Video games update

 Again with the "over a month since posting anything" thing... well, nothing like a little update on the video games I'm playing to fix that little issue.

First, on the XBox Series S side, have I mentioned lately what a lovely thing Game Pass has become?  I normally only pony up for it when there's some specific game I want to play (or at least try out) that has hit the system, but, in recent months, there have been enough quality games hitting the service that I haven't found cause to drop my subscription at all.  Case in point, I just played a bit of Psychonauts 2 yesterday, and I would heartily recommend it to just about anyone.  It has the same "cartoonishly disturbing" look as the original, updated for modern hardware, along with a fair degree of wit and humor.  To say more than that, I would have to use descriptive phrases that make no sense outside of the game, like "the maternity ward in the hospital/casino with the rigged wheel of fortune", so I'll just leave it at that.

Of course, finding gems like that make you re-evaluate the other games you're looking to play.  In the case of Fallout 4, I realized that I had switched from "I want to play more of that" to "I should play more of that", and, if I'm not mistaken, at just about the same point I dropped the game on my initial play-through.  So, barring a sudden urge to wander the wastelands and shoot more raiders and super mutants, I think I'm done with that game... and if not, I've got a save file with a good starting point for next time, now.

On the PC side... well, most of the games I like playing all but require a significant time commitment for even a single play session, so I'm always on the lookout for games that I can play in much shorter bursts (and better still if I can still play those games for extended periods without burning out on them).  Recently, I've dusted off my Steam copy of "Mahjong Pretty Girls Battle", which is much tamer than the title suggests.  This isn't "puzzle" Mahjong solitaire like many of you might think when you hear Mahjong, but 4-player Riichi-style Mahjong, you against three CPU players.  The "pretty girls" in question are the avatars for the various players, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of those players, and, as you win games, you unlock more characters.  I find a single game takes about 10 minutes, which is just about perfect for filler, yet, if the mood strikes me, I can spend an entire evening playing.  I would obviously recommend it, but the game has no tutorial mode or anything like that, so you need to learn how to play the game elsewhere first (I found and printed online rules).  It's not a terribly hard game to learn, though... it's mostly Gin/Rummy with a few tweaks.  Scoring is the real bear, but that's handled by the game in this version.

That's where I am at the moment, games-wise.  What new things are coming down the pipe that will grab my attention?  Will I ever drop out of Destiny 2 again?  I'll doubtless let you know, when the time comes.