Please don't misunderstand, I love both dearly. OG 4 holds up incredibly well in just about every capacity, literally my only gripe is that the environmental refinements of 4R show how much it was still ultimately slapped together in a rush - but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's phenomenal in the slightest.

4R is one of those rare remakes that stands entirely on its own, but still makes you appreciate how they got lightning to strike the first time around. It really stands out when you consider it managed to avoid the pitfalls of 2R and 3R, and all my gripes about it are pretty petty compared to those (i.e. the keychains feel half-baked and needed some offensive boosts, particularly for higher difficulties).

That's fair, I'm just much more partial to Leon's characterization in the Remakes than I am the originals- it feels like a much more natural transition to how we see him in 6. But I do love a moody boy so I admit I'm pretty heavily biased xD

I don't really remember how Leon was in the original, I just remember being blown away by how everything just felt so right. Even the most generic and predictable things were tons of fun.

Maybe I just set my expectations too high for the remake, lol.

I bought a Steam Deck OLED 1TB recently. It's such a fun device. Playing through my backlog is a breeze now that I don't have to go through the hassle of turning on my monitor, connecting plugs, etc.

I'm currently playing Tales of Zestiria, which is my first JRPG. The story is admittedly cliche, but I'm sure enjoying it.

Playing Final Fantasy VIII on Play Station 1 Classic mini.

I'm trying to level up full and top off supply before the second half of the game.

Also trying to level up in Final Fantasy XII before the Point Of No Return.

"Minimalist" run completed; the hardest part was the two Regeneradors/Iron Maidens right after the Mike section. Having gone through the game with all the handguns, here is my definitive ranking:

W/ Infinite Ammo:
1. Matilda (It melts everything!)
2. Blacktail
3. Sentinel Nine
4. Red9
5. Punisher
6. SG-09

W/o Infinite Ammo:
1. Blacktail
2. Sentinel 9
3. Red9
4. Punisher
5. SG-09
6. Matilda (it'll eat up your reserves!)

Sadly despite being Leon's signature weapon, the SG-09 is rendered completely obsolete by the Sentinel Nine due to them basically being equal, but the Sentinel's extended magazine and higher rate of fire makes it much more effective in most situations due to being able to place a follow-up shot that much quicker. Overall the Blacktail is king due to the balanced stat spread being complimented by the superior handling compared to literally everything else in the arsenal.

The nerf to the Red9 from OG means it's situational and best used in the place of a rifle for longer-range combat when used with the stock. The Punisher is fine I guess but just doesn't have the same punch as the other handguns, and the penetration is extremely situational- And not even that effective on Regeneradors, unlike the rifles or even LE-5.

And the Matilda is most situational of all; if you're using the cat ears for infinite ammo, it won't solve every problem, but it will solve most. If you're doing a "pure" run or focusing on your melee/knife damage over ammo, it's the worst simply because of lackluster damage without the stock, and eats ammo like Haruto does donuts.

He was a lot more jokey and flirty in OG, particularly with Ada, whereas Remake has him as a much more jaded, somber, and professional character. It also considerably improves his interactions with Krauser during the boss fight, with the two having very clear motivations compared to Leon's half-hearted answer of "My past, I suppose" when asked what he was fighting for.

Make sure you Junction Str/Mag/Vit/Spr Bonus to your party to increase stats per level up and finish Card Club quest to get them in Ragnarok on Disc 4, so you can refine even more stat-up items.

That's kind of just how Tales games go. It's nothing new or groundbreaking but executed in a way that it'll still keep you wanting more.

Playing

Tomb Raider VI - The Angel Of Darkness

on Play Station 2.

Serpent Rouge is driving me nuts so I may skip it.

I played Final Fantasy VIII on PS 1 years ago but was unable to finish the game so I want to get everybody to Level 100.

Also playing

Syphon Filter 1

on PS 1 mini. I'm on Level 4 but may redo Level 3 for an armor.

Final Fantasy X

In each trial there is a Glyph sphere and a Destruction Sphere. I'm on Trial 5 The Cloister Of Trials.

I grabbed Sonic x Shadow Generations and a PSVR2 from Black Friday sales.

Sonic:
I've never been much of a Sonic fan, but this game is pretty fun. I do kind of wish it was more of a "normal" sonic game, though, but that's a minor complaint. I think I'll try sonic mania next. I'm also really interested in the Sonic Adventure games, as I love that era of platform gaming, but I'm not sure how I'd be able to? I guess I could pick up a PS2 copy to play on my old PS3 that miraculously still works.

PSVR2:
I just finished playing a bit of Five Nights at Freddys Help Wanted 2, and it was pretty amusing and I had fun, but I'm not sure I really am enjoying the VR headset as a whole. It just feels like so much more work to enjoy games that are mostly gimmicky.

Glad you're having a good time, but the ps2 never got a version of the Adventure games so you'd need to track down a gamecube copy or a dreamcast one if you don't want to go digital through PSN or Steam


As for myself, I've been playing Tsukihime, I've really gotten into Type Moon's visual novels this year and as messed up as a lot of things here are, I find the story and characters real gripping