Heretical Red (Lead Writer)
What're Ya Playin'?

Final Fantasy XIV -- Damn it all, I got myself interested in an MMORPG again. Well, if by "interested" you mean "completely addicted". When I sit down and get ready to play, I say to myself "oh, I only wanna play this for an hour and then log off for the evening". Suddenly it's 4AM, the sun's coming up through my blinds and I've already sank ten hours into the MSQ and the side content like Frontlines.
(Also they added female Hrothgars which are an honest-to-god neuron activator for me.)

Command And Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (One Vision Mod) -- "Woah there, Red" you likely didn't say. "Isn't that a really old game? Why not just play some newer RTS game like Starcraft 2 or something?" to which I boldly and swiftly reply "No, no, never, not ever, no how, I'd rather squish my testicles in a waffle iron!" This game's a little on the old side, sure, but it's still one of the best RTS games of the 2000s in my opinion. The One Vision mod is also really fun to play around with but whatever you do: Do NOT play against Brutal AI because it is incredibly painful and you too will want to mash your balls into a waffle iron.

Sam & Max Save The World -- SkunkApe has done an absolutely amazing job at remastering these titles and even packed them into one standalone game without the need to swap between executables like the original seasons by Telltale. Sam & Max is an incredibly nostalgic series for me. I grew up playing Hit The Road (admittedly via ScummVM because DOS was well before my time) and later got to playing the Telltale Games' seasons via totally legit means, yeah. There's one caveat: The residential conspiracy nut and convience store owner, Bosco, had several lines removed and was redubbed by Ogie Banks. While Banks does a very good job with it and has proven to good voice actor in other roles, he doesn't have the same delivery that Joey Camen did IMO. You can fix this via a mod from GameBanana which restores the original dialog and VA. Regardless, this is a really good remaster and I'd suggest you guys check it out!

1. Final Fantasy XIV
2. Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
3. Sam & Max Save The World

What're Ya Drinkin'?
Raspberry hibiscus tea with honey. It's really good.


Quill (The Stray Kit-kat)
What're Ya Playin'?

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess – Behold the newest in Capcom's “make what you want lol idc” collection of games. Kunitsu-Gami is a dope hybrid of tower defense and character action mixed into one. It's dubbed as a Kagura action game, Kagura being a form of dance, because of the movement of the player character Soh and the shrine maiden Yoshiro. It is NOT a tiktok dance. Escort m'lady shrine maiden across Mt.Kafuku in an effort to purge the defilement that's taken over. I was immediately absorbed by this game the second I began playing it. The passion from the team is all clearly there and felt strongly. In another world, this was a sequel to Okami.

Dying Light – You ever wanted to just play an okay game? Nothing with hassle. Just a solid 7 out of 10? This is Dying Light. Lots to do, and a lot of fun to be had. The world is pretty to look at even nine years later after it's release. And as a Mirror's Edge fanboy the parkour can be pretty dang smooth once you work it out. The music also has this interesting mix of synthy stings and industrial beats that feels incredibly out of place, but who cares it's cool. Plus, in what game does smashing a skull in or removing a head get boring?

1. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
2. Dying Light

What're Ya Drinkin'?
Alani-Nu.


Lily (Goofy Goober Hoosk)
What're Ya Playin'?

Rimworld -- I finally played this now that I have the Anomaly DLC after a friend nudged me into it and I have to say, even with the imperfect combat and sometimes laggy nature of the game on larger bases, this is one of the best games for people who are looking for an immersive experience of extreme crisis management, colony sim roleplay, and pure atmosphere. The feeling of horror as bloody rain drives animals mad and scratching at your doors and screetching throughout the night and your colonists bedding down and watching TV to cope will never leave my mind as one of the most interesting experiences I've had gaming.

Armored Core 6 -- Finally after about 11 years I think we get a new Armored Core game and it seems FROMSoft was really taking notes with this one. Easily my favorite game by far despite being a series vet since Another Age, this one has the best writing, story, and characters of any FROMSoft game in my opinion, with some of the best and tightest gameplay and weapons and parts that all feel very unique and different from each other. Even PvP is genuinely fun, and I tend to avoid that. Measuring yourself against your friends or proving yourself in the online arena has never been so fun. Just wish the soundtrack was a bit livelier and the UI was more similar to older titles.

Yakuza Series (yes the entire thing) -- Started playing this one with my partner a couple years ago and now recently completed 7, Gaiden: TMWEHN, and started 8. A wild ride through some of Japan's suprisingly more sane characters and a great insight into the peculiarities of Japanese culture while also being suprisingly accurate about life as a yakuza and former yakuza. Being a game series mostly known for it's wackier and zanier moments, it's also very serious at times and WILL make you bawl your eyes out like a baby. This game series consistently has superb writing and a passionate team despite the very many entries into the series, though there is also a lot of asset recycling and some very strange props between games and maybe some questionable depictions of women.

1. Rimworld
2. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
3. Yakuza Series

What're Ya Drinkin'?
Snapple Watermelon Lemonade. Gives a great kick in the morning.

FoxerTails (90's Otaku Fox Musician)
What're Ya Playin'?
Dual Hearts: What if Zelda: OoT and Banjo Kazooie had a baby with a touch of action RPG elements? This would be the result. Very much a hidden gem for the PS2 library... although I currently have the game on pause because I'm having trouble finding the last few collectibles before going to the end game! :(

Jak & Daxter 2: Not started yet, but will be as soon as I finish Dual Hearts. This is a new series for me and I rather enjoyed my first time playing Jak & Daxter so I am excited to see what the sequel improves on.

BeamNG.drive: What can I say? I like driving and smashing cars. You can blame kid me playing Destruction Derby on the PS1 for that. It's my go to chill out game for the moment when I'm watching a Vinny Vinesauce live stream or catching up on my ever continuously climbing YouTube watch later playlist of 5000 videos. If I'm not playing a game, then I'm probably working on music.

1. Dual Hearts
2. Jak & Daxter 2
3. BeamNG.drive

What're Ya Drinkin'?
Water.


Sav (Resident Spiky Dog)
What're Ya Playin'?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - I finally figured out why there's a gold filter - everyone's pissing in fear because of me. That, and possibly the sight of Adam chomping down an entire box of candy bars in a second in front of an enemy. It's like a more lethal hot dog eating contest.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - 9 years late to the party, but zombies with friends still holds up, even with weird ass Workshop mods. Protip: Read up on things first before jumping in, else you'll be lost trying to figure out what everything means in Walter White's poorly modeled Quake 3 ass hosue.

Streets of Rage Remake - THE SOUNDTRACK IS LIKE PURE ECSTACY TO MY EARS

1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
3. Streets of Rage Remake

What're Ya Drinkin'?
Cold water. It's very hot out.

[What're Ya Playin' is a semi-monthly column on RedSpy where lead writer Heretical Red and his friends get together to talk about the various games they've been playing recently.]

More What're Ya Playin'?
Columns Index