MONTHLY FAVES: SEPTEMBER 2023 GAMING TOP PICKS

What we have to say about the games we've been playing this month.

SEP 30, 2023

This month has been filled with games - just how we like it. We learned a few new games while also returning to Tiny Tina's Wonderlands for a second chance. Here are the games we've found ourselves busy playing.

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CO-OP TOP PICK

TINY TINA'S WONDERLANDS (PS4)

OUR SECOND IMPRESSIONS

We’re back again this month to give Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands a second chance. We are continuing on our epic adventure in the chaotic fantasy world brought to us by Tiny Tina herself. She is our dungeon master, and we are still the newbies. Will we save the world from the Dragon Lord, or will this game be a DNF for us?

Every time we sat down to play this game on the PS4, we just kept feeling frustrated with its performance, and we would quickly become disinterested. It always felt like a waste of our time to try to grit our teeth and push through the clunky mess of a game. And this is when we turned to the good ol’ internet. What did other people have to say about their gameplay experiences? Was there a difference in opinions about the game’s performance between single player mode and multiplayer mode? Was there a difference in opinions from PS4 players to PS5 players? From what we gathered, the answer to those questions was “yes.”

So, we tested it for ourselves, and you know what we discovered? We found that the single player mode does indeed run much more smoothly on the PS4, which created a completely different gameplay experience. The thing is though, we like to play these games together, and we were not about to buy the game again in order to play co-op online when we still weren’t sure if we enjoyed the game in general. All was not lost however, as we were able to download the PS5 version of the game since we already owned it on the PS4.

Now, you may be wondering why we weren’t originally playing the game on the PS5 to begin with. We have 2 reasons for that.

1. We didn’t have a PS5 when we first ordered the game.

2. We still didn’t have 2 PS5 controllers, and while the PS4 controllers can connect to the PS5, they only work with PS4 games and not the PS5 games. Confusing, we know.

So after getting a second PS5 controller, which we were needing anyways to play other games together on the console, we could finally try out the PS5 version of the game to see if it was less broken.

The game was way more enjoyable to play on the PS5. The PS4 is a clunky mess. Honestly, they should have thought to do something like Baldur’s Gate 3, and adjust to a performance mode over quality mode when playing local co-op. If this is something that wasn’t possible for them to pull off, then the local co-op option shouldn’t have been available on the PS4 console because it simply is not compatible.

With all our game performance issues out of the way now, we could better evaluate the gameplay for its game mechanics and storyline. So, let’s get into it.

OUR THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

While Zach appreciates the idea behind making the overworld feel more like a tabletop game experience, Zach is still not digging the overworld view. He finds it confusing and restrictive. Borderlands has always typically been a very open world game, and it is hard getting used to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands because it feels too small and as though we can’t go anywhere we want. It’s feeling a little gimmicky. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of purpose for us moving around on the board other than a “hey, look at me! I’m a dungeon crawling game. I’m like DnD.” In our opinion, the tabletop aspect could have been better communicated solely in the cut scenes that show Tiny Tina and the other characters around the board - like they did in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep.

Don’t even get us started on the so-called “encounters” while in the overworld view. Just being able to swat at the enemies in the overworld to avoid the encounter feels strange. It feels like another game with tall grass and random encounters, if you catch what we mean.

“I’m not fighting enough in this game. In Borderlands, I am usually too busy fighting for my life to catch my breath.” - Zach

You may think that we are just being too nit-picky. Maybe you’re right. I mean, this is a game that is meant to play like a DnD campaign, and it isn’t a Borderlands DLC. But you see, it’s still part of the Borderlands universe in general, and Borderlands games have a certain feel when you play them. It can’t easily be explained, you just have to play one to find out. From the weapons and action skills points down to the sarcasm and humor, Borderlands games hit hard. Typically, the guns in the early parts of other Borderlands games pack a punch. The weapons in Wonderlands are very lackluster. Wonderlands just seems to keep falling short.

“The weapons don’t feel good to use. They lack the umph that Borderlands usually has.” - Victoria

Even the action skills feel pointless. They don’t last long, they regenerate too quickly, and the damage output is minute. Nothing feels special about them, much like all the weapons in the game.

Image via Gearbox Software

This game still just makes us want to replay through Borderlands 2 and all of its DLC content, such as Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep. If we had never played any other Borderlands game or the Assault on Dragon’s Keep DLC, then we would probably be less biased about Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. So if this is your first experience with the Borderlands franchise, then sure, you may find this enjoyable. But, we aren’t sure we can get behind recommending this for veteran Borderlands players.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So, final thoughts, if you are looking for a good DnD inspired Borderlands game, you are better off with playing Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep. If you are wanting to experience this game for yourself, and you are specifically wanting to play local multiplayer, do yourself a favor, and get it on the PS5 or another console that can handle the higher performance settings of the game.

ZACH'S TOP PICK

FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES (SWITCH)

ZACH'S SECOND START

Welcome to the Fire Emblem: Three Houses blog post and bearded review, by yours truly, Zach the Bearded Professor! Released in 2019, Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a highly anticipated title for my Nintendo Switch system. I love the Fire Emblem games, having played the first Fire Emblem released in the U.S. for the Gameboy Advance handheld system. The game has come a long way from those initial releases, and I am still undecided on if this is the direction I enjoy for this fantasy tactical role playing game.

I am usually hooked in minutes for the older titles, but Fire Emblem: Three Houses has taken me for quite a journey through time! I played the game in 2020, a little late to the party of the release (I’m not one to purchase on release unless I really, really know I’m going to enjoy the game), and I hate to admit it, but I was severely underwhelmed. The starting pace of this game is quite slow at times and contains a vast amount of new mechanics to learn…I often felt like the student instead of the professor I was role playing as in the game! Back then, I gave the game a few hours of my time, and ultimately decided against continuing to play a game I knew I wasn’t enjoying.

Three years later and I was ready to tackle Fire Emblem: Three Houses again! In three years time, another new title was released and I suddenly got the itch to take another stab at the game. The land of Fodlan was calling, the students needed their professor, even if I could not give him a beard like myself.

The region of Fodlan is split into three major territories, each controlled by a ruling supreme in varying ways. In the north, the royal land and kingdom of Faerghus, represented by a blue emblem and coat of arms. To the east, an alliance clad in yellow dyed clothing who call themselves the Leicester Alliance. To a vast expanse of land in the south belongs the red tinted Adrestian Empire, reaching far across the continent and holding the majority of land in Fodlan. Located in the rough center of the three countries is the land held by the Knights of Seiros, a sacred order of knights who serve the holy Church of Seiros. The Garreg Mach Monastery is home to knights of this sacred order as well as their leader, Lady Rhea.

Byleth, son of the former knight of Seiros and mercenary Jeralt, encounters a battle in the beginning and meets three students who attend the Officer Academy at the Monastery. These students happen to be the up and coming young leaders of the three nations surrounding Garreg Mach. Byleth saves the students from a bandit leader in a dramatic series of events. The bandit leader makes good on his escape after the failed attempt on the student’s lives, and Byleth is introduced to each of them as the battle winds down.

The first of these is Dimitri, lead student, exceptional lance wielder, and prince of Kingdom Faerghus, in a house (or class) known as the Blue Lions. Edelgard is leader of the house Black Eagles, proficient with the axe, and heiress to the Adrestian Empire. Leader of the Golden Deer of the Alliance is Claude, excels in the use of bow tactics, and is next in line to lead the Alliance of Leicester.

All is well and the main students are introduced, but a choice must be made. Each of the students ask who you would be willing to align yourself with, already gunning for your knowledge of tactics and battle proficiency as a mercenary. Upon arriving at the Garreg Mach Monastery, an official choice must be made on which class you will become lead professor of, and I chose the Black Eagles. Within each house a plethora of students who are from the associated regions are eager to meet the new professor who mysteriously appears with an innate knowledge of battle and tactical advantages.

Managing each student within my chosen house is my task, and preparing them for the world ahead with taught knowledge and experiences that are available within the Monastery. I was lost for a while looking around the Monastery - it is a big place with lots of different rooms and locations to familiarize myself with. The gameplay is set up in a “week by week” system displayed a month at a time, with 3-4 free days for Professor Byleth to roam the grounds and interact with the students and faculty. Lost items to be found, topics to be discussed, meals to be eaten, choir practices to sing, gardens to tend, and fishing are all just a few of the available actions to take on these free days. During the weekdays, class time is designated to the professor to teach the students to improve their strengths, or stats, to aid them in battle and eventually promote them to higher ability classes such as generals or wyvern riders. With enough motivation, students will grow immensely in their knowledge and skill levels.

I am far from finishing this game, and I intend to continue to take my time in order to enjoy this game to the fullest! Although Fire Emblem: Three Houses is not the same as the Fire Emblems I grew up with and loved so much, I have found great enjoyment in the game and look forward to finishing it to see the students grow and eventually age to become leaders in the three countries of Foldhan. I highly recommend this title to fans of tactical gameplay and character growth and development, and this will likely be in my regular rotation of games to jump in a replay! Game on!

VICTORIA'S TOP PICK

STRANGE HORTICULTURE (SWITCH)

COZY GAMING

Going into September I knew it was going to be a busy month for me work wise, so I was looking for a game with more relaxed pacing - you know, something that you can unwind from the busy day to. After Metroid Fusion put my love for puzzle games to the test, I wanted a game that could hopefully rekindle that love. On top of that, my soul has been longing for autumn - you summer peeps have had your season…it is time for crisp morning air and the sound of leaves crunching underfoot.

While dreaming of autumn, I vaguely remembered seeing a video of @CozyK playing through the demo of Strange Horticulture a year ago. From the archives of my memory, I found the perfect cozy, chill autumnal game to suit my mood. In this chilling, yet cozy, autumnal-esque game, you are like Sherlock Holmes, that is, if he were a horticulturist like you, and Watson was an adorable black cat. Your knowledge as a horticulturist is put to the test as you identify plants, elixirs, and poisons all while solving the strange and mysterious happenings plaguing Undermere and the surrounding areas.

The game plays on a day by day structure. You have 16 days to uncover the mystery of Undermere that stretches back hundreds of years. Each day, a set number of customers will visit you, either needing your help or giving you something - oftentimes a clue to a place you need to visit on the map or information that helps you identify plants. After the customers stop for the day, you have the option to end the day immediately to progress on to the next day…or, you can choose to explore places on the map. But, be careful! The surrounding lands are not always the friendliest to a simple herbalist such as yourself. You must use the context clues to determine which places to visit and which to avoid so that you don’t lose your mind completely.

I found that there were benefits to exploring and trying to solve the clues you have been given at the beginning of the day before you see customers and at the end of the day after all the customers have left. Sometimes, you might discover a plant that one of your customers needs. However, there’s a catch. You can only explore when your “Will to Explore” meter is full. The meter will fill over time, but if you are wanting to quickly fill the meter, simply water plants like the good little horticulturist you are. In this game, there is no such thing as overwatering your plants and killing them…not that I would know anything about that from real life experience.

While you work to identify plants to meet the requests for your customers, you must be careful to not misidentify plants. Misidentifying plants will cause you to slowly lose your sanity. One little slip up could lead to someone's doom rather than a peaceful night’s rest, which is why each mistake will cause your “Rising Dread” meter to fill. Once full, your mind breaks, and the day abruptly comes to an end. In order to regain your sanity, you must solve a puzzle. Once the puzzle is solved, you will return to the point in time just before you lost your sanity.

Sadly, I found these mind break puzzles to be a little too easy. The game only offers two different puzzle variations throughout the entire game. One puzzle involves a slate with a design on it that breaks. To restore your sanity, you must reassemble it. The other puzzle involves a lock and keys. You must identify the key that will fit the lock. This puzzle has three rounds. Each round, the number of keys increases. I would have really liked to have seen more puzzle options as well as more challenging puzzles.

On Day 16, the game comes to an end. The choices you have made thus far in the game will result in 1 of 8 possible endings. Yes, you read that right. There are 8 possible endings. At the end, I unlocked Ending II - Elderphinium, which I think is probably the happiest ending you can achieve in this game, so I am quite satisfied with that achievement.

Overall this game did meet my desired goal of being a cozy and chill game. While the traditional puzzle elements from when your mind breaks were a little lacking in my opinion, the game still had an addictive hold on me because of the abstract, investigational puzzle elements. It may have also been because the pacing felt so much faster than Metroid Fusion, and that kept me wanting to push through to the end so quickly. All in all, I think this is a game worth checking out if you like a puzzle RPG game and are in the mood for a more relaxed gameplay experience.

RETRO GAME TOP PICK

WILD ARMS (PS5)

PART I OF THE JOURNEY

Do stories ever end? Is a story meant to carry on through time, through a shared experience from several perspectives? In Wild Arms, this story of danger, mystery and adventure is shared by three key characters. Many games draw inspiration from classics such as this. The player is given the option to begin the tale with control of one out of the three spriteful figures - Rudy Roughnight, Cecilia Lynn Adlehyde, and Jack Van Burace (Zakk in the Japanese version - what gives?).

Rudy

Cecilia

Jack

Step into the shoes of these three, to gain an understanding of what motivates them, what struggles they are burdened with, and what mysterious abilities each of them have to aid them in their journey together. Conflict will arise, and friendships will be formed and tested. Where will this story take this unlikely group? Will they learn the secrets of the ancients in the world to recover the key to the awakening of a threat that will bring danger and doom to the world?

Make no mistake, this is a long journey filled with rich storytelling and intriguing mystical themes that will take some time to play through. This will hereby be the first part of a continuing series for Wild Arms; let’s enjoy the ride together.

TABLETOP GAME TOP PICK

GIN RUMMY

Quick to learn, easy to start and stop at any time, there is a reason Gin Rummy became so popular among the Hollywood stars in 1941. The goal of the game is to create melds and have as little deadwood as possible in order to rack up the points to victory.

Did you know that Gin Rummy dates all the way back to 1909? We’re a little late on learning how to play, but hey, it’s never too late to learn something new. Although it can be played with three to four players, Gin Rummy is an ideal card game for two players, which makes it perfect for us.

We love how we can sit down and play a hand or two in as little as 5 minutes. Since the only part we have to track is our points, it is easy to stop mid-game and come back to it at a later time. This is an easy game to fit in when you’re short on time. One round we played probably lasted 15 minutes max, and Zach completely wiped the floor with Victoria, 100-0. She didn’t even stand a chance.

Aside from how easy it is to start and stop at any point, another aspect that makes this game so much fun is that it is primarily a strategy based game. Many may think the game is based on luck - the cards you are dealt and the cards you draw, and while the cards you are dealt are pure luck, not all the cards you draw are. You can choose to pick up the card your opponent discarded or take your chance with drawing from the draw pile. Once you pick up your hand, the game shifts entirely to a skill-based game, a game all about exercising your brainpower.

Mark Pilarski put it best in his 2014 article in the Detroit Free Press,

“In order to win at gin rummy, I believe it is necessary to have three specific skills: a great memory, concentration and some form of strategy. Although I play gin rummy only socially, I find memory to be the most important skill to possess. An essential skill in any card game is memorizing which cards have appeared and which cards are held by your opponents or remain in the deck.”

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So there you have it - the games we have been busy playing this month. How many of these games have you played? What game(s) have been your go-to games this month? Let us know in the comments.