Distractions

Nintendo 3DS

I tried to pick up my Nintendo DS the other day. It didn't feel comfortable to play. I think I'm spoiled by the Switch, and modern controllers. I was trying Majora's Mask, a game that I never finished, but sadly, I think I'm not going to continue it.

PlayStation Plus Premium

I'm trying a month of PlayStation Plus Premium. The price for the subscription is $17.99. You can save money by paying yearly, but I have enough distractions. I shouldn't have gotten it, but I was playing Split Fiction with Levi and we got to the point where the game got too hard for him. We wanted to still play something together, but didn't have anything else for the PlayStation 5.

Premium

The cloud streaming option of the premium tier is my favorite--I miss Stadia. It's great being able to not have to wait for a game to download and be able to get into a game within 15 seconds or so. Plus, with so many games to play, it's a real hassle to have to delete games to make room for additional ones.

Classics Catalog

The Classics Catalog gives you access to early PlayStation games. Very similar to now Nintendo have their online subscription with their own array of Super Nintendo, Nintendo, and Game Boy games. Even in this Classics Catalog, the game looks better than what Nintendo has. Though, it is has been awhile since I have touched the Nintendo Online + version (So many companies are using plus in their subscription name).

Jak and Daxter

This series is one that I grew up playing. This was back when collect-a-tons were popular and included games like Spyro, which I also played a lot of. In games like Jak and Daxter, there's a lot of little things to collect in a short distance. I see how games like Mario Odyssey and Tears of the Kingdom evolve on the collect-a-ton by... having less things to collect, and making the places worth going are interesting places to be.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Anniversary

I've never played the original and I've only seen a couple of seconds from... maybe it was TV, maybe it was a store demo. I remember lots of sharp points. This character model looks really good. Really curvy, good lighting. There are moments when she climbs up ledges that she does a hand stand before landing on top edge of the ledge.... That looks good to see done slowly. I haven't seen that anywhere else. Movement is pretty smooth, though I do miss the occasional jumps that I feel I wouldn't in other games. Traversal speed is good, pacing is good. Combat appears to be a simple run and gun with auto lock-on. Not a bad thing. Rolling is including, so combat includes attacking and deciding the optimal time to dodge. That part feels like Devil May Cry. Looks like the game's focus is Assassin's Creed style climbing and light puzzle solving over combat. I got stuck and that ended my run. I want to get into the habit of not looking up how to get through very struggle, plus, there's other games to try.

The Last of Us Remastered

I played this game as a borrow from the library. Really enjoyed the story. I eventually saw the TV show as well, and that brought some new elements to the series, but it was hard to accept the differences from the game. Character models are much better in the game and there's something to seeing the struggle of going from place to place while overcoming so much opposition on the way. The kill count of Joe in the TV series is much lower. I've played the DLC, but haven't played two yet. Not going to make a priority for it this month. Any case, if you're new to the series, I recommend for anyone that enjoys a tense stealth-based game.

TimeSplitters

I remember playing this one in the PlayStation 2. I don't recall if I owned it, but I remember that it was very much not a stealth game. Going to get the artifact in the level could be simple, but getting out is pretty much a run and gun experience. Playing it this time around hasn't changed that. Though, I did realized that the y-axis aim wasn't necessary. Character pretty much stays in the middle, and you can usually get shots quickly without moving up and down at all.

General Collections

• Alone in the Dark
• Ape Escape
• Beyond Two Souls
• Crysis
• Dino Crisis
• Dishonored
• Doom
• God of War
• Gravity Rush
• Harvest Moon
• Heavy Rain
• Indiana Jones
• Jet Moto
• LocoRoco
• PaRappa The Rapper
• Patapon
• R Type
• Resident Evil
• Serious Sam
• Sly Cooper
• Star Wars
• Tekken
• The Legend of Dragoon
• Toy Story
• Twisted Metal
• Uncharted
• Wild Arms

Cloud Stream Collections

• Arcana Heart
• Assassin's Creed
• Batman
• Castlevania
• Cat Quest
• Circus Electrique
• Coffee Talk
• Contra
• Cult of the Lamb
• Cyberpunk
• Dave the Diver
• Dead by Daylight
• Dead Cells
• Dead or Alive
• Death Stranding
• Demon's Souls
• Detroit: Become Human
• Devil May Cry
• Disgaea
• Dredge
• Duke Nukem
• Dynasty Warriors
• Embr
• Epic Mickey
• Fallout
• Far Cry
• Final Fantasy
• God of War
• Grand Theft Auto
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Harvest Moon
• Hello Neighbor
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Hollow Knight
• Hotline Miami
• InFamous
• Lego
• Mega Man
• Monkey Island
• Moonlighter
• Mortal Kombat
• Ninja Gaiden
• No More Heroes
• Overcooked
• Port Royale
• Power Rangers
• Ratchet & Clank
• Resident Evil
• Rez
• Rock of Ages
• Saints Row
• Sam & Max
• Shadow of the Colossus
• Silent Hill 2
• Skyrim
• Sniper Elite
• Sonic Frontiers
• Spider-Man
• Street Fighter
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Terraria
• The Last Blade
• The Last of Us
• The Surge
• Thief
• This War of Mine
• Trine
• Two Point
• Undertale
• Watch Dogs

Little Nightmares

I've enjoyed the series in general. Classified as a puzzle platformer. It takes inspiration from the game Limbo. The sound and visuals in the game is meant to be eerie and distributing. As a T rating you don't witness bleeding, bones, or intestines. However, you do see lifeless figures hanging and dolls with fractured heads. You see lots of trash and wasted food, insects and filth in general. You will see things get crushed, you will get eaten by monstrosities, and chased by disfigured monsters. The game is unsettling and creepy, but never uses cheap jump scares. The game is mostly a walk from one puzzle to the next, with atmosphere in between. Occasionally, you get sequences where you have to run for you life. You also get boss encounters, each with unique expectations on how to end it. Each experience is a learning experience. Death is necessary to play the game but save points are plenty and you never have to back track far.

See Also

• DS Library
• Internet