I've had a lot of fun in VR - with friends. But that's cheating, isn't it? Is Rec Room a good videogame? Absolutely not. But I have had a lot of fun in it. Hell, I had fun "playing" Werewolves Within in VR even though I never left the lobby. If not for Resi 7, VR would probably stay in my mind as nothing more than an elaborate and costly way to have zoom calls that aren't boring as fuck. Resi 7 came free with my PSVR years ago and I put it off because all I knew about 7 was it was -so- scary. And if the mere concept of playing it in VR was raised, it would earn an automatic "fuck THAT" from whoever heard it. And yeah, there were frights, jumps, shudders aplenty, but I did not expect this to be so fun. This is an absolute blast in VR. A theme park ride. I laughed with delight many, many times. As much as I resent the thought of having to ever pay for a new headset again, I feel 100% on board with Resi VR. Make me walk through the most disgusting environments you can cough up, Capcom!

The kinda game you sink right into. I absolutely loved it.

There's something meditative about it. You don't feel rushed, or like you're plodding around aimlessly. You can pretty much explore this Swiss village at your leisure. Soaking in the wee cultural touches you've never seen before. Picking up clues to what's happening here and there.

Such a unique look with all hand drawn textures, and that off-white colour palette. Everybody speaking beautiful Romansh. Unsettling imagery paced just right. Man, this would have absolutely been my Backloggd 2021 GOTY if I'd played it last year.

It's the streamlined, simplified, casualised Monster Hunter, and I still look at 99% of it like a dog looking at a sum. Endless menus that mean nothing to me, an item box full to the brim with icons I will never understand. I take on quests to unlock stickers that are immediately lost within the labyrinthine options. I will never see them. Where would I equip them? One of my several "shortcut" wheels? Who knows? During the final battle, I found myself asking "Which button do I use to attack with again?" by which I meant "Which combination of buttons do I use to ready my weapon to attack with again?" Sometimes I send the Argosy out. Why? I don't know.

But here's the thing. Name a game. Any game.
Monster Hunter Rise is better than that game.

Johoho!