Let's start things off with Herald of Darkness from Alan Wake II
RUMORWhile this is only a rumor, it kind of gets you thinking about what the next installment of Banjo Kazooie could be. I absolutely love both the first and second games dearly, but I'm half and half on Nuts & Bolts. I've heard both sides and I agree with points on both sides, but I think now more than ever is the perfect time for a new Banjo Kazooie game. I'll talk more about this as we hear more solidified information but for now, the interest is definitely there.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technology/rumor-new-banjo-kazooie-game-could-be-in-development/ar-AA1mgpNY
QuoteA new Banjo-Kazooie game could be in development, according to the latest rumors. The original Banjo-Kazooie is often pointed to as one of the absolute-best games ever released for the Nintendo 64, and while Banjo-Tooie isn't remembered quite as fondly, it still earned a great deal of critical acclaim. The series largely went off the rails after Banjo-Tooie, with the GBA games Grunty's Revenge and Banjo-Pilot failing to drum up much interest.
Top 10 Favorite Video Game Songs
I've done entries talking about video game soundtracks, hell I could probably talk your ear off about video game music. But I'm going to simply be doing a countdown of my personal favorite top 10 video game tracks that I have heard throughout the years. This could be all the way from the 90's, up to current day. In no particular order:
#10Pokemon Scarlet / Violet - Penny ThemePokemon music is always excellent, but I really feel like they 'evolved' with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. I know the game is riddled with performance issues and whatever, but the experience is honestly still such a pure Pokemone experience that I sincerely urge anyone to give the games a shot. Penny's theme at the end of the story is one of the greatest climaxes to a Pokemon story that I've ever seen. This is definitely up there with my favorite tracks from Hoenn and Kanto.
#9
Gruntilda's Lair Theme - Banjo KazooieOne of the most common songs that I hum out of sheer randomness. The simplicity of the track mixed with the environments of the world really make this track standout.
#8
Fallout 3 SountrackI'm just going to put "Fallout 3 Soundtrack" as this entry because when I was trying to find a track to put here, it was virtually impossible to pick one. Fallout 3 is one of my favorite games of all time and the immersion that the music brings is something I had never experienced before up to that point. Simply one of the best video game experience I've ever had and one of the best soundtracks to bring it all together.
#7 #6 & #5Spoiler
Fable 3 - SanctuarySuper Mario World - Athletic ThemeMenu Theme
Honorable Mention (not part of the top 10)
Goldeneye 007 - Pause Menu Theme
2024 Games Reviewed In This Journal
(Index)
This will be an index of the games that I review in this journal. Specifically games that are released this year (2024). Any other reviews will be linked in a separate index. You can find that here: Prior To 2024 Games Reviewed Index (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21095#msg21095)
PALWORLDPalworld: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21683#msg21683)
Palworld...A Follow-up: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21845#msg21845)
Palworld...With Screenshots: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg22000#msg22000)
Prior To 2024 Games Reviewed In This Journal
(Index)
This will be an index of the games that I review in this journal. Specifically games that are released prior to 2024 that I haven't had a chance to dive into yet or haven't talked about (enough) yet. Any other reviews will be linked in a separate index. You can find that here: 2024 Releases Reviewed Index (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21094#msg21094)
My Time At Portia (First Impressions):
LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21113#msg21113)My Time At Portia (pt.2): LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21156#msg21156)
My Time At Portia (pt.3): LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21172#msg21172)
Fallout 3: Jumping Back In!: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21200#msg21200)
Wrapping Up My Time With...My Time At Portia: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21231#msg21231)
Everspace 2: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg21489#msg21489)
Valheim: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg22201#msg22201)
Brotato (First Impressions): LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg22333#msg22333)
Monster Sanctuary: First Look: LINK (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=618.msg22429#msg22429)
My Time At Portia
(https://i.imgur.com/K9KhDVq.jpg)
I'm kicking myself over and over again right now because for one reason or another, it took me a long time to jump into this game. I knew already that this was going to be a game I was going to love. It has farming, crafting, all the essentials to make a really good survival game. What I wasn't expecting was the extent that I would enjoy this game, and as quickly as that came on. I took a break from gaming for a few weeks because for one, my hands were giving me some trouble, and two, I just simply wasn't enjoying anything I was playing. I tried to jump back into Starfield, and meh. I played Conan Exiles for a few days with my best friend and while that was great, it just wasn't completely what I was looking for. My Time At Portia scratches that itch. Not only is it a really good crafting / survival style game, but it's also really relaxing to play and doesn't feel like you are in a rush all the time. Now I love games like Elden Ring and Assassin's Creed like the next guy, but I also love a game where I can just sort of chill out and enjoy my time. No stress, no goals that I have to immediately get to. It's got the same spell that Stardew Valley has where if you spend 5 minutes or an hour, you feel like you got something done either way. I'm currently level 9 right now and still getting the basic workshop stuff done but all in all, I'm having a pretty good time. I played for a few hours and didn't even realize it and I'm about to go jump back in.
My Time At Portia (pt.2)Oh my god I am loving this game! Here are some screenshots:Spoiler
(https://i.imgur.com/PBkOZft.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/WfqgFUf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9L4kH7X.jpg)
My Time At Portia (pt.3)I upgraded my house today and got more land for more stuff to build! Currently I am just going around collecting resources and making money to further upgrade the buildings I have. I'm going to build a stable next because once you do that, you can raise mounts that you can ride around! Here's a few photos of what my current plot of land looks like:
Spoiler
(https://i.imgur.com/bxQ3rdZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PKY5Fmf.jpg)
Fallout 3
Jumping Back In!
(https://i.imgur.com/D84ifrM.jpg)
I can't say for certain whether it's been a long time or a short time between the time I last played Fallout 3 and now. Either way, you read that right! I am jumping back into Fallout 3 for the 'i lost count'th time. I love this game so much. It was my first experience with a Fallout game and was also my first experience with a truly open world game. Not to say anything negative about my experiences before this, but I didn't have as much exposure to an RPG rich game other than Fable or Enclave. There simply weren't a lot going around back in the day, or at least I just didn't notice them. Fallout 3 will forever hold a special place in my heart for truly being one of the most unique experiences I've ever had in gaming. I try to own a copy of this game in every way that I can, and most recently I now own it own Xbox Series S, but for every console before it, you're damn right I found a copy of it!
This'll be a nice break from My Time At Portia. And as I have done a pretty in depth review of Fallout 3 before, there won't be too many more updates other than me just being excited to jump back in again!
Wrapping Up My Time With...My Time At Portia
Final thoughts, etc.
As much as I would like to say I'm gonna go back and play My Time At Portia, realistically with it being the new year, and life changing things happening on a weekly basis, I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume that I may not jump back into this game any time soon. That's not indicative of the game at all. In fact, I enjoyed all the time I put into it. But unfortunately, with games like this, the longer you play, the longer things take, and I just don't have that time to spend on a game that is meant to just be a "zone out" type of game. I highly recommend anybody play My Time At Portia if you're looking for a game with a mix of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. It is quite an undertaking to get everything upgraded and etc but if you have the time to put many hours into a game like this, I strongly suggest it. It's still a great experience even if you don't do any of that, but I can definitely see that there is quite a bit more to do even after playing many days straight.
For now, Fallout 3 will be taking up my time for the foreseeable future until I jump into the next thing!
(https://i.imgur.com/ZhtvTas.png)
Everspace 2
From the get-go, Everspace 2 delivers on every instance that I wanted it to deliver. It's an RPG, you pilot a spaceship, you go around doing main and side quests, and you loot ships and all that fun stuff. You find new weapons and armor to attach to your ship to make your stronger. You go back to your base, put your loot in storage, upgrade some stuff, go back out and journey in space again. I know I'm making it sound simpler than it is, but it really is just a genuinely great spaceship piloting RPG space adventure. If you like games like No Man's Sky, Starfield, Warframe, etc, this game will probably be for you. And hell, give it a shot anyway. I'm having a blast. Been playing all morning.
(https://i.imgur.com/VY0DHYI.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/DWQ9ncj.png)
Palworld
Pokemon meets Valheim
(https://i.imgur.com/IVTMEzp.png)
The very first game of 2024 that we are talking about in this journal is Palworld, and boy this one is going to excite a lot of you. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a game that combines the mechanics of Pokemon with games like Conan, Ark, and Valheim? Well, that's Palworld. As the name of the game would suggest, you are dropped on an enormous open world Breath of the Wild style, and off you go to craft, build, and catch 'Pals'. The game definitely wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but my god I have not seen a game bring this much to the plate as far as combining these genres go. It's not just a catch em all, it's not just a crafting / building game, and it's not just an open world survival game, it's all those combined much more. If you have game pass, the game just came out in its early preview state, so there are some kinks they will need to fix, but this is turning out to be one of my favorite games I've played in a while. I've certainly wasted my morning playing it at least and I imagine i'll be jumping back later. If you're a fan of any of the previously mentioned game and are just looking for that next one to scratch several itches at once? Definitely check out Palworld. A great start to the year!
(https://i.imgur.com/oPYwFWS.png)
Palworld...A Follow-up
I've been playing Palworld for a good bit now and I've got a few more things to say about it that I don't think I really touched on in my previous post. And if I did, well I'm just reiterating it here in this one post. First things first, what is Palworld? Well, it's Pokemon, meeta Valheim, meets Ark, meets Conan, meets...Basically take what you know about survival open world games, and put it all in this one package with a Pokemon style mechanic that works surprisingly well for being provided in the way that it is. Of course, it being an open world style game really does lend itself to being an easy place for Pokemon style mechanics. But so far, from my experience, I've had a good time with the "Pal"s that you find. And some have been really hard, while others are just a way to tutorialize the game. Which is definitely appreciated.
Now, in the games current state, is it perfect? No, Palworld is still in its early access / game preview stage so while it's got a lot of work ahead of it in terms of performance and graphics issues etc, the core gameplay is already there and everything that the game has to do right in that regard, is doing it right. I'm not even usually a stickler for graphics because I feel the gameplay makes a bigger difference and in Palworlds case that is definitely true. It does look absolutely amazing when playing, but there are definitely some issues that need to be ironed out, certainly on an upcoming patch. It's pretty crazy to see how many people are playing this game, but man it is a lot of fun and I'm just about to jump in again.
The way I typically do survival games, and it's why I did a follow-up here is because once I kind of understand the basic mechanics of the crafting and leveling, i'll then start a completely fresh new world and redo everything again but in a much more...gratifying way. Like, having certain buildings for storage etc. I like to get deep into the crafting and buildings aspects so once I understand it, there's no stopping me. I've decided on this world though that I'm going to have a much more open setting with no much use for walls etc, however I will still build structures for certain things. And probably a wall to put near the water since my "Pal"s keep falling in it. Like I said, games not perfect, but it certainly is a treat.
Palworld...With Screenshots
(https://i.imgur.com/MoEl8yB.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/mE8yX8Y.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/cR8oVwQ.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/b3lBtDo.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/q7LS1xB.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/sC9PSL2.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/aN09nIw.png)
I made a secondary base in Palworld that has all my 'boss' pals doing work and while I was finishing up the exterior wall, they all unleashed on an enemy that was creeping into the base
(https://i.imgur.com/qCjZWCC.jpeg)
Valheim
While spending a lot of my time in both Conan Exiles and Palworld recently, it's given me this itch for more survival / crafting / open world games. With Enshrouded coming out on PC recently, it solidifies the fact that it's a really good time for big open survival crafting games right now. And it got me thinking: "I haven't really put much time into Valheim". So, I started playing Valheim while I take a break from Palworld. I'll juggle between the two when the mood is right, but after spending most of my Sunday morning building my first base and getting an understanding of the crafting etc, I'll say that Valheim seems like it's going to be quite a fun and interesting ride. Especially because it does feel more like a game you have to immerse yourself in. It's more about taking your time and really feeling like you're in the universe chopping down trees for wood and fighting off bad guys at night. For me, it does a really nice job of adding to that immersion by making the game feel and look almost lifelike. Which is just a testament to how good the graphics are. At least for me I think they are up there. It feels like Runescape in a way with how the skills work and how you level things up, so right there it's going to feel like a natural fit for me. On top of that though, while the game is in it's early preview state, it runs surprisingly like it's a full release, which is really nice. Yeah the saving can be a bit glitchy at times, but it does always keep backups, so you never really have to worry. There's autosaving, but you do generally want to save every 10-15 minutes just to be sure you're progress is not lost. I haven't run into any crashes yet though, and by look of it, the last update to the game was in late December last year, so perhaps this is the perfect time to get into this game. It runs really well, the graphics are smooth, and the pacing is not too slow to where you'll get bored, but not too fast to where you can really allow yourself to get immersed for a few hours. Again, Valheim definitely feels like the kind of game where you're not really rushing to get to the next point on the map. Moreso, it's about just feeling like a survivor in this big open map, and doing what you can to start, and improve your base. Works perfectly with rainy weather outside.
Brotato: First Impressions
(https://i.imgur.com/pPam9WL.png)
Brotato first made its rounds back in March of 2023, but I didn't have it on my radar at the time due to other games coming out at that time. So I sort of just put it on the backburner and eventually forgot about it. Up until recently, Xbox Game Pass introduced Brotato to its ever growing collection and I jumped right in and man oh man it's got everything I want. Based on the screenshots alone before I even downloaded the game, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. It's a survivor style roguelike where you can equip up to 6 weapons whether they be melee or ranged, and you just unleash hell while also leveling up your character and making it stronger. Think games like Army of Ruin and Vampire Survivors. Brotato seems to fit right in place with the other games in this genre, and does it exceptionally well, based on my first run. I'm excited to jump in a do some more runs and really see the depth of this game because I've only played one character out of however many they have. I finished my first run this morning so I'll add a screenshot of how that went:
(https://i.imgur.com/Ik18wui.png)
Definitely worth checking out!
Don't mean to interrupt your journal entries but have you ever considered streaming on Twitch? You do sink a lot of hours into different games.
Quote from: DJChameleon on Jan 30, 2024, 08:52 PMDon't mean to interrupt your journal entries but have you ever considered streaming on Twitch? You do sink a lot of hours into different games.
Oh gosh that's a thoughtful thing to say and yeah I have thought about it. My brother says I'd be good at it. Perhaps I'll consider it
Quote from: Key on Jan 30, 2024, 09:03 PMOh gosh that's a thoughtful thing to say and yeah I have thought about it. My brother says I'd be good at it. Perhaps I'll consider it
Start out slow don't worry about a stream schedule then as you get the hang of it. You can add that stuff in later on.
Monster Sanctuary: First Look
I think this is again one of those occasions where I have finally decided to jump into a game to see what it's like. No more glancing at screenshots or Xbox reviews, it's time to jump in. And that's not really out of the ordinary, especially if you have Game Pass. There are so many games you can get lost in that it's hard to play all the ones that even look somewhat interesting. However, Monster Sanctuary has been on my list for quite some time. Not only does it have Pokemon style creatures and turn based combat, but it's apparently got an enormous expansive world to get lost in. It's also a 2D style metroidvania, which honestly is a really neat combination of genres to bring together. I've always loved games like Castlevania, Bloodstained, and even Blasphemous. While Monster Sanctuary seems to wear more of the Pokemon inspiration on its sleeve, it's proving to be a really fun time with all these genres put together. I have very little time in the game right now but from the little bit that I've played, I know I'm in for a treat.
(https://i.imgur.com/u3QTMgp.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/K8KktCW.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/BjZeoij.png)
As the title would suggest, I'm going to do a few short words about a couple games I've been spending time on recently
(https://i.imgur.com/Nz8Htpg.png)
The Evil Within II: Played the first game and absolutely loved it despite having a few issues with it. When I looked into The Evil Within II, I was seeing that everybody was saying that it's basically everything the first game wasn't, in a good way. Checked it out. Played a few hours but I'm going to hold off on playing more until it's more into the creepy season. Great game though. Highly suggest checking out this one and the previous installment.
(https://i.imgur.com/lt9sBWd.png)
Dauntless: What first caught my eye with this game is obviously that it was a live service game that is free with microtransactions, which to me is perfectly fine. It's all cosmetic anyway. The other thing that attracted me to it was the fact that people were saying it was a Monster Hunter-like which I absolutely love. Monster Hunter World was my very first introduction to Monster Hunter as it was for most people, so I suppose Dauntless kind of fell on the backburner a little bit. It took me a while to check it out simply because people's reviews of it aren't all that great, but I'm one of those rare breeds that appreciates a good grind in a game. Dauntless offers that in the same way Monster Hunter does where you find yourself fighting the same monster over and over to upgrade your gear and get better weapons. Won't be everybody's cup of tea, but it certainly is mine.
(https://i.imgur.com/kt9zEBj.png)
Medieval Dynasty: Palworld certainly got me back in the mood for survival open world games again, and I realized that I had never actually checked out Medieval Dynasty despite it looking like and coming off as a game that I would really like. For one reason or another, I just decided not to pick it up until recently. It's basically as the name of the game would suggest, you are dropped into this big open world with cities and quests and you are tasked with...well making your own medieval dynasty. Build workshops, homes, and hire villages to do your work for you. All of that comes at a price and you have to make sure your villagers are happy. If you're into a more depth filled open world survival game, I'd definitely check this one out. I was actually a bit surprised to see how much was in this game, and I've only really scratched the surface.