CDDA, takes awhile to get comfortable with the controls, but it does scratch a certain itch once one can get setup and start to test one’s luck in search of the good stuff.

One has to make their own objectives for it though otherwise one can sort of just get to a point and not know what to do. But getting to a point where you can just walk into a city and be the most dangerous thing there does have a certain charm to it considering the journey getting there. It certainly rewards exploring though as one can find all sorts of craziness hidden away waiting to be found.

I know it is cliche to say but it took me the longest time to really knuckle down and play it, but boy once I did - I basically started up another playthrough right after to see what I missed and the shift in perspective when I played a different type of character was interesting to say the least.

So started as a skeptical intellectual who had to pull themselves from a sorry cop to a regular cop and approached things logically with a touch of eccentricity and pangs of regret and then compared to a wishy-washy communist with fascist leanings (which characters called the character out on) psychic superstar cop with an alias he truly believed was his name and I enjoyed and saw a completely different side of the game which was unexpected.

I cannot speak on the rest of the series, but I have played devil survivor 1 and 2:

Devil Survivor 1 does have a bit of a difficulty curve that can take one by surprise with the first major boss and it is like priming the player towards what to expect but its story I personally enjoyed.

Devil Survivor 2 is lighter in tone, well compared to the Devil Survivor 1, but I felt it was a smoother experience - doesn’t feel as tightly packaged but it does compensate with having a better presentation and provides choice in a lot clearer manner.

I liked Devil Survivor 1 story better but enjoyed Devil Survivors 2 gameplay more

Mass Effect - I see there is a legendary edition with all the content bundled in one package

• Mass effect 1: Is slow in the beginining, then opens up after the tutorial, although the secondary content feels like a grind one can find a lot of lore in between it all. Outside of the Golden path the environments and a lot of the combat feels samey, but the story really comes together well in the last moments

• Mass effect 2 : The game is streamlined a lot, better environments and the character and crew stories steal the show and everything comes together in the ending again, although your choices are a lot more meaningful in the way the final mission plays out

• Mass effect 3 : The culmination of the Mass Effect triology, even with the hits and misses the highs are high and the lows are low. The ending although improved on from what it came out with is serviceable now - although not going to harp and kick on that dead horse.

I will admit by today’s standards Origins is a bit dated, and it can feel janky but I think it was one of bioware’s better games in a single package

6 origins that each have their own effect on the story and has some enduring characters - it is a good fantasy story that has your character choices play out in the final stretches and it does feel good seeing results of that play out in way that, to me at least felt meaningful.

I want to add, it took me a while to warm up to Disco Elysium, but once I got past a day or 2, I ended up being compeled into its world.

It is probably one of the best games of failure not impeding progress and baring a few mission critical paths, it is a game where failure can have a more entertaining outcome than success.

Although there is a “Golden Path” to success, there is a lot of variance to get the there.

Doesn’t check all the boxes, but Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater hits a lot of notes, most notably in the boss fight department.

3rd person, Cold War spy, stealth, action game

• A hunger mechanic that effected performance (stamina and at around 50% would affect aim or have stomach growls that would alert enemies) and could get food via hunting, trapping or stealing and in a few situations could be used offensively

• Camo system

• Majority of the bosses that you could defeat lethally or no lethally

• Medical system was pretty nifty, not fully realistic doing first aid during battle, but had the spirit of battle injury management

• Can get a lot of lore tidbits here and there by being stealthy and eavesdropping either being nearby or using a longe range listening device and by communicating with your operational support

And there is probably other systems I am forgetting ( played it on a ps2 many moons ago). Seems there is a pc version but appears to be a port and with a controller requirement, but otherwise I thought it was a loaded game for its time ( released 2004)

Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice

I found the premise of exploring the psyche of Senua and after the end, even though she isn’t fixed, she can at least put a part of herself to rest and really rings home what she as a person and people like her can be living with.

Spec Ops: The Line

Getting through the game and then evaulating all your decisions and seeing the changes over time of a broken man getting more broken leaves an impression of “Are we the bad guys”, especially after seeing the tone change from dialogue, loading screens and even how the characters move and animation over the course of the game.

Dr Mordin Solus can be saved, all it costs is the ruthless suppression of Krogan : source trying a renegade run and feeling so bad that I shot him - for Solarian aide - started from mass effect 1 to do a renegade run that I could feel less guilty from my horrible decision