2024 Playstation Wrap, I have played far too much Fortnite this year and glad I have finally broken free from the addiction!
gospvg - getting old and still playing video games
Football Chairman 2 & Suika (Android)
After what feels like forever I am back playing on mobile! I got a voucher from the Play Store and use it to purchase Football Chairman 2.
Rohan Rovers are currently in Division 2 and fighting for promotion.
Another mobile game that I've been playing is Suika a simple game like 2048 where you join fruit together to challenge for a high score.
Kaito Files (PS5)
I've completed Lost Judgement and purchased the Kaito Files DLC in the recent Black Friday sale, it's a short 4 chapter story but thankfully has no sidequests and you can get stuck into the story.
Playing Complete
Lost Judgment (PS5)
Back with Yagami and Kaito on another detective adventure, I do enjoy the slower pace of these games and the addition of the skateboard makes traversal around the map much easier. I complete some of the sidequests but soon got bored of these and just focused on the main story. I've nearly caught up with the RGG games just Like A Dragon Ishin left to enjoy & the release of Pirate Yakuza next year.
Shopping/Playing Next
With 30% Black Friday offer I renewed Playstation Plus and managed to get the offer to double stack until December 2026.
For once I did not purchase any Physical Games at all during the sales.
After Kaito Files I'm going to take a bit of a break to catch-up on some films/tv shows I want to enjoy and then will start Spider-Man 2 over Christmas.
Game of the Year 2024
Excluding Fortnite/FC 24 & my return to mobile gaming it's been a bit of a poor year for completing games with only eight games completed but I enjoyed kicking of the year with Assassin's Creed Mirage, a much shorter game not filled with the usual Ubisoft bloat.
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth had a great story especially Kiryu's. Like always these games have a stack of side content that just eat the hours away.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake also had a stack of side content but went for the ubisoft formula of copy/paste all over the map and I soon gave up on this to just enjoy the main story which was a a bit of a rollercoaster but not bad for a remix.
I expected Dave the Diver to be a short indie title but how wrong was I when I completed the game over fourty hours later!
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden was my surprise of the year and way better than I was expecting with a great storyline and satisfying combat.
Miasma Chronicles was an X-Com style strategy title by the developers of Mutant Year Zero and whilst the story is pretty much boring the combat was enjoyable especially with the various skills at your disposable.
I manage to catch-up also on both the Judgment games whilst reusing the assets of the Yakuza games, RGG introduces new characters in the form of Yagami an ex-lawyer & Kaito an ex Yakuza who form a detective agency. It is a much sower format than the Yakuza games but both games have a main plotline that slowly unravels to reveal it's secrets.
Assassin's Creed Mirage (PS5)
Yakuza Like A Dragon - Infinite Wealth (PS5)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS5)
Dave the Diver (PS5)
Judgment (PS5)
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden (PS5)
Miasma Chronicles (PS5)
Lost Judgment (PS5)
Yakuza Infinite Wealth is my game of the year just because of how RGG managed to connect Kiryu & Ichiban stories together and fill the game with so much varied side content that you never get bored. A special mention also to Banishers Ghosts of New Eden (PS5).
I’ve been away a few weeks thus the lack of an October update
Playing Now
Lost Judgment (PS5)
I’ve gone off a few games in The Plucky Squire (looks lovely but getting back from holiday I was just not enjoying it) & Rise of Ronin was not what I expected, it is a very janky game and the spoonfed tutorial put me off. So back with RGG and this time Lost Judgment which see the crew team up again for another investigation. Loving the skateboard traversal.
Playing Complete
Miasma Chronicles (PS5)
A turn-based strategy title from the studio behind Mutant Year Zero, it uses the same engine with slight changes to gameplay in abilities. The plot and voice acting is very B-tier and can mostly be ignored, I play these games for the gameplay and enjoy pulling off overwatch kills or long range snipes.
Fortnite (PS5)
I need to break free from this game, it has taken up far too much of my time this year and with my limited gaming time I need to enjoy my backlog.
Playing Next
I am working my way through my backlog and have only three physical games in Like A Dragon Ishin, Spider-Man 2 & Shadow Tactics. I have quite a bit more in digital purchases most notably CyberPunk 2077 + DLC & Outer Wilds.
I’m not going to be buying anything for a while but my shopping list is below and my PS+ subscription expires next month so need to consider if I wish to renew or not?
Physical Purchase Shopping List
Star Wars Outlaws (I'm going to wait for a game-of-the-year edition with all the DLC)
Ghost of Yotei (I expect will get delayed to 2026)
Metal Gear Solid Delta (Will wait for reviews)
Death Stranding 2 (More Kojima goodness/weirdness)
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza (I may purchase on release if I can find a decent pre-order)
Star Wars Jedi Survivor (I expect this will come to PS+ at some point soon)
AC Shadows (I do enjoy the AC games, stealth....stealth..stab!)
Mafia The Old Country (Again I expect will get delayed to 2026)
Digital Purchase Shopping List
Baldurs Gate 3
Shadow Gambit
Apologies for the update being late this month, Summer has always been difficult to find spare time for gaming let alone writing up a blog post.
Playing Now
Sand Land
I did start Sand Land but after a break I just could not get back into playing it. Whilst I loved the graphics & vehicle combat, the plot was very generic & I just could not muster the will to carry on.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4
When I do get thirty minutes spare, it's easier to jump on and play a game of Zero Build. Marvel season has kicked off and is already much better than last season thanks to no vehicle combat. The battle pass includes War Machine, Dr Doom & Mysterio.
Playing Complete
Banishers Ghost of New Eden
Every year you always get games that are reviewed 7/10 but when you actually get around to play them they are elevated to 8 or 9/10. I really enjoyed Banishers, the story was very good and combat had a satisfying loop, my character build was focused on rifle attacks and switching between the characters to charge up my specials to then perform a 300% damage rifle shot was very enjoyable.
Playing Next
Star Wars Outlaws is another 7/10 game but it obviously needs some more time for Ubisoft to patch & with a season pass that includes two story expansions I am just going to wait until 2025 before I pick it up.
I already have quite a few games to enjoy including Rise of the Ronin & Spider-Man 2 to enjoy but The Plucky Squire is going to be released soon on PS+
Enjoy your gaming & remember you are never too old to play video games.
Playing Now
Banishers - Ghosts of New Eden
Continuing my quest to focus on games released this year, I picked up Banishers. Developed by Don't Nod who made Life is Strange (which I have still not played) but I did enjoy their first game Remember Me & climbing adventure Jusant.
Banishers has you playing the role of ghost busters (really needs a trailer with the theme music), you help out local villagers who have been haunted and then decide the outcome.These outcomes will effect the story and ending of the game. The combat is very satisfying and has a god of war feel but you can you do long range damage with the rifle or use some ghost powers. I like how everything is tied into the one overarching plot throughout the whole game & a great cast for the voice-acting. With every open-world game there are always gotta collect them all icons & combat challenges. Banishers is not different except the collect quests usually reward you with new equipment & challenges give you materials that are required to upgrade these equipment.
I am nearing the end game with only a few more haunted cases to complete but this is a game I'm enjoying very much. Way better than the 6/10 or 7/10 reviews.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3
The season is nearly coming to an end & truthfully I will be glad to see the back of it, I did not enjoy the focus on vehicle combat and if it was not for the Reload or Pirates Mid-Season pass I would have stopped playing after getting the T60 skin.
The next season will be starting soon on 16th August and it will be time to get fed some Marvel content.
Playing Complete
Judgment
A different spin to the Yakuza formula with Yagami and co in a detective/lawyer game. Using the familiar location of Kamarucho the story delves deep into Yagami's life and explains how his short lived lawyer career turned him into a detective yet whilst still retaining his ability to get involved in street brawls :)
There is quite a bit of side missions and helping around the city to make friends that then later can help you in combat. You have the usual Sega Arcade (Space Harrier, Virtua Fighter, Motor Raid & Kamuro of the Dead), Dating, Crane Mini game etc
At some point I will play the follow-up Lost Judgment.
Playing Next
Sand Land, I have purchased the Akira Tomiya adaption of the 2000 Manga so this will be next on my list.
2024 releases I am keen to enjoy are Rise of the Ronin, Balatro, Star Wars Outlaws & The Plucky Squire. I expect Death Stranding 2 & Metal Gear Solid Delta will get delayed to 2025.
Older titles include Cyber Punk 2077, Spider-Man 2, Outer Wilds, Lost Judgment, Like A Dragon Ishin, Sea of Stars, Shadow Tactics, Baldurs Gate 3 & Shadow Gambit.
Enjoy your gaming & remember you are never too old to play video games.
Playing Now
I was away on holiday last month so no update.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3
I'm not a fan of the changes this season to the Battle Royale mode with the introduction of vehicle combat & mod.
The game is less about shooting and more about ensuring you get a strong vehicle with the powerful mods for the end game.
However the Battle Pass does include the Brotherhood of Steel T60 Armour & Metallica collab.
Thankfully Epic introduced Fortnite Reload (a squad based mode) which is great fun and I have managed to get quite a few Victory Royales.
Judg(e)ment
Where is the letter e?
I much more slower game than the Yakuza series but it still has the same combat and locations, you play as Yagami an ex-lawyer turned detective who also happens to be good at fighting.
I had a look but could not get Banishers or Rise of Ronin cheap so decided on looking at my backlog.
Playing Complete
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2
I missed the end of the season due to being on holiday so could not experience the season finale but I did enjoy the Avatar bending skills especially Air & Water.
Dave the Diver
After FF7 Remake I wanted to play something shorter, little did I know Dave the Diver would be a time sink always throwing something new at you as the game progressed.
Some of the boss battles were a bit tough but once you figured out the attack patterns I could beat them on the 2nd or 3rd attempt.
Playing Next
I will be on the look our to purchase Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, Sand Land & Rise of Ronin. Otherwise looking forward to The Plucky Squire & Star Wars Outlaw.
Enjoy your gaming & remember you are never too old to play video games.
Playing NOW
Dave The Diver (PS5)
This was on my Playing Future list last month & perfect timing that it was added to PS+ this month.
What starts off as a simple collect fish make sushi game very rapidly develops to introduce lots of story content and additional systems to manage. The enjoyable three stage day cycle loops perfectly to allow you to enjoy fishing in the morning & afternoon or tackle one of the many side quests before getting ready to manage the sushi restaurant in the evening ensuring you focus on keeping your customers happy while maximizing profits so you can upgrade either the restaurant, your gear or shop for items.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 (PS5)
Firstly to start off with some disappointing news, in that Epic has gotten rid of the XP gains with the ranked mode for Rocket Racing. You can now only gain a small amount of XP with the daily quests. Unfortunately this has stopped me playing and I'm just enjoying Zero Build. The advantage with the first season was I could enjoy Rocket Racing but also level up the battle pass in the process.
An Avatar mini pass was added to add an Aang skin & Appa Glider, this was very easy to complete even if some of the quests were reliant on you getting lucky to arrive at a temple early enough to collect the bending scroll.
Playing Complete
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS5)
There is far too much side content in the game and I took the decision in Chapter 8 to ignore it all and only enjoy the main quest. There are section of the main quest that force you to use certain characters and their abilities, some of these can be frustrating & I was glad when I got back to playing as Cloud. It culminates in a "epic finale" and now the long wait begins for the last game in the trilogy. Final Fantasy 7 Reunion.
Playing Next
My aim is to focus on games released this year first before looking at my backlog. Hopefully I will get lucky and 2024 releases will keep getting added to PS+ or GamePass like Dave the Diver this month.
Looking through my last month post, other potential 2024 releases I'm interested in playing are Rise of Ronin, Open Roads, The Plucky Squire, Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, Death Stranding 2, Metal Gear Solid Delta, Star Wars Outlaws, Balatro & Sandland. I expect some of these may well get delayed to 2025.
I have many games in my backlog but looking forward to playing Spiderman2, Judgement, Lost Judgement, Outer Wilds, Shadow Tactics, Like A Dragon Ishin & Sea of Stars.
Midnight Suns has been added to PS+ & Star Wars Jedi Survivor to GamePass. I also need to at least give Starfield an attempt to see if it clicks.
That leaves Baldurs Gate 3,Cyberpunk 2077 & Shadow Gambit Cursed Crew on my shopping list.
Enjoy your gaming & remember you are never too old to play video games.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PS5)
So much more content to this game compared to Remake, lots of side activities including an addictive card combat game "Queens Blood" and suttle changes to combat with co-op abilities.
Taking it open-world lets you explore more of the areas either on foot or on a chocobo. It uses the "Ubisoft" Tower formula to scan the area for activities which range from combat missions to excavation & lifestreams which unlock the area lore.
You have a nice recap at the beginning to remind you of what happened in the first game before the story begins & it moves along at a rapid pace. I'm 30 hours in at the moment and have just completed Costa Del Sol.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 (PS5)
The new season "Myths & Mortals" brings along quite a few changes with thuderbolt strikes & wings that let you soar into the sky and then crash down on an enemy.
The Season Pass has a Greek Mythology theme & includes Cerberus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Zeus & Hades skins. The Mid-Season skin is Korra from Avatar The Last Airbender.
I've mainly playing on solo this season because Nemo has not purchased the battle pass, I guess she wants to take a break from the game. Hopefully I can tempt her back for the odd session.
My Fortnite Playlist below including some Victory Royales, Boss Fights & the new Thunderbolt & Wings gameplay.
The Floor is Lava also made it's return, just a shame you can only play it with a squad of four players. I've being mostly playing solo with no fill & still managed to get in the top 10 on quite a few occasions.
I've not gone back to play the Lego Fortnite mode and waiting for the season reset for Rocket Racing.
Playing Complete
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1
I enjoyed the new Lego Fortnite & Rocket Racing modes but the Solid Snake Skin was the highlight for me this season.
Like A Dragon - Infinite Wealth
This game should come with a warning that it will eat into your life, truly a massive game that I sunked many hours into enjoying. The Sujimon & Dondoko Island mini games were both very addictive and just shows the work RGG Studio have put into ensuring the game offers new experiences for Yakuza fans.
The main plot does not disappoint with Kiryu & Ichiban teaming up together to explore Japan & Hawaii. I won't spoil the story but just to say I really enjoyed the Kiryu memories storyline.
Already a contender for Game of the Year.
Playing Next
Truthfully I'm not sure maybe Spiderman 2 but I've also not played the Xbox in a while so maybe something on gamepass?
Playing Backlog
Playing BACKLOG
I've reduce this list a fair bit to just focus on games that I want to play, time is limited so I need to be more selective.
Playing NOW
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth (PS5)
Easily my most anticipated release this year, Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth does not disappoint. Back with another adventure with Ichiban & Kiryu also decides to tag along.
It took me a while to get familiar with the turn-based combat after enjoying all the previous action based games since Ichiban's first game. It has a nice quick smackdown feature similar to the Persona "All Out Attack" where you can wipe out lower levelled enemies with a press of the L2 button.
The mini-games are as always great timesinks and I am enjoying Sujimon & Dondoko Island.
Fortnite (PS5)
A mid-season update has dropped a TMNT (teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) mini-battle pass which unlocks a shredder skin, I have also completed the Solid Snake challenges and unlocked the skin.
Playing COMPLETE
Assasins Creed Mirage (PS5)
I enjoyed this shorter experience than the previous games & the focus on stealth combat and tools is my default playstyle.
Playing NEXT
After Infinite Wealth it will most likely be Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. My aim for this year is to focus first on games released in 2024 that I want to play, if nothing is available then I will go back and look at my backlog.
Playing BACKLOG
These are games I already own that I really need to find some time to enjoy.
Starfield
Spiderman 2
Judgment
Life is Strange
Sackboy
Lost Judgment
Outer Wilds
Shadow Tactics
Disco Elysium
Empire of Sin
Bioshock Collection
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen
Like A Dragon Ishin
Playing NOW
Fortnite (PS5)
Back on Fortnite again!
The game has had a huge update with lots of different modes including Lego Fortnite & Rocket Racing. The current season pass also has a Solid Snake Skin!
I have spent a lot of time playing Lego Fortnite with my daughter, now just waiting for some new content drop. Rocket Racing has a lovely arcade feel and nice drift mechanic but also needs to introduce some quality of life features in terms of the lobby & track choice.
Assasin's Creed Mirage (PS5)
Going back to it's stealth roots, AC Mirage is a much more shorter concise expereince set in Baghdad.
Playing BIN
Persona 5 Tactica (XSX)
I went off Persona 5 Tactica because it just seem to repeat the same formula of stage battles leading up to a boss fight with no new mechanics & became very repetive.
Forza Motorsport (XSX)
Rocket Racing is currently scratching my racing itch so I have left Forza alone for now.
Playing NEXT
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth (PS5)
Pre-order placed with Shopto, probably the only game I will buy on release this year. I need to finish off AC Mirage over the next few weeks.
Playing FUTURE
Starfield
Spiderman 2
Baldur's Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Midnight Suns
Shadow Gambit - Cursed Crew
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Playing Backlog
In no particular order I own the following I still want to play.
Judgment
Life is Strange
Sackboy
Lost Judgment
Outer Wilds
Shadow Tactics
Disco Elysium
Empire of Sin
Bioshock Collection
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen
Like A Dragon Ishin
