GregamanX

It's been quite a Christmas break so far. I beat Marvel Cosmic Invasion last night, and I'm playing a bunch of UFO 50 games. On PS5, I'm dabbling in post game content of Astrobot, playing my free PS4 copy of Horizon Zero Dawn in the mornings, and playing Borderlands 4 with my wife when I get the chance.

On the gifts side of things, I got my wife Hades 2 (I'll play it when she's done), and she got me Absolum. I also picked up a bunch of stuff on sales (Neo Geo Pocket Collection 1, Vividlope, Double Dragon and Kunio Kun Collection, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and I'll probably at least pick up Ball x Pit and FVII Intergrade on PSN today).

Still playing Astrobot. I've already beaten it, but I'm slowly trying to 100% it, wringing every last bit of joy I can from it. It might be my favourite game of all time now. Also, still playing Borderlands 4 with my wife, as well as some Horizon Zero Dawn.

On the Switch front, I'm not sure yet. I tried Hexen last weekend, because I remembered renting it as a kid. Holy crap, that game is bad. It has the most convoluted, cryptic level design I've seen in a boomer shooter. And I love boomer shooters. Couldn't do it. Had to quit.

I am thinking about finally starting up UFO 50 next on my Switch, so we'll see if that happens.

I played a bunch of Borderlands 4 with my wife last night, and plan to play a bunch more each night of the weekend. Also, probably a little but of Horizon Zero Dawn.

On Switch, I wrapped up Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 this week, after starting it last weekend. It was pretty good, but didn't come close to meeting the bar of the original. If I do start something on Switch, it might be Hexen. I also want to pick up Marvel Cosmic Invasion, but I dont know if I'll be getting to it this weekend in co op with my family.

Beat Smeak Bandit was great on my iPad Touch way back then, but holy crap, do those final levels ever get HARD. I remember Bumpy Road was pretty fun too, but its one of those endless, 'how far can you make it?'-type games.

I finished up Astrobot last night. It was absolute bliss. My favourite game that I've played this year by a landslide. It may even be in my Top 10 games of all time now.

I'll also be starting up Borderlands 4 with my wife, and I may play a little bit of a digital PS4 copy of Horizon Zero Dawn on my PS5 (I got it during a free promotion years ago, but it wouldn't play on my PS4 for some reason back then).

Oh right, this is about Nintendo. I got so caught up in my new PS5 purchase from last week that I haven't played on my original Switch much, aside from beating Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines last weekend (it was a much better game than the original). If I do have time to start up something on my Switch this weekend, its gonna be something small. I just started up Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger IX 2. Maybe I can wrap that up in a few hours, since its a small game.

After beating Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and Mainframes last weekend, I decided to start up Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines, which is feeling like a much better sequel than the original so far.

And then Tuesday happened.

After work, I stopped by my EbGames and saw the PS5 on sale for $519. I picked it right up with an extra controller for $30 off, Astrobot for $49.99 (down from $89.99), and Borderlands 4 for $69.99 instead of $99.99. These are Canadian prices, by the way. If there was ever a slim chance of me getting a Switch 2, its gone. I'm content with my original Switch, and the better value of my PS5. Astrobot is absolutely amazing. My wife and I will boot up Borderlands 4 this weekend. And now I'm covered for my indie games running well in the future. I also can't wait for Halo: Campaign Evolved, as Halo was the first game that my wife and I ever played together, and still remains something extremely special to us.

Yeah, Sony won me over this Black Friday. And its gonna be an awesome weekend for gaming. Astrobot is already my favourite game that I've played this year.

I finished up Heretic from the Heretic + Hexen pack last weekend. I really enjoyed it for the most part, but the level design got really bad and cryptic at times in its 4th and 5th episodes. After that, I started up Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, so I've been playing that this week, and I'll try to play through the rest of it this weekend.

Other than that, I may pick up the Castlevania Dominous Collection this weekend (I've played all of the main games, but i would like to revisit them on a modern platform). I also picked up Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons for 70% off, so I'll have to get into that one quite soon.

Before I get to what I'll be playing this weekend, I have to mention that after putting Silksong down for a month due to The Last Judge, I came back to it on my day off to myself and I FINALLY beat it. I just needed a couple of important tools to do it (if anyone is struggling, get the Tacks and the Threepin. They work wonders, so you can mostly focus on fighting without the use of them adding too much to think about. I just threw all my tacks on the ground and spammed my pins at the end. Combined with poison, and they saved my soul on this fight). It felt SO good to take down after all of that time. The thought of thay fight haunted me for a month while I switched to playing Crow Country and Steamworld Heist II instead.

With that in mind, I think Silksong will be something I pick at on the side while I play a main game. Right now, I'm on episode 4 of Heretic (from the Heretic + Hexen pack). I never got to try this one out, and even though its very similar to Doom (just with magic spells instead of weapons), I'm having a blast with it. I might even try starting up Ninja Gaiden Ragebound this weekend, since I'll be wrapping up Heretic soon.

After beating Steamworld Heist 2 last weekend (which was an excellent game
I enjoyed it even more than the original), I've decided to boot up Heretic from the Heretic + Hexen pack. I'm very much in the mood for a comfort genre - Boomer Shooters. I've never played Heretic, and have only played Hexen a little on the N64 when I used to rent it as a kid.

More Steamworld Heist 2 for me. The final boss has been revealed, but I've still got some stuff to do beforehand. I imagine I'll have it finished this week or the next. After that, its probably gonna be Hexen or Ninja Gaiden Ragebound that I'll play.

@datamonkey lol, its actually a very special game for my wife and I. 20 years ago, it was the first thing we did together that broke the ice for us. We played the original Halo together in co-op for years from that point. It was magical. We had no interest in a PS5 before, but now we're hyped as heck. Haha.

I'll be playing Steamworld Heist 2 this weekend. I'm enjoying it even more than the first game, and im surprised it got so much lower scores than the original. I think it had to do with the high price tag at release, but since I got it on a very hefty sale, its value really matches that price. Every mission has a "just one more mission" feeling.

Also, a bit random, but i just saw Halo was announced to be remade for PS5. I think I'll be buying a PS5 instead of a Switch 2 now. Halo is my wife and I's most important game. It was the game that broke the ice with us all of those years ago. Im beyond hyped and can't wait for 2026 now. It may come to Switch 2, but I know it would be on a game key card and wouldn't perform as good. I'll probably get a Switch 2 late into the life cycle when my OLED's battery starts dying out so I can move over my digital library, but that's about it.

Halo is being remade for the PS5?! Well, I guess I'm buying a PS5 instead of a Switch 2 now. I never thought this would be the title that would make me want a PS5.

Please Nightdive, just port Wolf 3D with Spear of Destiny to the Switch. I'm begging you. Lots of games is great for the people happy here, but this would take next to no time to port. We have all the Dooms and so many other FPS titles. Wolf 3D is such an important piece of FPS history, and I would love to have it sit with the vast classic FPS library that we're getting on the console.

I've never played System Shock though. I might have to rectify that.

I'll be trying to wrap up Crow Country this weekend. I'm really loving the exploration, puzzle solving and PS1 esthetic. Plus, the last survival horror games I really got into were way back with the Resident Evil games on PS1, so it feels like coming home. The only thing I dont like is that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the density of enemies and traps in every area at this point. Sometimes I feel like I should have picked the exploration mode, but that takes away all of the tension if there are no enemies.

Other than that, its my daughter's birthday party weekend, so that's probably all of the gaming I will squeeze in. After I'm done Crow Country, I'm eyeing starting up Steamworld Heist 2 next.

@sketchturner Baba is a bit of an extreme comparison, but i couldn't think of another common game that makes me shrug my shoulders in absolute confusion sometimes.

Yep, I've used the hint system, but it is pretty vague at times. I'm also on that 3rd world, and I just HATE the world's gimmick of those toast slices that you have to change between.

I may come back to it someday, but my brain felt fried everytime I picked it up. When I realized I was forcing myself to play it, I knew I had to put it down.

Cato looked really charming to me, but its mind-to-late game puzzles got so absolutely brain-bending, that it became tedious and I ended up dropping it. I would recommend it to people who are looking for a high challenge in their puzzle games, and have a ton of patience and time on their hands. It's kinda like Baba Is You. Single puzzles can take a long time to figure out in this one, unless you have a lot of experience with this genre.

After getting to the final boss of Act 1, ive decided to put Silksong on hold for awhile. It's been stressing me out way too much, to the point where I had developed a twitch in my right eye. I'm going to focus on some other games, and return to it at a much later point.

I had started up Gimmick 2 last weekend as a result, and im on the final area now, so I'll be trying to wrap it up this weekend. It's an extremely well done 2D platformer that never seems to get talked about. I was fortunate to pick it up on a huge sale a month ago, and im so glad that I did. I'm also playing The Plucky Squire when my daughter is present. She likes to help me with advice on what to do in the game. She loves the whole look of the game.

Also, if I finish Gimmick 2, I'm gonna start up a new game. I'm thinking of Crow Country, since its spooky season.

I'm at the Last Judge at the end of Act 1 in Silksong. The boss has been so brutal, that I haven't wanted to try it since my day off on Tuesday. I'll give it another go this weekend, but I think I'm going to put the game to the side for a bit after that boss. Because Silksong has been the only game I've been playing for the last few weeks, I almost save it exclusively for weekends, and im too tired during weekdays after work to think about slamming my head against a brick wall, with how difficult its been getting. Maybe I'm just not in the mood right now, and I don't want that to ruin the game for me.

With that in mind, I'm gonna start up The Plucky Squire today. I got it on a hefty sale a month ago, and I really need something chill and charming to relax to.

Ugh, all I want is Wolfenstein 3D/Spear of Destiny. It would take no time at all for them to bring it over, but I would seriously buy it on day one.

I won't be playing Hades 2...because I preordered the physical edition to give my wife for Christmas. She absolutely loved Hades 1, so she'll be getting the first playthrough. I'll be playing it early next year when she's done with it.

It's probably Silksong all weekend for me. I just beat Widow in Bellhart, after about 20 attempts. I barely squeaked by, inflicting poison damage, which killed it when I had one tick of health left. It was so intense. The reward was worth it though, and the sense of satisfaction was immeasurable!

Definitely Silksong. I'm still on Act 1. I imagine I'll be there for awhile. I'm just trying to get as many upgrades as possible before I try to get through Bellhart, and to have a rematch with those freaking birds in Greymoor. I haven't had much time to game lately, so I'm guessing Silksong will take months for me ti beat at this rate.

@Neckcrane Ah, nice! I'll still be finishing Shinobi first, but now I can hop into Silksong right afterwards. Many thanks for letting me know!

In regards to Silksong, I'm going to wait for that difficulty balance update before I start it. My biggest complaint with Hollow Knight was the difficult early game (it made me initially rage quit until I came back to it months later), so if there's anything I can do to alleviate that just a little bit, I'm going for it.

Until then, I'll be finishing up Shinobi: Art of Vengeance this weekend. Feels like a real GOTY contender to me. The action, the visuals, the music...everything comes together perfectly. I guess the story is kinda meh, but I'm not playing it for the narrative anyway. I've also dipped a bit into Gimmick 2, so i may play that for a bit afterwards.

I bought Silksong, and I want to say I'll be playing it, but I'm a one or two games at a time kinda guy, and im already part way into Shinobi Art of Vengeance (which I'm loving). I'm probably going to be focusing on it, but if somehow I finish earlier than expected, I'll be starting Silksong next.

@Tom-Massey Yeah, I've done the Mountain Factory and beat it. The framerate does get pretty low at times, but whatever. I'm still having fun. I've moved on. I know a lot of people really can't handle framerate drops, but if its not going in slow motion the entire game, I can bear it. It doesn't make my experience less worthwhile.

I've been loving the game so far on Switch 1. Have I run into any slower framerates? On a few occasions, but it hasn't soured my enjoyment. Honestly, I'm so sick about hearing everyone complain about framerates. I'm not a frame snob, and I really don't care. I don't have the more advanced consoles, and I don't really feel the need to get one yet for better performance. Shinobi is hecking fun, so I'm just gonna enjoy it.

I'll be wrapping up the Story mode of Rift of the Necrodancer soon. It's seriously the biggest surprise I've had this year. I never knew it was going to be this good. It's basically a rhythm and puzzle game mashed together with amazing music, and I absolutely love it. I'll also pick a bit more at Cato: Buttered Cat. It's become a side game for me, as the puzzles fry my brain after a few stages.

After Rift, I'll most likely jump into Shinobi Art of Vengeance. The demo was awesome, so I had to pick it up. I'm irked that it didn't carry over my save file though. I know it won't take long to get back up to that point, but still. Regardless, it felt amazing to play, so I'm looking forward to getting deeper into it. I'm surprised to see not many people mentioning it. It's by the developers of Streets of Rage 4. I know Shinobi isn't exactly a massively popular franchise to a lot of people, but give that demo a shot. It's seriously that good.

I picked up The Plucky Squire. Regardless of its score, its always something I wanted to try out, but its initial price off $38.99 CAN was way too much for me when it launched. $16 is a much better value at 60% off.

That's cool. Still not buying it though, but good on anyone who's enjoying it.

I heard that the Switch 1 and 2 versions crash a bunch on people. The game also feels overpriced, especially with the deluxe version that you cant even upgrade from the original. I pretty much love all of the Shantae games (except for the original), but I'm gonna have to wait for this to go on a big sale. Shinobi and Silksong have my money and attention in the immediate future.

After renovating my spare bedroom into a small home library last weekend, I wasn't left with much time to game, or even much energy throughout the week to play much of anything. I did start up Rift of the Necrodancer though, and I'm absolutely loving it so far. I'm not much of a rhythm game person. I have a bit of experience with Guitar Hero, DDR and Thumper recently. But I love how this game feels not only like a rhythm game, but also kind of like a puzzle game. Hitting different kinds of enemies can send them in different directions on the fret, and it can be super satisfying to pull off the right chains to the beat. I also got the Pizza Tower and Celeste DLCs. My favourite song to play is, "It's Pizza Time"!

I also may play a bit more Cato: Buttered Cat. I like it, but its now become more of a side game, because those puzzles get so brain-bending, that i can only play a few stages at a time before feeling fizzled out.

I've been incredibly busy this weekend converting my spare bedroom into a small home library. Spent all last night painting and shopping for bookshelves. The carpet guy arrives this morning, and then we've got 8 bookshelves to pick up from the stores and assemble. Not really sure how much time I'll have for gaming. I had zero time last night.

But if I do, I'll probably play some more Cato: Buttered Cat. The puzzles are becoming real brain-benders. They're usually very satisfying to complete, but i didn't expect it to be this difficult. Not sure if I'll be able to beat it, but I would like to make some progress.

I also just beat Sheepo this week, much is a fun little first game from the devs of Islets and Crypt Custodian. It was definitely worth the sale price, even though it was rough around the edges. I also picked up the Heretic + Hexen pack and UFO 50 with eshop card money that I got by selling a bunch of graphic novels to EbGames that I had gotten from thrift stores years ago (I originally thought they only took manga, but i gave it a shot and walked out with some good cash). I would like to play those games soon (especially UFO 50, with what I've heard), but i still may only have time for Cato this weekend.

I ended up beating Bakeru last weekend (a good game, but i felt the last third of the game felt like padding. +60 stages was too long for me). After that, i started Schim and Cato: Buttered Cat. I'm almost through Schim and I've been having a great, relaxing time hopping from shadow to shadow. Some reviews said its concept gets a bit repetitive, but i just started ny new job and I've been playing it every night after work. After an exhausting day, its a very pleasant game to pick at. I've been saving Cato for the weekend for when I want to be more challenged. It's a tricky game, and its super good.

I also really want that Hexen + Heretic pack thay just released, but ive bought a ton of eshop games on sale lately, so i think it will have to wait. UFO 50 also sounds good, but that price tag is having me hold off for a sale. I may also want to pick up Shinobi and the new Shantae later this month, so I've got to me smart with my money.

I remember renting Hexen on the N64 and getting sick with the visuals, despite having fun. Now I'm oddly nostalgic and want to give it another try.

Also, I REALLY wish that Wolfenstein 3D/Spear of Destiny would get released soon (preferably for Switch, since I don't have a Switch 2). A Commander Keen Collection would also be my ultimate dream.

I'll be trying to finish up Bakeru this weekend. I also finally finished up Shotgun Cop Man last week, which is an amazing game, apart from the final boss.

I also picked up a handful of games this week (that were mostly on sale), such as Crow Country, CATO: Buttered Cat, Schim, R-Type Dimensions, and Money Puzzler Exchange. I think my next game will be Cato or Schim.

@Medic_alert its hard to say. They just jacked up all of the Switch 1 prices in the US today too. It will probably be a couple of years before they bring them back down at this rate.

@Medic_alert They won't sell it at a discounted rate. As of today, theyre jacking up all Switch 1 prices in Canada.

I just picked up Heist 2 on a very strong sale. While I did enjoy the first game, the sequel price was just way too high to pull the trigger on at launch for me. Now if it was Dig 3, that would have been a different story and would have been a day one purchase for me.

Good on Atari for picking them up. I'm glad to not see Image & Form go under. Atari has been putting out some good stuff lately, and hopefully this will only strengthen their brand.

Im more than halfway into Bakeru, so I'm going to try making significant progress with it. I'm also on the final boss of Shotgun Cop Man, but it's a hand boss combined with a boss rush mode...which are pretty much my two most hated things in gaming, so I'm not sure that I want to go through with it.

I also picked up Steamworld Heist 2 and Sheepo on some big sales this week before Nintendo will increase Canadian prices on Aug 1. I think after that point I'll be less likely to pick up games in the future, aside from a handful of future releases that I'll really want to play. I was thinking of possibly grabbing Crow Country as well. Does anyone recommend that one?

Silver Surfer? HOW DO YOU DIE FROM JUST TOUCHING A WALL?! (AVGN reference)

This looks like the greatest game to ever exist.

Im a good chunk into Bakeru, so I'll be playing that. I have no intentions on picking up a Switch 2, so that will have to do as my source of 3D platforming. I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It can be a bit on the easy side (it is Good Feel, after all), but most importantly, it's fun.

I also just picked up Capcom Fighting Collection 2 as a reward for getting a new job this week. I've been unemployed for 3 months, so it's been very rough searching for jobs. I ended up getting back into a previous job that I had really enjoyed through a really big stroke of luck. Anyway, when I lost my last job, I had wanted to buy this game, but held off for financial reasons at the time. Now I can finally play the Power Stone games again.

I'm finishing up Persona 3 Reload on my PS4. I'm on the last few days of the game with 20 social links maxed, and I just fused Messiah, who essentially resists, nulls and reflects all damage and ailments. I'm pretty sure I can just use that persona for the final battle and sail smoothly through it.

Other than that, I'm still playing some Shotgun Cop Man in small bursts (on World 8). I also bought Bakeru in that summer eshop sale, which I'll be starting up after Persona. I also bought that Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection in the sale. I've never played a BN game before, but i intend to in the near future.

I wouldn't be surprised if they took down the Great Deals section on the eshop as well in the near future. No sales for ANYONE.

Im at the end of Persona 3 Reload on my PS4 (in the final month), so I'll try to finish up that. I've been completely hooked on it over the last two weeks. I've also gotten to Level 5 on Shotgun Cop Man, and im having a blast with that.

Also, I just played the demo of Bakeru, since it's on sale for 30% off. I loved what I played, so I decided to make this one of my final purchases before Nintendo wrings out Canadians wallets next month.

@SirLink In my case, it's not like I'm objectively calling the came mediocre. I can't definitely say that because I haven't actually played it. But my impressions from what I've seen of it and have heard from close friends who have played it, that know my gaming preferences, have allowed me to make a decision as to whether I want to play it or not.

I'm not a fan of the look of the wide and long intermission tracks, double the amount of racers which seems to add more luck and chaos to the mix with items rather than skill, the lack of a 3 lap system, an open and mostly empty world with tiny missions and stickers for rewards, a trick system which seems to slow down players more for going off the beaten path, no cart customization, etc.

I don't need to buy a Switch 2, because of the battery that's weaker than the original model of the Switch, the high price tag of the games, and for now, a lack of games that interest me. I still plan to get one some day in the future, but now is not the time for me.

This is coming from someone who absolutely loved the original Switch. I love Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. But I'm not going to buy an expensive new console with no games on it that I'm interested in. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be interested in a new Mario Kart. But from what I've seen of it, and how it doesn't align with my personal tastes, I'm going to say that my impressions of the game feel like it would be mediocre for myself. I'm sure many people are in the same boat. It doesn't look bad to me, but it doesn't look like I would enjoy it either. Hence, a middle-of-the-road impression from me.

There's nothing wrong with other people enjoying it. But I can't agree with Nintendo taking away options that would keep their already established player base happy either.

I don't think the game should be immune to criticism just because it's Mario Kart. Obviously, this update has upset a lot of people due to Nintendo being so tone deaf to their fans. And to me, it looks like the most mediocre Mario Kart. There are a lot of elements to it that are a turn off. I've had no interest in buying a Switch 2 yet, and the look of this game doesn't interest me. And I've bought most of the Mario Karts on day one.

I feel like a lot of Nintendo/Mario Kart fans will feel angry about this review bombing, because Nintendo NEEDS this game to reel more people into buying a Switch 2. If the Switch 2 is more successful, early adopters get more games and their purchase of the expensive console feels more justified. But Nintendo shouldn't be immune to criticism from making bad choices because we want them to succeed. They should be held accountable, because we want them to do better.

I don't normally agree with review bombing. Yes, 1s and 0s are extreme, and im sure the game isn't that bad. But with a game that is naturally going to get constant 9s and 10s from the majority of fans (even if some believe it's only a 7, they may still post a 10 to keep the score high because they want more people buying Switch 2s), people are going to go to the other extreme to make sure Nintendo notices it.

I'm around the halfway point (beach trip) of Persona 3 Reload on my PS4. I've been playing a ton of it during my vacation time. I've rarely used my PS4 over the years, since I usually just play Switch games in handheld mode. I think I average about one PS4 game per year. But this one is absolutely worth playing on the TV for.

Other than that, I did pick up Shotgun Cop Man last week to play in small bursts between my lengthy RPG. It's very fun and inventive. I think I'm on the third or fourth world, and the platforming and action get pretty nuts, using shotgun blasts to move all around.

Also, that summer sale is pretty tempting. I did pick up the final Pinball FX Williams pack (#7) that I was missing for a real cheap price. I'm also interested in Mainframes, R-Type Dimensions EX and Xeno Crisis, but I know I don't really need them. I'll wait until the last day of the sale to see how I feel.

After beating Paradise Killer last week (which was really unique and interesting, piecing together a whole detective case by myself), I decided to boot up Persona 3 Reload on my PS4. I'm a dozen hours in, on the second part of Tartarus, having an amazing time. I'm surprised how smooth it runs and how good it looks on a base PS4.

I also picked up Shotgun Cop Man (from Devolver Digital) on the Switch on sale, after trying the demo (which I instantly clicked with and loved). If you like bite-sized Super Meat Boy-like levels, and gun jumping somewhat reminiscent of Downwell, you'll enjoy this one. Just try that demo. It's seriously good!