The Backlog Check-In Vol. 443: 6/29/26: Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains Edition

[canedaddy]

Slow week for new releases...

June 30
RV There Yet? (Xbox)
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)

July 1
Cat Squeeze (PC)

July 2
Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch)

July 3
Do You Really Know About Soccer? (Switch)



Played recently: GTA Vice City

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

As you can see, the talk here about GTA VI and Vice City prompted me to try to play the OG one more time. Previous efforts to go back to one of my all-time faves had led to frustration with the controls (especially the camera and shooting) and early exits. This time, however, I came in a bit more determined and made it over the hump. It's clunky as can be, but I'm still having a great time being back in the '80s with Tommy and Lance and Cortez and Diaz and so on. The end goal is a platinum.

(It only took me 3 tries to beat Demolition Man. Everyone hates that mission, but it's one of my favorites. Hope they'll have some RC helicopter missions in VI.)

[argyle]

Games added: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, Little Witch Nobeta, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (all Switch)

Last week: Finished nothing, played CD

This week: Hopefully wrap up CD

I would have finished CD this weekend, but I got hit by the mother of all migraines, so I didn't play anything. I'm in the last chapter though (not counting the epilogue), so I feel confident that I'll wrap it up this week.

Picked up quite a few games from my local mom & pop shop w/ some credit I had with them.

Time for another one of Argyle's Movie Reviews!

We watched Odd Thomas from 2013 - Tam said she thought she had seen it before, but that she didn't remember anything about it. It was a good movie overall with an interesting concept - main guy can see recently deceased people but they can't talk, he works with the police chief who knows his secret to solve the murders. He can also see these creatures (I forget what he called them) that appear when something bad is going to happen, and early in the movie he starts seeing more than he's ever seen before which has him racing to try to stop the bad thing from happening. The tone and general vibe of the movie reminded me a lot of The Frighteners, but it wasn't quite that good. It mostly had a good cast, but the poor girl who played his girlfriend was clearly hired for her visual appeal and not her acting ability. Every line she delivered sounded like she was reading it from a cue card for the first time. Police chief was played by Willem DeFoe, who was perfect for the part. And the main guy has been in a lot of other stuff, most notably (to me) he played Chekov in the most recent 3 Star Trek movies. The girl has been in very little else, unsurprisingly. The movie was based on a novel by Dean Koontz, and it was apparently the first book in a long series he wrote. I'd love to see a follow-up to it, but I doubt that's going to happen after all this time. Good watch for anyone interested in a lightly-spooky paranormal mystery. 3/5 stars.

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: 007 First Light

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 36 games

Still playing First Light when I have time, but it's been slower progress than I want. It is what it is, I've got too many other things to do at the moment lol.

[isthatallyougot]

Played recently: GTA Vice City

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

As you can see, the talk here about GTA VI and Vice City prompted me to try to play the OG one more time. Previous efforts to go back to one of my all-time faves had led to frustration with the controls (especially the camera and shooting) and early exits. This time, however, I came in a bit more determined and made it over the hump. It's clunky as can be, but I'm still having a great time being back in the '80s with Tommy and Lance and Cortez and Diaz and so on. The end goal is a platinum.

(It only took me 3 tries to beat Demolition Man. Everyone hates that mission, but it's one of my favorites. Hope they'll have some RC helicopter missions in VI.)

Oh wow! We really are rewinding the PS2 Backlog Committee, aren't we, lol?!? Amazingly I nailed Demolition Man my first try this go 'round. I have struggled mightily with some other missions though.

Currently I'm doing the property missions. I just finished the Printworks mission, the Car Races and the "Ice Cream" delivery missions. So the money is really starting to roll in, and I'm becoming spoiled by the booty of my crime empire.

Overall, I've really clicked with it again after a rough re-introduction. I've got some major complaints that are more pronounced than they were back then, but in general, I've found myself having a blast again.

The real gut punch was the realization that it has been significantly longer since the release of GTA Vice City to the present day than it has been going backward from its release to the era of its inspiration. When that landed in my awareness, I almost died. Apparently life is short. Who knew?!?

[crimson_tide]

Hey. Survived the school year and extremely trying test season. To paraphrase the best original character in Kingdom Hearts, my man Roxas: looks like my summer vacation...IS HERE!!! (this is absolutely not what Roxas said)

And that's like actually true this year. Barring any unforeseen issues, I will be taking the summer off for real, no summer school, summer programs, nothing. So I actually will finally play this goddamn PS5!...

Well that and DQ Builders 2. About to finish up the mining island I think.

As for PS5, I will start with actually beatable stuff like Sonic x Shadow Generations and Spiderman 2 and that FF7 Yuffie DLC then I want to play FF7 Rebirth. I want that to be my big summer game I think. I really liked the first part. That should carry me through September.

Hope all's well, friends!

[canedaddy]

He survived another one! Enjoy your PS5 time, crim!

Amazingly I nailed Demolition Man my first try this go 'round.

Wow! Well done. I ran out of time on my first run (no clue where the drop sites were) and got shut down on my second, haha.

I have struggled mightily with some other missions though.

The one that's giving me trouble now is the phone assassination mission where you have to knock off several dudes, starting with a guy up on a billboard.

The real gut punch was the realization that it has been significantly longer since the release of GTA Vice City to the present day than it has been going backward from its release to the era of its inspiration. When that landed in my awareness, I almost died. Apparently life is short. Who knew?!?

Whoa! I never thought of that. I lived in "Vice City" in the mid-80s, and it sure seems like there was a lot of time between then and when I played the game.

[isthatallyougot]

And that's like actually true this year. Barring any unforeseen issues, I will be taking the summer off for real, no summer school, summer programs, nothing.

He's free!!! I hope you can enjoy this rare configuration of circumstance to the fullest crim!

Whoa! I never thought of that. I lived in "Vice City" in the mid-80s, and it sure seems like there was a lot of time between then and when I played the game.

Yeah, time is a funny thing sometimes. Thinking about the passage of time has me trying to recall the origins of this little community, and I don't remember much. I know we all posted on the IGN boards, but I don't remember who initiated this thing or why, or why I followed you fellers over here. It's all a mystery buried deep in the gray matter, ha. One day you wake up and there you are.

[argyle]

So I actually will finally play this goddamn PS5!...

Well on the bright side, in normal times if you bought a console & didn't get to play it for a year you'd be kicking yourself because the price would have dropped. But now, in backwards world, you've actually saved yourself quite a bit of money!

Yeah, time is a funny thing sometimes. Thinking about the passage of time has me trying to recall the origins of this little community, and I don't remember much. I know we all posted on the IGN boards, but I don't remember who initiated this thing or why, or why I followed you fellers over here. It's all a mystery buried deep in the gray matter, ha. One day you wake up and there you are.

I was actually thinking about the same thing the other day, and I can't remember either.

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