WHAT PLAY YOU!? Version 3.0

[Jazzy G]

Made the mistake of getting Scritchy Scratchy on my phone using some Google play points. You're literally just scratching off scratchcards and using the money from them to upgrade your luck, buy a better scratchcard scratcher etc. You also get XP points whenever you hit the first jackpot, or whenever you get a super jackpot on them. Then eventually you die, use your XP points to purchase upgrades and start again. Eventually it reaches a point where it becomes an idle game because you can automate every part of the process. A subscription to buy new scratchcards, a fan to blow them across the table into the waiting scratchbot when they arrive, who will scratch them off for you and even a machine that will cash them in and bin the losing ones. 

It's very moreish. Like the little noise it makes when you clean a bit on Power Wash Simulator it makes a noise whenever you get a win and I refuse to believe that these noises aren't designed by a focus group based on how much dopamine it can trigger.

It's also on Steam. There are loads of them. Cloverpit (one armed bandit), Raccoin (2p falls), Dungeon Clawler (claw game). All just taking penny arcade concepts etc and turning them into a Roguelite. 

This one does have an end but also has an awful lot of achievements to unlock. 

[Jazzy G]

Some of those simulator titles are the jankiest of ahovelware. I've got a couple of bus driver ones for my Switch. I don't think we're getting a copy of The Bus on there any time soon, so make do with Bus Simulator: City Drive which is a port of a mobile game and ridiculously bare bones. 

[Merzbow]

Spintires: Mudrunner is very, very good on Switch if you want a professionally made simulator. It's a straight port of the proper PC version.

Then there's the sequel Snowrunner that adds so much more content.

[Weezenal]

Nostalgia got me and I preordered Starfox.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

On 5/15/2026 at 10:53 PM, Merzbow said:

Yeah Max Payne 3 still looks better than many current gen games, it manages the mix of realism and artistic style better than 95% of games that came after.

This thread reminded me I have Max Payne 3 on the hard drive of my Series X. I must have bought it for a few quid in a sale at some point and forgot about it.

Needed something to play so I have fired it up. I genuinely cannot believe how good it looks with whatever trickery goes on when you play a 360 game on a Series X. 

 

[Jesse]

I am just locked in on Forza Horizon 6. I'm not a very good or hardcore driving game player so Horizon is perfect for me. I can collect loads of cars, tan the solo stuff for a while and then just play the daily/weekly stuff and find races easily. I have never once learned to tune or paint a car in a game, so it's great being able to download popular ones. I'll lose a thousand hours to this over the next year probably.

[FLips]

Mixtape is leading the charge currently for my GOTY. I think any game that opens with DEVO is off to a good start in my books anyway, but it has great writing and such a relateable story (even outside of the American highschool setting) about the loss of youth and that moment when you see your friends for possibly the final time. 

Thought it was a brilliant experience start to finish, despite lacking "gameplay". I'm not afraid to admit it had me welling up a few times and the soundtrack choices were inspired. Excellent stuff.

Edited May 20 by FLips

[Dr. Alan Grant]

13 hours ago, Jesse said:

I am just locked in on Forza Horizon 6. I'm not a very good or hardcore driving game player so Horizon is perfect for me. I can collect loads of cars, tan the solo stuff for a while and then just play the daily/weekly stuff and find races easily. I have never once learned to tune or paint a car in a game, so it's great being able to download popular ones. I'll lose a thousand hours to this over the next year probably.

I’ll enjoy it a lot more once I figure out how to drift properly and not smack into every wall whilst trying it. Put me down as another who doesn’t like tuning. That’s best left to the car nerds, I’ll just take advantage of their hard work. 

If one massive game wasn’t enough to keep me occupied, the new Lego Batman game is a joy to play. They’ve added Arkham combat, or at least a far more simplified and kid-friendly version, a Batmobile, genuinely funny references to various adaptations (and non Bat films to boot) and made what could be the best Lego game to date. 

And Bond is out in a week. Fuck sake.

[Onyx2]

2 hours ago, FLips said:

Mixtape is leading the charge currently for my GOTY. I think any game that opens with DEVO is off to a good start in my books anyway, but it has great writing and such a relateable story (even outside of the American highschool setting) about the loss of youth and that moment when you see your friends for possibly the final time. 

Thought it was a brilliant experience start to finish, despite lacking "gameplay". I'm not afraid to admit it had me welling up a few times and the soundtrack choices were inspired. Excellent stuff.

Got it queued up to play with Mrs Onyx next week. How many hours would you say?

[FLips]

16 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

Got it queued up to play with Mrs Onyx next week. How many hours would you say?

2-3 depending on what version you get. We got it on Switch so there are no achievements to hunt. Some parts you can potter about in though.

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, FLips said:

2-3 depending on what version you get. We got it on Switch so there are no achievements to hunt. Some parts you can potter about in though.

Oh that short? Thank for the heads up.

[LaGoosh]

Likewise! I almost bought this the other day but £15 for a 2 hour game is taking the piss a bit. I'll wait till it's pennies or free on PS Plus.

[Weezenal]

5 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Likewise! I almost bought this the other day but £15 for a 2 hour game is taking the piss a bit. I'll wait till it's pennies or free on PS Plus.

It’s on Gamepass currently so I’m giving it a go.

[Version1.0]

Forza Horizon 6 is beautiful.

No hidden gems on the music front though. Part Of by Courts and Runnin' by Bazanji live rent free in my head.

 

[King Coconut]

Can we assume that everyone enjoying the new Forza is a controller nonce?