I’m wondering, did you buy the Vita recently or did you buy it while it was still sold in stores? I’m seeing a big resurgence of handheld emulation and think it’s wonderful that it lets us play through famous older titles! I just bought a 3DS XL and am planning to play some old games I missed, too!

I was also a latecomer to this game (played it in college). The time jumps were crazy!

I stand corrected - there are versions for other platforms available according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(2012_video_game)

I believe it is still an exclusive

With the emphasis that they have done certain elements better: Brothers: A Tale of two sons (Show, Don’t Tell) , Dark Souls (silent companion), Shadow of the Colossus (feeling of isolation/scale). I might add some more if I find the time.

I had a similar experience. Funnily enough I love walking simulators, or slow burns with similar mechanics so I was exactly in the target audience for this game but somehow it didn’t click with me. I can understand which elements make the game great, but these elements have been done better by other games (in my opinion). I have great respect for the craft though.

I just hope they haven’t abandoned it completely. But it would be nice to hear from the mods about the issue you raised. Would be a pity to lose such an active community.

As for games, I started Earthbound, finally

Happy to hear that Torna is a good game, Xenoblade 2 is my favorite. I think the best part of the Xenoblade games are the Titans. The environments are incredible because there is always a reminder that people are living their lives on a huge flying colossus

It is a bit better on the PC where you use the mouse

Thanks for checking! I will update the post.

This is going to be a bit of a grating answer, but, aside from Undertale which is a partial homage/subversion, the Mother series is very unique (on purpose).

You might like Live a Live if you want a JRPG. Otherwise, The World ends With You is a gamr that overlays a fantasy world over a seemingly ‘normal’ setting with a very unique art style. There are versions for different platforms but if you decide to play it you absolutely need to have a (3)DS

Have always heard how this game has apparently one of the friendliest and most mature communities.

This was actually one of my favorite early ios games. At the time I couldn’t believe that an ios device was capable of such graphics.

Added Ctrl Alt Ego to my Steam Wishlist - never heard of it, great tip!

I love the jankiness of the era. I also played most of the post-2010 games that are similar to it.

It was my first game I bought for the PS4! I was skeptical because I am not a fan of walking simulators but the detective angle made it really fun! I was also surprised at how good the graphics were, it’s a darn beautiful game!

Even speaking as a big fan of Xenoblade, it is a typical JRPG with an extremely expansive story. I hope you like it and then play the second part which is my personal favorite.

The Mass Effect Trilogy is a masterpiece. You’re in for a wild ride!

Wow, thanks! I have CFW but haven’t thought of patching the game

What a fantastic write-up! The Xbox 360 was my first console, before that I used to be a PC-exclusives gamer. At the time the Xbox 360 was mostly known for shooters so I was surprised to learn that there had been a push to put some JRPGs on the platform. Eventually I got my hands on an X360 Version of Lost Odyssey, having heard that it is a much more accomplished title than some others that came out on X360 (like Blue Dragon). I agree with many of your points. But what delighted me personally was the visual design of the game. It was derivative, yeah, but it had such a great aesthetic that I still fondly remember the cutscenes. I love that JRPG era.

Thanks for adding to the conversation! I didn’t know about the direction switch problem. I guess if I was an XCOM fan at the time it would irk me too

Honestly it didn’t bother me that much, the story to me was more 7/10 forgettable rather than off-putting.

I agree, it looks really good!

Oh thank you. I’ll check it out. I always wanted to get into the Zelda franchise and I love the lore of Ocarina/Majoras Mask

For me it was Ocarina of Time. Ugly, and very clumsy. And I play tons of retro games. Early 3D stuff can be rough.

Hello fellow nuzlocke player. Have you tried any of the Pokemon ROM hacks? They might give you something new / more exciting to play.

Yes, I just remembered this too!

Thank you for this personal recommendation. Was interesting to read from first-hand experience!

Yeah that is just laziness. When I wqs a kid consoles were too expensive so everyone wqs gaming on their PC or handheld consoles. You either used a keyboard or a shitty knock-off controller. I couldn’t imagine paying big bucks for a new gamepad. Even though I love games I still like to be thrifty with my gaming related purchases and treat myself only once in a while. Sometimes I wonder if the people who get the newest stuff would necessarily notice if they were playing a PS4 or PS5 game.

It really depends on what you are expecting. I got two consoles, a refurbished PS4 slim and an Xbox One S. The PS4 was 125 USD and the Xbox (an all-digital edition with no drive) was 90 USD. Yes, you have to look out for these deals but they’re there. PS4 games cost me usually 10 USD max, I buy them during deals or used. Xbox had a lot of game pass tricks you could do so the games were mostly extremely cheap.

But I do understand if you mean playing the newest games. That can be expensive.

I enjoyed these games, but as you said, they are not very scary, especially after you get used to the atmosphere.

This looks great! It’s not too retro at all!

Oh, I did play Oxenfree! Heh, until you described it like you did I never thought of it as a horror game, but you are absolutely right, it is pretty creepy! Thanks for recommending Signalis, I will check it out

Wow what a story. It shows how games can be meaningful. Hope you’re living well!

You can but it would be a shame to miss the first part it is amazing. And the graphics hold up due to the strong art direction.

Both Psychonauts 1 and 2 are GOATs. Tim Schafers imagination is a national treasure.

I really want to try GoldenEye now.

I just bought a NDS lite recently and have been looking for some off the beaten path games. I am surprised that the chibi robo games is so bad since the series seems to have quite a fanbase.

Sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner. I am not very good at explaining myself but I’ll try: I think it was a point in gaming where the PS2 was capable enough so that they were able to put the artistic vision first, instead of looking at the platform first (i.e. SNES) and then designing the best game for the system.

I would also tend to agree that it can be tedious. On the other hand it is one of the first games where a lot of things seem to have been conscious design choices which the developer would make even if they were designing the game in 2023. So it is hard to say if it is a ‘good game’. I agree with you.