I dunno whether I should rejoin Game Pass or buy Starfield outright. GP and the other subscriptions are such a great deal but there's just not enough time in the day to really take advantage of it anymore. And I still have only beat one of the seven games I bought back in May/June.

Ended up just starting Bayonetta 3 instead.

And it was a good decision cause this game is hitting the spot. It's actually alot like God of War with being story-driven, combo based conflict, but also with a partial open world to run around and find collectables. I guess that's been my type of game this year with Ragnarok and Mario Galaxy being my other two favorites (I still don't have an actual game of the year for 2023 though hehe.)

91 metacritic for Spider-Man 2! That will make it a legit contender at The Game Awards.

Bayonetta 3 - 9 / 10 . Ended up being my favorite in the series. Didn't love everything, the Jeanne/Viola/??? chapters were always less fun than Bayos and I only completed about half of the optional challenges/collectables (sometimes they were too annoying ... but always optional!) The combat is just so on point though and the constant switching of weapons / summons made the game feel fresh all throughout the story. The multiverse shenanigans story didn't make a ton of sense, but it didn't need to and I adored the ending with:



So very glad I grabbed it instead of just ignoring B3 in favor of a newer game.



Other scores, though these are not so final since the games will draw me back in at some point:

WWE2K23 - 8/10
Diablo 4 - 7.7
Tears of the Kingdom - 7.5

Maybe a little low on D4 and Tears, but I just liked their predecessors so much more.

Super Mario Wonder enters the awards race with a 93 metacritic. Did not see that coming but it's great news!

Been playing Super Mario Wonder co-op, and it's been a blast. Every single level so far (on World 5) has been unique. And while it doesn't have a traditional online experience, being able to play online with others in the background was ingenious. You can put down standees where a secret block or pipe may be, and those standees can also save someone if they're able to reach it in time after dying. So putting one in a difficult part of a level is a huge help.

I thought reviews and people may have been exaggerating that it's the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World from 30 years ago, but... I think they're right. All the 2D Mario games are great, but this is the first one in all that time that has, well, that "wonder" effect to playing it, practically felt in every level, that none have had in a really long time.

Also been playing (taking a break for Wonder) Octopath Traveler II and it's absolutely incredible. The first one is excellent, and while the sequel doesn't change the basic gameplay or anything, it makes some improvements across the board and adds some new features that puts it a noticeable notch above the first game too. It's also, arguably, one of the best looking games ever made as well.

Corpse lives!!!


Great to hear about Wonder!

I’m intrigued by Wonder and definitely want to play it, but doubt whether it’s worth a purchase for me to own. I bought Odyssey when I got my switch in 2021, and played it pretty thoroughly up to the final boss (where I quit / loss interest in beating the game), and was surprised that I only tallied 15 hours in the game, and rarely returned to play it again. I can recognize that Mario games are some excellent platforming games and really fun for a play-through, but beyond that I’m rarely compelled to revisity / play them again. So Wonder seems like something I’d like to rent from Blockbuster for $6 for a weekend… if that option existed.

I’m still in Tears of the Kingdom, approaching 230 hours (crazy lol) which is close to the 260 I invested in Breath of the Wild overall. I’m putzing around doing completionist stuff (Side Quests, exploring every nook, etc., NOT Koroks and armor upgrades (too grindy)), once again in the position of not wanting to finish such an amazing and immersive game.

Sea of Stars is lined up next if I ever actually conquer Ganandorf. And Pikmin 4 on my xmas wish list.

Cheers, gamers!

[double post whoops]

I get that about Wonder, or any Mario game, really. I'll check later tonight, but guessing we've got a little under 20 hours and we've 100%'ed every level and world now except for the special world (these levels are challenging indeed, so we'll see about getting everything on them lol). Got the option to challenge what's likely the final level/boss open but haven't done it yet.

Paying $60 for ~15-20 hours of gameplay to beat it makes me have some buyers remorse, too. Still, Wonder has been a blast and I'd still recommend it despite the "short" playtime since I think it's the best 2D Mario since World or 3 (I personally like 3 over World, but the consensus is that World is/was the best). Every single level (not just world, but every level within them) is unique in World. There are a few that share some of the same features but they're not copy/paste.

I'm definitely getting Sea of Stars. It's been one of my most anticipated games for a while. Going to hold off for the physical copy coming sometime next year though.

Tears of the Kingdom... Breath of the Wild on steroids. It's a remarkable feat what Nintendo was about to do with it. It really pushes what I'd consider to be "too much" to the point of being overwhelming but doesn't ever become so (just close!). But I'm never going to criticize a game for having too much to do, really.

Husband has put in around 200 hours I think now and has beaten the story (Very good story! Possibly the best in the series), complete all the Shrines, found all the roots in the Depths, and has completed all the side-quests and/or found all the gear chests. Still needs to other side-quests, Koroks (...), and get all the Bubbul Gems (he's somewhat close I think). The gear you get from completing the sky island dives that allows you to maneuver in the air is amazing (if you upgrade all the pieces a couple levels, you also don't take fall damage).

1. 10/10 - Tears of the Kingdom
2. 9.5/10 - Octopath Traveler II (I am pretty early in though, and it's close enough to *maybe* take #1)
3. 9/10 - Super Mario Bros. Wonder
4. 9/10 - Hogwarts Legacy
5. 9/10 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps
6. 8.5/10 - Marvel's Midnight Suns
7. 8.5/10 - Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
8. 7.5/10 - Celeste (I know, I know. It just crossed that "too hard" line too many times.)

I think that's it so far for 2023. Holding off on both Sea of Stars and Have a Nice Death for the physical copies. Getting Super Mario RPG this month. I bought Live-A-Live on sale but haven't gotten around to it yet. And I got Hollow Knight and Child of Light on sale way back near the beginning of the year and haven't got to them yet...

I'm interested to get your thoughts on Hollow Knight. I think it might be harder than Celeste in some ways, but I also think you'll be more willing to put up with difficulty due to the aesthetic.

My tops of the year right now are Galaxy remaster or Ragnarok though I'm hoping an actual 2023 game can beat them at some point! I have Spider-Man but wanted to finish Kena: Bridge of Spirits (which is terrific!) before starting it up. A little afraid to try Baldur's Gate since so many people are just casually dropping 200+ hours into it haha. Only Elden Ring gets that much of my time.

Still haven’t beaten Tears of the Kingdom, but I do have two kids. I feel
I need to give this game another shot in the future where I can sit down and really crank it out over a weekend because as is, it feels overstuffed and disjointed without a true central theme. Zelda will always be Nintendo’s artier games and prior entries have compelling themes complimented by the gameplay, story, and general aesthetic. Tears of the Kingdom is hard to figure out what it is about. Much of what happens in the present feels oddly lighthearted despite some somewhat series situations, and everything in the past feels more serious. The problem there in is that there in lies a disconnect between what you are doing and the active story because the active story already happened and you’re just kinda learning about it. This approached to story telling worked very well in Breath of the Wild (and I’d argue understandingly so) as much of that game was built around discovery, both on where you were and who you were and what was happening. Tears of the Kingdom is just uncovering a mystery of the past, but those mysteries don’t seem to be interacting with what is happening in the now which feels more like Link continuing to help rebuild Hyrule after the events of the first game. Again the two don’t seem to compliment one another.

However, the Depths are incredible and I wish the entire game existed underground. It has a certain element of ancient mystery that works much better with the story being told in the past and its engulfing darkness better gives the feel of mystery to it that is lost on the surface. It would cut much of the content of the game including some of the best parts, but I think it would have served the themes of the story better.

I just don't like the Minecraft stuff in Tears of the Kingdom. It's basically an open world survival game now instead of an rpg. That just isn't my type of game. I'm sure I'll give it another shot at some point though.

I kinda agree, it was especially very off putting at first as it felt so alien from a Zelda game, but they did end up doing a good job at times incorporating it into some of their puzzles especially the fire temple.

Kena: Bridge of Spitits - 9.1/10
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond - 5.5/10

Kena is a fascinating mix of several types of games you wouldn't think you'd go so well together. At first it feels like a banjo or zelda game with its 3d platforming and collectables, though it sure stops feeling like them when you get to the very challenging boss fights which is where it gets its soulslike reputation from. Then there are the Rot companions which basically act like Pikmin. And since I went very heavy on bow combat, it felt very Horizonlike as well. It is like all these games but also like none of them. It is Kenalike. Combine that with a great story about the balance of nature and souls having trouble moving on, either in life or death. The whole thing was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I finally took the time to play it.

Brilliant Diamond has dones its job of being a game I can jump into late at night, or for brief sessions in the day time. This remake just isn't trying to be more than average thus I can't give it a higher grade than average.


Spider-Man 2 coming up next!

I think I have asked before here, but does anyone still play Civ VI? One of these days we ought to start a hot seat campaign

I have it on pc, switch and playstation now lol.

Are we Switch friends? What is your Nintendo ID?

So Spider-Man 2 is kind of just more of the same, but they did give me what I wanted most which is the ability to switch between Peter and Miles like in GTAV. And not only that, but sometimes the other Spider-Man will randomly show up to help you fight crime in the overworld! Love those kind of dynamic interactions!!

Baldur's Gate 3 announced a physical disc version at last. I'll definitely try it now with the peace of mind that I can trade it in if I either don't like it or get too addicted lol.

Mario RPG out friday.

Mario RPG is much much easier as an adult than it was as a kid lol. Otherwise it holds up perfect. The music especially hits the feelings.

Was only gonna get either Final Fantasy 16 or Hogwarts Legacy for Black Friday ... but of course ended up getting both. Toss em in the backlog!

I'm waiting to pick it up if I get some gift cards for Xmas. Someone better get me some this year! lol.

I think you'll enjoy Hogwarts Legacy. It's solid as far as open-world RPGs go, doesn't change up what's become a pretty normal formula now, but it does it well enough but getting to explore Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the surrounding areas helps a lot. The combat is also good, if a little "simple" and easy once you get the hang of it and, of course, use the unforgivables. It's also understandable why it's not some complex system though since they needed to appeal to casual gamers coming in from just being Harry Potter fans.

How long is it until you get to learn the unforgivables? Even though its a prequel, I have the benefit of learning from Voldemort and Grindlewald's mistakes. The wizarding world is about to get shook!

I don't recall exactly, but you get them individually as you progress the story (one of your classmates) at roughly the first third or quarter of the story, another around the mid-point, and the last one closer to the end.

The transfiguration spell, which you also get a bit later, is also very OP. You can transfigure an enemy witch or wizard into an exploding barrel and spell-sling it so it explodes upon impact into another enemy witch or wizard lol.

My wife has been into Hogwarts Legacy lately, weirdly enough she has most impressed with how her customized character interacts with the world and cutscenes the most.