Intro
As fellow gamers, the Selective Hearing team has been immersed in various games this month. However, this might as well be Ghost of Yotei Month for us, as it was the team’s most anticipated game of the year. What are our thoughts? Did we play anything else?
Allen
What Have You Been Playing in October?
- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
- Ghost of Yotei
What Are Your Thoughts?
SPOILERS AHEAD
Before I made my final run at the game, an update added a lot of cosmetics. I may have spent a lot of time mixing and matching add-ons across all my characters. I really like all the waiter outfits.
The final stretch of dungeons was paced really well. You have your whole team, and you can switch out at specific camp points if you want. The final team I went with was Joshua, Estelle, Olivier, and Zin. I had already built them out before the last stretch, so I just kept going.
Final sequences of bosses did give me a bit of a challenge. I couldn’t really go all out as I had with some of the previous bosses. Had to use a bit more tact in keeping my buffs on my team, as Earth Protection spells. I usually like giving enemies defuffs, but I had to focus on beefing up my own team instead. Once I went that route, it only took me a few tries to finish things up.
Very interesting ending; I didn’t see it get that heavy. It did make me want to get to the next chapter right away. Overall, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is an excellent JRPG and a great way to reintroduce the Trails in the Sky series to new gamers. I’m so glad I finally took a chance on the series. This game might be fighting to get into my Top 5 of 2025. I’ll return to the game to try nightmare mode, however…
Ghost of Yotei has finally been released. I can speak for the other guys, as this is Team Selective Hearing’s most anticipated game. So far, it has not disappointed us.
Right off the bat, this game is gorgeous. There were many times in the game that I sat and took a breath just to admire the scenes around me. I have so many screenshots, possibly close to 100, of the different environments, like on top of temple mountains or traversing ropes underneath waterfalls. I also took screenshots of the standoffs before boss fights. The awesome photo mode from Ghost of Tsushima is back, so you can create the perfect shot, your way.
I love a good revenge story, but this one has a few twists that make the story more interesting than most revenge plots. Most of the time, you will understand Atsu’s motivation for going after the Yotei Six, but you will be thrown a few curveballs when certain major players from her past return. Then you get to see her struggle with trust from said players and supposed friends along the way. It amps up your feelings as you go through bounty hunters and soldiers that follow the Yotei Six.
The combat system is so much fun, with many ways of dispatching your foes. However, if you are not careful, a scrum of low-level grunts can take you down. I usually found myself sneaking around in camps, taking out foes one by one before taking on the big bad in that area, as it helped thin out their numbers. There are so many great weapons to use as well, and you will have to switch and mix them, as each has its advantages and disadvantages. I loved using the odachi to stagger enemies before lopping off their hands. The kusarigama was my go-to starting weapon as it was great in stealth to take out enemies from farther away, but once you combine it with the oni’s flame, you can spread fire damage very easily among groups of enemies. I never really went back to the standard katana unless it was for one-on-one boss duels.
So yeah, just like everyone, I had trouble with bears early on. Apparently, that region of Japan was known for a high bear population. I have two memorable run-ins with bears during the game. One was me just looking through my telescope, trying to figure out points of interest, minding my own business. Then I get knocked off my horse by a bear, and I proceed to get mauled. Great… The second time was when I tried to find a bamboo spot. I see a bunch of other samurai surrounding the bamboo spot, and once I go to join them, they run away from not only one bear, but two bears! Of course, I didn’t make it out alive. However, I did think I could try getting that bamboo spot again without being spotted, but of course, I had the same results.
I ended up playing in both Miike Mode and Watanabe Mode simultaneously. I liked the extra mud and dirt you kicked up while running around or getting it on your armor. The extra blood spurts are over-the-top, but I like it because of the old-school samurai movies. Watanabe Mode makes traversing feel cozier; it kept me motivated to find all the hot springs, fox shrines, and extra armor and mask pieces.
I didn’t fast-track it like Greg would think I did. Took maybe 3 weeks and 58 hours to get the platinum trophy. I just had so much fun. Hopefully, New Game Plus and Legends mode get announced soon, so I have a reason to return to Ghost of Yotei, another game that might end up in my Top 5 of 2025.
What Are You Looking Forward to in November?
There is still a lot left on my watchlist I want to play. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is probably next, and I still want to play Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, but I might wait for a sale on those.
Kirby Air Riders looks amazing, and as a fan of Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, this one looks to be a must-play.
Greg
What Have You Been Playing in October?
- Ghost of Yotei
What Are Your Thoughts?
Yes, it is pretty much Ghost of Yotei month for all of us. Unlike these other two guys, I’m not speedrunning the entire thing and am taking my time, enjoying the sights and sounds of feudal Japan.
Much like its predecessor, Ghost of Yotei is a feast for the eyes, with the various locales of Ezo having their distinct landscapes for you to explore. As of this writing, I have only made it up to the northern end of the map, where it’s the less-than-ideal winter wonderland compared to the starter area when you load up the game.
Gameplay-wise, I feel this edition of the Ghost of… games is a little more free-flowing. Rather than having specific stances to counter enemies, you have a game of rock-paper-scissors with weapons, which gives the player some choice in how they tackle the various minions who come after you. Obviously, it’s better to counter with the right weapon, but in the heat of battle, you gotta work with what’s in your hands if you’re not quick or patient enough to use the correct tool(s) to get the job done.
So going unga bunga won’t necessarily get you penalized, but it will take you longer to dispatch of your foes and possibly blow through your valuable spirit. As I have progressed through the game, my preferred method of attack has gone from screaming “Leroy Jenkins!” with a Katana in hand to a more Hitman-like approach of stealth kills. I find the stealth kills in this game way more satisfying than in Tsushima.
What I’ve found most enjoyable about this game so far is that I can load it up, get on my horse, and just wander, doing side quests. And if I happen to accidentally hit a major story point along the way? Well, it’s just a bonus. Like similar open-world types of games, you’re not forced to follow the linear path, and you can go at your own pace.
The funny thing I noticed about Ghost of Yotei is that when you camp, Atsu apparently has time to do landscaping before resting every time. It’s just a visual quirk I noticed as I have put more time into the game. Oh, and there are some frustrated bears in this game. FUCK YOU BEARS! I was so glad when I got the fire arrows and Odachi, where I could finally take out my venomous fury on them while reciting the fictional bible quote from Pulp Fiction. FUCK YOU BEARS!
I don’t think I’m even close to finishing this game and I’m not under any pressure to do so since the only other game I have in my queue is the updated Street Fighter 6, which what I’ll be loading up in preparation for my upcoming trip to Tokyo where I will hopefully be continuing my tradition of getting my ass handed to me by the cities frustrated salary men.
What Are You Looking Forward to in November?
I have nothing particularly exciting loaded up in my new game queue. But I’ll see what backlog games I want to finish instead.
BigFreaky
What Have You Been Playing in October?
- Ghost of Yotei
- Pokémon : Legends Z-A
- Pokémon Pocket TCG
- Pokémon GO
What Are Your Thoughts?
My biggest month of gaming 2025 has begun!!
Where to begin?!
Am I playing Ghost of Yotei or Tekken 7?!!
These GD Japanese bears are combo juggling me before I even realize what’s going on!!
But I digress.
Here we are! After so many years, the newest installment of the “Ghost Of” series… Do we call it that??
According to Greg, I was speed running Ghost, but nothing could be further from the truth. I just happened to play A LOT in a short amount of time. 81+ hours is not a speed run by any stretch of the imagination. I just literally did nothing but sleep, eat, and play Ghost. LOL
I explored every inch of Ezo available to me. I obtained every trophy to complete the Platinum Trophy requirement. Becoming the Legendary Onryo. I obtained every weapon, piece of armor, color dye, and knick-knack possible. I even collected all the Ainu artifacts.
Once again, the game is absolutely beautiful. The graphics are stunning, and the story is rich and deep. There are plenty of side missions and/or bounties to be had, leaving many hours of gameplay ahead for those ready to jump back into Japan from the past.
As the game is very much a choose-your-own-adventure, it seems a lot of us went in different directions and achieved goals and gear in different orders. Alas, I didn’t even receive the Kusarigama till near the end of my time playing. It would have helped a lot in earlier parts of the game, especially against some enemies that were a bit of a struggle. Especially with the aforementioned “rock-paper-scissors” style of weapon gameplay.
There was a nice mix of varied activities, so if you didn’t want to go search for something, you could go kill someone to make some money. Occasionally, I would go looking for a bounty and kill the target without even realizing what I had done, as the bounty splashed up on the screen with a KO effect. Welp, easy peasy lemon squeezy. Time to go get some pocket change.
Oh, about those bears. Not very long into the game, I was exploring some new areas. I thought I was sneaking up on some bandits and some treasure, but little did I know, I was the one being hunted!! Not 1 second after turning around, 2 huge bears came up from behind and started a Tekken Combo juggle until I could do nothing but die. They knocked me off my horse, and I stayed airborne until I respawned after about half a minute. Which in turn was right where the bears were, and they started charging at me again!! I shot numerous arrows into their head, but they DGAF. Once again, a Tekken ragdoll. I had to run away to come back another day.
At this point, I wasn’t even sure we could kill bears in this game. I learned they were a bit of a level or progression gate. I would occasionally run into a few bears later in the game who were just as dangerous.
I did finally level up and get stronger weapons, and was able to kill the bears, and at that point, it was genocide. No bear will live within viewing distance of me. I collected their furs and used them to adorn my weapons and armor. So future bears will know the fate that awaits them.
Aside from the insanity of almost non-stop playing, I did thoroughly enjoy my time playing GOY and am ready for the Legends mode (and I’m assuming DLC) to be released. Legends mode was very much a favorite of mine from Tsushima.
Pokémon : Legends Z-A
One of the reasons for the Ghost of Yotei “speedrun” is that P:Z-A (just so I don’t have to type it a million times) was coming out just 2 weeks after it.
As stated earlier, 81+ hours is hardly a speed run for GOY; P:Z-A was right on par with 78+ hours of gameplay. I once again basically only slept, ate, and played Pokémon. I played Pokémon at an even faster pace, finishing it in about 8 days. Two of my favorite franchises decided to release games in the same year, in the same month! Sleep be damned!
Pokémon returned once again to the Kalos region and returned with Mega Evolution. Mega Evolution is arguably the most popular of ‘gimmicks’ used in franchise history. They also did it with their Legends formula, after the success of Legends Arceus.
The games have a lot more action than the turn-based OG style of Pokémon RPGs. No turn-based in this game. Your character is actively involved in matches and battles, and could get damaged by PKMN attacks if you aren’t careful. This new element makes the games much more engaging and a nice twist on the series without sacrificing too much.
I did my best to avoid as many spoilers online as possible before playing, but I did get spoiled for quite a bit. Many of the newer Megas, I was only spoiled in name only. So it’s not so bad. A few I wasn’t sure I’d forgotten or spoiled, but it was all fun.
While the story is nowhere near as deep as Ghost of Yotei (as no one expected), it is actually fairly decent and does have twists and turns. Much stronger than the typical, somewhat cookie-cutter stories that happen in older Pokémon games. Yes, I am aware that the target audiences for the two comparing games are quite different, but there is no reason a “child’s” game can’t have a compelling storyline. I think Pokémon delivered quite well in this game, and there is still more story to be told in future DLC. Which, surprisingly, comes out already in December.
With many complaints about the city being boring and repetitive, the characters were quite vibrant. I can see where they were going, and perhaps it was a hardware limitation. But the boring cityscape does kind of melt away when you’re busy talking to people or dealing with PKMN.
Thankfully, there were many times in the game when you were taken away from the boring-looking city streets and put into various zones and areas that were much more engaging.
The PKMN themselves all looked wonderful and had some really cool animations that made them much more ‘real’. The animations for some attacks were completely different from what I had imagined.
The “new” battle system feels very good once you understand some of the tinting, but I still found myself mashing buttons, waiting for the time limits to lift.
I haven’t quite 100% the game yet because there are a lot of repetitive battles needed to go up a rank to receive a “mystery” Pokémon. I did, however, find all the “colorful screws,” which in turn powered up a lot of bonuses and led to the final prize. A humongous Canari doll.
I completed the Pokédex along with the Megas. It would be quite difficult to earn enough money to buy all the clothes, not that I even want to. As you can see, I’ve found the ultimate outfit for Alolan Muk: the Alolan Muk Jumpsuit.
Zygarde 50% form is the best!
Mobile Updates
October 15th came, and so did the level increase in Pokémon GO.
As expected, I was instantly leveled to 70 due to the amount of XP I had obtained. Level 80 is the newest cap, but every level requires you to do extra activities as well.
Earn 15 platinum medals, Power up Legendary or Mythical Pokémon 20 times, make 999 Nice Throws, and catch 100 Pokémon in a single day. It is the first set of activities to level from 70 to 71. Nothing terribly difficult, but a bit of a time sink is needed. We’ll see how far I can go monthly. 999 nice throws might take a while.
After playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A, I decided to just pull the trigger on Zygarde to change its form to 100%.
I will now continue to do more routes and earn the 200 cells back for future use. I have learned I would have to use more cells to change it back to 50% forme (which is my favorite). So I will leave him at 100% for the time being.
I will now continue doing more routes and earn back the 200 cells for future use. I have learned I would have to use more cells to change it back to 50% form (which is my favorite). So I will leave him at 100% for the time being.
During October in Pokémon TCG Pocket, I earned my 6500th card, and continue to roll on. I have canceled the monthly subscription. It was nice to open extra packs and have some other things, but money is a bit too tight now, and playing for free is still very close. The Pokémon Company still gets plenty of my money. They would get more if they could actually get some real cards on the shelf, but that is a whole different conversation.
I also had some nice special card pulls this month.
What Are You Looking Forward to in November?
A BREAK!!
Yes, I am super excited about the games I got to play this month. I’ve been waiting years for them!! I went hardcore on them, and I’m happy with that. But I need to separate a bit and maybe do some real-life stuff again!! I gotta touch some grass before it’s covered in snow!!
Pokémon GO rolls along as always. We have the ‘Wild Area’ event in November, which is sort of a mini GO Fest. It doesn’t seem to have anything crazy, so hopefully another chill event. I have my eyes on the Shadow Cresselia and Shadow Darkrai, tho!
I have a feeling in my gut that I need to get to older Pokémon games sooner rather than later if I ever want to trade those Pokémon up to the current Home system we have. Nintendo is bound to shut down the Bank and Transporter service at any time. Especially with the Nintendo DS system’s online shop being shut down since 2023
