Judgement - this is basically just Yakuza Kiwami reskinned as a light detective game. I love the Yakuza games so I’m enjoying this. I wish the detective elements were a bit deeper, but they always do a great job stuffing the world with different weird side quests and characters.
Stellaris (console edition) - first time playing. This is Civilization in space. There’s a learning curve of course, so I started out on easy. I like the bit of detail they add in descriptions of strange sci-fi events, although this probably gets repetitive after your first game. They did a great job with the controls for console. Overall I’m enjoying it but it’s very much like Civilization where AI civs hate you for no reason.
Sea of Stars - this is good. I’m around 10-12 hrs in. The story picks up a lot after the dull intro thankfully. I’m slightly disappointed with the music. It’s fine, but none of the tracks are something I really want to listen to again. I’m impressed with the amount of detailed artwork and animation. I like the verticality of the world which adds interest to running around and provides good ways to hide secrets. The battle system is good. The only thing is I wish there was a bit more to the character customization. It’s pretty standard physical/magic attack and defense and there are very few armor and weapon choices so far. Overall, I’m enjoying it a lot.
Monster train is very good. It’s probably a bit easier than others in the genre. It’s more about how many modifiers you use to make the game more difficult than simply finishing. You can generally always beat the game on any given run, you aren’t as dependent on getting the exact right cards or unlocking more powerful cards.
I can’t speak too much to the dlc, I don’t have a ton of experience with it, but my friend has literally unlocked and completed everything and still enjoys the game.
Honestly, you’d probably like a reasonable chunk of other RE games for the reasons you listed. Several of them also have randomizer mods if you’re playing on PC, which can change the locations of item spawns, enemies, and even what room is on the other side of the door (for the older games) so you really have no idea what’s around the next corner.
4, 5, and 6 are more linear, but 4 and 5 are great for inventory and economy management (with the caveat that you should play 5 in co-op) and 6 is definitely a skip. 0, 1, 3, Code Veronica, and Village are all recommendations from me, though RE2 is one of the most beloved games in the franchise for a reason.
I’ve never played monster train, but inscription has a little more going on than just a roguelite. I don’t want to spoil anything, but depending on if that sounds interesting to you, that may be the answer to your question.
Rogue Legacy 2, Elder Scrolls Online, and I recently found out about this procedurally generated BMX game called Descenders that's kinda tough but fun.
Been playing Spirit of the North this week. I’ve actually finished it, including 100% achievement completion, because it’s not a huge game. What is really sticking out to me right now, though, is that I adore this game. I like a lot of games, but it’s pretty rare for me to absolutely love one.
I’ve also just finished a run through Baldur’s Gate 2, playing a bard for the first time ever. I enjoyed the class more than I thought I would. Onwards to Throne of Bhaal next week!
What did you like about Spirit of the North? I got it with PS Plus but haven’t bothered with it because it got pretty middling review scores. Looks beautiful though.
So, yeah, the fact that it’s a beautiful game is definitely part of it! Visually it’s stunning, and the music is also really beautiful. I also think it’s superbly written: there’s absolutely no dialogue, but there is still a narrative as you play through each area, and I think that’s genuinely very hard to do well, but Spirit of the North does. I really got invested in the relationship between the two characters. There’s also no combat or fighting in the game, so it’s all focused around the platforming and puzzle elements.
I can definitely see why it’s not to everyone’s tastes. It got “very positive” on Steam, so it’s rated more highly on PC than on the PS, and the negative reviews it did get are complaining about either the controls or the game not telling you what you need to do. So the former is fair, I think: the devs focused on making a beautiful game, so it’s about the experience, not the mechanics. The controls aren’t bad as such, but they’re not as smooth as you’d expect for a platformer, I guess? You get the occasional moment of “why didn’t I make that jump?” But there’s no “miss the jump, die, restart the level” mechanics, so it’s normally 1-3 jumps that you need to repeat if you fall. I found the platforming elements really forgiving in terms of not punishing you for screwing up.
The second criticism, that the game doesn’t tell you what you need to do, I think is unfair. The direction you need to go in is always the way that feels most intuitive, either because of a path, wall, or just the shape of the terrain. Some of the puzzles need you to stop and think about them, and the game doesn’t hold your hand by going “and do this here, and that there, and then that”.
The game I’d most compare it to is Abzu, but with more Nordic and less ocean vibes. If you’ve played Abzu and enjoyed it, then you’ll probably enjoy Spirit of the North too.
Nice, thanks for the write-up! I will definitely bump this up the list then. Honestly it looks so appealing I think I’ve just been looking for an excuse to give it a shot that outweighed my wariness from the reviews.
It’s definitely worth a shot. It’s actually a pretty small game: I didn’t rush, and spent 6 hours on it the first time I played (and 16 hours for 100% achievements). So even if you find it’s not for you, it’s a pretty small time investment to find out. :)
Its a mix of CS:GO, The Long Dark and Assetto Corsa for me lately.
I just got the Project Rome mod for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 so I’ve been playing that quite a bit as well! To any BC2 fans out there, make sure you get Project Rome and start playing again! It’s just as fun as it’s ever been.
It is seriously so underrated. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played it over the years. I was actually really disappointed when they abandoned it so quickly. But honestly it’s just a great game as is. The atmosphere is absolutely perfect.
I wish we could get Steam Link on Xbox. That’d be the ideal solution for me since I’ve got the controller already setup. The Shield is probably a decent solution, but it’s an extra device in the chain.
Working my way through completely exploring the entire world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. I really love this game, but goddamn is it enormous. I'm about 75% in.
And just picked up the switch port of Red Dead Redemption. Really glad to be able to play this one without dragging out the 360. Still an awesome game, and a damn good port.
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