Tag Archives: Games

Take your own advice – Game share

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I keep saying I’ll do a comic book post – and I will. But tonight it will be another games update. Because I need to vent.

Grand Theft Auto

First, Grand Theft Auto. Lots of leaks happening right now for GTA VI, and I am still very excited to play the game. The price point is very high, and the game limited to consoles for now (without a physical version), which I find I am playing less and less on, and instead playing on the PC whenever possible. Even transferring saves and re-buying content, just for the comfort of playing on the PC (more on that later below. See: Star Wars Rant). Still gonna get it, still gonna play it. The leaks are showing a lot and I’m convinced it’s just more of the same Rockstar energy and attention to detail we’ve seen in GTA V and RDR II, and gameplay systems on top of game play systems on top of gameplay systems.

So in the meantime, I’ve been playing GTA IV. I have a lot of fond memories of this game back on the Xbox 360, and haven’t re-played it since it originally came out in 2008. I bought the complete edition, and installed some of the fusion fx mods to spruce it up a bit. Good times, Niko.

Halo: Campaign Evolved

In co-op news, Illestrader and I have started Halo: Campaign Evolved. The Unreal Engine Remake, made to help forge friendships between Xbox (sorry, XBOX – gotta get the new branding right) and PS. One of the XBOX’s first exclusives, and now last big exclusives to be shared. That was all before the break-up. Then PlayStation said “no more” to PC ports on their exclusive titles. And then XBOX went “fine! No more sharing our exclusives”. And the war restarted. A lot like Canadian and American politics, when you think about it. XBOX is Canada.

The game is pretty – and fun. Pretty fun. The OG Halo was a classic, with fun gameplay and amazing music. That’s all retained. And now with 4 player co-op and no multiplayer. And all the other quality of life improvements that have come to the sequels over the many years. Pistol is still – happy to report – OP.

Had a funny bug in our last play session, where one of our buddy's name displayed as "friendgamertag1".

Star Wars Outlaws

Ok, lastly, and the real motivation behind this post – Star Wars Outlaws. I last played this game back in February. I’m about 12 hours in and was steadily plugging away at it in-between other games, on the Xbox console. But as I mentioned, finding the time to do that (as it’s the shared family tv central entertainment hub) is becoming harder. And I just don’t find it as comfortable staring up at a big tv while gaming anymore. I prefer the comfort of the desk and computer chair and the monitor.

I don’t have the best PC but it’s still good enough to play most new games on decent settings.

Now, here’s what grinds my gears about the XBOX/PC ecosystem. Especially when it comes to Ubisoft and EA.

I have Game Pass Ultimate which includes PC Game Pass. And Game Pass now includes Ubisoft+. Star Wars Outlaws is a Ubisoft title, which you cannot get through the Xbox PC storefront, as it needs to be through the Ubisoft store. It’s not an XBOX Play Anywhere title.

I originally bought the game on the XBOX console. The ultimate edition with the season pass. This doesn’t give me access to it on the PC side.

However. The game is now on XBOX/PC Game Pass, included through Ubisoft+. So I technically have the game on the PC now. And the game supports cloud saves. As a quick aside, cloud saves, where you have to manually upload and download, a very annoying “feature”. As I was saying, the game supports cloud saves. So on the XBOX I uploaded my cloud save to the Ubisoft network. On the PC side I installed the game and downloaded the cloud save. Thinking I’m good to go. But I ran into one final problem. Ultimate edition downstairs, PC base version upstairs. Did not compute. I had this same issue with Cyberpunk 2077. Luckily the season pass on the PC Ubisoft was on ridiculous sale due to Gamescom, so I just rebought it, and now I can comfortably, and conveniently play on the PC.

But!!!! No XBOX achievements through Ubisoft connect. Even retro-actively if I was to import my save again downstairs. Another bummer. I wish it was just smoother. That my purchases were recognized considering I have access to the base game now through PC Game Pass. Ubisoft, you already have my money, one way or another.

I also wish the achievements worked. How come The First Descendant is able to cross-platform the achievements across Xbox and Steam? But EA and Ubisoft can’t?

In conclusion, I am annoyed. But not so stubborn to give up on the dream. So I will continue on the PC, achievement-less.

iRogan
G 486,455
2026-08-24

Job Burnout

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I jump between hobbies so frequently, it’s hard to keep track of what I’m actively working on. Whether it’s games, comics, drawing, reading, movies or tv. Are books, movies and tv a hobby? I don’t know… Interests – I guess. I miss writing though. And I find that whenever I check-in here, the update is so dense that it requires me to look back and figure out what I even did. So I’m going to start breaking these up into smaller posts, more frequently. He said for the 100th time. Maybe a few a week, each more focused on a specific flavour of hobby / interest. Weekends are meant for games, so on the weekends I’ll post about games. And then during the week, it’s usually art and comics and movies and Tv. And one video game co-op session. So during the week I’ll post about art and comics and other stuff. Sounds good?

Good.

My last update was in February. What have I accomplished / consumed / produced since then?

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

I finished Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth in May. An expansive sequel that builds on everything that Remake offered. A gorgeous, full world, with many regions to explore, enemies to fight, card games to play, and chocobos to ride. I spent 3.5 months there, 85 hours in total. And acquired over 500 photos to remember my time. A truly memorable experience from a gamer that has never played a Final Fantasy game before.

Goodbye to Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Red, Barret, Yuffie, and Cait. For now. See you later in Part 3. The Revelation. Some time next year.

Dispatch

After Final Fantasy I needed a full palette cleanser reset, and something small. So: Dispatch. Something completely different. It’s less a game and more of an interactive show. 8 episodes, roughly an hour long each. You play as a ‘super hero’ who loses his super suit, and ends up working for the super hero dispatch call center. Some point-and-click, some QTE, and some hacking mini-games. And then the dialogue choices. The story and voice acting are really, really… really good. And you have to make some really tough choices throughout. Very much like the TellTale games, like The Walking Dead or Wolf Among Us series.

The game doesn’t have a photo mode and doesn’t allow for in-game screenshots, so I had to make some game captures the old fashioned way. An incredible game though, from start to finish. And I know I’ve been saying that about all the games I play, but really this year has been banger after banger, and it will be tough to pick my own personal game of the year when all is said and done.

10 hours. 18/36 achievements. Might need to do a replay of this with different choices. Maybe I’ll chase after Blonde Blazer instead of Invisigal next time.

While this isn’t an art post, I did make some art for the game characters. I’ve done 2 so far, Blonde Blazer and Invisigal, and plan on doing Coupe, Malevola, Prism and maybe a few more.

Max Payne 3

While playing Dispatch I also took a quick detour into Max Payne 3 as one of my sequels. Such a dour and depressing man, Max.

Clair Obscur – Expedition 33

After Dispatch I jumped into Expedition 33. Again, I wasn’t quite ready for another open world game, and this game, while not a sequel, was on my short list. And wow, it did not disappoint. Also, it was also not as small as I thought. 45 hours played. 40/55, 580/1000 G. A serviceable 152 in-game photos.

The story was incredible, and it hits like a gut punch right away, right in the intro, and continues to surprise. It’s appropriate that the main ‘villain’ is labeled the ‘paintress’, as the game is absolutely stunning. Beautiful environments, and interesting characters and enemy designs. The overworld is also very cool, with its tilt-shift perspective.

I played on Easy as I didn’t want to fret too much with the combat and party builds, as turn-based is not really my jam, but the parry and dodge made it at least engaging.

Deserving of all its many accolades.

Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater

After E33, I needed, yet again, a smaller game to play before heading off for vacation. Death Stranding 2 is probably my next “big game” but I only had a few weeks before vacation, so I ran through Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater. 14 hours, 30/45 achievements. A meager 81 in-game photos.

This is a remake of the PS2 era game, with a modern game engine and audio. A faithful remake with the original dialogue retained. And with the new camera system, the game is a lot of fun to play, and very good looking. It was an interesting playthrough, as I last played it 22 years ago and forgot how over-sexualized Eva was. Some of the classic moments I remembered fondly though, like the mountain-length ladder climb, which felt like Kojima just showing off and pushing the PS2 tech at the time.

The story felt a lot like a James Bond film, even down to the opening credits song, and bond-girl romance. A lot of the same tropes. I am excited to continue my MGS replays and start Metal Gear Solid 5 soon, but I know 4 is also finally getting re-released, and ported to the PC. I am concerned about regressing back to the old control/camera setup though, if I am to play 4 again.

Other games and Co-op

I’ve been dabbling in other games as well over the past few months. Playing Helldivers on occasion, in Co-op, and played through Aliens: Fireteam Elite again. RV There Yet, also in co-op.

RV There Yet has been fun with Illestrader. And I’ve been recording our game sessions to make funny little videos. Here’s one…

Otherwise, I’ve also recently tried Replaced which is a gorgeous pixelated left-to-right type side runner-type action platformer game, and some Grand Theft Auto IV in anticipation of GTA 6.

Illestrader and I also have Halo: Campaign Evolved to play soon, and Gears of War E-Day around the corner as our co-op ventures.

September I have more vacation time off and will probably start my next “big game”, which will likely be either Death Stranding 2, or God of War Ragnarök.

Next week, I’ll have another post for art round-up, and then a follow up for comics.
Until then…

Rogan
G 486,125
2026-08-15

It’s Needlessly Complex

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October’s Drawtober kinda fizzled out after day 11. It’s ok. Better luck in twenty twenty six.

/ art since Drawtober 2025
/ annual comic stats
/ which games did I finish and which games I’m playing

Art has been a little sparce over the last 4 months since Drawtober, as the motivation hasn’t really been there, and work has turned into an exhausting commute 3 days a week which takes a toll. Leaves me drained at the end of the night where I’d rather just go to bed. Hopefully the routine will normalize some and I’ll get my evening energy back, but for now I try and utilize my weekends as fully as possible.

Firstly, some cool character designs coming out of the Absolute DC universe lately. This be Absolute Catwoman. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Zatanna are also on my short list.

Madelyne Pryor, the ruler of Limbo…and once and forever, the Goblin Queen. I think its missing some Limbo goblins.

Guns, jungle, and possibly something menacing. Classic Tomb Raider scenario. Whatever it is I hope it didn’t eat her boots. She wouldn’t like that. I like to call this a small section of a larger piece of artwork. Really does kind of roll off the tongue. Hope to find the time to work on this more – but after blocking it out with the sketch, which is fun, the rest is a grind, and that’s less fun.

A return to my happy place. Turned this into a square canvas block print as well.

Further down, I’ll talk about the games that I finished over the holidays, and the ones I’m currently occupied by. Most current is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I started with the Intermission DLC that bridges Remake and Rebirth and was introduced to Yuffie Kisaragi, the Materi-obsessed ninja. This clothing was fun to draw and render. And let’s all remind ourselves that “fun” is sometimes all we got. [ sigh… ]. I’ve been enjoying colouring somewhat lately, and I think I will colour this one next. Where did her belt go?

A lastly, as I mentioned colour, K-Pop Demon Hunters work in progress. I was working on this back in October, and then took a break. I have all the characters laid out, finished the lines for 2/3rds, and now working on the colour for Rumi. Trust me, it’ll be in colour in the next update ;).

Ok, comic books stats, for 2025.

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And finally, games. Games are amazing. Continuing the year of sequels.

Firstly, I finished Doom Eternal, and the expansions. I didn’t love it but it was still a strong entry. Like the name implies, Doom Eternal was eternally long. And frustrating and repetitive. But there were some pretty epic moments, like the mission where Doomguy loads himself into the BFG 10,000 and shoots himself into Mars. Amazing visuals.

Next up was Spider-Man 2. The game started pretty slow, just like the first one, focusing more on the civilian lives of Peter and Miles, Harry and MJ. But this character and relationship building pays off as the main story progresses into some pretty epic Spider-Men vs Venom moments.

The game ends with some hints about Cletus Kasady – Carnage, and Cindy Moon – Silk, and Green Goblin, so that’s kind of exciting if they ever make a third game. Wouldn’t hurt if they threw in Spider-Gwen as well.

Played and completed The Remnant II with Illestrader, and now we’re currently playing Revenge of the Savage Planet and Helldivers II. I really enjoy the humour in RotSP.

And now Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is my current main. It is a big jump in scale over Remake. Much larger maps, lots of side-quests and mini games. I feel this will be my main for a little while.

I’ve been meaning to start writing more, here and on my Substack. I find I have lots of different updates to discuss here, like games, and art, which has always been the main focus, and I think I’ll try to do more regular updates instead of in bulk.

For my Substack though, I’d like to keep it separate in some capacity, and continue with my comic book interests. My next update over there, I’ll post about Fan Expo Vancouver 2026 and the different creators I got to meet, and got work signed. When I first started the Substack, my first year was writing about the graphic novels I was reading. The goal was 52 a year. Then I took a year off. For 2026, I’d like to write more again, but maybe write about my weekly comic stack, or maybe the #1s specifically, as there’s usually at least one a week.

https://irogan.substack.com/

Finding the time is difficult, but when there’s a will, there’s a way.

’till then…
Rogan

Comic Collection Stats: A Year in Review

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Summer is over and the kids are back in school. Everyone is thankful for that. For me, I’ve been working, playing games, drawing, and reading comic books. Its a tricky balancing act, trying to find time for all my hobbies, while trying not to neglect my family.

/ art over the summer
/ inktober
/ comic collection stats
/ video games for the remainder of the year

//

As I mentioned in my last post, I wouldn’t have much art to share, but in less than two months, I actually feel I have more to share than I expected.

First up, can’t go wrong with Spider-Gwen. She has a new number 1 issue on the stands and a new costume.

Next up, the exiled sorceress-warrior Wysta, the Wayward Wytch of the Spider Sect. From my favourite comic book of 2025, Bug Wars.

And a current work in progress piece, currently not shared anywhere else. Kpop Demon Hunters. This has become a new favourite in the house as my young boys enjoy the movie. As its very trendy, I figured I’d draw the 3 main characters. and I’m very happy with the progress so far, so I will likely turn this into a full coloured piece and print it as a poster for the boys. By then it might not be cool – but who knows. So far I have completed Rumi, and sketched out Mira and Zoey. But I’ve been taking my time, which I think shows in the final results below.

As an annual tradition, I like to do the #faceyourart challenge, to make a collage of all the faces I’ve drawn over the last 12 months. Mostly from Drawtober in this collection, but its a cool visual. This is from August 2024-2025.

Speaking of Drawtober, the prompts for this year have been posted. I’ve come up with ideas for all, and the KPOP demon hunters drawing is a good warmup for me, leading into October, as the summer I didn’t draw much. After reviewing the list, I have a general idea for each one, but, if I decide to apply a theme, I also have a backup plan: to do all Batman/DC characters as a theme. As I get closer to the start of the month I’ll decide which route to go.

//

In comic books news I’ve come to the harsh reality that I am collecting too many. I think I’m around 70-75 books a month. So I’ve been slowly cutting back on some titles, and watching the miniseries conclude through the end of the year so hopefully all I have left is the on-going books. My goal is to get the number down to around 50 by 2026. And then get a little more strict. Average 10 a week I think is a good number.

Here are some stats from May 2024 – 2025

+991 comics
+840 read (2023 I had read 85% of my collection. Now its up to 87%)
2024 saw 63% increase annually over 2023 in new books
Batman overtook Spawn as most collected character. And Spider-Man made the top 5, booting out Joker who is now in 10th.

It’s always interesting to look back on the collection stats year after year.

//

In video games, I’ve been a little all over the map.

Doom Eternal, I play a mission here and there, but like the name implies, the missions feel eternally long so I need a break after each one. 18 hours in – although I think that number might be a little inflated. Can’t imagine I’ve actually played that long.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, like Doom, I play for a bit once a week just to make some progress. 5 hours in.

Gears of War Reloaded, playing in co-op every Wednesday. We have finished act II. 3 hours in. We are also still playing Skull and Bones, and have Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora on our shortlist.

Dredge. What I thought was going to be a cosy fishing game has turned into quite the time sink. 30 hours in, and I’m nearly done. I’ve completed the main story and 1 DLC, and 1 left to do.

Star Wars Outlaws, just started this, 4 hours in. So far its a pretty impressive game. Big maps, pretty visuals and an interesting story.

Spider-Man 2. Definitely my primary game right now. 10 hours in and starting to get interesting, with the introduction of Venom. As expected, the game has a very good photo mode, so I spend a lot of time taking pictures.

See in you in October with Drawtober.

Rogan

Tools of the Trade

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Another 5 months have passed. Let’s see if I can even recall what’s happened this year. It’s all a blur.

//

In Art, after Drawtober, I told myself I would take a break. Drawing 31 days straight was a test of endurance, and I did finish the month. But needed a break, and told myself I would, for the remainder of the year. That lasted till December 29th. With Jinx.

I also added two more X-Men blocks for my wall to wrap up 2024 Rogue and Gambit. I have one more completed, with Jean Grey, and I think I’ll need to do one for Cyclops to offset. And then maybe the next two will be Majok and Colossus?

I drew Erica Slaughter from James Tynion’s: Something is Killing the Children book, from BOOM. This book was just announced that it would be expected to go to (at least) 100 issues. Which is quite the achievement.

In January I started noticing some of the Marvel Rivals skins, Sue Storm specifically, and thought it would be fun to draw. I had no idea she had an evil side. With spikes and all. This has inspired more Marvel Rival drawings. Currently I’m working on Luna Snow, and might do Emma Frost and Squirrel Girl.

Spider-Gwen was my grand finale for Drawtober 2024. Although I knew it wasn’t complete at the time, I needed a break. After a few months off and some warm-up pieces to kick off the year, I felt ready to revisit and finish this piece.

Feeling in the colouring mood, I decided to tackle another drawing from a few years back that I had left in the Ink phase. This happens from time to time, where I like the drawing enough to ink it, but colouring is a completely different beast, and I can go months without touching that toolset. But after Gwen and Malice, I felt the time was now. One day I’ll get around to finish colouring my Hawkgirl.

Absolute Wonder Woman is one of the best comics I’m reading right now. And drawing Wonder Woman is fun.

A quick Lady Thor. I forget why I was inspired.

More Magik because the Darkchild is always fun to draw.

Another favourite to draw, Psylocke.

Heading into May now with a collection. Angela from Spawn. Red Sonja. Blood and Thunder character Akeldama (a new and fun comic), and Hellgirl (gender swapped Hellboy).

Wrapping up the Summer with Rasputin IV, and the current piece I’ve been working on: Savage Land Rogue. Rogue might be a 2 piece as I want to add another section to the right, showing more of the savage land, with dinosaurs and some more X-Men. I think it would create a veery cool 2-poster visual on my wall.

//

In game news, I guess this has been where most of my time has been dedicated, as I’ve been working my way through sequels-a-plenty.

  • The year of sequels:
  • The Last of Us II
  • Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
  • Horizon: Forbidden West
  • Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2
  • Jurassic World Evolution 2
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Spider-Man 2 (in progress)
  • Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
  • Mafia II: DE
  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Doom Eternal (in progress)

In March I finished Horizon: Forbidden West. 40/80 achievements and 151 in-game photos. I needed to wrap it up as Last of Us II was releasing on PC and I needed to jump on that before the show’s season 2. I will create a separate folder for some of the amazing captures, but here are some of my favourites. The game is truly gorgeous.

In May I finished The Last of Us II Remastered. I wanted to play it and finish it before the second season of the show started on HBO. 14/45 achievements, 23 hours and 138 screenshots. I will create a separate folder for some of the amazing captures, but here are some of my favourites. The game definitely takes an emotional toll – but is a masterpiece.

Non-sequel (but does have a 2 in the title) I also finished Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty expansion. 70 Hrs and 240 screenshots. I could easily spend another 20 hours driving the streets of Night City and Dogtown, totally immersed in their stories. But the sequels won’t play themselves, so alas I must move on.

Also in co-op, Illestrader and I played through Warhammer 40K Space Marines 2 after we finished Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand. Warhammer was a bloody good time, and I’ve been playing the recently remastered release of the first Space Marines game.

Now we have transitioned into Skull and Bones for some pirate fun.

Making slow progress in Doom Eternal, and I have now started up Spider-Man 2 before I head on vacation. After vacation I’ll have to make some decisions, as obviously the sequels are there, but there’s some newer games that have released that I would also like to try, like the much talked about Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and Stellar Blade is also on my wishlist, and is on PC now. Two games with styles are not typically in my wheelhouse, but I’m willing to try new things. Especially considering that Clair Obscur is looking like a very real Game of the Year contender. And in August, Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta will also be released.

I think that catches everyone up with the latest. I hope to return to the normal monthly wrap ups, as 5 months is just too much. Next month, as I wont have much new art to share, I’ll share more about my recent comic books I’ve been buying and reading, and a recap of my annual collection stats. We’ll also have the #faceyourart annual collage to see all the faces I’ve drawn over the past 12 months. Should be a fun visual.

’till then.

Rogan