by the last 50. Weirdly I spent the final 20 hours both impatiently waiting for it to end and wanting it to keep going because I'd become attached to most of the characters. I say most because the final flaw was Ryuji, an obnoxious blabbermouth who acts as the de facto voice of the party early on (thanks to an almost silent protagonist), and consistently says the worst things in every situation.

Despite those annoyances, it's a game that anyone with an interest in JRPGs should play, as long as they have the time and patience for it. It's made me want to dive back into the SMT franchise, so I'm keeping an eye on the upcoming Soul Hackers 2.

 

[DragoStark]

I finished up The Last of Us and Left Behind today.
I thought it was alright. I know for sure now that stealth games are not my jam anymore. My patience has worn thin as I've gotten older haha. I am a run and gun kinda gal these days so the early segments where you have to complete a fight in one specific way got me a bit frustrated. After I got the gear and guns though I was fine and I enjoyed the story so it was a good experience overall.
I'm still on the fence whether I play Part 2 or not. Heard some mixed things about it. Maybe if I find it dirt cheap one day I'll pick it up.

Next up on the PS4 will be a quick playthrough of Journey and then a difficult decision to either go back to Horizion Zero Dawn (and probably restart it because it's been like two years and I can't remember the controls at all ha) or start the Uncharted games.

 

[SteadyHandMcDuff]

I finished up The Last of Us and Left Behind today.
I thought it was alright. I know for sure now that stealth games are not my jam anymore. My patience has worn thin as I've gotten older haha. I am a run and gun kinda gal these days so the early segments where you have to complete a fight in one specific way got me a bit frustrated. After I got the gear and guns though I was fine and I enjoyed the story so it was a good experience overall.
I'm still on the fence whether I play Part 2 or not. Heard some mixed things about it. Maybe if I find it dirt cheap one day I'll pick it up.

Next up on the PS4 will be a quick playthrough of Journey and then a difficult decision to either go back to Horizion Zero Dawn (and probably restart it because it's been like two years and I can't remember the controls at all ha) or start the Uncharted games.

I feel similar. Fromsoft games used to be my favourites but nowadays I'd rather play more relaxed games like Ace Attorney instead.

If you haven't tried the Uncharted series then I totally recommend them if you decide to play them. I started with the trilogy about a year ago and they made me question how I called myself a gamer but hadn't played them. They're just so comfy and full of charm.

 

[Dai]

If you haven't tried the Uncharted series then I totally recommend them if you decide to play them. I started with the trilogy about a year ago and they made me question how I called myself a gamer but hadn't played them. They're just so comfy and full of charm.

Uncharted is one of a handful of super-popular franchises that I've never been able to get into. I did complete Uncharted 2 once, but it quickly bores me when I try to go back to it. I lost interest halfway through 3, and gave up on 1 and the Vita one pretty fast. It's the combat that kills them for me, which is odd because it's not a million miles from the combat in The Last of Us, which I think is great. The difference is that every shot in The Last of Us has impact; it feels weighty. In Uncharted it's more like I'm spraying shots of tequila at the enemies that makes them stagger around like teenagers on their first pub crawl. It also doesn't help that the characters are all cocky Hollywood stereotypes that irritate me.

Despite leaning too far into grimdark territory and overdoing the resource gathering, I much preferred the first two Tomb Raider reboot titles for the same gameplay mix with better execution.

 

[SteadyHandMcDuff]

Uncharted is one of a handful of super-popular franchises that I've never been able to get into. I did complete Uncharted 2 once, but it quickly bores me when I try to go back to it. I lost interest halfway through 3, and gave up on 1 and the Vita one pretty fast. It's the combat that kills them for me, which is odd because it's not a million miles from the combat in The Last of Us, which I think is great. The difference is that every shot in The Last of Us has impact; it feels weighty. In Uncharted it's more like I'm spraying shots of tequila at the enemies that makes them stagger around like teenagers on their first pub crawl. It also doesn't help that the characters are all cocky Hollywood stereotypes that irritate me.

Despite leaning too far into grimdark territory and overdoing the resource gathering, I much preferred the first two Tomb Raider reboot titles for the same gameplay mix with better execution.

I'd definately agree that the combat is the weakest part overall. I wasn't a fan too.

I did find playing on explorer difficulty made it much more enjoyable, with the majority of the annoying staggering gone. Leaving more of a spotlight for the puzzles which were the best part for me.

Did you ever try it on the lower difficulties also?

 

[Dai]

I did find playing on explorer difficulty made it much more enjoyable, with the majority of the annoying staggering gone. Leaving more of a spotlight for the puzzles which were the best part for me.

Did you ever try it on the lower difficulties also?

No, I hadn't thought to try that. I might give it a go at some point. Thanks.

 

[SteadyHandMcDuff]

No, I hadn't thought to try that. I might give it a go at some point. Thanks.

No worries. I hope it helps.

 

[NormanicGrav]

Just one game for the month of May, as I've been focusing on my anime Blu-ray backlog and other things instead.

---

Game: 14 - Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation (PlayStation Vita)
Acquired: August 2018

Spoiler

Nep Nep playthrough continues with the Re;Birth version of Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, the last game in the PS3 trilogy. I played Victory not long after mk2 and enjoyed it a lot, so going into this mistake it's pretty much identical with a few changes here and there.

The world map is different to the predecessors as we have Nep going into a different dimension which features Plutia as their version of Nep. The gameplay is similar to the original, with the EXP gauge modified so that it relies on the SP availability you have which doesn't replenish when you move around the world map. Getting your character's K.O.'d during combat also means you can swap them out with another character if they are available in your party selection.

One big difference to the original is an extra secret boss fight and that's about it. Stella's Dungeon also makes a return with this version of the game, and it's much easier and can be completed at a faster rate than before. No need to spend hours having to unlock a path through every dungeon since in this game you just need to find specific materials in select areas and you can unlock the keys to get the higher areas.

The trophies in this game are sort of easier, but the big hurdle is getting Lily Ranks for each character (non-DLC) which to be fair was faster than I had expected as you can rank up four characters in one go if you have extra disc items to help increase lily rank growth in your equipment.

The game does have multiple endings; Normal, Good & True. The latter two are in a similar path as you basically need to view all scenes found in specific locations to unlock that final ending. The ending also determines whether you have all or select members in your party available to you for the final boss and map.

Overall, Neptunia Re;Birth 3 is pretty much the peak of the gameplay setup for the franchise, unless Victory II manages to do better than that on PS4. The next step after Neptunia Re;Birth 3 in terms of the franchise is to go through the spin-offs.

---

My backlog so far:

Spoiler

#​	PC/Steam Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky	Turn-Based RPG
2​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation 3 Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	3D Dot Game Heroes	Action RPG
2​	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow	Action, Hack n Slash
3​	Catherine	Puzzle
4​	Drakengard 3	Action RPG
5​	Eternal Sonata	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Folklore	Action RPG
7​	inFAMOUS	Action
8​	inFAMOUS 2	Action
9​	Katamari Forever	Puzzle
10​	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	Turn-Based RPG
11​	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time HD	Action, Hack n Slash
12​	Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones HD	Action, Hack n Slash
13​	Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD	Action, Hack n Slash
14​	Puppeteer	Platformer
15​	Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles HD	On-Rails Shooter
16​	Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles HD	On-Rails Shooter
17​	Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time	Action, Platformer
18​	Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
19​	Way of the Samurai 4	Action

#​	PlayStation 4 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
2​	AI: The Somnium Files	Adventure, Visual Novel
3​	Black Clover: Quartet Knights	Action, Fighting
4​	Bullet Girls Phantasia	Action, Shooter
5​	The Caligula Effect: Overdose	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions	Sports
7​	Chaos;Child	Visual Novel
8​	Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars	Turn-Based RPG
9​	Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses Online	Action RPG
10​	Danganronpa 1 Reload	Visual Novel
11​	Danganronpa 2 Reload	Visual Novel
12​	Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony	Visual Novel
13​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne Utopia	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
14​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars Install	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
15​	Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
16​	Death Mark	Visual Novel
17​	Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories	Adventure, Simulation
18​	Dragon's Crown Pro	Action RPG
19​	Fate/Extella Link	Musou
20​	Final Fantasy VIII Remastered	Turn-Based RPG
21​	Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Win	Tactical RPG
22​	Gal*Gun 2	On-Rails Shooter
23​	Gintama Rumble	Action, Musou
24​	Gravity Rush 2	Action, Platformer
25​	Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate	Action RPG
26​	JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven	Fighting
27​	Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa	Puzzle, Visual Novel
28​	Langrisser	Tactical RPG
29​	Langrisser II	Tactical RPG
30​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel	Turn-Based RPG
31​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II	Turn-Based RPG
32​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III	Turn-Based RPG
33​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV	Turn-Based RPG
34​	Megadimension Neptunia VII	Turn-Based RPG
35​	Megadimension Neptunia VIIR	Turn-Based RPG
36​	MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA	Fighting
37​	NG	Visual Novel
38​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm	Action, Fighting
39​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2	Action, Fighting
40​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3	Action, Fighting
41​	Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom	Action RPG
42​	Nights of Azure	Action RPG
43​	Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon	Action RPG
44​	One Piece Unlimited World Red	Action
45​	One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3	Musou
46​	Our World Is Ended	Visual Novel
47​	Persona 5 Royal	Turn-Based RPG
48​	Persona 5 Strikers	Action RPG, Musou
49​	Punch Line	Visual Novel
50​	Raging Loop	Visual Novel
51​	Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the Throne	Visual Novel
52​	Robotics;Notes DaSH	Visual Novel
53​	Robotics;Notes ELITE	Visual Novel
54​	SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays	Tactical RPG
55​	SD Gundam G Generation Genesis	Tactical RPG
56​	Secret of Mana	Action RPG
57​	Sengoku Basara 4: Sumeragi	Musou
58​	Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal	Action
59​	Shining Resonance: Refrain	Action RPG
60​	Sisters Royale	Shoot em up
61​	Steins;Gate Elite	Visual Novel
62​	Steins;Gate: Linear Bound Phenogram	Visual Novel
63​	Super Neptunia RPG	Turn-Based RPG
64​	Super Robot Wars 30	Tactical RPG
65​	Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers	Tactical RPG
66​	Super Robot Wars T	Tactical RPG
67​	Super Robot Wars X	Tactical RPG
68​	Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet	Action RPG
69​	Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions!	Music, Rhythm
70​	Tales of Berseria	Action RPG
71​	Tales of Vesperia	Action RPG
72​	Tales of Zestiria	Action RPG
73​	Tokyo Xanadu eX+	Action RPG
74​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
75​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
76​	Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
77​	Utawarerumono: Zan	Action, Musou
78​	Valkyria Chronicles 4	Tactical RPG
79​	Valkyria Revolution	Action RPG
80​	Wing of Darkness	Action, Arcade
81​	The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival Edition	Action RPG
82​	WORLDEND SYNDROME	Visual Novel
83​	YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World	Visual Novel
84​	Ys IX: Monstrum Nox	Action RPG

#	PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Judgment	Action, Beat em up
2​	Lost Judgment	Action, Beat em up
3​	Nioh	Action Souls RPG
4​	Nioh 2	Action Souls RPG
5​	Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder Labyrinth	Metroidvania RPG
6​	Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Bullet Girls	Action, Shooter
2​	Demon Gaze	Dungeon RPG
3​	Freedom Wars	Action
4​	Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart	Tactical RPG
5​	Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed	Action
6​	MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies	Action, Musou
7​	Muv-Luv	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
8​	Muv-Luv Alternative	Visual Novel
9​	Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard Girls	Turn-Based RPG
10​	Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni	Action

#	Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Fire Emblem: Three Houses	Tactical RPG
2​	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Racing
3​	New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe	Platformer
4​	Senran Kagura Reflexions	Simulation
5​	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Action, Platformer
6​	Super Mario 64	Action, Platformer
7​	Super Mario Galaxy	Action, Platformer
8​	Super Mario Sunshine	Action, Platformer
9​	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Fighting
10​	Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition	Action RPG
11​	Xenoblade Chronicles 2	Action RPG

52 Games Goal:

Spoiler

No.	Game	Console​	Acquired​	Genre
1​	Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes	PS3​	2017​	Musou
2​	Toukiden 2	PS4​	2019​	Hunter RPG
3​	Fist of the Nort Star: Lost Paradise	PS4​	2019​	Action, Beat em Up
4​	JUMP FORCE	PS4​	2022​	Fighting
5​	Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul	PS4​	2020​	Fighting
6​	Code Vein	PS4​	2020​	Action Souls RPG
7​	Super Robot Wars V	PS4​	2019​	Tactical RPG
8​	Gran Turismo 7	PS5​	2022​	Racing
9​	Onechanbara Z2: Chaos	PS4​	2020​	Action, Hack n Slash
10​	SG/ZH: School Girl / Zombie Hunter	PS4​	2021​	Action, Shooter
11​	Ratchet & Clank: QForce	PS3​	2021​	Action, Platformer
12​	Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One	PS3​	2021​	Action, Platformer
13​	Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation	Vita​	2018​	Turn-Based RPG
14​	Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation	Vita​	2018​	Turn-Based RPG

 

[DragoStark]

I had Ghostrunner on GOG that I got from a mate with a spare key so I decided to give it a whirl.

I regretted that decision.

The best thing about the game is the soundtrack and the visuals. It is a beautiful looking game.

Other than that, infinitely frustrating and the only reason I grit my teeth and finished the game through all the pain of those goddamn jumping puzzles and enemies, especially right at the end was because I was so far in I refused to give up. Some of those cybervoid puzzles...ugh. One literally gave me a headache from all the rotating.

As soon as I finished it I uninstalled immediately. No desire to touch that game again. Did not have a good time overall. I'm not good with precision platformers. I completed it through sheer dumb luck

 

[Lucky_Deity]

Been playing Persona 4 Golden the past month (though been busy the last few weeks so haven't had the chance to have a long gaming session as I can never play it in short bursts, too addictive) and I think it may actually be my new favourite game of all time, I've enjoyed every second of it and I am so attached to the cast, will wait until I finish it to give my complete thoughts though.

I am a massive Sonic fan and enjoy the majority of the games regardless of quality but there has been a few of the mainline games I've never actually beat as every time I play them I either get bored or they have really annoying sections but I've finally sat down and finished two out of the remaining three the last few days.

Sonic Lost World - Now that I've played all of it, it wasn't as bad as my previous playthrough attempts but I'll still rate it pretty low on my enjoyment factor, though the gameplay and mechanics have some interesting ideas such as parkour, I find the controls quite finicky and they caused me to die a lot and I'm used to awkward mechanics in Sonic games, trust me. Sonic's base speed is pretty slow as well which is always a downfall in a Sonic game.
Since Colours the stories haven't been that great either and this is the same, the characters dialogue is just them saying a bunch of things and feels very unnatural and doesn't flow well. The new villains of the game, the Deadly Six are some of the worst villains in Sonic history and SEGA and Sonic Team keep forcing them down our throats, I feel with the right execution they could be redeemed but would need a bit of an overhaul, they have no goals outside of being mad at Eggman which is at least something I guess but we get no lore or backstory on them apart from that they're known as Zeti and live in these mysterious floating islands known as the Lost Hex which we no nothing about as well.
For the positives, the stages even if not always designed the best are pretty to look at and there are some standout stages, though not as detailed as say Unleashed, being more cartoony and block coloured, it works for the tone of the game. The music is also pretty great as with most Sonic games, not as memorable as some but the music for the rail grinding stages would likely be my favourite track.
Overall, despite more negatives than positives, I found the game fine though I'd rather play any other of the mainline games apart from the few I'm about to mention.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I - One of the most bland Sonic games, thankfully it's very short, cba to even talk about it tbh, doubt I'll go back to it unless I do an entire Sonic marathon sometime. Not counting spin-offs (such as Labyrinth), my least favourite Sonic game.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II - The last mainline Sonic game I have not finished yet which I'm currently playing through, an improvement over Episode I, looks better, sounds better and more interesting levels as opposed to discount Green Hill, Casino Night, Labyrinth and Metropolis from Episode I. Unfortunately the gameplay is still the same with some added team mechanics with Tails which are fine but apart from that, more of the same but with a better coat of paint. One of the bosses was annoying me a bit earlier so will go back to it later / tomorrow as it isn't a long game either.

 

[RadFemHedonist]

I tried playing a western VN called Cinders the other day, I actually quite liked it (my main reservation is I'm hoping it doesn't just turn into victim-blaming nonsense as I'm getting a slight vibe of that maybe), it's based on the fairytale Cinderella, and is billed as a "your choices matter" kind of story. I dunno if anyone else here has played it but I think I will revisit it and play more of it, maybe delve in and play for hours in a single day or as a steady drip. As others here generally know I'm not much of a gamer, but VNs I enjoy here and there