Played quite a bit on a small number of games, and managed to spend even more money than last month. Oops.
Games completed this month
Octopath Traveler – Switch
Finished this off properly in July as planned. That said I didn’t do *everything*. The last round of optional bosses for the final side quest requires an inordinate amount of grinding to achieve and I wasn’t prepared to invest that time. Very much enjoyed the game though, clocking in at around 93 hours played.
I bought the digital edition to use up some store credit, but you can get the physical one from Amazon*
Mario Golf Super Rush – Switch
I know this game was disappointing for many who were hoping for a full golf RPG like the earlier Mario Golf games. I would have preferred that too, but it is still a lot of fun and I did enjoy the short story mode. Golf Story is a much better option if you want a bit of RPG with your golf though.
This* is the physical edition if you’d rather not get it digitally
Games played during July
Hotshot Racing – Xbox Series S
A very enjoyable tribute to classic Sega racers such as Daytona and Outrun 2, Sumo Digital had a hand in making it which explains how close it feels to those games. Had a good time with this for a couple of hours, but the rubber-banding on the AI does make the harder difficulties feel unfair. It’s on GamePass though, so an easy recommend for a fun time playing through all the courses on standard mode.
Animal Crossing New Horizons – Switch
Yes I’ve returned to this, took a bit of an effort to get back into the routine, but I do want to finish collecting all the fish and insects. I stopped playing around this time last year, so by starting now I should get to play the seasons I didn’t experience last time round. It’s still as charming as ever.
What’s been on the arcade?
Pretty much abandoned the podcast games this month, I didn’t have the patience to learn the patterns for Mr. Do and decided I couldn’t be bothered with MAME on my PC. If it won’t run on my arcade machine I don’t want to play. My cabinet has been playing a lot of X-Men: Children of the Atom this month. I’m not even sure what made me load that up but I’ve been having a good time with it.
July Pick-ups
PlayStation 5 – Disc Version
After talking myself out of wanting one of these, I did crack this month. I stopped actively looking for one months ago, but during a particularly heinous work day I received the email from Currys informing me that I had ‘won’ their VIP sweepstake. (Basically back in March or something I registered on their site, and every time they are allocated stock they randomly select people from that list to be allowed to buy one). So I pretty much went to buy it to cheer myself up. Still took three weeks to arrive, but I’m glad to have it.
A big part of wanting the Disc version of the console was to replace the PS3 I was still using to play DVDs and Blurays, and the 4k upscaler built into the PS5 is great. Even breathes a bit of life into the aging DVD format. I got a second pad in the bundle (mostly because you weren’t allowed to just buy the console alone, I guess Curry’s don’t make enough money per unit…). In terms of games, thanks to PSPlus I already have Bugsnax, Astro Bot and Control Ultimate Edition, and after a bit of a faff to get the DLC to work, I also have the free upgrade to the PS5 version of Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, using my PS4 disc.
Metro Exodus – PS5
Although I tried this previously and abandoned it back in October 2019 old blog, I did intend to go back to it but the open world elements put me off. I fancied trying it again on the PS5 with all the fancy 4k Raytracing etc. that they have added so here I am. I haven’t got far yet but it does show off the machine graphically, and I have made it passed where I gave up on PC so optimistic I’ll stick with it.
I grabbed this digitally in a sale, but you can get the complete edition is available physically from Amazon*
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 – PS5 Upgrade
The only other pick-up I made for my new console was to pay the £10 to convert my physical PS4 edition to the PS5 one. Pretty happy with that, it runs super smooth, looks great and the load times are basically non-existent. I’m not any better at it though.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
I really enjoyed Hot Shot Racing. Love the style and it’s super smooth. I played it on Switch. I was tempted by Mario Golf, but I have Turf Masters that I need to play first.
Which Turf Masters did you get? The Arcade Neo Geo port for Switch or the bundle of NGPC games?
The Arcade Neo Geo one. It’s really fun.
Ah yeah I love that, play it on my cab! I didn’t get it on the Switch because I have a load of Arcade games on there now that I play on cab instead. I am going to grab that NGPC bundle though so I can play the portable version of Turf Masters.