2020 - 12 Month Pile Program

GAMES COMPLETED:

  • Resident Evil 3 Remake
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake

GAMES PLAYED:

  • Persona 5 Royal
  • DOOM Eternal
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Trials of Mana (via Collection of Mana)
  • Resident Evil 5
  • Sakura Wars

SHORT AND SWEET:
Played a lot, didn't finish a lot.

THE OVERWROUGHT NAVEL-GAZING:

Spoiler:

Don't know if I really have as much for this month. The greatest was the impact of the conversation Final Fantasy VII Remake had on me, shoving me into a depression not unlike I hit with Sekiro last year. At this point I'm just going to accept that, every so often, I'm going to sound like a conceited jerk because my perspective on and relationship with games just doesn't jive with most of the folks here. In the end, though, this community does inspire me to look around my surroundings and listen to others. I may speak like a know-it-all, but I definitely try to consider alternate perspectives than my own, and it's allowed me to look at games differently.

However, it really did interrupt my time playing Persona 5 Royal, though I was getting pretty burnt out by the 40-some hour mark. I figured I'd be ready to dive right back in after FF7 Remake, but that hasn't quite happened yet. After a discussion with my therapist as well, I've been working to try and manage more productive days. That and several other factors resulted in reduced new game time at the end of the month, though I basically spent this last week almost entirely replaying Ocarina of Time yet again for spare footage.

I can keep naval-gazing about plans for May, but really, probably best not to. New purchases should hopefully be slowing down, though, because I now legitimately have a pile. In fact, after this naval-gazing, I'll be adding a 2020 pile to this list of games to cover what I've started but not finished. We'll see where I'm at end of May. Some of the titles on the list are going to be easier to return to than others. I'm abandoning ReCore. It was one of the only first-party Xbox titles I was interested in, but it feels like a sort of "Metroid, but more open-world bullcrap style" in terms of world design, and the combat is just... oddly balanced and lacking. It's not very fun, and is actually a bigger disappointment than I expected despite hearing the negative impressions for years beforehand.

PILE OF STARTED 2020 GAMES:

  • Pokemon Shield
  • No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again
  • Remnant: From the Ashes
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Ring Fit Adventure
  • Bloodborne
  • DOOM Eternal
  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Sakura Wars
  • Trials of Mana (via Collection of Mana)

Is it really May? The days all blend together. Guess it's time for my April Report.

Prior posts:

 

Added: 2
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)King's Bounty: The Legend (PC) - I originally owned this through Impulse, so I lost it when Impulse went defunct. But I recently found myself in the mood to relive the adventures of Bill Gilbert.

Finished: 1
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/completed.gif)Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PC) - I actually finished this on May 1. Shh, don't tell anyone!

Also Played: 5
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Sid Meier's Civilization 6 (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Moonlighter (PS4)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Bastion (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)The Legend of Zelda (NES) - Feeling like a challenge one night, I tried to finish the game in one sitting. It took me just longer than 3 hours.

Dropped: 0

2020 Progress: 4

Current backlog state: IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)89 / IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)22 

Q2 2020 Goals:

Spoiler:

Definitely Finish:
Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS) Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
At least one game of Sid Meier's Civilization 6 (PC)

Maybe Finish:
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)
Might & Magic: Heroes V (PC) - Cultist Campaign
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PC) - Anticipating that the sequel will win a JRPG Club vote in the future, assess exactly what I'd need to do to get the carry-forward bonuses, and whether I actually want to put in the effort.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered
2 other games (TBD, probably short ones) - I don't know what I'll want to play

Remove at least one game from the Backlog

Trophy Hunting:
A Short Hike

If I did all that, I'd knock the backlog down by 6 or 7, less whatever I inevitably buy in a Steam or PS4 sale.

2020 GotY Eligible:

Spoiler:

Final Fantasy VII Remake
Gris
Ori and the Blind Forest
A Short Hike
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

I played a lot of Picross.

And that's pretty much it. I've mostly stopped gaming lately for whatever reason (it's probably the overwhelming stress of a global plague—or something). Maybe in May I'll play things again.

LastSurprise wrote:

IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/completed.gif)Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PC) - I actually finished this on May 1. Shh, don't tell anyone!

Your secret is safe with me. Bet you're bummed Tales won out, right?

Oops, forgot to do March so here is a combined update:

Added:
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Valkyria Chronicles 4

Finished:
God of War

Played:
Iconoclast (Vita)
Cosmic Star Heroine (Vita)
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Warframe

After finishing God of War, I retreated to the Vita for a little while but haven't been in the mood for a lot of gaming (or really anything else--have been working a lot). Making decent progress in Final Fantasy VII Remake and playing lots of Lego games with the kids. Last of Us Part 2 coming up in June which will be perfect timing since I should be done with FF7R by then.

Added:
Persona 5 Royal
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Katamari Damasy Reroll.

Finished:
Witcher 3 Blood and Wine
Touryst
Icewind Dale Enchanced (Switch)

Played:
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Persona 5 Royal
Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch)
Links Awakening

Despite having to work through all this virus things. It actually has been a good month for gaming, had a lot of handheld time early in the month and managed to finish off a big RPG and a short Puzzlely game on switch. Finally finished up with Witcher 3 early in the month, already kind of miss Toussaint. Spent the free TV time playing Persona 5 Royal until the FF7 Remake showed up at my door finally. It has been nothing but that and Rocket League on PS4 mostly. Last week been very tiring so didn't do much gaming at all.

May is looking to be extremely hectic. From what it will sound like I will be busy getting house ready to sell and hopefully buying another one. If all goes well I will manage to finish FF7 by the end of the month.

April 2020:

Added:

  • Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition
  • Songbird Symphony
  • You died...but a necromancer revived you
  • Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
  • Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
  • Roundguard

Played:

  • Dragon Quest XI
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Finished:

  • Dragon Quest XI

Finished Dragon Quest XI after several months of on and off playing. What a journey! Got sucked into more switch game discounts...

Eleima wrote:
LastSurprise wrote:

IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/completed.gif)Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PC) - I actually finished this on May 1. Shh, don't tell anyone!

Your secret is safe with me. Bet you're bummed Tales won out, right?

You know, I didn't even realize you all were playing it until after I started! I was just looking for something relatively short, and played it over a few days.

That's the thing, though. We aren't playing it, it tied with Tales from the Borderlands, and the RNG decided on Tales. Maybe next month. It is relatively short and fun.

I really should have finished more pile games before Animal Crossing released. The last 6 weeks only dabbled in like 2 other games. Bought new stuff on sale and haven't touched it.

Maybe I'll start to play some other stuff in June. But if I get back into Rocket League that won't help much either. We'll see.

April report

Purchased
...

Finished
...

Played
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 3ds
Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls - 3ds
Pokémon Crystal - 3ds
Blood Bowl 2 - PS4

It's four minutes to midnight, time for the May report.

Added:

  • Cities: Skylines (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif) - free key graciously bestowed by a fellow goodjer!

Finished:

  • Tales from the Borderlands (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - for the GWJ adventure game club

Dropped:
None!

Played:

  • Guild Wars 2 (PC) IMAGE(https://backloggery.com/images/mastered.gif)
  • Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - I'm on my last suitor, and then I'll only have the solo route left.

Still playing those six mobile otome games, too.

Remaining games: 53 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (51 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 8 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 2 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 6 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 4
Est. remaining hours: 683 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (748 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 64 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 37 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 82 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 95 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 88

Backloggery is at 9, so no better, no worst than last month. May was only slightly better than April, with long hours at the hospital and long days with the kids too. I really need a staycation. I've a few more spoons than in April, but I've been spending a lot of my free time on the DnD game I DM and of course, for the GWJ adventure game club. I'm hoping to spend more time on newer games going forward.

Finished:
Devil May Cry 5
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Played:
Kingdom Come: Deliverance

May report:

Added:
Nothing*

Finished:

  • 3x Tomb Raider Legend (PC - Played once to completion, replayed to get all time trials, replayed to get all secrets. Yes, I liked it. A lot.)

Dropped:

  • Legacy of Kain - Blood Omen (PS1) - Played it for five minutes, and hated every minute of it.

Played:

  • Monster Hunter World Iceborne (PS4)
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
  • Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)
  • Assassin's Creed Revelations (PC)
  • Tomb Raider Anniversary (PC)
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC)

I'm still stalling on Bravely Second for some reason. And my descent into a Tomb Raider black hole continues.

* I bought the Eidos bundle on Steam earlier this month, but none of the games made it to the backlog for various reasons, so I don't count them. My backlog, my rules.

June Report time! May has been a weird month in an already-weird period, but it's always nice to take stock.

Prior posts:

 

Added: 2
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Old World (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Superflight (PC)

Finished: 2
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)Final Fantasy VII Remake
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)Chroma Squad

Also Played: 5
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Bit.Trip Runner (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Superflight (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)King's Bounty: The Legend (PC)
IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)Old World (PC)

Dropped: 0

2020 Progress: 4 - but I think I'll get up to 7 or 8 by the end of the month.

Current backlog state: IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)89 / IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)21 

Q2 2020 Goals: Besides finishing Bravely Second and clearing space for the next JRPG Club game, I've decided on a few short games I want to try to finish this month.

Spoiler:

Definitely Finish:
Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS) Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Post-game
At least one game of Sid Meier's Civilization 6 (PC) - May not happen.

Maybe Finish:
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) - May not happen
Might & Magic: Heroes V (PC) - Cultist Campaign - May not happen.
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PC) - Anticipating that the sequel will win a JRPG Club vote in the future, assess exactly what I'd need to do to get the carry-forward bonuses, and whether I actually want to put in the effort. - Definitely not happening this quarter.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Waking Mars
Moonlighter
Bastion

Remove at least one game from the Backlog

Trophy Hunting (or, moving some "Beaten" to "Completed":
A Short Hike
Flower
Legend of Zelda - Second Quest
If I did all that, I'd knock the backlog down by 6 or 7, less whatever I inevitably buy in a Steam or PS4 sale.

2020 GotY Eligible:

Spoiler:

Bastion
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Gris
Moonlighter
Old World
Ori and the Blind Forest
A Short Hike
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Superflight

May Report~

Added:
Grand Theft Auto V (Epic freebie)
Civilization VI (Epic Freebie)
Another month of Xbox Game Pass for PC..

Beat:
Alien: Isolation (Xbox Game Pass)

Made Progress In:
Ring Fit Adventure (Switch)
Animal Crossing New Horizons (Switch)
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Steam)
Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
Assassin's Creed: Origins (Uplay)

Planned Games To Beat In 2020

Spoiler:

Overcooked! (Switch)
Control (PS4)
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Steam)
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (Steam)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4)
Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4)
The Witness (Steam)
God of War 2018 (PS4)
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
Resident Evil HD remaster (PS4)
Black Mesa (Steam)
Paper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)
Star Fox Zero (Wii U)
Star Fox Guard (Wii U)
Assassin's Creed: Origins (Uplay)

I was this close to beating Danganronpa yesterday but ran out of time. I'll probably finish it tonight since I'm at the last class trial..supposedly. And streaming with friends did help since I beat my second game of the year, Alien Isolation!

I've completely lost track of what I've played and bought. The last few months have been a bit much.

Oh, dear... May was a crazy month for me in many ways. Videogame-wise, I bought lots but didn't manage to really focus on anything, hence, my numbers below.

Beaten
Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 1 (PS4)

Added:

F-Zero GP Legend (WiiU)
Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
Pokemon Shield (Switch)
Devil's Kiss (PC)
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker (PC)
Chuchel (PC)
Lair of the Clockwork God (PC)
Rusty Lake Paradise (PC)
Rusty Lake Roots (PC)
Rusty Lake Hotel (PC)
Inquisitor (PC)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition (PC)
Ittle Dew (WiiU)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch)
Ittle Dew 2 (Switch)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)
Golf Story (Switch)
Dragon Quest XI S (Switch)
Octopath Traveler (Switch)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Switch)
Saturday Morning RPG (Switch)
Blaster Master Zero 2 (Switch)
Oniken (Switch)
Odallus (Switch)
Gato Robo (PC)
Downwell (PC)
Starbound (PC)
Dustforce DX (PC)
Beat Cop (PC)
Hypnospace Outlaw (PC)
Cuphead (Switch)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)
Grandia III (PS2)
Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom (PS4)
Observer (PS4)
Reus (PS4)
Injustice 2 (PS4)
The Little Acre (PS4)
Moons of Madness (PS4)
Stellaris: Console Edition (PS4)
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4)

Played/Made Progress In:

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)
Dragon Quest XI S (Switch)
Moons of Madness (PS4)
Ittle Dew (WiiU)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PS4)
Jurassic World Evolution (PS4)
Little Nightmares (PS4)
Spyro: Ripto's Rage Reignited (PS4)

Oh I like how people are keeping track of GotY candidates. I usually PM myself a list a couple times a year when I think of it.

Report for May:

GAMES COMPLETED:

  • Resident Evil 5
  • Trials of Mana (via Collection of Mana)
  • Darksiders 3
  • Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

GAMES PLAYED:

  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Halo: Reach
  • The Wonderful 101 Remastered
  • Anthem
  • Phantasy Star Online 2
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
  • Bloodborne

PILE OF STARTED 2020 GAMES:

  • Pokemon Shield
  • No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again
  • Remnant: From the Ashes
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Ring Fit Adventure
  • Bloodborne
  • DOOM Eternal
  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Sakura Wars
  • Trials of Mana (via Collection of Mana)
  • Witcher 3

SHORT AND SWEET:
I think towards the end of last year I said I wasn't going to tally old games or something, but I like keeping a record of what I played altogether so here we are. A surprisingly disappointing month in terms of completion, though I at least got two pile games scratched off the list. The question is what to replace them with as I have a hankering for all kinds of games, but not many on the pile.

Today's overwrought navel-gazing is far more analysis and less livejournal in case people are interested in the games I played but not my typical whining.

THE OVERWROUGHT NAVEL-GAZING:

Spoiler:

So some of the games played this month were in search of the next co-op game for my friends and I, seeing as we're not really playing much Destiny at the moment. Anthem is currently the primary replacement for that, though it also depends on when my niece can get online and play. It's been a surprisingly enjoyable game, but there's just enough odd and contradictory design choices that prevent it from being as good as it could be. Fortunately I already felt like BioWare's writing was on a downward slope ever since Mass Effect 2 came out, so I was not at all expecting good writing or characters here. If there's anything annoying about the writing it is how absolutely try-hard it is to be cool, hip, and fashionable for the shipping crowd or something. Even so, the game's got no idea if it wants to be a single-player or multiplayer game, shoving most of its narrative and cut-scenes in Fort Tarsis, which is what ought to be the game's social space. Instead it's huge, you move excruciatingly slowly in there, and it is where a bunch of the game's narrative and dialogue is located. This means that if one player has a cut-scene they gotta watch in Fort Tarsis, then the rest of your squad is left waiting for that person to get all that stuff done. Destiny was clever enough to keep most of the cut-scenes and other story elements in the missions themselves so all players could view them.

Of course, even the multiplayer portions are worked out in a half-baked way. Modes like Strongholds and Freeplay are mandatory as "public", but "public" basically means "we're matchmaking you up to four players". So if you have two or three friends in your squad, it'll fill up the remaining two or three spots. This feels rather absurd when you consider the size of the play area and that "freeplay" is effectively trying to emulate the public zones in Destiny, where you aren't actually placed into the same squad as anyone else. You're basically able to come and go and do whatever you want, choosing to interact with others for public events and challenges should you so choose. If Anthem did Freeplay like this, I'd be fine with it sticking to public. However, because it sticks you with a more intimate squad of three others, it changes the dynamic. Right now I have to go into Freeplay specifically to accomplish three separate tasks, and if I do them "solo" I'll basically be a fourth nuisance ignoring whatever three other players I get matched up with.

It's a game full of weird, strange decisions. Even knowing the story behind them via Jason Schreier's exposé, it still feels absurd when playing the game. How can a professional development team release something so ignorant of itself?

I also gave Phantasy Star Online 2 a spin, and while it was nice and relaxing in its own right, it also felt like a more user-unfriendly version of Final Fantasy XIV. Not in terms of actual mechanics or aesthetic, note, but more in terms of how much was thrown at you at once and its interface focusing on form over function. Like FFXIV, it's clearly a PC interface strong-armed into being a console interface, and I'll actually say it's easier to navigate in some ways than FFXIV was (where I think I struggled with figuring out how to use its map), but where FFXIV felt like a Japanese interpretation of Dragon Age in gameplay, Phantasy Star Online 2 is just... really basic and outdated mid-to-low-budget hack-and-slash. It's not bad – it was good enough to be relaxing, after all – but I couldn't see any reason to recommend it to my friends. Of course, two of them were going to try it out on PC and therefore I figured maybe we could try cross-play (assuming there even was cross-play), but the Windows store was a torment for them both and so they gave up.

The search for more co-op also inter-mingled with journeys in streaming, which acted as the catalyst for a sudden craving of genre while simultaneously reinvigorating my enjoyment in gaming for the month. My friend and I dabbled in some Halo: Reach with my niece before gearing everyone up for Anthem, and we finished up streaming Resident Evil 5, an experiment to see how we liked it after friends of mine had been doing it themselves. Once we finished torturing ourselves with another trip down Biohazard lane, I was feeling all down in the dumps and uncertain if I had it in me to do more streaming. "We could always return to Bloodborne," he said, but at the time I wasn't sure I was eager to put myself through the torture that no doubt awaited in the Forbidden Woods. "Might as well," I sighed, as I needed to get a quick clip from the game for a video I'd been working on.

All it took was three minutes of jumping back in to get a feel for the controls again. That was all it took for me to get hyped about playing more Bloodborne. We've been co-oping it for the stream, but every so often I'd take advantage of the portions that each of us had to complete single-player to do more. It wasn't enough, though. So, I ended up loading Darksiders 3 on my Xbox One up since I was still working on other games on other platforms.

I've got a lot of thoughts regarding Darksiders 3, with some of them being an extension on how people classify game genres. My buddy told me that he didn't feel like Darksiders 3 was a Souls-like at all. Looking back to last year's EA E3 thread, I found Clock and others expressing that Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order – from here on referred to as SWJFO (pronounced Swudge-Foe) – didn't see any Soulsborne influence in the initial gameplay reveal. Looking at both finished products, I think it's clear that both games drew from the Soulsborne template, but did so with the intent of mixing them up with other games. The designer of SWJFO stated influence from Metroid Prime and acknowledging Dark Souls, though in those interviews he seemed to want to make it clear not to expect precise imitations of either game's style or pacing. It seemed clear that SWJFO was drawing influence but still trying to do its own thing.

When I mentioned in the Bloodborne thread, Clock snarked that "you should play Darksiders 3 if you have no taste", but my Hot Take is that SWJFO is the game you play if you have no taste, because Darksiders 3 does nearly everything SWJFO tried to do, but better. Naturally, I don't expect anyone to agree with me here, as GamersWithJobs is a community where I seem to be at odds with everyone when it comes to what is and isn't good game design. Even if Darksiders 3 more shamefully takes elements from other games and puts a new coat of paint on it – Nephilim's Respite instead of Estus Flask, Force Hollow that acts as both Gravity Suit and Spider-ball, etc. – it manages to give most of these elements a tweak to fit better into a game whose emphasis is on fast-paced character-action style combat. The only difference is that, this time, enemies hit hard enough that you should try and kite them and avoid taking on large groups.

It's not a perfect game. I played it for PS4 at launch and experienced plenty of problems then, and while the game has received patches and support, my Xbox One playthrough still had sound glitches, certain shipping containers in the Bonelands would only load greybox textures (even upon console restart), it crashed on me once, and some enemies are more frustratingly designed than others (the worst is an opponent in the final zone where Wrath dwells, a big damage-sponge of a shielded fatty that blows a horn to summon comrades. Awful enemy, the game would be better without him). Like Darksiders 1, Darksiders 3 is designed to be one of my favorite games, but I don't expect it to be everyone's cup of tea.

But good gravy, the only thing – and I do mean the only thing – that SWJFO does better is the writing. Graphics as well, I suppose, though Darksiders 3 has a comic-book style aesthetic rather than realism so it all comes down to whether you like the art style or not (and Darksiders 3 was clearly designed to be a bit less juvenile in some of its indulgences). Keep in mind that I'm comparing the third-difficulty level of Darksiders 3 to the third difficulty level of SWJFO as well, where the latter simply threw the player at groups of enemies every chance it could. They clearly wanted some of the increased difficulty from a Soulsborne, but where Bloodborne and Darksiders 3 largely design the game where you can kite enemies in and out of zones, SWJFO just drops you into arenas filled with multiple enemies. It wants to have some of the limitations of the Soulsborne, yet they still expect you to be as empowered as a character-action warrior like Dante or Kratos. What's more, the vast majority of collectibles are of no practical use to the player, versus everything you find in Darksiders 3 being able to be applied to improving your stats in some way.

This has effectively confirmed for me that I need to do additional playthroughs of both SWJFO and Darksiders 3 in order to properly compare them. I want to do more playthroughs of Darksiders 3 anyway, as I feel I could dissect some of its map design better that way (which is itself not always the best, as some zones are far less memorable than others, and some other issues).

I don't imagine I'll convince anyone around here, though. I'm sure SWJFO will be remembered as being some wonderfully fun game and Darksiders 3 will be viewed with disgust for simply being Darksiders 3. Ah well.

Whether either one is a "Souls-like" or not is still an interesting question to ask, though I'd say Darksiders 3 is certainly more a Character-Action-Metroid with some Souls-like elements. It nails that feel of a Metroid game better not just by blatantly taking some of Nintendo's space-faring mercenary's powers, but by focusing on unlocking new zones through power-ups and connecting the different zones of the world in new ways. SWJFO... I'm not sure.

All I know is that Darksiders 3 did help prepare me for Bloodborne, knowing to kite the enemies and to store Coldblood for when you need a level-up rather than cracking them as soon as you find 'em. Darksiders 3 was actually an easier game to make those mistakes in and learn the hard way. But now that I've been playing more Bloodborne, I kind of want more, and while Darksiders 3 is similar the feel of combat is different. As lethal as opponents are, the game is more directly character-action empowering. Bloodborne feels more Resident Evil 4. I want both the combat and the exploration. So... what do I play next?

Well, that's part of where things got depressing and complicated again. I'd made little progress in actually beating games, so despite the call to start a new game in Hollow Knight, I decided I needed to first complete Trials of Mana and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. The former wasn't a bad game, and in fact I'd love to replay and write about it in regards to the jump from Secret of Mana to Legend of Mana in the States. It really was a lesson in how the lack of nostalgia in playing old games can really make 'em difficult to appreciate and get into. I didn't love the game, but I didn't dislike it, and most of the time it was honestly pretty fun. I think the greatest issue was not knowing what was coming, and in checking a FAQ being under the impression I had half a dozen boss fights to go... when those boss fights were completely dependent upon who the main character was. I could probably have a decent second playthrough, and may at some point in the future.

Travis Strikes Again, however... I wasn't really sure I wanted to play it, but a few folks I respected on Twitter made note that it's perhaps the most personal game Goichi Suda has made in a long time. TheGamingBrit's video on the game – especially in light of his look back through Suda 51's "legacy" – pushed me into purchasing territory. So I bought the game and decided I'd play it, and... man... just...

They're not wrong in terms of the game's narrative. I feel like No More Heroes got such a response, and Goichi Suda was becoming such a personality online and in print, that Grasshopper Manufacture decided to start slapping his name on any project he had a cursory role in. He wasn't actually in charge of Lollipop Chainsaw, but his name was slapped onto it anyway. Both Shadows of the Damned and Killer Is Dead saw major interference from their respective publishers, with the latter especially bugging Goichi Suda as he didn't want Grasshopper to be known for being risque. So the gigolo missions and female character designs? Not actually his idea, and it's... not surprising when you look at The Silver Case, an adventure game he wrote and directed that never got a US release until after he became known for No More Heroes. While there was certainly sexuality loaded into that game, it was all part of the purpose of examining violent and sexualized escapist gamer fantasy, where though the game is loaded with style and even a degree of empathy for both its hero and villains, the setting makes it absolutely clear that there's no such thing as a good person throughout the entire story.

The problem with Travis Strikes Again is that it feels far more indulgent for 70-80% of the experience. There's definitely meaning in there, and you can feel Goichi Suda working out his love of the games industry with the frustration he felt ever since the release of No More Heroes. I think Travis is the character he himself keeps coming back to not only because he really connected with the audience (which itself is possibly something worth writing about), but because it was the last game Suda made that was minimal interference. But when you jump into the final level and you're talking to characters from Hotline Miami, you start to feel like you're playing some amateur's personal Game Maker project and not a professional work. Doesn't help that I've not played Hotline Miami so there's no attachment or meaning for me.

And amateur's personal Game Maker project applies as much to the mechanics themselves. This was a tedious game to play. Every map lasted far, far too long save for maybe one game world. The only part of the game I enjoyed was the visual novel element, and that didn't even have any gameplay. No puzzles, no choices, just dialogue. Even so, it was the game I wanted to be playing. It was the far more interesting part of the game because the narrative was designed more like a proper No More Heroes game.

Which has never been a franchise with great gameplay. It varied between "passable" and "good enough". It's largely about the style, the world, and in terms of the first game, the narrative. But that stuff isn't even strong enough to overcome the tedious, simple gameplay. Here's to hoping that No More Heroes has some real design power behind it.

The question now is, what do I play in June with those games completed? And also, now that I've finished my video on Ocarina of Time? The original plan was record more Wind Waker, but the Ocarina video has me burnt on Zelda at the moment and the opening of Wind Waker is slow. Granted, I already did the prologue segment. But Bloodborne and Darksiders 3 have me craving that action combat and Metroidvania, so I'm pondering on Hollow Knight, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Batman: Arkham Asylum, or seeing about Dark Souls Remastered or Code Vein in the Days of Play sale. I also just got the BioShock trilogy on Switch.

But wait, I got other games I need to finish. DOOM Eternal, right? Darksiders Genesis. I won't start Xenoblade until I've finished Persona 5 Royal, and perhaps Sakura Wars as well. I bought Katana Kami, The Silver Case, and the other Danganronpa games earlier this year. I thought about doing a video on I Am Setsuna.

I'm now stuck with analysis paralysis, uncertain what I want to play and what I ought to play. I'm thinking of making it a system-by-system basis. Before I play any new games on my Xbox One, I need to finish DOOM Eternal and/or Darksiders Genesis, for example. Beat Persona 5 Royal before playing another PS4 game. The Switch is likely going to be whatever I make a video on, which... might be BioShock, as it were. I've been wanting to make a video on Infinite for years now, but I have a feeling I may need to at least replay and get footage of the first game.

Ah well. I suppose I'll find out at the end of June what I decided on.

Stele wrote:

Oh I like how people are keeping track of GotY candidates. I usually PM myself a list a couple times a year when I think of it.

I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet of potentials for years. It’s my way of remembering and playing around with the ranking.

I just said to my 7 year old son, who will be 8 in August, that he can't have any Switch games for his birthday unless he plays the ones he's got.

I'm such a hypocrite.

I promise we won't tell him.

No new games until you show me proof of that Sekiro platinum trophy, you weakling!

I think I might tell the social services.

May Report...

Purchased
Untitled Goose Game

Finished
Well my son finished Untitled Goose Game and I watched a bit. I will play it myself, yes I will.

Played
Blood Bowl 2
Stardew Valley
Cosmic Star Heroine

I totally forgot that games were a thing it seems.... I'm just going to combine May and June when it gets closer to end of the month, I did buy couple of things, but I've been so busy with work and the stress of buying a house totally ruined any motivation to play anything from super comfort food games.

My evening is going to be spent balancing a checkbook, soooooo... time for the June report.

Added:

  • Afterparty (Epic) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Got it for the charity stream. Was going to get it anyhow.
  • Baba Is You (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif) - Wanted to get it, it was in the Humble Bundle anti racism.
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif) - Wanted to get it, it was in the Humble Bundle anti racism.
  • Life Is Strange 2 - Episode 2 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif) - Steam sale, already have episode 1.
  • Life Is Strange 2 - Episode 3 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Life Is Strange 2 - Episode 4 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Life Is Strange 2 - Episode 5 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)

Finished:

  • Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - I loved it so much. Didn't want to let it go.
  • Day of the Tentacle Remastered (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - Replayed it with Staygold as a "team stream".

Dropped:

  • BATTLETECH (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - Just not my jam.

Played:

  • Guild Wars 2 (PC) IMAGE(https://backloggery.com/images/mastered.gif) - Got my skyscale!

Still playing those six mobile otome games, too.

Remaining games: 58 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (56 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 11 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 3 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 13 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 1
Est. remaining hours: 723 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (711 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 84 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 97 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 4 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 125 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 60

Backloggery is at 6, so not as great. I'm hoping July will be better. I'm gonna space out my DnD meatspace game, because I can't handle every week. Going to finish Afterparty this week or the next. Wrap up Life Is Strange 2. Replay The Walking Dead for the GWJ adventure game club. I think it's doable. Hopefully. Maybe.

I'm so tired, y'all. So very, very tired.

Report for June:

GAMES COMPLETED:

  • Shadow Complex
  • Batman: Arkham Asylum
  • Bloodborne

GAMES PLAYED:

  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Destiny 2
  • Hollow Knight
  • Metroid Prime
  • Bioshock Remastered
  • Dark Souls Remastered

PILE OF STARTED 2020 GAMES:

  • Pokemon Shield
  • No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again
  • Remnant: From the Ashes
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Ring Fit Adventure
  • Bloodborne
  • DOOM Eternal
  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Sakura Wars
  • Trials of Mana (via Collection of Mana)
  • Witcher 3
  • Hollow Knight

SHORT AND SWEET:
I've put so many hours into Bloodborne this month holy crap. I've also put so many hours into pure escapism this month oh no. Perhaps it's time to remember how to adult.

THE OVERWROUGHT NAVEL-GAZING:

Spoiler:

In less than a week I'll have been unemployed for five months. I've spent very little of that time being truly productive. June was no different, and my constant inability to agree with anyone philosophically has added to the already high-piled mental health issues that I choose to ignore rather than combat. More than video games, I need to get better at tackling adult responsibilities so I can go out, get a job, be a man and not a child, and dig myself out of the hole I dig rather than wait for someone to bring a ladder.

So I dove into games that constantly drip-fed some sense of accomplishment while escaping the reality of a far less rewarding world. Hrm. This is feeling familiar.

Alright, alright, enough of the moping. I don't know who reads these spoilers, but let's get to the meaty discussion about what was played.

Bloodborne! Lots and lots of Bloodborne. I've already been chronicling much of my journey over in the game's thread, but I wanted to speak more specifically about my dip into Dark Souls Remastered here, as I feel that I may not quite be a From loyalist yet. I'm also still trying to work out my contrarian self with From's oversold uniqueness, as "tough bosses whose patterns are indecipherable until you figure them out and then it's a cinch" is as old as Mega Man.

Probably older.

Similarly, that sense of accomplishment is reminiscent of completing Halo on Legendary by myself for the first time. Yet just because these things were done before doesn't mean Bloodborne is less of a game for it, and certainly has its own unique characteristics that change how I approach it compared to other games. I've said before that, in an alternate universe, I could have seen Capcom hiring From to reboot Devil May Cry in this style, brought in part from my initial reminiscent feelings of progressing through Pseudo-Spain in Resident Evil 4. The two Capcom titles share quite a bit of DNA, and if you were going to try to reinvent the more niche action title it would make sense to emphasize the slower-paced horror but in a setting that still empowers its player. I'm glad we have Devil May Cry 5 instead, but it is that empowerment that really does make Bloodborne effective for me. During my second playthrough (yes, I started a second character before I even completed the game with my first) I have found myself more reliant upon ripostes, the game's equivalent to other titles' parry systems, though the timing is before an attack lands rather than just as it lands. Given the nature of From Jank, this system is more forgiving than the parry/deflection of Dark Souls or of Sekiro, and is one of the reasons I've taken to Bloodborne so effectively.

The second is that Visceral attacks are just so, so satisfying, and you can additionally get them through sneakiness.

It allowed me to return to Dark Souls Remastered in a manner ready for its particular brand of play, and I did indeed manage to defeat the Taurus Demon this time. Yet as I found myself desperately back-stepping away from two gargoyles simultaneously spitting fire at me from the top of a roof I could at any time fall from, I had a realization: Dark Souls doesn't want to empower me.

I mean, it does, but far less so than Bloodborne. I've continuously referred to the difference between the games by their speed, but I think that's only part of it. When the Hunter in Bloodborne heals themselves, they do it swiftly and while moving. The warrior of Dark Souls stands still, taking his time to sip upon their Estus Flask. From the get go Bloodborne allows me to store 20 Blood Vials for healing, dropping them throughout the environment. Dark Souls gives me five Estus Flasks, drops no more, and requires me to upgrade my bonfire for more. In Bloodborne, I have a temporary window where I can restore some health after taking damage.

Thematically, Bloodborne is a game designed around the notion that you are a Hunter, a warrior whose trade is to slaughter the beasts roaming the night, and are therefore equipped for no purpose other than to kill. There's a lot more that goes into it than that, but it makes sense, then, that the game would be designed for you to be a far greater killing machine. Does Dark Souls have a similar thematic intent? No clue, I clearly haven't gotten far enough to know, but if there were narrative differences that would explain away some of these mechanical ones, it wouldn't surprise me.

Bloodborne, however, has grabbed me in a way few other games have, and in fact may be the first true obsession to this degree since Halo: Combat Evolved. So, yes, I am nearly done a second playthrough, though I've been working towards playing less. I wouldn't mind a third character, or returning to it again every so often. It has swiftly become one of my favorite games of all time and certainly my favorite PS4 first-party exclusive. I want to get the Platinum trophy despite the amount of Chalice Dungeon grinding it will require. And, it has me curious about Elden Ring.

I will be completing my second playthrough before next week, however, as I wish to try Dark Souls 3 with my friend on stream. He sent me a video of a boss fight, and elements of it reminded me of playing Bloodborne more than Dark Souls Remastered. It won't be the same, that I know, but I figure I'll give it a try. Whether I have him help me out in Dark Souls Remastered I don't know. After all, there were plenty of bosses I was afraid I couldn't handle solo in Bloodborne, and on my second playthrough I've toppled all but four alone (with only one being mandatory, one DLC, and the two others optional, and only one of those necessary for a trophy I've yet to unlock).

So what about everything else? Well, I revisited Shadow Complex and Batman: Arkham Asylum due to the "Metroidvania" desire given by Bloodborne and Darksiders 3. Shadow Complex was... not as good as I remembered. Not bad, either. I still enjoyed it. However, when I first played it (and then replayed one or two more times immediately after) I felt like it was the Super Metroid sequel I had been waiting for. Having replayed almost that whole series several times the past several years for fun and my YouTube channel, digging into the map design of each game and establishing a preference of approach, I must say Shadow Complex left me wanting. If I were to remove the hint system I imagine its relatively bland and samey world would be more difficult to figure out. At the same time, it's quite a linear experience for a huge chunk of its experience, moreso than Super had been. Not at all the ideal design.

Batman: Arkham Asylum also has some visible rust, though some of them were complaints at the time. The boss fights are tedious and some of the worst parts of the game. For me, however, what was most frustrating was the inconsistency in Batman's moveset during combat. Some of his counter-attacks took several brutal seconds of bone breaking violence, while others lasted a single punch. I'd lose my combat multiplier waiting for the animation to conclude without realizing it already had. "Where's the Earthbone-shattering ka-boomrunch?" For a game whose combat is built on rhythm and awareness of one's surroundings, I shouldn't have to be paying attention to Batman just to know when to punch/counter the next guy.

I would like to move onto Arkham City, at the very least to refresh myself on the combat improvements even if the open-world aspect was a downgrade for me. All told, this was one replay where a favorite has become a slightly less favorite.

Hollow Knight is an odd one. Having gotten some familiarity with the From design in Bloodborne, I better understand each zone in Hollow Knight to be a bit more "stand-alone" than its Metroidvania design would suggest. Not entirely so, but one of my earliest complaints was the size of the world. To me, a Metroid game with fast-travel has failed in its world-design, yet the larger you make the world the more you'll need that fast-travel to make back-tracking less tedious. I felt Hollow Knight's size was a detriment, but on a second playthrough I took each zone as its own, stand-alone location to complete.

Now, however, I have the Dream Nail, and I'm starting to feel less enthused due to the back-tracking necessary and the manner in which you collect these dream particles. Remember having to collect bugs as Wolf Link in Twilight Princess? I prefer that. Simultaneously, some of these more difficult zones are just lousy to backtrack, and while many earlier zones were good at providing shortcuts to avoid the more irritating segments, the latter zones remain a pain.

I have purchased the season pass for Destiny 2 in order to play with my friends. It is... Destiny 2. I said enough in that game's thread. I'll be playing it, but not as much as other titles.

Persona 5 Royal has also resumed, though I'm finding it more difficult to remain enthused. The majority of my time the past several play sessions has been Mementos, a procedurally generated area that feels completely like padding. I've been told this is closer to what the dungeons in prior Persona games were like. If that's the case I may rethink my intent to visit Persona 4 Golden now that it's on Steam (ha, as if I play games on my PC anyway). It wouldn't be so bad if the quick travel between zones was a bit more generous. It's not awful, but Mementos feels like padding.

And boy, is this game starting to feel padded. I'm approaching 65 hours (or am I at 66?) and with the cast of characters ballooning so much it feels like I'm in a visual novel without the point-and-click elements of interactivity. I like many of the characters, but some of the drama between them feels exhausting. Someone in the JRPG or Fabulous Final Fantasy thread stated that games like Persona have made characters in older JRPGs felt under-developed. I feel like Persona takes it too far, and the archetypes each of these characters was built from are growing thinner than more developed (I like Ryuji better when he's focusing on the track team and getting his bum knee back in shape than when he's trying to chase chicks, yet the former you only get with his side quest at this point).

Nonetheless, I'm still enjoying it.

I began to record both Bioshock and Metroid Prime this month in case I wanted to do a video on either. Metroid Prime I still love, but each time I return to it I am reminded of how imperfect its own loops through the map are. I may keep the hint system on in future treks just for the simplicity of it. I'm more inclined to continue my journey through the Prime trilogy, but I'm not quite feeling the passion for it. We'll see.

Bioshock, however... I don't know what I'd say about it in video form other than its level-design and narrative is far, far better than its combat design. For years I was certain that Bioshock 2 committed a cardinal sin by randomly spawning new splicers throughout Rapture, their presence made all the worse when they walked into traps you'd been laying down before summoning a Little Sister. No, they just randomly show up in Bioshock as well, just not until Neptune's Bounty. I don't want to go back and record more of that game because I'm not having much fun.

Which is a weird thing to say about a game I once considered one of my favorites of all time. Now, it most certainly is not. This game didn't need a remaster, it needed an overhaul. Adjust the controls so you can control plasmids and weapons at the same time (like in Bioshock 2) at the bare minimum, remove the respawning splicers that start wandering in as you're trying to explore, and... I dunno, drop damage received and remove the Vita chambers altogether? Those three choices alone would probably make a big difference.

For now, Bioshock is being set aside in favor of Metroid and Wind Waker, and seeing which of those I'm feeling in terms of a video analysis. In terms of July, Persona 5 Royal, Hollow Knight, and Destiny 2 are definitely on the docket. The question, then, is what else? Because I'm actually itching to not only return to God of War with a new game, but to try and Platinum it.

And is that such a bad thing? Because honestly, even if I have seen the credits roll, Bloodborne has been a great experience, and I enjoyed returning to Shadow Complex and Batman: Arkham Asylum, even if they weren't as good as I had remembered. Of course, Ghost of Tsushima is also in July, so... perhaps I should work on finishing Persona 5 Royal after all.

June, huh? This was, well, it was a month...

Beaten:

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)
Little Nightmares (PS4)
Sayonara Wild Hearts (PS4)
Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4)
Spyro the Dragon: Ripto's Rage [Reignited] (PS4)

Played:

MHW: Iceborne (PS4)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PS4)
Wasteland 2 (PS4)
Torment: Tides of Numenera (PS4)
Spyro: Year of the Dragon [Reignited] (PS4)
The Longing (PC)

Added:

The Touryst (Switch)
Outbuddies (Switch)
Paper Mario: Color Splash (WiiU)
Maneater (PS4)
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (Switch)
Dogurai (Switch)
Concrete Genie (PS4)
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch)
Stories Untold (Switch)
Snack World (Switch)
My Time in Portia (Switch)
Creature in the Well (Switch)
Katana Zero (Switch)
Tales of the Neon Sea (PC)
Hiveswap Act 1 (PC)
Kind Words (PC)
Little Briar Rose (PC)
The Baconing (PS3)
Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue (PS3)
Virtuaverse (PC)
Pathfinder: Kingmaker (PC)
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (PC)
World of Horror (PC)
Operencia: The Stolen Sun (PC)
Draugen (PC)
Pinstripe (PC)
Conarium (PC)
Delores: A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure (PC)
Radio Squid (PS4)
Castlevania Requiem: Symphony Of The Night & Rondo Of Blood (PS4)
Little Town Hero (PS4)
Tales of Berseria (PS4)
The Dream Machine Parts 1 & 2 (PC)
The Black Watchmen (PC)
Haimrik (PC)
Castlevania Anniversary Collection (PS4)
Syberia 3 (PS4)
Dear Esther (PS4)
Hue (PS4)
The Flame in the Flood (PS4)
Contra Anniversary Collection (PS4)

How can 2020 go so fast, and so slow, at the same time :O

Finished:
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
The Last of Us Part II

Playing:
Shadow of the Colossus