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.
Only the one completion this month, but it’s been a busy one for everything else. I managed to get away to various locations along the coast for three separate breaks. Well two breaks and a mini-triathlon anyway.
Games completed this month
Botany Manor – Xbox Series X
This month’s game played to complete Xbox Reward quests. I quite like having something chilled to progress a bit at a time, and this was very mellow. Not particularly challenging but a few interesting puzzles along the way and these plants lived a lot longer than any I’ve attempted to keep alive in the real world.
Games played during September
Returnal – PS5
Dabbled a bit more with this but haven’t made any real progress. Got a bit distracted playing shmups and now I fancy a change of pace for a bit.
Caladrius Blaze – PS4/5
Played while revisiting some of my old shmups, creepy artwork aside (that you can thankfully disable), this is a pretty entertaining time. Gradually chipping away at completions with the different characters though I’m unlikely to be getting any single credit completions any time soon.
Castlevania Advance Collection – Nintendo Switch
With the recent release of the Castlevania Domunius collection, which collates the previously Nintendo Switch exclusive Castlevania games, I managed to stop myself from buying it immediately by going back and playing this one. I made a start on Castlevania Aria of Sorrow which I should really try and finish before I get the new collection.
Cocoon – Xbox Series X
After finishing Botany Manor, this was the next GamePass game up for daily progress. I’m enjoying it, but not as much as their previous games, Limbo and Inside.
Assault Android Cactus – Xbox Series X
More shmup good times, this time one I originally played on Steam. I picked up the Xbox version some time ago and in my head I was sure I’d finished it. Discovered recently that I was barely half way though, so have been dropping back in.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – Xbox Series X
Which brings us to the change of pace. It’s been a while since I played an RPG, and I really enjoyed the first game so I figured I’d check out the sequel while it’s on GamePass. Enjoying it so far, but I’ve only just got to the Strategy elements so we’ll see how well I stick with it now.
What’s been on the arcade?
I have mostly just played a bit of Yie Ar Kung Fu. The cab hasn’t been on a great deal, mostly because I’ve been away so much.
Games purchased this month
Laptop (not really a game, but still)
In the ongoing saga of me trying to establish a system to use my Sinden light guns that could perhaps be built into my next arcade cabinet, I figured out it would be cheaper to use my existing gaming PC to power this, and just replace it with a cheap system that I could use as a desktop PC for the bits of browsing and any creativity etc. I might do. I was originally looking at mini pcs, but realised a laptop hooked up to the docking station I use with my work laptop would give me much more flexibility. After a bit of research I found a good deal on a Lenovo IdeaPad, it’s a 16″ Laptop with AMD Ryzen 5 cpu, RTX 3050 gpu and, 512 GB ssd. It’s just enough of a gaming machine if I do want to play some strategy games at my desk, but now my main PC is in the lounge thinking it’s a console. At some point I need to start configuring it for the guns.
*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.
Finished another game, played a few others, and spent too much money on new hardware. Later than ever with my blog. Solid all round.
Games completed this month
Quake – Xbox Series X
As intended last month, I did go back and finish the original quake. I have completed it before but not for a long time, so it was good to revisit. I’m definitely going to play some of the included expansion packs, for this and Quake II.
Games played during October
Tempest 4000 – Xbox Series X
Played more Tempest 4000 in October too, haven’t quite got my old TxK skills back, but I’m enjoying myself at least.
The Xbox version is generally much cheaper digitally, but this physical copy* is regularly cheap for PS4 and plays perfectly on PS5 too.
Akka Arrh – PS5
Finding myself going between this and Tempest and enjoying peak Jeff Minter. I’m not really getting better at Akka Arrh but I do know what I’m doing now.
Humanity – PlayStation 5
Made more progress with this, ended up playing it instead of Octopath Traveler 2 in October, which halted my progress on that some. I need to get back to Octopath so Humanity progress will likely drop off, but we’ll see.
Forza Motorsport – Xbox Series X
Very glad this is a GamePass game. While the racing is still great fun, the game itself is dull. I can see myself still dropping in to do some races but have no desire to play through the career / campaign mode that I would usually do. I probably just need to accept that I don’t care about motorsports, and stick to the Forza Horizon games.
Gotham Knights – Xbox Series X
Another one I was glad was on GamePass, but this is just bad. I played for a couple of hours, and the general critical consensus seemed accurate. Bring on Spider-Man 2.
Everybody’s Golf – PS5
Had a mate over for a few days in October while we were attending the NFL games in London. Naturally Everybody’s Golf had to go on and was as much fun as ever. I think I’m ready for a new one though Sony if you could get on with that.
Vampire Survivors
Once again another content patch appeared for Vampire Survivors, and I had to go back and collect the new achievements. The upcoming Adventures content means I’ll be likely back again soon too.
What’s been on the arcade?
The arcade machine has been on a bit of a Neo Geo kick lately, I’ve been playing Neo Turf Masters, Soccer Brawl and Last Resort. Admittedly Soccer Brawl is mostly a nostalgia game for me, as it was a favourite in the arcades when I was little. The others are classics though.
October pick ups
Ryzen 7 5700X CPU
This was a compromise when I started to get the itch to do a full upgrade of my PC. After spending a couple of days looking at options and pricing up various builds, I realised there wasn’t a decent reason to spend the money it required, since I barely play games on my current PC anyway. After a bit of research I discovered that a simple BIOS update on my existing machine would add support for newer AMD processors. This became a straight forward swap from my old Ryzen 5 2600, and has given my machine a nice boost. Also it’s not at all confusing that my graphics card as an AMD RX 5700 XT too.
This is the processor* I bought from Amazon, I realised they no longer come with coolers as standard, so I also bought this ARCTIC Freezer* while I was at it.
Pinball FX Addams Family Pinball Table – PC
I’m still a bit disappointed by the new Pinball FX platform managing to be worse than Pinball FX3. However I will still be picking up the exclusive tables I want when they’re on sale.
Games retired in October
Two Point Hospital
Had a lot of fun with this, but getting towards the end and it had become very much a grind that I wasn’t enjoying, so that’s enough.
Pre-orders this month
Raspberry Pi5
I cracked when these went up for pre-order, but unfortunately wasn’t quick enough to get in the first wave of shipments. Mine should arrive by December at least. I’m not in too much of a hurry as I expect it’ll take a while for the full RetroPie build to turn up for it, and the plan is to just swap it into my MAME cabinet to increase the games I can play on there anyway. I still need to also order a power supply and cooler too.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Managed to finish something. Hurrah. Relatively light month for games otherwise though – been busy!
Games completed this month
Quake II – Xbox Series X
As I’d hoped for last month, I did manage to go on and clear the campaign for Quake 2. Decided it would be fun to clear the campaigns and all expansions included in the Quake 1 & 2 remasters next, so we’ll see how I get on with that. Back to Quake!
Games played during September
Octopath Traveler 2 – PlayStation 5
Don’t think it quite qualifies as a completion, but I did finish the story of my main character this month. Only seven to go, plus the post-game (So probably another 70 hours…)
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*.
Humanity – PlayStation 5
As mentioned last month, I did pick this up at the start of September, and have put a bit of time into it so I think it qualifies as a game played rather than going into “pickups”. I’m on the third set of levels, took me a little time to get back to the point I’d reached playing with my friend previously. Still very much enjoying it.
Quake – Xbox Series X
As mentioned above, once I finished Quake 2 I decided to go back to this, the main campaign is like an old friend. Not sure how much of the mission packs I’ve seen before though so that’ll be fun when I get to them.
Tempest 4000 – Xbox Series X
Speaking of old friends, I spent a few hours with Tempest 4000. I think I own it on Xbox, PS4/5 and PC now and haven’t really spent much time with it compared to the many hours I spent with TxK on the Vita. It’s still a joy to play although something doesn’t feel quite as nice as the original TxK, I’m happy that I can play this version of my favourite game on multiple devices.
The Xbox version is generally much cheaper digitally, but this physical copy* is regular cheap for PS4 and plays perfectly on PS5 too.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Still no completions, although hopefully closing in on a couple. I was away in Scotland for a week though so I can blame that for the lack of progress.
Games played during August
Octopath Traveler 2 – PlayStation 5
Now in that sweet spot where my characters have got the majority of their skills and starting to specialise. Coming up to the “endgame” by which I mean I’ll hopefully roll credits in about 10 hours or so more gameplay, and I’m about 50 hours away from actually finishing it. So far, so JRPG. I have gone off on a bit of a side quest tangent though, so we’ll see.
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*.
Animal Crossing New Horizons – Nintendo Switch
Dropping into my island regularly, feel a bit like I’ll be trying not to buy fake art for the next 10 years though…
Surely you’ve got this already, but it’s here if not*. (And yes I will call you Shirley.)
Humanity – PlayStation 5
The first of two games I played while visiting a friend in Scotland, that I want to play more and have added to my wishlist. This is an absolute gem of a puzzle game, a bit like the old Lemmings games, but done well in 3D. I haven’t bought it yet though so it may be a while before I get to play it again. I almost grabbed the PC version as it felt like it might be good with a mouse, but then I read it makes great use of the fancy PS5 controller, so I’ll try to stick to that I think.
The Eternal Castle – PlayStation 5
This is very odd, but surprisingly engaging. We spent a couple of hours clearing levels. It’s graphics are entirely in the style of early 80s CGA. As such it looks very dated, but still atmospheric and remains playable. Gameplay is comparable to the classic Prince of Persia and Another World/Flashback games or the more recent Limbo and Inside. I fancy picking up the Switch version of it though, as it’ll definitely be a nice fit for that.
Quake II
Much like when the original Quake got rereleased in 2021 they’ve repeated the process with Quake II. Again it’s come straight to GamePass which is a nice touch, and as well as giving it an overall polish and running it at 4k, they’ve included the expansion packs Ground Zero and The Reckoning, the Nintendo 64 game and another new campaign from Machine Games, Call of the Machine. Unlike the original Quake, I don’t think I ever finished the main campaign for Quake II, so I’m enjoying plugging away at it.
Akka Arrh – PlayStation 5
My first couple of goes I kind of bounced off this, not really ‘getting’ what I was supposed to be doing. However when a friend was round and we were flicking through some games I loaded it up to at least show off the graphics and for some reason it finally clicked. In Jeff Minter we (still) trust.
Airborne Kingdom – PC GamePass
I originally played this back in February 2021, while recovering from vertigo. At the time I had bought it on the Epic Game Store, and very much enjoyed it. The game has just been released on GamePass though, so I thought I’d have a look and see if it had new content. It does look like there is some extra stuff I could do, but a really nice touch was it loading my existing save game, and giving me all the achievements I would have acquired.
Two Point Hospital – Steam PC
I only vaguely recall buying this at some point over the past few years, but never got round to trying it until now. I don’t know if I’ll finish the game, as although I’ve really enjoyed 20 hours or so with it, it is now feeling very repetitive. I’ve had a good time with it anyway and it very much scratched the Theme Hospital itch.
What’s been on the arcade?
The ten pence arcade game for the month was Thunder Hoop. I didn’t really take to it, and have instead been playing some Mega Drive games on it. Namely Mega SWIV, Elemental Master and Super Fantasy Zone.
Pick ups during August
Call of the Sea – Xbox Series X
A friend recommended this to me as a fun Lovecraftian adventure, grabbed it on sale with the end of some xbox credit I had on my account.
Xenotilt: Hostile Pinball Action – PC (Steam Early Access)
A new pinball game from the guys behind Demon’s Tilt. In much the same way that the Crush Pinball series had Alien Crush and Devil’s Crush doing the sci-fi and occult themes respectively, Xenotilt is the sci-fi to Demon’s Tilt’s occult here. I’ve only had a couple of goes but I already love it.
Games retired this month
Tell Me Why – Xbox Series X
Pretty much forgot I was playing this, and haven’t felt the urge to go back so I’ll call it retired to get it off my list. Maybe that’ll make room for another story adventure game soon.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
Well I didn’t finish any games this month, but managed plenty of gaming. Also made it up to Newcastle for one of my favourite gaming events, and attended NERG 2023. Lots of arcade games and pinball were played there.
Games played during July
Octopath Traveller 2 – PlayStation 5
Properly into this now and progressing nicely. Was a bit worried for a while that I was going to struggle getting back into it but all is well.
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*.
Hollow Knight – PlayStation 5
I was helping my mate with the hornet boss fight, and started a new playthrough to get back into the controls. Ended up playing quite a bit, don’t think I’ll finish it again but it was a lot of fun. I do wish they’d crack on and release the new game, Hollow Knight: Silksong.
A Variety of Tekken
My Newcastle trip involved a lot of Tekken, various editions of the game on multiple platforms. All of them involving my “Paul” smashing my friend about. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the game.
Animal Crossing New Horizons – Nintendo Switch
Still playing a bit everyday, trying to complete more collections but also doing some island improvements.
Surely you’ve got this already, but it’s here if not*. (And yes I will call you Shirley.)
Pinball FX 3 – PC & PS5
Thanks to playing a bunch of pinball at NERG, I found myself getting back on this when I got home.
Vampire Survivors – Xbox Series X
I noticed they’d added a few more achievements in another free patch, so I spent a couple of hours mopping all those up to maintain my 100% completion.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo Switch
Another wave of the expansion pass courses came out last month, and I have been enjoying playing the 8 new tracks. I still maintain that the gaps between the releases have been much too long, but I do enjoy the prompt to go back to the game when a new set of tracks appears.
Rollers of the Realm – PlayStation 5
Not sure how much of this I’ll play really, but I started replaying it on my PS5 just because I’m on a pinball kick. It’s fun but not really very polished.
What’s been on the arcade?
Didn’t spend a lot of time on my own cab, but thanks to the trip to NERG 2023, I did play a lot of arcade and pinball games. Definite mention of Guitar Hero Arcade, for being great fun and reminding me how much fun those games were back on the 360.
Pick ups during June
Tekken 7 Deluxe Edition – Xbox Series X
Obviously prompted by all the Tekken we played, I grabbed this in an Xbox sale. Just need to find time to play it online with my mate now.
Humble Bundle “At-Home Arcade” Bundle – PC
A few games that I largely own on my consoles, that I was mostly grabbing for potential future use in an arcade machine. The bundle included Mortal Kombat 11, House of the Dead Remake, Redout 2 and a couple more games, but also included the Indiana Jones table for Pinball FX3 and Pinball FX. The Indiana Jones table is one of the digital replicas of the real life machine, a table that I played a bit of at NERG. Very pleasing.
Pinball FX tables – PlayStation 5
I grabbed the Williams bundle 1 and Wrath of the Elder Gods tables on PS5. I mostly prefer pinball on my PC with my pinball controller, but wanted a few tables on PS5 so I could high score chase with my mate.
Arkanoid: Eternal Battle – Xbox & PC
Another friend suggested this was a fun game for a couple of quid. It plays very well with my Spinner too.
Halls of Torment – PC
The best Vampire Survivors clone I’ve played since the actual game. This is still in early access, so I’m looking forward to it gaining more content, but it is already very promising. It plays as a cross between Vampire Survivors & Diablo. Very well done indeed.
God of War: Ragnarok – PS5
Criminal how long it has taken me to get this, but I traded in a couple of games at CeX and managed to get this without spending any money. Only thing is I want to finish Octopath before I start it…
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.
Late again posting for this month, but did at least do some gaming. And buying.
Games completed this month
Coffee Talk Episode 2 – Xbox Series X
Enjoyed the return to the coffee shop visual novel game with this sequel. It was very much more of the same, fun though nonetheless. I probably wouldn’t have bought it, but was very happy to play it as part of my Game Pass sub.
Guilty Gear Strive – Xbox Series X
Been on a bit of a fighting game kick (chuckle) in the hype for Street Fighter 6. This is one of several on Game Pass, so I gave it a play. Recorded a completion simply for doing a 1 credit clear on the arcade mode. It counts for me anyway.
Games played during May
Tell Me Why – Xbox Series X
Haven’t made a lot of progress with this really, but haven’t given up yet. I think Coffee Talk stole the time I would have spent with it, I’m a bit thinly spread on games again now.
Octopath Traveller 2 – PlayStation 5
Still not playing Octopath Traveller 2 as much as I expected either, but I am ticking along. I really enjoy it when I do get on the PS5, and I’m very much enjoying the improvements over the original game.
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 Open Beta – PlayStation 5
The open beta was a much better experience than the 2 character single player demo. Great to get a bit of a feel for ranked fights, and using my normal main, Ken. Very much looking forward to this now.
What’s been on the arcade?
Ten Pence Arcade were playing Super Hang-On this month, I did play a fair amount of it on the cab, trying to struggle with the digital controls. I didn’t get very far.
Pick ups during May
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered – PS5
This has been on my want list for ages, but it wasn’t available standalone, only as part of the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. Updating to the UE from my normal copy was £20, which seemed a bit much when I already had the Spider-Man GOTY edition on PS4 that runs well enough on PS5 anyway. This month they finally made it available standalone though, and even better, it was only £5 for owners of the PS4 game. Might even replay it a bit now ahead of the sequel coming out (hopefully) later this year.
Pac-man Champion Edition 2+ – Nintendo Switch
I have this on a couple of other systems already, but since I now have a 4-way stick for Switch, I thought I’d play it more there. Especially since I’ve heard that they’re ending Pac-Man 99 in October.
Pre-orders
Street Fighter 6 – Xbox Series X
Finally picked somewhere to pre-order. I went for the digital version from Shopto, easily the cheapest available at the time. I also only needed the standard edition, there was nothing in the Ultimate Edition I was worried about. I’m just going to be using Ken for the duration, so no need to buy any more characters.
*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.
