I'm playing Subnautica: Below Zero right now. I enjoyed the first one, but needed a guide to get through some of the story points, because I just had no idea what to do or where to go to make it progress.

Hey, thanks! It used to just be my springtime theme, but I've long since gotten too lazy to change themes with every season, and spring is my favorite anyway.

If you already own Okamiden, I'd say there's no harm in playing it. As long as you go in not expecting it to be much like the original, you might actually enjoy it! Chibiterasu is cute, at least.

I see that you, too, own Okami on multiple platforms, as well as having the Okami theme. A man of good taste.

Now that you said that, I poked around your backlog a little more and I see what you mean! Your favorite games list is solid. I've added just about every game I could think of/find to my backloggery but I haven't finished rating everything and picking out my very favorites.

Yeah, I've had Okami's problems on my mind as I came back to it but I think its greatness overshadows any issues. There's so much packed into it. I've developed a more critical eye over the past few years, but overall I think I still pay more attention to what a game does well than what it doesn't.

I can't remember exactly where I had gotten stuck in The Witness... I went forward with whatever puzzles I found for as long as I could and moved on when I got stuck in an area. Sometimes I just need a break from a puzzle to get it later. I intend to beat the game (whatever that entails, I can't quite remember) without any help, but I'm sure I'll need it to finish everything else. Frankly, I think that sometimes I try to think way too far outside the box, and then I end up missing even the most obvious solutions. I'm a hardcore overthinker.

Thank you!!

I love your theme! Such a great use of the banner. No joke, it inspired me to pick the game back up and start finishing what I need before I go to the final area. I kind of wish I had played it on a system with motion controls like the Wii version I first played years ago - a perfect use of motion controls with the brush mechanic, at least in theory if not practice - but it is nice having it on Steam with the precision of a controller.

Gaming has been taking a backseat for a few weeks, and will for at least a few weeks more. Looking forward to when I have time for it again, but looking more forward to the daughter we expect to welcome to our family this week!

Just saw your comment in my profile
Yeah, the Rusty Lake games are really one of a kind, totally fascinating I played Rusty Lake Hotel back when it was first released on Desura... I also met its creator at Gamescom a couple of years back (I think he was showing Paradise).
I still have to play the Cube Escape games, as well as The White Door...

I did not know you could remove the HUD from the PS4 game. I'll try it when I get around to it, for sure. I'm sure it's gonna be a somewhat different experience.

About ICO's secret endings: I knew about the secret weapon, I also think I got it once. There is also a second secret weapon, if I remember correctly. I guess I also got the secret ending of ICO, but I am not super sure about it. I will try to get it when I play it in HD though.

Little starlker
Just kidding, I also followed your conversations about ICO/SotC before writing to you, so I did just the same thing

I think the 3D Marios are all pretty good games, I list them all among the best 3D Platform/Sandbox games I played. Mario 64 had its merits back in the day, Sunshine did many things right and tried to innovate the formula, Galaxy was a lot of fun and had so many ideas, they even made a second one... So, yeah, I like them all. That said, Mario Galaxy did have some frustrating moments, the Luigi course you mentioned is one of those. But overall, like you said, I think the fun outweighs the frustration by far. So... I'm happy to replay any Mario game, anytime.
But, alas, my backlog is big, and I want to play some other games too, so I guess that it'll be a while until I [i[replay any game I already finished. I really want to experience new things... or at least, remastered things, considering the new trends of the industry... remake here, remaster there... all the nostalgia. They got us good..


Also: sorry for the late reply. Live and work and stuff... you probably know the drill...

I think one of the differences that SotC changed that I felt was a step back was the introduction of a GUI. ICO had none and needed none, and I wonder how SotC would have felt without the constant visual reminder of the stamina circle and the life bar. ICO managed to go without...

Anyway, ICO and SotC are both pretty good indeed, I can't wait to play it again at some point in the (maybe not too distant) future.

I do not own a 3D TV, so I don't have the need to use that feature. I'm happy with 4K though
Are 3D movies and games still a thing? I never heard of them in a long time...

I played the original European version of ICO, being a European, so probably the new content will not blow me away indeed. What was absent in the US (I presume) version?

Happy to hear Shadow of the Colossus on the PS4 is great. I'll add it to the list then.
I saw you recommend some games like ICO to LlamaFarmer, had a great read there. I also want to play the Last Guardian some day, I just have such a huge backlog of games I still want to play... I hope to get to it one day. I'm so amazed by the architecture that the game shows...

Regarding difficulty, I tend to shy away from harder difficulty settings, or games with a reputation for being difficult. I usually prefer to get on with the story and/or enjoy the action, not necessarily to overcome a challenge. However, I have enjoyed a few games where the challenge is part of the experience, such as Hollow Knight or Darkest Dungeon (although I haven't finished either of them...). I'm more likely to enjoy a difficult game if it adds to the atmosphere of the game, such as cautiously exploring in a Souls game rather than frantically dashing about game like Cuphead.

Based on what you are saying, I think I could handle Another World and I'm intrigued enough by Titan Souls' premise to give it a go (I think there's a demo anyway). I'll bump Journey higher up the wishlist based on your strong recommendation and get it in the triple pack with Flow and Flower.

Agreed, SotC remake is FANTASTIC!
I've always loved the game, but this was the first version I put the time into to make it to the secret garden.

Everything you told me makes me want to play that game, so I guess I'll have to make room for it someday soon! =)

I have only played the PS2 version of the game, and I also played it quite late, having already played other similar "grand scale" games, like Zelda - Twilight Princess (in my mind, I'm comparing Hyrule Field to the Forbidden Lands) and God of War (here I am comparing the sheer size of the bosses and the grandeur of the boss battles). Still, the game managed to really impress me with its atmosphere.

Honestly, I prefer ICO to Shadow of the Colossus. It is shorter, yes, and typically I like natural landscapes more than big architectural wonders. But ICO's castle transported me back to moments from Ghibli Studio movies and one of my favourite anime of all time, Peter Pan no Bouken, and the relationship between Yorda and Ico just got me more than the relationship between Wanda and Agro.

That said: I could immerse myself fully in the world of Shadow of the Colossus, and finding little secrets and easter eggs here and there was just fantastic. I loved every moment of it, liked all the boss fights and a big chunk of one of my D&D campaigns is inspired by the game. It is just filled with little corners that filled me with awe and I already have a huge nostalgia of the game.

I never played the PS3 HD remakes, even though they are technically the only versions of the games I actually own.
You did not seem to have appreciated them much. Is there any particular reason for it?

Thanks for the compresensive list of games!

I know Another World by reputation - am I right in thinking it involves a lot of trial and error and random deaths? I did play the demo for Heart of Darkness back in the day...which I've just looked up and realised was 24 years ago! I was young and thought all platformers were like Mario, Sonic and Cosmo so I was surprised by how difficult it was, though the fact I remember the feeling of playing it so long ago shows that it did have something special.

I will probably play Praey for the Gods and Journey at some point, especially the latter which I know is very highly thought of.

I was not aware of Titan Souls, it sounds like a very interesting concept. Possibly too reaction and skill based for me, but I will try the demo out.

Shadow of the Colossus!!

Such an awesome game! Enjoy it!

(I haven't played the PS4 version yet, but I hear it perfectly captures the spirit. Is that right?)

Hiya, yeah, people playing Shadow of the Colossus always catch my eye! Ico is one of my favourite games and I loved what I played of SotC years ago and always meant to go back and finish it. The atmosphere in those games is amazing. I don't own a PS4 but managed to get hold of a PS5 so both SotC and The Last Guardian are near the top of the list of games to catch up on. Do you recommend any other games with a similar feel/atmosphere?

It's been a long time since I played To The Moon but I remember it being a lovely game. Really well written, likeable protagonists and quite emotional. Hope you enjoy it when you get round to it. I have Finding Paradise in my backlog so might replay To The Moon ahead of whenever I get round to playing it.

I just bought Katamari Damacy Reroll as it was on sale this week! My wife and I loved playing on PS2, so I thought I should get it now.

Just removed four games from my Now Playing, one of which has literally been there without an update since 2014.

Don't worry, Skyward Sword, I do plan to and you still, but let's be honest: it'll happen when it happens. Don't worry, Cuphead, Super Mario 3D World, and Bowser's Fury, I'll or each of you just as soon as my wife finishes with Stardew Valley and let's me play with my Switch again, but it ain't happening until then. Don't worry, Dark Souls, I'll get back to you...someday. You know why I'm not playing you right now.

In the meantime, I've added those games to my Hit List on the side description.

Thank you for your compliments. I appreciate 'em!

As far as getting good enough to 1CC the original Contra. I can't say how long exactly it took me to get there, but with the help of the infamous 30 lives Konami code you can learn the game that way and eventually you can take the training wheels off and see how you do from there. That's how I learned that game. Same with Super Contra as well. However, Super C (the North American version) only has a 10 lives code, but the Japanese version has the same code and it give you 30. Obviously not every game has cheats that can help you learn to 1CC it in this way. With those you really just have to learn 'em the hard way.

Super Contra on Famicom is my most recent 1CC capture that I put on YouTube. Check it out if you're interested!

[Link]

I liked Heroes 4 quite a bit as well, but unlike Heroes 3 I've never really felt like I wanted to go back and play it again once I was finished with it.

But still, thanks for looking.