2024 Gaming Plans

[KSUowls]

I missed updating last month due to being in the hospital. So, updating September & October.

I have officially completed one of my 2024 goals after beating Space Marine 2. A significantly shorter campaign than any other game on my list, but it still counts.

2 games have received most of my time over the last month.

Space Marine 2: (8.0/10)

Spoiler

Really fun combat and a pretty interesting story to follow. I've only dabbled in the multiplayer so far, but it seems like a lot of fun too.

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: (6.0/10)

Spoiler

The first expansion to Diablo 4. I swore to myself that I would not get this game due to my general feelings on Diablo 4, but I was pretty bored while recovering from surgery. To give Blizzard credit, the game has improved a lot since launch. This expansion also introduces a few nice things too. The campaign story was pretty interesting to follow, but it loses points for its abrupt ending. The new class, Spiritborn, was a lot of fun to play too. Reminds me a lot of Monk from Diablo 3. Most of the fun of the class is attributed to just how over tuned it is in its launch state though (something that no one was surprised would happen. Blizzard needs to make people want to buy the expansion). Not sure how interested I would have been in the class if it was more balanced (as it will be in future seasons). Overall some nice things added to the game along with a huge free update that also enhanced some of the experience. Unfortunately its still Diablo 4 though, and I just don't think that D4 is a good game. There is too much grind. Which yes Diablo is a game about grinding, but the grind here isn't fun. The new expansion offers a new zone which is great, but that also means that there is a new zone that you have to do all of the little (not fun) achievements for in order to unlock additional perks for your character. Item drops rates are terrible. I spent a lot of time playing over the first couple weeks of the new season, and I never once saw a mythic unique. I stopped playing around paragon 240 (max is 300), and I did not change my any of my gear from when I was like paragon 160. I was very far from having a complete build too, I just wasn't getting any drops that I needed. In addition to no mythic uniques, I still haven't seen a legendary rune drop. World Bosses are barely worth it. The only thing challenging about them is just how tanky they are, and the rewards are comically bad. The game is in a drastically better state than it was at launch, but that really only makes it tolerable.

Quote:

------------ 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. Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: (6.0/10) Spoiler The first expansion to Diablo 4. I swore to myself that I would not get this game due to my general feelings on Diablo 4, but I was pretty bored while recovering from surgery. To give Blizzard credit, the game has improved a lot since launch. This expansion also introduces a few nice things too. The campaign story was pretty interesting to follow, but it loses points for its abrupt ending. The new class, Spiritborn, was a lot of fun to play too. Reminds me a lot of Monk from Diablo 3. Most of the fun of the class is attributed to just how over tuned it is in its launch state though (something that no one was surprised would happen. Blizzard needs to make people want to buy the expansion). Not sure how interested I would have been in the class if it was more balanced (as it will be in future seasons). Overall some nice things added to the game along with a huge free update that also enhanced some of the experience. Unfortunately its still Diablo 4 though, and I just don't think that D4 is a good game. There is too much grind. Which yes Diablo is a game about grinding, but the grind here isn't fun. The new expansion offers a new zone which is great, but that also means that there is a new zone that you have to do all of the little (not fun) achievements for in order to unlock additional perks for your character. Item drops rates are terrible. I spent a lot of time playing over the first couple weeks of the new season, and I never once saw a mythic unique. I stopped playing around paragon 240 (max is 300), and I did not change my any of my gear from when I was like paragon 160. I was very far from having a complete build too, I just wasn't getting any drops that I needed. In addition to no mythic uniques, I still haven't seen a legendary rune drop. World Bosses are barely worth it. The only thing challenging about them is just how tanky they are, and the rewards are comically bad. The game is in a drastically better state than it was at launch, but that really only makes it tolerable. 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. Space Marine 2: (8.0/10) Spoiler Really fun combat and a pretty interesting story to follow. I've only dabbled in the multiplayer so far, but it seems like a lot of fun too. 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: 4 out of 3 COMPLETE
Dragon Age: Origin (June)
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (June)
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred (September)
Space Marine 2 (October)

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

Quote:

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:
a bunch of random crap

[TripleCrown9]

Re-downloaded and started Mafia 3 tonight.

I forgot how much I enjoyed it, despite how rough it was.

[EUBlink]

Quote: Originally Posted by TripleCrown9

Re-downloaded and started Mafia 3 tonight. I forgot how much I enjoyed it, despite how rough it was.

I feel you. I loved the game but it was so rough around the edges with glitching. I may pick it up again soon on the XSX.

[Armor and Sword]

My final 2024 New Game Purchase comes tomorrow.

Dragon Age Veilguard.


Now Playing:

College Football 25
Madden 25
NHL 25
MLB The Show 20
Star Wars Outlaws

In the Que:
Dragon Age Veilguard
Subnautica

[Heisman]

Still trying to figure out my gaming rotation. Free time is hard to come by nowadays. So I broke it down by my favorite genres.

Sports:

Madden 25
CFB 25
NBA 2k25
MLB the show 24

Simulators:

Microsoft flight simulator 2024
Farming simulator 25
Planet zoo
Train sim world 5

RPG’s:

Cyberpunk 2077

Those are my games for the foreseeable future. Will look into crimson dessert and roadcraft when they come out, but I figure I have at least 10,000 hours locked in with those games alone.

[kingsofthevalley]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor and Sword

My final 2024 New Game Purchase comes tomorrow. Dragon Age Veilguard. Now Playing: College Football 25 Madden 25 NHL 25 MLB The Show 20 Star Wars Outlaws In the Que: Dragon Age Veilguard Subnautica

I really wanted to like Star Wars Outlaws. Curious to know what it is that's keeping you guys playing, it may motivate me to purchase it again (I refunded it initially). I'm trying to find a reason lol. I wanted Red Dead Redemption in the Star Wars universe and didn't appear to quite cut it (atleast in the 3 or 4 short days I actually had it).

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by kingsofthevalley

I really wanted to like Star Wars Outlaws. Curious to know what it is that's keeping you guys playing, it may motivate me to purchase it again (I refunded it initially). I'm trying to find a reason lol. I wanted Red Dead Redemption in the Star Wars universe and didn't appear to quite cut it (atleast in the 3 or 4 short days I actually had it).

I really enjoy being in this underworld Star Wars universe. It's not a great game.....but it's very good for at least one full playthrough. I will also get the DLC when they drop to revisit the world.

[jrnlgrn]

Currently Playing:
- Pro Yakyuu Spirits 24-25 | Nice change of pace from the The Show. Once you get the basic position of menu items right, being in Japanese isnt such a problem.

- EA FC '25 | Rinse and repeat same thing every year. If there was a better alternative on console I'd play that instead.

- Tiebreak | I don't really know anything about tennis but this is decent enough for me to enjoy though.

- Off the Grid (Alpha/Early Access) | Third person battle royal. I'm normally not an online multiplayer guy but this has me hooked.

- Spin Rhythm XD | Sometimes you just need to play a rhythm game and relax.

Well It's Installed (haha):
- Star Wars: Outlaws | Just fell off enjoy it enough when I play it but never compelled to hop back in.
- Gran Turismo 7 | I haven't uninstalled it because I like racing games but can probably call it a wrap on this.

Possible 2024 Purchases Remaining:
- Undisputed | I really want to play a boxing game. Not entirely sold maybe a purchase once it goes on sale.

- Silent Hill 2 (Remake) | Just not sure yet. I'm down for some horror though.

Edit: Also started playing The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me - Love these types of games. Started after Halloween though. Would have been the perfect game for Spooky Season.

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