August and September can be busy months for our little family as school gets underway. My daughter is finishing up her time in elementary school, and my wife just started her new teaching job with the county after being with a private school for several years.
So, I've been spending my free time playing games more than writing about them. Never fear, however, as I do have quite the list of titles I've been jumping in and out of over the last couple of months.
Here are a few notes on the games I'm playing ahead of their reviews...
1. Ryse: Son of Rome (Xbox Series X)
I picked this up on a whim at an independent physical media store in Winchester, Virginia. Since I skipped the Xbox One at launch (picking up the console a couple of years later instead), I never played this release title back in the day. I'm about 90% complete now, and it's one of those narrative games that really went for it. A full review will be coming soon.
2. Samson: A Tyndalston Story (Xbox Series X)
Everything around this title caught my interest: the rundown environment, the time period, and the philosophy behind making it. I really connected with those things. Playing it has been... a different experience so far, mostly due to some confusing design decisions that slow down the pace of the action. More on that soon.
This game has built a reputation over the years as one of the better titles for the Genesis. The $39 price tag on my copy certainly suggests that, as it's worth more than the other three games on this list combined. I've fired it up a few times, and it feels almost like playing a game from another planet. A quick read of the manual has helped (who would have thought?). It's a great reminder that games used to be, and can be, so wonderfully different.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Remastered)
I just restarted one of the greatest games of the last 20 years. Yes, it doesn't look or feel quite right just yet, and I'm not even sure I'm emotionally ready to jump back into this world now that the weather has cooled here in Virginia. I always consider this a special time of year for gaming, so we'll see where it goes.