Having two kids definitely makes it difficult to keep up with all the new video games being release each week. In college I would spend hundreds of hours on multiplayer games, but more recently I tend to focus towards the stories and experiences in titles rather than the competitive aspect. Currently I own a PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, PC (more on this in a future post), and more recently an Analogue Pocket. In February I was able to wrap up Minish Cap for Gameboy Advance, a game that I somehow missed out on during its original release, and I absolutely loved it. This month I'd like to talk about a few newer games that I've been playing.
Horizon: Forbidden West
The first Horizon is a game that was overshadowed by the release of the Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild. I played through it, but I was definitely a bit distracted by the Switch and didn't give it as much time and appreciation as it deserved. Forbidden West is a great entry back into the world and I am absolutely obsessed with the story throughout the game. Machines are extremely satisfying to battle once you take some time to review weaknesses and the overall story just keeps me coming back to learn more about the world
Gran Turismo 7
I honestly wasn't sure how I'd feel about Gran Turismo 7. It has been 9 years since the previous release and since then I have mainly been enjoying the Forza Horizon series. As soon as I started up GT7 I was just overwhelmed with nostalgia. It just had all the right sounds and feelings. While it lacked the open world arcade action that Forza Horizon has, it makes up for that with the addictive focus required to race your way from first to last. As you race tracks over and over again, you learn which speed to attack a corner at and when to start braking. These small changes (just like real racing!) make huge improvements in the results of the race. My main complaint is that it still generally focuses on rolling starts and there aren't any standing starts to be seen in the main races throughout the campaign. There is also quite a lot of controversy over the lack of ability to sell cars and the extremely high prices of some of the rare options - although they seem to be working to fix some of those.