What Games Are You Playing?

I can't imagine watching DBZ older, I remember even as a kid being really impatient about the pacing - supposedly Kai clears all that,
Kai is definitely my preferred way to watch DBZ. It hacks over 100 episodes of bloat out and nothing of value was lost. The only downside is that the new footage sticks out, since the digipaint colours are over-saturated compared to the original cel art.

I've been chipping away at the original Dragon Ball for the last few years, and that desperately needs a Kai version too. Every time someone throws a punch or raises an eyebrow you get five minutes of reaction commentary from the peanut gallery.
 
I played this with my friends a couple years ago. Difficult game... they very enjoyed it as they learned it well and knew how to have some intense fights. Most fighting games require some dedication, but this really takes it up a notch. If you put the effort in it is clearly very rewarding.

As for the anime... it is of course amazing, you should keep watching. If you are early Frieza you absolutely should keep going because the conclusion of that is absolutely wonderful, one of the best shots (is this even the correct term for animation?) I have ever seen in anime. Those of you who have seen it probably know which one I mean...
Interestingly I found the game to be a lot more manageable than most other fighting games, an example are the combo trials, I normally cannot beat those things to save my life but here I've so far gotten through around 5 characters; it does seem to play somewhat differently to other 2D fighters though so I was heavily punished for going straight into a match without looking at a tutorial lol.

The tricky thing with the anime is that last I recall watching the first arc was 2018 so I'm thinking I will need to start over to avoid confusion, I normally need to really prepare myself to get through massive anime, when going through such shows, it is best to avoid watching any other anime as they will just distract me; with that said, having just gotten the Dragon Ball Super set on a sale, this is the year I plan to get through this absolute behemoth of a show before starting to watch Dragon Ball Super.
I'm liking all of the little convos they have as you go about adds some good depth without dragging you into cutscenes all the time.
Nearly every time this happens I choose to stop moving to avoid any risk of cutting off the dialogue; it's just that good.
 
Kai is definitely my preferred way to watch DBZ. It hacks over 100 episodes of bloat out and nothing of value was lost. The only downside is that the new footage sticks out, since the digipaint colours are over-saturated compared to the original cel art.

I've been chipping away at the original Dragon Ball for the last few years, and that desperately needs a Kai version too. Every time someone throws a punch or raises an eyebrow you get five minutes of reaction commentary from the peanut gallery.

Wow, that is a lot of time saved - had no idea it was that extensive. That's interesting to the point where I maybe wouldn't mind revisiting it eventually, if that's the case. That must be revolutionary for the rhythm of the series.

Wasn't aware they even added stuff, that's pretty cool even if the disparity is apparent.

Dragon Ball was adorable - my mother enjoyed watching it when I was glued to the TV, she was disappointed with the upgrade (downgrade?) in violence when Z came around.

That five minute comment gets my eye twitching, so vivid are the memories lol.

Uh, videogames. There, not off-topic.
 
I've started on Persona 3 Portable.

I'd played the other two versions of P3 before, but never the PSP one. It kinda sucks that the animated cutscenes are gone, but oh well.

Being more used to P4 and then P5, this game seems so dated now. It's still enjoyable, but I think a full remake in the style of P5 (as a full price game obviously) would have been better TBH.

Still good though!
 
There's an apparently solid rumour that 3 is getting a remake and it's pretty far along (6 too) ,so you may be getting your wish.

Portable shmortable, I can't bring myself to get it. Cool for FMC fans but menu-based traversal and no anime cutscenes clashes too violently with my expectation of what Persona is. Worse still, 3 was my first P game. And III my first SMT.

Totally in the mood for P4 now, but the length is way too big right now. shrug
 
Just started playing Star Ocean The Divine Force; so far it's pretty good, I'm liking how you can literally go flying around with DUMA, which even has special collectables dotted around the map and the music is pretty good as well.
One thing that is driving me mad though is just how microscopic the font size is, I thought it was bad in Elden Ring but at least there I could read the text if I sit a bit closer and there was not a lot of reading needing to be done in that game; here it is a major struggle to read even if I sit a bit closer to the TV; I don't understand why developers seem to keep doing this as of late, it was not an issue in the past, why does it have to be one now?.
 
Norco

This game first blipped on my radar because Thou were involved with the OST and I love those guys. Turns out it's someone else on actual-during-the-game-music duties but the soundtrack is really beautiful, I'm looking into a few themes as I write this - it's brilliant and emotionally effective.

If you're into the new-wave of text-based adventures where the writers flex about the place and carry most of the game, you're at home here. It's that, through a lens of Christianity (but more looking at it in a mythical way, really cool angle), complicated family relations and corporate desolation.

It also seems like one of those cases where it feels like you're missing out on a few winks if you're not from the place, the titular Norco in New Orleans. It feels like it has a local mythology. It's very absorbing.

Graphically it's stunning (but minimalist) with beautiful skyscapes mixed with at times surreal imagery. Refineries and swamps everywhere. Memorable faces. It puts you where it wants you.

In Norco you'll be reading the most beautiful, surreal description of going through an underwater window to end up gazing at a sea of stars up above and 5 minutes later you'll be hearing a detailed account of how a character had explosive diarrhea inside a limo thanks to your meddling. It reminds me a lot of Disco Elysium like that - it knows when it should take itself seriously.

Loved it!
 
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
This is the first CoD I've bought since the sci-fi themed Infinite Warfare in 2016. I dabbled in some of the more recent ones that went onto Playstation Plus, but none held my interest. The gunplay feels a lot more satisfying in MW2, probably the best it's been since its namesake from 2009. It's fast and responsive for run-and-gunners, but there are also map layouts that make slower, more methodical play viable.

The campaign is a mixed bag. It throws in quite a bit of variety in mission types, and they range from competent to great, but most are things we've seen before, almost to the point of feeling like a Greatest Hits. I guess there are only so many variations on, "Place the target in the centre and pull the switch" when they're not throwing in SF elements and the games still have to work on last-gen consoles. Storywise it desperately wants to be Sicario this time, and apes some of the most iconic scenes from that movie, but it's all executed with typically bombastic CoD tone-deafness. Dialogue is the usual laughable testosterone-soaked nonsense. You will see the Shocking Betrayals (tm) coming a mile away.

I'm a Basic B*tch when it comes to FPS multiplayer, so I've mostly just played team deathmatch online (I haven't installed Warzone). Most of the dozen maps are great (Shipment is trash, but it always was). Weirdly, while I've had a smooth experience online, playing offline against bots has been a buggy mess. As far as I can tell from the game's useless Netflix-style menus, private matches seem to be the only place you can use the Gun Game modifier (ie. weapons get swapped after every kill) rather than it being its own mode. Maybe they buried it because it's so broken; I've had times when either the bots or my character spawn without a weapon, times when bots can't see me, times when I don't appear on the scoreboard at the end of the round, and so on. In the campaign, too, AI pathfinding is trash and I saw an enemy float through a solid wall at one point.

It's weird; this is the buggiest I've ever seen CoD, and yet it's the most fun I've had with the series in over a decade thanks to its strong fundamental gameplay and good map design.
 
I finished up God of War III. I am so glad I decided to play through this series, I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Fantastic games. I'm a fan of Greek Mythology too so it was extra fun to see how they played with all the stories.
I'll be going back to God of War (2018) on the PS4. Now that I know more about Kratos' backstory I think I'll be even more invested.
 
I finished up God of War III. I am so glad I decided to play through this series, I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Fantastic games. I'm a fan of Greek Mythology too so it was extra fun to see how they played with all the stories.
I'll be going back to God of War (2018) on the PS4. Now that I know more about Kratos' backstory I think I'll be even more invested.
GOW 2018 and Ragnarok respectively make a ton of references to the old games which just makes it all the more rewarding to have played them; I think they even reference the PSP games at some points though it was a long time since I played them so I'm not 100% sure.
 
After taking a break in December, I have decided on a new goal for my gaming backlog throughout 2023. The aim is to finish 40 games, whether it's story-focused or Platinum, doesn't really matter as long as there's a point that feels like a complete playthrough.



#1 - Shining Resonance Refrain (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: November 2018

Many years ago during my PlayStation 3 hauls I picked up Shining Resonance which at the time was a Japan only release, and about a few years later SEGA decided to bring a remaster over to the west which was pretty cool. Shining Resonance Refrain is basically the same game as the original, but with an additional mode that lets you have two characters join your party. Those two characters don't impact the story in any way but you will get spoiled on specific parts when you speak to them in-between story segments in the town's hub.

The Shining franchise has been around for SEGA for decades and with Shining Resonance it's now an Action RPG with gameplay similar to the Tales franchise. You can control any character in your party and each have their own abilities and weapons. Your party consists of Yuma, your main protagonist, followed by Sonia, Kirika, Rinna, Agnum, Marion, and Lestin. Jinas and Excella were added as playable characters with the Refrain mode from the start.

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A notable theme throughout the story is that each weapon the characters in your party wield are like a musical instrument and together they can form songs through the B.A.N.D. system. This is a special group ability that helps you and your team during battles. These can give you boosts to support your health but also make combat easier against enemies with them losing attack power or defence. There are three slots on the bar that appear on the left corner of the screen and you can refill it simply by attacking your enemies.

One ability that Yuma has is being able to turn into a dragon which is pretty cool. The dragon ability is very over-powered as you can rest easy on your health while you destroy everything in front of you, but early on you can end up in a berserk mode which can cause trouble if you're not careful. That said, the dragon only has two-three attacks and that's about it so there isn't much on the customisation part of the combat. I also have an issue with how the transform setup works as you can often end up opening the B.A.N.D. function instead because this is R1 while the dragon is Hold L1 then R1 which is annoying.

In addition to your usual attack move you can also customise your abilites from an elemental attack, regular special attack to healing. These are called 'Forces' and you have four slots in total to fit each button on the controller (L1 + O/X/Triangle/Square). In addition to this there are various 'Tunings' that you pickup throughout the journey. These are orbs that you can equip for each character that offer various abilities; like extra health, magic power, boosts to your attack and defence and more including extra money, EXP outside your party and more.

The EXP outside of your party is called Image Training and that's going to be be very useful because you can only level up four characters in your party during combat so anyone who isn't fighting won't level up. Image Training will not only resolve that issue but will also level up your Tuning trait to get that maximum of Lv30 (if you want to get all tunings in the game, you'll need Lv30 for at least one tuning per character). One feature I haven't really used is the Bond Diagram, where you can customise your traits, because to be honest I wasn't sure how to use it properly, but you can manage without it.


Throughout the game you have a town hub. The town has a bunch of things going on, from resting in an inn to saving your game and even interacting with your companions. If you talk to your companions after being in combat together for at least 5-10 fights you can speak to them overnight which also gives you an opportunity to hang out with them in town (or date if you're speaking to female partners). If you date these characters at least four times, you will be able to unlock their character ending at the end of the game which once done will still let you revisit the others without having to worry about starting a new playthrough.

Also in town is the Grimoire. This lets you go through mini dungeons filled with enemies which can help you acquire more items and level your characters up much faster. Eggs will help you boost your level before post-game content. Also available in the town hub is a synthesis workshop to create more aspect tunings, a tuning setup so you can switch which major tuning you want for each character, various side quests and also speaking to your characters.

I spent 50 hours going through the game to achieve the Platinum trophy and overall I have some criticisms that I want to bring up. The game does have a difficulty spike especially when you are unexpectedly going to control two characters that may not be in your party and will be super under-levelled if you weren't interested in them and didn't know about this beforehand. I put in extra hours just to ensure that I could get past this point in the game (which occurs in Chapter 7).

Another issue I have is that the combat can be repetitive and its saving grace has been the force customisation so that you can have different magic abilities from time to time, and while the dragon combat is fun it doesn't have enough variety to make it more enjoyable. The character designs I really like but the cutscenes are very akin to visual novels but with 3D models so it does feel rather off. Now it could be a stylistic choice but to me it also feels like a budget constraint as well.

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In terms of positives however, I liked the companions in the party as well as one of the villains called Zest who has an interesting attitude and backstory which makes him stand out pretty well throughout the storyline. The English dub I also enjoyed a lot and felt the performances were very good. The only issue I had with the characters was that the main villain was generic and obvious from the start, but the ending to the game was great and enjoyed it a lot. I also felt the Norse mythology aspects did feel out of place but that's just personal preference.

The level design of the maps were pretty good and there's enough variety of enemies especially when the weather changes which adds more unique combat experiences. The monsters also level up to help you gain more EXP throughout the story which is handy because you don't want to end up being under levelled. Music is really good and was co-composed by Evan Call, reminded me of Umineko's soundtrack.

Shining Resonance Refrain is a pretty enjoyable JRPG by SEGA and while many may prefer the older instalments I had a fun time with the characters, the story and the gameplay was decent enough. Platinum trophy is achievable as there's only two missable trophies that can be sorted out quite early on and most trophies will likely be acquired before you even finish the story.



#Bonus (potentially #2 if I make any progress in February) - Nioh Remastered... again (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: February 2022.

Now this is a weird one to talk about. So back in October I played and completed the main story of Nioh via the PlayStation 5 Remastered Edition. I loved the game, put tons of hours into it and made it through the base game's content. However, a part of me felt like I did not have any form of closure with this game for two reasons; some of the collectible trophies weren't picked up, and the Expansion content i.e. DLC storylines.

Nioh 2 is a prequel but it does have elements that take place after the events of the first game's DLC storyline and when you think about how Nioh ends, the story technically isn't over. But there is a hurdle with this point - Nioh's DLC is not an easy entry-point, in fact this is the biggest issue that I have with the way that Koei Tecmo have done this. Long story short, you need strong enough weapons (or Divine equipment as some users have called it) in order to make your way through the DLC content. Many have suggested that you even need to play through the whole game again on a harder difficulty to be prepared. I hate this idea, but at the same time I want to finish the first game's DLC content.

Now currently I did go back and wrap up those trophies that I was referencing. I got the rest of the Kodama collectibles, I got the final Hot Spring that I missed on the final mission (which is easy to miss) and managed to get a few misc trophies along the way. That part I have settled on which is great, but the DLC entrypoint bothers me. You can't just start the level and get out of it that easily, as the game forces you to give up your Amrita if you want to leave the mission - and Amrita is key to levelling your character's stats. Sure the weapons are more important but any additional points to your HP and Attack/Ki Pulse does make a difference bit by bit.

As of the time of this write-up I have reached a couple more levels since I last wrote about Nioh's base game. Currently at Level 136 and did manage to beat the first mission on Way of the Strong (the hard difficulty you unlock after finishing the story). My plan is to continue through a few more harder difficulty missions and perhaps The Abyss mode before delving into the DLC.



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​
Castlevania: Lords of ShadowAction, Hack n Slash
3​
CatherinePuzzle
4​
Drakengard 3Action RPG
5​
Eternal SonataTurn-Based RPG
6​
FolkloreAction RPG
7​
inFAMOUSAction
8​
inFAMOUS 2Action
9​
Katamari ForeverPuzzle
10​
PuppeteerPlatformer
11​
Sly Cooper: Thieves in TimeAction, Platformer
12​
Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the OverlordTactical RPG, Visual Novel
13​
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​
The Caligula Effect: OverdoseTurn-Based RPG
6​
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New ChampionsSports
7​
Catherine Full BodyPuzzle
8​
Chaos;ChildVisual Novel
9​
Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve StarsTurn-Based RPG
10​
Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses OnlineAction RPG
11​
Danganronpa 1 ReloadVisual Novel
12​
Danganronpa 2 ReloadVisual Novel
13​
Danganronpa V3: Killing HarmonyVisual Novel
14​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne UtopiaVisual Novel, Dating Sim
15​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars InstallVisual Novel, Dating Sim
16​
Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio ReincarnationVisual Novel, Dating Sim
17​
Disaster Report 4: Summer MemoriesAdventure, Simulation
18​
Dragon Quest Heroes IIAction RPG, Musou
19​
Dragon's Crown ProAction RPG
20​
Fairy TailTurn-Based RPG
21​
Fate/Extella LinkMusou
22​
Final Fantasy VIII RemasteredTurn-Based RPG
23​
Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares WinTactical RPG
24​
Gal*Gun 2On-Rails Shooter
25​
Gintama RumbleAction, Musou
26​
GOD EATER 3Action Hunter RPG
27​
Gravity Rush 2Action, Platformer
28​
The Great Ace Attorney: AdventuresVisual Novel
29​
The Great Ace Attorney 2: ResolveVisual Novel
30​
Gundam Breaker 3 BREAK EDITIONAction, Arcade
31​
Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite CombateAction RPG
32​
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of HeavenFighting
33​
Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of FujisawaPuzzle, Visual Novel
34​
LangrisserTactical RPG
35​
Langrisser IITactical RPG
36​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold SteelTurn-Based RPG
37​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IITurn-Based RPG
38​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IIITurn-Based RPG
39​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IVTurn-Based RPG
40​
Legend of ManaAction RPG
41​
Megadimension Neptunia VIITurn-Based RPG
42​
Megadimension Neptunia VIIRTurn-Based RPG
43​
MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINAFighting
44​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja StormAction, Fighting
45​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2Action, Fighting
46​
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3Action, Fighting
47​
NEO: The World Ends With YouAction RPG
48​
Neptunia Virtual StarsAction
49​
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja WarsAction
50​
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch RemasteredTurn-Based RPG
51​
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomAction RPG
52​
Nights of AzureAction RPG
53​
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New MoonAction RPG
54​
One Piece Burning BloodFighting
55​
One Piece Unlimited World RedAction
56​
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3Musou
57​
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4Musou
58​
Our World Is EndedVisual Novel
59​
Persona 5 RoyalTurn-Based RPG
60​
Persona 5 StrikersAction RPG, Musou
61​
Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyVisual Novel
62​
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for AllVisual Novel
63​
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and TribulationsVisual Novel
64​
Punch LineVisual Novel
65​
Raging LoopVisual Novel
66​
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the ThroneVisual Novel
67​
Resident Evil 6Action Horror
68​
Resident Evil: RevelationsAction Horror
69​
Resident Evil: Revelations 2Action Horror
70​
Robotics;Notes DaSHVisual Novel
71​
Robotics;Notes ELITEVisual Novel
72​
SD Gundam G Generation Cross RaysTactical RPG
73​
SD Gundam G Generation GenesisTactical RPG
74​
Secret of ManaAction RPG
75​
Sengoku Basara 4: SumeragiMusou
76​
Senran Kagura Burst Re:NewalAction
77​
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD RemasterTurn-Based RPG
78​
Star Ocean: First Departure RAction RPG
79​
Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD RemasterAction RPG
80​
Steins;Gate EliteVisual Novel
81​
Super Neptunia RPGTurn-Based RPG
82​
Super Robot Wars 30Tactical RPG
83​
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon DwellersTactical RPG
84​
Super Robot Wars TTactical RPG
85​
Super Robot Wars XTactical RPG
86​
Sword Art Online: Fatal BulletAction RPG
87​
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions!Music, Rhythm
88​
Tales of BerseriaAction RPG
89​
Tales of VesperiaAction RPG
90​
Tales of ZestiriaAction RPG
91​
Tokyo Xanadu eX+Action RPG
92​
Trials of ManaAction RPG
93​
Utawarerumono: Mask of DeceptionTactical RPG, Visual Novel
94​
Utawarerumono: Mask of TruthTactical RPG, Visual Novel
95​
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the FallenTactical RPG, Visual Novel
96​
Utawarerumono: ZanAction, Musou
97​
Valkyria Chronicles 4Tactical RPG
98​
Valkyria RevolutionAction RPG
99​
Wing of DarknessAction, Arcade
100​
The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival EditionAction RPG
101​
WORLDEND SYNDROMEVisual Novel
102​
Yakuza 3 RemasteredAction Beat em up
103​
Yakuza 4 RemasteredAction Beat em up
104​
Yakuza 5 RemasteredAction Beat em up
105​
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this WorldVisual Novel
106​
Ys IX: Monstrum NoxAction RPG
#​
PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII -Reunion-Action RPG
2​
Cyberpunk 2077Action
3​
The DioField ChronicleTactical RPG
4​
DOOM EternalAction, Shooter
5​
JudgmentAction, Beat em up
6​
Lost JudgmentAction, Beat em up
7​
Neptunia ReVerseTurn-Based RPG
8​
Nioh 2Action Souls RPG
9​
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder LabyrinthMetroidvania RPG
10​
RelayerTactical RPG
11​
Resident Evil 2Survival Horror
12​
Resident Evil 3Survival Horror
13​
Star Ocean: The Divine ForceAction RPG
14​
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy OriginAction Souls RPG
15​
Super Monkey Ball: Banana ManiaPuzzle
16​
Tactics Ogre RebornTactical RPG
17​
Valkyrie ElysiumAction RPG
18​
Yakuza 7: Like a DragonTurn-Based RPG
#​
PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Bullet GirlsAction, Shooter
2​
Freedom WarsAction
3​
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black HeartTactical RPG
4​
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action UnleashedAction
5​
MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS ZombiesAction, Musou
6​
Muv-LuvVisual Novel, Dating Sim
7​
Muv-Luv AlternativeVisual Novel
8​
Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard GirlsTurn-Based RPG
9​
Valkyrie Drive BhikkhuniAction
#​
Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name:Genre:
1​
Fire Emblem: Three HousesTactical RPG
2​
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from ZeroTurn-Based RPG
3​
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildAction RPG
4​
Mario Kart 8 DeluxeRacing
5​
New Super Mario Bros U DeluxePlatformer
6​
Senran Kagura ReflexionsSimulation
7​
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryAction, Platformer
8​
Super Mario GalaxyAction, Platformer
9​
Super Mario SunshineAction, Platformer
10​
Super Smash Bros. UltimateFighting
11​
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive EditionAction RPG
12​
Xenoblade Chronicles 2Action RPG

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The 2023 '40' Games Goal:
No.Game
Console​
Acquired​
Genre
1​
Shining Resonance Refrain
PS4​
2018​
Action RPG

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(Shipment is trash, but it always was).

I hope one day in the chaos of shipment you will embrace and love the new circle of hell you find yourself in (its my favourite)

I am only playing COD right now and enjoying the sweet tears of level 6543 gold AK when they triple die to my level 1 loadout
 
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Demo (Switch)

Still a few weeks until the game releases but have already sunk 9 hours into the demo, adore the 3DS titles (and still disappointed we never got the DQ title over here) and this is more of the same which is perfect.

The demo contains 30 songs and 30 characters across FF2, FF5, FF7, FF13, FF14 and FF15 with a level cap of 30 for characters during the demo (will be higher in the full release). I've maxed out all 30 characters so far and perfect chained all songs on Normal and Expert (with a few all Critical as well) as well as at least finished every song on Ultimate with all A rank or higher minus two (got B rank). The songs which have a Supreme mode is a bit much for me atm, need more practice.

Really can't wait until the full release, wish these two weeks would hurry up now 😂 and would highly recommend if you enjoy the previous entries or enjoy rhythm games and / or FF music in general.
 
Cotton Fantasy
My shmup preferences usually lean towards vertical-scrollers, since they tend to be faster-paced with shorter levels. Cotton Fantasy is a horizontal-scroller, but it's quickly become one of my favourite shmups of recent years, and that's factoring in the huge number of new and older shmups available on Switch.

There are six playable characters from the outset (and a seventh that I haven't unlocked). Some have drastically different play styles, and at least a couple are loving references to other games made by Success, such as Psyvariar and Umihara Kawase. The cute-'em-up visuals are charming, and enemies explode like pinatas full of score items when you hit them with a special attack. Bullet patterns favour reflexes and tactics over memorisation. The score mechanics are fun and easy to grasp, being quite reminiscent of DeathSmiles.

Levels don't outstay their welcome (an issue I often have with hori shmups). After the mandatory first stage you can play the next five in any order, with variable rank making sure it gets harder as you progress.

If you're not used to the insane price tags that Japanese shmups sometimes command, you may balk at the £35 for Cotton Fantasy. It does get knocked down to half price in PSN/eShop sales quite often though.
 
Dead Space Refurbish ™ ® (Refurbish is a registered trademark of John Carpenter)

The old man was right, not so much done to it that it should be called a complete remake but not so little that it should be considered a remaster.

The original made its mark on the sci-fi action/horror game landscape (and the sequel is even better) - this makes adjustments and updates across the board - weapons feel better to use (the haptic feedback is tremendous on PS5), added scenes, rewritten dialogue, Isaac is no longer silent (Gunner Wright is back yaaasss), new playable sequences, side-quests etc etc. It's quite extensive.

It's super cool that Isaac, being an engineer, does engineer stuff all over the ship trying to adapt to the circumstances (an ever growing spiral towards the abyss, really), fixing trams, refueling the ship, getting comms up, getting the anti-asteroid cannons online, etc etc, it's very engrossing.

The story is lean in a good way, there's an artifact that modifies DNA, reanimates bodies and gives people visions - the premise by itself is super interesting but it's the setup for the extended story and world outside that's even better.

It's a 12/13 hour, very polished, great playing affair. Highly recommended. It's not true horror, but it's designed to have you on edge most of the time pointing light into the dark to see where the noise is coming from (with your back against the wall.... just in case!)

Now I feel like playing 2. Dead Space 2 is on the same level of Uncharted 2 in its presentation, I mean that in the best possible way. Its only weak point is the writing here and there, there's really no nuance whatsoever. I hope they address it in a future refurbish!
 
Thinking of picking up the PS5 version next month. I will probably be a good little Ravenclaw for 1st playthrough :p

Should play well on the PS5, I wasn't sure which one to get it on but decided on the PC version in the end.

Apparently there are quite a few performance issues with it on PC currently that aren't on the PS5, so maybe I made a mistake!

Going to be a fun weekend ahead though, first game in a while I've really been awaiting release for, next after this is probably Diablo 4 which is mid-year.

After that I'm hoping for Frostpunk 2 near the end of this year, the 1st game has been one of my fav strategy games in a while, absolutely brutal on Survival.
 
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