February 2018 Game Haul! It’s a good one!

Another month is almost in the books and I thought I would share the games that I have acquired over the course of the roughly last 28 days. I started this month with the determination that I needed to branch out of my comfort zone a little more than usual. This led me to pick up some games that I normally would not have picked up.

YAY! for personal growth

So let’s breakdown the titles I have added and give you my thoughts, reasoning, etc , for picking them up.

Dragon Quest Builders – Nintendo Switch

I know I already have this game on the PS4, but I enjoyed it up until something else came out and caught my eye. MINOR SPOILER ALERT I had gotten to the second settlement in the swamp area before my interests went elsewhere. With the recent release on the Switch, I had no real intention of picking the game up again…..until I watched the BeatEmUps video on YouTube going off on how addicted he was. Listening to him talk so passionately about the game triggered my desire to go back and experience that world again. Now, granted, I could have simply put my PS4 copy in the system and called it a day, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to be able to play the game on the go. Thank you Nintendo!

Bloodborne – PlayStation 4

So, I had actually owned Bloodborne before. I grabbed it when it first came out and played it for roughly an hour before giving up on it. It was fairly early on in the game when I realized – “Hey, this game might not be for me” – and that moment was when I ran in to some big, burly Butcher looking guy at the bottom of some stairs. It seemed that no matter what I did, I could not beat the guy. I have since learned that running away in video games is something we are supposed to do now…..but up to that point this game had me swearing more than Battletoads on NES…….okay, not quite, but pretty close. I figured that since everywhere I go, people are praising this game, I need to improve my stick skills, grab a copy, and muscle my way through the world. I have yet to try it again, but hey…it’s in the collection!

Secret of Mana – PlayStation 4

This was a game I just HAD to get. I played the heck out of the original and the ability to see it with modern-ish graphics and relive the adventure was something I needed! So far I have installed it and played up to the point of getting kicked out of town, but I am definitely going to play the heck out of this one. My one wish? That they released this on the Switch.

Persona 5 – PlayStation 4

My first experience with the Persona series was on my Vita, and only about a year ago. I was looking for a “current” RPG with a physical release for my system (since currently all I have is a plethora of PSOne Classics) when I came across Persona 4 Golden. I had seen it in the top ten of many peoples lists and figured I would give it a shot. It was really something different mixed with something familiar for me. The turn based battles were a delight, but I wasn’t too certain how I liked the attend school, go home, etc routine. I was enjoying it primarily during my lunches at work while I sat in my car, however, I stopped playing once summer hit and the glare made it almost impossible to play outside. I haven’t gone back to Persona 4, but when 5 came out on the PS4, I figured I’d be able to get a quality JRPG on my console….once the price came down. As of this posting, I have installed and played through the initial opening scene up to where the guy gets captured……then I had to go to work. I was impressed with the one battle I was able to try and am excited to get into this world once time is a little more on my side.

Resident Evil Biohazard & Outlast: Trinity – PlayStation 4

There isn’t really any long drawn out story with these two titles. I have been burnt out on zombie titles for a long, long time, and most horror games bore me. They just aren’t my cup of tea. However, my daughters really enjoy scary movies and games, so I figured that these two games would be good to add to my personal collection – either so they can watch me play – or to let them play.

FIFA 18 – PlayStation 4

Okay. This one was weird for me…so hear me out. I am a die hard NFL, NCAA, and XFL football fan. I played football as a running back and corner back. I also played ONE season of soccer….in Lake Tahoe, NV……..in the snow. I hated it. However, my son is wanting to play soccer for the Boys and Girls club this year and he wants me to teach him like I did for football. The problem being is that I can’t remember a damn thing about the sport……aside from an announcer yelling “GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL“. So, in my infinite wisdom, I picked up FIFA 18 to try and learn as much about the game as I can before I have to teach my son the basics…….I’ll keep you up to date on this probable disaster in the making.

Shadow of the Colossus – PlayStation 4

I never experienced the original SotC, being too wrapped up in Final Fantasy X and Dragon Quest VIII. With the remake and the glowing reviews that everyone is giving it, and the decent price tag, I figured it would be worth a shot to look at. This game is visually stunning to behold. It is also a very empty game, and while that may be detrimental to most games, I think the vast emptiness plays to the strength of the story line. I’m only 3 colossi in, and while the game is beautiful, the battles fun, and relatively challenging, I am finding that the story is just as empty as the landscape. This may change the further into the game I get, but so far it has been go kill this guy, find him, kill him, teleport back, next guy to kill is…rinse and repeat. The boss battles are fun and I will continue to plug away, it just feels….soulless.

Dark Souls III – PlayStation 4

Another game that has gotten massive positive reviews that I haven’t owned nor tried. I think I may have tried Dark Souls, or it could have been Dragons Dogma, and like Bloodborne, I got pissed off fairly quickly. This purchase was a way to get a quality game into my collection, even though it may be a while till I jump into it.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – PlayStation 4

I picked this title up simply to complete the collection. I own the trilogy already, kinda need this one to finish the set. I’ve only actually played the first game….and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I’ll eventually get to the rest of them.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – PlayStation 4

This game was an attempt to find a game to play with my kids. They love these kinds of games and I love playing with them. I remember being able to play four player split screen. . .unfortunately, as I have come to realize. …developers have left those of us who prefer local multiplayer in the dust.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Valkyria Chronicles: Remastered – PlayStation 4

In the spirit of expanding my JRPG collection and experiences, I acquired both of these titles based off of some followers on various social media sites. While I have seen some gameplay on Valkyria, I am less familiar with Star Oceans. Regardless, I am excited to give both of these games a try.

That’s it for this month. What games did you pick up this month? Are you looking forward to anything in March?