(is the new Super Monkey Ball actually that good? I was huge fan of the original two on GCN, and just purchased BR the other day bc all the acclaim it’s received.)

I think it's quite good! I'd only rank Super Monkey Ball and Super Monkey Ball 2 above it. The story is lackluster (what else is new?) and the multiplayer offering, while fun, doesn't quite live up to the mini-games from the GCN days, but overall it feels like a return to form for the series.

If you want a more in-depth look, please feel free to check out my review.

I'm disappointed by Shadow of the Erdtree, it's still good but not nearly as great as the base game but it got me to platinum the base game which is the first platinum of the year and now I'm on a soulsborne and Sekiro binge. Man these games are so good. Haven't really played anything from this year, Dave the Diver is new to PlayStation I suppose and that was one of if not thee best indie game I've ever played. Finally gave in and picked up PS+ premium and I've been playing out of that mostly. It's good and I can see myself keeping it but it would help if I hadn't already bought most of the big games that go on there.

Highlight of the year was Tales of Arise, I was not expecting a JRPG to be that good. Fell apart in the third act but still much enjoyable.

I finished 8 games so far which is already beating last year's tally by 3. Been doing a lot of racing games too so that's a high number considering and I've decided it's time to get into 9th gen so I'll be doing that before the year is out with a PS5.

Also, The First Descendant released yesterday so that may blow everything else out of the water, fingers crossed.

Unicorn Overlord is my GOTY so far. Also enjoyed Paper Mario, which was a new experience for me since I missed it on Gamecube. SMT Vengeance has been a strong follow-up/expansion/improvement on the already great original.

Most anticipated upcoming games are Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, DQIII HD, Trails Through Daybreak, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and Tokyo Xanadu EX+.Switch is still getting pretty good support after almost 8 years.

Edit: Ys X is also on my radar now that it has a release date.

Finally bought Wartales, it was every bit as good as I hoped. Shadow of the Erdtree belongs up there, amazing DLC and probably the most impressive one since Blood and Wine. 2K getting the FIFA license made me really happy, I love football games, but EA has ruined it completely (shocking!). I also finally played Kingdom Come: Deliverance and was blown away from the very start, it may be the most engrossing gaming I've had since The Witcher 3 back in the day.

If DLCs could be Goty, then Elden Ring SOTE easily would get my vote. Love it. Not only is it amazing, but the amount of content put into it is impressive for a DLC.

Other than that, FF7 Rebirth and Unicorn Overlord have been fantastic, I enjoyed GranBlue Fantasy Relink quite a lot, Stellar Blade was pretty decent, Eiyuden Chronicles met my expectations. I have Dragons Dogma 2 to play yet. Overall Id say im very pleased this first half of the year.

I havent really played anything released in 2024 but from going at the announcements that happened, this year is revving up to be a great year.

Biggest highlight for me was the announcement of Marvel VS Capcom Arcade Collection.

Against my expectations, I did not catch up much with my backlog as I thought. Played a few Dragon Quest games V & VI, finished 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim which was a fantastic VN/TRPG and then it kinda crashed there for a moment. I'm finally beginning my playthrough of Another's Crab Treasure but I didn't pick up new games much in the latest months. The wait for new hardware with the Switch successor kinda caught up to me ... I thought.

Direct happened and now I'm positively pumped for this Fall/early Winter ! New Mario & Luigi RPG, Romancing SaGa 2 has a remake, good-ass Mario Party, new 2D Zelda. So much to gnaw my teeth on.

I've played quite a games this year, but only Hellblade 2 and a few indie games on Game Pass are the only ones that released this year. I do plan on playing God of War Ragnarok (PC), Avowed, and Indiana Jones when they come out later this year.

This year I've played and beaten Hellblade 2, Sonic Frontiers, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Tales of Arise, Vampire Survivors, Little Kitty Big City, Quantum Conundrum, Brotato,Open Roads, and the Alan Wake 2 DLC. I've also played on and off Elden Ring and Deep Rock Galactic Survivor. Elden Ring I've kinda given up on. Its my first Soulslike game and while I've gotten halfway through it I just wasn't feeling it.