this was one of the most interesting games i’ve played not only recently but really ever. super excited to see what more they do with this story.
status report for june (almost halfway thru the year!): ten games finished this year so far (* denotes replay) skyrim * ball x pit god of war 2018 * the witcher 3 * red dead redemption 2 * the alters breath of the wild diablo 4 vessel of hatred diablo 4 lord of hatred forza horizon 6 my goal is always 24 a year aka two a month, definitely on pace especially considering i spent considerable time with some very big games (plus grinding d4 end game). also been nice to replay some stuff and im gonna continue focusing on some replays throughout the year. i spent many years wanting to always play new things but i think i get a lot out of going back to games a few years down the road to measure how they hold up and it’s usually much better than i anticipate. my experience with RDR2 this year was the biggest surprise to me, despite obvious flaws it still was impossible for me to put down. also yes it is shocking this was the first time i saw breath of the wild through to the end but i had been chipping away at it for quite some time. decided to buckle down and finish the story and im glad i did, despite the fact i think totk is the better game in every single regard botw is still one of the best games ive ever played. i made my thoughts on the alters known as i was playing it but i cannot emphasize enough how much that game still sticks with me a couple months later. that studio is doing crazy things with the management sim genre and i can’t wait to play their reimagining of the original frostpunk next year (?) hmmm what else…the two d4 expansions hit like crack and i really did some steep endgame progression for the first time (i can’t remember how deep into d3 i got, just a few torments if i recall) and it was fun until i hit the torment 9 wall. i’m sure i’ll revisit when i get that itch also made my thoughts on forza 6 clear but maybe i was too harsh in the moments of finally hitting that last wrist band. now that i dont feel the pressure to finish the main progression line im sure ill have much more fun doing the travel japan stuff and doing some eliminator runs. i just hope they make the progression systems more meaningful and smooth in future games. as for what i want the rest of my year to look like? definitely some new games still on my radar (saros, 007, monster hunter stories 3, pokopia, and more that are coming out soon like adventures of elliot) that id like to play but i wanna do this ff7 remake replay again, i need to hit the witcher 3 expansions for sure, i started a triangle strategy replay id like to see through, and octopath 0 still looms large in the back of my mind. there’s also many games i’ve bought already and have barely touched if at all (mina, final fantasy tactics remake, skate story, metal gear solid 5, death stranding, days gone, mannnny more) and even more from the last year ive started but need to get back to (the last of us part 2, red dead 1, silent hill 2 remake, resident evil 4 remake, lies of p, persona 5, returnal etc.) and more still i’ve bought and haven’t touched at all. the list would be endless and it’s still being added to. but that’s the beauty of gaming right, we’ll never experience it all but we never give up trying. when i play a game like the alters or find myself hopelessly addicted to a gameplay loop like diablo 4 i remember what it’s all about. JFG