If I just post now then none of you is tempted to start the thread once
the sun comes up because mine's already here.

Play:
--=--

Gran Turismo 6 (PS3) - On three screens! I was tempted to deploy a more
robust (and more permanent) network setup, but in the end I left it with
static IPs through a dumb switch because I wanted a one-for-one
configuration comparison with the previous game. I'm pleased to report
that GT6 is both more reliable and less error-prone than its predecessor
in terms of supporting multiple screens, so if you've got a save file with
a lot of content unlocked already then the newer game is definitely the
way to go. My son spent a good hour on it learning how not to handle
oversteer, which is quite an achievement given that all of the available
cars in arcade mode are rear-wheel drive.

Yakuza 5 Remastered (PC) - I've remembered that one of the reasons I like
the first few chapters of Yakuza 5 is that it's one of the few times where
we don't see Kiryu in full control. Of course he's still top of every
fistfight and most clever dude in a hundred mile radius, but the events of
the main story cast him in the unusual role of just another guy going
with the flow and trying not to rock the boat. He doesn't fully get
comfortable being that guy and letting go of his obligations until the end
of Yakuza 6, and I think realising that means I've figured out why it was
necessary to have that one last chapter of his story. I could never figure
out if I thought Yakuza 6 was superfluous or not form a thematic
standpoint and I think now I'm comfortable with it.

Dungeon Siege III (PS3) - I somehow got it into my head that this was a
Dragon Age game and steered clear of it for years because I assumed that
it was another generic and soulless EA joint. Turns out it's a pretty
paint-by-numbers Diablo clone ambitiously planned out by Obsidian and
published with not much care by Square Enix. It has all the hallmarks of a
great game design hobbled by multi-platform limitations, in that they
probably had to make this run on the worst spec PC they had in the
building and then somehow make it seem impressive and graphically sparkly
on consoles. This sort of half-baked-good-effort game is what I wish
they'd take time to remaster, in that going back to the old design docs
and seeing what they *couldn't* do that they can do now is more
interesting than just doing what they did slightly better.

Fallen Legion: Revenant (PS4) - This is a weird game. Imagine of Namco's
Tales series had no overworld exploration and no inventory management,
only the real-time fighting system. And then the fighting system wasn't
even fully real-time, but required you to watch a bunch of timing bars
floating past a la one of the later Final Fantasy games. I really want to
applaud the game for doing something new with a wild fantasy RPG world,
but I'm not sure if it's added up to a fun video game experience. RPGs
haven't really moved all that far past the tabletop pen-and-paper model
that it's been trying to emulate (with only mixed success) for fifty years
now, and I'm not sure that it's ever going to and still remain something
that we want to do for fun.

Want:
--=--

Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut (PS3) - Finally! They did a
reprint that got picked up by GameQuestDirect, who apparently don't have
their own US storefront anymore. No matter, they have a million retail
partners who are happy to take on logistics and shipping for them. Bought.
I feel like the guy who's enabling an old friend's cocaine habit by
purchasing from his wife's pyramid scheme yoga clothing club.

A home port of Indy 500 (ARC) - One of the ways that I know I actually
still love video games is that I spend a lot of time on trivial,
nonsensical acts in service of being able to play. By comparison, there's
a lot of trivia and history about the games I really love that I've
completely missed or otherwise had no awareness of. Case in point, Daytona
USA had a sister game in the arcade called Indy 500 that had an official
licence from the track and racing authority in Indianapolis, and
represented open-wheel racing using the same graphics and game engine as
Daytona. It's something of a more pure sim than Daytona, more concerned
with realism and substance over flash and fun. I still want to be able to
experience that without having to set up an emulator or steal game code.

Bin:
-==-

Nothing game-related.

Expenditure:
-----=-----

Balance forward - $1,991

Fallen Legion Revenants (PS4) - $27
Fallen Legion Rise to Glory/Revenants Deluxe Edition (PS5) - $60
Sonic Unleashed (PS3) - $22
Sonic 2006 (PS3) - $20
Rune Factory Tides of Destiny (PS3) - $30
Nier (PS4) - $30
Deadly Premonition Director's Cut (PS3) - $65
Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection (PS3) - $30

Total to date - $2,275

-KKC, who still doesn't feel like he's very good at his job.
--
-- "People with happy families don't become spies. A bad | kendrick
childhood is the perfect background for covert ops. You | @
don't trust anyone. You're used to getting smacked around, | io-nyc
and you never get homesick." - Michael Westen, /Burn Notice/ | .com

Kendrick Kerwin Chua <kendrick@nospam.io-nyc> wrote:

> If I just post now then none of you is tempted to start the thread once
> the sun comes up because mine's already here.

Also, bank holiday.

> Play:

Oekaki Puzzle (PS1) - having clearly not been neglecting this in any
way, I did some more of the 10x10 puzzles.

> Want:

Probably one or two indies, having looked into various newer ones.

> Bin:

Nothing.

-Rus.