HowHammerYou

Usually, when a game disappoints me, I tend to get disappointed during the latter half of the game. However, there have been a few exceptions where I had instant buyer's remorse. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It looked amazing in the commercials, but as soon as I started playing, I realized that I would never be able to get rid of the weapon degradation, and that the cooking/crafting system was basically mandatory. Add to that the braindead dungeon design and the copy-paste shrines, and I was sick of the game long before I finished it. I beat it and will never play it again. Dark Souls 2. I still don't know how the creators of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring managed to make a game this poorly designed. I slogged through this game for 120+ hours and beat it just to spite the game. I will never play it again. And just recently, South Park: Snow Day. Unlike the previous two South Park games, this one is a 2000s-style low effort cash grab licensed game. All of the budget seems to have gone into the visuals, since those are the only part of the game that's any good. The game consists of only 5 missions/chapters, during which you do nothing but mow down waves of identical enemies Dynasty Warriors-style. There's no longer any exploration of any kind, and all of the missions have the same basic structure except for the third. Combat is extremely barebones, as there are no longer classes and only 3 melee weapons and 3 ranged weapons. And the game is freaking hard. I would have beaten it in less than 8 hours if it wasn't so damn difficult. I gave up playing on normal mode after Chapter 3, and this is coming from someone who beat Dark Souls 2 and has reached the final boss in RE3 Remake Nightmare Mode. What really makes it a pain in the butt is that if you die, you have to restart that entire mission from the beginning. I just beat it, and now it will sit on my shelf until I can give it to a co-worker who wanted to play it, as I have no intention of ever playing it again.

Last month Sony says that the PS5 is in the latter part of its life cycle (which seems to indicate a new console in 2026), then a devkit for a new Xbox console is certified in South Korea last week, and now GTA6 has been delayed to 2026 due to development issues... It's looking more and more like there will be a new generation of consoles launching that year. I could be wrong, but that's what I'm getting from it. Isn't Elder Scrolls 6 coming that year as well?

I never buy consoles day one, I usually wait a year or two for them to iron out the hardware/software bugs that inevitably occur with a new console launch. Also, neither of the last two console generations had any games at launch that I wanted to play, and there's no sense in buying a console if there's nothing worth playing on it. That said, my new strategy is to skip a generation and wait for the next one. Game development cycles are getting so long that most of the big series are skipping a generation anyhow. I'm fairly certain that Fallout 5, Elder Scrolls 6, Final Fantasy VII Part 3, Red Dead Redemption 3, Elden Ring 2, Horizon 3, and other games of that caliber are going to be launch titles for the PS6 and Xbox Y. I might pick up a cheap used PS5 to play Dragon's Dogma 2, but that's a big maybe as there's only 3-4 games on the console that I want.

I found a new game to be excited for: Dragon's Dogma 2. I recently happened across a trailer for it and HOLY CRAP. I love the armor. I love the monster designs. I love the combat. Add to that a detailed character creation system and Dark Souls-style combat mechanics, and this is the first gen 9 exclusive that has gotten me excited. This is the closest to a "must-have game" that I've seen in nearly a decade. This is also the first gen 9 game I've seen that truly looks like like a generational advancement over gen 8. I'm seriously considering getting a used PS5 to play it if I can find one for around $350.

MGSV: The Phantom Pain. Nothing like spending hundreds of hours playing what was billed as the final chapter of Big Boss' saga, then finding out the character you're playing as isn't even Big Boss. That ending burned me so bad I haven't touched any of my MGS games since, and it used to be one of my favorite series. FFVII Remake. That game was so good until the last chapter where they brought in the multiverse BS that wasn't in the original game.

To be honest, I haven't been a fan of the new direction they went in starting with VII. Mutagenic mold isn't exactly thrilling as a horror game plot device. I think I'll be done with the series after they remake CV.

Yet another indication that the 10th gen might be starting in 2026 instead of 2028. Honestly, I'm all for that. I'd much rather see a new console every 6 years than see a new console, a mid-gen refresh 4 years later, and a new console 4 years after that. Whatever happens, I really hope we get a third company competing with Sony and MS next gen to shake things up. The 2-company hegemony is getting stale.

Pound Cables are supposed to be really good. I still want to get one for my Gamecube, the only 6th-gen console I still have plugged in. I think they output 1080P.

I'm working on Anima, but I need to revisit 3 temples. It's been so long that I forgot the requirements for a lot of things. I'll be getting the Magus Sisters too. Already got Yojimbo, just paid the full 250k gil, didn't even bargain with the guy. I'll be getting a few of the celestial weapons, definitely Auron's as he's my favorite character.

As I was revisiting my PS3 library recently, I began thinking about what what old games I'd like to see get remakes or remasters. I'm much more a fan of the latter than the former, as I find game developers tend to take too many creative liberties when doing a full remake, but a few can be trusted to do the job. Anyhow, here's what I want: Resistance Trilogy Remastered: Admittedly I've never beat Resistance or Resistance 2, but I loved what I played of them. I'd love to see Sony remaster the trilogy as an all-in-one collection, it's one of the many first-party series they're currently shunning. Fallout New Vegas Remastered: Here's one I wouldn't trust Bethesda to do a full remake of, but I'd love to see them re-release it on consoles with Very High settings or better, and no RAM cap. Resident Evil Code Veronica X Remake: Capcom has been knocking it out of the park with their remakes of classic RE games lately, and I really hope they follow the same path with Code Veronica. I'll be pissed if 5 and 6 get remakes before this. Soulcalibur III Remastered: SCIII is still probably the best fighting game I've ever played. I'd love to see it remade with new models and textures, but I'd settle for just a remaster with 1080P textures so it's no longer stuck on PS2. Final Fantasy VII Classic Remastered: Now I know what you're all saying, "FFVII already got a remake!" Well, yes and no. The remake currently being developed is such a massive departure from the original plot-wise that it might as well be a different game. Here's what I wanted to see: Just take the original game, leave the story alone, and update the graphics to the level of late-gen PS2 games such as Resident Evil 4 (2005), with 1080P textures. They could even use new pre-rendered backgrounds instead of full 3D backgrounds if they wanted. All of that should easily fit on a single blu-ray and run on both PS4 and PS5. In fact, I'm pretty sure 7th-gen consoles could run that. A lot of people, myself included, didn't want the revamped FFVII to be a AAA megaproject that took 10+ years to develop and cost over $200 across three installments, we just wanted the original to look like Crisis Core or KH2. Conflict: Vietnam Remake: I will always remember this as the hardest shooter I've ever played. I loved it, but I never finished it. I'd love to see it fully remade, as the industry is sorely lacking a good vietnam 3rd-person shooter. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Remake: Back when I played MGS games, this was by far my favorite. It had a great story, you could replay missions any time you wanted, the base-building mechanics weren't a pain in the butt like they were in 5, and there was a singing robot shagohod. I'd love to see it remade on a newer engine with larger mission maps.

I don't have kids yet either, but this is something I've thought about a lot. I've already decided that I'm just going to get them something like the Genesis Mini, Neo Geo Mini, or one of those Chinese emulation boxes with thousands of games on them. I'll start them gaming on one of those when they're about 4 or 5, and that's all they're getting until they're over 10 and have proven they can take care of their stuff. I'm not getting a new console that costs hundreds of dollars and giving it to a young child. Sure that's how I started gaming when I was growing up, but back then there wasn't a massive pre-existing library of classic games available at rock-bottom prices. There's no reason to do that anymore. As far as games I don't want my kids playing, mostly it's the modern live-service stuff and open-world games that take hundreds of hours to finish. I may want to introduce them to the hobby, but I don't want it taking up all of their free time like it did during my childhood.

I'm playing FFX Remastered on PS3. The last time I played it was 10 years ago to the month, I got to Braska's Final Aeon and kept getting my butt kicked, so I stopped. Earlier this month I started a fresh playthrough and am now back at the same boss, grinding so I can beat the game this time. It's been a great nostalgia trip. After I beat FFX I'll replay FFX-2, then move on to replay Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.

Just Pokemon Legends Z-A. However, given how BD/SP and Scarlet/Violet turned out, I'm expecting them to ruin it.

From what I heard, it was delayed to Q1 2025 so they could make sure they had enough inventory to counter scalpers. It sucks that scalpers are this big of a problem these days.

Looks like there will be no physical copy on release date, it's less than a week away and Amazon still doesn't have it listed. Bummer. However, Aspyr does have a track record of partnering with other companies to release their Star Wars remasters physically a few months after release, so I'm hoping for that.

Upscaling is about the only thing I will tolerate AI doing. I'm almost completely opposed to AI, because it's a replacement for the human mind and eventually humanity in general. I'm reminded of a quote from The Matrix, "This was the peak of your civilization. I say your civilization because as soon as we began making your decisions for you, it became our civilization." But whatever, just as long as they don't allow it to learn outside its programming. I was planning to buy a PS5 Pro this year, but Sony recently made a very strange statement regarding the PS5. They said it was in the latter part of its life cycle already. Now the PS5 is just over 3 years old, so if it's already past the halfway point, that would indicate the PS6 releasing in 2026 instead of the previously rumored 2028 release. So why would I buy a new console now if they're just going to release another one in roughly 2 years? Plus I'm certain that the PS6 will be getting all of the PS5 games as (possibly 8K) remasters. I guess I'll be playing Elden Ring Complete Edition Remastered and Demon's Souls Remake Remastered on the PS6.🤣 Really, Sony's statement about the PS5 reminds me of when the president of SEGA said, "The Sega Saturn isn't our future." and killed interest in that console.

I'm really excited for this. Can't wait to hit the snowdrifts on Hoth again, and rack up the body count with a tie interceptor in the space battles. So many good memories from back in the day.

Personally, I'm rooting for Xbox Y.

Definitely the limited-edition PS4 Pro that was made to commemorate the console selling over 500 million units. That shiny, transparent blue shell with bronze logos looks so slick. It looks like a gigantic sapphire. I still dream of adding one to my collection some day.

A forgotten horror game from an otherwise very popular horror series: Resident Evil Code: Veronica X. It's so forgotten that Capcom forgot to release it physically when they ported their old RE games to PS4 and Xbox One. It was the only RE game remaster to be released digital-only. It's probably my favorite or second favorite game in the series, and I really hope it winds up being Capcom's next remake.

Some form of non-disc physical media. I imagine something like an SD card the size of a credit card, but made with more advanced technology, or those crystal coins that are being used to archive data now. I want physical media to stay alive, but I also think it needs to evolve beyond the limitations of the disc format.

I'm really psyched for the Star Wars Battlefront Classics Collection releasing in March, more than I have been for any game in the past 5 years. I might even buy it on release day since it's $35. I'm also cautiously optimistic about Metal Gear Solid Delta, I just hope it doesn't get screwed up. I also hope it doesn't reopen my old wounds caused by MGS5, not sure I can bring myself to play another MGS game.

The only developers I still like or care about these days are From Software, Capcom, and SNK. From Software's games are almost always great and I love their Soulsborne genre, Capcom has been knocking it out of the park with all of their Resident Evil remakes, and SNK has an amazing legacy of classic games (even if they don't make a whole lot of new stuff besides the occasional Samurai Shodown or King of Fighters sequel).

Not anymore. I think I only bought 3-4 new games last year, and I still don't have a 9th-gen console yet.

For me, it's a variety of reasons: First, I don't have as much time anymore. Second, more and more often, games are disappointing or releasing in incomplete states. Third, games just aren't designed for my generation anymore. I first realized that when I bought BOTW and saw they had managed to shoehorn smartphones into a Zelda game as an integral gameplay element. Fourth, games these days are too big. The open-world monogenre has turned video games into massive timesinks that take hundreds of hours to finish, and I'm just not into that.