Maybe I could use that time to watch The West Wing? I’ve heard nothing but good things about it but…who’s got the time.

I dunno, I could spend a good long while playing nothing but Football Manager if I didn’t have to worry about being anywhere else.

I mean, is this in real time because I won’t lie, I bet there’s an awful lot of ‘boring’ mixed in with all the amazing moments.

Don’t know about how it is in the US, but in the UK the idea of people rushing to finish their transaction fills me with dread. I’ve worked in a supermarket with self service and the general public really struggles with them.

It was the only of my three cars that hasn’t been totalled by a driver not paying attention when driving past it.

Yup. Two cars have been written off whilst parked down my street inside two years. Love it!

The last game that truly gave me the feeling you described is Lies of P. It was my favourite game of 2023 and the 60 or so hours I put into beating it were very well spent.

Definitely spending the day with my young children, going to a soft-play and then going out for a lunch filled with ‘no no no don’t throw that’ before we return home for a fun evening of 'daaaaaaady, daaaaaaaady’ entirely on my own in total silence apart from the sound of my TV with a videogame on, a fresh cup of tea in my mug and maybe a takeaway pizza on the way.

Might also explain why Cricket is so popular. Obviously it still requires a fair amount of physical exertion but it’s definitely a bit more laid back than something like Rugby.

Prefer digital because space is a factor in my house. I love the idea of physical, and I’ll usually go that way for art or reference books. However paperback equivalent I’m always going digital.

Although if I really love a book I’ll always look to add it to my bookshelf at some point.

Tearaway was designed from the ground up to be played on the Vita and I’d say it does a pretty fantastic job of using that hardware well. It’s also super cute.

My app doesn’t allow me to edit image posts, so I should say that I’m playing this on the Steamdeck.

It’s not available on PS or Xbox, but you can play it on PC, Android, iOS and Switch.

I’ve not played either of the Nioh games, but I have played Wo-Long (which I think) is from the same development team?

I’ve got a laundry list of soulslikes to get to right now: All of the Dark Souls, Demons Souls, The Surge, Mortal Coil, Ashen and Steel Rising off the top of my head, but assuming I find the time I definitely plan on getting to the Nioh games at some point.

I had a brief but memorable month with Pokémon Go. It’s a super neat idea that never quite landed with me.

Okay here I go.

I thought 12 Minutes was pretty decent. Yes the story takes an alarming and unnecessary twist, and yes it’s mechanically a bit clunky, but as someone who loves a good ‘Bottle Episode’ in a TV show, the way 12 Minutes handled it’s narrative and interactions had me hooked from moment 0.

I feel like this about most of the more recent Naughty Dog games. The stories they tell and the characters they put to screen are fantastically done, but I find the moment to moment gameplay and mechanics to be rather tedious.

I’d be a hard no on that 720@30FPS idea. I don’t consider myself a graphics snob or anything, but after playing a lot of games at 60FPS i’d like for that to become a standard going forward. I know it’s not practical right now, but I’d take that over increased graphical fidelity every single time.

Pokemon is a weird one for me. I’ve always enjoyed the games at a distance, and like most kids in 1998 I was all over that initial Blue/Red release. If that initial push didn’t get you though, I can totally understand why you wouldn’t find a way into it after.

I’ll list two indie games.

Firstly: Abzu.

Towards the end of the game you’re quickly making your way to the end point. I don’t believe it’s on rails, but it kind of feels like it. Basically you’re swimming with thousands of different coloured fish, the music is swelling and everywhere you look there’s colour and music and beauty and I got really wrapped up in it. One of the few times a game has made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Secondly: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Not the >!brother death scene!< But basically everything that happened after. Suddenly the game is even more… difficult than it was before. You’ve spent the entire game mastering the control’s, and then suddenly it’s like you’ve lost your right hand. Amazing storytelling through mechanics and it left me a blubbering mess for basically the entire remainder of the game.

I’ve since become a parent, I hate to think what that game would do to me now.

It didn’t make me emotional, but there’s a scene during (I think) episode 2 of season one of LiS where a character…goes over the top as such and all of a sudden the game takes on a totally different feel. I had some issues with that game, but for the most part the big moments definitely land.

Props for the ‘open door’ scene too. Absolutely incredible.

IIRC didn’t Microsoft hold the game back specifically to ensure it didn’t launch in a horrific state? Bethesda games are known for being a nightmare at launch, and even with these assurances, I’m still expecting the first few weeks to be a mess. That being said, if any Bethesda game was going to launch well, it would be this one.