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This was really well done, but the one thing that stuck out to me the most was the lyric that said something along the lines of "over 40 classes, but it really doesn't matter." I don't know if it's the translation, but that seems a bit like undercutting the game you are advertising (the Atlus one).

Funny that Kass is on the cover this weekend, as I did some couch gaming yesterday with the PS5, picking up my NG+ run again after about a year. I seem to be always at a 1-star with Mercs, which has been kind of fun, keeping me on my toes. The bit where there were three attacking, two with beasts, was a bit much (read: I died) but it is SO easy to slip back into the combat. Not a great AC game if you believe the community, but an amazing action RPG, one of my permanent installs and an all timer for me.

Slumming it up on PC with Palia, which is an MMO 3D version of Stardew Valley meets totally-not-Breath-of-the-Nintendo-like-game-sans-combat. I mean, for all the press Palworld got, I'm shocked there has been no legal from Big N about what is literally a shot-by-shot replay of the "Link exits the cave" part of the beginning of BOTW. To say nothing of all the other (not)Hyrulian references. You know, like (not)Beedle, (not)Purah, etc.

This all sounds like a big complaint, which it's NOT, the game is fun and super chill, I'm just really surprised it's allowed to exist, and is weirdly also available on Switch. Interesting times, indeed. Have a lovely and gameful weekend fam!

"Tennis doesn't change that much year to year."

Take-Two: 🤑

I'm paraphrasing something a user said about Remake - this is a $70 music set with a free game. Having a pretty great morning at work, which means I will be at some point this afternoon helping Salmon along on his trip through Junon for the 2nd time!

Living my best life today, hope ya'll can do the same!

Started my 2nd run of Rebirth last night, using Japanese audio, and dynamic. I can't get enough of this game, and of course, I "wasted" about an hour trying to play Supertramp (Long Way Home) in the flashback. Whoops. Hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am!

@Zenos @Cloud39472 This is what I am hoping for, I wouldn't mind seeing some origins for Kadaj (SP?) and his Crying Game bros.

Also, I think Cloud is cookoo for cocca puffs at the end of Rebirth, and I'm here for it!

I finished on Wednesday, 109 hours, and...

Oh who I am kidding, still Eleventy Billion Stars/10. Had to watch the ending a second time, but now I get it (I think, heh) and am looking forward to seeing what they do with the last part.

That said, I'm thinking about diving back into this one, a fresh going for level 70 run, since I now know where all the important bits are. Seriously, the game is now in my top 3 all time favorite games ever, next to Red Dead 2 and GTA: SA.

An article is fine, but this looks like a straight up advertisement. This is the kind of thing that will eventually turn off readers. Do better Hookshot.

@Shepherd_Tallon Even the parts I find frustrating, I can't help but admire the care put into those parts of it. The frogs! Aerith's has a bow, Red's "tail" glows and Cloud has a mini-buster sword on his back.

Ester! She is adorable! The Johnny side quest had me in stiches! Cloud's "battle portrait" in a certain Queen's Blood tournament match is one of the funniest things I've seen in the game, and lasts all of two seconds. I could go on, but you get it.

I've said it elsewhere, but I cannot be objective with this game. Eleventy billion stars/10. Nostalgia is a factor and I don't care. The combat is super addicting, and getting wrecked can be fun because I'm finding all these cool Backline Synergies. I'm at 57%, completely cleared 2 of the 4 regions I've unlocked, and I WANT MOAR.

To be fair, I also LOVE AND ADORE AC: Odyssey as well, so I'm a bit of a weird one.

@Kraven I agree with just about everything you've said, very well put! The combat is so much fun to experiment with.

My take: I feel a little of the Remake "jank" has carried over (ducking, slow walking, hold Triangle, spend 2 minutes finding the right "spot" to get the prompt to show to pick up that materia on the edge of a rock) and I see all of the open world "tropes" throughout. Muddy-ish textures on performance, a bit stuttery on graphics. I can 100% see what some people are unhappy about.

And yet every time I play, I have the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. I watched all of my cohorts climb up a rope, because everyone has their own climbing animation, and they're AWESOME. Seriously, watch Aerith when she dismounts a Chocobo, so adorable. I can see every bit of love poured into the world, the lore, the characters, the soundtrack, and I think it's all been one of the most amazing gaming experiences I've ever had.

It's not the best Final Fantasy game - I think there are far too many entries that I love to even try to choose one as the best. But I can say with certainty that it is far and away my favorite Final Fantasy game, and I can't think the devs enough for making this happen. I'm not done yet (2nd half of Ch 9), but even if they fumble the ending, it's been an outstanding 60 hours so far.

I'm spending bunches of time stopping and looking and going "oh wow that's cool". Some of the Remake jank is still there (about a minute trying to "grab" a materia) but oh the love put into this. And I am here for every pixel I can find.

Buying the game is not unfathomable. Buying the game, at full price, while they are stripping out a feature and putting it behind a paywall is a guarantee that I will not be buying the game until it's on sale. It's the only leverage I have as a consumer, and I plan on using it.

After a couple of hours of easy work, No Man's Sky second of four Expedition replays is happening now, and then doing some more experimenting with the PSVR on PC. AC: Odyssey is pretty smooth, SR: 4 is a bit janky, but FUN when it works. Haven't done much with Cyberpunk yet - waiting on a fix for cars post 2.1 (for the VR-ish injector, flat is perfectly fine). Skyrim on PCVR (I built a custom modlist) is of course a billion times better than the PS4 VR version, and I found THAT to be pretty good for what it is. I must on my 10th playthrough, might actually finish the main quest this time around. Good times with some fun games today and tomorrow!

Am I the only (or oldest) one who thought, "hmmm, sounds a bit like Mystic Quest..."

Starfield is (probably) next week on PC for me, then Spiderman 2 in October. After that, just waiting for FF7-2, which is good because I still have two Trails from the Sky games to finish during all this.

@Dusk_Actual : Hmm, probably not unless you can get it on sale. Ignoring the license and how the game is geared a bit more tween than adult, I think the combat is kind of fun but a little thin after awhile - enemies start getting "samey." But if you are more of a casual gamer, you might not mind this.

For a fan of the franchise, even a little, it is an amazing world with tons of stuff to find and explore. The care put into making it feel like you are cruising (figuratively) around Hogwarts is really apparent. I think that and the general accessibility of the game are what made it a huge success.

Because I'm a fan, but not a super fan, I'm mighty impressed with the whole thing. The combat stuff doesn't bother me because I enjoy it for what it is and on it's licensed terms. I kind of regret waiting so long to get it TBH.

TL;DR - Wait for a sale. But if even a TINY fan, get it!

Gonna sound like a repeat of the last few weeks, but again with Hogwarts, now on my Gryffindor playthrough. It's still an amazing amount of fun, and I'm now digging deeper into using blocks and dodges better. I feel like this is getting into AC: Odyssey and Saints Row 4 territory for me - likely to become permanent install. Which means I might need an internal SDD upgrade soon. :/

Anyway, that game, some AEW still and taking a break on Control and picking back up my new game + for Biomutant. And covers for my solo instrumental show; just finished Many the Miles and Chocobo. Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Busy week, but in a good way. Gig night tonight (new, non-amp day too!!! Goodbye 70lb+ tube amp and cab!!!) so not much today, hope to get back to AEW again and Hogwarts tomorrow. Also doing a second run through on Control, and I kind of prefer the 30FPS and enhanced visuals for this game. Did the same with my Hogwarts playthrough, good times! Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

I got WWE 2K23 for WarGames, and it delivered big. I enjoyed most of the story mode, and Universe is better once I spent an hour tweaking it. But I always feel like I'm fighting to keep a match at a pace I want. Still, very happy with the purchase.

Same with Hogwarts, which I have nearly finished. I will absolutely play this again - it may not have the same juice as AC: Odyssey or Saint's Row 4 for me (permanent installs) but I really like what they did with the game and the license.

Then AEW dropped and blew both games out of the water. This is my No Mercy sequel. I know it's not 1:1, nor should it be. While the package is a bit thin compared to 2K, the gameplay is divine, and the only game I've played in years when I can enjoy a loss. I "worked" a match with another player, went about 10 minutes, but the unsaid back and forth and allowing each other a little shine and comebacks was magical. Can't wait to see what they add to it going forward.

AEW Fight Forever. Uploading a match now that I hope will convince the naysayers on the Reddit sub that you can have matches that go longer than 5 minutes. Have been having incredible fun with online, which I NEVER do. It needs a bit of tweaking here and there, and some of the modes need to be further fleshed out, but the moment to moment gameplay is so, so much fun. It took about a day or so to lose some of my "2K' tendencies, but it finally "clicked" and I am so glad I bought this. I can't wait to see what else they bring. Fight Forever!

A day late, but I notice the deluxe version of Control is $10 for PS4 AND PS5. I really enjoyed the PS Plus edition! Will be picking up this and AEW Deluxe, which gets a few bucks off for Plus.

At about the halfway point in Hogwarts. Just started JP Evo 2 (not bad so far) and have now spent twice as much time on WWE 2k23 vs 2k19, over 100 hours now(!!!). I miss the chain wrestling from 19, some of the OMG moments, and the matches are a bit too punchy/kicky (sorry, I mean "combos") to start, but it all averages out over time, and the multi-person matches like MitB, HiaC and WarGames are insane and pretty fun.

I'm in, take my money!

Delighted to see Elena, and bringing Yuffie along. I wonder what overworld stories are gonna stick and which ones are gonna go. Dyne? Dio/Gold Saucer? Cait Sith? I bet Vincent is saved for part 3.

Kind of a lame sale this year, but for my stateside gaming buddies, I found Hogwarts PS5 physical from WalMart, $52.99 + tax, but you have to order it online. I got free shipping, and it will allegedly show up later today. Even if I get it tomorrow, still saved about $17!

I had a feeling this might happen after buying 2k23. No matter, happy with that purchase, looking forward to this one.

WWE 2k23. Got Deluxe on sale last week as a gift to myself for a new job. I am a big fan of 2k19, but this new one is not nearly as arcady as I thought. WarGames is about as chaotic as I had hoped, and the match flow, outside of the beginning of matches, is pretty darn good.

@Danloaded, I also kind of want Cree Summer to have at least a cameo in it, if not voicing Penny directly.

"And so the Dark knight Cecil" screenshot is one I can hear, as the "main theme" from FF1 was given a great makeover and remains one of my all time favorite FF songs.

@WallyWest thanks for sharing your views on this, I liked but didn't love the first game, and was considering picking this up, but your comment about melee is what is making me wait for a $20 sale on the base game.

"4 was a joke"

Asha: "I tried your energy drink the other day."
Pierce: "Really!? What did you think?"
Asha: "About a decade ago I was lost behind enemy lines. My entire team was dead. I thought it was over for me. One night, I happened upon an enemy encampment."
Asha: "I was half-mad from starvation and fear. I couldn't think; I most certainly couldn't fight. They took me captive; put me in a pit six feet beneath the earth."
Asha: "I had nothing to drink but my own urine, and nothing to eat but the insects that occasionally skittered into the hole. It was my first real glimpse into the darkness that can reside in a human heart."
Pierce: "Hey, whoa, *****, but uh... what does that have to do with Saints Flow?"
Asha: "I'd rather relive those days than drink another one."
Pierce: "Well did you try the grape?"

Sorry, 4 will always be my favorite. Glad to hear about the new game expansions though!

Don't really care for the packs, but very interested in how War Games plays out.

As mentioned, Fenix is a great deal on a fun game. Zestiria is my first Tales game and tends to be my favorite because I just adore the interactions with Sorey and Meebo (hehe!) - reminds me a lot of my relationship with my own bestie/brother.

Rumble is generally the first thing I turn off on a new system. Would be thrilled with a DS5 that didn't have all that.

@BusyOlf - with you on this, I especially don't like how the touch pad angle was extended, from the rectangle on the DS4. I had multiple issues at first with my thumb floating off the square/triangle buttons and accidentally hitting the touch pad. I've since gotten more acclimated, but the DS4 is still my favorite controller.

@PCPS4XB - that may well be, but it still needs to come in at $20 for me to consider it.

Installed last night, will fire it up later today.

I DO wish Sony would stop putting the TOTAL GB for all versions under the same store banner. You only see the separate file sizes once you purchase. Deleted a few things I didn't need to because it said 120GB minimum, instead of the 85GB it actually is.

The only one on that list I have played is the Uncharted remaster, and I wouldn't even count that as a GotY.

I keep punting on HFW because while I liked the first one, I didn't LOVE it, and I think it needs a further $10 price drop to get me to bite.

I guess it's been a year of my old library and Saints Row.

@huyi - what the esteemable ShogonRok says - should be no problem with a disc, assuming the disc is not damaged. Or upside down. Which is surprisingly easy to do.

Bought this a while ago on sale, played about an hour, and backed out, it came off as especially "dark" in tone. But a free upgrade is always appreciated, and mom seems to love the Netflix show, so I'm looking forward to giving it another shot in two days. Thanks for the writeup!

Digging out in WNY (only expected to get about a foot or so, my friends in Buffalo and south got 4-6 feet!!!), gonna muck about with Stardew Valley in between shoveling shifts - I haven't played it in years, and have noticed at lot of changes in the various patch notes. Should be fun!

To my fellow snow diggers - please be safe and take breaks!

Really want to like GoW, but I can't get past the Stranger at the beginning of the first game. On EASY. That's ok though, since my default tends to be "bash things with a keyblade," I think I will enjoy the sequel vicariously through all of you.

Heading to Skyrim, picked up the VR version for $17. So I have it on PS3, PS4, PS5 and VR. It has almost beat my San Andreas purchases (PS2 Disc, PS2 Classics (PS3, PS4), PS3 (lazy port), PC (original 1.0). Sadly.

But it is a lot like No Man's Sky - while it looks a little dated, the immersion is amazeballs.

Was expecting around $650-$750, so mildly surprised at this price point. Gonna wait until it's been out a while and some sales, but certainly a bit more interested now, hopefully most of my VR1 library gets a free/discounted upgrade.

Dug out the PSVR, but as usual, forgot to charge everything the day before, so I'm nearly finished waiting on that. No Man's Sky, Moss (heard a ton of good things about) and Concrete Genie up first. If I can get through all that without ill effects (literally), Star Trek Bridge Commander and Paper Beast after. Hope it's fun!

So, I like the Hot Wheels game, but it feels kind of...slow? Not in framerate or anything, but seems like should be about 15-20% faster. It's competent enough, and I kind of like the drift mechanic. I appreciate the "freebie" because I may have been disappointed with a purchase of this.

Continuing the Steam journey today, just played with Lego Star Wars Complete - I have the PS3 version wow, and what a difference on PC. Also, my DS4 paired to my PC instantly (never had built in BT before!), and I feel like I won the lottery or something.

Found my Steam account, picked up a Humble Bundle last week which has KOTOR 1 and 2, so playing with KOTOR 1 (widescreen mods, HD UI, huzzah!) while also checking out my old Telltale library - Puzzle Agent 1 and 2 is a lot of fun!

Excellent news, I really enjoyed this a lot!

Bought it, love it. Needs some finishing work, but I've yet to encounter anything that wasn't solved by a save file reload.

I've noticed a TON of actors not looking at the actor they are speaking to. I don't think it's intentional, I think someone missed a few "actor look at" commands somewhere. But overall, it's good, and I'm really enjoying the camaraderie between the four.

The Outrun Synth radio station is my favorite, very reminiscent of Surviving Mars' excellent soundtrack. Tumbleweed is good too, kind of akin to K-ROSE from San Andreas.

@ShogunRok - Thanks for the review! You mention 25-ish hours for the story, does that include the side content?

Gotta say, I am a HUGE fan of Odyssey and Origins (in that order) and SR 4/GoH is my favorite SR game, so despite some of the open world "trappings" I feel like this is right up my alley. Pre-ordered in January, before the delay, still don't regret it, looking forward to this in about 12 hours!