Been a long tiring year. Have been struggling in many aspects. Clearly creative output among them. So this is all off the dome. I’m not one to really dive too deeply into things these days. I find my initial assessment tends to answer most things for me in the long term; either that or something sticks with me for so long I can only ruminate on what captured me. Been gone too long, thus too much to cover. So let me get into what I will.
Signalis GOTY 2022-2??? If you make an astonishingly good survival horror game with killer aesthetics and Lesbians to boot. Yeah, I’m gonna like the fuck out of it. I know I mentioned it in my last poast, but it really has stuck in my craw since then. Started yet another playthrough on my physical copy I bought. Might do the same for Tunic that I just got as well.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk finally came out! It was an enjoyable time. Killer aesthetics, fun vibes, great music. It inspired me to make my first 3D model in ages. Subsequently followed by a massive frustration that I could not get it to work in game for the life of me. I’ll show it off eventually, but man, I’m still steaming. Game isn’t perfect, but it is scrumptious.
Everything has been said about Baldur’s Gate 3 hitting the mainstream, so I won’t bore you. It’s more high fantasy yummy, it’s got babes, it’s got problems, and it is a fantastic game. Moving on!
Lunacid was a sleeper hit. I have never tested the waters of FromSoft’s older catalog, but I’ve heard that this is the best sequel to the King’s Field series that has come along in a long time. I’ve given quite a few hours to dungeon crawling and slashing away at spooky low-poly beasties for a fortnight. I highly recommend it. A continuously interesting (and fun! There is no derision meant in that term) game that I find myself coming back to every so often.
At this point, I will freely admit that announcements of things to come have me gripped harder than those that have came before. The sequel to my hobby horse, Dragon’s Dogma 2, is finally on the near horizon. I expect so much time to be dedicated to that game. A perfect encapsulation of that high fantasy high I so often seek out. Silly, serious, and delightful in equal parts. This and Monster Hunter Wilds are my raison de continuer, vraiment. In retrospect, Monster Hunter Rise was not very good and had an awful release. Monster Hunter Wilds promising to look more like World is far more appealing. I’ll keep myself in check though, as that release could also disappoint. But man, World/Iceborne was so killer. I went back to world after the announcement and it’s just such a perfect Monster Hunter. Deffo has far too much to keep track of in the end. But fighting those monsters that aren’t trying to be MMO raids is just so lovely. Lot of fantasy here, huh? Well, I love it! Learning just how much I don’t care for Sci-fi.
Lightning round!
Finished Ghost Trick! Was cute!
Finished Tears of the Kingdom just a bit ago! Was fun! BotW was better by metrics this amazing sequel could not possibly fight against!
Played Metal Gear Solid 2 at some point. Super solid game! Deserves its reputation!
Armored Core 6! I’m playing it at times! Not my cup of tea in general, but good nonetheless.
Tried out Teardown! I love destroying things and jumping around ruins of my own making.
Played Tail Concerto! PS1 games have awful final stretches! Cute ass game. Take a look!
Street Fighter 6! Wow! Fighting games are fun? I can finally play because of Modern mode! Thanks!
Tried Control to see if I wanted to continue into Alan Wake 2. I don’t! That game is not fun! Far too bloated!
Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Tolls. Got it on a whim, had a blast with Gameboy fun.
Sludge Life 2. Not as good as the first one! But please play these games. They’re so grimy (affectionate).
Valkyria Chronicles 4 (again). This series fucking slaps so hard. Play it.
I’m playing Animal Crossing New Horizons again! Why!?
Little Goody Two Shoes! Lesbians! RPG Maker Vibes! 80’s anime art! I gotta play more of this!
WarioWare Move It! A return to form for one of the best series ever made! I have barely played it!
Got into cassette tape collecting! I need a display case I have so many. Love chunky physical media.
Same with movies. I decide I needed to own copies of things that sang to me. So far: A Portrait of A Lady on Fire, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Shin Godzilla, Watermelon Woman, and Funeral Parade of Roses. Watch these films! They are all impeccable!
Started my new doll and now I’m stuck on it! Art!
I’m learning Japanese! It’s gonna be a long journey, but hey, resume padding!
I’m writing a new game design document and story supplement I’ve wanted to start for years! I have several pages and will say nothing more! Believe in me!
Plenty of new projects started, planned, dropped. I will say no more!
Keen eyes will notice I’ve not done any follow-up to my old promises, i.e. a Disco Elysium write-up, follow-ups to my art projects, and other such empty promises.
So, see you next year probably!