Now playing?

The game looks really cool, I love the environment, it reminds me of here (western Canada) quite a bit, and the overall feel of the clips I've seen seems interesting. Haven't tried the game, but it looks like one that would be more fun to play with a group (Left 4 Dead!). I'd love to try this one at some point, I had no idea it was out until I was checking out the PS store just now! :)

Anyone here like SHMUPS? I've always had a soft spot for this annoying niche holdover from the arcade allowance vortex days, and I thought I'd recommend Sky Force ("Remastered" or the more recent "Reloaded"). I always keep Sky Force on my xbox, and I find myself going back to it frequently when I need a break from some over complicated, massive title and just want to get back to FUN, twitch gaming that can be as quick as a stage or two, or a meaty, tuck in and do some work session. Sky Force is cool to scratch the SHMUP itch in that it's challenging, but not ridiculously so, and you can upgrade your ship to make it more powerful and take the edge of some of the levels as you progress (but there are added challenges for completionists as you progress so the game never feels unbalanced). One of the cool things about Sky Force are the weekly challenges that come out on Fridays (i think) and last for a few days, every week is different, and there are global leader boards so that you can see how you measure up to everybody else (I get a lot of the equivalent of those blue, "Participant" ribbons you used to get in track and field events back in the day...). Fun game, definitely worth checking out, and there are always sales on both of them, so if you're cheap like me, you can get two great games for a good price!

Trailer for Skyforce Reloaded





Also, check this other cool looking SHMUP out that I found while perusing the xbox deals this week, I think it's on Switch, too, but I couldn't find it on the PS Store though.

I love me some SHMUPS even though I am only mediocre at them at best. I have been streaming some SHMUPS on my Twitch channel, most recently Crimson Clover: World Ignition and V-V (V-Five).

I actually have been taking part in a "SHMUP Book Club" with other members of the Twitch community where we pick new games each month as well as one quarterly and run a casual highscore chart. The top 2 scores plus 2 wildcards get to pick the next games we vote on playing. We try to get together Thursday nights on Discord and host a multistream, but everyone is welcome to participate and streaming is not required.

It's been a lot of fun and has encouraged me to put more time into a genre I have neglected for years. If this sounds interesting to anyone let me know and I will get you some more info on how to join in.

There are many reasons why SNES is my favorite console of all times: the games (especially FFVI) being the main reason. But the overall experience is one I really enjoyed using, especially as the years have gone by. In the time it takes me to even get to actually control my character in Red Dead 2 (my current favorite non-FPW game), I could play about 2 full stages of Super Mario World 🍄 And while RDR 2 is the type of game where I'd play only if I had a solid 90 minutes ahead of me to really dive into, there are other PS4 games I have which I'd love to be able to load and jump into quicker. But the entire experience takes so long that these days I basically have to plan a half hour in advance. It IS cool that PS4 has sleep mode so at least I feel I'm not just pausing the game for like 30-60 minutes before I get to play it. But man, there's really something to be said for the quick console experience of the 90's. Even Steam, which is usually pretty quick to launch games, relies on my computer to be on to quickly use. Most of the time it is but it sucks when it's not and I have to wait for the entire computer launch sequence ("T-minus 10...") to play a Steam 80's or 90's throwback game. 

Sometimes I think I enjoy Fire Pro and Promoter so much because I don't have to actually do anything besides mouse clicking lol. My physical gaming abilities have dropped off a little with age and lack of usage.  I'm still able to get to about 75-90% of my old ability in my favorite fighting games if I spend a few days (though some of the old crazy combos may be beyond my grasp...or patience).  But some days I just don't have it.

For me though, I've found that my ability to take in truckloads of information about games has taken the biggest hit, especially for games that have a ton of different commands.  I just simply can't absorb even 50% of the "moves" in NBA 2K. I realize part of that is because I rarely can play the game a few days in a row. But even with like RDR 2, I have to keep remembering some of the "context-specific" moves that I used to be better at absorbing.   I can't even imagine playing some of the more punishing 3D action-adventure games.  There's just too much that the game expects me to remember if I am not like making it my number 1 priority.

I worry that 24/7 Pong is in my future 

Sekiro is insane. Like all the Soulsborne games you go from loving it to hating it to loving it again all within the span of minutes. Brutal combat, but some of the fight sequences you pull out of this game look like they've been beautifully choreographed ahead of time. Even in the Japanese setting they've still managed to capture that sense of foreboding the series is known for. I'm getting the feeling not everything is as it seems as the storyline's in these games are kept intentionally nebulous.