Intro
As fellow gamers, the Selective Hearing team has been immersed in various games this month. We are in the middle of the summer. Has the heat kept us indoors, playing some games, or are we getting some sun and then cooling off later?
Allen
What Have You Been Playing in July?
- Umamusume Pretty Derby
- Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut
- Donkey Kong Bananza
What Are Your Thoughts?
SPOILERS AHEAD
Yes, I’ve been playing Umamusume Pretty Derby. I’m a little bit late to the party, as I really tried with Persona 5: The Phantom X, but I gave that up after a few days. Then I started seeing the horse girl memes. I saw more and more people in my various Discord servers talking about it, so I said, ‘Why not?’
I’m not very familiar with gacha games. I don’t reroll or optimize my odds or dailies; I just went in and started messing around. This game about horse racing has so much going for it that I kind of got lost in learning the training and what to raise. Additionally, the actual races have been somewhat exciting. I want my horse girls to pop their skills and see them pass up the others, and it’s actually pretty fun to watch. I need to get my girl into the center position for the concert.
Now I have GameTora on one of my browser tabs. I’m aware of Haru Urara’s losing streak and that we can donate ryegrass to her. I know about Gold Ship and how crazy both the horse girl and the real-life horse are. I also have lousy pulls. I think all my luck for pulls is reserved for Hatsune Miku Colorful Stage. I might need to take a break for a while.
In between my horse girl racing, I have been playing Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut on my Switch 2. I recall the time during the Switch 2 launch when I got my copy, and many people were waiting in line, asking about Yakuza 0 and the series. I remember telling them that it’s probably my favorite series, and this was the best game to start with. I recall buying the PS4 version on impulse at a Best Buy when it first came out, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made regarding gaming.
Seeing the game running smoothly at 4K 60fps has sort of blown my mind. I never would have imagined this level of fidelity when I was playing the game originally on my PS4. I’m having fun again, mindlessly bashing people on the streets and playing UFO Catcher at the SEGA arcade. I also have been enjoying the English dub. I think the casting of the Three Lieutenants sounds great, as well as Nishiki. They actually did similar casting for the English dub as with the Japanese dub. The VA for Kiryu has been divisive to some folks, but I think he’s doing fine as a younger Kiryu.
I haven’t made too much progress, but I hope to go through it and chip away at this game again. It was really something to keep me busy until…
Donkey Kong Bananza has finally been released. This game has been consuming a significant amount of my gaming time for several reasons. Usually, when I go into an open-world game like a Horizon or an Assassin’s Creed, I’m ready to have that checklist of things and kind of march at a slow pace while slowly unraveling the story. Donkey Kong Bananza accomplishes these things in a more accelerated and efficient manner, making my chunks of gaming time significantly more fulfilling.
Yes, there are a lot of things to find, but it’s at a more rapid pace, unlike the slower, more plodding pace of a Donkey Kong 64. For those who want to collect everything, you can do that, and there are many things to collect, whether it’s the bananas themselves, the music discs, or the outfits for both DK and Pauline. Want to buff out DK’s stats? You can do that too. They ultimately tie all the collecting and perks together very well, and it’s not just collecting things for the sake of collecting.
The game has been so expressive as well. DK and Pauline have great expressive facial animations, as do the other NPCs, such as the ostriches and elephants. Bashing the terrain can be satisfying, but knowing your boundaries and what to do with the terrain has resulted in some truly great open-world levels. It’s been challenging for me to explore the various layers. It also helps that DK is super flexible and agile, unlike a heavyweight Astro Bot. The sounds in the game are awesome too, the sound clues you hear if a collectible is nearby, the satisfying three cracks when you punch a banana, and even DK beating his chest or clapping his hands.
Donkey Kong Bananza is probably the best Donkey Kong game out now, beating the Donkey Kong Country series in my eyes. It’s definitely the best Nintendo 3D open-world game. Hopefully, it finishes strong. Might be in my Top 3 for GOTY 2025.
What Are You Looking Forward to in August?
I don’t have much for August, however, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Lost Soul Aside are both on my radar.
Greg
What Have You Been Playing in July?
- NHL 25
- Umamusume Pretty Derby
What Are Your Thoughts?
Right at the end of NHL 25’s lifecycle, I finally got a good ass 94 overall team built without spending a dime of real-world money. With a roster of good players, it’s so much easier to make zone entries and plays into the offensive zone. Defensively, I have finally learned not to get owned, and it has resulted in much more engaging games.
I think I’ll be well prepared for NHL 26 whenever I decide to buy it. Usually, I don’t buy these games on release day and wait for sales to come around. Until then, I’ll enjoy playing this game until its last days or until I decide to jump on NHL 26.
I recently started playing Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I’m still going through all the tutorials, so I don’t have enough real world gameplay experience to form an opinion. It seems okay so far.
What Are You Looking Forward to in August?
NHL 26, maybe. But most likely, I’ll get the fighter passes for Street Fighter 6 and start training with my boy, Sagat, now that he’s in the game. I should at least be decent enough with him when I return to Japan in November to play random salary men in the game centers in Tokyo.
BigFreaky
What Have You Been Playing in July?
- Pokémon GO
- Pokémon Home
- Pokémon TCG Pocket
What Are Your Thoughts?
Pokémon GO
We celebrated entering the 9th year of POGO. After GoFest 2025, we had a bunch of Ultra Unlocks to work through every weekend. Raids, Max Battles, New Pokémon. Very busy weekends are expected for summer, but hopefully we’ll slow down as we get closer to Fall. But I don’t expect it. I welcome new Pokémon and gameplay with open arms.
During July, I focused some of my attention on Zygarde. I need to reach 200 cells to be able to change it to its complete form. I am working on completing enough routes to collect the cells to accomplish this. I am quite close and hope to finish this before the end of the month.
The 50% form is my favorite overall. I currently have it assembled this way. I need to acquire 22 more cells, and I’ll have the ability to assemble Zygarde in its complete form. I think I’ll hold onto my cells for now with the impending Legends : Z-A coming in Oct. Hopefully, there will be some sort of tie-in. Possibly a shiny will come sooner than later.
Latias and Latios arrived in Dynamax Battles. I managed to catch a decent shiny.
I’ve also continued to Hyper Train my Zamazenta. I should be able to finish it up next month.
Pokémon Home
I finished sorting my main Pokémon into a living dex. I had a few that I still needed to organize and relocate, and frankly, I had to dig them out from my huge storage. I still need to verify that I have all the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, but I believe they should be present. One more month to keep working on this project.
Pokémon TCG Pocket
I’ve reached 5000 cards on TCG Pocket!! I was also very fortunate to pull or wonder pick all the Eeveelutions Illustration rares. Also, a few double shiny rares! I am still open daily and have been working on the backlog of battles. I’ve been able to curate a lot of decks, completing the backlog.
What Are You Looking Forward to in August?
- Will I play more Pokémon White?
- Will I play enough Pokémon Friends to report about it?
- The Finale of Go Fest 2025 will be a battle with Eternatus.
- Pokémon Legends : Z-A is still too far away
- I feel like I should be playing something different.
