2024 Gaming Plans

[katahdan]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

2024 Gaming Plans:

NBA 2K24 / 2K25
Madden NFL 25
College Football 25
Starfield
Baldur's Gate 3
Ara History Untold
Kingmakers
The Precinct

[pietasterp]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

I ended up getting FFVII Remake as it was on sale for like some really low price (<$20) during the PS Spring Sale.

But I've come to the realization that with summer coming (golf season!) and just a few months away at this point from College Football coming out, I'm pretty much only getting 1 more game this year and playing the heck out of College Football for the rest of the year.

Picked up College Football 25 on day 1, and as of now, I'm not seeing any other title that's gonna get into the rotation through year's end (as predicted). Although we're only halfway through the year, let's see how it goes...

[KSUowls]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

July was another month of progress, finally knocked one off my list from last year's carryover.

------------
Game Reviews:
Game - (Status) - (Score) - Review

Spoiler

(In-Progress) - A game that I have played at some point in the last few months and plan to pick up again in the near future.

Baldurs Gate 3 - (In Progress) - (10.0) -

Spoiler

This game is fantastic. It's perfect in almost every way. It was the 2023 GOTY, and it wasn't close. I don't remember the last time that I raved about a game this much. I don't even like this style of DnD combat, but it all just works so perfectly here. The story is phenomenal, both the main story as well as the hundreds of other side ones that you come across. Every character has a unique personality, voice acting is great, and it's just so fun and interesting to interact with them. The freedom that you have in the game is insane, and your choices really matter. It's almost unbelievable how many scenarios the devs accounted for, and how you see the impacts of some of the most random choices that you can think of.
I would also rate the attitude of the development team as a 10/10.

Command and Conquer: Remastered - (Shelved) - (3.0) -

Spoiler

I loved the C&C series as a kid. The original has not aged well though, even this remastered version. It could have really used some QoL updates from any RTS in the last 20 years. It just feels unplayable.

Control - (Complete) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

This is a weird one to review, and not just because the story is weird. With that said, the story is weird...but in a good way. You really have to hunt for all of the little collectibles if you want to really get immersed into the story and get a better feel for it though. This is at times a bit annoying because sometimes you're cruising along and you find an audio recording that will shed some light on things, but you also kind of want to keep pushing through. Combat is smooth enough but kind of mediocre with a gameplay loop that becomes repetitive pretty early. The voice acting from the protagonist is probably the worst part of the game. Lots of puzzles to do, some are kind of annoying to try and figure out if you are not a big puzzle person. There are things that I really didn't like, but the story was so fascinating that I just couldn't stop.

Dragon Age: Origin - (Complete) - (8.5) -

Spoiler

Gameplay can become dated, but a great story will live on. That sentence sums up my experience with DA: Origin. I played this game when it originally came out like 15 years ago. I loved it back then, made it all the way to the final battle but then just never picked it back up. I decided to give it another shot with the upcoming release of a new DA game. The combat and movement were definitely more clunky than I would have liked, but this game is obviously 15 years old at this point. The story was a joy to play through. Surprisingly, I still remembered not just the main quest but also many of the side quests that I encountered, but it was still fun to experience them again. I probably would have given this game a 9.5 when I first played it. It also hurts that Baldurs Gate 3 exists at this point, and DA: Origin almost feels like a 1 dimensional game in comparison.

Diablo IV - (Shelved) - (6.0) -

Spoiler

I loved Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 was a game that I would pick up about once a year to play through one of the seasons. Diablo 4 just isn't fun. Originally I stopped playing just a few weeks after release because of the grind and some of the changes that they did. I picked it back up for the recent season, and things are definitely better. I still just don't enjoy it though. Not sure if I'll ever re-install it to give it another shot.

EA CFB25 - (In Progress) - (#REF) -

Spoiler

Oh man. If anyone actually reads this then it's going to cause a storm :lol, I'll explain the #REF score below:. EA CFB 25 has a couple of things going for it. By far the biggest positive is that it is a new college football game for a fanbase that has been salivating for a new game over the last 11 years. It also enjoys the benefits that come with more modern console hardware and physics engines. So, from those perspectives it's a really good game. When you consider everything that it doesn't do compared to other modern titles or that it is missing from those titles as well as it's own history from a decade ago, the game sucks. One of the worst games in the series relative to its time. Now, it can regain some traction if EA is able to fix some of the many flaws with how the game currently functions. Many of these flaws are beyond inexcusable to see from a triple A studio, and it shows a clear disregard for quality control (just look at the poll logic). However, I can at least say that there are some redeeming qualities if the game can clean up most of that. In which case it might be worthy of a 6.0/10. Unless the patches also add features that were missing a from a decade ago though, then this game does not deserve any higher than that. It's a CFB that plays a pretty good brand of football on the field, but this isn't the Super Nintendo days where "play now" is the main function of a sports title. EA CFB 25 should be judged in the same manner than any non-sports video would be judged, and by that standard it falls grievously flat. If Ubisoft releases Star Wars Outlaws in a state where it does some good things but omits many aspects of the genre then no one is going to give it a pass and say that it has built a solid foundation. The same standard should be applied to EA CFB25. I'm leaving the score as incomplete for now while we wait to see what happens with the first patch of the game. Which is more generous that I would typically be consider thing first patch wasn't available on Day 1, Day 7, and we don't even know when it will come, but this goes back to the #1 thing that this game has going for. It's the first CFB video game in 11 years and I want it to be good.

Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Project Nolvus Mod Pack - (Shelved) - (9.0) -

Spoiler

Skyrim is one of my favorite games ever, and mods just continue to give it life. This mod pack is massive (and took quite a while to correctly install). It improves the graphics, combat, adds story elements, and so much more. My only complaint is that it makes crafting like a cheat code. Shelved primarily just because of the insane time sync that the game is as I try to get through some of these others

Ghosts of Tsushima: Directors Cut PS5 - (In Progress) - (9.0) -

Spoiler

I love this game. I loved it when it came out on PS4, and I love it even more with better graphics and experiencing the full game with the realism mode turned on. The game is beautiful, the story is really good, and combat in realism mode just feels so good. The only thing that could make the game better is if the game world felt more alive.

Hogwarts Legacy - (In Progress) - (7.0) -

Spoiler

I have been playing this one on and off since it was released a year ago. I became a Harry Potter fan in middle school, around the time that Goblet of Fire came out (the book). I absolutely love the story, the adventure, and just the magical world. So, I was super excited when Hogwarts Legacy was announced. The first time that you see Hogwarts Castle and the school grounds, it's like the game is giving a love letter to those of us who loved the series.

Combat is exceptional. It is smooth, impactful, and the combos just all feel great. It's also balanced well without being restrictive. There is nothing like magical points restricting you from using your strongest spells at will. The only thing stopping you is a cooldown, which does prevent you from just being a completely unstoppable force, but the cooldowns also don't feel like you're being punished for using powerful spells.

Graphics are stunning. Especially for anyone who was already a fan of the setting.

The gameplay loop isn't anything special. If anything it's a bit generic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So why is it only a 7.0? The story and its characters. The story in this game is just plainly awful. Regardless of how it may or may not play into established lore, the entire premise of the game is just simply a deus ex machina on steroids. Fortunately some of the side quests are interesting, but they largely coincide with very unlikeable characters, or ones who are just a little too perfect.

Horizon Zero Dawn - (In Progress) - (9.5) -

Spoiler

I love this game. I loved it on the PS4, and I am really enjoying the PC port. The game is beautiful, I love the story, Aloy is a really fun main character, combat is fun while also being strategic at times. It was my favorite game on the PS4 era. I can technically beat it at any time, I'm after the final quest. I just haven't wanted it to end.

OOTP 25 - (In Progress) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

It's OOTP, so you know it's good. There are a few QoL updates that have been introduced which I really like. I'm still unsure on the impact of the new training feature for your players. I love it in concept, I'm just still trying to figure out how well it is implemented. This game probably deserves higher, but I think it's still just missing some improvements that I would have liked to have seen by now as someone who has been buying it for years. Also, my baseball fandom diminishes more and more each year that I get deeper into my MLB boycott.

Pokemon Violet - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

The game is just easy mode. It's fun to collect pokemon, but the battles are ridiculously easy. I enjoy the open world, but something about it feels false. I can't quite explain it, but I just felt a lack of progression. Like there was no sense of direction that I get out of other open world games. But at the end of the day it's a pokemon game with tons of them to collect. So, that's always enjoyable enough.

Spiderman 2 - (In Progress) - (6.5) -

Spoiler

When I started writing this I had it at 7.0, which I felt was generous. As I thought more about the game I dropped the score to 6.5. I still feel like I'm being generous, but I tried to remove some personal biases from the score. The combat is too streamlined to be fun. Somehow it feels like even more of a button masher than the first Spiderman game, even though you have even more tools at your disposal. Some of the mini-game side quests aren't just not-fun, I legitimately hate them, but I feel compelled to do them because that's just how I play these types of games. Fortunately there are some mini-games that I do quite like. The story is disjointed as it tries to follow both Peter and Miles, neither story really has time to be fully explored in a way that is appreciable. The story that does is exist is forgettable in every way. Peter Parker as Spiderman is probably my favorite comic book/super hero character. And I simply don't care about any aspect of his story. The Miles Morales story is slightly more interesting, but I don't care at all about Miles Morales as Spiderman. Which is unfortunate because I have found him to be a really interesting character overall, even a really good Spiderman. But, I knew Parker as Spiderman first, and as mentioned he is my favorite character. So, having a "Spiderman" video game where you don't play as THE spiderman for half of it is pretty disappointing. I recognize it as a game that is well made, but it just isn't fun or interesting
The one thing I do really enjoy is exploring the game as Spiderman though. Your methods of travel are a lot of fun to execute, and it's a pretty city.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - (Complete) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

Recently finished this one, and I enjoyed it. The story wasn't anything amazing, but it wasn't bad either. The characters were all enjoyable enough (though I wish your last companion was part of the crew for longer. She was funny). Combat played it safe with it more or less just being 1 button to block and 1 button to attack, unless you just felt like spicing it up with some force powers unnecessarily.
At times the exploration did border on tedium, and I wish that there was more of a sense of progression. There were tons of secret chests spread across the galaxy for you to pick up, but these were all simply cosmetic and most of them were barely discernable from the next. I also felt myself wanting a little bit more interaction with the galaxy. I know that your character is on the run, but you end up visiting multiple worlds across the playthrough and they all end up feeling kind of lifeless.

Total War: Warhammer III - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

This game has been given quite the lease on life after a recent update. The game had many many issues at launch, continued to have them long after launch, still has many of them, and the company behind the magic just became absurdly greedy over the last year with increasing the price of DLC while also subtracting from the content of them. The have partially rectified the financial/value problems and they have made some progress in fixing some of the many other issues that the game had. Unfortunately it still has many issues, and it is an inferior product versus the previous game, with the exception of a much larger map and even more options in who to play as. I still like playing it, but it is hard to recommend.

Yakuza 0 - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

Decided to give this one another shot. The story is really good, but every time I play it I want it to be as open world as Grand Theft Auto. It's obviously a different genre of game, but I can't get over wanting it to be something else. The story really carries the fun factor.

------------

2024 Goals:
With so few new releases that I'm really excited for I am making this the year of completing titles. I failed my goal too complete 3 games in 2023, but I did make significant progress in a number of them.

1.) Complete 4 of the following games that I am carrying over from 2023

Spoiler

Spiderman 2
Ghosts of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Baldurs Gate 3
Hogwarts Legacy
Horizon Zero Dawn
Pokemon Violet
Shenmue I
Jade Empire
Control

Progress: 1 out of 4
Control (July)

2.) Complete 3 other games (new releases or others)

Progress: 2 out of 3
Dragon Age: Origin (June)
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (June)

Most Anticipated Sports Games:
EA College Football

Most Anticipated Non-Sports Game:
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 (TBD)


Other titles that have my attention going into the year:
At this point I'm just tracking to see all of the things that I did not buy

High
Day 1 Buys
R̶i̶s̶e̶ o̶f̶ R̶o̶n̶i̶n̶ (̶M̶a̶r̶c̶h̶)̶
Black Myth Wukong (August)


Medium
Might get day 1, but more than likely will wait for a sale or end up passing on
G̶r̶a̶n̶b̶l̶u̶e̶ F̶a̶n̶t̶a̶s̶y̶ R̶e̶l̶i̶n̶k̶ (̶J̶a̶n̶)̶
S̶t̶a̶r̶ W̶a̶r̶s̶:̶ D̶a̶r̶k̶ F̶o̶r̶c̶e̶s̶ R̶e̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ (̶F̶e̶b̶)̶
B̶a̶n̶i̶s̶h̶e̶r̶s̶:̶ G̶h̶o̶s̶t̶s̶ o̶f̶ N̶e̶w̶ E̶d̶e̶n̶ (̶F̶e̶b̶)̶
S̶o̶u̶t̶h̶ P̶a̶r̶k̶ S̶n̶o̶w̶ D̶a̶y̶ (̶M̶a̶r̶c̶h̶)̶
S̶e̶n̶u̶a̶ S̶a̶g̶a̶:̶ H̶e̶l̶l̶b̶l̶a̶d̶e̶ I̶I̶ (̶2̶0̶2̶4̶)̶
Visions of Mana (TBD)
Crimson Desert (TBD)
S̶t̶a̶r̶ W̶a̶r̶s̶ O̶u̶t̶l̶a̶w̶s̶ (̶T̶B̶D̶)̶ - I won't support this gaming practice. Maybe one day when the game is on sale and complete with all "DLC"
Throne and Liberty (Beta in July)


Low
Need more info, but I'm intrigued
P̶a̶l̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ (̶J̶a̶n̶u̶a̶r̶y̶ E̶A̶)̶
E̶i̶y̶u̶d̶e̶n̶ C̶h̶r̶o̶n̶i̶c̶l̶e̶:̶ H̶u̶n̶d̶r̶e̶d̶ H̶e̶r̶o̶e̶s̶ (̶A̶p̶r̶i̶l̶)̶
Avowed (2024)
Metaphor: Refantazio (2024)
Lost Soul Aside (TBD)
Stellar Blade (TBD) - Purchased

Currently Playing:
Star Wars: Survivor
EA CFB25

[kingsofthevalley]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Currently playing:

CFB 25
CupHead DLC
(Theres a few more that I'll randomly boot up and play for a few minutes but nothing serious, i.e. Fallout 4, Red Dead 2, HellDivers, Undisputed Boxing, etc.)

Standing by to play (in the que):

StarWars Outlaws
Madden 25
SpiderMan Miles Morales
SpiderMan 2
PhantomBlade Zero
Assassins Creed Shadows
GTA 6

[jrnlgrn]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Finished - Stellar Blade - This was an excellent game and probably my favorite of the year.

Playing:
CFB '25 - This is the first football game I've really invested anytime in since probably 2008. I'm enjoying it enough but there are a few areas that aren't as polished or advanced as I thought they would be. Up in the air as to how long this stays in rotation but we'll see.

Gran Turismo - Still hop in and out of this. New track, cars and physics with the latest update. This will probably end up in my top 3 most played games again but only because I played a lot in the beginning of the year.

Beat Saber - Have to get my VR workout in every now and then

Spin Rhythm XD - I'm a sucker for a good rhythm game this is a lot of fun with some a solid EDM, DnB, Lo-Fi selection of songs. The time spent playing kind of sneaks up on you if you get into a groove.

Future Purchases:
Sports:
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 24-25, graphically this looks amazing. Interested in a) trying to figure out a game that's only in Japanese and B) trying out another companies take on baseball.

EA FC '25 - Looks like a lot of changes coming this year... smarter AI, women's career mode, new tactics, ray tracing.

Undisputed (Maybe) - Hopefully they pull this off and the release product ends up being a knockout lol

Non-Sports:
August -
Star Wars: Outlaws (Likely) Still looks like it will be a lot of fun to me. There seems to be a few legit criticisms from early previews but I also think they is some unwarranted hate for reasons beyond the game itself.

Silent Hill 2 Remake (Maybe)

Still have my eye on some other non sports games but we'll see. Also tried out a ton of other games either through PS+ or they were F2P but nothing is landing right now.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

CFB 25 owns my soul.

Madden 25 is next week.

Football gaming has taken over my gaming life for the foreseeable future.

[pietasterp]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

CFB 25 owns my soul.

Madden 25 is next week.

Football gaming has taken over my gaming life for the foreseeable future.

You don't think your thirst for football gaming will be slaked by CFB25 only? I know mine is.

Of course, what would anyone do without your slider sets in Madden? You've got people relying on you now!

[kingsofthevalley]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Currently playing:

CFB 25
CupHead DLC
(Theres a few more that I'll randomly boot up and play for a few minutes but nothing serious, i.e. Fallout 4, Red Dead 2, HellDivers, Undisputed Boxing, etc.)

Standing by to play (in the que):

StarWars Outlaws
Madden 25
SpiderMan Miles Morales
SpiderMan 2
PhantomBlade Zero
Assassins Creed Shadows
GTA 6

Add one to currently playing:

Dragons Dogma 2 - This game is pure greatness. Just ran across a giant cyclops! What a battle!

[Armor and Sword]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Add one to currently playing:

Dragons Dogma 2 - This game is pure greatness. Just ran across a giant cyclops! What a battle!

Dude Dragons Dogma 2 is awesome....LOVE IT!!!!

[Jgainsey]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Just bought a new GPU bundled with a code for Black Myth: Wukong.

I don’t know much about it, but from what I see it seems highly anticipated. I’ve watched some trailers and gameplay of it and I think I’m going to give it a go on upon release. Big meaty action rpg from the looks of it… hope it clicks for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KSUowls]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

And so ends my consecutive month streak for finishing games.

CFB25 was my most played game of the month, but I had more days not playing it than I did actually booting it up. Feel like I'm pretty close to just being done with it altogether. No other real updates to my progress otherwise. I did just recently get back into my Baldurs Gate 3 campaign. That's still a ton of fun. Looking forward to the new patch.

------------
Game Reviews:
Game - (Status) - (Score) - Review

Spoiler

(In-Progress) - A game that I have played at some point in the last few months and plan to pick up again in the near future.

Baldurs Gate 3 - (In Progress) - (10.0) -

Spoiler

This game is fantastic. It's perfect in almost every way. It was the 2023 GOTY, and it wasn't close. I don't remember the last time that I raved about a game this much. I don't even like this style of DnD combat, but it all just works so perfectly here. The story is phenomenal, both the main story as well as the hundreds of other side ones that you come across. Every character has a unique personality, voice acting is great, and it's just so fun and interesting to interact with them. The freedom that you have in the game is insane, and your choices really matter. It's almost unbelievable how many scenarios the devs accounted for, and how you see the impacts of some of the most random choices that you can think of.
I would also rate the attitude of the development team as a 10/10.

Command and Conquer: Remastered - (Shelved) - (3.0) -

Spoiler

I loved the C&C series as a kid. The original has not aged well though, even this remastered version. It could have really used some QoL updates from any RTS in the last 20 years. It just feels unplayable.

Control - (Complete) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

This is a weird one to review, and not just because the story is weird. With that said, the story is weird...but in a good way. You really have to hunt for all of the little collectibles if you want to really get immersed into the story and get a better feel for it though. This is at times a bit annoying because sometimes you're cruising along and you find an audio recording that will shed some light on things, but you also kind of want to keep pushing through. Combat is smooth enough but kind of mediocre with a gameplay loop that becomes repetitive pretty early. The voice acting from the protagonist is probably the worst part of the game. Lots of puzzles to do, some are kind of annoying to try and figure out if you are not a big puzzle person. There are things that I really didn't like, but the story was so fascinating that I just couldn't stop.

Dragon Age: Origin - (Complete) - (8.5) -

Spoiler

Gameplay can become dated, but a great story will live on. That sentence sums up my experience with DA: Origin. I played this game when it originally came out like 15 years ago. I loved it back then, made it all the way to the final battle but then just never picked it back up. I decided to give it another shot with the upcoming release of a new DA game. The combat and movement were definitely more clunky than I would have liked, but this game is obviously 15 years old at this point. The story was a joy to play through. Surprisingly, I still remembered not just the main quest but also many of the side quests that I encountered, but it was still fun to experience them again. I probably would have given this game a 9.5 when I first played it. It also hurts that Baldurs Gate 3 exists at this point, and DA: Origin almost feels like a 1 dimensional game in comparison.

Diablo IV - (Shelved) - (6.0) -

Spoiler

I loved Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 was a game that I would pick up about once a year to play through one of the seasons. Diablo 4 just isn't fun. Originally I stopped playing just a few weeks after release because of the grind and some of the changes that they did. I picked it back up for the recent season, and things are definitely better. I still just don't enjoy it though. Not sure if I'll ever re-install it to give it another shot.

EA CFB25 - (In Progress) - (6.0) -

Spoiler

I don't think that I can give it the benefit of the doubt anymore and wait on patches before providing a score. While the August 29th title patch did finally introduce Mass Subs into the game, the sad truth is that EA CFB25 is missing too much to be considered a good sports video game in 2024.

It absolutely has things that it does well, mostly tied to the on field play. It is lacking in so many other areas though that the lack of engagement even encroaches into that on-field gameplay.

Playing for a month and a half without both formation and mass subs has really diminished my excitement. Finally having mass subs with the latest patch is certainly nice, but it's probably a case of too little too late.

If Gameplay is an 8/10, then everything else is a 2/10.

The state of the game outside of on field play and recruiting is inexcusably bad. I don't care that it's the first game the franchise has seen in 11 years. It's still a AAA title with a huge budget that has had years of development. I wouldn't excuse any other AAA title for missing out on modern features (CFB25 is missing even features that can't be considered modern anymore) with its "first game". How did no one at EA stop to think that maybe it would be a good idea to see season stats in the awards screen, or be able to see player cards (the start of this sentence is valid for far too many things in this game)? Football games from 20+ years ago had better team vs team comparisons on game week.

The sim engine is on par with or even falls behind those of indie sports games. Being one of the 5 or 10 best teams, by the game's own internal systems, means nothing when it comes to deciding how they will play out in the sim engine.

I started with this franchise on the PS1, bought it every year that it was available, and it was my most played video game every year during it's life cycle. I do not like this version of the game.

Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Project Nolvus Mod Pack - (Shelved) - (9.0) -

Spoiler

Skyrim is one of my favorite games ever, and mods just continue to give it life. This mod pack is massive (and took quite a while to correctly install). It improves the graphics, combat, adds story elements, and so much more. My only complaint is that it makes crafting like a cheat code. Shelved primarily just because of the insane time sync that the game is as I try to get through some of these others

Ghosts of Tsushima: Directors Cut PS5 - (In Progress) - (9.0) -

Spoiler

I love this game. I loved it when it came out on PS4, and I love it even more with better graphics and experiencing the full game with the realism mode turned on. The game is beautiful, the story is really good, and combat in realism mode just feels so good. The only thing that could make the game better is if the game world felt more alive.

Hogwarts Legacy - (In Progress) - (7.0) -

Spoiler

I have been playing this one on and off since it was released a year ago. I became a Harry Potter fan in middle school, around the time that Goblet of Fire came out (the book). I absolutely love the story, the adventure, and just the magical world. So, I was super excited when Hogwarts Legacy was announced. The first time that you see Hogwarts Castle and the school grounds, it's like the game is giving a love letter to those of us who loved the series.

Combat is exceptional. It is smooth, impactful, and the combos just all feel great. It's also balanced well without being restrictive. There is nothing like magical points restricting you from using your strongest spells at will. The only thing stopping you is a cooldown, which does prevent you from just being a completely unstoppable force, but the cooldowns also don't feel like you're being punished for using powerful spells.

Graphics are stunning. Especially for anyone who was already a fan of the setting.

The gameplay loop isn't anything special. If anything it's a bit generic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So why is it only a 7.0? The story and its characters. The story in this game is just plainly awful. Regardless of how it may or may not play into established lore, the entire premise of the game is just simply a deus ex machina on steroids. Fortunately some of the side quests are interesting, but they largely coincide with very unlikeable characters, or ones who are just a little too perfect.

Horizon Zero Dawn - (In Progress) - (9.5) -

Spoiler

I love this game. I loved it on the PS4, and I am really enjoying the PC port. The game is beautiful, I love the story, Aloy is a really fun main character, combat is fun while also being strategic at times. It was my favorite game on the PS4 era. I can technically beat it at any time, I'm after the final quest. I just haven't wanted it to end.

OOTP 25 - (In Progress) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

It's OOTP, so you know it's good. There are a few QoL updates that have been introduced which I really like. I'm still unsure on the impact of the new training feature for your players. I love it in concept, I'm just still trying to figure out how well it is implemented. This game probably deserves higher, but I think it's still just missing some improvements that I would have liked to have seen by now as someone who has been buying it for years. Also, my baseball fandom diminishes more and more each year that I get deeper into my MLB boycott.

Pokemon Violet - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

The game is just easy mode. It's fun to collect pokemon, but the battles are ridiculously easy. I enjoy the open world, but something about it feels false. I can't quite explain it, but I just felt a lack of progression. Like there was no sense of direction that I get out of other open world games. But at the end of the day it's a pokemon game with tons of them to collect. So, that's always enjoyable enough.

Spiderman 2 - (In Progress) - (6.5) -

Spoiler

When I started writing this I had it at 7.0, which I felt was generous. As I thought more about the game I dropped the score to 6.5. I still feel like I'm being generous, but I tried to remove some personal biases from the score. The combat is too streamlined to be fun. Somehow it feels like even more of a button masher than the first Spiderman game, even though you have even more tools at your disposal. Some of the mini-game side quests aren't just not-fun, I legitimately hate them, but I feel compelled to do them because that's just how I play these types of games. Fortunately there are some mini-games that I do quite like. The story is disjointed as it tries to follow both Peter and Miles, neither story really has time to be fully explored in a way that is appreciable. The story that does is exist is forgettable in every way. Peter Parker as Spiderman is probably my favorite comic book/super hero character. And I simply don't care about any aspect of his story. The Miles Morales story is slightly more interesting, but I don't care at all about Miles Morales as Spiderman. Which is unfortunate because I have found him to be a really interesting character overall, even a really good Spiderman. But, I knew Parker as Spiderman first, and as mentioned he is my favorite character. So, having a "Spiderman" video game where you don't play as THE spiderman for half of it is pretty disappointing. I recognize it as a game that is well made, but it just isn't fun or interesting
The one thing I do really enjoy is exploring the game as Spiderman though. Your methods of travel are a lot of fun to execute, and it's a pretty city.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - (Complete) - (8.0) -

Spoiler

Recently finished this one, and I enjoyed it. The story wasn't anything amazing, but it wasn't bad either. The characters were all enjoyable enough (though I wish your last companion was part of the crew for longer. She was funny). Combat played it safe with it more or less just being 1 button to block and 1 button to attack, unless you just felt like spicing it up with some force powers unnecessarily.
At times the exploration did border on tedium, and I wish that there was more of a sense of progression. There were tons of secret chests spread across the galaxy for you to pick up, but these were all simply cosmetic and most of them were barely discernable from the next. I also felt myself wanting a little bit more interaction with the galaxy. I know that your character is on the run, but you end up visiting multiple worlds across the playthrough and they all end up feeling kind of lifeless.

Total War: Warhammer III - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

This game has been given quite the lease on life after a recent update. The game had many many issues at launch, continued to have them long after launch, still has many of them, and the company behind the magic just became absurdly greedy over the last year with increasing the price of DLC while also subtracting from the content of them. The have partially rectified the financial/value problems and they have made some progress in fixing some of the many other issues that the game had. Unfortunately it still has many issues, and it is an inferior product versus the previous game, with the exception of a much larger map and even more options in who to play as. I still like playing it, but it is hard to recommend.

Yakuza 0 - (In Progress) - (7.5) -

Spoiler

Decided to give this one another shot. The story is really good, but every time I play it I want it to be as open world as Grand Theft Auto. It's obviously a different genre of game, but I can't get over wanting it to be something else. The story really carries the fun factor.

------------

2024 Goals:
With so few new releases that I'm really excited for I am making this the year of completing titles. I failed my goal too complete 3 games in 2023, but I did make significant progress in a number of them.

1.) Complete 4 of the following games that I am carrying over from 2023

Spoiler

Spiderman 2
Ghosts of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Baldurs Gate 3
Hogwarts Legacy
Horizon Zero Dawn
Pokemon Violet
Shenmue I
Jade Empire
Control

Progress: 1 out of 4
Control (July)

2.) Complete 3 other games (new releases or others)

Progress: 2 out of 3
Dragon Age: Origin (June)
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (June)

Most Anticipated Sports Games:
EA College Football

Most Anticipated Non-Sports Game:
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 (TBD)


Other titles that have my attention going into the year:
At this point I'm just tracking to see all of the things that I did not buy

High
Day 1 Buys
R̶i̶s̶e̶ o̶f̶ R̶o̶n̶i̶n̶ (̶M̶a̶r̶c̶h̶)̶
B̶l̶a̶c̶k̶ M̶y̶t̶h̶ W̶u̶k̶o̶n̶g̶ (̶A̶u̶g̶u̶s̶t̶)̶


Medium
Might get day 1, but more than likely will wait for a sale or end up passing on
G̶r̶a̶n̶b̶l̶u̶e̶ F̶a̶n̶t̶a̶s̶y̶ R̶e̶l̶i̶n̶k̶ (̶J̶a̶n̶)̶
S̶t̶a̶r̶ W̶a̶r̶s̶:̶ D̶a̶r̶k̶ F̶o̶r̶c̶e̶s̶ R̶e̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ (̶F̶e̶b̶)̶
B̶a̶n̶i̶s̶h̶e̶r̶s̶:̶ G̶h̶o̶s̶t̶s̶ o̶f̶ N̶e̶w̶ E̶d̶e̶n̶ (̶F̶e̶b̶)̶
S̶o̶u̶t̶h̶ P̶a̶r̶k̶ S̶n̶o̶w̶ D̶a̶y̶ (̶M̶a̶r̶c̶h̶)̶
S̶e̶n̶u̶a̶ S̶a̶g̶a̶:̶ H̶e̶l̶l̶b̶l̶a̶d̶e̶ I̶I̶ (̶2̶0̶2̶4̶)̶
V̶i̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ o̶f̶ M̶a̶n̶a̶ (̶T̶B̶D̶)̶
Crimson Desert (TBD)
S̶t̶a̶r̶ W̶a̶r̶s̶ O̶u̶t̶l̶a̶w̶s̶ (̶T̶B̶D̶)̶ - I won't support this gaming practice. Maybe one day when the game is on sale and complete with all "DLC"
Throne and Liberty (Beta in July)


Low
Need more info, but I'm intrigued
P̶a̶l̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ (̶J̶a̶n̶u̶a̶r̶y̶ E̶A̶)̶
E̶i̶y̶u̶d̶e̶n̶ C̶h̶r̶o̶n̶i̶c̶l̶e̶:̶ H̶u̶n̶d̶r̶e̶d̶ H̶e̶r̶o̶e̶s̶ (̶A̶p̶r̶i̶l̶)̶
Avowed (2024)
Metaphor: Refantazio (2024)
Lost Soul Aside (TBD)
Stellar Blade (TBD) - Purchased

Currently Playing:
Baldurs Gate 3
EA CFB25

[jrnlgrn]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

]
CFB25 was my most played game of the month, but I had more days not playing it than I did actually booting it up. Feel like I'm pretty close to just being done with it altogether.]

Right there with you on this one. I'm not really compelled to play it and when I do it's a short burst and even then I just play the offensive possessions. The shine really wore off quickly on this one.

[Dead2009]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

I started a playthrough of the last Spongebob game lol. I think im about half way through it.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

Overall the rest of the year is looking pretty light as far as new releases. Might play some other games I put down and haven't completed.

Finished:
Exit 8 - Hard to explain only cost like really short but it only cost $3. Simple enough premise but harder than you think it would be.

Before Your Eyes (VR) - Again not really a game but an experience. The game tracks when you blink which cause time to skip forward. Also blinking is how you "control" things. An emotional story that I was not expecting.

Playing:
Star Wars: Outlaws - Only 2 hours in but I'm enjoying this so far. I'm getting the same vibe I did with Stellar Blade, where I feel like it's not afraid to be a video which I thoroughly enjoy.

CrossCode - This came out a few years ago. It's an indie title,graphicallyold school 2D RPG that takes place in an fictional MMO. Definitely has a bit of charm. Only a few hours into this one as well.

CFB '25 - After 76 hours, I think I'm bought to hang up my pads on this. Best football game I've played in many years but just missing that something.

Long Plays:
Gran Turismo
Beat Saber
Spin Rhythm XD

Upcoming Games:
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 24-25 (Purchased)
EA FC '25 (Maybe)
Undisputed (Maybe)
Silent Hill 2 Remake (Maybe)

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2024 Gaming Plans

September 1 seems like another good time for an update. Not too much has changed since last time.

PURCHASED

• WWE 2K24
• MLB The Show 24
• F1 24
• Tekken 8
• Street Fighter 6
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• College Football 25
• Madden 25

So yeah, after saying I wasn't buying Madden this year, I bought it.

PLAN TO PURCHASE

• Star Wars Outlaws

I'll almost certainly end up getting this before the end of the year. Going to try to wait for a BF sale.

CURRENTLY PLAYING

• MLB The Show 24
• NBA 2K24
• College Football 25
• Madden 25

So all the games I've bought so far this year and I'm really only playing sports games. Having a blast with my Braves and Bulls dynasties. Still just playing exhibition games on CF25 and M25. Hopefully the defense and run/pass stuff gets addressed and then it will be time to start dynasties there.

PLAN TO PLAY

• Kena
• Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth
• Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor
• Tekken 8
• Street Fighter 6
• Mortal Kombat 1
• F1 24
• A bunch of other PS4/PS5 games in the backlog

Still need to finish Kena (I've been saying that for a while now). I want to run through the PS5 versions of Remake and Fallen Order before starting the sequels. I need to go through the story modes of the fighting games. And at some point, I'll start a career on F1.