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 – 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.
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
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.
The year is off to a pretty strong start with multiple game completions including two from the 2025 list to play. Can’t imagine I’ll maintain this momentum.
Games completed this month
Miles Morales: Spider-Man – PS5
I almost didn’t include this, but now I have it might end up counting as three completions. I have now finished all the story and districts, so my game save thinks I’ve 100% completed it. There are still things to do for the platinum however, so it may show up again if I do that.
Spider-Man Remastered – PS5
Once I hit 100% on Miles, I got stuck into this. As I originally played Spider-Man on the PS4, I hadn’t spent any real time with the remaster since picking it up. I got as far as importing my old game save and looking at how pretty it was. Turns out aside from finishing the main story, I had done very little side content. I got properly stuck in and managed to get the platinum trophy too.
Spider-Man The City Never Sleeps – PS5
Another bonus of the remaster above, it includes the full DLC content that I didn’t have on PS4. This was a fun story diversion so I completed it too while I was at it.
A Way Out – Xbox Series S
Another co-op completion for my fiancé and I. I had played this one before, but it really held up for a second playthrough. It’s not quite as polished as It Takes Two though. Really looking forward to their next game, but in the meantime we’ll probably be playing The Quarry* next.
Dredge: The Iron Rig – Xbox Series X
One from the 2025 list, and a really solid expansion for the main game. Had a lot of fun with the new content, this expansion added a lot more than the previous one.
Dredge & The Pale Reach – Xbox Series X
Playing The Iron Rig had me finally mopping up all the side content and catching all the fish from the previous content. Have now 100% completed all three releases. Ready for a new game please.
The Darkness II – Xbox Series X (Xbox 360)
The other one I’ve ticked off this year’s “to-play” list, I finally finished this. A pretty short game, it is good fun to play but the sequel isn’t as good as the first and I think it suffers some from the change of art style to cel-shaded. Fun, but I think if it had been much more than 6 hours long I’d have given up again.
Games played during January
Sea of Survivors – SteamDeck
As an Early Access game, this has had some more content added since I last played it. I’ll probably keep dipping in and out at least until it gets a full release.
The Ascent – PC / SteamDeck
A game I purchased this month (for less than £1), but in line with my resolution for the year, it was so I could immediately play it. My friend has been raving about it for a while so I was keen to give it a proper go too. I was also convinced I’d tried it when it was on GamePass but now I’ve been playing I suspect I never got further than installing it. I’m enjoying The Ascent, but it’s very buggy and has hard crashed my PC a few times. It seems a bit more stable on the SteamDeck but doesn’t run as well. I suspect this will stop me from getting to the end, but I’m enjoying it for now.
Games retired in January
Returnal – PS5
As much as I love this, I haven’t played since I got into Spider-Man 2, which feels like too long to carry on. I might go back to it at some point, I expect it’ll feel like starting over when I do – for now it’s back on the shelf.
Full Throttle Remastered – Xbox Series X
I was playing this as my game to tick over the ‘daily achievement’ xbox reward that pays for my GamePass Ultimate subscription. They’ve changed how the system works now though, and unlike other games I’ve played for this, I wasn’t enjoying Full Throttle enough to keep it going. It’s certainly no Day of the Tentacle.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones (if I’ve actually included any), which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Usual annual post. What did I play last year, what do I think I’ll play this year. What might I play if it comes out. Also the annual attempt to manifest a Hollowknight: Silksong release.
This year we’re going to try a novel new goal, of only buying games we’re ready to play. That Silksong release looks pretty likely compared to me pulling this off. Wish me luck.
Top 5 played in 2024
1. Spider-Man 2 – PlayStation 5
This might be the best game I’ve played in years, but it’s definitely the best one I played last year. I did play both the first Spider-Man on PS4 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales on my PS5 previously, but on both of those I just completed the main story and skipped most of the side content. With Spider-Man 2 I got completely hooked until I’d done everything for the Platinum trophy. Led me to go back to Miles and finally play the PS5 remaster of the original. I expect to be updating the blog with a couple more platinums for those two this year.
It’s due out on PC this year too, the PS5 version is here – Spider-Man 2*.
2. Alan Wake II – PlayStation 5
Well when I finished this I couldn’t imagine something else taking the top spot. Alan Wake II entirely deserved all the positive press it received. The first DLC is really good too, but the second one lost me a bit. I’m excited to see what comes next from Remedy, well after their upcoming multiplayer game anyway.
3. Dredge (and A Pale Reach DLC) – Xbox Series X
Very much ticking most of my boxes, with Lovecraftian horror, fishing minigames and a lighthouse. Dredge manages to balance a ‘chill’ relaxing game, with a creeping unease and moments of dread. I love this game and hope we see more of it. I’ve already picked up the next expansion to play in 2025 when I’m done with various Spider-Man games.
4. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story – PC
Applying the polish and format of the Atari 50 Anniversary Collection, to the history and back catalogue of Jeff Minter, my favourite game developer. Like the Atari collection, this was a great videogame documentary to play through, and now a library of some of my favourite games easy to play on my SteamDeck. Superb. The new collection is Tetris, which is potentially excellent, except the finest Tetris games are excluded due to licensing. Maybe I’ll wait for a sale.
5. God of War: Ragnarok
As one of the highest rated PlayStation exclusives, I expected this to be higher. I really enjoyed myself with Ragnarok, but it didn’t really stay with me after completion. Almost forgot I played it this year. It is certainly an excellent game, and deserves a place in the top 5, but just hasn’t had the impact of the above titles.
Also mention:
Inscryption – Xbox Series X
A real surprise hit this one, and probably would have broke the top 5 if I’d enjoyed the endgame roguelike mode that unlocked after finishing the story. It didn’t really land for me though, so the game hasn’t quite made it.
Just the stats ma’am
10 games for 2025
Usual vague attempt to line up games to play this year. I managed to play and finish 4 titles from this list last year, which all made it onto my Top 5 above. I also played but ultimately abandoned Axiom Verge 2 and Sea of Stars. I did think I might go back to Axiom Verge but I’m not convinced, the moment has probably passed. I’ve scrapped the others to start fresh this year. Well slightly fresh, decided to put the remaster of the original StarCraft on my list instead of rolling over Legacy of the Void again. Mix things up a bit.
Also I’ve given up putting Silksong on here, maybe that’ll make it finally appear. I will be playing that whenever it arrives anyway.
1. StarCraft: Remastered – PC
Here we go, a change of tactic for getting to some RTS gaming this year, and should run nicely on my new laptop. Haven’t decided yet if I’m going to play it with the cartoon reskin or not. We’ll see.
2. Dredge: The Iron Rig – Xbox Series X
First of two DLC packs on this list, I’m very much looking forward to getting back to Dredge and catching some more monstrosities.
3. Lamplight City – Nintendo Switch
Added this partly because I’ve definitely been neglecting the Switch as late and I want to make some time for it. Must be able to get through one or two more games on it before the next Switch console comes out.
4. The Sinking City – Xbox Series X
Heard mixed things about this game, but ultimately curiosity won out and I picked it up last year. Now I actually have to play it.
5. Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn – PS5
The other expansion I want to play in 2025. Partly because I wanted to make sure I get to a JRPG again, but also because I loved the main game. Only reason it’s taking me so long to get to is because I traded the original game back in when I finished it, so I need to buy it again as well as the expansion. Holding out for a bargain on that count.
6. Split Fiction – Xbox Series X
First of two games on the list that aren’t out yet but should be releasing in 2025. This is the new co-operative game from the team that gave us A Way Out and It Takes Two. Played through both of those with my fiancée and we’re excited to play this too. Even the sci-fi/fantasy split suits us nicely.
7. The Quarry – PS5
More co-operative gameplay for us, I’ve had this one ready to go for a while but we were playing the Dark Pictures games first. The third one of those was a bit of a disappointment after we really enjoyed the first two though so we abandoned it. Now we decided to play this before we get to the fourth one, spoiler for next game below…
8. Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me – PS5
The conclusion of the Dark Pictures Anthology titles, hoping it’s better than the third game.
9. The Darkness II – Xbox 360
One firmly from the backlog, that I also keep forgetting about. Popping it on here to try to remind myself to give it a proper shot on the Xbox Series X.
10. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Xbox Series X
Finally something I know very little about aside from a very interesting looking trailer. It’s due out this year and hopefully I’ll get to playing it. It’s due to launch on GamePass so no excuse really.
*these are affiliate links, I’ll get a small commission if you buy something.
Closing out the year with two more games completed, and surprising me as much as anyone, a Platinum trophy on the PlayStation 5.
Games completed this month
Spider-Man 2 – PS5
Well, this took over my life until I finished it, and then went on to do all the extra stuff for the platinum trophy. I think this is my favourite of the 3 Spider-Man games, but it has also inspired me to go back to the other two.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered – Xbox Series X
Enjoyed this for Xbox rewards achievement farming, helping me tick those along. Don’t think I would have had the patience to sit and play it properly though.
Games played during December
Colin McRae 2.0 – SteamDeck (PS1)
I did play a bit more of this, but didn’t make it out of Australia and I’m probably done with it. Haven’t definitely given up yet, but we’ll see if I load it up again over the next few weeks or not.
Snowball! – SteamDeck
This is an enjoyable tiny pinball game that I bought ages ago, though for some reason didn’t get it to run properly on my computer. Given the festive season, I gave it a go on the SteamDeck and it worked perfectly. There isn’t a lot of content, but it’s good fun and worth the few pence it costs.
Spider-Man Remastered – PS5
After finishing Spider-Man 2 I loaded this up next. When I bought the remastered edition all I really did was import my save from the PS4 game and then turned it off. Turns out I didn’t do very much of the side content once I cleared the main story. So far so me to be fair. Seems like a good plan to play it now, and enjoy the fancy upgraded graphics and performance of the PS5 version. But first…
Miles Morales: Spider-Man – PS5
Next I loaded this to have a look at how much side content there was to play. Then remembered that the whole game is covered in snow and set at Christmas, so thoughts of playing the first game are on hold while I play this.
Full Throttle Remastered – Xbox Series X
With the completion of Day of the Tentacle, I needed a new achievement farming game. Seemed like a sensible next step to stick with this genre and another from Double Fine. Never played this one first time round either.
Games purchased this month
Dredge: The Iron Rig – Xbox Series X
This latest DLC for Dredge popped up in a sale so had to grab it. Not sure when I’ll get to play it yet but it’s such a great game I’m sure I will.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones (if I’ve actually included any), which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
I didn’t finish any games in November, I thought we were doing surprisingly well this year. Depending how December goes though, we might get a couple more in before the end of the year.
Games played during November
Axiom Verge 2 – PS5
I did get back to this for a bit, but then got distracted by something else. Hopefully not the end for Axiom Verge 2 because it’s definitely good. Just might be a bit before I get to it again.
Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania DLC – Xbox Series X
I have played a lot of this, but still around 30 unlocks to go. Having a great time and will definitely stick with it.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered – Xbox Series X
My current GamePass daily rewards game. Still going.
Gears 5 – Xbox Series X
Went back to this in co-op, but mixed up which Gears game I was playing with which friend. Had an entertaining moment of resuming in the middle of Act 3 with someone who had clearly never played the Gears 5 campaign at all before.
Colin McRae 2.0 – SteamDeck (PS1)
Following my move to BlueSky and discovering a lot of friends I used to talk to on the platform previously known as Twitter, I got into a bit of chat with a mate about how we’d never really played this game properly. So now we are. It’s very nice to play on the SteamDeck, and I’ve been really enjoying it. Not sure if I’ll manage to finish the world rally though, I’m struggling in Australia.
What’s been on the arcade?
Just Ten Pence Arcade to thank for the games I’ve been on again, more Demon Front and the new choice, Spelunker. Not sure this ones for me to be honest.
Games purchased this month
Spider-Man 2 – PS5
Finally got round to grabbing this, picked up a physical copy from CeX with a bunch of store credit I’ve had for a while. Only played the first hour but this is what’s derailed Axiom Verge 2 again.
UFO 50 – PC
Had my eye on this when it came out, but missed the initial discount. It was in the Steam Sale though so I’ve got it now. Yet to load it up, but I’ve installed it on the deck where it seems like a perfect fit.
Games retired during November
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House – PS5
I played a bit more of this but still wasn’t really enjoying it. Then my friend whose game library I share bought herself a PS5 Pro and now owns two consoles, so we had to stop sharing, and it was her copy of Alan Wake 2 I played. Definitely don’t care enough about this DLC to buy the whole thing myself.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones (if I’ve actually included any), which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
A few completions again this month, including one that wasn’t at all on my radar but got its hooks in me when it arrived on GamePass. Also just realised I’m not about much this week, so if I didn’t get this out today it’ll be heading into the middle of the month before I publish.
Games completed this month
Cocoon – Xbox Series X
Yes after completion my sentiments remain the same, it was good, and some of the puzzling was really fun. However, it doesn’t come close to Limbo or Inside for me.
Vampire Survivors – Xbox Series X
You know the drill, a big content patch arrives with loads of new unlocks – including achievements for playing through the main Adventures. I complete them all, and count it as completing the game again. Excellent.
Inscryption – Xbox Series X
This was the surprise drop on GamePass that I got into. Wasn’t planning on playing Inscryption, but when I saw it pop up in the newly added list I remembered hearing about it on the DLC podcast and they had been very positive. Thought it was worth a look. Proceeded to do not much else until I rolled credits. Great fun as a roguelite deck-building game, with some very cool meta things going on too. Creepy and well worth playing.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – Xbox Series X
I did try this a while back when it was free on PS+ for the PlayStation 3. Didn’t really grab me then, but I thought I’d give it another shot as my next daily achievement gameplay for the Xbox Rewards. I did get to the end, but definitely don’t hold it in as high regard as others seem to.
Games played during October
Axiom Verge 2 – PS5
Well, I just about started this, and then the game below appeared and I immediately dropped it for that. Hoping to come back to it though, I liked the hour I played.
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House – PS5
Alan Lake. Well as above, new Alan Wake DLC appeared so I dropped Axiom Verge and then started this instead. However, once the Vampire Survivors DLC turned up in the purchases below, I realised I’ll probably not play much of anything else till that’s done. This DLC seems good but hasn’t got it’s hooks in as quickly as the last one did. Feels a bit like Control so far, I need to push on I think.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered – Xbox Series X
Next up for the daily achievement hunt on Xbox, this classic point and click. I never properly played it first time round so should be fun. It does do the cool “switch between old and new graphics with one button” thing which is always satisfying.
What’s been on the arcade?
Another month not playing a great deal on the arcade cab, but I have spent a little time with the latest Ten Pence Arcade game, Demon Front.
Games purchased this month
PRIM – PC
Well I didn’t really purchase it as the publisher sent me a steam key. Looks interesting though so hopefully be one I get round to playing and talking about.
Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania DLC – Xbox Series X
The most obvious DLC, but also what I would have considered the least likely when the game first came out. Vampire Survivors used a whole bunch of Castlevania assets to create the original game, but now we’ve come full circle with the biggest DLC pack yet, adding mountains of licenced Castlevania content. I’ve had a very quick go, but it only came out on Halloween so I’m yet to get properly stuck in.
Games retired during October
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – Xbox Series X
Well I gave it a good crack, but I did not enjoy the weird skirmishes and they put me right off. Found I didn’t feel like loading the game back up after they appeared. A shame because I loved the first game, and was enjoying this up to that 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.
A bit late with the round up I think, but here we are.
Top 5 played in 2023
1. Octopath Traveler 2 – PlayStation 5
Didn’t quite finish Octopath Traveler 2 in 2023 but almost, and I was playing it for most of the year. It improves on the first, already great, game in every way, but without changing anything too dramatic. At some point I’ll be revisiting that All Time Top JRPG post again…
Also available on PC and Switch, but I played this PS5 version*.
2. Dead Cells & DLC – Xbox Series X
I didn’t see this coming at all. When I first tried Dead Cells I bounced off pretty hard. I don’t have a great track record with roguelike/lites (or at least I didn’t until the Vampire Survivors model appeared). However, when the Castlevania DLC got announced I knew I’d want to play that so I tried again. It really hooked me, and I ended up playing over 80 hours and all 4 DLC packs.
I played on Xbox, where the base game was on GamePass and I just purchased the DLC. These multiple platform versions here* on Amazon contain the base game and all 4 DLC packs up to and including the Castlevania one.
3. Forza Horizon 5 – Rally Adventure
Once again Forza Horizon puts in an appearance. This didn’t have as long a tail as previous versions though. The janky multiplayer is a continuing disappointment, don’t really understand what the problem is there. Anyway I really enjoyed the new content, and played until I’d done 100% of the additional stuff.
Best way to get Forza Horizon is still to buy GamePass* then the premium DLC bundle. It might be cheaper to buy from the Xbox Store direct, but you can get it from Amazon*.
4. Street Fighter 6 – Xbox Series X
This might be my favourite Street Fighter, I’m just not sure if it’s surpassed Street Fighter IV though. I haven’t played as much as I’d expected to, but Octopath is to blame for that as much as it is for everything else I didn’t play. I am very happy with the new arcade stick* I bought to play it with though, so all good.
5. Humanity – PlayStation 5
I almost didn’t pick this up, as so much fuss was made about it as a VR title (exclusive to PSVR2) that I thought it would be a waste trying to play before I had that. Fortunately I was able to try it at someone else’s house, and discovered that it’s a great game even playing on a television. I’ve since tried it in VR, and to be honest, I think I prefer it flat.
Also mention:
Vampire Survivors – Xbox Series X
My favourite game in 2022, almost appeared in the top 5 again for 2023. There were two more DLC packs for it, as well as a bunch more free content, and I played it all. There are quite a few good clones of the game appearing now and I expect to be playing more of those as well as anything else that gets added to Vampire Survivors during 2024.
10 games for 2024
As usual I like to set out a few games I intend to play over the coming year, so that I can mostly ignore the list and fail entirely. From last years list, I did play (and still expect to complete) Octopath Traveler 2. I also played Harvestella and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, but ended up abandoning them. I’ve kept 3 others on the list below, and scrapped the rest for now.
1. God of War: Ragnarok – PS5
I did buy this last year as planned, but I ended up spending most of the year playing Octopath Traveller 2 and never getting round to starting it. It’s definitely up soon though, not starting another 40+ hour game until after I’ve played this!
It’s come down a bit since launch, Amazon* does have a few quid off RRP atm.
2. Alan Wake 2 – PS5
At time of writing I’ve actually made a start with this one, but only started in January so I’m counting it. I adored the first game, and most of what I have heard of this sequel has been positive so I’m on board.
3. Spider-Man 2 – PS5
I didn’t get round to picking this up last year, I was still playing Octopath when it came out. It’s firmly on the list for 2024 though. I’m pretty certain I’ll manage these first 3 games, regardless of what happens to the rest of the list…
4. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void – PC
Thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and the subsequent exiting of Bobby Kotick I feel a little bit better about reinstalling Battle.net, and playing their games again. As such, it’s time to dust off the final part of this campaign trilogy, and actually play it this year.
5. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story – PC or PS5
Only just found out this was a thing due out in 2024, but as a collection / tribute to my favourite games developer I am definitely in. This is coming from Digital Eclipse, who put together the excellent Atari 50 compilation. I’m currently leaning towards getting it on PC, but it may be another PS5 titles. We’ll see.
6. Half-life – PC
After all the years I’ve played this, I don’t think I’ve ever actually completed the campaign. Last year Valve released a free update for the game, adding support for modern hardware and higher resolutions. Last year I finally completed Quake 2, so I think it’s time to finally see the end of Half-life and tick off another classic.
7. Sea of Stars – Xbox Series X
In my JRPG era, it seems I should definitely have one on the list. Considering Octopath Traveler 2 was over 100 hours long and derailed last years plans, I’ve gone for something that should be a bit shorter. At least until my little gaming group settles on a new communal JRPG to play anyway.
8. Axiom Verge 2 – PC or PS5
Considering how much I enjoyed the first one it’s amazing I never got round to trying this. I’ll almost certainly pass over it for Silksong if that comes out. That’s highly unlikely though so let’s go for it.
9. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream – PC
Another from the back catalogue that has been kicking around forever. Obligatory that I put a point and click game on the list, and thought I’d change it up since I didn’t play the last ones I chose.
10. Hollow Knight: Silksong – Xbox Series X
Popping this on the end of the list, it’s become a bit of a joke as to whether it’ll ever get released. Going to play it when it does come out though, so we’ll leave it here and hope for the best!
Other 2024 releases I’m looking forward too
Simon the Sorcerer Origins – PC
Something else I only just spotted as due this year (the release calendar for 2024 so far looks a bit sparse for things I’m actually interested in) but I am up for a new Simon the Sorcerer. Apparently due to be a prequel, I’ll take a look!
*these are affiliate links, I’ll get a small commission if you buy something.
Feels like a good month for gaming, and a good or bad month for buying, depending how you look at it.
Games completed this month
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Xbox 360
Could have included this in this month’s pick-ups, but since I did a 1 credit completion I decided to count it here instead. I loved the first Tekken Tag Tournament and always meant to spend more time with the sequel. I previously bought it for the PS3, but having it backwards compatible on the Series X is much more useful.
Games played during June
Dragon Ball FighterZ – Xbox Series X
Finally got to play a bit of this with my mate, in a break between Street Fighter 6 rounds. It’s absolute chaos. I think I was enjoying it, but even less of an idea what is going on than at the height of the Marvel vs Capcom games. Can’t see me playing it more on my own, but think it will continue to be interesting for occasional local multiplayer matches.
Octopath Traveller 2 – PlayStation 5
Progress continues to be slow, but I’m still enjoying it. A couple of other entries this month have been sapping my time, at the moment I have been managing an hour or two a week on this though.
It’s on Switch and PS4 as well, which may suit. I was glad to get another reason to play some PS5 though, and picked up this physical edition*.
Street Fighter 6 – Xbox Series X
Yes this is everything I hoped for. Having a blast, I still kinda suck at ranked online, but hoping to at least get back to Silver like I was on SFV, if not pushing for Gold. Most of my time will hopefully just be spent playing against my mate though, once he gets used to using his new arcade stick*.
I also spent £3 on in-game currency so I could buy the classic costume for Ken so I don’t have to pay the dire World Tour mode. A bargain.
Had a couple of goes of this now in the three player modes, with my Nephew and my usual Street Fighter buddy. It is entertaining, but largely just my Nephew killing everyone while attempting to keep us alive, or at least able to respawn. We’re getting old.
Animal Crossing New Horizons – Nintendo Switch
I didn’t expect to be getting heavily back into this, but here we are. My girlfriend is playing as well so it’s great to be able to make use of the co-operative elements. Animal Crossing is still very much a great place to spend time, although I find myself wishing for a new game and wondering how many years Nintendo are away from doing that. Suspect it’ll need a new console release from them before it’s even thought about.
Surely you’ve got this already, but it’s here if not*. (And yes I will call you Shirley.)
Railway Empire 2 – PC
I think the only game I’ve really played on GamePass this month, but it is great. Also nice to be playing something on PC. I’ve pretty much just done the tutorial so far. I love the idea of train games, but they can quickly get overly complex. This feels quite accessible though, so looking forward to playing some more. Did I mention I was getting old?
What’s been on the arcade?
I’ve kind of neglected the cabinet for gaming this month, I had a couple of goes on Dr Toppel’s Adventure, the Ten Pence Arcade choice for June, but it didn’t really take. I’ve been tinkering a bit with the software on it, and thinking about other improvements I could do…
Pick ups during June
The Quarry – PS5
This was very cheap in CEX, so I’ve bought it just to pop on the shelf for when my girlfriend and I have finished with the Dark Pictures Anthology.
Seems out of stock on PS5, but the various editions here on Amazon* are also on offer at time of writing.
Streets of Rage 4 and DLC – Xbox Series X
After having a lot of fun playing 3 player Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge in the previous month, I wanted to get back to this the next time there were 3 of us. I originally played SOR4 on GamePass, and although it was no longer on that service, it popped up for half price. I’ll have that thank you very much!
I do generally prefer to get things digitally these days, but if physical is your bag, Amazon have it* for the main systems.
Akka Arrh – PlayStation 5
Had been meaning to pick this up for a while, but wasn’t sure which system to get it on. I noticed it was on sale on the PS5 though, so I grabbed it there. Haven’t played the game much but it’s from Jeff Minter’s Llamasoft, so a must buy.
Games retired this month
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon – Nintendo Switch
As predicted, I didn’t play this again once I got back from holiday. Oh well I had fun with it for a bit.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Xbox 360
And similarly I gave up on this again too. I was enjoying it when I played it, just never felt myself drawn to play when sitting down at the consoles. A pity, but we move on.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Time for the annual round up of the previous year’s games, and a plan for which games I think I’ll play this one (but probably wont).
Top 5 played in 2022
1. Vampire Survivors – Xbox Series X
No prizes for this appearing at the top of my list, it took over my life in a big way at the end of 2022 and I’m already wondering if we’ll see more content. The couple of clones I’ve picked up since haven’t really captured me in the same way, but I am also open to something new scratching the same itch. Vampire Survivors is a masterpiece of pure gameplay demonstrating that you don’t need fancy graphics to create a great game.
This is only £3.99 on Steam or Xbox, but also included on GamePass*
2. Tales of Arise – PS5
As I rattle through JRPGs these days, it seems likely that another refresh of the All-time JRPG list could be in order. As it stands I don’t think Tales of Arise breaks into the top 5 but I did really enjoy it, and until Vampire Survivors late appearance in the year, I expected this to be my favourite game of 2022. Tales of Arise was also the only major PlayStation 5 game I played this year. Hopefully the PS5 will see more use in 2023. It was off the back of this game that we also played the definitive edition of Tales of Vesperia, but I think some of the older trappings of RPGs held that one back. I may try some others in the series, but not for a while.
At time of writing the PS5 version isn’t in stock, but multiple platform versions are here* on Amazon.
3. Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels DLC – Xbox Series X
Always interesting putting a DLC on the list, but it feels fair with these as I did 100% complete all the new content. I think I prefer these Hot Wheels expansions to the LEGO one that was in Horizon 4, but it’s close. I’m excited to see what they have in mind for the other planned expansion for Horizon 5. On previous form we’d expect this to be more ‘traditional’ content.
Best way to get Forza Horizon is still to buy GamePass* then the premium DLC bundle. It might be cheaper to buy from the Xbox Store direct, but you can get it from Amazon*.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy – Xbox Series X
I wasn’t expecting too much from this after the travesty that was the Marvel Avengers game, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear it review positively. Even better it came to GamePass so I was able to play it “for free”. It is a great game, nicely captures the characters and manages to deliver them well despite not being the MCU versions that people may be more familiar with. It is it’s own thing, but as a single player, squad based action game, it is very well done and the writing manages to capture the humour of the comics.
I don’t think it’s on GamePass any more, but the Xbox version seems to be much cheaper* than on PlayStation currently.
5. Life is Strange: True Colours – Xbox Series X
I wasn’t sure about this after not really enjoying Life is Strange 2. Pleased to report that this is much closer in tone to the first two games, and I had a great time with it. Think it’s still on GamePass too.
Also mention:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Xbox Series X
This was almost my number 5, but as I only really find these games fun in co-op, Life is Strange edged it out. Shredder’s Revenge is a fantastic brawler though, up there with Streets of Rage 4 showing there is still life in the genre. Was something else I played on GamePass too.
GamePass in general
As well as 4 of the 6 games mentioned above, this year I also played and enjoyed enough to complete all of the following on GamePass. I don’t think I would have played any of them otherwise. Very pleased with the value I’ve had out of my subscription this year and it continues to feel pretty essential.
Boyfriend Dungeon
Soccer Story
Escape Academy
Coffee Talk
Gorogoa
HUE (technically part of Games with Gold, but that’s included in GamePass now)
10 games for 2023
As usual I like to set out a few games I intend to play over the coming year. A few of these aren’t out yet but I’m optimistic will turn up. I’ve added on the end a couple of others that are due out in 2023 that I’m potentially interested in playing too.
1. God of War: Ragnarok – PS5
It did come out in time that I could have played it in 2022, but it was towards the end of the year so I decided to hold it over. It was originally my plan for my January game, but I think number 3 on this list may get in first.
Firmly in the premium pricings of PS5 games, but Amazon* does have a few quid off RRP atm.
2. Myst III: Exile – PC
One of the games I’m bringing forward from last year’s list, it was on there the year before too. I am still intending to play through all the MYST games. Though they have also announced a fancy new remake of Riven: The Sequel to MYST, so I may end up playing that before I get to Exile.
3. Harvestella – Switch
Possibly the next game my JRPG group is playing. Well one of them at least. I played the demo and am suitably intrigued so I think this will be my next game. (I have now bought it, but yet to make a start)
I picked my copy up in the closing down sale of my local GAME, the price isn’t bad on Amazon* though.
4. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon – Switch
Another one from the list last year. I still really want to make the most of this collection so hopefully I’ll get on it, may depend on when the next game in this list comes out.
5. Hollow Knight: Silksong – Xbox Series X
Optimistic that 2023 is the year this finally comes out. It feels like forever since it was first previewed. I think it was on my list for 2020. They did announce in 2022 that it was going to be day one on GamePass so I’ll definitely be on it as soon as it does appear.
6. Octopath Traveller 2 – Switch (or Xbox)
Very much enjoyed the first game, it did make number 5 on my list when I updated the All-Time Top 5 JRPGs post. Interested to play the next one. I’ll probably play on Switch again, unless it turns up on GamePass or something dramatic.
7. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals – Switch or PS5
This was supposed to come out in 2022 but the release date got pushed back to 2023. The first game was great though so looking forward to this sequel. Although I played the first one on Xbox and this appears to only be coming to PC, Switch & PlayStation. Not sure which I’ll go for, probably decide based on price.
8. Command & Conquer Remastered – PC
Again, I’ve kept this from last year as I do still want to go back to it. I don’t think I’ve played any RTS games since so at least I haven’t replaced it with something else. Half the problem here is getting round to gaming on the PC.
9. Spider-Man 2 – PS5
Assuming this comes out towards the end of the year as planned, I’ll definitely be playing this. The first game was great, although I preferred the Miles Morales spin-off, I’m very much ready for a new one, and it wouldn’t hurt to have another PS5 exclusive that I actually want to play.
10. Return to Monkey Island – Xbox Series X
I do enjoy a good point & click game, and I think I missed that this was on GamePass. Providing it doesn’t disappear from there too soon, I think I’ll play this during 2023.
Other 2023 releases I’m looking forward too
Street Fighter 6 – PS5 or Xbox Series X
Never any doubt that I’d be playing this, especially after getting to preview it at EGX and loving the demo. Only question is which platform. If the crossplay is good enough that I can play on PS5 and play properly with a friend on Xbox then that’s the way I’ll go. Otherwise it’ll be an Xbox purchase. My good fightstick is on the PlayStation though, and I’d rather not need to buy another. Ouch.
Forza Motorsport – Xbox Series X
It’s been a while since Forza Motorsport 7, and although they’ve got increasingly ‘stale’ since FM3, I have still found enjoyment in most of these. What they’ve shown so far of this new version looks incredible though, and I am keen to get back to it.
*these are affiliate links, I’ll get a small commission if you buy something.
