Tag Archives: GamePass

2026 in Games

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Usual annual post. What did I play last year, were they on the list? What do I think I’ll play this year. For the top 5 I’ve just included games I completed in 2025, since otherwise I’d have to include games I had already finished but was still playing from the previous year…

Did a great job last year manifesting Silksong, so we should count that as a success too.

Top 5 played in 2025

1. Sektori – PlayStation 5 / SteamDeck

This kind of came out of nowhere to take my game of the year crown, but what a superb game it is. When Housemarque moved away from arcade games to focus on Returnal etc. I had no idea where the next great twin stick shmup would come from. Enter Sektori, and from a former Housemarque developer no less. It’s very much a Housemarque does Geometry Wars deal, with bosses and some gameplay conventions straight out of Super Stardust, an upgrade system out of Gradius, and a bit of light deckbuilding (because that’s mandatory for indie games apparently). So good I bought it twice, to play on both PS5 and my SteamDeck. Anyway, Sektori is a masterpiece and you should play it.

2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Xbox Series X

Up until November, I was certain this was going to be my GOTY. Easily one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. I expect it to feature if I get round to updating my Top 5 JRPG list again. It’s a great looking game, with some of the best combat I’ve enjoyed in this kind of RPG. Also really enjoyed the story, and looking forward to more things set in this world.

3. Dredge: The Iron Rig – Xbox Series X

Granted Dredge and it’s first DLC was in my top 5 from 2024 as well, but I loved this expansion. I’m a bit sad we don’t seem to be getting a sequel or anything, I can but hope for a Dredge 2.

4. Split Fiction – Xbox Series X

Another from the planned list, Split Fiction completely lived up to the high expectations set by their previous games, A Way Out and It Takes Two. For my money, these games keep getting better, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

5. Pinball Spire – Nintendo Switch

A bit of a surprise entry, but genuinely one of the most fun games I played last year. I want more pinball in my games dammit. I’d like another Pinball Spire or a sequel to the superb Yoku’s Island Express now.

Also mention:

Ball X Pitt – Xbox Series X

Another game that seemed to come from nowhere. Simply a “what if vampire survivors but breakout/arkanoid”. It didn’t quite break into my Top 5, because once I’d finished it, I was left wondering what I’d been doing with my time. Incredibly addictive and satisfying while progressing. Not sure if I actually want any more of it though.

Just the stats ma’am

10 games for 2026

Usual vague attempt to line up games to play this year. I managed to play and finish four titles from this list last year, of which three made it onto my Top 5 above. I started three more, I’m still playing The Devil in Me, but abandoned both Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn and The Sinking City.

I’ve rolled over The Quarry from last year, as I think it’s likely to get played during 2026. The others are fresh to the list though.

1. The Quarry – PS5

As we’re approaching the end of The Devil in Me, we’ll hopefully get to this in the first half of 2026. Looking forward to it, I didn’t look at any trailers or reviews when it came out, so we’ll be going in cold.

2. Alien vs Predator – Xbox 360

This is just one I spotted in my backlog that was installed on my Series X. I’m sure I heard good things about it, but never got round to trying. Given the couple of excellent Predator movies that we’ve had recently, I’m in the mood to give it a try.

3. Chip’s Challenge – Evercade

After my friend was kind enough to give me his spare Atari Lynx Collection 2 cart, I definitely want to play this properly. I played it quite a bit on my Lynx, but even more on Windows 95 when it was part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack. I’m certain I’ve never finished it though, so I’m going to attempt to tackle all 148 puzzles on my Super Pocket. Maybe.

4. Octopath Traveler 0 – PS5

I loved the first two games, and was excited when they announced a new one. I’ve already made a start on this in December, picking it up during some downtime between Christmas and the New Year. Feels a safe bet that I’ll get to the end.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

5. Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nintendo Switch 2

I did make a start on this last year, and it is very much what I wanted from a Hollow Knight sequel. However, I had far too much ‘life’ going on at the same time and was struggling to commit the effort to continuing to progress. Hoping to find a more suitable period this year to get into it properly.

6. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash – Nintendo Switch

Another classic that I’ve never properly played. I picked up the Neo Geo Pocket Color port for the Switch, so this might be the next RPG I play after Octopath. Unless I pick up Suikoden I & II first.

7. Static Dread: The Lighthouse – SteamDeck

This just ticked all my boxes. Well, the two boxes that like Lighthouses and Lovecraftian horror. I don’t know a lot about it, but it seems to have been well received and it’s supposed to run well on the SteamDeck. We’ll see.

8. XenoCrisis – Evercade

Probably the most ambitious game on the list. This crossover of Smash TV & Aliens has intriguied me since it first came out. Developed as a Mega Drive game and ported to pretty much everything, it is very polished. I did play it a bit during the brief period it was on Xbox GamePass, but the Evercade feels like a perfect home for it. Now I’d love to be able to complete it, but I’m also conscious of the crushing difficultly level.

9. Forza Horizon 6 – Xbox Series X (Probably)

My favourite racing game series, I’m obviously looking forward to this one, and will be playing it to death again as soon as it’s out. The only question mark on it though is whether I still get it for the Xbox. Microsoft’s recent moves have been making me fall out of love with the Xbox. Granted they’ll get my money whatever platform I end up getting it for, so we’ll see. I just remain open to maybe getting it on PS5 instead.

10. Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement – PS5

Another that’s hopefully out this year, I really liked the previous “Ritual of the Night” game, one of very few games I have played through more than once. I think I’m most likely to play it on PS5 as I don’t think it’s coming to Switch 2. However I would prefer to play it on Switch 2 so will wait and see.

October Games

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A month very much dominated by one game which kind of appeared from nowhere, completed it too, which is nice for my stats. Also I still played Animal Crossing everyday, but I refuse to include it anymore until Redd sells me the last museum statue I need for my collection.

Games completed this month

Ball X Pit – Xbox Series X

The game that took over my life this month in much the same way Vampire Survivors did when that appeared. I have managed to now roll credits. Think I’ll stick with it and see about getting 100% achievements.

Games played during October

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nintendo Switch 2

Still chipping away at this. I had a good run of making progress but I’m stuck on a boss fight that needs me to sit down with the intention of playing for more than half an hour. Picking it up for a couple of tries at a time is not doing it.

Earthion – Nintendo Switch 2

Picked this up in September but forgot to include it in the blog post, I’ve only had one proper go on it. It’s a great game, but I want to play with an arcade stick, so it’s pretty much on hold until I get my Switch stick out of storage.

Sonic Origins Plus – Nintendo Switch 2

As with Earthion this was a September pick up. Although I have all the games on other systems, including solid ports on the Xbox, I fancied this collection for my Switch library. It’s nice that it has all the game gear roms as well. I’ve played a bit of Sonic 1 this month, but also started the new ‘campaign’ mode, which claims to just be all the games played through in order. Might try to make my way through that.

Miscellaneous wipEout Games – SteamDeck

As research/refresher for the wipEout episode of the Electronic Eggs podcast, I loaded a bunch of the games on my SteamDeck. Ended up mostly playing wipEout pulse on the PSP emulator though.

Ridge Racer 64 – Nintendo Switch Online

A pleasant surprise while we were discussing wipEout, I hadn’t realised this had been released as part of the included games in the Nintendo Switch Online program. This is one of the very few games I really liked on the N64, and I have enjoyed dipping back into it.

October Pickups

Wipeout Omega Collection – PS4/5

I originally owned this physically, but think I must have traded it in when it came to PS Plus, either that or it’s in my storage unit. When I went to play it for the podcast episode above, I discovered my PS Plus had expired, and when I looked through all the games in my library that needed it, this was the only game I was really missing out on. Well unless I get a sudden urge to play Street Fighter 5 anyway. It went on sale for ยฃ12, so I just grabbed it instead of renewing PS Plus. Winner.

Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn Edition – PS5

One from the 2025 list! Had been waiting for a decent sale on this, as I sold my copy of the game after I got the platinum trophy, and had been resisting having to buy it again to play the DLC. It dropped to ยฃ16 for this complete edition, which is much less than I sold the original game for, so that will do. Hopefully I’ll get to playing this before the end of the year now.

SNK Vs Capcom: Card Fighters’ Clash – Nintendo Switch

Wanted to pick this up for ages, and it’s the only game I actually want from the Neogeo Pocket volume 2 collection. I decided to stop being cheap and gave up waiting for a sale. It was only ยฃ7 and doesn’t appear to have ever been less than that. You can all thank me when it’s inevitably 50% off next month…

Games abandoned this month

Quilts and Cats of Calico – Xbox Series X

Still really like this port, but I don’t think I’ll get round to finishing the single player story / puzzle mode.

Mario Kart World – Nintendo Switch 2

Obviously I’ll keep dipping into this, especially once I get chance to play some local multiplayer. I don’t think I can be bothered to go through all the cups etc. though. The driving between the actual courses just isn’t fun. Will wait and see if it gets any changes in updates or DLC. Otherwise I think I need to pick up the new Sonic racing game.

*Links to Amazon are affiliate links and may earn me a small commission if you buy something

September Games

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Nothing completed, and I spent too much money. I recognise this guy.

Games played during September

Animal Crossing – Nintendo Switch 2

Definitely haven’t been back to the Happy Home Paradise, but I now only need one art item, and one sea creature to finish the museum. I also finally crafted the giant robot, which I’ve wanted to do since I first got the recipe right back in the beginning.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nintendo Switch 2

I did buy this in September too, but I’ve played so much it needs to be in this section. It also led to another of the purchases below too. So far it’s everything I wanted from a Hollow Knight sequel. I need to find more regular time to put into it though. This is out on GamePass, but I knew I’d appreciate being able to play a mix of handheld and on TV, and I still don’t have many games that make use of the Switch 2 hardware.

Heretic & Hexen Remastered – Xbox Series X

I’ve only done the first level, but I did jump on and play a bit of Heretic after finishing the quake expansion last month. They are just as polished as I’d hoped.

September Pickups

Pinball VR – Quest 2

Possibly a slightly ill-informed purchase. I picked this up as I really missed playing the PSVR version. Then I realised I hadn’t got round to actually playing anything on the headset anyway and it was taking up space in the flat. It’s now moved into the storage unit for a bit, so won’t be playing anytime soon either. At least it’s easy to go and get next time the VR urge takes me.

8bitdo Ultimate 2 Controller – Switch 2

I rapidly discovered that the d-pad on my 8bitdo Pro2 controller I was using on my Switch 2 was not cutting it for Silksong. I couldn’t bring myself to pay the mighty amount for an official Nintendo Pro 2 controller so this new Ultimate 2 from 8bitdo* was the next best choice. It is superb though, and has fancy TMR sticks (which should mean no dreaded drift) and as much as I usually turn RGB stuff off, I like that the thumb sticks light up with the Switch colours.

Vaporwave Pinball – SteamDeck

Had my eye on this one for a while and it went on sale, very chilled game of pinball, and perfect on the SteamDeck.

Toaplan Arcade Collection 1 – Evercade

I knew the Evercade was going to be a rabbit hole, oh well. There aren’t loads of carts that I want, but I definitely wanted to grab some to get me started. This one has Zero Wing and Truxton on, both favourites that I can’t play while my mega drive & arcade machine are in storage.

XenoCrisis & Tanglewood – Evercade

Went for this as I remember it being a bit of an event when it first came out on Evercade, I did play a bit of XenoCrisis at the time on something, probably Steam or GamePass. They seems like perfect games to give a proper go of on this hardware.

Evercade VS-R & Tomb Raider Collection 1

Well that didn’t take long. I love my Super Pocket, but felt the need to be able to play these games on the TV too. I also really like that the VS system takes two carts at once, and it’s also a neat touch that with two carts in, the menu puts all the games from both onto one list. The Evercade is definitely scratching my retro itch. Oh and I got it with the Tomb Raider collection because it was a bargain for the VS-R bundle on funstock, and I was curious about how well they ran on Evercade. Amusingly I think I like playing these games best on the Super Pocket, and the two carts above on the TV.

Games abandoned this month

Bravely Default HD: Flying Fairy – Nintendo Switch 2

Think I need to accept that this has been retired again. I do own it physical but I don’t think I’ll trade it in yet, in case I’m inclined to pick it back up again, but for now it’s back on the shelf.

*Links to Amazon are affiliate links and may earn me a small commission if you buy something

August Games

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A couple of completions for August, including going back to a Quake expansion I started forever ago.

Games completed this month

Quake: Dissolution of Eternity – Xbox Series X

With the surprise release of new Heretic & Hexen remakes on all consoles (and GamePass) I was reminded I never finished playing through the content on the Quake 1 & 2 releases. These updates to 90s FPS games are superb. I finished off Dissolution, which is the second of 2 official expansions that were released back in the day, really enjoyed it, including the surprise dragon. Now onto the modern expansions. Unless I get distracted and decide to play Heretic’s campaign first.

Herdling – Xbox Series X

Another game that appeared on GamePass from day one, this is from the team that made FAR: Lone Sails and FAR: Changing Tides. Both games that I loved, so I was looking forward to this. It’s a similar length game, only around 3 hours long, and while it is another enjoyable journey, it isn’t as much fun in the moment as the FAR games were. Enjoyed it, but glad I played it on GamePass rather than spending money on it.

Games played during August

Animal Crossing: NH: Happy Home Paradise – Nintendo Switch 2

Not sure if I’ve done much more on the Happy Home Paradise front, but playing Animal Crossing everyday continues. At this point I just want them to announce a new game, but I am so close to completing my museum now.

The Devil in Me – PS5

We’ve still been ticking along with this, but haven’t made as much progress as I’d expect. Hopefully get back to it in September properly.

Xenotilt Hostile Pinball Action - August Games

Xenotilt – SteamDeck

I was dabbling with my SteamDeck for something unrelated, and spotted this in my library that I had forgotten buying. Very pleasant surprise, so I dabbled with it for a bit. It does run well on the SteamDeck but it mostly made me miss playing pinball on a vertical screen.

August Pickups

Castlevania Requium – PS5

While I have been trying to pick up all the Castlevania collections on the Nintendo Switch, this compilation of two of the best Castlevania games, Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood, is exclusive to PS4/5. I think this is down to them being ports of the PSP versions of the games, and Sony probably have the rights to the emulator that is running them. It popped up on sale for ยฃ3.99 and I couldn’t resist. I have started to replay Symphony, but the surprise announcement that Silksong is coming the first week of September means I’ll probably drop that.

Earth Atlantis – Nintendo Switch

I hadn’t heard of this, but watching one of the ‘games coming soon’ presentations recently I saw Earth: Atlantis 2 which looked great. Discovered the first game available for next to nothing, and jumped in. I’ve had a quick play, it’s good fun but feels a bit more of a boss rush than a traditional shmup. I love the graphics too, sort of hand drawn original game boy vibes..

META Quest 2 VR Headset

Not sure I needed this, but my friend did me a deal and I have been wanting to play a bit of VR and all my other stuff is in storage. When I get my gaming pc back out, it should be able to stream my existing VR library to this headset. In the meantime, I’ve just picked up MYST from the Quest store so I can play that for the thousandth time and I might grab some pinball.

Hyper Mega Tech Super Pocket Taito Edition

Just squeezed in at the end of the month, and with a name worthy of a 90s Capcom fighting game, is this delightful little handheld games console. I’ve had my eye on these in the past, but always resisted as I have the games on the arcade cabinet, and although these are also fully compatible with the Evercade games library, I’ve never seen the need for one of those either. All that changed though with the announcement of a Llamasoft collection for the Evercade. Suddenly I had to have a way to play that.

Haven’t done any sponsored links for a while, but I did end up buying this from Amazon – despite my better judgement. Super Pocket Taito Edition*

Preordered this month

Llamasoft Collection – Evercade

No surprises given the above, but after buying my Taito system, I did preorder the Llamasoft Collection from Funstock.

*Links to Amazon are affiliate links and may earn me a small commission if you buy something

July Games

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Recorded my first completion on the Switch 2, which was nice.

Games completed this month

Pinball Spire – Nintendo Switch 2

This is a pretty short game, but a lot of fun. I did only buy this in July, but since I already finished it I didn’t bother including it in the pickups. Reminded me a lot of Sonic Spinball and now I have the urge to play that, might fire it up on the Nintendo Switch Online Mega Drive. Very much hoping Pinball Spire gets a sequel too.

Games played during July

Animal Crossing: NH: Happy Home Paradise – Nintendo Switch 2

Realised I now have access to this DLC since I got the family Nintendo Online with Expansion Pass for me and my partner when I bought my Switch 2. We’re still playing Animal Crossing everyday, and I’m occasionally making progress with this expansion content too.

Mario Kart World – Nintendo Switch 2

Still enjoying this, but the niggles are keeping me from playing it as much as I’d expect. Once a few more of my friends get the console I imagine I’ll start playing the online modes.

Split Fiction – Xbox Series X

This continues to be great, but progress has slowed down as we’ve started the game in the pickups collection below.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD – Nintendo Switch 2

Slightly concerned I may be going to bounce off this again, I’m a couple of chapters in at a boss fight. I’m getting a little frustrated with some of the difficulty though. Taking a bit of a break now and I think when I pick it back up I’m going to do some of the side quests to build up the other ‘jobs’ and a bit of xp.

July Pickups

The Devil in Me – PS5

Despite loving the first two Dark Pictures games, we found the third one to be a slog and gave up. This one had a much more promising synopsis though so I had been keeping an eye on it. Popped up on sale recently so we jumped in. We’ve only played the first hour or two but it’s great so far.

Brotato: Abyssal Terrors DLC – Xbox Series X

Got suckered into this with it being a Lovecraftian expansion, Brotato is always fun though, if not quite as good as Vampire Survivors. I’ve had a couple of goes on it and managed one clear, so at least it counts as bought & played…

Games retired this month

Monster Train 2 – PC GamePass

As suspected, I think I’m done with this now.

June Games

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June accidently became a very spendy month, but there was lots of gaming and even a completion.

Games completed this month

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Xbox Series X

So after last month, I did manage to go on and roll credits on this. Loads of post-game I could still do, but I was ready to move on for now. I was still struggling with The Paintress and in danger of abandoning the game altogether in favour of my new toy (spoiler) so I dropped the difficulty down to story mode for the remainder of the game. It’s a fantastic game, and if I don’t come back to do the extra stuff off my own back, I almost certainly will if they drop an expansion.

Games played during June

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2

Very much back on this one now. Another year of comedy timing where I didn’t play in March / April so I still can’t catch a spider crab, the only sea creature I’m missing. Chipping away at collecting the art for the museum though. Mostly I’m waiting for Nintendo to announce a new Animal Crossing.

Mario Kart World – Nintendo Switch 2

Yes, I got on board for day one (as below) and this game is mostly as good as they say. I don’t really like the open world stuff, which is broadly invisible anyway, but the weird driving between courses counting as laps of the race is odd. It’s generally great fun to play though so hopefully we’ll get some improvement via patch as it goes on.

Split Fiction – Xbox Series X

I picked this up as now I’ve moved in with my partner and things are settling down, we were ready for something new to play together. Split Fiction is superb, a worthy follow-up to It Takes Two. I’d assume we’re about half way through but not really sure.

Monster Train 2 – PC GamePass

I have played a little bit more of this, but it’s not really sticking. I’ll be surprised if I complete a run before this gets retired.

June Pickups

Orb Tower – SteamDeck

I’ve had my eye on this for a bit, as the premise of a roguelike Puzzle Bobble game was very appealing. Thanks to a sale and steam credit from the weird gift card things, I managed to get it for 22p. I completed one run on it, and it is really good fun, but unfortunately you can only aim with the mouse, which restricts you to the track pads on the SteamDeck. This feels clunky and sadly means I’m unlikely to stick with it.

Orbital Bullet – SteamDeck

Kind of broke my commitment to only buy games I’m going to immediately play, as I’ve picked it up and not touched it yet. However it was only ยฃ1 so not going to worry about it too much.

Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World

Despite talking myself out of pre-ordering the console, and mostly being convinced I didn’t need one, I do find myself owning a Nintendo Switch 2. I had decided I’d get one later when the hype had died down and they were readily available. Then I was thinking about a future Animal Crossing game and how we’ll need two consoles once that appears, and obviously it’s more sensible to spread that purchase and buy one sooner, and the next one when Animal Crossing comes out… Next thing I know, it’s Switch 2 launch day, a friend mentions Argos have day one stock available. I had a quick look online at my local store, and had one delivered by the end of the day. Oops.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD – Nintendo Switch 2

While I did bounce off the original version of this on the 3DS (for more on why, see my JRPG post) I am interested to give it another go. Mostly because of how much I enjoyed Bravely Default 2 and the two Octopath Traveller games which use the same Brave/Default system of gameplay. After finishing Clair Obscur I’m ready for a new JRPG on my new console. I was deciding between this and the Suikoden 1 & 2 remaster, and decided on Bravely Default as it’s exclusive to the console and Suikoden is on other platforms (and could even turn up on GamePass). It also didn’t hurt that it was only ยฃ33 brand new for the physical ‘Game Keycard’ release, which I’ll be able to resell if I end up hating it.

Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition – Xbox Series X

As usual with these big fighting games, I like to wait until there is an edition that collects all the DLC characters for less than ยฃ20 total. I managed to get a key for this one for ยฃ17. I don’t think it’s as good as MK X or MK 11, but it’s fun enough. I’ll play through the story content and occasionally beat up my friends as Conan the Barbarian.

May Games

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A pretty light month while I was moving out of my flat, played a bit but didn’t finish anything sadly.

Games played during May

Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama – Xbox Series X

Played quite a bit more of this, I have finished some of the content, but still achievements and unlocks to go after. They have added a cross save function, which might see me also playing it on the SteamDeck now I can link my progress. We’ll see.

Quilts and Cats of Calico – Xbox Series X

Still haven’t played this as a local multiplayer game, but I have done a bit more of the solo content. There is a deceptively challenging puzzle game in there too.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Xbox Series X

This is pretty much where all my gaming time went this month. A phenomenal game that feels very much like Lost Odyssey (from my top 5 RPG list fame) but French. I had hoped I might even complete it in time for this post, but I am currently stuck on the boss at the end of Act 2. Really enjoying my time with it though and hopefully will go on and finish it.

Monster Train 2 – PC GamePass

Didn’t even realise this was coming, but it was a nice surprise as I’ve only recently been playing the first game. Initial impressions are that it’s more of the same – time will tell if I like the changes or not though.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch

Yeah. Sue me.

What’s been on the arcade?

As predicted, the arcade has gone to live in a new home until my fiancรฉ and I get our own house with room for it.

Games retired in May

Monster Train – PC GamePass

Only really stopped playing this because the new one came straight to GamePass. It hasn’t gripped me quite the same, but it has taken me off this one.

April Games

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Managed to tick off another completion, just as some big releases are starting to appear on GamePass.

Games completed this month

Planet of Lana – Xbox Series X

This was a fun little distraction, very similar in style and gameplay to Limbo and Inside, but with a cat like assistant. Played it at just the right time too as they then announced it was leaving GamePass.

Games played during April

Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama – Xbox Series X

Sure enough, a new free update appeared for Vampire Survivors, this time as both a content patch and a full addon DLC, which was also free. Have been playing a bit of it, apparently it’s based on some RPG I haven’t played so I don’t recognise any of the content, but it’s fun all the same.

Monster Train – PC GamePass

Still dropping in and out of this. I do find it quite satisfying to play, but I struggle with some of the factions. Getting pretty reliable with the Fishmen & Plant people combo, but not great with the others at all. Think I’ve still got one more to unlock so it will be interesting to see how I get on with that one.

Blue Prince – Xbox Series X

This seems fantastic, a ‘proper’ puzzle game in the MYST style, I just need to find time to dedicate to it with a pen & paper. Might be something I play on my laptop once I move.

What’s been on the arcade?

I played a bit of Strider as the Ten Pence Arcade game for the month, but with preparing to move home I haven’t been on it much. It’ll also be going into storage for the foreseeable future so may be without arcade updates altogether after May.

Games purchased this month

Quilts and Cats of Calico – Xbox Series X

Picked this up to play immediately as it seemed like a very solid adaptation of the board game. I’ve dabbled a bit with the solo play puzzles and had a fun go online. I’m looking forward to playing locally with my partner once I’ve moved in, since the actual boardgame will be in storage.

Games retired in April

Returnal – PS5

Made some nice progress with this, and enjoyed a few co-op sessions with a friend. He’s left me a bit behind though and I’ve kind of fallen off. It was easy to get back into last time I stopped playing though so will hopefully come back to it again.

South of Midnight – Xbox Series X

Bounced off this one on GamePass. To be fair when I first saw trailers I didn’t think the gameplay would be my kind of thing. I really like the look of it and the story appealed, but ultimately I didn’t enjoy actually playing it.

March Games

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Couple of bits of progress on the year, another round of Vampire Survivors DLC completed – potentially just in time for another update due soon.

Games completed this month

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania - March Games

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania – Xbox Series X

Think I’ve finished with this again for now, 100% of the unlocks done. There are a few more hidden characters I can unlock but I’ll probably revisit those when the next patch drops. I’ve heard we’re due another huge free update, so I’ll wait and see.

Monster Train – PC GamePass

Bit of a surprise to me as I was looking for something to dip into that would run nicely on my laptop. Enter Monster Train, a recent ‘roguelite’ addition to GamePass which I’d best describe as HearthStone meets Slay the Spire. I managed to clear a run on my first go, which was possibly more luck that judgement. As usual with these rogues I’m counting that as a completion, but will continue to play until I either hit another completion milestone, or get bored. Whichever comes first.

Games played during March

Returnal – PS5

Made some nice progress with this, and enjoyed a few co-op sessions with a friend. He’s left me a bit behind though and I’ve kind of fallen off. It was easy to get back into last time I stopped playing though so will hopefully come back to it.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 – PS5

When I heard the remake of 3 + 4 was coming day one to GamePass, I got a bit excited and went back to my copy of 1 + 2. As much as I love these games, I really suck at the 2 minute runs that the early games are built around. Hopefully I’ll get further with 3 + 4, otherwise I’ll keep waiting for the remake of Project 8…

House of the Dead 4 & Darkside Chronicles – PS3

I’ve been finding the Sinden lightgun config a bit frustrating, and as they were only temporarily in the lounge anyway, I thought I’d revisit them when I had a more permanent home. In the meantime I decided to set the PS3 back up in their place for some light gun gaming via the move controllers. Had a fun afternoon playing some House of the Dead, and doing the first couple of levels of Darkside Chronicles. Jury is still a bit out on whether or not I actually like these Resident Evil games, or if I just like that they’re not the traditional survival horror games that I know I don’t enjoy.

What’s been on the arcade?

As per the PS3 games above, I’ve put the Sinden guns and lounge pc away pending a future house move and at some point building a new arcade cab for them. In the meantime I’ve been back on the cabinet and playing a bit of Strider as the new Ten Pence Arcade game, and dipping into some random games on the cabinet that I’d forgotten about.

Games retired in March

Balatro – Xbox Series X

I recorded it on HLTB as completed in Feb, just to acknowledge that I did clear a run, but I’m done with it now. The heavy reliance on luck feels appropriate for the poker theme, but takes away from my enjoyment of the game.

*As usual, these links are affiliate ones (if I’ve actually included any), which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.

February Games

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Nothing completely new on the completed front, but I did see out the Platinum trophy I hinted at last month and brought a game out of retirement.

Games completed this month

Spider-Man: Miles Morales - PS5

Miles Morales: Spider-Man – PS5

After I finished playing the Spider-Man remaster, I went on to play one of the other games further down this list. Unfortunately for that game it wasn’t what I was in the mood for at all, and I came back to Spidey. I’ve now fully completed this one as well, and picked up the Platinum Trophy. I’m not that big on chasing trophies, and this one only brings my total platinums to 12. It is somewhat pleasing that the Spider-Man trilogy now represents 25% of my current total.

Games played during February

Returnal – PS5

I only retired this in January thinking I’d had enough, but a desire to at least try the co-op mode pulled me back in. Didn’t get a lot of time with it in February, but the gameplay has clicked again so I think I’ll stick with it a bit longer if I can start making some progress. You might say I returnaled to it. But don’t, don’t say that.

Balatro – Xbox Series X

This seemed to be all anyone was talking about for a while last year as the new breakthrough addictive indie game. It largely passed me by as the theme and what I’d heard of it didn’t sound like my kind of thing. It dropped on GamePass this month though so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve played a fair bit, it certainly has a “one more round” hook and some very satisfying gameplay. However, now I’ve cleared a run I’m not sure how much I’ll stick with it. It definitely feels like I should be playing it on a handheld device rather than my lounge TV.

Marvel Rivals – PS5

In feeling the urge for some multiplayer gaming with a couple of friends and in missing Spider-Man since wrapping up Miles Morales, we decided to give this a go. We had a fun evening playing online against bots, I can see why it’s doing so well. I discovered I really liked playing as Adam Warlock, but I’ll be surprised if we play regularly. I expect I’ll keep it installed to see what characters get added before deciding to go back to it.

What’s been on the arcade?

The cabinet itself still hasn’t had a lot of gameplay this month, my retro tinkering has been more with the Sinden lightguns and in setting up the software on the gaming PC I moved into the lounge. I think the longer term aim is for that PC to be built into a future arcade cabinet along with the guns. That’s probably a year or more away though so for now I’ve just been playing around with it.

Games retired in February

The Ascent – PC / SteamDeck

As much as I was enjoying my time with this, it wasn’t properly hooking me in. My friend who was much more engaged with it seemed to have all manner of bugs and problems with his playthrough though and that pretty much put me off. I’d already had a few hard crashes myself and couldn’t be bothered to see more.

The Sinking City – Xbox Series X

The game I tried to play after Miles Morales. I enjoyed myself for a couple of hours, I love the theme and setting. I just couldn’t see me continuing with the pace of the game when all I actually wanted to do was play more Spider-Man. Maybe it’ll also get brought out of retirement at some point.

*As usual, these links are affiliate ones (if I’ve actually included any), which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.