Dhutch

So, I really enjoyed the creepy unsettling vibe of the world, and from the beginning I enjoyed the orb gameplay well enough. I started to get kinda bored with it halfway through, until you get white and the puzzles get more intricate. THEN it started to really wow me, with shooting through the orbs, and especially when the orange and white orbs connected- I really thought that was neat. But frankly, that last hour or two was the only part that left any lasting impression. Enjoyed it, sort of glad it was short.

@broshmosh:

Do you have an opinion about playing the original vs Perfect Chronicle? I have the cart, but I know there are some differences in how they play.

Kingdom Hearts: After attempting and falling off of Chain of Memories I realized that all the side games were "important story content" and I was expected to buy ALL THOSE CONSOLES and play ALL THOSE GAMES. So I just read the plots until KH3

Then I played KH3 and decided they had completely lost the magic from 1 and 2.

I was REALLY into this game at the beginning, when it evoked a very specific feeling: You are a young kid, you just imported this new Zelda game, but you don't know anything about it. The game's mostly in another language, and *something* has happened to the instruction manual! Guess we're going in blind?
I LOVED that part. And all the Fez-iness. Finding pages is the most exciting thing in this game, discovering secrets for yourself... All the moments of "oh I could've been doing that the WHOLE TIME?" were great (Did you know you can use two of the magic items at the same time for a special effect?)

But MAN by the end It'd lost some of it's magic, through the combat and through running out of secrets for me to find. I put on NF mode twice, once for a pink energy fox and once for the last boss. The rod was my MVP for "I just need a little more damage and I don't want to die!"
I enjoyed the ability cards, though near the end of the game when I chose to look everything up* I realized I knew what less than half of them even did.

*FEEL FREE TO LOOK UP ANSWERS INSTEAD OF GETTING FRUSTRATED. Give the puzzles a shot, they're amazing to figure out, but I'm not ashamed that I asked cleverer people than me online was was going on

Finally, I'm not seeing anyone talk about how horrifying the story gets!

Double secret super late game spoiler and what about the aliens? They're straight up the same aliens from Fez! I love it.

I just want to jump in and say, as a fan of the source material (Record of Lodoss War) this game is a real fun nod and half-love letter to some of the characters and events in the 13 episode OVA. You should all watch it, it's basically someone's 80's D&D campaign that goes 0-60 real fast!

Beasts of the Old Republic
No, Mr. Navarro, I expect you to Jedi
Wookiee time with Alex and Vinny

@jagerxbomb: @thehende92: I'm with you two, came to see if M4 pt. II was gonna get any love!

Alright, so far we've got:

1. Outer Wilds
2. Control
3. Man of Medan
4. What the Golf
5. Katana Zero
6. MK 11
7. Untitled Goose Game

Do these seem like they might fall into either Best Story or Best Moment type lists?

Just a little over 2 months until GOTY deliberations kick off, and it's time to start cramming in and finishing those 'special' experiences before the crew has to spoil everything to undermine their opponents' favorite games! Previously, I hadn't played The Witness or Return of the Obra Dinn before they discussed them, and I don't want to make the same mistake again.
What games, or at least chapters, do you recommend people get through before the holiday podcasts come around, to experience them first hand? My big ones are Outer Wilds and Goose Game.

So, quick question- Nebula has enough pps for a jump to Morag, then a jump home. She goes, Alt Neb comes back, and somehow Thanos' ship apparently has pps too?