The Backlog Check-in Vol. 337: 6/15/24: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Alphadia Genesis, Life is Strange 2

Finished: Life is Strange 2

Playing: Alphadia Genesis

Added: Nothing

Games releasing this week
Aarik and the Ruined Kingdom
ASKA
#Blud
Cave Digger 2
Chocolate Factory
Chromatic Memories
City Transport Simulator: Tram
Clothing Store Simulator
Crab God
Darkstar One
Dicefolk
Drug Dealer Simulator 2
Echo Generation
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
El Dorado: The Golden City Builder
The End of You
E-Startup 2: Business Tycoon
Everafter Falls
The Fall of Elena Temple
First Dwarf
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2
Glyphs of Gitzan
Horror Tales: The Beggar
The Hunter: Call of the Wild - Sundarpatan Nepal Hunting Reserve
Interregnum: False Prophet
Into the Emberlands
Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess
Murky Divers
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - Quest of Memories
Noreya: The Gold Project
Omega Warp
Pax Dei
Republic of Pirates
Rusted Moss
Sandwalkers
Scars of Mars
Snow Plowing Simulator
Still Wakes the Deep
Tarisland
Tavern Talk
Teardown - Folkrace
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss
This Grand Life 2
Times & Galaxy
Tradesman: Deal to Dealer
Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship - Remastered
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic
X4: Timelines
Ylands

[argyle]

Games added: Bayonetta 3, Dead or School, C.A.R.D.S. RPG (all Switch)

Last week: Finished Cookie Cutter, played a little Steamworld Quest, Slay the Spire, and dabbled with a few other things

This week: Not sure

I got to the final boss in Cookie Cutter, fought him a few times, then just pulled up a video on YouTube & watched the ending. Didn't have the motivation to beat my head against that wall, especially since my final take on the game is that it's OK at best. The ending didn't help that opinion, it was basically a cliffhanger - like really? That's pretty presumptuous for a first-time indie game, isn't it? Stoy wasn't interesting anyway, so it's not like a cliffhanger bothers me or would make me interested in a sequel, it's just...weird. Like a lot of the game, actually. Had some good ideas mixed with some really weird ideas with some bad design decisions scattered about for good measure. Play F.I.S.T. instead.

Not sure what I'm going to play now. Of course I want to play Erdtree, but Tam has hurt her neck & can't game right now, so it would be cruel of me to play it in front of her when she's been looking forward to it so much. I'll find something else, just not sure what yet. It's not that I don't have options that I want to play, probably more that I have TOO MANY options I want to play.

[canedaddy]

Played recently: Far Cry: Primal

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 37


A buddy recommended Far Cry: Primal, so I am giving it a shot. I'm maybe an hour in and not sure how long I'll stick with it. We will see.

[isthatallyougot]

Still chipping away at Morrowind. I started refocusing on the main path after some side-sploration and I'm enjoying the added context and growing drama of the narrative focus of this entry in TES. There's so much to digest, much of which isn't directly relevant to the focal point of this tale but nonetheless fleshes out the periphery and greater picture of the overall world of The Elder Scrolls. Great stuff. And I no longer (long ago now) feel like a feeble worm that can't dish out punishment against the hostile forces of this world, so exploration is much more rewarding, both moment to moment and in a literal sense.

I have also been playing The Thief, The Witch, The Toad, and The Mushroom. It's a text-based choose your own adventure style game-book. It isn't the kind that includes rpg and combat elements like some others - just purely choice-based. But there are several paths and little side stories, and the writing is absolutely *phenomenal*. And the art and music / soundscape really adds to this wonderful fairy tale. It's free on Steam (and maybe elsewhere, I don't know.). But if you enjoy this style of game or book, I'd really recommend it. I've completed two of the four (or maybe 5) paths, and it's just so well done. It's not like you need to be a "PC gamer" to enjoy it. Zero system requirements for all practical purposes and it's entirely mouse based - just click to advance and read and make choices. Really a nice experience and even without finishing it yet, I would heartily recommend it for any who find this sort of thing appealing.

[Phaseknox]

A buddy recommended Far Cry: Primal, so I am giving it a shot. I'm maybe an hour in and not sure how long I'll stick with it. We will see.

The same buddy that recommended Arcade Paradise? You need new friends.

[argyle]

A buddy recommended Far Cry: Primal, so I am giving it a shot. I'm maybe an hour in and not sure how long I'll stick with it. We will see.

The same buddy that recommended Arcade Paradise? You need new friends.

Hey, I liked Primal!

[canedaddy]

The same buddy that recommended Arcade Paradise? You need new friends.

Ha, it is, in fact, the same buddy. He also suggested Axiom Verge 2, so he's batting .333. Great in baseball, piss-poor in game recommendations.

[Phaseknox]

The same buddy that recommended Arcade Paradise? You need new friends.

Hey, I liked Primal!

Me too.

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Windbound, Stellar Blade

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 44 games

I think I'm in the final area of Stellar Blade!

Also, did anyone see the update for DQ III HD-2D? Nov 14 release for several platforms. And 2025 releases for I and II remakes.

[canedaddy]

Also, did anyone see the update for DQ III HD-2D? Nov 14 release for several platforms. And 2025 releases for I and II remakes.

Yeah. They look so good. Wish they were coming out on PS4.