eleventh January
Hey and Glad Saturday (when you have fun such issues)! Did you’ve got a pleasant week? I hope so.
That is our common characteristic the place we write a bit of bit about a number of the video games we have been taking part in. This time, we received scared in a snowy village, we’re very a lot having fun with a much-loved collection, and returning to an previous basic at a slower tempo.
Meet up with the older editions of this column in our What We have Been Enjoying archive.
Resident Evil Village, PS5 Professional
I might received a few hours into Resident Evil 8 on Xbox, however then thought I might play on Steam Deck, earlier than giving up because it was too scary. Quick ahead to some weeks in the past and working as finest it could actually on present consoles because of the PS5 Professional, I am again for a 3rd strive. I am happy to report that I am loving Village for the time being. The setting is beautiful and having performed RE4 Remake not way back I am discovering this a complete lot extra unsettling.
I play loads of horror video games, however I am unable to say that I’ve developed any kind of a tolerance for them. I get scared on the most trivial issues, reminiscent of a dangling object shifting or a door closing. Village’s depiction of a small city that has been deserted/devastated is a macabre delight to discover, however boy does it have loads of doorways (that shut) and issues (which can be hung).
At this level I am correctly invested and it should take much more than some dangling lumps of meat to ship me working to a different recreation.
-Tom O
Yakuza: Like A Dragon, PS5
I’ve had Like A Dragon on my backlog without end, ever since I performed Yakuza Kiwami years in the past after which skipped the remainder of the collection. I knew I might love its zany storytelling, turn-based fight and RPG trappings. I did not know I might love them this a lot, although.
For the unaware, Like A Dragon is the seventh within the collection and switched from motion recreation to RPG pastiche, fuelled by new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga’s predilection for Dragon Quest. Its turn-based fight is dynamic and I am keen on how RPG stereotypes are given actual world Japan parallels: its job system ranges from homeless man mage to healer pop idol, whereas expertise, gear and gadgets, pun-infused enemy varieties, and extra are all recognisable from fashionable Japanese tradition. It is hilarious too, significantly the facet quests the place I’ve assisted varied idiotic males in compromising positions: from repeatedly pissing in a river, to a fetish for nappies, and the lack to really feel sado-masochistic ache. It is fully weird, but in addition a genuinely well-crafted send-up of the style.
I am aggravated at myself for not taking part in it sooner, however equally I am glad to be taking part in it now. I used to be fortunate sufficient to go to Japan final yr and have spent loads of time in Like A Dragon’s fictional metropolis recognising the streets of Shinjuku (I stayed proper there!) and the Yokohama Cosmo Clock 21 – it is surprisingly correct. And it is allowed me to understand extra completely the sport’s nuanced tackle modern-day Japan.
My intention was to race by means of this collection entry to get to final yr’s Infinite Wealth – and if it is even half pretty much as good, it completely would’ve made it into my high video games of 2024. However I am having such a good time with Like A Dragon I do not wish to rush it. I am completely enthralled.
-Ed
Rise of the Tomb Raider, Xbox Collection X
When the climate outdoors is chilly and sometimes dreary (let’s face it, that is Britain), it is maybe advisable to play one thing set on a distant sunny shore, to assist offset the coolness of the actual world. For some cause, nonetheless, I’ve not been doing this, and as a substitute I’ve chosen to spend the coldest time of the yr taking part in Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is the second entry within the collection’ reboot trilogy, and it is definitely not set within the Caymans. Relatively, Lara is doing her utmost to discover a mysterious artefact often known as the Divine Supply – which is claimed to carry the promise of immortality – within the freezing, ice-laced wilderness of Siberia. She is not alone in her search although, and so in fact there’s loads of combating dangerous guys and hopping between bushes/bushes/buildings/cliff edges and so forth, whereas Lara deploys her trusty ice axes to avoid wasting her from coming to a messy finish. , normal stuff.
I’ve already accomplished Rise of the Tomb Raider earlier than, so I understand how the story ends, besides, I’ve loved heading again to Siberia for one more go round. I’m being extra thorough this time, and in search of out all the non-obligatory problem tombs which can be scattered all through. I’m additionally doing extra of the little facet quests that Lara will get requested to hold out. And you recognize, it has truly been a really chill solution to spend my evenings. Whereas my first playthrough was so centered on discovering out the story, this time the story has taken a backseat. I’m now simply having fun with taking some explorative snowy walks with Lara, whereas staying heat and dry myself. These sunny shores can wait a bit of bit longer.
-Victoria
