oh man, if you got bored in the desert world then i’m afraid the next one might kill you—the 4th streamer was my least-favorite part of the game.

In the last week I beat Paper Mario The Origami King and Yakuza Kiwami 2. Knocking those two half-finished games off my backlog is enough justification to start two brand-new games, right?

I got through The Proving on my PS5, and I really like it so far, I just hadn’t found the groove on the combat, and after banging through a ton of fairly serious Play Station classics to start the year, I needed a break from That Type Of Game. I am excited to get back into it. 

After a few weeks of inconsistently hopping around games, i’ve been working my way through Paper Mario: The Origami King on my recently neglected Switch. I’m working on the 5th streamer now, and overall, i’ve had an enjoyable time with it. The normal random battle system is......just OK. At least they were kind enough…

just start with 0. It’s the best Yakuza, imo. If it doesn’t do it for you, then the series isn’t for you. 

frankly, i think LaD suffered from not going MORE full-on into the turn-based elements. Like if your whole bit is “it’s like Dragon Quest” then man, go full-on in cribbing dragon quest elements. I think the next turn-based battle system they produce will be a lot better, and I think they’ll lean into it a little more.…

Still very much between games, but fortunately, we’re moved and (mostly) unpacked, so I should have some time to game during a possibly rainy weekend! I’ve been dabbling in Horizon: Zero Dawn, which I like, but it hasn’t gripped me yet. The combat feels clunky to me (which may be user error, honestly), but the story…

well, we’re moving next week, so this weekend will be mostly finalizing some packing and doing some painting at the new house. In between, I might just be unwinding with some very mindless gaming (Road To The Show has been scratching that itch for me--thanks, GamePass!). But if I have a little more time/energy, I…

or just wait for it to go on sale in a month or two? 

here’s my no. 1 tip: use guides. I know! this feels against the whole “point” of the game. But here’s my thing: I’m stupid and don’t like getting lost for dozens of hours with no clear directive. I used a True Ending guide and finished the game at 99% completion and had an absolute blast. If you’re stuck, don’t be…

I just finished Yakuza 7, and I want to get through at least one playthrough of Disco Elysium. But after that, maybe I’ll take Backlog Month to heart and finally get back int0 Nier: Automata.......

Got a ton of free time this weekend, so I’ll be plowing forward in Yakuza 7. Maybe even beat it? We’ll see! I’m on Chapter 10, so we’ll see how that goes. I felt like the plot was a little slower of a burn than some of the other Yakuzas I’ve played, but when things started coming together around Chapter 8, it started…

this game looks delightful. I’d heard good things, and I was very glad to see it be a PS Plus title. I now have it saved to my PS5 library for download whenever I have the time. It looks like a very interesting puzzle concept and I’m glad to hear there’s a good story surrounding it. Looking forward to giving this a…

yeah, switch and xbox aren’t until this summer. June, I think? but the end is in sight. 

100% agree on Hades. I’ve never loved rogues either, even though I appreciated them for what they were. Like I could just never get into Dead Cells, even though I knew it was very good. But Hades clicked so hard for me. The slow drip of the story and the fact that each run doesn’t feel completely dependent on drops…

the NCAA tournament is still going strong, so that will probably take most of my gaming time, but after games are over (or if there’s a blowout) it’ll be more Yakuza 7. What a delightful game. I love hanging with my buds. I love romping around Ijincho. The Substories are (naturally, for a Yakuza game) fantastic and…

Between HZD and Octopath coming to game pass, this is a banner week in me putting off buying a game only for it to become free. 

it’s good! I payed a lot of attention to the release of the game, so I heard all the handwringing and consternation about whether it was “fun”, and honestly I found it a lot more engaging and simpler to play than expected. Sam, to me, moved a hundred times more naturally and sensibly than say, an Arthur Morgan or a…

i mean “dumb” in the sense that Yakuza games are comically over-the-top and are not afraid to smash you over the head with tropes with the tongue fully lodged in the cheek. I love every Yakuza game I’ve played, and a few hours into this one, I’m expecting it to be among the better ones. It’s just very much in contrast…

oh absolutely. the game really hits its stride in Chapters 5-8. I loved the insane plot reveals and story sequences at the end—that Chapter 10 final boss was an absolutely masterfully done boss fight that I hollered all the way through. But it feels like right when you got to be a Master Porter they throw you on rails…