Rocket Racing (PS5)

This Fortnite add on is quite good, I have some beefs with it, every race ends with everyone within a second or two of eachother.  It could use items and or powerups, but I still like it.  Downtime between races is a bit of a drag.  How about a cup or championship series?  Still like it though and would recommend.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox Series X)

The campaign is criminally stupid, but the multiplayer holds up well.  I've lost the drive to grind camo's though, so it's still fun in short bursts.  I'd still recommend.

Crash 4 (PS5)

 I'm writing this months after playing the game (weeks).  I had a good run with this game although it's difficulty was more than I was expecting.  Fun though and recommend.

Astro Bot: Astro's Playroom (PS5)

Pack in games are weird, they just don't happen anymore, so to see Sony packed one in with the PS5 even though it's a glorified tech demo, it was a nice surprise.  I loved Astro Bot: Rescue Mission on PSVR, and Asobo studio has some serious platforming chops.  I loved looking for the collectibles and the platforming felt spot on.  A little easy but really fun.  Recommend!

Spider Man 2 (PS5)

Hey, I bought a PS5!  Complete impulse, but I don't regret it.   Look, it's a lot like the other Spider Man games, but this one looks amazing.  The additions of flight/gadgets and abilities will make it hard to go back to those first two games.  Good story, good combat, but man, my wrist hurts from hammering out that square button so much.  Recommend!

Super Mega Baseball 4 (Xbox Series X)

It's like the other ones with former MLB Players.  I keep looking for that hook that 2 gave me, but it never sticks.  Time and place I guess.

A Short Hike (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

Beautiful little indy game, completed in just a few hours, but an unforgettable experience I can't recommend enough.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

Breath of the Wild completely blew me away, I played it to completion twice.  This game is more, but better, but still "more" of the same.  It expands on a number of ideas and the building mechanic is really neat, the problem is, once you find a suitable vehicle to build, it feels pointless to experiment with anything else....well, for me anyways.  The combat isn't dynamic enough to warrant experimenting with building war machines for me.  Still loved it, but was happy to complete it.  Recommend.

Microsoft Solitaire Collection (PC/Mobile)

I needed a second screen action when watching the NHL/NBA playoffs and this filled the role nicely.  I also use it frequently for the daily Xbox quest to play a PC game for 100 points.  Nice collection of games.  Recommend.

MLB The Show 23 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

I played this game for the typical one month duration, had a good time with it but once again, I fell off pretty quickly.  Same game, new year.  Pass.

Retro Bowl (iOS)

This game was a staple in our home for a few weeks, a very simple football game where you play offense only, have some minor roster management and some light rpg elements.  All of this adds up to a very fun game of pigskin on the go.  Recommend.

Madden 23 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

I honestly can't tell much difference year over year with these games, but this was the first year my oldest son and I had a decent rivalry in a sports game.  We didn't play too much as we're both hyper competitivie, but I will say that over the 15-20 games we did play, it's the most fun I've had with Madden in years.  Recommended for couch play with a friend.

Mortal Kombat 11 (Xbox Series X and PC via Game Pass)

I wanted to try to get back into fighting games, so I played through the story mode of this.  Without someone on the couch beside me to really work on my skills, I was left with little desire to "get good".  I played through the story mode...meh...dropped off pretty quickly.  Pass due to my gaming habits/circumstance.

Shadow Warrior 3 (PC via Game Pass)

I decided to try this game as I'd played a little of the 2nd game for a game pass quest and thought it had some charm.  This game has a lot of charm as well, albeit quite crude.  This one's a modern DOOM clone, and while I was really enjoying it at the start, some of the battle arena's got really long in the end.  I'm trying to teach myself to play games more with keyboard and mouse, so I played it on easy.  It was never difficult, but it gave me a fair challenge as I struggled with my new control scheme.  This one could wind up on my top 10 depending on what else I play this year, I had quite a bit of fun with it.  Recommend.

Somerville (Xbox Series X and PC via Game Pass)

Somerville's been on my radar for a while, from some of the same people who brought up Limbo and Inside.  The game definitely has the same feel, but misses on the gameplay.  In Limbo and Inside I would get stuck, look up a guide and see what I was doing wrong or what I didn't think of.  A handful of times in this game I was doing the right thing, but the animation didn't trigger, or the physics puzzle was just too complex.  A fault that makes me tell you to pass on this one.

Hi-Fi Rush (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere and really blew me away.  I'm not very good at it, but by the end I was getting into the grove (heh) and starting to pull of some sick combos.  You don't have to nail the rhtyhm aspect of it to complete the game, but it does feel much better when you do.  Charming characters, story and music make this a must play in my opinion.  Highly recommend.

As Dusk Falls (PC and Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

After completing all my camo challenges in Modern Warfare II, it was officially time to move on.  This was just touching my radar for a while and I decided to give it a go.  It's a huge change of pace from the run and gun gameplay of Call of Duty, but a welcome one.  This is essentially a choose your own adventure graphic novel.  Not usually in my wheel house, but I'd heard good things about it.  I liked it enough but had a hard time really caring for any of the characters.  I made some bad choices along the way, they felt right at the time, but I ended up letting some people die I didn't want to.  Oh well.  It was entertaining and wrapped in around 6 hours.  I don't regret "playing" it.  Recommend.