Topic: What Game(s) are You Currently Playing?

Pokemon TCG for GBC on switch. So glad it's finally out, I played it for hundreds of hours when it originally released and I'll probably do that again now.

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) - FF is the most "hit & miss" franchise to me in gaming so I was a bit skeptical going in, however I'm glad to report that I'm loving this. In terms of gameplay I actually love the flow of the action based combat system (& FF switches things up so often I never really considered turn based battles to be a defining trait of the series) & the giant Kaiju-esque Eikon battles are awesome as get out. I do wish it had a slightly stronger party component (at least KH level) as your companions can kinda blend into the background outside of cutscenes to the point where someone has come or gone without me realizing sometimes, but it's not a huge issue, IMO. Similarly, while I think I prefer the aesthetic & tone of FFX or FFVIIR, the whole "gritty" thing hasn't put me off nearly as much as I thought it would (they even managed to squeeze in a Moogle!), the game is absolutely gorgeous, & the narrative is really gripping.

Zelda: TotK (Switch) - Really just started this over the weekend, and although I'm not in far enough yet to go into deep analysis, I will say I'm absolutely hooked so far. It helps that I haven't played BotW since 2018 (and I finished up the story in under 100 hours, so I never spent like 2-300 hours in it like some did to 100% it), so the world feels both familiar yet new (both because of all the stuff they did add to it, as well as the fact that I've just been away from it for so long). I absolutely love being blasted high into the sky from a tower and then gliding & diving to interesting marked locations.

I finished my first ever speed run! The game is pizza tower btw.

playing these

Batman Arkham Origins
Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
Metroid Prime 2 for my Gamecube
Injustice Gods Among Us for my Playstation 3
Zelda Skyward Sword for my Nintendo Switch Lite
Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Revelations

As stated on the visual novels thread I am still working on Chaos;Head Noah, but I did start Double Dragon Gaiden and I have to say I am enjoying it quite a bit. I like rogue like elements and the way levels mix up. Also started Xtreme sports from Wayforward and I have to say it’s fun but I am really struggling with surfing. The other games are fun and easy, but surfing is killing it for me. I will keep trying.

Only just fired up my copy of Octopath Traveler. Of course Warframe is a constant. I have a little whiplash from the first section of Doki Doki Literature Club (I was not prepared for the shock and awe). And a little bit of Child of Eden since I'm a new Xbox Series X owner.

So I'm a little over 10 hours into Final Fantasy XIII-2. It feels a lot better than the original in most areas but I wish the story made more sense lol. Jumping through time periods and searching for artifacts has slowly started to get a little annoying. I really love everything else though.

Splatoon 3... again. This time, I wanna get everything from the current catalog before the next one comes out next month. My catalog level is 91 right now.

Hollow Knight (for the first time!) and also Cuphead...

When one of them frustrates me, I flip over to the other ha!

Eldest Souls got me in a real 'boss rush' vibe, and Cuphead is scratching that itch nicely. Hollow Knight to fill the Metroidvania gap until Blasphemous 2.

Both tremendous games, although I probably lean towards preferring Cuphead. Hollow Knight is terrific, but on a subjective level I have never been too in to the 'exploration' element of metroidvanias... probably why I couldn't click with Metroid Prime remaster. The boss battles, mechanics, and moment-to-moment gameplay in HK are great though.

Cuphead is.... brutal, but so rewarding. Perhaps on par with Sekiro in terms of boss-frustration. Might need to wrap my Switch in bubble wrap, as I will soon inevitably be hurling it against the wall.

Welp: time to finally see what all the hubbub is about with this series.

I wanted to try something completely different than the usual so I picked up Everspace for Switch on a huge discount. At first I was kinda "meh" about it but as I kept playing it (very) slowly grew on me to the point I'm hooked. I'm very slowly getting better at it and as I get better the game gets better. It's crazy how that works.

Got all the way up to Chapter 6 so far and, given my aversion for tactics games, I cannot believe I'm about to say this....but I'm really enjoying Blazing Blade.

The spritework is great and extremely fluid when attacking in battle, the music is an absolute earworm of an OST (Strike is still stuck in my head as I type this) and the characters are utterly infectious to watch bounce off of each other (absolutely love Lyn, Kent and Sain especially; those three are great). Even the tactics gameplay, something that is usually an extreme turn-off for me when it comes to playing games, is decently fun! I'm unfortunately still just as bad as ever when it comes to planning out my moves in games like these (I can come up with a highly intricate competitive Pokemon team within a matter of minutes but it seems like moving units across a grid is a bridge too far for me XD) but given how the first half is very much Tutorial City (not that I am complaining in the slightest mind you; it's been a fantastic way of getting to grips with everything FE throws at you), it hasn't been too much of an issue yet. Overall, I may only be just over 2 hours into BB but I think it's going to be one I'm going to enjoy a ton 😊

also that NPC defense section in Chapter 4 was terrifying but by god it was so f***ing fun

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Finally back on this one after my vacation. Relaxing my Korok seed collecting since I'm at max pouch items now, though I'm still grabbing them if I come across one. Currently working my way towards the final regional phenomenon (Gerudo region) once I unlock the area's tower. Very fun game, albeit MASSIVE. I still haven't spent much time on the Depths....I've been too busy on the surface and in the sky.

Ys: Memories of Celceta (Steam) - Just started this and am only 4 hours in. Pretty fun gameplay, and Falcom's music is amazing as usual. Visually it isn't the best, but my laptop isn't really built for high end gaming. Plus, this was originally a Vita game. Not much to write home about plot wise yet, though I last stopped at a riverside with some interesting happenings....

I'm just hoping I don't get too lost in this forest. XD

Just beat Chapter 14 of Blazing Blade and nearly died of a heart attack on multiple occasions holy hell why did nobody tell me Fire Emblem would instill the fear of god in me more than any other horror game I've ever seen this s*** is INCREDIBLE

I started playing Disney Illusion Island. And in the words of Mickey Mouse, oh boy! I'm an hour in and I'm loving this game already. It's quite relaxing to play, and it's filled with that signature Disney charm. I can't wait to play more of it.

Started Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp. Quite fun, but also very challenging for a game, that looks so cute and innocent. Finished mission 9( after five or more tries). I like the theme, which plays on the overworld map.

playing games for my Playstation 3, Gamecube, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch Lite, original Playstation and Retro Duo Console. Too many games to list anyway

Zelda:TotK (Switch) - Recently completed the last of the "Regional Phenomena" quests (the Zora one), as well as the third Kohga fight in the Depths. Currently activating the last couple towers (and doing whichever new shrines I can see from the air) hoping I might finally find my way to the Master Sword.

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) - Finally arrived on Ash (the second continent). According to the little tracker next to the title (on the PS5's home screen) I'm 86% through the main story. I've been doing all the sidequests & Hunts as they become available as well (except for the S rank Hunts, I'm saving those for the end, though I've done one since I ran across it).

Right now, I’m a little more than halfway through The Messenger. This title somehow evaded me for years, even though it is 100% my type of game. I’m absolutely loving it so far. The platforming, music, and graphics are all fantastic. The dialogue is really solid too, and it has a lot more humor than I was expecting. The levels are all designed really well and provide a great amount of challenge. And what makes them even better is how they remain great in part 2 of this game (If you know, you know. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t played).

This is a super creative game that really surprised me. It’s basically a mashup of my two favorite genres, Platformers and Metroidvanias. I’m really interested to check out Sabotage’s other game, Sea of Stars, now. It’s definitely a different game from this, but this is a very talented studio.

@StarPoint I was just raving about sea of stars in the games you recently beat thread. Sabotage is one of the best and i can't wait to see what they do next. As long as you like turned based jrpgs, its a must play. Messenger still is one of my favorite indies and now SoS is right there with it.