PixlBit

Games Beaten

-Live A Live (Switch)

I'm glad we got this holy grail import RPG finally brought west for the modern era. Live A Live looks and sounds fantastic and the voice acting is truly excellent. The seven (psst! It's actually eight) protagonists, all in different time periods, lend the game so much variety, especially since the devs change up the kinds of things you're doing. That variety, however, means the battle system never gets to develop until the final scenario. And the story that brings everyone together is very arbitrary. These missteps aside, it's still an impressive and enjoyable game.

-Moon Chronicles (3DS)

There is nothing particularly remarkable about Moon Chronicles, a 3D FPS adventure. The game began life as a DS game, so its 3D graphics are not particularly impressive (though they do give me nostalgic feelings for mid-'90s PC games). The music is...there. The level design and enemy AI are fine, if a little bland. The game does give you a nice selection of weapons to use and the bosses can be difficult without becoming frustrating. I really did enjoy the story though (alien big pharma!). Its problems would be egregious if the game dragged on but it's a good length for what it is and I enjoyed playing through it.

-Nano Assault EX (3DS)

I had assumed this would be a more traditional shmup but it turned out to be a twin stick shooter with Star Fox-esque levels connecting the different areas. The game looks really nice and the 3D effect is especially great in the behind-the-ship levels. There's also a nice variety to your sub weapons, though I wish there were a few more enemy types. The main problem is that the game is pretty short. There are multiple modes but they all use the same levels and I'm not interested in playing it through several times. Still, it was fun while it lasted.

-Yakuza 0 (PS4)

Yakuza 0 is very similar to Kiwami 1 and 2. It's got the super serious crime drama and super goofy side stories. It's got an overabundance of mini games, a couple of which get their own story arcs. It's got the tight 3D beat-'em-up gameplay with light RPG progression. It looks dang nice too! If anything, there is too much that you can do. I felt that the side stories did not trigger as easily in this one. My playtime was longer with this one than the Kiwamis but somehow I did fewer side stories. But anyway! It's a great game and there are a lot of reasons to like it.

Games Bought

In July I picked up one of the visual novels I've been eyeing since it came out: Master Detective Archives: Rain Code (Switch), a mystery game by the writer of Danganronpa. Other than that it was just the PS+ games. I tend to get bored with the LEGO games before finishing them but it seemed dumb to skip LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5), so I got that. One of my kids has been playing Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (PS5), which seems like a decently well-made game, though not really something that interests me. Finally, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (PS+) is supposed to be pretty good, though I don't know much about it.

Games Being Played

-Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Switch)

After putting off buying this game on Vita for years and then waiting several years after getting the Switch collection, I am finally playing Danganronpa! And, shocker, it's really good. The story follows a group of high schoolers who are trapped in school with the only way out being murdering someone and getting away with it. I'm in the fourth trial right now.

-Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons (Switch)

I am down to the last few pages of puzzles. I appreciate that this game has not simply inflated its challenge level by making all the puzzles bigger.

-Destiny 2 (PS5)

Still working through the story of the most recent expansion.