The Gaming Diary: Chapter 3

Been a while since I checked in! This is pretty much everything I've played/been playing this year:

Elden Ring - Despite some frustrations here and there, I really enjoyed this one overall. Pretty easily my GOTY so far.

Ghostwire: Tokyo - I'm a big fan of Shinji Mikami's stuff so I was really looking forward to this one. It started out well enough, but the combat gets pretty old after a while and the open-world mechanics are becoming pretty tedious. It's an alright game, but I'm more than ready to finish this one.

Infernax - Awesome retro-style game that takes heavy inspiration from Zelda II and Simon's Quest. Really enjoyed this and may do more playthroughs to get different endings.

Yes, Your Grace - Started this on a whim since I saw that it's leaving Game Pass soon. I wasn't expecting to really get into this one and actually found it pretty boring at first, but it really grew on me over time. It has that addicting Civilization "1 more turn" aspect to it, and I'm honestly blown away by just how much I got invested in the story and characters. Great game that really came out of left field for me.

It Takes Two - I started this back in November with a friend, and we finally picked it back up and finished it about a week ago. Really enjoyable co-op game with a ton of gameplay variety. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as A Way Out but it was still very solid.

Wolfenstein: Young Blood - My friend and I started this up and after finishing It Takes Two. I was aware of the bad reputation, but you know what, I wanted to play a Wolfenstein game and this one is co-op, so this is what we went with. It's definitely not perfect and I can understand quite a few of the criticisms, but honestly if you just want to turn off your brain and shoot some Nazis with a buddy, then it's a pretty good time.

Triangle Strategy - I started playing this a while back and was really into it, but it's been kinda falling to the wayside lately. I need to get back to it and finish it up because I was really enjoying it.

Spider-Man (PS4/PS5) - Awesome game, really enjoyed it!

Mafia: Definitive Edition - I played the original Mafia a ton back in the day, but unfortunately I don't think it's a game that holds up well today (it was actually one of my first reviews for this site). This was a great way to go back and experience the story again with a modern take on the gameplay and presentation. I really enjoyed this one!

What Remains of Edith Finch - Ugh, didn't enjoy this at all. I'll never understand why games like this get so much praise.

Growl - Kinda janky but a decent little action game for the Genesis.

Terminator: Resistance - Would have been a decent game back in 2010. Feels incredibly dated now. Not terrible but I wouldn't recommend it. It also shafted me out of a platinum trophy....

Final Fantasy (PSP) - Really enjoyed this overall. I would say it's probably the best way to experience this classic, but I suspect that the Pixel Remaster may have superseded it.

Valkyria Chronicles - I've been meaning to play this for years and finally got around to it. Really great take on the strategy RPG formula. Awesome game!

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - FF12 was never my favorite entry but I've wanted to revisit it for a long time with the remaster. Wasn't particularly feeling it this time around and haven't touched the game in a couple of months, but I still want to come back to it eventually.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Retains some of the interesting mechanics from Cosmic Star Heroine but really waters the whole thing down. This was a cheap and quickly made game and it shows. Didn't really enjoy it at all.

James Bond 007 - Played this back during the Playcast playthrough and quite enjoyed it. Pretty impressive title for the Game Boy.

Tunic - Started this since it was free on Game Pass and I've heard good things about it. Not really feeling it so far. Gameplay feels kinda slow and sluggish, and I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels trying to figure out where to go. Might just check a guide real quick to get some direction and see if it grows on me.