Star Wars Outlaws

 

Being a Star Wars game, Outlaws was on my radar the moment it was first announced. When it was released, it got good but not great reviews, I think because of some quality of life issues around how the game dealt with stealth gameplay. From what I read, subsequent patches were released which improved on these issues. By the time I played Outlaws, a year after it was released, the gameplay issues which plagued the game were long gone. Outlaws is unique for a Star Wars game in that it doesn't feature any Jedi. In fact, with the exception of two cut scenes that feature Darth Vader, the game doesn't involve any of the traditional characters you'd expect to see in a Star Wars story. It takes place after the Battle of Hoth, or right around the time of episode V in the movies. From ChatGTP:

You play as Kay Vess, a scoundrel and thief trying to leave her troubled life behind and make it big with one massive score. Early in the game, she takes a job breaking into the vault of Sliro Barsha, the powerful head of the criminal syndicate Zerek Besh. The plan goes sideways when she discovers the crew she’s working with are Rebel Alliance operatives trying to free their leader, Asara Deyn. Kay is shot, blamed for the break-in, and branded with a death mark — essentially a huge bounty on her head.

To escape her predicament, Kay steals a ship called the Trailblazer but crash-lands on the desert moon Toshara. Stranded and desperate to fix her ship, she gets drawn deeper into the galaxy’s underworld and must work with or against various local syndicates to earn enough to survive and repair the Trailblazer. 

Eventually, Kay teams up with outlaw Jaylen Vrax and the droid ND-5 to assemble a crew for the ultimate heist — breaking into Sliro’s vault again. Along the way she recruits specialists across the galaxy, including a safecracker, a droidsmith, and even her estranged mother, the slicer Riko Vess. 

The game emphasizes a stealth approach, but you can use a blaster first approach if you prefer. Sneaking around all of the time is a bit anxiety inducing, but is definitely the easier route. When you're noticed, you are often outnumbered by a lot, and at times the gun battles can be tough, especially since Kay doesn't have any Force powers. There are few things in gaming more fun than aim and shoot gameplay, and I tend to enjoy this more than sneaking around. I'm glad this game incorporated both styles and not just stealth. There were also a handful of battles in your ship in space, which I didn't expect.

You get to visit a handful of planets with different environments, which was nice. You deal with different criminal syndicates, some of which are well known such as the Hutts, the Pykes, and Crimson Dawn. Depending on the choices you make throughout the game, you either get on the good side or bad side of each of these syndicates. I honestly thought this would play a bigger part of the game, but it really didn't seem to affect the outcome at all, which was a bit disappointing. I basically just did what benefitted me the most at the time and didn't worry too much about the various syndicates. 

In addition to the stealth and blaster gameplay, there was some mild puzzle solving and periodic platforming. My only complaint about the game is that on a handful of occasions I had to consult a YouTube video to figure out what to do or where to go to next. This happened despite yellow paint being used. Most of the time, if I couldn't figure out what to do next, it was a situation which involved using my sidekick pet Nix. After a bit I got used to this gameplay, but it through me for a loop a few times in the beginning. I should mention there were lots of vents to crawl through in this game, a la Snake and Metal Gear.

Overall I enjoyed this game quite a bit. The mix of stealth and blaster fire gameplay, along with visiting a handful of planets with beautiful environments, made for a fun time. The story was decent, and I had fun in the Star Wars world without being a Jedi. The main story clocked in right at 20 hours, which is just fine with me. I don't need every game to be a 50+ hour behemoth of a quest. I just need the game to be fun and enjoyable, and Outlaws ticked that box for me. 

My Game of the Year Award for 2025 (& 2024, 2023 & 2022)

Since joining Playstation Plus in 2022, I have had access to more games than I have ever imagined. I've been able to play games from major series for the first time, such as Fallout, Assassins Creed, and Final Fantasy. Additionally, I've been able to play smaller, more independent games. This got me thinking about my favorite game of the past year. I get to play so many titles, some until I see the credits role, others for just a short trial of an hour or two, that it is fun to think back on all the games I've played in the past year to determine my favorite. Keep in mind that I usually only post about games that I complete the main story. In 2025, for instance, I posted about 10 games, but played 67 games according to my Playstation wrap-up for 2025. I thought about this concept of game of the year in 2024, because my favorite game was a surprise to me. But I never got around posting about it, and now that it is the end of 2025 and I thought of the concept again, I thought it was time to make the award happen. This award goes to my favorite game that I played in 2025, it does not necessarily have to be a game that came out in the year of the award. With that being said, and without further delay, my 2025 game of the year award goes to...

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. I had seen the cover of this 2015 game many times prior to playing it, but had no idea what it was about. Geralt's face on the cover scared me, quite frankly. But it was available on Playstation Plus, and when I did a brief search I discovered that the game got fantastic reviews and was very well regarded. I decided to give it a try, and boy was I not disappointed. After learning the characters and what a "witcher" was, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. The story, characters, and settings are all intriguing. The gameplay and pace of the game in terms of how Geralt levels up vs the level needed for the next main quest is perfect. The music and visuals are great, especially for a game that is 10 years old. Just about every aspect of this game is done well. I enjoyed it so much that I even did some of the side quests, which is rare for me (and always a sign that I like the game). When I was about halfway through the game, it went off Playstation Plus and I was able to buy the game plus its two DLC packs for like $10. Since finishing the game, I've read the first book in the series, and plan to return to play the DLC packs and possibly watch the Netflix show. Runner-ups include Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Assassins Creed: Valhalla, and Dredge. To complete my game of the year awards in my Playstation Plus era, my 2024 game of the year award goes to...

Dave the Diver was my surprise game of the year for 2024. I played a lot of really good games in 2024, as you'll see from the runner-up list below, but Dave stood out for its intriguing story and fun gameplay and characters. This is a good example of a game I'd never play without access to Playstation Plus. My entire family liked this game so much we even went as characters from the game for Halloween. I'm really looking forward to the DLC package that is coming out in 2026! My runners-up for 2024 include Echoes of Wisdom, Fallout 4, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and Ghost of Tsushima.

My 2023 game of the year is Tears of the Kingdom, and my 2022 game of the year is Horizon: Zero Dawn. God of War: Ragnarok is a runner-up for 2023, and God of War (2018) is a runner-up for 2022, as is Gran Turismo 7 and I was still playing Breath of the Wild in 2022, though it would have won game of the year in 2017 or 2018 for me if I were going that far back.

The White Lotus (Season 3)

 

We're back for a week long stay at The White Lotus! This time we're at their resort in Thailand. Season 3 of the show follows the same format as seasons 1 & 2. A group of tourists arrive at the hotel, each with different agendas for their vacation, and chaos occurs over the course of the week. This season is probably more serious and less comedic than previous seasons. You know something bad is going to happen, as the beginning of the season actually starts at the end, with bullets flying throughout the hotel common ground. But you don't know specifically who is involved with the bullets flying. There's something about this season that is a bit unsettling, a feeling that lasts throughout its duration. Once again, the music is phenomenal, and does a great job of highlighting the anxiety that hangs around the hotel. The main storylines, as summarized by ChatGTP:

The Ratliff Family

A wealthy Southern family arrives seeking spiritual renewal:

• Tim Ratliff, a powerful businessman, is hiding serious legal and financial trouble.

• Victoria, his wife, clings to appearances and denial.

• Their children struggle with entitlement, repression, and emotional detachment.

Rick & Chelsea

• Rick, a bitter, emotionally closed man, arrives with his younger, free-spirited girlfriend Chelsea.

• Rick is on a personal mission tied to unresolved trauma and revenge.

• Chelsea searches for meaning and connection but slowly realizes Rick’s darkness may consume them both.

The Women’s Friend Group

Three longtime friends reunite:

• Their surface-level harmony masks resentment, competition, and judgment.

• Conversations about wellness, relationships, and success gradually turn cruel.

• Old wounds reopen, revealing how time hasn’t healed their insecurities—only buried them.

These characters also interact with staff members, including Belinda, a spa worker from The White Lotus Hawaii, a character who has been in all 3 seasons, and security guard Gaitok and spa worker Mook. Gaitok has a crush on Mook, and I was convinced the entire season that Gaitok was going to be killed. Luckily he wasn't, and their relationship appeared to be progressing forward, which is nice! Belinda runs into Greg, a character who was in season 2 and killed Belida's friend Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge). Greg happens to be living near the hotel in Thailand, evading authorities. Belinda is suspicious of Greg, and ends up getting $5 million of hush money from Greg. I have a feeling this isn't the last time we're going to hear about their stories.

The women's friend group, featuring characters played by Leslie Bibb & Michelle Monaghan, were the least interesting characters, so I won't spend any time on them. I do want to focus on the Ratliff family, however. They're a family who on the surface seem to be perfect - degrees from Duke, wealthy, successful, etc. Things rapidly fall apart for them when Tim (Jason Isaacs) finds out he has been named as part of an FBI investigation for embezzlement. He spends the entire vacation trying to hide this from his family and keep cool, while becoming addicted to his wife's anxiety medicine and contemplating suicide and killing his family. It's super dark and unsettling, and reminds me of the plot of several 48 Hours mysteries I've seen. His wife (played by Parker Posey), clings hard to appearances and materialistic items, and is in complete denial about what is going on with her husband and kids. Their oldest son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is a complete douche, while their daughter Piper (Sarah Hook) is the black sheep of the family, completely uninterested in materialistic items and wants to live in a monetary. The middle child Lochlan (Sam Nivola) is stuck somewhere in the middle, being pulled towards acting like Saxon at times and like Piper at other times. The Ratliff family has the most complex story, and the entire time I thought one (or all) of them were not going to leave Thailand alive. While this came very close to being true, they all end up surviving.

This leaves us with Rick and Chelsea. Rick's (Walton Goggins) purpose for being in Thailand is to confront the owner of the hotel, who he thinks killed his father. Rick appears to be a burned out middle-aged man, always smoking and drinking and he just generally looks like he has lived a rough life. I was hoping they would get a bit into his back story, but unfortunately they didn't. He's paired with Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a much younger and much more outgoing person. They are polar opposites on the personality spectrum, which makes them as a couple interesting to watch. Rick eventually confronts the hotel owner and kills him, just before learning that he actually is his father (a bit of a Star Wars moment). A chase occurs, resulting in Rick and Chelsea being shot and killed by security guard Gaitok, resulting in his raise. I felt bad for Chelsea, because she seemed like a good person, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time just because Rick was a jerk. And that is how the season ends. Although Walton Goggins is great, I wasn't sad to see his character Rick die. 

House of the Dragon (Season 2)

 

One of the challenges of watching modern TV series is the duration between seasons. House of the Dragon season 1 came out in 2022, and season 2 came out in 2024. I didn't watch season 2 until 2025, however, making a full 3 years in between seasons.  Subsequently, I remember very little from season 1 in terms of the details. I did remember that the king dies, setting off a race for the Iron Throne. I also remember that the timeline of season 1 was rapid, with some of the main characters starting off as kids and transitioning to adults, all within the same season. I also remember there being a lot of childbirth scenes, which is odd. I also remember thinking season 1 was good, but not as good as Game of Thrones.

I was able to read a summary of season 1 and got caught up quickly. I must say, I enjoyed season 2 more than I remember enjoying season 1. This show is like a light version of Game of Thrones. The concept is the same - houses fighting for the Iron Throne. The main difference is that the number of houses fighting for the throne are much smaller on The House of the Dragon than on Game of Thrones. In The House of the Dragon, only two houses are involved: Team Green and Team Black. Westeros is such a great setting for a show. Having just re-watched Game of Thrones, I enjoyed being back in the Red Keep, Dragonstone, Harrenhal, etc. With that being said, one of the most challenging aspects of this show is learning the characters. You get so used to Cersei, the Kingslayer, and all of the other characters in Westeros in Game of Thrones that it takes a bit of an adjustment period to acclimate to the characters in The House of the Dragon. Secondly, there are several Targaryen characters in this show, all of which have very similar names, and it takes a bit of time to learn which character is which. This is one reason why I'm not giving a recap of the season. The characters can be very confusing. But once I learned them, I started to really enjoy the show. I'm a sucker for Westeros, the Iron Throne, and dragons. This show is maybe not quite as good or grand as Game of Thrones, but it is quite good overall. I'm looking forward to season 3.

Clarkson's Farm (Season 4)

 

I've enjoyed watching Clarkson's Farm. When I initially started watching season 1, I thought the show was going to be a bit staged. I quickly learned that this wasn't the case, however. The show highlights the struggles of the everyday British farmer - the red tape, politics, weather, etc. - while highlighting the buffoonery of Jeremy Clarkson, which is always amusing. Despite such buffoonery, he genuinely seems to care about the farm and its success. I've come to enjoy the cast of characters on the show over the years as well. Kaleb, Cheerful Charlie, Gerald, etc. are always entertaining as well. Since Kaleb has become famous for being on the TV show, he was briefly replaced by a new farmhand named Harriet, who fit in nicely as well. Season 4 is mostly the same as the previous seasons. The big differences are the brief appearances from Harriet when Kaleb was gone, and this year Jeremy decided to open a pub. A lot of the season takes a break from the farm work to focus on the work needed to find a pub location and subsequently get it ready to open. This seems like an incredible amount of work, with a lot of opportunity to fail and much less opportunity to succeed. By the final episode of the season, however, they have the pub up and running, though it got off to a rocky start. It's interesting to me that a man his age would want to do all of this. If I were his age and with his wealth, I would most definitely not be working on a farm and opening my own restaurant and pub. His efforts benefit our entertainment, however, and overall the show has been enjoyable. As long as they keep coming out with seasons, I'll plan to continue to watch.