We just got out of a huge sale on the PSN, and I got out with minimal wallet impact. E3 is hummin along, and I've only got got by the remake of Final Fantasy VII and the comparison is vivid, as my wife is currently playing the slightly-upgraded version of the original. 20 years of technology separate the OG from the remake, and my only complaint is that Barrett's voice actor sounds like Chris Rock's impression of a Black person. Like...in all the cultural textures of this game and they still don't bother with a non-caricature? Ahh well, not every cast is as diverse as Mortal Kombat.
...I had to segue into MK. I can't get enough of MK 11. Lately, I've shifted more to fighting with my own hands instead of letting the AI do the work, and it's awesome. I've mained the klassics Scorpion and Sub Zero, and still catch myself marveling at how cool they made the characters. The game doesn't have Friendships, Babalities or Stage Fatalities, but I feel like these might be added as DLC. The mid-June patch added some new Brutalities for free, so that's cool! There is every other reference under the sun, though, and it's just amazing how huge of a production this game is. I'm still working on keeping my fights on the ground, as opposed to telegraphing every single kombo with a jump-in attack.
This weekend, I watched Kingsglaive, the pre-Final Fantasy XV release movie that leads up to where the game starts. My favorite part of the movie was the city. FFXV has always broken my brain about being set in a fantasy version of the modern world, as opposed to bronze age or futuristic. Kingslglaive has some amazing shots that take the time to show you the city's design. I felt that in the game, cities weren't as interesting because they're just loaded with NPCs, quests, and give me anxiety with their giant to-do lists. In video games, I can't help but look at towns as functional, and there have only been a few examples of town design that stands out. Dragon Quest XI stands out, with their cities that are themed like countries.
Additionally, there's a free-to-play beat-em-up called A King's Tale where you get to play Regis (the main character Noctis's father). The main story can be finished in about an hour. The thing that stands out to me is that the game's retro modeling feels more like a mid-90s PC game, with even the dope soundtrack playing through a Sound Blaster, as opposed to the more-common 8-bit retro.
Dragon Sinker is like Dragon Warrior with some modern twists that make the game more user friendly. You can have your characters auto-battle, you can set the encounter rate and difficulty (resulting in changed EXP and Gold) on the fly, and there's an in-game store to purchase OP things along the quest.
Downwell is another 8-bit style game that's flipped vertically. It's procedurally-generated and you can move left, right, and jump/attack. They merged the two concepts because you shoot downward out of your hover boots. You have one life with 4-6 hits, and the total gems collected allow you to unlock new color schemes, with a few settings in between. Otherwise, there's lots of dying and starting over at the top of the well.
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