Games Beaten
-Sky Force Anniversary (PS5)
Sky Force is an odd game. Despite originally coming out in 2004 amidst the popularity of bullet hell shmups, Sky Force is very deliberate in a different way. Unlike most games of this ilk, there are no weapon power ups to get in levels (other than one to speed up your rate of fire). Rather, you collect stars to purchase permanent upgrades to your ship, making it something of a proto-roguelite, albeit with no procedural generation. After powering up my ship, being able to bash through levels that initially I struggled with was very satisfying, and trying to accomplish the objectives in each level sucked me in.
Games Bought
September did see a few acquisitions. I bought Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 (Switch) because it went on sale again and I know I'll need it sooner or later. I also grabbed Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (Switch), a Japanese adventure game that I have heard nothing but good things about. The PS+ games for PS5 weren't too shabby either. The standout for me is Chained Echoes, a JRPG that I've heard does some interesting things and is supposedly quite good. Wobbly Life is an open world exploration goof off sandbox game that one of my kids got excited about. He downloaded the game and then proceeded to not play it, so...I don't know. I also grabbed Sniper Elite: Resistance. People really seem to like this series and this one is set in occupied France during WWII, which sounds pretty cool.
Games Being Played
-Doom [2016] (PS5)
When a game is universally loved and lauded, it turns out to be pretty good! I always assumed Doom would come to PS+ but when its two sequels came and went with no PS+ inclusions, I bit the bullet last year and bought it (it was a couple bucks on sale). And I really like it. The gunplay is tense and satisfying and while you often feel overpowered, you can still get wrecked by mobs if you're not careful. What surprised me, though, is the exploration and traversal, which reminds me of Metroid Prime in the best way. I'm having a blast with this game.
-Mega Man Battle Network 2 (Switch)
This is an iterative sequel and that's fine but man, I think the story is pretty bad and the translation is surprisingly sloppy.
-The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu (PS5)
Our group continues to push further into the jungle. There's been some new creepy stuff that's killed us recently.
-Torchlight II (Switch)
This Diablo-like action RPG has been pretty fun but I'm running a melee class and there's just no sense of connecting with the bad guys when I hit them, which is disappointing.
-Piczle Cross: Rune Factory (Switch)
More puzzles!
The game I bought this past month was the Switch 2 version of the new LEGO Batman game. It was a birthday gift to myself. :)
I've heard that's a very good one!
I've dabbled in the Sniper Elite games. I'd like to dabble some more.
I've never touched the series and, honestly, I will be surprised if I get to it but the opportunity is there now!
Sneakin' and snipin' isn't really my thing but the controls are solid.