Hello there! It’s 31c with no AC. Here’s some games.
Dabbles:
Multiversus (Free to Play) – I’m not a huge Smash guy. I played a decent amount of Brawl on the Wii, but that was the last time I really got into it. Multiversus doesn’t really capture me for the same reasons Smash doesn’t, though it’s worth noting it’s easy to lose track of your character in Multiversus.
Torchlight (Games With Gold) – Having never played the original game before, I was surprised at just how much of Torchlight 2’s charm is present in the original entry. I felt right at home, and plan to go back occasionally to scratch that ARPG itch and hunt for achievements.
Assassin’s Creed II (Owned) – I recently started my newest playthrough of AC2 as part of a series-long streamthrough. More on that below.
For The King (Owned) – It’s been a long time since I picked up an indie title on sale based on how it looked. For The King is a fun Final-Fantasy combat style board game roguelike. I’ve only done one run so far, though.
DiRT Rally 2.0 (Game Pass Ultimate) – I’ve only just dipped my toe into this game, and it’s made me realise how different rally racing games are to track racing games. The terrain is so bumpy and varied, and no time-reversal mechanics make for a thrilling race against the clock with high risk/reward factors at play.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands (Game Pass Ultimate) – I had a feeling this game wouldn’t be for me, and it wasn’t! I like the tactical shootouts well enough, but the narrative surrounding it is so not up my alley. Modern military espionage bores me to tears.
Far Cry 5 (Game Pass Ultimate) – Here’s a game that left a fantastic first impression, but slowly let me down as I realised it basically boiled down to clearing objectives off a map. It’s just… missing something.
Medieval Dynasty (Game Pass PC) – I would love this game if I could run it. And lord did I try! But even at 1366×768, I couldn’t keep a stable 30fps at Medium settings. One for a future rig, or a console port.
Two Point Hosptial (Game Pass PC) – After watching a review for Two Point Campus, I decided to start with this entry. I’ve got my first hospital up to one star, and I enjoy it! Not sure how I’m going to feel about doing it over and over for different hospitals as I progress though.
Subnautica (Game Pass) – Just started it, but I love the underwater setting.
Continued Adventures:
Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (Owned) – WOAH! I did a few livestreams in Crash Bandicoot 2. Still a good game. Still a bloody good remake.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Owned) – I finally 1000-pointed the first game in the trilogy! No reason for it to take so long, I just don’t feel rushed after getting the Platinum on PS4. Was reminded how beautiful they made every level.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Game Pass Ultimate) – Been playing the odd multiplayer match here and there. Wish the queue times were a little better for individual games or modes, but it’s damn near instant if you queue for Slayer on all of them.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
As Dusk Falls
Note: As of the time of writing, I’m 4/6 chapters through the story. Also, no spoilers here.
Multiple choice narrative games aren’t exactly new, but they are still a relatively rare commodity compared to other genres. Narrative games are themselves still far from a perfected art, so it can be surprising to see an entry in the genre raise above the usual ambitions of simply telling a good story, and instead shoot for something more: taking interactive storytelling and injecting it with a dose of multiplayer.
I was sceptical when I first heard about this feature, but having played the majority of the game as a group of three, I can only applaud it. As Dusk Falls takes those “what would I do in this situation” moments and turns them into discussions. For instance, do you try to disarm the gun or do you acquiesce to the demands of the gun-holder? Discussions ensue about the danger of engaging in combat versus the consequences of giving the assailant what they want. What would have been an internal discussion alone becomes a fun sharing of opinions, with majority vote winning out. Another thing that’s fun about this is seeing the story play out differently to how it might have if you’d had the sole decision making reins, as well as perhaps not feeling solely guilty for getting people killed.
One of the problems surrounding this game, though, is that so much is often said about the way this game is played that people often overlook the best part: The story. I won’t say too much for fear of spoilers, but the narrative of this game certainly isn’t a simple tool to host this proof of concept. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s gripping, with a strong, diverse cast of characters, and a plot that weaves a web of action and consequence between multiple flashback scenes. I recommend just checking it out even if you don’t have friends to discuss your decisions with.
Power Wash Simulator (PC)
Much like last month’s House Flipper, I count Power Wash Simulator among my “meditative games” to zone out to while I listen to a podcast. The concept sounds absurd and self-defeating – after all, why spend hours power washing a virtual world when you have real life cleaning to do? – but the game truly does deliver the zen-like satisfaction of cleaning grit and grime in a manner which tickles all the right parts of your brain, with none of the physical exertion! Isn’t life just grand.
I’ve personally been listening to the Marvel’s Wastelanders narrative podcasts whilst Power Washing. I’ll always associate these levels with some messed up post-apocalyptic storytelling.
Owned
Assassin’s Creed Origins (Also on Game Pass)
After having first played Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2018, then having replayed the first half of it again about a year ago, I returned with the 60fps update to finally finish the damn game. Not only that, but the DLCs too! All I’ve really got left to do for 100% completion is the slightly unforgiving task of completing every location in the game.
Having played Odyssey beforehand, it was interesting to see how this stacked up to it. I think I still prefer Odyssey overall, but Origins’ story doesn’t trail far behind it. I enjoyed the story of Bayek and Aya, even if it was painfully obvious at times that the original plot of this story had Bayek dying halfway through and Aya taking over. For instance, ever notice how you take control of Aya for some of the most important plot-driven missions in the second half of the game? That cinematic with Caesar not trusting Aya to do the mission he’d given Bayek was absolutely an elbow to the ribs of the higher-ups in Ubisoft.
The DLCs were fine. It was fun to see Bayek portrayed in a different way – a way in which we’re more used to in these games – in the story of that DLC, but ultimately the plot was just to kill more bad guys. The Curse of the Pharaohs was fun, but handled the introduction of mythological elements to the story in a very vague and offhand way. I was left wondering if I’d glitched past some important lines of dialogue (which I honestly might have done) when Bayek entered his first afterlife and just… took it in his stride, like another day at the office. If I were him, I’d be seriously concerned about the ramifications of his presence there and the consequences of his actions, but he barely utters a word. Then again, I think it’s implied that the afterlives are simulations, and he knows it? Like I said, very ambiguous, but not in a way that feels meaningfully mysterious.
Overall, Origins will go down as one of my favourite titles in the series, and I’m happy to have played it.
Assassin’s Creed
But wait! There’s more!
I have some weird gaps in my Assassin’s Creed playthroughs, the first of that being the very first in the series. Seeking to rectify this, I’ve decided to livestream my playthrough of the entire series. This month, I got finished up with the first game in the series, and found that in a lot of aspects, it had aged a lot better than I expected it to. I mean sure, it’s a lot heavier on the stealth mechanics to the point of frustration, the climbing is clunkier, and mission structure is more formulaic, the plot is less interesting, and all that. But besides some intensely frustrating informant missions, I had a pretty good time! It’s also so nice to finally have the beginning of this story in my brain.
Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels DLC
It’s… fine.
I don’t know how to say this, but whilst I think it’s really fun and I’m glad it exists, I can’t find myself enthused enough to talk about it at length. Maybe I just burned myself out on FH5 by playing so much before launch, but I just don’t find myself dying to play this right now. Maybe it’s because by the very nature of Hot Wheels tracks, the courses are mostly straights, no matter how exciting those straights may be.
I will say this: The FH5 version of the Hot Wheels DLC does a much better job of making you feel like you doing crazy loop-de-loops and delving into deep chasms than the first one does.
In Summary
In summary, it’s 31c here with no AC and I’ve sweated out all my words into this blog post. I’ll see you next month, provided I’m not a puddle on the floor.
Gamerscore as of July 12th: 35,165
Gamerscore as of August 12th: 38,210
32 Bit Brain 