"There's no more good games".

 

There's no mistaking the fact that the modern edge of the games industry can be a tough beast to wrestle with as it thrashes about this way and that spending way too much in directions that can often feel disappointing and regretful. I don't need to be in the room with Bethesda themselves to know that they probably don't feel proud of themselves for delivering Shattered Space and the weak gust of wind it ultimately ended up, but they did. But the great thing about this industry is the fact that thanks to the industrialisation of the information age, despite being a fairly new medium in the grand scheme of art- this hobby is chock full of product to keep anyone occupied for pretty much the rest of their life if they're willing to look. Those that truly think there's nothing interesting in game's as a whole are probably just looking for justification for dropping the hobby altogether- which nobody really needs: spend your time how you want to and cut out what you don't want to do, ain't nobody got the right to tell you otherwise!

Of course I'm not going to say that this is a dry spell for great games either. I've just finished my time with Black Myth Wukong and I have to confess that I totally adored by little monkey romp top to bottom and it's growing on me more and more as I look back and reflect on the whole thing from a narrative and artistic perspective. Teaching us lessons on the virtues that make the monkey king, mirroring the themes of Journey to the West without directly repeating them, giving us a story of resurrection that felt deeply engaged and purposeful- all with a solid action adventure boss slaying gameplay loop with over a hundred bosses and next to none repeat content. It really is a marvel for those who like those kinds of games and a simple must play.

But my time has been spread going back and enjoying other titles- arguably spurred on by upcoming missiles directly at my taste buds- but do I really need a reason to get into Shin Megami Tensei V? After wrenching my way through, and ultimately coming to begrudgingly like, Nocturne; playing the latest of the series was pretty much a forgone conclusion. And SMT V has some hyper attuned Megaten gameplay loops brought to their zenith. The steamlining in demon crafting- with entire new fusion categories that automatically pairs of demons from your compendium to offer up new fusions- feels like a godsend designed directly to put the 'Megaten Fusion tool' Github site out of business. (I still love you though, for all you've helped me through!)

Yet as much as I'm loving my exploration into Megaten, I don't want to overdose on a single style of JRPG, which is why I reached out to an old faithful to get a bit more traditional turn based action and keep my whistle wet. Hence Final Fantasy XII, a title I knew nothing about, entered into my rotation and my-oh-my: I forgot just how long it actually has been since Final Fantasy games were turn based. Which is to say- XII certainly isn't, and I didn't know that! (Coming to think of it, the original VII tries it's hardest not to be either. Modern FF games aren't really as drastic a break from the trajectory of the franchise as some insist.)

Final Fantasy XII's unique approach to gameplay takes some getting used to be eventually I settled into the routines of trekking around the world on foot, wondering why they bothered introducing the concept of sky pirates if I'm never going to actually use them most of the time, and then going on hunts for unique monsters in the lands as side content. But then that side content got me thinking. "Hang on, hunting big boss monsters? I mean it's fine as it is but imagine doing this with monsters that felt unique with all different attack patterns and weaknesses that you have to learn about and then counter with your wits and moveset"- and then I just ended up playing Monster Hunter World.

I've already played through most of Monster Hunter World on my Xbox years ago, but the beauty of an industry with a tail this long is that quite a lot of games are just good enough to sit down and play again- which is exactly what I'm doing on PC this time. And it really is a trip remembering just how addictive that cycle of hunting giant beasts, learning their pattern, crafting tools from their bones and then hunting something even bigger is. There's also natural dynamic-element to the gameplay built into the very style of game making another playthrough from scratch feel fresh enough: and I'm not even playing with people this time.

I'm even getting around to some of the smaller games I never had time for before like the cute little 'Wargroove' tactics game which kind of plays like a more cutesy and approachable version of Fire Emblem. I still prefer 5 Houses personally, but there's a charm to Wargroove simply in how easy it is to pick and enjoy without having to worry about unit durability or limited use items or any of the other meta-game stuff of more serious tactics games. Just slap me down for a brawl and let me waste some time- even if I'm actually no good at games like this and end up falling into obvious traps more often than I'd like to admit.

There never are enough games out there for someone with the freedom to just sit down and pick. I'm even trying my hands at games I'd never usually try like 'Crusader Kings 3' because finding something new that fulfils an experience I never knew I was interested in can be fulfilling all on it's own! And of course, if you are only in it for the new hotness- well, just look a bit further than your comfort level and see the big modern hits that come out every other month. Persona 3 Reload, Black Myth Wukong, Silent Hill 2 Remake- and I'm pretty sure ReFantazio is going to land with a splash of it's won too soon. So to those who claim that games aren't good anymore, or there's nothing for them left in the industry- well, that sounds like a Skill-issue to me.