Welcome back to Gaming Respawn Plays! Things are more active here, with some of us Gaming Respawners going back several console generations to dig out some old favorites of ours and reacquaint ourselves with the games we truly loved to play all those years ago. Check out what we’ve all been up to lately.
Rob Browne
Beyond Good & Evil
This month has been spent pretty much the same as last. I’ve been playing a number of games like Batman: Arkham Knight, GreedFall, Myst and Grounded.
But most of my time has been spent reliving an absolute classic, Beyond Good & Evil HD.
For the younger generation that probably have no idea what I’m talking about, Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft and was first released way back in 2003 for PS2, Xbox, PC and GameCube. You play the role of Jade, a reporter and martial artist, working with a rebel group to uncover a hidden alien conspiracy. And with the help of allies, along the way you will solve puzzles, fight enemies and gain photographic evidence of the evil plot at hand.
Much like Splinter Cell, which I mentioned last month, this Ubisoft classic is one of the few games that still holds up even today. Everything from the visuals, combat and that catchy as hell Mamago Garage jingle are some of the main reasons why I have such a passion for gaming. Playing older games such as this can really bring back some awesome memories.
Will Worrall
Psychonauts 2
My month has been filled with quite a lot of different stuff, mostly thanks to the main game I was playing being Psychonauts 2, a game that can be 100% completed in about ten hours or so.
Brevity aside (not sure why that would even need to be a negative, to be honest), Psychonauts 2 was one of the most enjoyable experiences with 3D platformers I’ve had all year. It was a top-notch game that reminded me how much fun a 3D platformer can really be, and it also re-affirmed just how great the original is.
Honestly, a lot of modern 3D platformers have been leaving me cold lately. While I initially enjoyed Crash 4, the insane padding just really killed it for me before I really felt like I got my money’s worth out of it. I also tried to play Yooka-Laylee again recently and then immediately remembered why I never got past the first world in that game when I played it last time.
Psychonauts 2, on the other hand, is filled with great platforming moments, a lot of open areas to explore that are actually filled with stuff to find, and some of the most interesting and fun characters you’ll find in a modern game. While the game was a bit toothless at times (I legit struggled to get the achievement for using a healing item at one point), it was still a fun ride, and it gives me hope that we’ll see more of these sorts of games again in the near future.
Also, Tim Schafer needs to greenlight Costume Quest 3 already.
Kyle Moffat
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Trilogy and WWE 2K19
Recently, I have found myself replaying the Modern Warfare trilogy, notably their campaigns. Despite being over a decade old, I thoroughly enjoyed my time, and not even because of nostalgia. Gunplay is still solid, and the stories are intriguing. I also appreciate the quick pace of events upping the intensity and excitement further. Maybe I’ll make it an annual thing where I go back to replay the trilogy. Furthermore, I’ve been playing through WWE 2K19, of all games. Since WWE 2K20 is a hot mess (and perhaps one of the worst games ever), I thought I’d see just how good its predecessor is. I have to say, it’s a really good game packed with content, realism and enjoyment! With many wrestlers, match types and modes, this has been keeping me entertained for a while.
Tasha Quinn
Yes, Your Grace
After slowly working my way through Neo: The World Ends with You at a pace a snail could probably beat, I’ve finally started to play something new.
Yes, Your Grace caught my eye a while ago, so when I saw that it was on sale on the Nintendo eShop, I decided to pick it up. If you’re unfamiliar with the game, Yes, Your Grace is a medieval kingdom management RPG that puts you in the shoes of Eryk, King of Davern.
It’s not the most action-packed of games. You spend a good deal of your time sitting on your throne, listening to the problems of your citizens. In most cases, you can either throw money or supplies at them to boost morale, but you only have limited resources to play with.
It’s a hard balancing act to keep as many people as possible happy whilst also keeping the kingdom running smoothly, but I’m enjoying it so far.
I just hope I don’t lead my kingdom into ruin.
Anthony Pamias
Akira (NES)
Like most gamers, I have a big backlog, so I decided to pick one of the games from my shelf to play and complete so I can cross one off my list. I went with the Akira NES game. Yes, it’s only in Japanese, so I went and applied the English translation patch and spent a day playing through the visual novel.
The first reason I like the game is that the Taito did a fantastic job with the game’s graphics. I like watching the extra scenes that were added for the game and seeing all of the ways Kaneda can die before the end of the game and getting that good ending. Yes, the game is text-heavy, but I just read quickly through it so I could finish it and see all the possible paths you can take through the story.
Daniel Garcia-Montes
Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island DLC
Taking a much-needed break from Sekiro, I spent the last couple of weeks playing the new Iki Island expansion for Ghost of Tsushima. Man, did I miss this game. Jin’s new adventure in Iki Island takes a more personal turn in terms of story, and with the addition of a few new Mongol enemy types and activities, Iki Island has proven to be a very welcome distraction from the other Japanese-themed game I mentioned earlier. Hell, I might not even finish Sekiro considering how I’m just not having that much fun with it, and I feel like I’m forcing myself to play it. But with Ghost of Tsushima, I feel none of that annoying nonsense. I can play that game for hours without feeling the need to stop, and these days my video game stamina isn’t what it used to be, so that is a testament to just how special Sucker Punch’s samurai epic truly is for me. I’m just a bit sad it’s over. Now, I shall return to Sekiro and see if I decide to stick to it all the way (likely not, but I feel I have to try for a little longer).