Started the game this afternoon, scared of how big the game actually is - I guess I’ll finally find out. Stupidly, I accidentally started the Discovery Mode and almost took a tour I wasn’t expecting to take.

Started the main campaign and really enjoyed the Spartan battle, but it was a bit too much to take in all at once. I’m glad that the modern-day storyline is still in the AC games - it’s the story I appreciate, but sadly it seems to take a back seat a lot. As recommended by 99% of the Internet, I chose Kassandra over Alexios, not only because I can’t switch back but because the AC games have mostly always been dudes, so I wanted something different this time.

I didn’t realize I had purchased a bunch of DLC with the game, I have 12 swords, heavy blunts, heavy bladed, staffs and spears to start with - and that’s only the weapons. 5 complete suits of armor are also in my inventory, I suppose I’m going to start overpowered, and that’s fine with me. Looks like I’m going to run around Ancient Greece in Ezio’s clothes and weapons. :)

I’ve noticed choices in the character dialogue, I like this addition to the game as sometimes that conversations get super dry. Final thought: Markos is an asshole, but I love him for some reason. Also, I forgot how nice the ‘fast travel’ system is in modern AC games - hopping on your noble steed and saying ‘ride here’ provides a nice little view of all of Greece as you ride by, discovering little places here and there (or updating a journal entry, or google searching that AC: O runs at 60fps on PS5 while only 30fps on PS4/PS4 Pro).

Picked up at Chapter 14 and after a major plot event, I’m without weapons and ‘hunting’ like in the first 2 games using stealth and now poison weapons. I really enjoy this part of the game over than the platforming because this is a bit more ‘die until you figure it out’ and less ‘look for the white paint to proceed’. The story has gotten a bit darker as well, I guess because of the aforementioned plot twist. Thankfully, that darkness only lasted about a chapter before things got a bit brighter as we enter San Juan.

At this point, I’ve given exactly zero cares about side missions and loot gathering, I am on a rocket flying to the credits since the story has seemed to ramp up significantly. To my surprise, there is a ‘point of no return’ that disables fast travel until the story campaign is complete, so completionists have a chance to 100% all of the areas if they wanted to.

The final mission and the final fight was sweaty; the environment, music, and gameplay elements were immensely satisfying. The story ending was fitting and made perfect sense.

Started the game tonight; noticed immediately that the game looks absolutely amazing in high frame rate. I like the fact that the difficulty sliders have variations for puzzles, clues, and enemy AI, though I decided to keep everything on normal. Game looks and feels like the other two previous Tomb Raider games, but that's a very good thing. Story seems super hokey, but that's one of the charming things about this gritty reboot of the series.

Not playing Hotline Miami 2. Got my fill with Hotline Miami 1.

Spent an hour with the game, saw that it was 100 hours to beat on How Long To Beat and that it’s built for multiplayer. Nice concept, but not enough to keep me hooked.

I started Vampyr tonight, and the takeaways have been quite delightful. The story seems interesting; a doctor turned vampire who is confused as fuck as to what's happened to him, drunkenly walking around a 1910s offshoot of London, looking for a 'drink.' Oddly enough, the first character we use our newfound vampire skills on is [SPOILER], so that sets the narrative help quite nicely.

I made it as far as the boss fight of "Eternal Thirst" main story and found that the fight mechanics feel sort of like those in a Dark Souls game - I kept forgetting about my special attacks and relied too heavily on the melee and ranged attacks, so that'll be a slight adjustment. The conversation sections and unlocking new/hidden context gives me a 'Mass Effect' nod - that tells me that I'm going to end up going down every single rabbit hole narratively speaking, rewarding me with possible hints about the world and oddly, even more, XP when I decide to make them breakfast, lunch or dinner. Using 'Vampire Vision' was a cute wink and a nod to 'Assassin's Creed' Eagle Vision, tracking blood throughout the city in search of my enemies.

Looking at the menus, I'm a little nervous about how many things there are to do in this game and the interconnections of the NPC characters in it. Actions will have consequences, and since I typically only play games once and never replay them, I have mixed feelings about 'failing' vs. simply playing through 'my' version of the game much like 'my' version of Detroit: Become Human.

Either way, this looks to be quite an enjoyable game, and I'm looking forward to next week's play session.