Nothing completed this month, which is much more like me to be honest.
Games played during March
Bravely Default 2 – Switch
This is pretty much all I’ve played aside from arcade stuff on my cab. Think I’m at around 90 hours in and closing on the ‘ending’, but I have very much been enjoying myself. Already wondering where it’s going to land when I revise my Top 5 JRPG’s list.
Have spent a decent amount of time playing on the arcade machine though, mostly Black Tiger and Darius Gaiden, playing along with the Ten Pence Arcade podcast. As well as a lot of Robotron 2084, Smash TV and Robotron X as research for the latest episode of Maximum Power Up, Twin Stick Shooters.
Also rediscovered the game Bubbles in conversation during the recording of the above show, so I’ve been playing that too.
March Pick-ups
NBA2K Playgrounds 2 – PS4
I’ve had my eye on this for a while, mostly out of curiosity. It popped up on sale cheap for a physical copy on PS4. I grabbed two copies and sent one to a friend, and we then found time one evening to start playing a season together online. It’s great fun, really captures the 2v2 mayhem of classic NBA Jam but with more modern functionality. Looking forward to playing it some more.
Well that didn’t take long did it. Talked myself into spending a bit more money on the cabinet and replaced the Raspberry Pi3b+ with the Pi4 4GB* model. I was very tempted to get the 8GB but everything I read suggested that would be overkill for what I needed. A good chance I’d have been fine with the 2GB version but happy to stick with the 4GB.
I did have to pick up a different HDMI and power cable which were pretty straight forward, but the two main purchases were the Pi itself and the Flarc case* for it, which also helps keep it cool quietly. I picked all the parts up from The Pi Hut for around £85. There are decent bundles* available too but there wasn’t one quite suitable for what I wanted.
I had to get a new build of the RetroPie software suitable for the Pi4, but was minimal effort setting it up using the same usb flash drive with roms I’d configured for the Pi3b+. It was all worthwhile as it has meant I could add Dreamcast fighting and shmup games to the cabinet, as well as expanding how many MAME games it’s capable of playing.
You’ll also notice in the image at the top of the page I upgraded the cabinet with a bar table*. Having somewhere to rest my drink has made all the difference, very pleased with this one for the money and goes nicely with the bar stools I picked up previously.
If you haven’t already read it, I wrote about the cabinet build in my MAME Arcade Cabinet post (and also part 2).
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
A few games completed during February, generally 2D stuff that has been okay to play while I have been unwell. Games like Gears 5 are on hold until I’m free of all vertigo symptoms.
Games completed this month
Airborne Kingdom – PC
This was probably the most perfect game I’ve played for recovery. It’s a slow paced city builder style game, except your city is floating through the sky. With the game speed on the default, I was able to keep it running and make progress just playing very casually. It’s just a very pretty, relaxing game. Although I suspect the newly released “hard mode” probably makes it a more stressful experience, I think I’ll give that a miss.
Beyond Blue – PC
Turns out I was almost at the end of this after the last time I played it anyway. Another relaxing ambient game, that is a cross between the old Endless Ocean games on the Nintendo Wii (which were great) and a wildlife documentary. The other thing this has in common with Airborne Kingdom above, is that both are games I bought from the Epic games store, so I now have 100% completion of the games I’ve paid for on there. Yes I have only bought those two.
Raiden V – Xbox Series S
Sort of cheating since to properly consider a shmup completed, you’d be looking for a single credit (or even a single life) run through. However I’m a bit more relaxed about these pure console ones where there is enough involved in terms of story etc. On my shmup day described further down, I played this straight through and rolled credits, collecting plenty of achievements on my way.
Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath – PS4
As mentioned last month, I went on to playthrough the story DLC from the Aftermath expansion. It was good fun and certainly worth a go after finishing the main campaign.
Pretty much in line with what the reviews said, this seems okay but is disappointingly not as interesting as Until Dawn. I’ve played the first hour or two, and was sort of enjoying it. However I haven’t felt compelled to put it on again which I guess is pretty telling. Maybe I’ll get back to it before it leaves Game Pass.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 – Xbox Series S
I haven’t bought this yet, hard to justify for the price of entry when I own the first game on PC, PS4 and Switch. However it had a free to play weekend on Xbox, so I gave it a go on my new Series S. It’s still great, and does have a decent amount of new content so I will get it, but will stick with the Xbox version so I at least have it on a different platform to the original.
Shmups PS3, PS4, Xbox
I spent one Saturday in February just having some quality time with the arcade sticks. I hooked up my Cronus Zen and Hori 360 stick to the Xbox Series S (partly to make sure that all just worked on the new console – it does!) and had my PS4 Arcade Stick on the go for the games I played on both PS4 and PS3. As well as Raiden V, I also spent some time playing Raiden IV, Gradius V, Darius Burst Chronicles, and a short burst on Radiant Silvergun to remember why I gave up on that.
Fifa 21 – Xbox Game Pass (Trial)
I remembered that Game Pass now comes with EA Play, which includes 10 hours access to the latest EA Sports games. Having had some fun playing Madden 21 on my PS4 during the past year, I thought I’d give this a go. I did enjoy myself for a few hours on Ultimate Team, sort of piecing a side together and doing the single player challenges. I played two games online with my Nephew though and remembered why I gave up on these. I’m not interested in putting in the time it would take to be viable against other people, so I’ll leave that there.
Bravely Default 2 – Switch
This came out as planned at the end of the month, but I managed to play quite a bit over the last weekend in February so included it here rather than among the pick ups. Really enjoying myself so far, although there have already been a few challenging spots. Hopefully I’ll get to the end this time, rather than abandon it half way through like last time.
February Pick-ups
Arcade Cabinet
Of course this was the big one for February, and also dominated my games played at the end of the month. If you haven’t already read it, I wrote about it in the MAME Arcade Cabinet post (part 2).
Capcom vs SNK: Match of the Millennium – Switch
Another of the Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) games being ported to Switch, and while there are others they’ve done I still want to pick up, I couldn’t wait for this. This is one I never had myself when I had my own NGPC console, but I always wanted it. Lovely little fighter. I’m still hoping they’ll bring Neo Turf Masters Pocket over soon, and it would be nice to see the Card Fighters and Metal Slug games as well.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Managed to start the year off pretty well, with three (count ’em!) completions. Even more impressive considering since halfway through the month I’ve been knocked out with Labyrinthitis and unable to play much of anything. I expect it’ll be at least mid-February before I get back to any VR.
Games completed this month
Gears of War 4 – Xbox One / Series S
Spoiler for later down the list, but one of the first things I did with my new Xbox was pick up my co-op campaign where I left off with my mate Ross a couple of years ago. Thankfully my Nephew was around to see it through, as Ross has since surrendered his Xbox Gold account. Gears 5 next.
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate – PS4
Played through the main story mode on this, as with the previous Mortal Kombat, and the two Injustice games, the story is really enjoyable and a real masterclass in how to do single player content in a versus fighter. The last boss fight soured the experience slightly, but that’s nothing new for these kind of games. I’ll have a little break then go back and play the single player story from the Aftermath DLC.
First ‘next gen’ game played on my Series S, and I managed to finish it this month too. Although I only have the lower spec Series S Xbox, Ori is a real showcase for it. Was able to play the whole game in 4K with HDR at 60fps. Really great follow up to the first game, even if they have been copying Hollow Knight’s homework. Oh and that’s one ticked off from my playlist for 2021 as well.
Games played during January
Blood & Truth – PSVR
Was progressing quite nicely with this until I got ill. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it off once I’m feeling better.
Sea Salt – Xbox One / Series S
Only managed a quick go on this on GamePass. I think it’s leaving the service soon so probably won’t manage to get back to it. It was fun though so I may pick it up in the sale later. I was enjoying terrorising a seaside town with my easily describable minions, while playing as Dagon.
Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox Series S
Of course I’m back on this with the shiny new Xbox. Looks fantastic and is still the best racing game I’ve ever played. Seems to have been quite a few new races and events since I played last too.
Assault Android Cactus – Xbox One / Series S
I played this through a while back on my PC, not convinced I ever beat the last boss though. While I’ve been enjoying revisiting some of my existing library on Xbox I noticed I’d barely touched it on there. Thought I’d fire it up and see if I can bring myself to finish it this time round.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm – Switch
This (and the following 2D games in this list) are all I’ve really been up to since getting ill. Anything in three dimensions is still a no go, but was good to give this a bit of an airing for the first time since I picked up the DLC. Still don’t really know what I’m doing though.
Parasol Stars – Core Grafx Mini
Possibly the first time I’ve really sat down to play this, and I’ve discovered a bit of a love for it. Also, I’ve mentioned it many times over now, but the Core Grafx Mini is an absolute gem.
Another I’ve spent plenty of time with previously (and discussed on the pinball episode of the podcast), but couldn’t resist getting back on it while I was playing on the mini. I’m also getting over the annoyance when the table flicks between the top and bottom screens.
Xeno Crisis – Xbox One / Series S
As I’d discovered I could handle 2D games, I figured I’d give this a shot on GamePass. Really good game, pretty difficult though. Very much channels Smash TV, aesthetically, gameplay and apparently also difficulty!
January Pick-ups
Ghost Town Mine Ride – PCVR
This was a pretty low budget pick up. Mostly just wanted something on the PCVR set similar to Until Dawn: Rush of Blood on the PSVR.
Last Resort (Neo Geo) – Switch
An old favourite Neo Geo game that got ported to the Switch a while back. They don’t go on sale that often, but for £3 this was an easy sale.
Xbox Series S & GamePass Ultimate
As mentioned above, I picked up the Series S at the start of the year. I know this version has received some flack on social media but I’m very happy with it. I was still using a launch model original Xbox One, so had missed out on any incremental upgrades from the later versions. I’m still going to pick up a PS5 to go alongside my gaming PC to make the most of the latest generation of games. However, the Series S does an excellent job of making my existing Xbox library, including some games from the original Xbox, look great on my 4K TV.
It also serves as a very convenient GamePass box, for playing the games on the subscription service, where it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t have a disc drive. For the price, and quite frankly the small size of the device compared to the monsters that are the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it is a lovely device.
Still quite difficult to get hold of but when Amazon do have them, they’re here*.
Bezier: Second Edition – Switch
A friend sent me a link to the trailer for this, it was clearly very Geometry Wars in style, so I had to get involved. Didn’t hurt that it was only a fiver at launch too.
Games pre-ordered this month
Bravely Default 2 – Switch
It’s almost four years since I last played a Japanese RPG (the incredible Panzer Dragoon Saga on the SEGA Saturn), so I’m about ready to play one again. Of the 5 I have played before, the original Bravely Default on 3DS was not without issues, but I did have some good fun with it. My friend pointed me to a demo of this new one on the Switch store, which I played around with before putting in my pre-order. I have gone for a physical edition* though, so I can at least trade it in if I’ve made a terrible mistake.
It’s due at the end of February, it could take my mind off trying to get hold of a PS5 for a while. This is just as well, as I’m thinking about putting that back a few months anyway, and diverting funds towards another project. More on that story later.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Continuing to only slightly progress the planned list, I have decided to drop off some of the titles that I have already rolled forward previously. Going back to the 2020 list I allowed myself four games I didn’t play to take forward. The others were either abandoned during my updates in 2020 or “back on the shelf”.
Top 5 played in 2020
1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Switch
This was on the playlist from last year, and after putting in 400 hours, it does have to be my game of the year really. I did stop playing when I moved house over the Summer, and I haven’t been back to it. I’m sure I’ll get the urge again this year though, if only to do the Autumn and Winter seasons I didn’t play yet.
If you have a Switch you must own this* already, right?
2. Marvel’s Spider-man – PS4
Yes everyone else played it the year before, but it does deserve most of the praise. I did find some of the side content tedious, too much busy work. It’s only the same problem that most open world games have, and the main story did make up for it.
Despite the initial false start attempting this on the Xbox One originally, and then the gap to progress for a year when I got stuck on the “Bloodless” boss, I did really enjoy this. It seems to still be getting content added as well so I may have another look at it for that later too. As “metroidvanias” go, this almost certainly deserves a place on my top 5. Will need to think about where it goes if I ever refresh that list.
As per previous posts, the Switch version* doesn’t run as well as the PC or other console ones, but if you mostly play your Switch in Handheld mode, it’s a very satisfying experience now they’ve fixed the original issues.
4. 51 Worldwide Games – Switch
I was a bit torn with this, as I was hoping for more in terms of the online multiplayer options. As a standalone piece though, and with local multiplayer, this is a worthy follow up to the stellar 42 All-time Classics on the Nintendo DS.
As a cheaper release anyway, 51 Worldwide Games* is still easy to recommend for the money if the idea interests you at all.
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) – PC
Really enjoyed the campaign, but mostly what I enjoyed was spending a lot of time during this pandemic playing online with my best mate. I remain grateful that they finally got proper cross platform working. It has been really great to be able to play on my PC, while he was on his PS4, and it to just, work. Complete with voice chat. The multiplayer remains some of the best around.
Also rans:
Core Grafx Mini
Didn’t think I could really list one of the mini consoles as a top game of the year, but it was certainly a highlight. Still an easy recommend.
Bit of a surprise this. Unfortunately it was so well done and polished that it destroyed the lacklustre Warcraft 3: Reforged, and derailed my plans to replay that campaign. I did get a bit stuck (as usual) on the original C&C GDI story though, so I should try to go back to it.
Streets of Rage 4 – Xbox One
I think a lot of people were surprised how well this turned out. A real gem this year. Didn’t make my list though as while it’s great fun in local multiplayer, I still don’t really rate brawlers like this as single player games.
Think I assumed this was digital only (outside of those heinous ‘limited’ collectors editions). Apparently not*.
10 games for 2021
1. Super Metroid – Switch / SNES
Despite my statement last year, I’m giving this one more run out. If only because I’m still yet to play any of the NES or SNES games on the Switch and I should at least get to one. It is year four though, oh dear.
2. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void – PC
Another one that survives for another year on the list, I think I would have gotten to this if I wasn’t distracted by the Command & Conquer Remaster. Oh and if Blizzard hadn’t become a terrible company that made me actively not want to play their games. I do want to close out the StarCraft II trilogy though so hoping to get to it.
3. The Last Express – PC
“Last one on the list that I’ve brought with me from last year. Gotta have a train game!” – Think I’ll keep that quote from last year too…
4. Myst III: Exile – PC
Last of the ones I’m taking forward, I do still intend to progress my way through all these. However long it takes. I can already see me replaying the original MYST again when the new VR version comes to Steam though.
5. Airborne Kingdom – PC
Only picked this up in December, and I already know I want to play it through. It is very pretty, and seems to have an interesting campaign / story for a city builder.
6. Shadow of the Tomb Raider – PS4
I really enjoyed the first two games in this trilogy, but wasn’t in a rush to play more. It’s been long enough now that I’m looking forward to this one, and Sony were kind enough to make it one of the free games for January. Excellent.
7. Call of Cthulhu – Xbox / PC
Think I have this on both Xbox and PC so we’ll see how I feel when I get round to starting it. We all know I enjoy a Lovecraftian Videogame and I’ve heard good things about this one.
8. Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Xbox
Very much enjoyed the original, despite some of the more punishing platforming sections. I’ll probably play it on the next Xbox I pick up, likely a Series S.
9. Miles Morales – PS5
The first of two games I don’t actually own yet, it’s still my intention to pick up a PlayStation 5 once they’re available again. I’m hoping I can get one by February, and take a week off work to play. This game is first on the list. Second and third on the list are my free upgrades to the PS5 versions of Madden 21 and Mortal Kombat 11. Obviously.
Think you need the ultimate edition* if you want the remastered original game. And of course you want that.
10. Hollow Knight: Silksong – Switch?
As expected, this didn’t come out in 2020, but should arrive in 2021, and I shall be there when it does. The first game was a perfect fit for the Switch, but as my home situation changed, I find I don’t play it handheld anymore. I might then go for whichever version of Silksong is going to look best on my big TV.
2021 releases I’m looking forward too
Returnal – PS5
The new one from Housemarque. I’m not entirely sure I’ll like this, as I’m not big on third person shooters or roguelikes. However, Housemarque still made some of my favourite games, so I’m going to give it a go.
Back 4 Blood – PC
After getting back into Left 4 Dead 2 last year, I’m quite looking forward to this. Not sure I’ll get it on release though, looks pretty pricey for something I’ll only play casually with friends. We’ll see.
God of War: Ragnarok – PS5
Another sequel to a game I enjoyed previously. All going well this should be a real showcase for the PS5.
Gotham Knights – TBC
Not sure where I’ll play this, but if it’s anything like the Batman Arkham games, I should enjoy it, and it is very appealing to play as the Bat Family.
*these are affiliate links, I’ll get a small commission if you buy something.
Nothing else finished for the end of the year, but I did abandon another game, so that’s pretty similar.
Games played during December
Need 4 Speed Rivals – PS4
Picked this up in the sale for a couple of quid, just as something else to play online with a buddy. Had fun with it for an evening, not sure if we’ll go back to it but pretty much already had my money’s worth. Basically spent my entire time wondering why I was playing it when Forza Horizon is a thing.
Star Trek Bridge Crew – PSVR
Not only did we play this again during December, we also managed 4 players to have a full crew. It was everything I’d hoped for, more please in 2021.
Geometry Wars 3 – PS4
I quit playing this ages ago, but one of my mates picked it up on sale in December. He proceeded to obnoxiously send me a screenshot of him beating my Pacifism score. I then fired it up to do something about that, and noticed I was being beaten by at least one of my friends on all but one of the classic leader boards. Had fun for a week or so correcting that on them all. Still a fantastic game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Switch
With various friends and family members getting Switches this year, Mario Kart 8 pretty much became the game of Christmas. Enjoyed revisiting the entertaining multiplayer, even if my Nephew entirely dominates the number one spot.
Amazon link* the price fluctuates a lot for this. It was below £40 just before Christmas
Worms W.M.D. – PS4 and Switch
Double-dipped for this so as well as continuing to play the PS4 version, I can also play against all those new Switch owners in the family too.
After I had been discussion my thoughts on a recent podcast episode about maybe picking up a PC VR headset in addition to my existing PSVR setup, a mate offered me this for a great price. It’s a lovely bit of kit, and gives me access to those games that haven’t made their way to the PlayStation. Amusingly I’ve had to order some prescription lenses for it so I can see properly. Unlike the PSVR helmet there is no room for my glasses inside!
Airborne Kingdom – PC (epic)
Another I’d been watching for a while, I grabbed this from the Epic Store, their sale with the combined £10 voucher made it silly money. A beautiful looking and very mellow (floating) city builder. Will put this on the playlist for 2021 as I’m keen to give it a proper go.
Locomotive – Switch
I did manage a go on the PC version of this back at EGX 2019. However it came up on the Nintendo eShop for about 90p so grabbed it there instead. Fun little puzzle game. With a train.
Forgot to include the GameBoy in my November roundup, but it was my one Black Friday purchase. A custom modded GameBoy Color with a lovely bright backlit screen. In December I added the EZ Flash Junior card for it. Much cheaper alternative to the equivalent EverDrives, and seemed worth a punt after the success I had with the EZ Flash Omega for GBA games on my DS Lite. I’m now considering a second Junior to use with my original GameBoy.
Might get a link cable too, who wants to play some GameBoy Tetris and Golf?
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate – PS4
Had my eye on this for a while, went on sale just as I was gifted a timely Amazon voucher as a bit of a professional reward. Very pleased with it already, and happy that it’s another game (along with Madden) that will give me the PS5 upgrade for free when I can get hold of one.
Okay so I already have all the digital content for this, but the physical edition with 12 months of Nintendo Online was on sale for only £1 more than just the online subscription. Nice for the shelf anyway.
Although the online Tetris 99 gameplay is free, the DLC content is a nice way to play some solo Tetris. If you need to pick up an online pass for the Switch anyway, you could do worse than grabbing this package*.
Sayonara Wild Hearts – Switch
Heard a lot about this when it first came out, and some friends were talking about playing it recently too. Another sale purchase. First impressions are good but it really made me want to go back to playing Thumper.
Games retired this month
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix – PS4
Well I tried.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
I only went and finished something. Didn’t play much else though. Haven’t finished many games at all this year, I do have some time off over Christmas but I’m 5 books behind schedule on my goodreads challenge, so might be making more of an effort to hit my target there instead.
Games completed this month
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Switch
Finished this on the Switch. It was a bit of an effort to get back into Bloodstained as I hadn’t played it for ages and I knew I was stuck at a boss. Forced myself back into it though, and rather than continuing to just lose fighting the same boss, I went off and did some side quest things and generally explored / levelled up. I’m not going to bother doing 100% completion, but I did get the true ending. That will do.
You can pick up a physical copy for the main consoles here* it definitely runs much better on the Xbox and PS4 (and PC) but it is perfectly playable on Switch now it’s had a few performance patches, and I still find the Switch the best way to play these “metroidvania” games.
Games played during November
Modern Warfare – PC
Think this is slowly dropping off, but I managed a couple more sessions on the multiplayer this month. I don’t really like the look of the new Call of Duty so I’ll probably sit that one out. Maybe they’ll return to Modern Warfare for the next outing.
Left 4 Dead 2 – PC
We managed some more multiplayer on this during November, the standalone campaign missions make it perfect for arranging casual gaming nights where people generally only have a couple of hours to play.
Elite Dangerous – PC
Haven’t played much of this yet, but I’ve had it for quite a while. As Epic gave it away free this month, some of my friends grabbed it and there is talk of maybe trying to play together. We’ll see if that ever happens, in the meantime it was fun to do the tutorial at least. It was also a good excuse to dust off my flight stick. It’s only basic, but I have a Thrustmaster T.Flight Stick X. It’s similar to this HOTAS model on Amazon* but without the massive throttle.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Another month with very little played, running out of time to do much about backlog again this year. Did make a start on a fairly lengthy action RPG though so maybe I’ll manage to tick that one off before we get to January. Otherwise I did get to a bit of online co-operative gaming too.
Games played during October
Madden 21 – PS4
Tailing off a bit with this, although getting some free packs with Amazon / Twitch Prime has helped boost my team along a bit. I still don’t really understand all the ultimate team jazz though.
Still having fun with occasional bursts on the Modern Warfare multiplayer. I don’t really like the look of the new Call of Duty, so will probably just stick with this one till something else comes along.
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD – PS4
One I’ve had for ages, this is the first game on the Kingdom Hearts – The Story So Far collection. I’ve never previously played any of the Kingdom Hearts games, wrongly believing they were turn based JRPGS (which I don’t often get on with). However, when Kingdom Hearts 3 came out, I saw some trailers that made me want to give it a go. This compilation seemed a good way to start from the beginning, and represents some pretty major value in terms of content. I’m probably about a third of the way through this first time, and still enjoying myself.
I grabbed this from Amazon* back in February, only just got round to playing it.
Alienation – PS4
Had a bit of a session on this with a mate, it’s still a good game but pretty tough in places. Think we’re probably missing something which would make it easier (two other people for instance) but I still enjoyed it.
Star Trek Bridge Crew – PSVR
Second of three online co-operative games played this month. Playing Bridge Crew in VR online is pretty special, and has only taken a couple of years to actually arrange. I’m hoping we can get another session together soon as it really shows off the potential for VR with friends. Even if it did take me a while to get to grips with the helm controls. Punch it.
Left 4 Dead 2 – PC
Despite being 10 years old, Left 4 Dead 2 recently received a big update adding a whole extra mission. I managed to play through the new content with some friends and very much enjoyed the return. Amusingly after we finished the new stuff I realised I’ve played less than half of the content that was already in the game.
October Pick-ups
Blair Witch – PC (Epic)
Not sure if this counts as a pick up since it was free, but it came up on the Epic Game Store as one of their weekly freebies. Grabbed it as I meant to play it when I had an active GamePass subscription but figure it may have gone from that library when I get round to resubscribing. Big fan of the films (well, the first two – the remake was dubious), but don’t like many survival horror games so not sure how much I’ll get out of this. Worth a try for free though.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Late posting this month, mostly as I managed to actually go on holiday for a week and visit my mate in Jersey. Nothing completed either, fairly poor show all round – should make for a short post.
Games played during September
Madden 21 – PS4
Still very much enjoying myself with Madden 21, just ticking along playing the single player content in the Ultimate Team. Zero chance of playing online unless one of my friends picks it up though.
Wipeout Omega Collection – PS4
The other games I did play during September were all purely online with a buddy. First up a return to the incredible Wipeout collection on PS4. We discovered the multiplayer Zone races are very addictive and a bit of a new favourite way to play this. Also prompted me to put a bit more time into the campaign again too.
Fall Guys – PS4
Largely gave into peer pressure to try this. It was free on PS Plus which I needed to re-subscribe to in order to play online anyway. It is a fun distraction to play while chatting and catching up on the weeks events, but can’t see me playing otherwise. Tetris 99* remains the only worthwhile Battle Royale game for me.
Worms W.M.D. – PS4
Still one of the finest multiplayer game series ever made, and my favourite version to play since Worms World Party. While it works best for local multiplayer games, it holds up well online. Only really loses out due to inexplicably being unable to add in an AI player or two for comedy value.
Still readily available on Amazon* and doesn’t cost much. Think it’s on pretty much every platform now too.
September Pick-ups
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1&2 – PlayStation 4
Another masterclass in polishing old games, this is fantastic. I’m still not very good at it, but have enjoyed the couple of hours I’ve spent with it so far.
Pre-orders
Much like last month, it’s just another story of not pre-ordering. In September I briefly pre-ordered the Mario 3D Allstars for Switch. I cancelled it within about 30 minutes though, as I reminded myself that I didn’t like the artificial scarcity approach to marketing that Nintendo were using. Also helped that I still really don’t like Mario 64 and wasn’t happy that I’d be buying it again.
I did pre-order the new Faithless album “All Blessed”* though, when I discovered that was a thing. As per the presence of Reverence in my Ten Perfect Albums, I’ve long been a Faithless fan, and willing to give the new album a shot. Even without Maxi Jazz on vocals.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Not a great deal of gaming this month, mostly as I was too busy moving house. Did finish a couple of games though.
Games completed this month
Tekken 7 – Xbox One
As this was on GamePass I thought I’d have a play through the single player campaign mode. Forgetting we have just been spoiled by the Injustice and recent Mortal Kombat games, this was a crash back into the world of terrible fighting game story modes. I did not have a good time.
If you fancy trying this travesty for yourself (or just want to play the admittedly much more fun multiplayer) it is available from Amazon*
A Way Out – PS4
After our session back in January, Phil and I finally got back on this. We finished the story on our second time of playing, but what a great experience it was. A real highlight was all the mini games hidden around the place. We had a great time playing a bit of connect 4, darts, and even a bit of baseball.
Games played during August
Modern Warfare – PC
Once again managed to play a bit more of this in multiplayer. It was also the first game I played once I had moved into my new place, unpacked and set up my gaming and office spaces.
I think you can only buy the PC version direct from Battle.net, but you can get the console editions here*
Beyond Blue – PC
Still haven’t spent much time with this, but did spend a bit of time swimming with Whales. Very much like the Endless Ocean games on Wii, think I’ll be coming back to this.
Madden 21 – PS4
This seems to have been pretty slaughtered by the enthusiast press, but I’m quite happy with it. The criticism mostly seems to be around there not having been much progress made since the 2020 game. Bounced off me though, I think the last version I spent any time with was 2018 so it is all pretty fresh. I’ve been having a good time with it, and it’s just nice to have some sport to enjoy!
Core Grafx Mini
Spent quite a bit of time with the games on here. Mostly the shmups and Parasol Stars, it’s a great little console.
These are still available exclusively to Amazon*, and possibly slightly less than RRP now. Easily the best of the current crop of ‘mini’ consoles for me.
August Pick-ups
Not Tonight: Take Back Control Edition – Nintendo Switch
This looked interesting along the same lines as the game “Papers Please”, and cropped up very cheaply in a sale. Grabbed it but haven’t played yet.
Retired during August
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch
It finally happened, probably partly due to the move, but I stopped playing everyday and now I haven’t been on for a few weeks. I expect I’ll at least go back for the winter events (yes I want to build a snowman…) but in the meantime I’m definitely on hiatus.
Pre-orders
This is more about not pre-ordering, but in August I did pass up on the Analogue Pocket pre-orders. I did get into the window and almost pulled the trigger on one in my basket, but talked myself out of it. I don’t really need one, and now Neo Geo Pocket Color games have started coming out on Switch I want one even less. I might revisit them down the line but I’m currently thinking about a back-lit Game Boy Colour instead.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Completions, plural! Had to happen eventually I suppose, particularly as I’ve been playing two of these games for ages.
Games completed this month
Spider-man – PS4
First of my completions this month, I finished the main story on Spider-man. I know a lot of my friends got so into this that they went for the full 100% completion. Unfortunately it suffers from far too much open-world “busy work” for my liking, and I didn’t enjoy the combat enough to persevere through repetitive ‘hideouts’ etc. I did really like the rest of the game though, and very much looking forward to playing the Miles Morales game on PlayStation 5.
This is the physical copy* of the Game of the Year edition I have, although I bought it digitally from the PlayStation Store.
Modern Warfare – PC
Also managed to finish the Modern Warfare campaign this month. Very much enjoyed it, nothing too imaginative but a good all round experience. Still dipping into the multiplayer occasionally, but I didn’t enjoy Warzone. Tetris 99 remains the only Battle Royale game I care about.
I think you can only buy the PC version direct from Battle.net, but you can get the console editions here*
FAR: Lone Sails – PC
Played the entirety of this during July, although to be fair it is about 3 hours long. Very pretty and compelling little adventure with some fairly straightforward puzzles. It’s a bit like Limbo in how it plays. Enjoyed it, but tough to recommend unless you can get it cheap, there isn’t a lot here.
Games played during July
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix – PS3
Great to dust this one off for a bit of two player battle. The PS3 version is pretty nice even if my usual default is to play the Saturn version.
Porsche Challenge – PS1 (Played on PS3)
This was being talked about again on Twitter and I had a real craving to revisit it. It holds up really well although it is taking me a bit of time to get used to the difficulty again.
51 Worldwide Classics – Switch
Enjoying this, although the online doesn’t seem quite as well put together as it could be. Hopefully they’ll continue to improve it with updates.
I think I ordered from shopto.net to get a free notebook and pen (because stationary) but is also available on Amazon*
Super Arcade Racing – PC
As mentioned last month, this is one I played at Rezzed in 2019. I’ve been playing a bit of the single player story mode. The story is a mildly amusing excuse to have a load of races. The racing itself is great fun though, would be nice to play it with some friends, but quite happy continuing with just the single player for now.
Project Highrise – PC
Don’t even remember when I picked this up, but I was just looking for something a bit laid back to play and I was taken by the idea of a Skyscraper sim. Seems pretty good, and had an enjoyable hour or so with it. Think I made some mistakes early on though, might be worth reading up a bit if you’re going to put any amount of time into the game. I think
I’m playing on PC, but it can be had cheaply via Amazon* on the consoles. Well cheap on Xbox or PS4, and twice as much on Switch…
July Pick-ups
8bitdo Wireless Core Grafx Mini Pad
Pre-ordered last month, and it turned up in July. Very pleased to report that this works perfectly with no noticeable input delay. Played around with a couple of shmups to test and I am very happy with this controller.
Okay so buying a MicroSD isn’t very interesting in itself, however, last weekend of July I finally sat down and installed Custom Firmware on both my PS Vita and PSTV. Some months ago I picked up 2 SD2Vita adaptors to get around the pricey storage issue with these devices. I have installed this 128GB card in the PSTV and installed a bunch of my favourite PlayStation 1 games on there (along with a few standout PSP games) pretty pleased with it overall. Not sure whether I’ll install any emulators or anything on either device yet, we’ll see.
