We’re back with the latest issue of Gaming Respawn Plays, our monthly feature where a few of us special individuals on this site share the games we are currently playing and discuss whether or not we’re enjoying them. Our turnout this month is quite good, and we’re all pretty much having a blast (or at least a satisfactory playthrough) with the games that have our attention. Join us in our latest Gaming Respawn Plays and see if you’ve enjoyed any of these games. And if not, maybe our experiences will convince you to try them yourselves.
Peter Keen
Stellar Blade, Battlefield 2042, and Pure Chess
Currently, I am in a loop between three games: Stellar Blade, Battlefield 2042, and Pure Chess.
With Stellar Blade, I am taking it slow to enjoy the moment-to-moment gameplay. If I fight one boss fight, I’m not in a rush to get to the next, so I will take my time to wander around and do some side missions before pushing on. I’m also playing the game to write a review for it, but I will only do so when I’ve finished the game. Once I’ve completed it, I’m also toying with the idea of carrying on playing to get the platinum. I did the same for God of War: Ragnarok as I was enjoying that so much, and it’s how I feel about Stellar Blade too.
When I’ve played a bit of Stellar Blade, I’ll jump over to Battlefield 2042. I’ve been trying other FPS games of late, notably XDefiant, and as good as it is, I still come back to Battlefield, mainly because you truly do only get moments of hilarity in that game. It’s also the only FPS game at which I can seem to find a way to be half decent, unlike CoD and XDefiant, where I struggle to keep my KDR 1-1. In Battlefield, however, even as a purely LMG specialist (looking at you, camping snipers not playing to the objective), I can still hold my own and regularly get a KDR of 2-1 and be in the top ten of my team somewhere. It just clicks for me, that game. It helps when they line up to be shot coming in the doorway though 🙂
Finally, to wind down, I play a game of Pure Chess and am trying to get my ELO rating higher than the 1,500 I am. Speaking of winding down, I recently bought a PlayStation Portal but have hardly used it. I am going to use it for the next time I play a visual novel game. So, once I’m done with Stellar Blade, I will either play Robotics; Notes or one of the many Steins;Gate spin-off games, probably Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace.
Daniel Garcia-Montes
Rise of the Ronin
After spending over 200 hours playing, enjoying, and reviewing Dragon’s Dogma II, I was itching to play the other game released this year that had my attention, and that game was Rise of the Ronin. Being a game from Team Ninja, who are masters at making fun games with kickass combat that is second to none, I was quite excited to play this game. I’m a fan of Team Ninja’s previous games, namely the Ninja Gaiden and Nioh series, and with Rise of the Ronin being their first foray into open-world video gaming, I figured this one couldn’t miss. So far, I’m enjoying the game well enough, but to me, it just doesn’t have the same essence of pure fun that the Nioh games possessed, even though Rise of the Ronin definitely uses certain assets from its predecessor, such as the style of the graphics, the movement animations, and even similar controls.
I’m just not drawn to play more of this game to the same degree as I felt towards Nioh, not to mention Ghost of Tsushima, which could be considered the main competitor to Rise of the Ronin given that they’re both pretty much the only open-world samurai adventure games in existence (that is until Assassin’s Creed: Shadows releases). Rise of the Ronin is not a bad game by any means, it’s just not getting my attention the way Dragon’s Dogma II did before it. It lacks something, though damned if I know exactly what it is. Could be how things seem a bit unbalanced between the main character and the enemies, namely how the enemies can power through and attack me while ignoring the fact I was already whaling away at them with my own weapon. The combat just lacks the “flow” of Nioh, but it’s still fun and engaging in its own way. Right now, I’m just trying to finish this game up so I can get to replaying an old classic that I haven’t played since a decade ago: Red Dead Redemption.
Matthew Wojciow
Red Dead Redemption II
Having recently moved into a new house and having the joys of waiting for the internet to be reinstalled, it gave me a chance to play some single-player-only games, and I delved back into the world of Red Dead Redemption II. A game I got at launch at possibly the last midnight release I went to, the game had been sat on 50% progression for about two years, and now just going back into this world is incredible. From the random encounters with strangers in the world to the weird side missions, to the emotional story, it is truly Rockstar at their finest and a game I can’t seem to put down at the moment.
Will Worrall
My Summer Car, Thank Goodness You’re Here!, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This has been an interesting month for me. My taste in games is a bit eclectic at the best of times, but I’ve gone for the extremes at both ends of the mainstream/indie spectrum.
A lot of my time has been sunk into My Summer Car, an indie simulator game that tasks you with rebuilding a 70s car from scratch (in the 90s) to take part in a local Finnish rally. It really requires you to know a fair bit about engines since you have to put it together from scratch, which is exactly why I’ve been playing with my partner who is a fully trained mechanic.
It’s been one hell of an experience, despite the incredibly complex driving controls and the constant need to earn money and keep feeding yourself. It’s the sort of game that requires you to discover stuff yourself and has led to a lot of really natural gameplay moments, from the time we accidentally pee’d all over our granny to the time I drunk drove a tractor directly into our cousin’s oncoming car. Smashing.
The other indie game I’ve been enjoying the hell out of lately is Thank Goodness You’re Here!, a very British animated adventure game crafted to perfection by surrealist developers Coal Supper. It’s a hilarious blend of British humour and references that will make you laugh your tits off, assuming you’re British enough to understand them. There’s also a slew of great voice actors (at least one of whom you’ll recognise), and the option to have either phonetic subtitles in regional dialects or in ‘proper’ English for those who’d struggled otherwise. ‘S champion aar kid.
Oh, and the other end of the spectrum I mentioned at the start is Skyrim. Seriously. I swore off the game a decade and a half and 12 re-releases, ago. Despite this, I have recently found myself having a blast with a totally vanilla (no DLC, no mods) run as a sneaky bastard that has rekindled the magic. Who knew?
Kyle Moffat
MediEval Remake
Recently, I’ve been focusing on getting through a hefty backlog of titles on my PlayStation 5; none of which was more enjoyable than the MediEvil remake. This adventure through Gallowmere was a surprise gem because I had little exposure to it beyond seeing a Caddicarus YouTube video a couple of years ago. Upon being reminded of some of the humorous dialogue, it was time to give MediEvil a go.
I had a wonderful time exploring most of the levels, collecting items and interacting with some of the most intriguing comedic characters I’ve ever seen in a game. Entering the great hall upon collecting chalices, only to be welcomed by quirky pieces of dialogue and useful weapons felt incredibly rewarding. Even though the combat is slightly dated, the gameplay itself is quite enjoyable. Who knew brutally smashing enemies with hammers could be so addictive? MediEvil is also a fantastic example of a title rewarding player exploration. Thus, seeing the trophy list towards the end of my initial playthrough, I felt thoroughly determined to earn the platinum. It took me about 18 hours, so for any trophy hunters, MediEvil is a title I highly recommend.
