What I've been playing

I thought I would try to stir up some conversation by talking about games I've been playing the past few months. So maybe people might get ideas on whether or not to play something or just talk about what they've been playing and possibly enjoying.

To start I would like to bring up Frostpunk and Frostpunk 2. Man these games are really amazing. Similar and yet VERY different from other management games. When I started playing them I just could not stop. The first game is somewhat limited but it does have a main campaign and a few scenarios to play. Sadly for me I did not have access to a lot of the scenarios as they are not included in the free version on Gamepass. But yes! They are both free to play on Gamepass. I absolutely love the premise, the temperature drop after Krakatoa eruption did not stop and the world plunged into an ice age starting in the 1880's. Love the steampunk art style and the gritty narrative.
They changed a lot in Frostpunk 2 but overall I would say for the better. The map is much larger and there are more scenarios to play. There are more factions and more everything. I still have more to do and plan to try to do most, if not everything.
One minor complaint that might actually be a bonus to some people is the games are actually quite easy. I sailed through the campaign on Frostpunk 2 on the highest difficulty with survivor mode. This keeps you from pausing or saving the game which forces you to live with all your decisions and juggle everything that's going on all at the same time. I was able to do it and end with all factions at maximum rep and save everyone for the best possible ending. It got pretty hectic at times but the only real hurdle was not being able to pause the game outside of exiting to the menu. I guess you could say that's still pausing to think about what to do.

Sea of Stars is a beautiful pixel RPG with an average story. It's pretty easy and laid back. If you like pixel graphics and RPG's its certainly worth checking out.

Octopath Traveller 1 and 2 are much the same as above but just overall better games. If you are looking for a good retro style RPG this is where to go. If you can only go for one of them go for the second it is much better.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is another very good Pixel RPG. This is from the people behind Suikoden games so if you played those you will likely enjoy this. There is a good solid story and the game is overall good. If you like collecting followers and building up a community well this game has over 100 recruits and a beautiful castle with lots of buildings and things to do inside.

State of Decay 2 is fantastic. I mean I have put over 250 hours into this game despite the content being rather repetitive. I just love the community management and helping enclaves with their problems and just running around killing zombies. There is a lot of story to play as well especially if you migrate to Trumbal Valley. And there is Heartland dlc with a lot of story which is quite fun as well.

Fable Anniversary, Fable 2 and Fable 3. Yes I still enjoy Fable. If you have never played them they are on Gamepass. New Fable coming soon, hope it is good. Kind of scary with Lionhead out of the picture.

Airborne Kingdom was a fun little game but quite limited. I played through it one time in one day. I guess if you just have time and want an easy filler it's ok.

Unpacking was wonderful. Very mellow laid back puzzle game. I actually perfected it but it doesn't take long to go through everything. Still if you like mellow puzzles it is a good choice.

Core Keeper was for me not very enjoyable. It's a minecraft clone, you mine blocks and build things then mine higher level blocks and repeat. There is some small amount of story and a lot of not enjoyable combat. Especially the boss fights since they will kill you in 1 or 2 hits. Heck I played enough to see what the game had to offer and it got to where everything could kill me in 1 or 2 hits which I did not enjoy and just shelved it there.

Forager is really simple and sort of minecrafty. You mine blocks and build things but you level up too. And you have little islands that you purchase with gold. It's ok but not really my style. Never really cared for Minecraft.

The Frog Detective is terrible. Don't ask me why I played this game, I honestly don't know. The art is bad, the story is bad, the puzzles are bad. If you have young children that like puzzles maybe they will like it.

Dune Spice Wars is a really mediocre RTS. There seems to be some story but honestly it's so mediocre I don't feel like playing enough of it to find out.

Wargroove 2 is ok. It seems really geared towards younger people. The characters all seem to be kids or young adults. The violence is quite subdued. It's not bad but not great either. If you are a fan of LBGT gaming then this is worth checking out as there is some of that going on.

Halo Infinite I just started playing but I love it. I eh am a bit biased as I remember my dad coming home from Singapore with a cracked copy of Halo Combat Evolved and playing the series up till 4 which is where my life went sideways. Sadly all of the Halo games except 5 are on Gamepass apparently unless it on the console list, I haven't checked much on the console list. Anyway I've only played the first mission and like a fool chose to go all out on legendary even though I haven't played Halo in 10 years. Rather enjoyed getting my ass handed to me and learning how to play again. The bit of story I saw was quite nice, right up my alley.

Well these are just the things on Gamepass I've been playing and State of Decay 2 was actually played on Steam but it's on Gamepass and for whatever reason it has integrated all my stats from steam and given me gamerscore fore it? I might expand on steam games I've been playing but as you can see there is already quite a lot written and it's honestly time for bed. Cheers!