Finished Yakuza: Like A Dragon during the weekend. A fantastic fresh start for the series, Ichiban is probably the best protagonist these games ever had, the addition of a party really helps in putting some color in the narrative, and the change to Turn-Based Combat actually made the game feel faster.

Started Core Keeper, and I greatly appreciate a survival/crafting game that holds your hands just enough while also throwing you into a hostile world. The 2D pixel art is a delightful, and I can feel the progression system working its dark magic in my brain. Also played a little bit of Darktide, though so far I ain’t feeling it much. The last two online co-op games of the type I played were Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Deep Rock Galactic, which I felt did more to stand out from the genre’s expectations, but I’ll give a few more missions before laying a final judgement.

They’re all on GamePass, though Like A Dragon is leaving in a few days.

It was an interesting game. Came out at a time we were going through a bit of a fast paced FPS drought and was one of the - relatively - big name reboots, but curiously one that didn’t have a lasting impact. I had fun at the time, even with the comically awful fall damage (dashing and dying from going down the stairs was equal parts frustrating and hilarious), and hold no nostalgia for the old games. There were fun guns and cool enemies to kill, as well as a story that landed with one of my favorite bittersweet endings.

At the end of the day, I think “enjoyable” would be my final mark; save for the big, busy arenas during the final levels, the game didn’t feel as high octane or thrilling as future releases like DOOM and Titanfall 2, and from the little that I played of the first sequel they really lost their way.

You’re welcome!