Backlog 2025

[Bluie]

EDIT: I wonder what the best Pokemon game would be for someone to start with in 2025. Not what one person would say it is but, if the opinions of all Pokemon players could somehow be condensed...what one would REALLY be the best introduction to it. As a game, rather than the franchise as whole. Maybe it's just whatever one is newest, but honestly it seems like Pokemon's quality with new games is going down rather than up.

Hrm, that's a toughie to outright answer. Pokemon at its core is a turnbased JRPG with a highly customizable party structure. I'd say if you just wanted Pokemon with no gimmicks and straight gameplay, Brilliant Diamond and Shinning Pearl are the easiest options. Meanwhile, the best -modern- Pokemon game that is universally agreed with to be the best is Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu. It's bogged down by the gimmicky capture mechanics, but it by far plays the best otherwise + it's a remake of the original game.

However, if you have a Switch 2, Scarlet and Violet are perfectly good places to jump in, especially if you like a little more freedom to your gameplay. The same could be said for Legends Arceus. They both have large open areas with freedom of movement that's highly appealing in itself over railroaded routes and dungeons. Sword and Shield have the open areas, but they're very limited (and frankly, the games themselves are bogged down by how slow the UI and battle transitions are compared to the newer entries).

I've played every entry (both versions) since X&Y's release, and that's my feeling. All the retro titles (man, it feels weird to say that, but yeah, DS is retro now...) are fun for nostalgia, but compared to the newer titles, mechanically they don't compare. The modern titles suffer graphically (for the most part) but are still fun to play. I wouldn't play them if they weren't fun, and you know me and how picky I am.

I'll have some solid opinions on ZA when it comes out later this year, but for now; The 'Let's Go' or Diamond/Pearl remakes are the beginner's go-to.

[greensara]

+1 To beginners on Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. My kids are working on their own playthroughs of Shining Pearl, as I thought the simple, more linear design would be a good start for them. They are so proud when they catch a new Pokémon or beat a gym, but it is certainly taking them a lot longer to get through the story, lol. They really like messing around in the underground too, even though the Pokémon there are way over their present levels. My son needs a little more help because he is still learning to read (pre-k), but insists he doesn't need help, picking attacks based on color and hoping for the best, lol. The Let's Go games are okay in handheld imo, but I loathe playing them docked because I HATE the controls.

Started HM Anthos and Mario and Luigi Brothership but haven't gotten very far in either.

[Kikki]

Hmm. That's the one that has the chibi characters and top-down perspective, right? That they remade for Switch (1)? Diamond/Pearl, I mean. Is it the best example because it feels 'classic', even as a remake? So it gives the best Pokemon impression...

I've only ever actually played Sword/Shield. (Just Shield, I think it was. I didn't play both versions. I do not see the point in playing two versions of the same game just to get a couple different Pokemon, which seems to be the only reason to do it.)

~

On to my actual gaming stuff! I think next year I have to go back to being strict with my gaming. At least a fair bit more than this year, which was a 'just play whatever you feel like playing' year, while barely bothering to keep track. I wasn't really able to participate in the end-of-the-year Your GotY thread because I didn't keep track last year, either. (Well, and I lost my One Note, which had all my gaming info in it.)

I do like being able to look back on what I did. I like playing whimsically, but it's very messy, and it definitely lets the backlog grow instead of paring it down.

I'd like to institute a rule such as not being allowed to buy any games until I finish whatever game I'm currently working on, not including any replays: only first-time playthroughs. Abandoning the game if I hate it is still okay, though. But In the last few years, I haven't bought a single game I actually disliked. Some I didn't turn out to like a great deal, but no true stinkers. I guess I finally learned to trust my approximately 39 years of experience and stop experimenting. No more thinking I just need to TRY a game I think I won't like. I've tried so many games over these years...I don't need to keep proving to myself that I already know what I will enjoy. I basically don't need to be open-minded any more, because I have been for such a long time that plenty of almost everything has already been let in, even if I kicked it back out again.

I don't need to accept the suspicious knockers-at-the-door, any more. They can just be rejected out of hand.

I've FINALLY gotten the 50th island/town resident in Fantasy Life i. The other strangelings were incredibly easy to get, I had every single one within the first half of the game. They almost all come from shrines in Ginormosia, after all. But the final person requires you to open the game and collect your flowers every day for at least 30 days after you hit a high enough town rating, and that's just SO tedious. I often didn't remember to open the game, so I missed lots of days, which greatly extended the amount of time it would have taken me to get the last person. But I've got 'em now. Bah. I don't even particularly like them: doesn't feel worth it.

I opened Azuma again, but even though I loved it SO MUCH while I was playing it, it's been more than a month since I last did, and I don't remember the game any more. I should have played it to completion! I got distracted by the Switch 2, dang it. Now I've no desire to pick it back up again, and that's a tragedy. Well, on a gaming level, that is, not a real-world level.

Gotta go take a nap or something, pronto. I'm not sure what I mean by 'something'. What other option is there, than sleep? Eat, I guess. But eating doesn't actually give me any energy, even though I always seem to think it might.

[Bluie]

All this talk of Pokemon had me motivated, so I'm going to finish up Pokemon Scarlet's DLC today (I have three more Elite trainer battles, then the Terapagos story, then the post game in Kitakami). I've been getting on daily in both Scarlet and Violet to defeat the current focus raid (shiny legendary) because we need to kill 1 million of them to get it, so, I'm doing my part lol. They're doing it for all four of the treasure legendries, so I guess I'm keeping both versions on my system until the events are over.

All I've really been playing lately is Uma Musume. Out of all the games this year to catch my attention, I really didn't think the horse racing girl game would be it. But, whatever, y'know? It's fun in both small bursts and longer play sessions. I've also been very lucky, getting all the standard characters while also having SEVEN of the SSR characters from normal rolls (plus copies of two of them) + the highly coveted support card everyone is spending out the « Mr.Gourmet's hat » to get right now. I want the upcoming character 'Nishino Flower' and I have a feeling she's not gonna come home after all this luck. Still gonna try to get her though. I've barely spent any money on games this year, so I can rationalize a little gacha spending if need be.

And in slightly gaming related news; I've been listening to the Cold Steel OST while writing lately. It's a great collection of music and oddly nostalgic too. I think I'm overall 'done' with the Trails series, but I have a very big soft spot for the first Steel game. Dare I call it 'cozy'? IDK, something about it is just... very inviting and relaxing, despite all the political drama in the plot lmao.

[Kikki]

WHOA.

I completely forgot about the third AI game! I love that series (Kaname Date/Somnium Files series) and I totally didn't even realize that the game was COMING OUT on July 25. It's already out! I just...utterly forgot. When I lost my One Note, I stopped keeping track of my gaming for months. I have a new One Note, now, but I'm still not back in the habit of tracking all my purchases and completions, or my anticipated/upcoming games, either.

Wow, I never have games I really like sneak up on me like this. I dunno that I can fit that purchase in, right now. I've already got SoS: GB locked in for August. Hmm. I'm not sure when i can get to Date, though I love him and all his weirdo friends/family and the strange stories he lands in.

Uh, yeah. I'm thrown off track, now. Well, it's a good price, only $50 CAD. (Funny that that's a good price for a new game, now. In the 3DS days...boy. Money sure does deflate in value FAST now, huh? I mean, watch Little House on the Prairie. Back in those days, you could buy a team of horses for $5 or something like that, and prices have always crept up, but it's way out of range, this past half century, and especially the past 5 years.)

Guess I'd better try to reform my anticipated list. But...I don't remember anything that is coming out! I'm a bit upset that this snuck up on me.

My back and leg hurt so much, it's hard to concentrate. Dunno why everything's going numb. -___- Maybe I'm too tired to make lists these days, lol. I can't remember anything.

[Bluie]

Finished Pokemon Scarlet's DLC like I said I would. I legit forgot how funny the epilogue story was. I had a few gigglesnorts along my way to catch the last mythical Pokemon and then did another round of shiny legendary raids before stopping. Turns out the Pokemon community killed over 3.5 million of the focus, so yeah, we're getting it lol.

Also, after watching the Nintendo Direct and seeing the next Octopath game trailer, it motivated me to pick up Octopath II again. I played around 5 hours and got a few story chunks done. I can definitely finish this one, my only gripe being that the battles are a little slow, but I can adapt. Once I start unlocking more classes, the damage output will be better, therefore, faster battle, but right now, my arsenal is severely lacking. I'll probably play a little more this week, but the FFXIV update is coming plus Genshin's dropped a few days ago too, so they'll probably take priority for the time being.

[Kikki]

I've reeeeeeeeeally gotta get back to Azuma and XCXde.

I just don't WANT to. Fantastic games, XCX being probably my all-time favourite (I'm liking 'de' a bit less than original, even with all the QoL, but it's still mostly the same amazing game, just...easier and less grindy.) And Azuma was a huge amount of fun when I was still playing it, but now that I've been away, I just don't remember much, including what I was into.

Gonna have to will-power my way through, so that I can add both titles to my completion list. I haven't kept track very well but I do have a list, even if I may have forgotten to put down a few things. I'd love to have them on my list before SoS: GrBa. In fact, I've gotta. I'm not willing to start another game without finishing these ones. I WANT to, but let's not add any more items for anxiety to focus inappropriately on.

I still really want No Sleep For Kaname Date, but...gotta wait. Even though my rent got reduced (how often do you hear THAT?) and I could afford to get another game. I don't want to put anything else on my backlog. Gotta pare it down, not swell it up.

Pretty sure it'll be easier to hop back into XCXde than Azuma. Guess I should do that first, then...get the ball rolling. And once in Azuma I should probably head straight back to main story to try to remind myself of where I even was. I decided I didn't need Cuilang as an additional option...though I can tell he has a really intriguing backstory just from his companion/party dialogue, which is tempting...so I think I had narrowed it down to Kurama and Ikaruga, for romance options. I think I can actually confess to Kurama right now, but I need to get Ikaruga up another half level to bring him to the same point before deciding which to go for.

Okay, I guess that's a game plan, for now. Jump back into XCXde tomorrow. I think I can get a decent amount done. I mean, I've played this game a million times before; I know what I'm doing. I should be able to blaze through to the new (added) content, though I hear it's very long, so that part might take me a while. (Though I suspect it's easy, since they made the whole game so much easier.)

Too tired today. I'll be lucky to get a day or two done in my replay of ANB. (I'm in autumn year 1 and 3/4 of the way through Town Restoration Plan #4, though it can never be finished before mid-spring Year 2 no matter how well you play, thanks to having to participate in 3 Gardening Tours.) I'd probably be better off trying to write something, or colour. If I can stay awake at all, that is.

[Kikki]

Huge uptick in anxiety the last 3-4 days. I don't know why. The med changes were six and eight weeks ago, so it seems weird if it were that. But...maybe? Ugh, to think I have to go through this in reverse in another month(ish).

Anyway, I'm finding everything overwhelming, right now. Which means that a gigantic game like XCX(de), with SO MANY CHOICES about what you can do next is quite a lot to tackle. It's bad for the brain to stagnate, but really, I want to take the easy road and just play something small and handheld where I know exactly what to do each game day (aka: ANB).

I think I should spend more time writing and coloring, rather than replaying old favourites. Writing more than colouring. And reading would be good, too, but not rereads. NEW stuff. Learning is what protects the brain from stuff like dementia. Storing more, not copying over and over on what's already known. So many older folks buy puzzle books like crazy at the store, and they're only of very limited help in dementia-protection. Having an active brain in any way will help a little, but it's learning that helps the most. Filling your brain up as much as you can, growing it.

I gotta grow my shrivelled brain. Preferrably without triggering extra anxiety. Hmm...

Not sure if gaming is going to be a big thing for me this month. I'll try to chip away at Azuma and XCXde to get them written off, and I whatchamajigger is already preordered. Grand Bazaar. But I won't play it until I'm done the other two. The credits must roll.

But other than that, I think from here on out, I have to institute a rule of 'no new game purchases until the current game is either completed or abandoned.' Haven't had to abandon a game since that tedious Lego builder game. It should have been fun, but it wasn't.

And wow, that Indie World yesterday...BORING. I mean, holy crop, boooooring. The only bit in the entire thing I bothered to make note of was that Go Go Town (on my Steam Wishlist for ages already) will be coming to Switch in 2026. I THINK it said early 2026. Prideful Sloth keeps getting better at games, so it's a strong contender, though it's nothing like Yonder or Grow.

[Kikki]

WHEW. Didn't get called in today, so happy, lol. New manager. *shrug* Also, I grabbed a nettle plant, today. My left hand is not happy.

I played 2 new demos today, and decided I've had enough of a third. Woodo, Super Farming Boy, and Sugardew Island. I think I already reported on Sugardew ages ago. It's...pointless. Really. You farm and run a shop. Sounds busy, but every mechanic in the game is flat. No nuance, no development. The shop never expands in any way. The customers have no preferences, and they will always flood in and buy everything you've got at a steady (though not hectic) pace. It doesn't matter what you stock. It doesn't matter what you grow. There's no story.

It's one of the most boring games I've ever played, I think. I don't think that should be held against it in reviews, because the dev CLEARLY STATES what kind of game Sugardew is. If anyone was surprised that it wasn't all hectic and multitasky and deep, that's their own fault. But even with that, it's flatter than I would have imagined.

Definitely a no-buy, for me.

Then there's Woodo. (Woo-doh, rather than wood-oh) It's horribly cute. It's ridiculously cute. And for me, that's all there is to it. It's basically a jigsaw puzzle game except it's a tiny dollhouse you're snapping together rather than a puzzle. Imagine a puzzle with relatively simple pieces. You jsut have to look around until you spot the item (for example, a leaf) and then slot it into place. As you do so, the little fox character will tell another few lines of their summer-holidays, growing-up, and getting-off-technology kind of a story. When you finish a scene, you'll move on to another one.

That's all there is to it. Very cute, and not completely unengaging, but also not interesting enough for me to continue with, personally. Not my thing. (I also found Unpacking very dull and I wish I never bought it, fyi, and that is LOVED, so...ymmv!)

And lastly is Super Farming Boy. It's garish and looks a tiny bit like that Cuphead game to me (just superficially; I think it's the very 2D nature and the flat eyes.) At first I really disliked the controls. It defaulted to a mix of WASD (keyboard) and mouse. But you can change it to all keyboard or all mouse. I decided to go with all mouse, and I do like that better, though I still don't know how to use the upgrade I got that lets me see the combo/harvesting patterns. It's still in development and they don't have very good tutorials or explanations, and there are probably some bugs, though I didn't notice any.

It's addictive. I almost feel ridiculous, that I'd like to keep playing, as it's shallow, definitely bordering on the arcade-y, and it has a story premise with no actual story. I think it boils down to 'save your mom from the evil corporate executive that forces you to work for pennies and steals all your goods, so it's the same level of story-having as a Super Mario game, I suppose.) You harvest in a way that triggers combos, which racks up coins, and you buy farming and character upgrades to get better and better at the gameplay loop. I don't know when the demo ends; I'm thinking right now that maybe it lets you play all of spring. (I'm on day 11 of Spring.) I don't know if the seasons have any meaning in this game. There's no social scene as far as I can tell: no one to befriend, though there ARE other characters wandering around, so far they seem to be completely incidental.

I wouldn't buy the game as it is; it really needs controller support, as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to play it on laptop. Maybe it'd be okay on Deck, but I don't think it has any controller support yet, so nah. Plus it's still in development. It's not even available in early access, yet. So I guess it's a good sign that I didn't encounter any bugs. (THough I also didn't encounter any way to save or to quit the game, I had to Win-Key my way out and then forcefully shut it down. It does seem to manually save when you go to bed at the end of each VERY SHORT day, though.)

It's quite fun, but entirely without meaning, so not something I'd ever love, just get addicted to for the gameplay loop.

[Bluie]

Kiki's keeping this thread alive all by her lonesome and I feel bad lol. I really haven't been playing much so I've more or less been hanging back and reading her posts, but I do have some stuff I've done.

Got both of the new FFXIV and Genshin updates done. With the former, were finally 'done' with Wuk Lamat's story, thank « Harvest Goddess ». I don't hate this character, she's 'fine' imo, but her English VA is an absolute moron and I'm done hearing the sound of their voice. Anyone who cries 'transphobia' because people do not like your in-game character and horrid direction of voicing said character is a grade A idiot. IDK, maybe don't wear your sexuality on your sleeve and make it your only personality trait when responding to criticism? They've said a lot of other dumb « Cow Poopoo » too + is part of SAG, so honestly, just « Snuggly Bunny » off. I hope to « Harvest Goddess » Wuk Lamat has no more speaking roles in the upcoming patches. And I hope that all future VAs get picked from the UK, as they have been for the past 10 years (give or take, there's been exceptions). OR, at least pick people with an ounce of maturity who don't go on long twitter rants when someone doesn't like the character you voiced.

Anyways, Genshin, it was fine. I've long since switched to the Japanese dub so no VA drama to be seen here lately (though they have replaced everyone who bullied the first replacement, so lol, byeeee). I really hope this new region, Nod Krai, recaptures my love for the game. I like that the new characters actually LOOK like they belong in the universe as opposed to Natlan's 90s hip-hop aesthetic. Regardless, Wanderer is relevant again, so I'm locked in regardless. I will probably just shelve my 100% exploration of Natlan until I feel up to it. I did the same with Inazuma, a nation I also disliked, so I don't see a problem with coming back later.

I've also started a visual novel. I was looking at my Steam Library and I've been unintentionally collecting VNs from sales like infinity stones. I downloaded them all and there's 7 in total I haven't played, so I started Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Enhanced Edition. I have a weird relationship with this VN, as in I never played the original, but the anime was one of the few I first watched fansubbed (AND I REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE, I WAS TOO YOUNG, BUT MOM DIDN'T UNDERTSAND COMPUTERS, SO OH WELL LOL). I have this... odd endearment to the characters, and the story is a straight drama fest soap opera, but it compels me to play it. I'm only a few hours in so far, but yep, nostalgia.

[Kikki]

Kiki's keeping this thread alive all by her lonesome and I feel bad lol. I really haven't been playing much so I've more or less been hanging back and reading her posts, but I do have some stuff I've done.

I didn't think anyone read my walls o' text, so I just type away however I want, lol. I'm no thread-saving hero, I just write entries whenever I want to say something about my life in gaming.

Ooh, the situation you describe, where someone makes their race/religion/orientation/gender identity the reason for EVERYTHING they do and that others do to them...well, it just sickens me. If I hate you, it's because you suck. Your identity doesn't suck...I don't care about your identity at all, and probably no one else does, either, since it's something that only matters to you...it's your words and actions that I find detestable.

~

I could so go for A VN right now. Specifically, No Sleep for Kaname Date. But no. I can't. I've GOT to finish Azuma and the end of XCXde. I'm already up to Chapter 11 so it shouldn't be a big deal, it's just that I don't want to play the new content. *sigh* And I'm really tired and XCX is such a huge and detailed game, you have to have your brain turned all the way on, to play. Azuma, I just lost my groove on. I hope I can get it back. I should just try to go straight back to story to see where I was.

I feel like there was something else. Grand Bazaar is looking great, and it's pre-ordered, but I'm not allowed to play it until I finish those other two.

Come to think of it, I really should finish Ys X, too! But it's been so long, I'd really need to just restart it. And I believe I was at the very last chapter, too. (I seem to recall that at the time, I was having lots of arm/neck/hand trouble and couldn't tolerate the intense button-mashing of a Ys game. I do so love Adol and his adventures, though.) Well, I'm not throwing Nordics into the bunch as well. I've only gotta finish Azuma and XCXde to be able to get on with SoS: GB.

I still feel like there was something else. I did get some writing done. I didn't get any coloring done, but right now I don't care. I'd kind of like to get into personal journaling again, maybe a creative journal that would have some writing snippets and some coloring stuff in, too. Handwriting is the best, but online is SO much more convenient and easy to get into.

Hmm. I STILL feel like there was something else. I downloaded a ton of demos the last few days and I'd like to go on a demo-finishing blitz.

I still feel like there's something else. Hope it wasn't anything major.

~

NEXT DAY EDIT: Oooh, Discounty has a demo! Not just a STEAM demo, but a Switch demo!

[Kikki]

It's already August 17. Not gonna update my post from August 11.

Anyway, I've finished the former final chapter of XCXde. Though now I have the super-long added-on chapter to go through, which is the part I've been dreading. They added a scene to the end of Chapter 12 that was new, and MAN was that jarring...listening to the whole of the long cutscenes of the former final chapter, and then BOOM, one more cutscene, and everyone with new voices. Yuck. I miss Vandham's voice the most, his replacement sounds comparatively twerpy.

But anyway. They've jiggered heart events around, too. The former level cap was 60. Now they have a heart event (that already existed in the original game) with a suggested level of 80. Just what have they done, to make this need a level of 80, when that level didn't even EXIST before?

Though it may be the heart event I recall with the horrible set of beasts at level 75 or 80 apiece that you had to defeat. That was nearly impossible. (Though I believe I did eventually do it, it's hard to remember all the heart events, now...they kind of all smudge together in my memory.)

So yeah. After I get home from work, I may start on the new content. Or maybe I'll clear up some of these quests that have opened up (There were always quests that required you to complete the former final chapter...12...before you could do them, but they've changed some of the details. It feels like they've trespassed into my backyard and vandalized things.) I know it's a VERY long chapter, more like 3 other chapters combined. I'm afraid of what twist they've decided to give the ending/post-game. Monosoft always screws up the add-on stories and undoes much of the good the original story did.

I'd like to hope that won't be the case, but experience doesn't give me much reason to.

Still, gotta get it crossed off. Then back to Azuma, to get it crossed off, too. I need to pick the story back up to remember what I was even doing. I don't seem to have the outermost ring of the sky unlocked yet, so I'm not sure how far I am. Two thirds of the way through the story, maybe?

Opened ACNH again a few days ago and went back the following couple of days. I don't know why sometimes you just HAVE to go back to your island. It's not like there's any new content to discover...

[Kikki]

Days are slipping by without me noticing. Well, I'm busy, as it turns out.

Today when I closed XCX to make some zucchini cake (because I have a HUGE zucchini to do away with), when I came back...I found that Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar was 98% finished loading onto my switch (2).

Oops! Totally forgot. Good thing I had no intention of canceling my preorder. But that means I only have a week to hurry up and finish XCXde and Azuma. I had spent most of today tootling around with side quests in XCX and my Switch is reminding me to hurry up and finish the new story.

I don't like what's going on so far. It feels like the original writers either FORGOT their story, or they're no longer on this project. Basically, it feels like fan-fiction. And not fan-fiction by a true fan, but a shallow fan who ONLY followed the main story and didn't do any of the side content. Now, all Xenoblades have a lot of extra content in side quests. But they are the most ESSENTIAL in XCX, way more than any of the numbered games. XCX has a very straightforward story in comparison to the other Xenoblade games. All the depth and intricacy is introduced via the social quests that come up from NLA residents and BLADE operatives.

The new story ignores some of the finer detail of those things. It's like they just read an outline of the main story and built a new ending based on that. Well, I'm not to the end. I still have tons to do with the new bits. But I've already noticed oddities, and I don't like it one bit.

Discontent, yep. Did tons of side content but I have GOT to get back to the main story now so I can hurry back to Azuma as well. That SoS: GrB icon is staring me down...

EDIT: Finished, finished, finiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiished! Exhausted. Will save additional thinking for tomorrow.

[Bluie]

I let out a little giddy squeak when I saw my preorder for Grand Bazaar went though. I'm so nostalgia pilled, but I am really, really excited for this game. Not only do I NEED a relaxing game right now (I'm craving it so bad, I almost started My Time at Sandrock, but held off because we're so close now!), but the original Grand Bazaar was THE game I played throughout my college freshmen year. I remember rewarding myself with a few hours after long study sessions and overall just using it to cheer myself up after bad days. It solidified itself as one of my favorite entries, so I am stoked to get to play its full on remake.

As for what I've been playing; literally just off and on FFXIV and Uma Musume. I actually need to get into FFXIV today and do the 24 man raid for a new gear piece this week, so I'm planning on doing that in a few hours. Uma Musume has me saving for my preferred upcoming 'horse' while still trying to figure out how to get them through their careers. I can get sprinters to B-B+ with their full career done no problem, but I'm both aiming for A ranks while also struggling to figure out how to train non-sprinting horses. Every time I look up guides, the 'needed' stats are insanely impossible to get them unless you've spent thousands on the game. A ranks are achievable, I've ALMOST gotten them 4 times, but the rng always screws me over. I'm not even playing this game for the PVP or anything, I just want results lol. According to Japanese players, it gets a lot easier once the game gets a huge update, but there's no telling when it will come for global.

[Kikki]

That's awesome, Bluie. Enjoy the anticipation! Hope the remade game feels just as good, for you.

It downloaded the DLC too, right after...I managed to catch a glimpse of my Switch telling me it had done so. I think that means the cow outfit/glider. I have no desire to dress like a cow (or ANY animal or critter, I do not understand why they keep making such stupid-looking costumes. I want human clothing, not goofy costumes. I don't want to look like a cow or a chick or a swirl of ice cream or...whatever.)

~
ANYWAY!
~

I am done XCXde. It's enormous, so of course I still have a couple affinity quests and other things to do, but I don't have time for that, right now.

The extra story got off to a rough start, imo. After seeing the whole thing, rather than fan-fiction...I think the discord comes in for me with what I suspect is them trying to take my perfect game from ten years ago (released late 2015!) and add things that would make it more into the game that today's market wants from Xenoblade, and MAN did that rub me wrong. (Still does. That is MY game, MY GAME, and I will not let even you take it from me, Monolith Software. It's miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.)

However, it actually evened out as it went on and became closer to what *I* see as properly "Xenobladish".

I can't say much, can I? Any detail would be spoilers. But the feeling of the ending. So hard to decide on! I liked it, but I don't know what it MEANS. And by that, I mean...I can't decide, from that ending, if they wanted us to see the game as all wrapped up and be content...or if they wanted to show how an XCX 2 will begin.

The ending now feels more like an ENDING. I suppose some people might still see it as a cliffhanger, like it was originally. But I don't, at all. I think they fully ended it. And I can't tell if that ending is meant to make us want another game, or be content with the ending of X in a way we couldn't possibly be, before. (That cliffhanger was ABSURD, in the 2015 release.)

It didn't feel bad, to me, I just don't know what I'm supposed to expect. But hey, "it didn't feel bad" is already way better than I feared. I was afraid the whole thing would be like the beginning and feel like they were ripping MY game away from me, but that died down. There were some bits I REALLY liked, and some bits I didn't, but whether I did or didn't, after the first act was done, it was pretty solidly XCX-feeling, for me, and quite interesting.

But now I can hurry up and finish Azuma. I'm sorry, Azuma. I was LOVING you when I played you through to where I stopped (around 2/3?) but for whatever reason, I set you down, and in all the other mess of stuff, I lost the feeling. Boo. I don't have time to restart. So I'll just dash on through what's left and hope the impressed feeling of having LOTS of fun will come back.

I hope I can do it in a week. I'm getting a work transfer to a place closer to home, which I VERY MUCH wanted (thank you!) but it still may be stressful, so I don't know what my play time is going to be. But I think it should be doable. Less time driving, in a place that actually has WINDOWS, and is right beside a common errand spot, for me, so...hooray.