@nerdface thanks, I got it now. I have not unlocked all the abilities in the Mirror yet (hell, I just recently realized there was a second side for each row...)
@Balta666 The infinite extra life was an awesome way to get me to Hades the first time, then I was like 'Im gonna need more lives to kill this guy', and went back to three lives...now it doesn't usually matter, but three lives is better imo
not to spoiler, they're listed in your reports already, but companions are a little more help too, but you'll probably be working on higher heats by the time you do that much story
Finished Control. Have to cut to the chase. This game is weird; everyone is weird. Jesse, my beautiful redhead, is a weirdo. Yet, it captured my heart. That weirdness goes perfectly with the game's writing and world-building. I don't want to spoil anything; you need to go in this blindly to appreciate Control.
Control is a technical mess on the PS4. Sometimes it runs somewhat stable 30FPS, and other times it runs at 20FPS. For a game like this to run that poorly is unacceptable. But I managed. Here's an example of these technical hics. Just pausing the game to look at the options stops the game for 4 seconds. After that, you're good to go. I read the next-gen consoles runs this game just fine, so get it on those or a PC if you're able.
The gameplay is superb. Not your typical third-person shooter(I really wish it was in First-person). You can't pick enemies off while hiding behind cover, waiting for your health to regenerate. You have to keep moving, which is great. Using all your abilities and different gun variations make fights a blast. Would recommend to mix it up, don't use launch for every fight; fights get stale if you only use that one ability.
Brilliant game, Remedy's best work to date. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to try out a unique experience like this if you're using the hardware to run this game. Control is one of a kind. Kudos to Remedy for terrifying me with a plastic duck.
It definitely plays better than that on a decent PC, @MsJubilee ... I don't think anyone could dispute that it is a rather weird game but it's definitely great!
Bayonetta 1. I had previously played it years ago, but had since completely forgotten what happened. In order to refresh my memory before playing Bayonetta 2 for the first time, I've just finished replaying Bayo 1.
Bayo 1 was a lot better than I remembered. It's got the style, and a lot of intense and fun fights.
Chronos: Before the Ashes. A third person soulsborne with some puzzle elements. I played through it over this past weekend. It took less than five hours to play through. Had a blast.
Switch Physical Collection - 1,561 games (as of April 18th, 2026)
Switch 2 Physical Collection - 4 games (as of December 8th, 2025)
Spent the past week playing through CrossCode and despite the performance issues on the Switch, I had a really great time with it. I especially enjoyed the puzzles.
I just reached the end credits of Pushmo this morning, Pullblox for you PAL folks. A lovely little puzzle game whose cute exterior hides some creative yet at times difficult puzzles. The game is excellent at explaining its mechanics and all the tools and other little quirks on your way to becoming a puzzle master. There's definitely a difficulty curve, but it's gradual and fair for the most part. You don't even need to finish a puzzle to move on; after a certain amount of time has passed (signified by a ringing noise), you can skip the current puzzle and finish it later. The game could benefit from a hint system, but there are plenty of guides out there should one get stuck.
Outside of the story mode and the bonus puzzles that unlock after completing all 198 story mode puzzles, there's a tutorial area you can revisit anytime you need a refresher on all the mechanics on offer. There's also an area, Pushmo Studio, where the player can craft their own puzzles, complete them (this has to be done before you share them, to ensure they can be solved), and share their creations via QR code.
This is a nice, creative, original puzzle game from Intelligent Systems (Yes, that company who churns out Fire Emblem titles) and is highly recommended for those who like solving and/or creating their own puzzles. Definitely a good one to play when winding down for bed.
Finished up the Coma:Recut as well as Cosmic Star Heroine, i also finally beat that final boss in Enter the gungeon yesterday evening which was a bit of a surprise tbh.
The Coma:Recut was a really solid horror game with a great creepy atmosphere. I guess the stealth was a bit lacking but it never got frustrating so its really fine, also i guess i expected a bit more from the story but its still fun to just piece all these memos together, still am happy i got in on sale.
Cosmic Star Heroine is a really sweet and solid RPG with awesome and fun mechanics in chrono trigger graphic style. Its not really a story game since its main focus is comedy and the characters are easily forgettable but it doesn't really get boring either so i had great fun with it and can only recommend it, especially since it is cheap as heck.
Pretty sure everybody knows enter the gungeon anyways, roguelike with good mechanics and lots to do. Multiplayer is even more fun!
"on a scale of 1 to 10, she's an 11, and she'd give herself a 12" ~The Burst, Furi
I finished Hollow Knight last night. Not 100%, but I felt like I needed to have closure with it before the holiday. My relationship with it is strange. I didn't like it at all for quite awhile. I don't know if there was a moment that it "clicked", or if it won me over with it's artistic design and attention to detail, but it's one of my favorites now. I didn't look anything up while playing, just forged ahead blindly and it was wonderful. There are still some odds and ends I'll come back and complete, and there are still mysteries to be solved, so it's only a matter of time before I pick it up again but for now it's done.
Now that I've finished that depressing and punishing game, I can finally get back to Darkest Dungeon. I've got a pretty good feeling about it.
Switch friend code: SW-2223-7827-8798
Give me a heads-up if you're going to send a request please.
@Losermagnet nice. Glad you finished it. Something I never had the patience for lol. One of these days I'll definitely go back. But, even though I have a love/hate for the game I'm still all in on silksong
@NintendoByNature thanks. I'm not sure if I've ever had a game that I was so ambivilant about at first become a favorite. I think it started to pickup once my moveset increased, then the world became easier to explore. Frankly though, the ending was underwhelming. So much so that I'm pretty sure I'm missing something. I watched the trailer for Silksong for the first time today actually, and I'm excited for it. The combat looks more fluid and the areas look more populated.
@Losermagnet If you feel that the ending was underwhelming, let it be said that the game features another ending if you finish up your dream nail quest. There is also even more content within the free expansions. In other words: you might want to check out the world again for the real exciting stuff to happen ; ). At least if you are as far as i think you are, i didn't really finish it up myself though because some of the stuff got a bit tough, its great content though!
I beat Super Mario Galaxy (that is, I collected 60 stars and beat Bowser, then watched the end credits), but there's still a ton of stuff to do. I need to get the other 59 stars as Mario, beat Bowser again, and then do it all over again with Luigi. So I'm really only 1/4th done with the game as a whole.
With that said, I'm not holding that Bravely II demo hostage any longer, so I'll put the rest of my 100% playthrough on hold for the moment.
@Solaine Ah, I figured it was something like that. I have maybe 5 or 6 things that I know I need to do (bestiary, one fallen warrior fights, some of the DLC, I'm still missing 4 charms too) and I reckon I'll tackle that when I come back to it. I think it said I was at 98%.
@MsJubilee I LOVE that game. I lose hours to it. I'm just about done with my first playthrough. Truth be told, it'll be a little while before I play it just because once I start it I find it hard to stop.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (PS4) - Don't have too much time to play PS4 these days, so I finally bit for this since I casually enjoyed the past DOA games as something to quickly drop in & out of, so I've goofed around with it enough the past few weekends to have some thoughts on it.
This title looks totally serious.
Gameplay:
It's a 3D fighter with a generally fast paced combat flow centering on a rock, paper, scissors mechanic (strikes beat grapples, grapples beat blocks, and blocks beat strikes) and combo juggling your opponent into oblivion (while it is possible to counter strikes at the right moment, which is useful in higher calibur play if you can get to grips with it, in general if someone gets locked into a combo prepare for around half of their total health to take a hit before really getting a chance to retaliate).
Otherwise the stages are highly interactive and will either have electrified boundaries (or even floors!) or have the ability for combatants to be knocked off a ledge or through a wall (and even through a weak floor!) into a different area accuring damage during impacts on the way down (some stages have a set number of drops, while a few actually infinitely loop between 2 or 3 areas). Maybe not the best for competitive play (though I'm sure there are options to shut it off), but as someone who just plays for casual fun I never tire of the spectacle (one of my favorites is a stage that starts off on the top of a skyscraper with some steel beams on one of the corners, and the first time someone gets knocked into the corner the beams fall down, and the second time the fighter falls off into a traffic accident caused by the beams, bouncing off of an exploding semi). There are usually some other interactive elements as well, such as objects (like glaciers, tables, etc.) that are breakable, certain grapples will be different up against a wall, and getting into water will temporarily wet the combatants' clothes.
In terms of content on offer it has a Story mode (a couple hours long campaign that puts you in the shoes of most characters, each usually has 3 fights, interspersed with cutscenes), Arcade (with 7 difficulty options, you'll face a set number of randomized foes), Survival (kind of an endless mode I suppose), and of course the standard Free Play & Training modes (including a mode where you can practice going through each character's combo pool). Most modes have Tag Team variants (which is pretty self explanatory) & online play. It even has a Spectator mode where you can view fights you've saved or watch endless CPU bouts with a (pretty barebones) photo mode so you can capture that special moment.
It has a pretty full roster that features nearly every character that has appeared in the series thus far, newcomers Rig, Mila, Phase 4 (a Kasumi clone), Nyotengu, Honoka, & Marie Rose, further Ninja Garden crossover with Rachael & Momiji joining the fray, Virtua Fighter guests Akira, Jacky, Sarah, & Pai, and even King of Fighter's Mai Shiranui (although a pretty natural fit, she's one of only two DLC characters not part of the core game).
Of course alt costumes have long been a core part of DOA's appeal, and the game doesn't short change on that front. Each character starts out with 2 costumes unlocked, and have anywhere from around 5 - 12 to unlock, with a couple usually being pallet swaps (the female fighters tend to have more costumes). They are unlocked in consecutive order each time you clear arcade mode with a fighter (as far as I can tell this can all be done so on the easiest difficulty, though I can't say definitively as I'm most definitely not going clear it a dozen times with each character). Outside of that it has an absolutely obscene amount of DLC costumes (some of the female fighters have dozens, & I mean costume counts that get into the 50's when combined with what they have in the base game). They are usually sold for $2-$3 a pop, or bundled together in $20-$30 groupings (the game itself at this point is $40, so even two bundles at this point will likely cost more than the game itself, and again it has over a dozen different bundles, so you do the math). Of course this is all purely cosmetic, so if you feel the need to buy absolutely everything rather than the occasional outfit for your favorite few characters maybe that's more on you (some people absolutely lambasted KT for the total cost of all the DLC). Full disclosure, I caved and bought a couple of bundles of crossover licensed costumes (including the Senran Kagura set), as the licenses are starting to run out and are being delisted from the store (the game came out in 2015, and a few sets were delisted earlier this year, while one of the sets I bought was delisted just a few days after the fact). The vast majority are original though (or from other KT owned franchises like Dynasty Warriors) so shouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. Another thing to note is that some of the DLC costumes get battle damage & break apart (they are noted by a red star on the selection screen).
I should also mention about the DLC costumes is that when you buy the game you'll be prompted to download a few dozen free "costume catalogs" as well. You don't have to download them, but they contain the data for the DLC costumes so you'll need them installed to see them online (if your opponent is using one) or buy the DLC yourself. Also, I forgot to mention before that each character usually has 2 or 3 random DLC costumes unlocked from the getgo along with their default 2 base game costumes (I guess as a taste of what you'd get with the full set), so that's another reason to download these. I figured I should mention it though as I've seen some confusion online from those who've purchased DLC that isn't showing up (it's because they forgot to DL the corresponding catalog beforehand).
Visual/Audio:
It was originally a PS360 title, so nothing cutting edge, but it looks really clean & performs really well on PS4. The fighter models themselves still look really appealing if I say so myself. Stages look crisp and range from futuristic labs/military instillations, colorful natural venues & tropical resorts, neon infused metropolises, dingy urban back lots & more.
Didn't really get a good overall shot of a stage, so here's Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa doing a bit of self promotion while fighting Virtua Fighter's Akira.
DOA has always been known for specific "details" of it's character models, and DOA5: Last Round goes all out on options in that regard. To get the elephant out of the room first, yes, there are 4 different options in regards to the series' staple jiggle physics. It's set to "Natural" by default (with minimal movement), however they can also be set to "DOA" (classic eggagerated physics), "LR" (I'm assuming exclusive to Last Round, gives the female fighters completely bonkers DOA Extreme levels of mobility), or you can even turn them off completely. "DOA" & "LR" modes even include bonus jiggle mapped to the DS4's gyro function. Outside of that, there are options to turn on sweat & dirty appearances if fights last awhile or a character gets knocked to the ground.
I wouldn't say it has standout music, but what it has fits the theme of the game. Has kind of a rockish sound in the menus, and a soft ballad type number that plays during the story mode credits.
Story:
Believe it or not the DOA series does have an overarching narrative, though historically it's hit the same beats as typical fighter fare, with the mysterious organization known as DOATEC trying to learn the secrets of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan in an effort to create super soldiers, and naturally they throw regular martial arts tournaments as part of their plans. Historically the story outcome was determined by which character you cleared arcade mode with (with only a few being considered canon ends, I assume), however that changes here...
You see, DOA5 is the first numbered entry in the series to feature a dedicated story mode with cutscenes and a set path (the first was Dimensions on 3DS, which cumulated the intended narratives of DOA 1 - 4 into one). At the end of DOA 4 Helena Douglas (the heiress of DOATEC's founder) destroyed the company from within (with the help of a certain ninja clan) after finding out the plans of the shadowy forces within, and here in 5, while building a newly reformed DOATEC she discovers the previous shadow forces have simply moved elsewhere continuing their work & she recruits the help of the Mugen Tenshin clan to shut them down once & for all (naturally throwing a martial arts tournament to cover her tracks in bringing them together). It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done (though the end boss is a b**** as it can shapeshift into different characters at will, changing it's moveset). Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa is (a playable fighter) heavily involved in the story as an ally of the Mugen Tenshin fighters (Kasumi, Ayane, & Hayate), and in fact the entirety DOA series (including the volleyball games) is canon with the modern Ninja Gaiden trilogy.
It should also be noted that DOA5 takes place after a 2 year time skip since 4, as a means of aging up Ayane, Kasumi and a few other female fighters to avoid criticism from western circles in regards to the sexualization angle (the two heroines were 16 & 17 previously, so now 18 & 19).
Conclusion:
It's not some GotY juggernaut, or even a fighter I plan on playing seriously, but I find it to be very fun comfort food when I want to jump in & out of something.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Recently finished Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Approximate hours 100-120, give or take. The game takes place one hundred years before the events of Breath of the Wild, but with differences. Despite being different, I like the story (MEDIUM SPOILER ALERT) and how this could affect the events of Breath of the Wild Sequel, now that we have (BIG SPOILER ALERT) a new world (END OF THE SPOILERS).
The story starts (LONG SPOILER ALERT) in the past with the Mini Guardian somehow resonating to Zelda's power and thus being brought to life. After a little struggle, he makes it to the past and from here, 80% of everything is different from the Breath of the Wild 2017 Timeline (END OF LONG SPOILER). I could say more but I don't want to spoil everything so I'll leave it to others to find out how the rest of the story unfolds.
Regarding gameplay customizations and mechanics I have both good and not so good impressions. The good thing is that you can level up your weapon and also stack up bonus effects by fusing weapons, which can help to do a varied of things like finding more specific materials (each chapter and/or challenge has Battle Specific Materials) or Monster Parts. Some bonus can increase the the strength or quickness of the attacks, but here is that I find one of the few things that felts unnecessary. The weapons fusion system is a bit grindy and the stronger the weapon, the more rupees it requires. Also one does not have upgraded the current weapon completely when suddenly we have much stronger weapons and sadly, even if we infuse the new weapon with the previous weapon abilities, one can only carry the first stacked ability regardless of how many good abilities we stacked on that weapon. Which brings me to something I have noted.
The game is designed to grind but there isn't many reasons to do it because one will have to repeatedly loses most of the stack up abilities each time new stronger weapon appears, and eventually sooner or later makes one no longer care for enhancing weapons and one only focuses on the material abilities for collecting on lower level chapters or challenges. This doesn't entice me the way the skill tree does in HW: Definitive Edition. It is possible increase number of slots to have more weapons but it doesn't make much difference. Another issue I find is that Link (and Zelda) don't have separate slots for different weapons. This was done to mirror Breath of the Wild, but unfortunately here it doesn't help because the weapons influence 40% of the damage one causes. Having a high level isn't as effective as it is in HW: Definitive Edition.
The challenges sometimes feel obligatory as some shops, character attack combos and other things won't unlock unless we clear certain challenges. A few challenges are difficult. Mostly the post-story challenges, even in easy mode as was the case with one challenge that required Mipha on a recommended level, but I had to level up her 20+ levels and also level up her weapon to finally be able to beat the challenge. It seems that she is the weakest character and is not suitable for fighting guardians, which just so happens that this challenge have many of them and requires to use only her. This was done in easy mode believe it or not. The guardians of that level seemed to have a lot of health or something, as I never had such an issue with other challenges (although there was one other mission that had something similar, but not so hard as this one). The only reason I continue trying was to unlock a certain character. It was very frustrating.
As for the last unlockable character, I give up because it demands completing ALL of the challenges. I think it's very unfair and that there should be an update that gives the option to unlock it by completing other tasks. Because there won't be anything to do with that character when one has done 90% or more of the game. And it is such a shame as I REALLY wanted to play as this character.
Overall I give the game a rating of 7/10. Normally I give an 8, 9 or a 10 to a game, but the constant weapon grinding felt overwhelming and some challenges also had a similar implementation. Still a good game.
Undergoing games:
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
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