Hey I'm really happy to hear that you're able to make these big steps to putting you and your family in a better place. I'm proud of you, man, that's so much harder than most people will admit and as you probably have read, most Americans never are able or able to bother getting there. My partner's family used their name/credit to make ends meet and its taken them years to recover from that and related things. Me, I've been fortunate to never been in any real debt but I did live the first 9 years of my adult life paycheck to paycheck.

I'm in a contradicting space where I've ramped up collecting figures but downsizing games and books but overall trying to have less clutter. If I'm not going to use it again, it has to have considerable sentimental value. EX: I love the Yakuza games but I don't have the time or desire to play through them again and I don't need 4 different collectors editions taking up space lol.

I know you're trying to have less stuff and budget, but if you want to play ps5 games w/o being stuck to the screen, I have heard good things about the Playstation Portal. Its $200 and lets you play your PS5 via wifi. So a Steam Deck but more limited. IDK if thats interesting to you, you probably have heard of it.

I never heard back from you about FF16 but I hope you're doing well.
Saw that you went through a big downsizing in games over the last few months and I know that feeling, hope its been mostly positive.
Eventually, I plan to do a big move whether its out of the midwest or out of the US and so I know I will again have to downsize to like 10% but thankfully not anytime soon.
Mostly been rebuilding my life and enjoying a bunch of long-haul games back to back (FF16 into Spiderman2 and Cyberpunk 2077, then BG3 straight into Like a Dragon 8 into FF7R2.)

I'm enjoying the writing too, even when the sidequests are simplistic, it's just fun to see characters interact. Personalities really shine through in the voice acting.

As a spectator, it's fun to witness. I was really distraught over not being able to control party members (gimmie Jiiiiiiill!! ), but at this point I'm itching for my own playthrough after his. My partner is constantly laughing and smiling in combat sequences cause he's just genuinely having a good time with it. He's gotten comfortable with the same set of combinations for a while now, and post-Bahamut (holy moly, what a fight and character) the game is now starting to force him to explore other options cause his current set-up isn't cutting it for harder hunts. But he does like to approach them slightly under leveled to see what happens.

Your wife is right, it is beyond refreshing to see them embrace 30+ lead characters. Everyone in this game is pretty. Cid initially took the crown for me, but older!Clive definitely stepped up to the plate. I'll take both, LOL!

Sidentoe: do you think Gav has a Tactics-inspired look to him? I took notice right away and loved him instantly, which was the right instinct cause he's incredible.

Selling off my collection has been the strangest experience. On one hand, the funds are going to improving my QOL in the near future, as well as for my family, but it's bittersweet seeing my shelves empty. I took great pride in the collection I have amassed over the years, and I know one day if I want to, I can always buy them back. It just feels odd.

Parting with them has also brought me a sense of relief. The anxiety I feel seeing the huge list of games I bought and didn't touch was rough on me, mentally. Partially because I know I'll never have the time to play them (possibly ever again), and partially because that money could have been better spent elsewhere (or not spent at all). Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to cool it.

All said, I will note that it is absolutely wonderful to get a message from someone who bought one of my games and hear them excited to relive some part of their own past through it. I always fear my games are going to go into the wrong hands (someone who wants to scalp or flip them for profit). But those messages I get where someone tells me about the good times they had with the game in the past and they can't wait to relive those times? Priceless. It eases the pain of letting them go, at least somewhat.

Here's to better things for the future.

Just saw your message about Valkyrie Elysium and yeahhhhh... I only got a few hours in, I need to go back to it. I know it won't recapture the magic of the original, but ah, I just want to enjoy the setting and gameplay again! I wish it was the same style of game, but alas.

FF16 starts strong. There are 3 parts to the game imo, the prologue/demo portion (~2-3 hrs), part 1 (idk ~10-15 hours) and part 2/the rest (for me who did all side quests) 30+hrs. Early on they want you to feel like this ISNT YOUR GRANDMAS FINAL FANTASY. Its got the dark political machinations of Final Fantasy tactics (but only at times), its got the F word, some of the violence and sex of GoT (not really but enough for an M) and themes of oppression, rebellion, and found family. There's a big feel-change shortly after part 1 ends that, for me, the plot never stays on track for/delivers as hard. The stuff you expect and want to happen, i.e. victories revenges fights, but none of them are delivered well imo. Too much telling me and not showing me. There's MONEY here especially in the epic boss fights that sometimes go on for like 45 minutes. And the combat never stops being a blast. But your specials/Ults also allow you to melt most enemies, leaving less challenge than even I desired. I came to like a lot of the cast, but many needed more fleshing out. The side quests hide some of the best lore and character develop but theres so many of them as to get tired of them.
Overall, it plays much better than 15 but 15 overall held together much better and more cohesively esp in the ending (yes even when we think back to ~Ch13)
7/10