Console Catch-Up - May 2025 Monthly Recap

So, the good news for this month is that I did finally get through God of War... but nothing more than that. It's not for lack of trying. I wanted to play something short, so I tried Medievil, but I just couldn't get into it. I suppose I was expecting more of a Platformer than a hack and slash, and I wasn't in the mood for that genre. I did at least get a start on Dave the Diver, but it's still early stages of that game. At the same time, I have been helping my daughter with The Blue Prince, which is a beautiful puzzle game.

Name: God of War

Date Completed: 04/05/2025

When I finally got around to playing God of War I was really looking forward to it. I remember playing the original trilogy as well as the PSP trilogy back on the PS3, so I was excited to continue the story.

But... I was rather disappointed. I must have been expecting too much of what I grew up on, so much so, that it affected how I viewed this game. I preferred the original combat style. This felt too slow. I preferred the energy of the original story. This felt like it was plodding along. I much preferred the boss fights of the originals. They were epic. These felt... meh. Now I do understand that this is a new chapter in Kratos' life, and he is trying to distance himself from his past. But sadly, for me, that separation was too wide and I struggled to engage with the game. So much so, I am not yet sure if I will bother with the sequel.

BONUS ENTRY:

Name: Kingdoms Reborn

Platform: Steam

Status: Early Access

Every now and again, I enjoy coming to this game, especially just to have it run in the background. I've watched this game grow through the years, and while there have been additions and improvements, the core concepts have always remained the same. The game is a civilization builder, where you manage your people and the industries. You can buy or conquer nearby lands to expand your territory; trade with or annex other empires; research, expand, and even advance in technology. But the one thing that made me enjoy this game the most is that you don't have instant access to the buildings. Instead, you draw building cards (sometimes even abilities), and you need to use those. You can hold a certain amount at a time, but ultimately, you need to juggle which industry cards you want to use or discard. Thankfully, though, you do have some permanent base cards (like houses or fields - if you unlock them) so that you are never at a complete disadvantage. The game also has an online mode, however, I have not had the luxury of trying it out. Might make for an interesting session, though, if played with friends.

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And that is one more month in the bag. Life has definitely had a hand in cutting down my playtime, but I still try to find time for my hobbies. Not only that, I have recently been getting back into other hobbies. I have rekindled my love of writing and storytelling. Only this time, I'm doing it by creating scenarios for AI chatbots. And I've gotten a strong following on it. If anyone is interested, the Discord icon on the main page takes you to a group dedicated to AI chatbot creations.