Kraven

Let’s also hope Square Enix won’t be disappointed by the sales of this game, but who am I kidding, they will be.

This game could cost $100.00 and I’d still buy it day one.

Hell. Yes. This will be the perfect winter game. I cannot wait — this is one of my all time favorite franchises, especially in the RPG space.

This is awesome! I have a Portal and I typically play on it every day. It’s been a fantastic device, and I’m happy to see more firmware updates. Hopefully, with the popularity of the Portal, Steam Deck, and Switch, this will show Sony that there is still a huge market for handheld gaming.

There doesn’t seem much of value leaving the service. I will say, however, Tiny Tina Wonderlands was surprisingly great. I played the game when it first released a couple years back and had a blast with it.

I’ll be all over this once it releases. I’ve been in such a nostalgic mood lately, and this only fueled the fire.

For me, DOOM The Dark Ages is an automatic highlight for me. Other games of note include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Flintlock, and hopefully Perfect Dark. If we don’t get Perfect Dark, that will be okay because I own a Series X and will play the game there.

First and foremost, I finally beat my personal GOTY, Dragon’s Dogma 2. It took me 130 hours and I still want to play more. As I said last week, this game is going down as my favorite RPG of all time. The sense of adventure is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. There are so many stories within the stories due to unscripted events whilst undertaking missions, and it truly makes the adventure my own. It’s a rare feat to create something that unique and special.

With all of that said, I am annoyed with the game, in a personal way that doesn’t necessarily reflect the product itself. I’ll explain. Spoilers ahead- I managed to achieve the true ending (the unmoored world). There is a ton of post game content and story, with two trophies related to this — one for completing all trials and another for evacuating all townsfolk in the five main locations you visit, within a seven day period. I did everything in two days. And these trophies coincide with each other, so if you unlock one you subsequently unlock the next. Unfortunately, I only got the trophy for completing all trials. My motivation to do a NG+ run to get the platinum trophy has been nullified because of this. I’m sure I’ll replay the game at some point, especially if DLC is released. Right now, however, I need a break.

Lastly, I’ve started Tomb Raider Legend on the PlayStation Plus catalog. I’m surprised by how truly great this game is. For context, I had never played the original so I don’t have a frame of reference for comparison, but what I’ve played has impressed me.

For a PS2-era game, it has a lot of cinematic flair and set pieces. There are diverse locales to visit, motorcycle chases, parkour, things blowing up or falling apart and a fun use QTEs to escape nefarious situations. You can definitely see how the Uncharted series is heavily inspired by this franchise.

An aspect I love about Lara, similar to Nathan Drake, is her witty one-liners. One line that made me laugh happened when I was exploring an underground tomb. As I was solving a puzzle my partner radioed in saying enemies were heading to my position. Lara simply responds, “This is a tomb; I’ll make them feel at home”. Another quip she had while in Africa was, “If all else fails, I can get into the postcard business”. It’s very endearing.

As for the mechanics, the game has great controls and the gunplay is pretty solid. Lara has a plethora of tools at her disposal that enhances the gameplay. One instrument is a magnetic rope that can help you reach new heights or can be used in the environment to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The only complaint I have is the hand-to-hand combat. It doesn’t seem very intuitive, and the game wants you to rely on guns.

Sadly, the game on runs at 480p and 30fps. It still looks great all things considered. I’ve been playing on my PlayStation Portal and the OLED screen really makes the game more vibrant. I’m bias, however, as I have a strong affinity with PS2 style graphics. There is something distinctly charming about these 3D environments and disproportionate character models.

Overall, the game is resonating with me a lot right now. There is a level of interactivity that makes the game feel more personal. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the game evolves over time, if it does at all. I can see myself replaying this gem multiple times because it’s just a darn good time.

I’m excited to give this a try. I never played the original to its full extent even though I remember enjoying what I played. Can’t wait for this to release.

@KingDazzar This made me laugh harder than it should have, but well done, and well played! Lol.

That was a great trailer. I still don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure I’m going to love it.

@Nem He also had the worst stamina known to man.

Monster Hunter Rise and Far Cry 4 are games I’ll probably download.

I’m glad it’s their best selling game. I enjoyed my 60+ hours with it, and got the platinum trophy. With that said, the further I got into the game the more I grew somewhat sour on it. The open world was great to be honest (I like the check list stuff) and I liked how the game was separated by regions and collectibles the more you progress so you weren’t constantly feeling overwhelmed. But it was the characters — the ungodly amount of them — and the inconsistent story that really turned me off on the game. I’m hoping they will take a more linear approach in the future, but considering the success this game has, I doubt that will be the case.

The resolution hasn’t been a factor for me. I still think it looks great, particularly on my Portal. I’m having a blast with it.

I’m definitely interested in this now that I saw some footage. It’s rough around the edges, but there are a lot of interesting gameplay elements from the female protagonist’s perspective. It seems Splinter Cell-ish, and I’m all for that. My only quibbles with AC games is the easiness of stealth no matter the difficulty — it almost makes the game less fun because of the lack of challenge. Furthermore, I don’t like the red highlight of enemies, and the white outline of your character. It ruins the immersion for me. With that said, I can look past all of that, so this should be a fun time.

Oh, man! I’ve had this game on my radar for a while but forgot all about it. Nice to see it finally lock in a release date. I’m looking forward to this.

I’ve liked the look of this game since its reveal a couple of years back. It continues to look better and better the more I see, so I’ll definitely check it out when it releases.

I’ll be buying this day one. I’ll be taking time off from work as well. This looked absolutely wild to me.

@Gamer_X Hey, to each their own! No biggie! I’m just saying for myself, I prefer to purchase my games. I’m blessed enough to be able to buy games and still go on vacation/travel with my wife.

In terms of games and Game Pass, I think for my tastes I prefer quality over quantity. There’s nothing of substantial for me on Game Pass, and I think it’s a failing model that will only go up in price and decrease in quality products. But I do understand the appeal of it, and if it works for you and others, that’s awesome!

I hope you have a good day!

One of my favorite horror movies and PS2 games. And I’m always down for anything Nightdive makes. I’ll be picking up System Shock soon, once I finish Dragon’s Dogma 2.

This is kind of surprising. They typically have trophies for their DLC, and I’m proud to show off my 100% completion rate for Bloodborne. So, this is rather disappointing. Then again, I think it’s also great, in the sense that I can immerse myself in this world and not worry if I’m doing something wrong or I’m missing something. I’m just going to play, absorb everything I can, and go from there.

I’m still playing Dragon’s Dogma 2.

I decided to mop up a side quest that had me looking for rare grimoires. One of my pawns suggested I go back to the beginning — Melve, the first settlement I came across because a shopkeeper is supposedly selling a tome I’m after. My first time there, I saved the town by repelling a dragon, and helped rescue a woman, whom later relocated for various reasons. As I arrive, I discover the town is much different from when I initially was there. I wasn’t even allowed in unless I bribed my way in with gold, and so I did.

The townsfolk that resided there was being held captive, abused and being treated like slaves by the Queen Regent’s guardsmen. As a result, I couldn’t purchase any items from the shopkeeper. However, I did find the original ruler of the town inside the local cathedral and he presented an opportunity. He was organizing a group to fight back against their captors, but there was a problem — all of their weapons had been confiscated. He suggested I secretly bring him a few swords and I agree to aide him. He needed four total and I already had two in my inventory, so the job was halfway finished.

As I’m leaving the town, I get approached by two men. Brothers, in fact. The same brothers I decided to help out when I first began my journey. They told me they know where their weapons were being held, a storeroom safeguarded by two soldiers. Since I helped them out earlier they wanted to repay the kindness by causing a distraction, allowing me to slip in unnoticed. It sounded dangerous, but I couldn’t turn down the offer. One brother began clapping, causing a ruckus and drawing their attention, before hurriedly fleeing and having the guards chase him.

Once the enemies were out of sight, I creeped inside, procured the remaining weapons and handed them out to the select townsfolk that wanted to rise against their captors. When the moment was right, the people of Melve took one last final stand, eventually making the guardsmen retreat. The town was restored to its natural order, but the people felt unsafe there. They had recently survived a dragon attack, and the Queen would most certainly exact revenge. The residents decided to pack up their bags and relocate to another settlement — the same village the female resident I saved long ago was now residing. But before they left, I managed to purchase the grimoire I had been searching for.

Several days later, I make my way to this new village. The people I rescued were there, and everyone was happy. The female resident I saved from a dragon attack was also present - a woman who was clearly smitten with me since that fateful day. She, too, thanked me for my services and asked if I’d like to accompany her on the beach later that evening. Of course, I obliged. With the stars and skies above, our toes in the sand, and a campfire burning behind us, there were two other things on fire — our hearts for one another. One thing lead to another and we decided to become romantically involved.

All of this happened naturally and randomly. If I hadn’t had taken my Pawn’s advice I would have missed a really intriguing quest line. Moreover, the brothers I helped during my fifth hour in the game made their presence known 95 hours later. These types of moments have occurred often, in ways that were unexpected. This is why Dragon’s Dogma has blown me away and has become my favorite RPG of all time. Long live the Arisen.

@Gamer_X I prefer to pay for my games.

@HotGoomba I honestly think the same. I don’t typically play games like that, but it piqued my interest and was a highlight for me.

What a time to be alive. If true, this will be awesome, and I’ll definitely attempt the platinum trophy for it.

I loved Inquisition despite its negative reception amongst players, so I’m looking forward to this reveal.

I’ve tried several Lego games but I can’t get into them for some reason. With that said, this does sound like a cool project. It seems like the perfect fit due to the color palette of the game and the numerous dinosaurs at play. Perhaps I’ll pick the game up for my daughter and see what she thinks about it!

I’ll be all over this when it releases. I got the platinum trophy for Alan Wake 2, and I’ve been in the mood to replay the game so this will give me the perfect excuse to jump in.

It’s strange — the first Octopath Traveler bored me so much, I actually fell asleep multiple times playing it. However, the second game is one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Perhaps I’ll give this one another chance, but I don’t think I’ll pay $60.00 for it.

I don’t know if it’s too early, but Dragon’s Dogma 2 DLC would be a great announcement. I’m also keen on whether or not Alan Wake 2 will get its DLC showcased as well. Other than that, I’m not really looking forward to anything because I don’t expect a ton of surprises. One thing I do expect is a few more Xbox games being ported to PS5 — possibly Starfield and maybe a couple of flagship titles.

I do want to jump into the DLC, but I’m kind of torn. I have zero doubt the game will be a masterpiece, but I haven’t touched the base game in ears. I beat it originally, and got halfway through a NG+ run. Jumping in again at this point seems daunting, particularly re-learning the controls, mechanics, and even my reflexes. We will see how accessible this DLC is once it releases.

@TheAmbienWalrus That’s the crazy thing. I usually start feeling the burn out around the 50 hour mark of most, if not at all games. But with Dragon’s Dogma 2, I’m not even remotely close to that feeling. It may come, but it hasn’t yet and it’s shocking. It may go down as my favorite RPG of all time. The open world is so rich and surprising, with new paths and caves appearing out of nowhere even though I passed it a hundred times. In fact, even after 90 hours I’ve set to find the Sphinx. I’m ignoring guides and hoping to find her naturally as I did with the Medusa. But I really want to experience that.

I’m playing the game right now and I have roughly 90hrs with it, and I need more. The announcement of DLC would be amazing. I haven’t been this immersed in a game in an incredibly long time.

Dragon’s Dogma 2. My maxed out Thief and trusty Sorcerer, Schemer, have just reached Battahl. I sneaked in by pretending to be a slave on a phantom oxcart. It was a good time. And now we are on the hunt for a Medusa’s head in order to petrify a griffin for a sculptor. This game is an all-timer for me.

@WizzNL There’s no reason to get so defensive or angry. All I am saying is that it’s not as bad as some people might expect. It runs smooth for me. But if you want to wait, that’s cool as well. I have just experienced the game and can say that I haven’t noticed much issues at all. Have a good day!

I’ve always been a sucker for Dynasty Warriors. My buddy and I spent so many summer vacations playing DW4, so I’ll definitely be checking this out. It really does look like a fun time.

@WizzNL There really aren’t any significant performance issues on the PS5. I’ve put in 60 hours (still playing as we speak) and it runs smoothly.

The game definitely looks better, but I wish a different developer was in charge with this remake. It seems to really be mimicking Resident Evil 2 and 4, but I don’t think it can reach tbat potential. That said, this doesn’t seem to be as bad as people make it out to be. I’ll keep my eye on this one and will probably play it regardless of reviews.

There’s not much on here for me, but I do want to shout out Streets of Rage 4. If you haven’t played that yet you are missing out. It’s arguably the best beat-em-up ever made, in my opinion.

That is awesome news! It’s much deserved. I’ve been playing it for the first time since last week and it might be one of my favorite (action) RPGs of all time. It’s so immersive, and it shrines brightest at its natural, but random moments.

Part 3

The week is only halfway through, but I abandoned my post. I gather my companions and head back to where our journey started. There’s no oxcart around, so we have to make the arduous journey on foot. Here we are again. The terrain is shaped differently. It looks familiar, but different. I’ve approached from the west rather than the east. Instead of being on top of the bluffs looking at the vast surroundings, I’m at the bottom, near a creek — the same creek my companion drowned in.

As I scour the area I see a large, dark intimidating hole that is clearly an entrance to something. I take a breath and step forward, making sure my lantern on my side is lit and full of oil, as dusk is beginning to set. I step inside, unknowing what awaits. And then I hear it. It sounds so far away, but so close at the same time. I can hear it in the walls, coming at me like a wave. Howls, echoing throughout the cave. Deep down, I know this is it. There’s no turning back. My blades are fully sharpened, my archer’s arrows are already notched. Our footsteps are echoing just as much as the howls, and the sound of shuffling begins. We can’t make out faces, but we know. Blades and arrows ready, we brace ourselves. An arrow rapidly flies by my head as I lock my knees, and have my feet firmly planted to the rocky ground. Everything becomes hazy, as all I notice is large shadows engulfing the barely lit walls, and soon the sound of howls come to a deafening end.

We are alive, somehow. The cave becomes eerily quiet and we press on, making our way through the twisted labyrinth. And there it is. Bones, and a pile of tattered clothes. I immediately know; I was too late. It was the man I had been searching for all this time. I pack up his remains and traverse to the other end of the cave. In the near distance I make out a faint blue brightness. Moonglow flowers. My pace hastens as I rush out of the cavern, back to the beautiful blue graveyard. I was there the whole time. I was too late, but here I was, quest complete, but not how I intended. I can see the sun slowly creeping over the mountain top. East. I tell myself everything is okay. I say a long prayer, put the lost man to rest at the graveyard for the second time, looking to the horizon. It’s a new day.

This is why I play video games.

Part 2

It had been a long night. My companions and I go back to the campsite and rest until morning. I never found the man attacked by wolves, but I could make a hard working man content. I gathered up my gear and made my way to a nearby oxcart that was thankfully heading to the main city — just where I was needed to go. I pay the man $200.00 for a ride, breathing easy as I sit on the hard-wooden seats and close my eyes. I don’t know how much time has passed, but we arrive safely back to the city, feeling refreshed. I turn in my newly located equipment, proud that I managed to complete my quest. It’s not the one I intended, but it’s still a victory.

While I’m in the main city, I decide to explore the town square. There are kids roaming around, and adults are setting up stalls, working hard to sell their wares to make an honest living. A man is standing by a water fountain trying to tell stories for a little coin. Life is good. And suddenly a distraught woman, Mildred, approaches me. She has a proposition. She wants me to house sit for her. Why she’s asking a complete stranger, I don’t know, but I agree. She says she’ll be gone for a week. I’m dwelling there, alone with my thoughts. My companions are out enjoying the weather. But something keeps nagging me. I missed something. I was in the right spot, I know I was. I keep tormenting myself.

This weekend I’m playing Dragon’s Dogma 2. I was looking for a game featuring a true sense of adventure and this game is scratching that itch. Boy, do I have a lot to say, but rather than a review, I want to talk about an experience — one of many.

Part 1

There was one quest that had me searching for a man that possibly got attacked by wolves. I needed to locate him and bring him home to his family. My companions and I scoured the village asking townsfolk if they had any idea where I could find him. Most people didn’t know, but a few uncertain responses gave me a general idea: East and glowing flowers.

Twenty minutes later, I’m at a large hillside with a graveyard. Nearby is a campsite, overlooking uneven rock bluffs. Not far away is a rope bridge, and I hear howls in the distance. And as fate would have it, this cemetery has moonglow flowers. I’m in the right place. We go across the creaky, inadequate bridge and get ambushed by a pack of wolves halfway through. I run for it, get to the other side, fight off the herd, and accidentally cut the rope to the bridge and watch one of my companions fall to his death, drowning in the water below. Oh well, this life isn’t easy.

I continue on and see a stranger in trouble with more wolves, and run to their aide. All of a sudden a humongous werewolf darted towards me, grabbed me with its massive claws and threw me. Flying through the air, I land on top of a cliff, barely clinging to life. I get up and look over the edge. This beast is now attacking the stranger and my remaining party. I drink a healing potion, take a few deep breaths, unsheathe my daggers, coating them with fire, position myself and jump off the cliff, landing directly on the werewolf’s back, using my daggers to keep my balance. After a gruesome battle, I felled the enemy, rescue the stranger and add her to my party, which was needed since I lost a companion moments ago.

Me and my ragtag group slowly make our way back to the campsite spotted earlier, our bones aching with each step. With the graveyard nearby, I pay my respects to my fallen comrade before going to my campsite, grilling some wolf meat and getting some much needed rest. And then it dawns on me. Moonglow flowers.

I rest until nightfall, and when I wake the entire graveyard is lit up to gorgeous blue flowers illuminating the area. As I head to take in the sights, the ground begins to shake underneath me. Decaying arms with mangled flesh start pulling themselves out of the loose terrain. Before I know it, I’m being surrounded by the undead, with a ghost doing all of the summoning. I hack and I slash and though I kill the already walking dead, their bones that are spread across the battlefield continue to meld back together. I swing more and more and discover that crushing the skull sends them to the afterlife for good. With his minions now dead, the leader, despite his magic, is no match for my blades and trusty archer. This ghastly leader crumbles and turns into ash. I rummage through the white coated glowing blue flowers and find his weapon; an archistaff. It just so happens this is a weapon that an armorer asked me to seek out to help him set up his shop and to sell more goods days prior.

If this is true that is really impressive. I’m hoping this game lives up to the hype — it looks sensational.

This is disappointing. I was rather looking forward to it. I might pick it up on a sale.

I’m honestly never disappointed in the monthly releases. I tend to buy all my games, so when something does release that I haven’t bought yet, it’s always a surprise.

I’m not sure what I want to play this weekend. I did finish my first playthrough of Stellar Blade. I got both endings (thank you, cloud saving). And those final boss fight(s), depending on the ending you choose, was superb. It took me approximately 65+ hours to do all side quests and collectibles. All I need to do now is NG+ and I’ll have the platinum trophy. With that said, I need a break. It’s a masterpiece of an action game, especially considering this is Shift Up’s first console game, but I’m ready for something different.

For a palette cleanser I earnestly started and completed Crow Country, obtaining the platinum trophy while I was at it. I needed a bite sized game and it only took five hours to beat. I have to say - this is one of the best survival horror games of the year, perhaps in the past half decade. It’s easily up there with Signalis, but I think it’s better due to its more grounded story that isn’t vague and full of questions.

There are some genuine unsettling moments, which is a hard accomplishment for me because I’m desensitized to a lot of horror themed stuff. Moreover, the atmosphere, tone, sound design (OST), and enemy designs are brilliant, only adding to the tension. And it’s excellently written. It has a compelling mystery that’s compounded with environmental story telling, newspaper clippings, journals, secrets, and ever evolving surroundings the more you progress the story. I strongly recommend this game.

Lastly, I decided to purchase Star Ocean: The Second Story R. I’ve been itching for a good JRPG, and everything about this remake looks superlative. I’m particularly keen on the science fiction aspect too. At the moment I’m two hours in, starting with Claude Kenny, and have beaten the first boss. My only complaint is that the game is relatively easy so I might have to adjust the difficulty setting to give myself more of a challenge.

This sounds pretty awesome! And I’m fine with the map size as well. My concern is how dynamic the gameplay will actually be. One thing that has turned me off from AC games is how you can highlight enemies and they will glow red — this essentially takes away the impact of stealth oriented gameplay.

It’s a great CGI trailer, but I need more details. I’ve had my fill of third person action RPG games. I recently got the platinum for Rise of the Ronin so I need a pretty compelling incentive to jump back into that type of environment. Furthermore, I would like more information regarding its open world. I loved Origins and got the platinum for it, but if it’s anywhere the size of Odyssey or Valhalla then I am out — I just can’t do those types of games any more. Nonetheless, I am curious about this game and would love to see how they tackle combat, exploration, and mission structure.