I strongly recommend Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2. DC2, to my memory, could have aged well, but DC1 might be a rough play if you're not in the headspace for a game of that era. I haven't played them in an age, though.

Otherwise, I find that Kingdom Hearts (and KH2 in particular) aged very well. KH2 just feels really good to play.

As for Final Fantasy, if you have a wild hair to play just one, you'll get a dozen different opinions. However, since essentially every game plays with new universes and new gameplay mechanics, you really do get a fresh start with each one.

Damn, sorry to hear about the nerve damage. That's really rough to deal with. I hope you're to lose yourself in Firebreak a bit next week; I'm also looking forward to it, and I'm assuming that while some of my friends will probably play it on Game Pass for a few days and drop it, I'm hoping at least one will stick with it for a while. And if not? I'm also intent on playing it solo. I love the Remedyverse.

As for my own gaming, I played a bunch of demos from some of the RPG directs from last week. Dreamed Away is looking to be a particularly inspired horror take on Undertale's gameplay with Earthbound's wrapper.

If you're interested in checking out some of the lesser-known gems on PS2, consider giving Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2 a try. They're both completely standalone, so you could skip the first and try the more beloved sequel. The hook for both is that as you explore dungeons, you get blueprints and resources to rebuild the outside world. Honestly? I don't know if they aged well, but I had a blast when I discovered them about 20 years ago.

Damn, that's really rough. I hope having some quiet away from the world at your cabin can help counteract some of your neuropathy. 😕

Have you been able to try out FBC: Firebreak yet? I don't know how it'd play as a solo experience, but I'm really enjoying it with one of my friends.

I liked what I saw from the first handful of articles, so I've added that site to my feed reader. It's good to see you back again! I hope you're doing better.

Absolutely! I hope it can find an audience soon; it's not perfect, but I love it so much.

I didn't mind the slow ramp-up in jobs, but I'm guessing that the change to more easily unlock level 3 jobs can help more people see what makes it special (Hot Fix, in particular, is just spectacular in level 3). And I love a game that, as the devs said well before release, doesn't want to hold you hostage and keep you playing indefinitely. In some ways, it feels like it was designed twenty years ago, and for me? That's a great thing.

Solo play isn't too rough, then? Some jobs have been incredibly hectic with just two, so I'm curious about whether or not it works alone.

I hope things get moving in a positive direction for you on the 17th. Until then, I hope your cabin can take your mind off things a bit. Looking forward to the next time you're able to write!

Ooh, I wanted to play DotAGE after enjoying the demo when it came out, but I held out on the hopes that it'd come out on GOG (and eventually forgot)! Thanks for drawing attention to it - I'm picking it up now.

I'm not too surprised; it's been a long time since I've played it, and I suspected my fond memories might not reflect reality. Did you give the sequel a shot?

I remember it being a great game! Moreso than DC1; I think the former appealed to me so much because it was the first game I played with a base-building gameplay loop like that. If you're looking for a game to play, consider giving it a shot. I remember being reeled in pretty quickly, so you ought to be able to make up your mind early on (although more and more interesting systems get introduced the longer you play, of course).

It isn't often I see Brian Regan bits in the wild. The same thing came to mind.