Amnesiac

This made something flicker in my memory, and sure enough, my Amazon order history tells me that this along with Crimson Gem Saga shipped in June of 2009. So rather than dig it and the PSP out of their snug cardboard tomb in the basement, I’ll do the lazy thing and just buy the re-release.

Oh great, now I have to go and retroactively unenjoy all the fun I had with it when it released.

@LifeGirl So you can suss that out but can’t figure out how economic policy may relate to layoffs? No need to toss a match when you’re clearly a pro at self immolation.

@LifeGirl So the person appealing to the moderators is accusing someone else of “excuse hunting to have a moan?” Quick, stifle this conversation before someone says something interesting! As neither Sony nor Playstation is mentioned in this article that has somehow found its way onto a Playstation website, maybe they should just bin the whole thing? Problem solved!

@rjejr They match players up based on MPR rather than level, don’t they. Seems like it should at least be a blend of the two. And seeing the season end date suddenly extend by two weeks was a bit deflating, as was the announcement about the different materials going away.

I guess I shouldn’t complain, though, since I’ve never completed any of those “tell us what you think” surveys. Just be yourself, game, you don’t need me or anyone else telling you how to be. It’s still my daily go to for a quick 10 minute blast of fun.

@Melee_Ace You make some good points, but I think everyone has their own calculus depending on the game/price/features. I’m on the fence about the Grandia collection, partly because it seems a bit steep for one game I only have fuzzy memories of, and another I didn’t play at all. And there is something to be said about adding modern conveniences to older games. They don’t all need to be Digital Eclipse historical archives, but simple, unobtrusive additions like those made to the Final Fantasy remasters are much appreciated.

Also, there seems to be a pretty viable market for remasters of all manner of classic and not so classic games. Whether it’s the seemingly inexhaustible Arcade Archives series, the slightly obscure titles the Qubyte is putting out, or the incredible work being done in the mostly Japanese only M2 Shot Triggers releases, this is a golden age for golden oldies.

Just wanted to congratulate Sammy on the name check in the screen shot. I had no idea you were big in Korea! Annyeong haseyo!

I have a feeling Rise of the Ronin will be taken to task by most reviewers, gleefully pilloried in the comments section, and that I’ll still absolutely love it.

It’s definitely got that gee-whiz factor, but when I think about implementation, I have to scratch my head. It seems to me that most in game conversations with NPCs that move the story along are limited by context, so until I’m shown otherwise, I’ll go for the dialogue crafted by human writers. Conversing with random NPCs in a realistic manner could be fun, but it’s ultimately seasoning that adds flavor to the overall game world, and too much seasoning can ruin a meal.

This and Pentiment were the two games from big green’s strategic towel throwing that I was most looking forward to. I’m about an hour in and love the aesthetics but I’m still struggling with the gap between input and action. It feels like I push a button on a downbeat and the attack happens a half beat later. It’s not so bad with heavy attacks, but with light attacks it’s kind of jarring. I probably just need way more practice. Oh, and jumping on platforms in rhythm can go to hell.

The VR mode is welcome news. Some of the best experiences on VR1 were Llamasoft games, so I’m excited to strap in for another go.

This makes perfect sense, since I’ve been told that the night time
is the right time
to be
with the one you love

If they’re as ace at handling this as they are all of the mind numbingly repetitive log ins I have to use for work, we’re all in for a treat.

@bpomber I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the reviewer found it worth mentioning because a 2D murder mystery role playing game set in a 16th century Bavarian town is slightly more niche than hockey.

@get2sammyb Based on the comments, you probably only need a number and bullet points and can use lorem ipsum for the body text in future reviews. Might be some cost savings there.

At last, I can stop monologuing in the mirror when I feel the urge to spend time chatting with sullen-faced peasants. Team Green’s sudden realization that they’re the world’s largest software company is already bearing fruit!

Appreciate the review, as I’ve been on the fence about this one, but I believe it’s based on Love Live! Sunshine!! rather than Long Live Sunshine. Just to be pedantic.

@nessisonett Oddly enough, my wife said the same thing when she agreed to go on a first date with me.

@Sakai Don’t worry, I’m sure the good folks at PS aren’t trying to slight the conquering behemoth that is the Switch, truly the Toyota Corolla of gaming. Rather, with Nintendo’s characters being so popular in other forms of media, amusement parks, etc. they likely add a large number of searches that are unrelated or tangential to gaming.

This was a nice change of pace on a chilly Sunday. Love Elizabeth’s brooch in the second pic. It’s great that excellent character design can live on through cosplay after the source material has started to fade from (my) memory.

@JamieO Great to see a shout out for Rainbow Islands. Just an absolutely charming game with mechanics that still seem fresh today. Have a great birthday hanging out with Bub and Bob!

@nessisonett Yes, normal is exactly what I thought too, until I saw people’s reactions and began to question my own sanity. Maybe it’s one of those Magic Eye pictures where if you casually glance at it, it’s an average drawing of Lara Croft, but if you stare at it cross eyed you see Gerard Butler in one of those totally non-homoerotic scenes from 300.

@TrannosaurusBex I thought the sequel was on par with if not a bit better than the original game. Also, it’s part of the February Picks PS Stars campaign so you can get 50 extra coin-things if you do wind up taking the plunge.

Always a treat to get a JamieO retro review, even for a game that I didn’t play back in the day. My clearest memory of the prequels is skipping out of work early to see The Phantom Menace on opening day, and being wowed by the visuals but pretty let down by just about everything else. The quote about the target audience being 12-year-olds gave me a chuckle since I remember a big plot point being about a trade federation disputing high taxes on certain routes. You know, kid stuff.

@carlos82 I’ve happily wasted dozens of hours playing it and find that it’s the rare example of a live service game that I really enjoy without feeling like it’s trying to mug me.

I picked it up last week after learning about the early release in the comments section of a pretty reliable Playstation website called Tap Triangle or Shove Circle or something. It’s very early going for me, but the game seems pretty robust and does a great job of making you feel like you’re flying. Unfortunately, it also does a great job of making you feel what it’s like to lose control and park your aircraft in the sea, but that’s probably more on me.

@ztpayne7 Oh, you weren’t being negative at all. I was referring to the article about the Rec Room developers deciding against a PSVR2 port, which has been popping up on a bunch of gaming sites.

@ztpayne7 @CaptD Hearing that there’s an Ultrawings 2 made my day. The first one was a pretty amazing experience, so patch or no patch the sequel is going right in the cart. It’s a shame the only VR headline making the rounds is essentially a negative quote, but I guess that makes for better reading than “Sequel to Awesome Flight Game Releases Early.”

I loved the Atari Recharged series, and that was just a fresh coat of paint and some tweaks. Based on the trailer Atari Beyond looks like a complete reimagining. It would be great if they could make it a series where different developers could put their own spin on Atari classics.

For a company whose games feature some truly wonderful art design, Remedy seems to struggle with making an appealing logo. To be fair, though, it is better than the 90’s iteration that made me a bit queasy.

This caught my eye on the PS store, but I was a little wary because the logo was giving me bargain bin vibes. What can I say, I’m shallow. I’m happy to say that his review did enough to push it on to my wishlist.

These are my favorite kind of lists because they get me to pay attention to things I may have overlooked and point me towards games I passed over. And also because pointless complaints about year end lists are top five on my year end list of favorite comments to dislike, so this is a win-win for me.

It was nice to see last year’s winners again. That @nessisonett spider man shot still makes me chuckle.

Clearly I have died and gone to retro gaming heaven. Just put my corpse out with the bins on garbage day before it starts to moulder.

@AFCC Atari 50 has a platinum, but it’s a tough one and is sitting at 0.1% earned. Nearly all the trophies are tied to the new reimagined games though.

Oh wow, they threw in a Lynx title too! What a nice early X-mas present. The museum elements and breadth of content really make Atari 50 the high water mark for retro collections.

@PixelDragon Those examples are…a bit arbitrary, but I’ve had some issues with disc rot on older DVDs that have proven hard to replace. I think the lesson is that no matter what you do, entropy always wins.

@rockodoodle I just hopped back in to have a look around and it doesn't seem too much different from what I remember. Perhaps a little smoother. Apparently the lighting issue I was griping about is only present on the William's tables, which leads me to believe that it's intentional. To me, Pinball Arcade is still the best way to enjoy the classic tables, anyway. By the way, there are a few tables in the year end sale with reasonable prices.

@rockodoodle For a reboot, Pinball FX felt like a bit of a step backwards. All the elements you mentioned, plus the wonky lighting, make me head to the prior version when I need a pinball fix.

@Czar_Khastik I was thinking it sounded like Vonimir Pharmaceuticals entry into the men’s supplement market. Surely they could hire some retired athletes to promote it in a slightly uncomfortable way…

Must…fight…morbid…curiosity…

@nessisonett It well could be, but it could also be the current flag used for Japan’s self defense forces, or any number of flags from the 800 years or so leading up to the Meiji restoration.

“Well, my work here is done.”, he thought to himself before moving on to ruin the next thing.

This looks like a really good change of pace game, and the more sciencey science fiction aspect sounds refreshing. Also, the “objectives holding your hand a lot of the time” thing doesn’t seem so bad. Sometimes it’s nice to just hold hands.

That’s a shame. It seemed like a really novel idea…

But (mostly) seriously, I’m be all in for more Dickens games. Maybe a FPS take on Bleak House or an Oliver Twist survival game.

@Voltan I think it’s pronounced “fad.”

Angry runs, huh? Reminds me of that time I undercooked the chorizo..

Yes, what an awful CEO for having maintained and grown Playstation's market dominance through a generation change all while navigating a pandemic, supply chain shortages, and global inflation. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But a half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.” Until he retires, I guess.

@NinjaNicky Yes, once you’ve completed the story, caught all the fish and their monstrous variants, found all the messages in bottles, completed the research projects and upgraded your ship, and finished the side quests, there may be nothing left to do.

It took me a little time to get acclimated to how delicate my boat is and how a slight bump can ruin a passenger's day...permanently, but this has become one of my absolute favorites of the year. Just a wonderful combination of mood and mechanics that keeps you wanting to see the next terrible thing lurking beneath the surface.