January 2024 Update - Fortnite Multiverse

 

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

Game of the Year 2023

It's been a busy year for gaming, starting off with The Gardens Between & my catch up of the Yakuza games is completed with Song of Life. Then back to the open plains with Aloy before catching up with Kratos & Atreus. When I decide what to play after completing a game I like to mix genres and also play some shorter indie titles after completing a longer game. Thus next came Lego Builders Journey, Lost Words & Dodgeball Academia.

A return to form for the Final Fantasy series in 16 with some great Eikon battles & then an adventure in the potterverse with Hogwarts Legacy. Old Mans Journey & Dysmantle kept me busy during August before I picked up a XSX console and Gamepass & scrapped my own rule of one console per generation.

The PS5 then took a break whilst I went on a gamepass playing spree in Unpacking, A Short Hike, Quantum Break, Venba, Halo Guardians/Infinite, Vampire Survivors, Gears 4 & 5. Gamepass offers day one releases and not just on first party games but also selected third party & I got to enjoy Jusant & Like A Dragon Gaiden.Forager then kept me busy for a while before the storm that was brewing for December arrived & swept everything aside to announce the new Fortnite, a multiverse of games now included Rocket Racing, Festival & Lego Fortnite.

2023 GOTY - God of War Ragnarok, I love a game that has a great story & God of War Ragnarok does not disappoint. The Father/Son relationship is put to the test with the arrival of Odin. The gameplay carries over the previous game with some suttle changes but it is the story that kept me glued to the controller. God of War was released in 2018 & then 2022 for Ragnarok, hopefully we do not have to wait too long for the next game in the series.

Special mention also to Final Fantasy 16 which had some truly epic Eikon fight sequences and is easily a showcase for this genertation. I also throughly enjoyed Quantum Break which I only started due to a GamePass weekly challenge and then could not put down. Last but not least the Indie games with Venba, Jusant, A Short Hike & Lost Words being great gaming experiences.

The Gardens Between (PS5)
Yakuza 6 Song of Life (PS5)
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
God of War Ragnarok (PS5)
Lego Builders Journey (PS5)
Lost Words (PS5)
Dodgeball Academia (PS5)
Final Fantasy 16 (PS5)
Hogwarts Legacy (PS5)
Old Mans Journey (PS5)
Dysmantle (PS5)
Unpacking (XSX)
A Short Hike (XSX)
Quantum Break (XSX)
Venba (XSX)
Halo Guardians (XSX)
Halo Infinite (XSX)
Vampire Survivors (XSX)
Gears of War 4 (XSX)
Gears 5 (XSX)
Jusant (XSX)
Like A Dragon Gaiden - The Man Who Erased His Name (XSX)
Forager (XSX)
Lego Fortnite (PS5)

December 2023 Update

Playing NOW

Persona 5 Tactica (XSX)

It's got mixed reviews but I'm enjoying it. I've not played a turn based xcom like game for a while (last was in 2021 Mutant Year Zero).

Forza Motorsport (XSX)

I've played the tutorial section and first cup but have not been back to it since Persona 5 Tactica was released. I expect I'll be playing this very slowly over 2024 in small bouts.

 

 

 

Playing NEXT

Assassin's Creed Mirage (PS5)

I managed to pick this up cheap £15 on facebook. I've not touched the PS5 since I purchased the XSX late August this year. I know I'm going to miss the XSX quick resume feature already.

 

Playing FUTURE

Starfield (XSX)

I think this needs a little bit longer to cook, reports of memory leaks/crashes, I'm going to a wait a while longer.

Spiderman 2 (PS5)

Not purchased it yet, will wait now until I've completed Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Baldur's Gate 3 (PS5)

Again not purchased, with the physical version being released in 2024 I'll wait for now, also you never know Microsoft may splash the cash and make it available on gamepass

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth (XSX)

Probably the only game I'm going to buy on day one in 2024.

Cyberpunk 2077 (XSX)

With the complete edition releasing soon will definitely be playing this in 2024!

Star Wars Jedi Survivor (XSX)

The XSX is now my preferred console for multiplatform releases because of quick resume. I was hoping for a decent Black Friday deal but will wait for the inevitable gamepass release.

Other titles on my wishlist are

Midnight Suns

Metal Gear Solid Collection 1

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

Persona 5 Strikers

Lost Judgment

Outer Wilds

Shadow Tactics

Disco Elysium

Empire of Sin

Bioshock Collection

Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen

Like A Dragon Ishin 

I'm still alive!

It has been over a year since my last post!

I'm still enjoying playing video games although I do have far less time than I would like. I play only on the PS5, the switch has been relegated to family console status.

I started 2022 with Fortnite & ended the year with Fortnite (completed list below). Thankfully my daughter has quit playing Fortnite now so I have also thrown in the towel.

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 (PS5)
Yakuza 3 (PS5)
Yakuza 4 (PS5)
Doraemon Story of Seasons (PS5)
Lost in Random (PS5)
Detroit Become Human (PS5)
Tiny Tina Assault on Dragon Keep (PS5)
Plague Road (PS5)
The Walking Dead - Final Season (PS5)
Beyond Eyes (PS5)
Planet Coaster (PS5)
Stray (PS5)
Yakuza 5 (PS5)
Toem (PS5)
Last Day of June (PS5)
Ratchet and Clank - Rift Apart (PS5)
Mafia Definitive Edition (PS5)
Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)
Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 (PS5)

2022 was an enjoyable year for the PS5 with Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart showing off the power of the console & a great game to play. I also enjoyed my time with Planet Coaster & the Yakuza games.

I have had a slow start to 2023 but I have completed the Yakuza games and will move onto the two Judgment games soon. I enjoyed Horizon Forbidden West even though it did test my patience to get the platinum. I hate Melee Pits!

Next? God of War Ragnarok!

Blog Update - Completed Games

No more youtube reviews for completed games, I just don't have the free time to create these & I'd rather enjoy playing games than reviewing them.

Game of the year for me last year was Yakuza Like A Dragon - The change of gameplay from action to turn-based JRPG was the perfect introduction I needed to the Yakuza series & I have been working my way through playing the earlier games having recently completed Yakuza 3 & 4.

I also completed Doraemon Story of Seasons which is a farming simulator in the vein of Animal Crossing & Stardew Valley, these game are a relaxing time-sink experience to enjoy.

My time with Fortnite however has come to an end, my daughter has stopped playing so this has given me the time back to enjoy more single player experiences & I'm currently playing Lost in Random an adventure game with an interesting dice throwing & card playing combat mechanic.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Highlights

Played less than the previous season because of Fifa but still a good laugh with Nemo, Mr T & Aminah.

Yoku's Island Express (PS5) - Completed Review

Islanders (PS5) - Completed Review

Currently Playing 01/12 - Yoku's Island Express

Completed Islanders (will upload review shortly), I went shopping over Black Friday and purchased both the Judgement Games, Assassin Creed Vikings (Valhalla) & some PSN credit which I used to purchase a few games of the PSN store including Yoku's Island Express which I am currently playing. Still cracking on with Fifa with Steven Gerrard icon being my latest purchase and I enjoyed the recent German Squad challenge, Slowly improving my skills and played my first game on World Class Difficulty which I won 3-1.

Currently Playing 24/11 - Guardians of the Galaxy Completed

 

Completed Guardians of the Galaxy, sticks to the familiar TellTale formula but has a pretty good story to enjoy. Lots of Fifa obviously and enjoying Islanders which is a puzzle building game and when you complete the points target on one island you can move to the next randomly generated. I've had a few issues with the auto-save not working on this so annoyingly lost quite a bit of progression but it's a nice simple game to enjoy.

Not planning on picking up anything from Black Friday unless I see the Judgement Games below £25

Currently Playing 19/11

Blogger have gotton rid of the widgets feature where I used to update my Currently Playing, so I'll now post on a regular basis instead.

After completing Yakuza Kiwami 2, I'm taking a break from these games until the new year. I've also finished with this Season of Fortnite having got up to level 151, so lots of Fifa 22 especially now that I have completed my LFC squad with Salah. Also playing through some of my back catalogue with Guardians of the Galaxy TellTale Series & picked up a small indie puzzle title off the store that has been in my wishlist in Islanders.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS5) - Completed

The continuation of a story with the same cast and locations is a very strong selling point to any entertainment medium. It gives you the viewer, reader or player familiarity, Yakuza uses this formula with Kamurucho & Sotenbori as it’s key locations and Kiryu Kazama as their main protagonist. You have some returning cast members but also lots of new characters to either loathe or enjoy in Yakuza Kiwami 2.

The story continues from the previous game with the introduction of the Jingweon Mafia and an interwoven plot which even delves into Kiryu's past and events that occurred many years earlier. There is also a nice recap at the beginning of the game which retells the events of the previous game. 

Gameplay also has some nice quality of life improvements in that you can now place a marker on the map which will point you the way and sidequests are now shown at the start of each chapter so you no longer have to walk around trying to find them.

Levelling up is much easier with you gaining experience points from almost every activity including eating. Combat is limited to one fight style but you can unlock a vast number of moves and skills. The hostess mini-game is back and a nice surprise is the new Majima Construction mini game which is tough to master, Yakuza game tutorials have always been poor with a wall of text and screenshots. So either watch a tutorial on YouTube or Trial and Error to figure it out. Talking of Majima he also gets a 3 chapter story which is separate from the main game to tie off his story loose ends.

The story is the main reason I am drawn to these games and Kiwami 2 does not disappoint. After playing Yakuza 0 to Kiwami 2 back to back, I will take a break for a bit before starting Yakuza 3 in the new year.

Yakuza Kiwami (PS5) - Completed Review

I started playing Gris but I could not stop thinking about Yakuza after completing Yakuza 0. I obviously stopped playing Gris and started Yakuza Kiwami. Kiwami is a remake of the first PS2 released Yakuza game with some small changes, you play as Kiryu again and the story follows him having to deal with a decision made very early in the game.  Nishki & Yumi return and there are some new characters that get introduced and a few that also have their story wrapped up. The main story is what make these games a joy to play and Yakuza Kiwami does not disappoint. 

Majima is also back and has a unique task in the game to help Kiryu. These moments lead to some very funny sequences and is a highlight of the game outside the main campaign. Unlike Yakuza 0 this game is played out just in Kamurucho, you have a few missions in other locations but these are gated so you cannot explore.

The game mechanics are the same in terms of combat except this time you level up with experience points instead of using money. The mini-games are back but there is no main character mini game like the building game from Yakuza 0.

Compared to Yakuza 0, Kiwami is a much shorter game but I like that because it is more focused and not distracted by side activities. You can enjoy the main campaign in under 20 hours. I don't have the time to always play 60 hour plus games so give me a small concise experience anytime.

Next for me is Yakuza Kiwami 2, no only joking. I will be playing FIFA 22, I have a three year cycle with the Fifa Games mainly to enjoy playing Ultimate Team. I am also still playing Fortnite with my daughter & Nephew.