Mister Jack

Marvel Rivals is a much better game than I gave it credit for. I completely wrote it off as an Overwatch clone when I saw the trailer, and to an extent it kind of is, but what I had forgotten is that when it's done well the Overwatch genre is actually pretty fun. Rivals is not only more accessible to the point where even total amateurs will be able to find at least one character they can play well, but it doesn't have a lot of the bullshit that made me give up Overwatch in the first place. NO LOOT BOXES for one thing. New characters are given out for free. In fact, the only paid items are all cosmetic and the battle passes give out premium currency. Monetization aside, I think I just like playing games like this in third person more than first person. I've been using a controller to play on PC due to wrist pain and I'm still racking up 10+ kill streaks because there are only a handful of characters where you really need the precision of a mouse. This game feels more like it's about how you position yourself and how you deploy your abilities than it is about who can line up headshots better (with some exceptions like Hawkeye, of course). I like it a lot.

I upgraded pretty much everything else about my PC. Might as well finally do something about that stock wired keyboard. Already got a new mouse a while back that I'm happy with.

Hey Amazon, not every product video needs royalty free music blasting at full volume.

Got this with Amazon points. It shows a Switch here but it also works with PCs with the flip of...um, a switch. I've been getting back into fighting games recently, particularly Guilty Gear, but playing them with an Xbox style controller is just too cumbersome. I have an old SNES style controller too but it's just not quite doing it for me so this is where it's at as far as I'm concerned. I like that it has both wireless and wired options, and if I feel like swapping out the stick or face buttons at any point I can mod it fairly easily. Haven't used it too much yet but I've been doing fairly well with Elphelt and Slayer so far which is enough for me to give this stick a thumbs up. I've bought so much 8bitdo stuff that I probably sound like a shill at this point but their controllers have been even better and more reliable for me than the official ones in some cases. In fact, one of them had the sticks wear down after using it for years so you know what I did? Bought replacement sticks for $10 and fixed it myself. WHAT A NOVEL CONCEPT.

BINDING OF ISAAC HAS ONLINE NOW BINDING OF ISAAC HAS ONLINE NOW

Alien: Rogue Incursion Last game of 2024 for me. I bought it on steam at first but the PC port at launch was pretty rough and Virtual Desktop didn't even work, which is pretty much the objectively best way to do PCVR if you're using a wireless connection, so I refunded it and got the PSVR2 version instead, which ended up being the much better version for once. Technical hiccups aside, this is pretty much the definitive Aliens experience for me. If Isolation was the definitive Alien experience then this one embodies Aliens as in the more action based sequel film. Yes, you have guns that can actually kill the xenos this time, but what I like is that you're still not going to be mindlessly mowing them down like in Colonial Marines. Xenos are still a big threat and can kill you in two hits tops. They will also try to sneak up on you by crawling along walls and ceilings and through vents. More than once I've turned around to find a xeno clinging to a wall and staring at me from three feet away. This game really demands that you use the motion detector but I swear sometimes it feels like the xenos try to deliberately seek out your sweeper's blind spots so they can get the jump on you. I do appreciate that if a xeno is nearby you'll hear the motion detector start pinging even if you aren't holding it so you don't always have to have it in your hand at all times. Of course, you can't effectively use any gun except the magnum while holding on to it, so when shit hits the fan you're either going to have to drop the detector quickly or start blasting and hope you can manage the recoil with one hand. I don't want to spoil the story but it does offer up several moments where you get to experience iconic Alien tropes firsthand. The two main characters are alright. I was rather fond of my android companion, who goes to great lengths to protect you from the hellish situation you find yourself in. However, while the game is a decent length on its own I have to knock it for suddenly revealing at launch that this is just part one of a two part story. Seems rather shady to hide that until the last minute. For most of the game you're just fighting xenos and facehuggers. They didn't make up new subtypes for this that didn't exist around the time of the original Aliens film. That didn't really bother me since it's lore accurate and the standard xeno is a very well designed enemy but the fact remains that you don't have a whole lot of enemy variety if that sort of thing bothers you. You also have only four weapons: a magnum, a shotgun, grenades, and the iconic pulse rifle. Again, the pulse rifle was the whole point for me so I didn't mind but maybe you would feel differently. I will say the rifle feels great to shoot on the PSVR2 with the controller haptics rattling against your hands every time you fire it. While I wouldn't call this a survival horror game, I'd say it's survival adjacent at least. Ammo isn't rare, but there's a limit to how much you can carry and I was forced to fall back on my magnum more than a few times. I have a suspicion that the xenos spawn infinitely if you screw around and waste time. I never felt like it was more than I could handle, but the only places that are completely safe for you to relax and take a breather are the panic rooms, which also count as save stations. Autosaves are rare and you can't save if xenos are neaby much like in Isolation, so if it's been a while since your last save you'll be feeling the pressure of losing progress if you run out of supplies and die before you find another panic room. Looking at your map is also done in real time on a handheld datapad you have to scroll with your finger so you better make sure you're safe before you start looking for directions. Sometimes you also have to use computers or repair electronics to progress and the xenos will absolutely not show you the courtesy of waiting for you to finish so you best listen for your motion detector while doing any puzzles. PC performance and Part 1 issues aside, I have a few small gripes. It is a metroidvania so you'll be doing a lot of backtracking and using tools to unlock new areas, but a fair bit of it amounts to upgrading the security clearance on your key card. There were a few times when xenos would clip through doors, and while they couldn't attack me from the other room it did at least give away their presence. The full body model could also get a bit awkward at times depending on the position you're in. Still, I can't deny this was the kind of Aliens experience I've been wanting to have in VR for a good while. Isolation is a great game sometimes you just gotta shoot a pulse rifle.

Been itching for an ARPG to replace Diablo IV since D4 has only gotten worse with time instead of better. Everyone seems to be really liking this one so far so I'm in. Wasn't actually planning on this one but it's only 13.49 right now so what the hell why not.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Boy oh boy this one really came out of nowhere and surprised me. I had written it off as an Uncharted clone when I heard the announcement but it really feels more like Dishonored and that's not a bad thing. If there's one thing where nobody could fault this game, it's in capturing that Indiana Jones spirit. It really does feel like a proper story in the series and the writing and characterization and setpieces are on point. The PC port was very well optimized too, despite me running it on a 3060 Ti that is beginning to show its age. My only complaint is that in some segments it's not clear where you're supposed to go and sometimes it got so dark all of a sudden that I had no idea which way to even look, and I'm pretty sure this wasn't intentional because it would even happen underwater of all places. Maybe my hardware had something to do with it, I don't know. Still a great game though. I'm just pissed because I was supposed to get it for free with my 4070 Ti Super but my order was canceled. When I reordered the card a few days later the promotion was over and Nvidia would not even pretend like they were going to cut me a break. Thank god for game pass, at least.

Yoink!

PSN sale: Steam and GOG: CDkeys is an amazing site and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

I didn't get a chance to play Metaphor but I feel like if I did it'd probably be on my list.

Game of the Year Yeah it might be DLC but this expansion is bigger than most full priced games so sorry not sorry, I easily spent more time this year playing Elden Ring again than anything else. With this much content, including the new weapon classes, it's more than worth the $40 asking price. Runner-up Admittedly, this game went through a rough patch and a few controversies, but it eventually landed in a pretty good state. This is one of the most fun multiplayer games I've played with friends in years, to the point where sometimes even dying can be fun when everything is so over the top and covered in explosions. This is one of those multiplayer games where you make your own stories by taking part in some truly insane battles full of setpiece moments that you yourself orchestrate. Throw in the fact that the monetization is usually pretty reasonable and it's hard to go wrong with Helldivers 2.

Okay forget what I said before. I told a friend of mine about the one I had bought and he directed me to this 27 inch monitor that has the same resolution and HDR and all that other stuff for basically the same sale price. Only trade-off is it's 144hz instead of 165, but I think the tradeoff of getting an extra 3 inches on the screen is more than worth it. This was right down the street at my local Best Buy so I canceled the other one and now I've already got this bad boy bought and hooked up.

I honestly wasn't planning to upgrade my monitor until next year but this was on a Christmas sale plus there was a 30 dollar coupon so I'm getting a $260 monitor for $189. That's just too good an offer to pass up.

My old chair was getting uncomfortable but fortunately I had an extended warranty on it. Since there's a Christmas sale going on I got this upgrade, normally $380, basically for free minus the cost of a new warranty.