Looked back at my last update in November and not much has actually changed since I just don't have much in my backlog I'm interested in right now. I replayed Horizon for the third time but on a fresh save rather than New Game+, but I think I talked about that in the dedicated thread.

I dropped RDR2 for hard drive space and am still slowly, slowly moving through Control - I still enjoy it but turns out discovering that world for the first time is definitely a major driver. I also haven't actually been back into Hades much, though that's mainly because...

I didn't actually read what I wrote about RETURNAL when I first mentioned it in this thread, but it's essentially my game of the year 2021 that I didn't beat until early in 2022. And I guess I haven't FULLY beaten it as there's a semi-secret second ending to unlock, but for all intents and purposes I consider it beaten as I've seen the game through to the end boss and beaten it twice. This game is absolutely brilliant from a design perspective and seems to become a little self-aware when the player is really struggling with super timely health drops or weapon upgrades. I've had a lot of fun with intentionally punishing games, but Returnal is the first one where I felt like I was genuinely getting better at the game at the same time my character was getting better roles on her gear. Awesome, awesome game.

I finally got to the GHOST OF TSUSHIMA Iki Island expansion after giving up on my egotistical Lethal+ evangelism and kicking the game back down to Normal. Mostly this was just an excuse to play more GoT, but on PS5, that was unfamiliar to me. I still don't find Jin that interesting as a protagonist - it's actually kind of lame to me to run around as royalty while almost every NPC you interact with is merely "peasant" - and dislike the enemy unit they highlight during the DLC, but the new armor, weapons and missions are all fun as hell and that's the draw here anyway.

YAKUZA 5 I'm slowly chopping at still, haven't played it in almost three weeks, but I binged the fuck out of Yakuza 3 and 4 late last year (while also polishing off Zero early and working through Kiwami 2 in the summer) so I'm probably due for a slower burn. This one will probably keep me company all year.

EA SPORTS UFC 4 made its way to my hard drive through PS+. I remember the original UFC game being a super fun dorm room demo, but in playing the newest version of the full game I found myself wishing I had a roommate more than anything...or more accurately, wishing they'd just make another Fight Night: Champion. I made a 5'11" boxer like an idiot, had a mostly awful time winning every amateur fight in the MyCareer, and uninstalled the game. Meh.

PLANET COASTER also got a shot, and while I think I could really enjoy this as a podcast-and-chill experience, it just felt all kinds of wrong to me on a controller. Not necessarily bad, I could just tell it was taking me two minutes what would take 10 seconds with a mouse which quickly became exhausting. A patient kid might love it.

But the big one right now is DEMON'S SOULS (PS5), which I spent a long night severely struggling with as one starter class only to reset as another (NOT the Royal, thanks for asking) and mostly breeze through 1-1, 1-2 and 3-1. Unfortunately, I'm kinda stuck right now. Seems like the Valley of Defilement is what my character is most prepared to tackle right now but I'm HATING those lizard dudes and the weird descent of the level. I can't figure out the mine mazes of 2-2. I can't handle the rolly dudes of 5-1. It's discouraging after how smoothly I was moving before. Which lead me to...

Finally thinking I should give SEKIRO another shot and see if the PS5 makes a difference. It does not. I am ass.

So then I re-installed MLB THE SHOW 21 like a true addict after nearly four months sober and I'm right back on that grind. This year they held back the best Griffey Jr. until the very final card of the game, the bastards! I can't NOT collect it only to never use it because at that point I'll have "finished" the game, right? Right?!


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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
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