“Whatcha Playin’, Pixels?” – #011
9 min read
A weekly roundup of games enjoyed by the writers of The Pixels
It’s April 1st and that means April Fools Jokes! I might leave the jokes to other writers today, though! Do you know what’s never a joke? How serious our writers are with their games! Here’s what they were up to this week:
This week I have continued my playthrough of Guardians of the Galaxy. This game really captures the feel of the movies, especially around the banter which is almost as good as in the Pixels Discord group!
I’ve also continued my career run on Wreckfest, which is absolutely the most fun racing game I’ve picked up since Gran Turismo 4. There’s nothing quite like sending some upstart junker into the stratosphere (aka a nearby pile of tires) and stealing first place! Oh, it’s a rush!
I started a brand new RPG on Sunday – Phantasy Star IV! I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one and it’s been on my must-play list for a long time, so All-Star Sunday was as good a time as ever to begin my journey! My voice acting on stream, I feel, needs work though.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I was back to streaming more Tunic! I figure I should be finished by the end of next week, which means I can switch back to my Zelda marathon and play either Oracle of Ages or Oracle of Seasons. I’ll put a poll up next week to decide which title I should play first.
Off-stream, I’ve continued playing CrossCode. I’ve picked up the first element and am on my way to obtaining the second while taking on various side-quests. While most quests end with my character delivering items to an NPC, some of them involve challenging fights or traversing through an obstacle course. Both of these instances were a lot of fun to hunt down and complete.
Also, I feel that I should point out that the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 MOVIE COMES OUT NEXT WEEK! My fellow writers here know that my excitement for this movie is at its absolute peak. Expect me to talk about it at length in next week’s update!
This week I’ve spent most of my hours playing Super Robot Wars 30 (again). I’m very happy with switching to hard mode because I’m finding quite a bit more challenge in the game now. Not too much is new, I’m trying to knock out all the DLC though.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was something I’ve picked up, nearly on a whim, on launch. The only other traditional Kirby experience I have prior is Kirby’s Dream Land, which I thought was a very fun game even though it may not live up to Kirby’s Pinball Land. I checked out the demo the morning I went to go buy the game and I thought the game had a lot of charm and goof. At the time of writing this, I’ve completed and 100%’d World 1. I enjoy collecting the puzzles and the objectives but I’m mostly looking forward to what future stages and worlds have to offer. This is a game I’ve told my friend about (who is looking for games to buy for his five-year-old son to play on the Switch) and I feel this is definitely up the alley for 3D platformers that kids can pick up if other games are too difficult, especially considering that Breath of the Wild can be challenging enough according to said friend. Funnily enough, his son was already watching Youtube videos on Kirby.
Oh and just a few minutes ago I was the one who pulled the sword and was crowned king! Such a surreal moment that was. The pinnacle of my life.
I’m sorry I was away for so long, but now I’m back! After putting 40 hours into Elden Ring I think I’m finally ready to talk about it! So here are my thoughts:
It’s nice.
New update: I’m now a proud owner of the Xbox Series S! I had previously purchased Death’s Door on the Xbox One (before it appeared on Gamepass) but I had issues with input lag and decided to put it down for the time being. Playing it on the Series S I’m happy to report that it plays beautifully and I’m having a blast with it. The combat is fast-paced and challenging but not to the point where I’m dying often. As I’m nearing the endgame I’m hoping to have the game completed this weekend! Hopefully, I won’t forget to write! 😅
I completely expected to have finished God of War and started a new game by now, but here we are. It turns out the game gets longer as it goes. I won’t say too much, since I may end up writing a review, but it seesaws between fun and tedium more than maybe any other game I’ve played. I can definitely see potential in the idea of a sequel. I’ve also been reassured that God of War 2 and God of War 3 are both much better. So, I am still looking forward to the rest of the series. I’m also very close to finishing my review of Paper Mario!
I beat two games over the past week! Abzu was a replay in preparation for the latest MAGE CAST podcast episode. What a delight to revisit such a serene and elegant experience so celebratory of nature and mythology. The other game was The one who pulls out the sword will be crowned king which is the hardest game I’ve played in years. Sure, it’s short but it practically petrified my hand into a fit of muscle cramps. Trying to pull from the stone the sword is indeed a steep task.
But forget all that. Forget the Arthurian legends. Forget the deep dives. Forget even Elden Ring which I thought was going to wind up being my GOTY. The REAL Game of the Year is Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin! How could I have been so wrong? I tried the demo and literally, it has: 1) the best theme song of any Final Fantasy (My Way is better than anything Uematsu ever wrote); 2) the best Final Fantasy protagonist, coldly sexier than Cloud, darkly broodier than Squall, more of a ladies man than even Zidane, with a purer laugh than Tidus, literally better than edgelord Terra; 3) such an incredible plot twist! Wow! I was floored! Jack Garland is Garland. Who could have guessed? 4) Did I mention My Way?
~Red
As I said last week, I did end up diving into Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which I’m enjoying more than I expected so far. I’m not very far in, only the second area so far, not as much a fan of the muddy swamp. I know better visual areas are ahead though, so I look forward to seeing those. Probably need some more levels before I get to them though.
I also started playing a very underrated platformer called Horace which I can’t recommend enough so far. It’s an absolute delight with clever puzzles, forgiving respawn time, and the kindest “Hey, you seem to be struggling here, would you like some help?” mechanics I’ve seen in a game that includes one. Filled with fun pop culture references, great characters, classic British comedy, and lots of mechanics paying homage to different games, I can’t get enough of this game so far. I may end up doing a full article on this one because more people need to play it.
Did I ever tell you about the time I Pulled Out The Sword And Was Crowned King? My reign was a glorious minute or two. It was pretty nice.
Along with that, I’ve been putting some time into Final Fantasy Explorers on the 3DS. It’s basically a Final Fantasy take on the Monster Hunter formula that makes for a nice game for short play sessions. Collecting loot, mastering new abilities (and customizing those abilities to suit my needs) and crafting new gear all really scratch that collection itch.
In honour of one of my favourite TV shows of recent years coming to its conclusion this coming Sunday, I’ve finally taken the plunge into Peaky Blinders: Mastermind on the Playstation 4. Framing itself as a prequel to the events in the series, the game is basically a top-down puzzle strategy in the Commandos style. In fact, anyone who played 2020’s massively underrated Desperados III will feel completely at home with some of the mechanics in play in this game: distracting, persuading and sneaking around cones of vision came back to me much quicker than I expected. However, unlike the sprawling maps of the Wild West, the levels presented here in the Wilder West Midlands feel a lot more crowded and cramped, offering less scope for freedom and playing around with character abilities. Instead, Peaky Blinders: Mastermind pushes the idea of a time-based puzzle system. Each member of the gang will have their role within a level and, using an extremely fiddly system of character-switching and time-hopping, the idea of the game is to orchestrate and execute a plan with pinpoint precision while hoping that everything works like a well-oiled machine. Think Shadow Tactics crossed with the planning aspect of the original Rainbow Six games and you’re not far off. I’m only a few levels into the game so far, and it looks like there are only ten stages in total, so I’m looking forward to enjoying plenty more adventures with the Shelby family over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, back in Elden Ring, I’ve discovered a bunch of ghost yetis. As a result, the words “You Died” are now pretty much burnt into my TV screen.
Back when I was in college, like 20 years ago, the game that took the dorm by storm was the original Halo: Combat Evolved. I remember a large number of us students hooking no less than four Xboxes together using 100ft LAN line cables and draping them out the windows of the dormitory to play with others on different floors. Our dorm looked like it was wrapped up in yarn! Thank the good Lord that multiplayer Halo has evolved from this, though the players have not. This week I hooked up with my old Halo buddies and played Halo Infinite with them just like it was 2003, and we didn’t even need to run any long cables to make it happen. Trash talk was our currency and teabagging was our reward!
Multiplayer in any game has its limits, however, and sometimes you just want to dive into a good story. I’m a huge fan of both the FPS and RPG genres, so when they come together to make a fast-paced and kick butt gaming experience, how can I say no!. I stumbled across a game called Shadow Warrior 2 by Devolver Digital, a sequel to an obscure rebooted 1997 shooter that eluded my attention at the time. I was immediately drawn in by the unfolding plot and hyper-violent, Doom-style action. Taking on the character of Lo Wang, an eccentric and foul-mouthed gun-for-hire, you bring down a world of hurt on demons and cyborgs all for money and honor. The RPG elements are similar to that of Destiny, with customizable weapons and stat configuration. There are also main and side quests available for casual players and completionists alike. Just remember, Shadow Warrior 2 doesn’t take itself very seriously, so get ready for some major laugh-out-loud moments, even in the middle of gunfights!
Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Twitter as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.
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