What Games Are You Playing?

God of War and its sequel God of War II have held up pretty well - I’m now playing God of War III remastered before stepping into the reboot and its sequel.
 
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP via PS5)

Finally another R&C game on modern consoles. This is the second title in the series I've beaten now (the first being R&C 2016).

Though I've jumped in with the 5th title in the series with Size Matters it was easy enough to jump into with simple knowledge of the series. The game itself was a decent time though. It feels and plays like a R&C game, just smaller and simpler in scale.

There are two gripes I have with the game though, first off is that the camera is quite zoomed in which can make gameplay a bit awkward at times but considering it's a PSP game I can forgive it and I did get used to it in the end. The second thing though is that enemies are weapon sponges and deal heavy damage as well, even simple enemies in the late game. Fortunately to circumvent this the PSP emulator Sony are using has a rewind feature which I made use of when I found it reasonable too.

Plot wise it's very simple, nothing to write home about but the characters are themselves so they're enjoyable to watch though Qwark definitely felt forced into the plot and honestly didn't really add much at all but he's fun to watch all the same.

There were a number of mini-games as well which include hoverboard races, an on-rails shooter, a robot derby demolition, Lemmings-like puzzles and a simple sports game where you have to score the most goals.

These were a mixed bunch. The hoverboard races don't control great but as I mentioned with the rewind feature, it makes them easier. The on-rails shooter is similar to Star Fox so if you like that then this is fine. The robot derby and puzzles I found fairly fun and the sports game was fine but felt dragged out with how many there were.

I was doing all the mini-games as I came across them to get the extra bolts and rewards but the final set of Clank mini-games (derby, puzzle and sports) I decided not to do as there were quite a lot and I was nearing the end game, slowing down the pace. I feel I got enough experience from the first round of Clank's mini-games earlier on.

Overall this was a decent time, definitely not the strongest title and wouldn't miss much skipping out on this one, especially if you have access to other games in the series but at the same time it's only a 4 - 5 hour game so isn't a big commitment and if you enjoy the series, I'd say it's worth a shot.

As a side note, though I said at the beginning of this that this was only the second R&C I've beaten I have played a number of other titles in the series over the years, just haven't sitten down properly and beaten them which is why I'm comparing Size Matters overall.
 
I’m now playing God of War (2018), a very different take on the series but I’m enjoying this new approach for the most part so far.
 
I finished the Muv-Luv trilogy...

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I haven't played a classic VN like these for decades. Took me way back to my late teenage years and the nostalgia was a great hit. I actually really enjoyed Extra and Unlimited, despite the general reviews that they're the weakest entries. I found Alternative to drag a bit too much. I'm not sure whether it's because I played them one after another so the amount of reading was pretty crazy (not to mention I completed every route) or whether it's because it was significantly longer than the first two. Probably a mix of both. Also I started to get a bit frustrated with Alternative's plot.
I understand it's supposed to show that humanity is literally on it's knees but at some point I got tired of a half hour explanation of the plan for something to go wrong almost immeditely because the BETA always had a counter of some kind and it was very much like right ok, who's dying/sacrificing themselves this time round. It got to the point where I was expecting the main girls to die.
At that point it was losing it's impact and I very much just wanted it to conclude already lol.
CHOMP was impactful though. I had heard about it but didn't know context or when it happens so it still got me.

Anyway, great experience. I can see why it's highly rated. Not as good as Fate Stay/Night though. That VN will live with me forever. Although having all the routes from Extra and Unlimited technically canon was genius. Made playing through all the routes in both Extra and Unlimited worth it. Don't skip those games.

I got the bundle from humble so I have all the side/alternative stories too. I'll probably wait a little before I get to those though. I've done enough reading for a year 😂
 
I’m now playing God of War (2018), a very different take on the series but I’m enjoying this new approach for the most part so far.
God of War (2018) turned out to be a very good experience overall, despite the dodge mechanic being a bit naff. Moved onto God of War: Ragnarok this weekend too.
 
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Completed a 1st run through of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak

probably one of my fave trails games. Good story and cast of characters. Like the combat system as well.
 
Found the thought of starting the Trails series a bit daunting given how many games there are in the series to date, which is one reason I've never really sat down to play any of them. Thoughts on starting with the more recent ones?

God of War (2018) turned out to be a very good experience overall, despite the dodge mechanic being a bit naff. Moved onto God of War: Ragnarok this weekend too.

Yep it's good, the new one carries on in the same vein as well.

The banter between the characters is great and the game generally feels very cinematic as well.
 
Found the thought of starting the Trails series a bit daunting given how many games there are in the series to date, which is one reason I've never really sat down to play any of them. Thoughts on starting with the more recent ones?
With the way the games are you would ideally start with the 1st lot of games (Trails in the Sky) because as you play future games there are references and characters you would only understand if you've played in order, but I think it's just on steam and I think released on psp back in the day (there are mutterings of a remake). I've not played Trails in the Sky as I don't play on Steam or have a psp.

If you have to start somewhere then I'd play Trails from Zero or Trails of Cold Steel. I got into the Trail series from playing Trails of Cold Steel first.
 
Useful thanks @Gemsy-chan I'll definitely consider it!

I tried out the demo for Visions of Mana (out on PS5 and Steam) but must say I am not blown away by it, and won't be buying on release.

Granblue Fantasy Relink blows this game out of the water imo.
 
I took a break from gaming in May and started again for June! The backlog for the PlayStation side hasn't grown that much but the Nintendo backlog is expanding (which is fine since the game length isn't as crazy as the others).

My write-up wasn't ready in time for end of June so I held off until the end of July to include a few more games that I recently finished.



#10 - Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: June 2022

When Stranger of Paradise was first announced, all people talked about was how they wanted to kill Chaos. Personally what they showed didn't grab my attention and so I moved on, but then Square Enix released a demo closer to release that allowed people to carry content over to the main game which I can't recall if this was a thing prior or was one of the first, so I gave it a shot and immediately got hooked on what they were going for.

This is a Nioh-lite type of game by developer Team Ninja, the same folks behind Nioh, however it does strip a lot of the technical aspects that you would find in that game as well as other Souls titles. Dying as an example doesn't have consequence so you are able to level up your builds without ease, and you can bail from areas if needed without losing anything. It is pretty much the definition of an entry level game for this type of genre that does carry your hand around a lot. There is still a challenge to the combat especially with the boss fights but in most cases you will be able to breeze through them without issue. That said you can adjust the difficulty between Story, Action and harder modes. I went for Action which is pretty much the Normal difficulty level of the game.

Despite the strip down aspect of that, I still found Stranger of Paradise to be a really entertaining experience. The gameplay does have its interesting quirks like how you can switch between different classes with ease during combat and especially in situations where you need to adjust your setup because your boss fight or opponent isn't going to work with your current build. There isn't much enemy variety though outside of the boss fights.

Every enemy drops items and gear to keep you going, and this is a big deal because difficulty management is based on the level of your gear, as your characters do not have a level system of their own. In return, your classes have different abilities and skills that you can unlock to improve its stats. The downside with picking up items is that you are capped to holding up to 600 items altogether, and the only way to remove them from your selection is during the in-between areas and dismantling them. I did this as it was the only option and it can take a while especially when you have a lot, because they will fill it fairly fast when you go through like a few missions (whether its a story mission or a sub-mission).

I have used most of the classes throughout my playthrough and a lot of them work really well. The magic abilities in the Sage class were great and during the final areas I used that as well as the Breaker class which has my favourite ability, the Zantetsuken, which can deal a lot of damage against multiple enemies in front of you which is great for specific situations. I also really enjoy Jack, our main lead, just grabbing the enemies and insta-killing them into red crystals. My build by the end of the playthrough included a Level 124 weapon with clothing ranging from Levels 101-118.

In terms of the story and characters, when you start the game it is bizarre and weird as you would expect. Yet somehow, as you progress through the story, it starts to make more sense about why Jack's character is the way it is and why the characters feel out of place in the world. Not going to go into spoilers but the direction was rather surprising and does make me want to play the first Final Fantasy.

I have not decided to get the DLC expansions because I have read they were in the same situation as Nioh where you need to play the game in higher difficulties to get the best gear before going into the content and I'm not spending extra amount of hours just for that. In terms of playtime, I spent 21 hours 49 minutes to finish the main story and many of the sub-missions. I recommend going through the sub-missions before jumping into the story missions because you want to have the best gear as possible.

Overall Stranger of Paradise was a surprisingly entertaining experience and while there's many areas of the gameplay that is stripped down from the Nioh and Souls genre, I do think the game is still a fun time and performance wise I have no issue with the frame rate and resolution. The characters are weird but welcoming and the story direction was interesting. If you find the game on sale I recommend giving it a shot. The Chaos memes were worth it.



#11 - The Hong Kong Massacre (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: June 2023

So last year I bought a few indie digital games that have had my interest for a while and were on sale, and one of them was The Hong Kong Massacre (the other was Ruiner). This game was apparently the inspiration for that top-down scene in John Wick Chapter 4 according to the director, which is funny considering this style and genre I recall was popularized by the Hotline Miami games which I have played and enjoyed a lot.

The Hong Kong Massacre is about taking down a group of guys in an area in one take, no deaths and its one hit kills for everyone. This adds a lot of challenge to the mix because you want to be precise and have the right weapons and ammo for the situation. You can pickup weapons that enemies drop in each level and you can upgrade your starting weapon before proceeding. This ranges from extra bullets, better fire rate and faster movement if needed. The game's structure has about five days with each one covering six levels and a boss for each. The game gets challenging each time and the final day in particular does have some that have taken me a long time to sort out.

Now before we proceed, I do want to highlight that this game is responsible for making me feel ill i.e. motion sick, and its because of how fast-paced the game is in terms of dying and resetting the level progress and the repetitiveness of the game's structure in terms of the direction you need to take to beat each level. With Hotline Miami, that game has the same style (top down approach, one hit kills, defeating all enemies in an area) but it felt slower paced and has different ways to approach enemies (also the music was brilliant) whereas with The Hong Kong Massacre its all about beating the levels as soon as you can and it wants to go for the Hong Kong action style of pace where its fast with slow motion as an option if needed, but the game rewards you for not using that ability so I avoided it altogether outside of boss fights.

View attachment The Hong Kong Massacre - gameplay - optimised.mp4

Despite me feeling sick, I do think the gameplay itself is still fun and I found the challenge to be interesting, because the AI changes positions in every retry you have in each level. They don't stay in the exact same spot so for example they could be a few steps away from their regular spot or on the other side of the room which adds to the chaos of the combat. This can also cause issues where you end up dying more which is also a pain. During combat, in addition to the slow motion ability you can also dive which will make you immune from damage for a short process which is handy during taking out multiple enemies in an area. The AI is ruthless and will immediately aim at you correctly in most cases which is frustrating but the game rewards you for taking them out in a single take.

In terms of performance, the frame rate is decent, the cutscenes are terrible with low resolution quality and there have been many instances where I have somehow managed to dive on top of the rooms in many areas which is weird. The game was made with Unity so I wonder if this was an issue with compatibility issues porting the game over to PlayStation 4 but I have heard the Nintendo Switch version had similar issues.

The game took me about 4-5 hours worth of playtime and I did manage to finish the game's story in a single day, at the cost of my health that is, but I would say if you want to check the game out you're best going for the PC version and tweak the settings if you can to avoid any motion sick if you have that.



#12 - RUINER (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: June 2023

After recovering from my time playing The Hong Kong Massacre, I immediately started RUINER which was the next game that I wanted to play in the backlog as the two were similar in gameplay.

RUINER has been on my to-play list for many years due to its cyberpunk aesthetic and soundtrack, which includes a classic song from Susumu Hirasawa. The game is a semi-top down twin stick shoot em up where you go from room to room or area to area killing all of the enemies getting in your way to reach the end of the zone, sometimes with a boss fight getting in the way.

My hype was anticipated but it paid off as I had a great time playing through this indie game by Reikon Games and Devolver Digital. Now I will add that I started this game after they released a patch that modified a lot of the gameplay balance including difficulty, so my experience was smooth compared to those who played the game at launch and were slapped around constantly.

RUINER has multiple chapters and the story was pretty interesting. The hacker that guides you has a few fun anime style reactions when you finish a fight against enemies and the direction of the story I liked a lot. The music still slaps throughout and works well, though I did wish it had a few more artists like Carpenter Brut, HEALTH, Perbutator and SIERRA that I reckon would contribute well to the soundtrack.

View attachment RUINER - gameplay - optimised.mp4

Throughout the game you can pickup many different weapons which will have a limited amount of ammo but there's plenty of extra weapons available that you can use to keep the pace going. Melee weapons are also available and you can use critical hits against enemies so they are killed immediately. Also worth mentioning that you can level up your abilities for things like shield, extra health, easy dodging by mini teleporting around, and more. You won't be able to unlock every ability slot in a single playthrough but the game does support New Game+ which is good for those who want more.

There's also a few other game modes available but my main focus was the story campaign. Compared to The Hong Kong Massacre, the game performance for the PS4 version was smooth with a stable frame rate and great visual quality.

Overall, the game's story was about 3-4 hours of playtime and I recommend it. Plays well on consoles so feel free to pick and choose whether to go for PS4 or PC with this one.



#13 - One Piece: Unlimited World Red (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: January 2022

So late last year I spent a few months re-reading the One Piece manga and enjoyed the experience. Eventually after that I started playing through the One Piece games that I had bought for the PlayStation 4, notably One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 and One Piece: Burning Blood. Unfortunately I was distracted by other things and I didn't play any more since.

Now I finally took the chance to play the next one in the backlog which is One Piece: Unlimited World Red, an original story that I recall continues the Unlimited series that Bandai Namco have released on Nintendo platforms (like the DS & Wii). This game was eventually released on the PlayStation 3 and then remastered for PlayStation 4. The latter is the version that I have.

My experience with this game is of two things - one is that there's a lot of content that you can take from this game to spend a lot of hours on which is great and the story itself is honestly pretty decent for an original storyline. The other is the combat is rather sluggish. I like aspects of the combat, for example you are rewarded for doing a specific combo to achieve a bit of damage but the damage you take against the enemies feels underwhelming compared to Pirate Warriors or Burning Blood where it does feel like you are doing damage to them during the gameplay.

That said, you can control different characters from the Straw Hat crew which is pretty cool and I played through most of them, namely sticking with Luffy, Zoro and Robin. Each character has different styles of combat and there are special unlocks unique to each character throughout each area you explore. The areas are your Straw Hat crew revisiting a lot of the previous storylines from One Piece which is fine but does feel disappointing as it means there's not much originality out of the game.

Another gameplay aspect I want to mention is that you can add words to characters to build their strength which is pretty neat, like temporary damage and health to the team and more, which adds more variety and you can earn more by exploring the areas back and forth. Visually the game looks good though the cutscenes felt incomplete especially when characters are speaking.

One last bit to mention is the village hub area as you can build the shops to help with your journey, basically taking the city-building genre and applying it to the game. I won't lie, this actually felt nostalgic to me and reminded me a lot of a niche little game called Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King on WiiWare. Random I know.

There are other modes available but I mainly wanted to focus on the main story, and I will say this game is a perfect example of the trope where focusing solely on the story punishes you with a high difficulty curve so you need to spend time doing side quests to build your team before progressing which can take hours. I spent 8 hours 15 mins playtime finishing the story and doing some side content to get to the end.



#14 - One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: May 2024

Out of nowhere I immediately decided to play the One Punch Man fighting game that I recently picked up, and I expected a straight up simple fighter that is barebones. What I ended up getting is a game that has a lot more effort put into it than I anticipated. Now for the record I have seen people compare this game to other fighters like Naruto Shippuden's Ultimate Ninja Storm series but I haven't played those yet (I do own them), but I would say this game more akin to JUMP FORCE in its structure.

For starters you can create your own character and build up their stats including different power moves that you can switch back and forth on in-between each fighting stage, and customise the costumes including your own little room which is something. Similar to Attack on Titan 2, the game puts you in the perspective of a non-canon character that ends up interacting with the main cast of characters throughout the events of the first season. There is voiced dialogue and this is the first time I've heard the voices properly in English, which is the same dub cast from the anime, and honestly I liked it. I felt each character's dub voice worked well, though Tatsumaki's voice is different to what I had imagined but nothing wrong with that.

The fighting combat is pretty fun where you can use different attack moves and special moves to defeat your opponent. You have a bar on the top-left corner that builds up which allows you to use special moves once you reach a specific amount depending on what ability you have equipped. When you reach 6 filled bars, you can go into a special move where if you have enough bars and have the ultimate move equipped you can use that super move against the opponent which will pretty much knock them out. I only ever used this at the last second since in a majority of the fights you will have finished the battle before that point in all honestly.

Along the way, the cast of characters you interact with will also be available in side quests where you build their relationships and unlock their move set which allows for more customisation. Some of the side quests will ask for you to be a specific build beforehand. These builds are different types of move sets from Power move, to Weapon move, Psychic move and a Monster type move. Each build have their own ranks where it's maximum is Level 5, which offers more ability slots. Your main character has its own ranking and levelling up. You can reach as high as Level 99 with each level allowing you points to build up your strength, special moves, speed and more. There's also the ranking from the hero association which starts with Rank C and as you complete special missions you can raise it up to Rank S.

Saitama also makes an appearance and in a very smart way. Because he's so overpowered, he will randomly appear into the battle and if you're lucky you can one-shot your opponent and effectively end the match right there. In fact all of the other heroes do appear in the fight which is pretty fun, so if you want Fubuki to show up she can but it's randomised. But on the plus side, when they do appear they stick around and you can play as them throughout the remainder of the fight.

The only issue that I have with this game is the block move doesn't really work well especially when you're pushed to the ground and want to get back up which can also take ages. It's annoying mainly when you're up against a very strong opponent but it just feels really tiresome and annoying when it keeps happening. Sometimes you just have to constantly grab them before they get back up to avoid getting hammered to the ground and have your moves blocked constantly.

Overall One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows was a rather surprising Bandai Namco fighting game. I do think JUMP FORCE is a better time but considering the saturated amount of anime fighting games this one is pretty decent and I enjoyed my time. Enjoyed it a lot to which it made me want to revisit the anime again. I have also achieved the Platinum trophy which was doable offline with a few additional hours of grinding needed but it was worth the time. Playtime overall took me about 12 hours in total.



My backlog so far:
#​
PC/Steam Backlog - Game Name:​
Genre:
1​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the SkyTurn-Based RPG
2​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SCTurn-Based RPG
#​
PlayStation 3 Backlog - Game Name:​
Genre:
1​
3D Dot Game HeroesAction RPG
2​
Bleach: Soul ResurrecciónFighting
3​
Castlevania: Lords of ShadowAction, Hack n Slash
4​
CatherinePuzzle
5​
Drakengard 3Action RPG
6​
Eternal SonataTurn-Based RPG
7​
FolkloreAction RPG
8​
Gran Turismo 5 Academy EditionRacing
9​
inFAMOUSAction
10​
inFAMOUS 2Action
11​
Katamari ForeverPuzzle
12​
MotorStormRacing
13​
Prince of PersiaAction, Platformer
14​
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten SandsAction, Platformer
15​
SEGA RallyRacing
16​
Sly Cooper: Thieves in TimeAction, Platformer
17​
Sonic & All-Stars Racing TransformedRacing
18​
Spec-Ops: The LineAction, Shooter
19​
Split/Second: VelocityRacing
20​
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the OverlordTactical RPG, Visual Novel
21​
Tekken 6Fighting
22​
Way of the Samurai 4Action
#​
PlayStation 4 Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
13 Sentinels: Aegis RimTactical RPG, Visual Novel
2​
AI: The Somnium FilesAdventure, Visual Novel
3​
Black Clover: Quartet KnightsAction, Fighting
4​
Bullet Girls PhantasiaAction, Shooter
5​
Burnout Paradise RemasteredRacing
6​
The Caligula Effect: OverdoseTurn-Based RPG
7​
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New ChampionsSports
8​
Catherine Full BodyPuzzle
9​
Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve StarsTurn-Based RPG
10​
CRYSTARAction RPG
11​
Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses OnlineAction RPG
12​
Danganronpa 1 ReloadVisual Novel
13​
Danganronpa 2 ReloadVisual Novel
14​
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair GirlsAction, Shooter
15​
Danganronpa V3: Killing HarmonyVisual Novel
16​
Date A Live: Rinne Utopia (Rio-Reincarnation)Visual Novel, Dating Sim
17​
Date A Live II: Ars Install (Rio-Reincarnation)Visual Novel, Dating Sim
18​
Date A Live III: Twin Edition: Rio ReincarnationVisual Novel, Dating Sim
19​
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's MemoryTurn-Based RPG
20​
Disaster Report 4: Summer MemoriesAdventure, Simulation
21​
Dissidia Final Fantasy NTArcade, Fighting
22​
Dragon Quest Heroes IIAction RPG, Musou
23​
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive EditionTurn-Based RPG
24​
Dragon's Crown ProAction RPG
25​
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenAction RPG
26​
Fairy TailTurn-Based RPG
27​
Fate/Extella LinkMusou
28​
Final Fantasy IXTurn-Based RPG
29​
Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares WinTactical RPG
30​
Gal*Gun 2On-Rails Shooter
31​
Gintama RumbleAction, Musou
32​
GOD EATER 3Action Hunter RPG
33​
Gravity Rush 2Action, Platformer
34​
The Great Ace Attorney: AdventuresVisual Novel
35​
The Great Ace Attorney 2: ResolveVisual Novel
36​
Gundam Breaker 3 BREAK EDITIONAction, Arcade
37​
Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite CombateAction RPG
38​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of HeavenFighting
39​
Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of FujisawaPuzzle, Visual Novel
40​
LangrisserTactical RPG
41​
Langrisser IITactical RPG
42​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelTurn-Based RPG
43​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IITurn-Based RPG
44​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IIITurn-Based RPG
45​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IVTurn-Based RPG
46​
Legend of ManaAction RPG
47​
Megadimension Neptunia VIITurn-Based RPG
48​
Megadimension Neptunia VIIRTurn-Based RPG
49​
MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINAFighting
50​
My Hero Academia: One's JusticeFighting
51​
My Hero Academia: One's Justice 2Fighting
52​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja StormAction, Fighting
53​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2Action, Fighting
54​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3Action, Fighting
55​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road to BorutoAction, Fighting
56​
NEO: The World Ends With YouAction RPG
57​
Neptunia Virtual StarsAction
58​
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja WarsAction
59​
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch RemasteredTurn-Based RPG
60​
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomAction RPG
61​
Nights of AzureAction RPG
62​
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New MoonAction RPG
63​
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4Action, Musou
64​
One Piece: World SeekerAction
65​
Our World Is EndedVisual Novel
66​
Persona 5 RoyalTurn-Based RPG
67​
Persona 5 StrikersAction RPG, Musou
68​
Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyVisual Novel
69​
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for AllVisual Novel
70​
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and TribulationsVisual Novel
71​
Punch LineVisual Novel
72​
Raging LoopVisual Novel
73​
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the ThroneVisual Novel
74​
Robotics;Notes DaSHVisual Novel
75​
Robotics;Notes ELITEVisual Novel
76​
SD Gundam G Generation Cross RaysTactical RPG
77​
SD Gundam G Generation GenesisTactical RPG
78​
Secret of ManaAction RPG
79​
Sengoku Basara 4: SumeragiMusou
80​
Senran Kagura Burst Re:NewalAction
81​
Shadow of the ColossusPlatformer
82​
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD RemasterTurn-Based RPG
83​
Star Ocean: First Departure RAction RPG
84​
Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD RemasterAction RPG
85​
Steins;Gate EliteVisual Novel
86​
Super Neptunia RPGTurn-Based RPG
87​
Super Robot Wars 30Tactical RPG
88​
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon DwellersTactical RPG
89​
Super Robot Wars TTactical RPG
90​
Super Robot Wars XTactical RPG
91​
Sword Art Online: Fatal BulletAction RPG
92​
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions!Music, Rhythm
93​
Tales of BerseriaAction RPG
94​
Tales of VesperiaAction RPG
95​
Theatrhythm Final Bar LineMusic, Rhythm
96​
Tokyo Xanadu eX+Action RPG
97​
Trials of ManaAction RPG
98​
Utawarerumono: Mask of DeceptionTactical RPG, Visual Novel
99​
Utawarerumono: Mask of TruthTactical RPG, Visual Novel
100​
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the FallenTactical RPG, Visual Novel
101​
Utawarerumono: ZanAction, Musou
102​
Valkyria Chronicles 4Tactical RPG
103​
Valkyria RevolutionAction RPG
104​
WipEout Omega CollectionRacing
105​
The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival EditionAction RPG
106​
WORLDEND SYNDROMEVisual Novel
107​
Yakuza 3 RemasteredAction, Beat em up
108​
Yakuza 4 RemasteredAction, Beat em up
109​
Yakuza 5 RemasteredAction, Beat em up
110​
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldVisual Novel
#​
PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Alan Wake RemasteredAction, Shooter
2​
CONTROL Ultimate EditionAction, Shooter
3​
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII -Reunion-Action RPG
4​
Cyberpunk 2077Action
5​
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami ChroniclesFighting
6​
The DioField ChronicleTactical RPG
7​
DOOM EternalAction, Shooter
8​
FANTAVISION 202XPuzzle
9​
Fate/Samurai RemnantAction RPG, Musou
10​
ForspokenAction RPG
11​
Ghost of TsushimaAction, Adventure
12​
Ghostwire: TokyoAction, Survival Horror
13​
Granblue Fantasy Re:linkAction RPG
14​
GrimGrimoire OnceMoreReal-Time Strategy RPG
15​
HadesDungeon Crawler
16​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle RFighting
17​
JudgmentAction, Beat em up
18​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into ReverieTurn-Based RPG
19​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through DaybreakTurn-Based RPG
20​
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His NameAction, Beat 'em up
21​
Lost JudgmentAction, Beat em up
22​
Mobile Suit Gundam BATTLE OPERATION Code FairyAction
23​
MONARKTactical RPG
24​
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs ForgottenTurn-Based RPG
25​
Neptunia ReVerseTurn-Based RPG
26​
Neptunia: Sisters vs SistersAction RPG
27​
One Piece: OdysseyTurn-Based RPG
28​
Pac-Man World Re-PacPlatformer
29​
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder LabyrinthMetroidvania RPG
30​
RelayerTactical RPG
31​
SD Gundam Battle AllianceAction RPG
32​
Shin Megami Tensei V: VengeanceTurn-Based RPG
33​
Soul Hackers 2Turn-Based RPG
34​
Star Ocean: The Divine ForceAction RPG
35​
Star Ocean: The Second Story RAction RPG
36​
Tactics Ogre RebornTactical RPG
37​
Tales of AriseAction RPG
38​
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2Sports
39​
Unicorn OverlordTactical RPG
40​
Valkyrie ElysiumAction RPG
41​
Yakuza 7: Like a DragonTurn-Based RPG
42​
Ys IX: Monstrum NoxAction RPG
43​
Yurukill: The Calumniation GamesShoot em up, Visual Novel
#​
PlayStation Classics (via PS5) Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the RescuePlatformer
2​
Everybody's Golf 2Sports
3​
Kurushi Final: Mental BlocksPuzzle
4​
The Legend of DragoonTurn-Based RPG
5​
Twisted Metal 2Action, Racing
6​
Valkyrie Profile: LennethTurn-Based RPG
7​
Wild ArmsTurn-Based RPG
8​
Wild Arms 2Turn-Based RPG
#​
PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Bullet GirlsAction, Shooter
2​
Freedom WarsAction
3​
Valkyrie Drive BhikkhuniAction
#​
Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Advance Wars (Re-Boot Camp)Tactical RPG
2​
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Re-Boot Camp)Tactical RPG
3​
Akai Katana ShinBullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
4​
Anonymous;CodeAdventure, Visual Novel
5​
Avenger (Telenet Shooting Collection)Arcade, Shoot 'em up
6​
Blade Runner: Enhanced EditionAdventure, Point & Click
7​
Captain Toad: Treasure TrackerPuzzle, Platformer
8​
Castle of Shikigami 2Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
9​
Castlevania (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
10​
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
11​
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
12​
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
13​
Castlevania: The Adventure (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
14​
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Advance Collection)Action, Platform
15​
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
16​
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Advance Collection)Action, Platform
17​
Castlevania: Dracula X (Advance Collection)Action, Platform
18​
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (Advance Collection)Action, Platform
19​
Chaos;ChildAdventure, Visual Novel
20​
Chaos;Head NoahAdventure, Visual Novel
21​
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers EditionTurn-Based RPG
22​
Contra (Anniversary Collection)Side-scrolling Shooter
23​
Contra Hard Corps (Anniversary Collection)Side-scrolling Shooter
24​
Contra III: The Alien Wars (Anniversary Collection)Side-scrolling Shooter
25​
Cruis'n BlastRacing
26​
Cursed to GolfSports, Platformer
27​
Cytus AlphaMusic, Rhythm
28​
DeathsmilesBullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
29​
Deathsmiles IIBullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
30​
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical FreezeAction, Platform
31​
Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
32​
Final Fantasy Adventure (Collection of Mana)Action RPG
33​
Final Fantasy II (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
34​
Final Fantasy III (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
35​
Final Fantasy IV (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
36​
Final Fantasy V (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
37​
Final Fantasy VI (Pixel Remaster)Turn-Based RPG
38​
Fire Emblem WarriorsAction, Musou
39​
Fire Emblem: EngageTactical RPG
40​
Fire Emblem: Three HousesTactical RPG
41​
Gaiares (Telenet Shooting Collection)Arcade, Shoot 'em up
42​
Granada (Telenet Shooting Collection)Arcade, Shoot 'em up
43​
Grandia (HD Collection)Turn-Based RPG
44​
Grandia II (HD Collection)Turn-Based RPG
45​
The House in Fata MorganaVisual Novel
46​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from ZeroTurn-Based RPG
47​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to AzureTurn-Based RPG
48​
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless TrailsAction RPG
49​
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildAction RPG
50​
The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningAction RPG
51​
Live A LiveTactical RPG
52​
Mario Kart 8 DeluxeRacing
53​
Metroid DreadMetroidvania
54​
Metroid Prime RemasteredAction, Shooter
55​
MUSYNXMusic, Rhythm
56​
New Super Mario Bros U DeluxePlatformer
57​
Octopath TravelerTurn-Based RPG
58​
Operation C (Anniversary Collection)Side-scrolling Shooter
59​
Paper Mario: The Origami KingTurn-Based RPG
60​
Powerslave ExhumedAction, Shooter
61​
Psychic Storm (Telenet Shooting Collection)Arcade, Shoot 'em up
62​
Radiant SilvergunBullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
63​
Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess (Marl Kingdom Chronicles)Turn-Based RPG
64​
Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom (Marl Kingdom Chronicles)Turn-Based RPG
65​
River City Girls ZeroAction, Beat 'em ups
66​
Secret of Mana (Collection of Mana)Action RPG
67​
Senran Kagura Peach BallPinball
68​
Senran Kagura ReflexionsSimulation
69​
Shadow Man RemasteredAction, Adventure
70​
Super Castlevania IV (Anniversary Collection)Action, Platform
71​
Super Contra (Anniversary Collection)Side-scrolling Shooter
72​
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryAction, Platformer
73​
Super Mario GalaxyAction, Platformer
74​
Super Mario Maker 2Action, Platformer
75​
Super Mario OdysseyAction, Platformer
76​
Super Mario SunshineAction, Platformer
77​
Super Smash Bros. UltimateFighting
78​
Syd of Valis (SD Valis) (Valis Collection 2)Action, Platformer
79​
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FETurn-Based RPG
80​
Trials of Mana (Collection of Mana)Action RPG
81​
Triangle StrategyTactical RPG
82​
Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass MoonVisual Novel
83​
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (Valis Collection 1)Action, Platformer
84​
Valis II (Valis Collection 1)Action, Platformer
85​
Valis III (Valis Collection 1)Action, Platformer
86​
Valis IV (Valis Collection 2)Action, Platformer
87​
Witch on the Holy NightVisual Novel
88​
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive EditionAction RPG
89​
Xenoblade Chronicles 2Action RPG
90​
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden CountryAction RPG
91​
Yoshi's Crafted WorldAction, Platformer

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The 2024 '40' Games Goal:
No.Game
Console​
Acquired​
Genre
1​
Quake
PS5​
2023​
Action, Shooter
2​
Quake II
PS5​
2023​
Action, Shooter
3​
MushimeSama
Switch​
2023​
Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
4​
Nioh 2 Remastered
PS5​
2022​
Action Souls RPG
5​
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
PS5​
2024​
Action RPG
6​
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
PS5​
2024​
Action RPG
7​
Puppeteer
PS3​
2019​
Action, Platformer
8​
Stranglehold
PS3​
2023​
Action, Shooter
9​
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
PS4​
2021​
Turn-Based RPG
10​
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
PS5​
2022​
Action Souls RPG
11​
The Hong Kong Massacre
PS4​
2023​
Top-Down Shooter
12​
RUINER
PS4​
2023​
Top-Down Shooter
13​
One Piece: Unlimited World Red
PS4​
2022​
Action
14​
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
PS4​
2024​
Fighting

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Street Fighter 6
A massive improvement over SF5, especially considering the barebones state the previous game launched in. SF6 has an RPG-length story mode that's a great place to learn its systems. While its main plotline is weak, it's fun getting to know all the classic SF characters and slowly adding their moves to your custom character's arsenal. It's hilarious watching Ryu's awkward attempts to learn how to text or indulging Cammy's crazy cat lady tendencies. Sidequests and minigames are all over the place. You can challenge pretty much any random pedestrian to a fight, and each of these offers rewards for completing a random selection of challenges during the match. Throughout, the story mode gradually teaches you how to play the game, starting with the basics and moving on to more advanced techniques.

Outside of that, SF6 has a great base roster of returning and new characters. There are plenty of tutorial and challenge options for learning each character, plus some crazy match modifiers (like bombs or stampeding bulls). Arcade mode is a bit disappointing from a story perspective, since it rarely pushes any character's story forward; they generally end with the same unfulfilled objective as when they started.

I royally suck at fighting games when going up against players who know what they're doing, so I've only had limited enjoyment from the online modes, but this is still one of the best fighting games to get for single-player content.
 
God of War (2018) turned out to be a very good experience overall, despite the dodge mechanic being a bit naff. Moved onto God of War: Ragnarok this weekend too.
Finished Ragnarok and am playing the Roguelike Valhalla add-on currently. Ragnarok is a stronger game overall though the crap dodging and lack of cool bosses excepting optional ones still stood out as flaws. Curious to see where they take the story from here and am glad I finally gave this franchise a playthrough.
 
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