Ashtear

I kinda devoured Metaphor: ReFantazio. Partly because I got sick and had nothing better to do, but I also really enjoyed the game. I love the Persona formula, and the new blending of SMT and Etrian Odyssey elements were good, too. Great experience, though I think I liked P4 and P5 a little bit more because the overall character writing/interactions was stronger (but loved, loved Gallica. my favorite character in a while). Metaphor's social link stories were strong, along with the main story. Different direction with the storytelling, for sure. I hope P-Team picks up a few of these developments--especially how much more streamlined the gameplay is with the calendar--for Persona 6.

Picked up Atelier Escha & Logy to continue my journey there, only played a little bit so far. Love the music already. I don't have any releases in the genre coming up for a bit (until Daybreak 2 next year), and I think I've played what I've wanted to among the 2024 releases. So, no real plans other than that for the month in the genre.

You're starting with the best one as far as I'm concerned!

I had to actually get my hands on it to find out what appeals. For me it was a combination of challenge, routine, and a clear sense of progression. Hunting materials for gear gave me clear milestones while I was also getting better at the combat at the same time in a more intangible way.

Monster Hunter World was the one I spent the most time in, and my favorite part was the multiplayer. Unfortunately, frustration with that is also what led me to eventually drop it. Co-op with a friend in that game was bizarrely restricted, with a really janky way of going through the story (I eventually figured out that it was just better to do the story independently). On top of that, the multiplayer had technical issues on PC at launch.

I hear that Wilds will have a similar setup for the main story co-op--outright bizarre for a AAA game releasing in freaking 2025--but here's hoping it won't have the other issues at least.

This is actually why I didn't get very far in Diabolical Box. I had a decent time with Curious Village, but I needed a little more, and it was clear the second game wasn't going to get there.

I really liked Clive Barker's Undying and replayed it a couple times. Great atmosphere, though I'm not sure how well it would hold up today. Early 3D stuff.

SOMA might be the only game I've played that I almost regret going through. I can't get it out of my head, and it always creeps me out at least a little when I think about it.

This year, we had the most kids we've had in years. I think the weather helped; a couple years ago we even had a few inches of snow on the ground while it's been unseasonably warm this year.

By the way, I would have been over the moon to get jerky sticks for Halloween as a kid. Love that shit. Maybe I'm weird, but I didn't even really like chocolate much until I got older.

It's an amazing fit for Takarazuka. I'd absolutely be going if I were still in the area.

If you've played the 2010-ish version of it, there's not much here.

If you haven't, it's still my gold standard for remakes; I haven't touched the original Ys III since this dropped. The arranged soundtrack is unquestionably better than many of the original versions of the game, the dungeon pace is excellent, and it's challenging. It still retains a lot of that classic Ys feel, and it's one of the best representatives of the venerable series.

I don't think you're necessarily wrong on this. Part of the problem is new IPs are risky, and I'm sure market research is telling the big publishers that you'd better not suddenly downgrade your graphics on an established property. Nintendo's very comfortable in this space because they haven't really gone this route with first party. They've even managed to thread the needle on Mario, Metroid, and Zelda by having both 2D and 3D offerings.

My wishlist is Final Fantasy Tactics, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, and Xenogears. A Xenogears remake likely isn't ever happening so I'd be happy with a remaster, and it's practically an open secret at this point that an FFT project is in development. It getting the Tactics Ogre Reborn treatment would be lovely, but what I really want is an orchestrated soundtrack. Here's hoping it doesn't get cancelled. 🤞

As a genre, 4X is still kicking around, but I'm not even sure if SMAC is beloved enough to get the treatment. Good voice acting would be essential.

I'd be happy with a simple remaster with a cleaned-up script. Disc 2 wasn't as bad as I'd remembered on a replay I had earlier this year.