PixlBit

My new plan is to look up the highest rated games on a system and play what interests me going from top to bottom. So far it's been Forza Horizon 5 first and then Halo Infinite on Xbox Series S and Into the Breach and Fire Emblem Three Houses for Switch. Of course, I'm still playing games for Game Pass rewards, MS Rewards and a few old projects of mine. I did remove a bunch of games from my hard drive I was planing on playing but don't fit the current plan. They'll come back around again anyway. It's still a lot of games. I guess the goal is to reduce the number and increase the quality of the games I play. There's only so much time, isn't there? 

Outriders: A FPS by People Can Fly that I always want to play more of, but for some reason can't really get into it. I love it when it comes up for a Game Pass quest though. I dove right back in where I left off, headshot 7 enemies, and left it. I had to reduce the look sensitivity on the sticks because the default is too fast for me to control. That done, the shooting was very good and satisfying. Why am I not playing more of this? I saved the game on my hard drive to return to sometime. 

Power Wash Simulator: My friend Mark was troubleshooting the Temple mission in order to solve the problem of a related achievement. There is a lawn gnome on a narrow beam of the roof that you must not remove before you finish cleaning the temple. You can pick up the gnome to clean underneith it, but you can't put it down carefully enough so it will stay on the beam (a condition of the game's controls). So, you have to clean underneith it without jostling it, a very tricky manueuver, but my friend got it done.

While he was doing that, I chose the Playground mission in order to get an achievement for moving a soccer ball over the back of a stegasaurus amusement. You can only use your power wash gun and its various nozzles. The trick is choosing the right nozzle: 60 degree one to position the ball, 0 degree one to launch it over the stagsaurus. I found this task very difficult the first time I tried it, but I watched Mark do it and learned what to do. He is more persistant than I am at some of these tasks.  

Lego Marvels Super Heroes: This was the next released Lego game after Lego Lord of the Rings. I figured, since it was on my hard drive on Xbox Series S, and I'm working on Lego LotRs on Xbox 360, I'd start it too (well, I'd had already started it months ago). I returned to where I left off and had some trouble figuring out what each character's power was. I got kind of stuck on a level and accidently turned Mr. Stretch of The Fantastic Four into a Teapot and got an achievement. Huh? That was my cue to move on for now. 

Bee Simulator: Rage quit this after a chase race through rings I kept failing at because the controls are a bit wobbly at high flying speeds. Too bad, I liked most of the rest of it, even though it is too easy in most aspects. I'll return to it someday. 

Assassin's Creed Origins: I finished the Discovery Tour mode and got an achievement. I want to move right on to the Discovery Tour Mode in Odyssey and Valhalla but I'll have to purchase those (Origins is on Game Pass). Well, I'm keeping the game on my hard drive because I might return to play the main game sometime. 

Forza Horizon 5: I got the "all roads travelled" achievement, but I kept going because I got hooked on it. I attempted to play all the story missions and did most of them. One made me drive a VW Bug that was hellish to drive. I kept losing that race so I did other story missions instead of beating my head against a wall.

I discovered that a new car often controls terribly until you apply a tune kit to it. The difference is noticeable. I dont' know how to specifically tune a car, but I use other's designs, and they are usually pretty good. I can't wait to buy the Hotwheels expansion, but I'm waiting until I'm done with most of the main game. 

Oh, I almost forgot. One of story missions introduced, for the first time in a Forza Horizon game, an electric car. It hums like some sort of future robot. It has some unique features too like being able to switch drive-train on the fly from rear to all wheel drive. It has seven engines! I'm so glad there are electric cars in the game (or at least one anyway). 

Farm Together: More planting, completing quests, trying to do them in a timely manner. Watering your plants shortens the time to harvest, but gas for my tractor is slow in building until I can unlock the oil pump. I do what I can until I have to wait more than 30 minutes to harvest. Then I plant as much wheat as I can afford and leave until another time. 

Halo Infinite: I returned to this a looked for campaign co-op mode, but I didn't see it. I played solo and cleared a few more bases and saved a few more strike teams from covenant forces.

Man, is this game a fun shooter. Enemies are smart as heck too. I would come over a ridge and get surprised by a Brute scout.

The world is enormous and rocky. I love grappling up cliff sides and finding sniping positions above an enemy. They will see you quickly though, forcing you to get in there and fight.

Fights are frantic and varied. I'm throwing grenades, using multiple weapons depending on the distance of an enemy, grappling explosive energy pods to throw and punching my way to victory. I'm feelin' it. Back in the saddle again! I just wish I could get some friends in on this campaign.