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Blog: Games of July 2020 – 07/01/20

As cautious as I am about celebrating a new month in this disastrous year that is 2020, I feel like it’s worth mentioning that there are some games due out in July that I’m excited for and might possibly stave off the encroaching sadness inside me. Granted, there’s always the possibility that a spectacular game could release out of nowhere, but as far as the planned releases for this month, this is what I’ve got my eye on.

TRACKMANIA (07/01/20)

I don’t actually know if I like Trackmania as a game, or if I just enjoy the videos and gifs that come out of each release. Whatever the case might be, a new Trackmania is out today. For those who don’t know, Trackmania is a series of racing games that are less about battling for prime position, and more about just getting the best time on a track. It’s a game about time trials and nailing the perfect run of a course that involves crazy jumps and loops. I don’t think anyone really cares about the content that’s included in the game, rather the excitement seems to center around the community servers where creativity runs wild. Below is a video from an older entry in the series, Trackmania Caynon, and it’s the thing I saw a few years ago that got me into the games in the first place. Not every track is like this one, but I think it’s just so dang cool.

GHOST OF TSUSHIMA (07/17/20)

I’ve inadvertently kept some sort of media blackout with the upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive Ghost of Tsushima, a stealth-action game set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan in the 1270s. Aside from just looking incredible, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to play a good stealth-action game, and this one looks incredibly promising. I also can’t remember the last time I played a game that took place in a similar setting, so I’m excited to see how the story and setting manage to come together. Honestly, everything about Ghost of Tsushima looks great, but only time will tell if looks end up being deceiving.

PAPER MARIO: THE ORIGAMI KING (07/17/20)

Paper Mario as a series has kind of felt a lot like Star Wars in that while most of the entries aren’t spectacular, the earliest entries were so good that I’ll be excited every time a new one comes out. That’s where Paper Mario: The Origami King sits with me right now. I’m tentatively excited for this new game, but am still a little weary based off of the last few. Paper Mario lives and dies by the strength of its characters, stories, and combat mechanics, and is one of the few turn-based RPGs that I’ve ever enjoyed. Paper Mario: The Origami King looks like it’s hitting all the right notes in trailers, but time will tell if this is truly a return to form or another lifeless release. Hopefully this one can recapture the whimsy and fun that the originals did, but I’m still going to proceed with caution.

ROGUE LEGACY 2 (07/17/20)

Speaking of games that are exceptions to my genre tastes, Rogue Legacy is one of the few rouge-like games that I’ve actually enjoyed. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I perceived the original as a simpler game than the rogue-likes that have released since 2013, but I remember it fondly. Surprisingly, there’s a sequel coming out later this month that, like every other game on this list, I’m cautiously looking forward to. I doubt it will be able to grab me like the first one was able to, just because my tastes in games have shifted so much in the past 7 years but I hope to be proven wrong.

The offerings this month might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think that this is a pretty good July for game releases. If Paper Mario and Ghost of Tsushima alone stick the landing, then I’ll be a happy camper. Besides, I need a good reason to boot up my PlayStation and Switch again.

Blog: E3 Would’ve Already Been Over By Now – 06/24/20

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It’s weird to think about it isn’t it? Had this year not been just a catastrophic mess from top to bottom, we would have already experienced what was gearing up to be the potentially weirdest E3 in history. Instead the world broke and we’ve been experiencing a steady stream of announcements that have sprung from various events that are too vast in number to keep track of anymore. I guess in a weird way I miss E3, but I’m also pretty ambivalent about its return.

There’s something to be said about the spectacle and brevity that comes with what once was the focal point of the video games industry. It was a singular event that all of the gaming populace could look to for the biggest and most exciting announcements of the year. Considering we’re in a console release year, the E3 we could have had would have certainly been colossal. As hokey as it sounds, people aren’t wrong when they call E3 video game Christmas. During the course of one day we’d be inundated with massive reveals that would range from genuinely exciting to downright confusing, and I guess I miss that aspect most about the conference. It was a pain in the ass to cover those conferences, but it was extremely rewarding too.

I’m not entirely confident that we’ll have an E3 next year either. Without question the ESA, the folks behind E3, are going to do something to try to reclaim their ever-dwindling throne, but I don’t think we’ll ever see E3 be as big or impactful as it once was. Going to E3 as a game maker or publisher is a tremendously expensive proposition that doesn’t even guarantee any real success in the future. Many people I’ve talked to just assume that the press conferences that come before the actual event of E3, are the entirety of the conference itself. Meanwhile there are people, myself included, who only really pay attention to the press conferences and pick up what else they can from articles and videos later, which probably sucks to hear if you weren’t featured at a press conference that year.

Right now we’re literally in the thick of a deluge of digital events and announcements, but I’ve never gotten the feeling that one is being immediately drowned out by another. With the entire summer serving as the “E3 window” instead of the week or so it normally occupies, these announcements don’t get buried mere hours after they get on stage. I’ve had time to process my feelings about how the PS5 looks, or how excited I am for Paper Mario: The Origami King without feeling like I’m forgetting something. This allows announcements to breathe and exist for a while before immediately being steamrolled by something else.

I still miss E3 despite it being woefully unnecessary nor beneficial to anyone that isn’t a massive game company like Microsoft or Sony. I miss the bombast that came with knowing that this would be the place where the “big guns” would come out. But what E3 traded on for so long was its reputation and stalwart position in the industry, something that its squandered by continually proving how poorly run it actually was. I don’t know that we necessarily need something to fill E3’s shoes considering E3 was going through an identity and relevancy crisis, trying to poise itself as both a press, business and consumer event all in one. I think conferences like Gamescom, PAX and TGS all fill that E3 void well enough that we don’t need E3 to rise from the ashes like some miserable marketing phoenix.

I think this summer has been a test run for what will be the new standard in the industry. Companies will continue to elect to not waste money at superfluous conferences when they can just make an hour long video of trailers and press play on a random Tuesday in June. They control their own message this way, and don’t have to worry about the next press conference that goes live in two hours to completely overshadow them. I like E3, but I think I’m okay if we never see it put on again.

Blog: I Don’t Really Want to Play The Last of Us 2 – 06/17/20

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To be perfectly honest, there is nothing I want to do less than play The Last of Us Part II right now. If I had to put my finger on it, I think the whole global pandemic thing has really soured me on a lot of zombie fiction in general, but none more so than the inevitable gut-punch that’s sure to be the entire narrative of the game.

The basic idea behind the zombie outbreak in The Last of Us, was that the Cordyceps fungus had mutated in such a way that it would consume up to 60% of the humanity the host had, causing them to be living husks that want to feast on your flesh. I don’t think I remembered that the infected were still technically alive underneath all of that mess, but according to a The Last of Us wiki, that seems to be the horrible truth of the matter.

While these gruesome details were just lore and world building for the 2013 release, the sequel was unfortunate enough to release during a global pandemic which in my case, has soured me on the product as a whole. It isn’t as if I didn’t enjoy the original The Last of Us, in fact I championed that game to a lot of my non-PS3-owning friends at the time as a genuinely emotionally impactful game. Under normal circumstances, I would be all over The Last of Us Part II, but I just cannot muster the enthusiasm for it right now.

Additionally, I’ve been desperate for a game I can sink my teeth into, but haven’t really been able to find anything to scratch that itch. The Last of Us Part II seemed like a great contender back in the before times, but I genuinely don’t know when I’m going to ever find time for it. The Last of Us Part II seems poised to illicit the exact opposite response that Animal Crossing: New Horizons received earlier this year from a lot of folks who considered it an escape from the misery of our new normal.

Maybe I’m being overly sensitive about the content of The Last of Us Part II and am dismissing it without giving it a proper chance. But the reasons for why I’m probably not going to play it aren’t indictments of its quality, it’s just that I really don’t feel like it’s going to offer me the escapism I want right now. I fear that the entire time I’d just be drawing parallels between it and our reality, and reality sucks ass right now, so I’m good.

Blog: GOG Galaxy – 06/10/20

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With the nearly untenable amount of launchers and storefronts currently available on PC, a joke eventually arose from this heap of software that essentially said, “Soon enough you’ll need a launcher for all of your launchers.” Sure enough, in the past few years we’ve seen several pieces of software try to position themselves as the last launcher you’d ever need. From Playnite to Discord, there have been no shortage of these inter-intermediaries available, but I’d like to focus specifically on GOG Galaxy.

For years now, GOG has offered a wide variety of classic and modern games for people to purchase and download, all of which carry a DRM-free guarantee. Essentially this means that unlike a Steam or a Uplay, games purchased on GOG are just yours and don’t require an extra layer of software to run. The makers of GOG also happen to be the people behind a little indie game series, perhaps you’ve heard of The Witcher? I think that’s what it’s called.

A few years ago, the makers of GOG made the decision to launch their own software that could not only be a storefront, but a launcher for your games. Just last year however, GOG announced and later added the ability to integrate your accounts from all corners of the PC launcher universe and settle them all in one place.

While other software had existed that filled this void well before GOG Galaxy was released into an open beta, I never felt emboldened to actually use any of them. This changed for me due to two very important developments in the way I get and play games. Firstly, the Epic Games Store started to sell a lot of games I was very interested in, while also giving away new games every week. And secondly, Xbox Gamepass became a part of my life. Now, the Epic Games Store has come a long way since it launched, but it’s still a bit too messy for my taste. Then there’s the Xbox Gamepass for PC launcher which is still in beta, but can be a laggy and unresponsive nightmare at times that I’d prefer to use as little as possible.

Those factors combined with the disgusting amount of games I own that are spread out across so many launchers meant it was finally time to try some sort of universal solution. So I embarked on the tedious journey of trying to remember all of my logins to these other services, forgetting them, and resetting every password I had in an attempt to streamline my gaming experience. I understand that GOG Galaxy is still technically in beta and isn’t finished, so take what I say next with that in mind.

I really like how everything in GOG Galaxy is laid out. It’s clean and simple to understand, while offering a ton of different sorting filters and categories for further refinement of your game library. Setting it up is simple as well, that is unless you don’t remember your logins to other services, but that’s never happened to anyone.

What is frustrating however is how you might find yourself waiting longer than it would take to just launch another launcher to play your game of choice. Whenever I start GOG Galaxy from scratch, it understandably has to validate and verify your logins to every service you’ve connected, and make sure your lists, stats, friends and recent activities are all represented as up to date and accurately as possible. For some services, this is hardly noticeable if at all, and is what I would consider seamless. But for other services, specifically Steam, I find that sometimes I’ll have to wait a few minutes for the list populate or to even verify my account is connected to GOG Galaxy.

To be completely fair though, I do have an unnecessarily big Steam library, so maybe that might be a reason for its occasional hiccups? But those hiccups are the sole reason as to why I don’t consistently use the software anymore. At this point I just default to opening Steam when I want to play I game I purchased through there, or clicking on a shortcut I have on my desktop. Very rarely am I opening GOG Galaxy at all, and it’s almost exclusively to avoid having to open the Xbox Gamepass PC launcher.

Outside of that, I just wish that the GOG Galaxy overlay actually worked so I could capture screenshots of every game I play, without having to worry about which games respect the GeForce overlay, which a surprising amount of games just don’t do in my experience. Having a universal way to capture images from games would make writing articles for this site a whole lot easier.

But in all seriousness, I think once GOG Galaxy sands down all of those rough edges I’ll ultimately return to it and save myself the headache of remembering what game lives where. Maybe you’re good with the setup you’ve got now, or maybe you’re actively looking for a replacement to whatever mess you’re currently in? Regardless, it couldn’t hurt to check out what GOG Galaxy has to offer.

Blog: Black Lives Matter – 06/03/20

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I know everyone has their opinion about what’s going on in the world right now, and I also know that my voice is not the best suited to speak on these heated issues, but being silent is akin to not caring at all. I’m sure you’ve seen and read a lot of media about this very topic, so my apologies for just adding another thing on the pile. Oh, and this shouldn’t be surprising, but this one isn’t about video games.

I 100% am in support the protestors and the Black Lives Matter movement. This country has needed systemic reform since its inception, and its citizens have cried out for it countless times in our history. George Floyd was murdered by the police, and those officers, along with every officer needs to be held accountable for their actions, as they’ve been literally getting away with murder for decades.

I know I’m far from the right person to speak eloquently and informatively about this topic, so I won’t belabor the point. It’s been long past the time for action in this country, and I applaud the protestors for continually standing up to oppression despite having a president who both encourages and celebrates violence towards them.

There are plenty of ways to provide support and aid to the movement, all of which are listed here, and I strongly suggest you look into if you are able to. And if you are participating in the protests, stay safe. Not only do you have to contend with the police, but there’s still a deadly virus hanging around that you still need to be cautious about. Above all, if you want to see real and tangible change, vote in November. Vote this pompous, malevolent and quite frankly, evil man out of office later this year. You can check your voter registration at vote.org.

Stay safe everyone. This is only going to get harder.

Gut Check: Minecraft Dungeons

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Minecraft Dungeons is an isometric, cooperative Diablo-esque action RPG that not only doesn’t do justice to the kinds of games it’s emulating, but to the Minecraft name itself. It isn’t some abhorrent mess that’s barely functional, however it is devoid of anything unique, interesting or exciting. It ultimately is a game that’s boiling down the mechanics of other games into their basest components while doing nothing with the Minecraft brand outside of rendering everything in voxels.

Minecraft Dungeons isn’t a bad game by any stretch, it’s just an incredibly bland one that might be made better with some friends. During my time with it I was confronted with just how lifeless the core gameplay is. You walk around a level that provides very few reasons to actually explore anything, hacking and slashing your way through hordes of classic Minecraft enemies using both melee and ranged weaponry.

There’s a ton of loot that drops in every level that have higher numbers and different effects on them, but they seem to lack any real visual diversity. I’ve picked up several swords and bows that all look the same, but do higher damage or have some enchantment on them that does an extra effect like a chance to replenish your arrows, or chain lighting between enemies and so on and so forth.

While I do think Minecraft Dungeons does some stuff with its lighting that makes the levels visually interesting, there seems to be very little reason to actually go exploring. You’ve got a waypoint pushing you forward, and in transit to that destination you can go down alternate pathways should you want to, but more often than not I was greeted with a big fat dead end with nary a treasure for my troubles. After a while I stopped hoping something cool would be waiting for me, and just started to power through the levels to see what else there was to experience.

It turns out that there really isn’t much going on in Minecraft Dungeons. As I progressed, I saw variations of old enemies who were now sporting armor, some familiar mobs from the base Minecraft game, and some villagers with axes that I assume are in Minecraft proper. Otherwise you spend most of your time navigating different corridors full of enemies, collecting emeralds which are your currency, and finding weapons and armor that were usually worse than what I already had equipped.

Between levels you’ll find yourself in your home base where you can buy random loot boxes with in-game currency and hopefully not get a dud of a weapon. Hopefully more things unlock as you progress, but I can’t say for certain. But in lieu of having some magic enchanter or mystic artificer or something, you can head into the menu and pick an enchantment for your weapons and armor. You also can break down the myriad of useless junk you’ve picked up along the way and apply that currency to other item upgrades. It’s a simple loop that’s very easy to understand, which I think was the point.

I suppose my biggest disappointments with Minecraft Dungeons lay with the fact that exploration has proven to have been a massive waste of time, and that the Minecraft DNA in the game is almost exclusively relegated to the visual style. I know this is an entirely different kind of game, but the fact that I can pick up a pick-axe and use it as a weapon, but not actually mine anything is wild. It seems like a slam dunk to offer some sort of crafting system in Minecraft Dungeons even if it would’ve been in place of the way you obtain new equipment that’s already included, which is finding or buying things.

I also genuinely find it frustrating that in regular Minecraft, you can’t walk 20 feet in any direction without finding something cool, but in Minecraft Dungeons there seems to be absolutely no reason to go off the beaten path. To me, the entire game just feels a complete misunderstanding of what people enjoy about the base Minecraft game itself. I get that this is supposed to be its own unique product, but I genuinely believe that injecting just a little more of that core DNA into Minecraft Dungeons would’ve gone a long way.

As it stands, Minecraft Dungeons is a perfectly fine albeit uninteresting game that you might be able to squeeze a few hours of fun out of with your friends. Sure it looks like Minecraft, it’s got those classic Minecraft enemies you love in it, but it doesn’t scratch any of the same itches that Minecraft does. While I do think the action is uninspired, it’s a solid foundation that’s worth building upon. Also, it’s easy to dismiss a lot of my criticisms by just calling this a “children’s game,” but I feel like that’s doing a disservice to children. Minecraft Dungeons feels like the first draft of a game that could be really interesting and fun, but in its current state, it’s only left me wanting for more.

Blog: Digging Up Diamonds – 05/27/20

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There are few games that I can think of that have endured for so long while maintaining their popularity the way that Minecraft has. The last time I played Minecraft was probably sometime during the Xbox 360 era, when it seemingly ballooned in popularity. Yet here I am in 2020, playing this game that somehow feels familiar, but not too familiar.

Minecraft has been quietly updating and adding in features and mechanics steadily since its official release back in 2009, layering in new biomes, tools, items, enemies and more. At first glance, everything appeared to be just as I remembered it, but then I explored some more and found so many things that probably were added years ago, but I just missed. From villages, to temples, to flying enemies, and invading marauders, Minecraft changed so drastically in my eyes, which has made it an utter joy to experience.

It’s also not just me that’s been enamored by what Minecraft has become, as all of my friends and I have started a server together that someone always seems to be on. Whether they’re bolstering our food supply, digging further into the uncharted caverns, building a wizard tower, or expanding our ever-growing compound, we’ve all found something about Minecraft that we tend to fawn over.

For me however, Minecraft has been a delightful reprieve from the misery of the real world, perfectly slotting into my regular rotation of games while allowing me the freedom to watch something in another monitor. It’s the perfect game to “turn off your brain” with, while simultaneously providing a wide spectrum of engagement that facilitates absent-minded gaming as well as a more intense experience for those who seek it.

Don’t feel like dealing with the cavalcade of monsters trying to eat your bones every night? Then consider taking the day to go fishing, or collecting wood. Want to get spicy and test your mettle? Well there’s a cavern full of monsters you could clear out if you feel so inclined.

Minecraft is a game that facilitates a lot of different play styles and can adjust to those variations in your mood in real time. I know I’m not the first one out there to praise Minecraft for what it does right, but I’m just so surprised by how much I’ve fallen back in love with it lately. Maybe that has to do with it being a really good game, or maybe it has to do with the fact that the real world is extraordinarily miserable these days, and just being able able to unwind and build your own city in peace has a particularly pleasant appeal. Either way, I’m glad I found my way back to Minecraft, it’s been a joy to play not only by myself, but with my group of friends as well.

Blog: Graduation – 05/20/20

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I’m gonna lay it out here upfront, this one isn’t about video games. Instead, this blog is about me and and important milestone I thought I’d never hit, but finally did.

Years ago I started the slow and plodding process of making good on the fuck-ups of my past, and securing my degree. It took a long time partly because of monetary restrictions, but more so because I was never a great student and a slower pace would allow me to focus on my classes better. When I started the finish line seemed like a distant dream, but as of a week ago, I submitted my final assignment in my final class of my collegiate journey.

What came soon after was this feeling of dread and hopefulness, all twisted up in a conflux that made me sick to my stomach. I’m relieved to be done with my schooling and to finally wield my long sought after degree, but I’m also terrified at what the future holds, especially during these turbulent and uncertain times.

Finding my path into a career would have been harrowing enough had the world not been overtaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but now in the thick of it, I feel more uncertain about the way forward than ever before.

I worked for so long to get this stupid piece of paper that tells people I’m qualified to do what I want to do, but does it matter now? I’m genuinely thrilled to finally be past this long and arduous chapter of my life, but I’m also terrified of what the next one even looks like.

I don’t know, I just needed get this all off of my chest. I know a lot of people are going through a deluge of bullshit right now, and I know that my stuff doesn’t stack up, but it’s important for me. I’m proud of myself yet scared of what’s to come. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to turn off my brain for a while.

Blog: Look at This Stupid Thing – 05/13/20

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We’ve entered the part of quarantine where the packages I ordered at the beginning of April are finally showing up, and it’s been a really fun experience honestly. A few days back I finally got my Hori Split Pad Pro in the mail, and while I think it’s perfectly fine and functional, golly does it look stupid as hell.

Back in April, my Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers started to fall victim to the infamous “drift” problem, specifically on the left stick. Maybe it was happening earlier than that, but I hadn’t really been playing much of my Switch before Animal Crossing: New Horizons released.

At first I’d notice my little villager would start taking very slow walks towards the bottom of the screen, something that was annoying but not game breaking. Then I found myself running from a tarantula, when my villager decided to stop running and just stand still and accept his fate.

This was unacceptable.

So I ordered the Hori Split Pad Pro because it was on sale, and I finally got it. It’s doing the trick despite missing features like HD Rumble and the ability to work wirelessly, but it’s infinitely better than the budget “pro” controller I bought off Amazon months ago. The face buttons feel good, while the analog sticks have a weirdly grainy texture to them which is strange. Other than that, it’s got back paddles that I’ll never use, but I’m satisfied with my purchase overall.

It’s going to be a while before I can actually pick up real, official Nintendo Joy-Con remotes, but I’m okay with waiting because I’m not playing anything that requires the Joy-Con specific functionalities. And while I appreciate the size of the Hori Split Pad Pro and how it feels better in my bearlike paws, it just looks so fucking stupid on the Switch.

Blog: Pump Up the Jams – 05/06/20

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With all the free time I’ve had lately, I found myself listening to more and more music. Whether it’s just leaving Spotify open while I work, or purposefully seeking out some tunes, it’s been more present in my life lately than it has in years. With that said, I’d like to share a little bit of what I’ve been listening to recently.

SIMMER – HAYLEY WILLIAMS

You might already know who Hayley Williams is from her time being the lead singer of the Paramore, a band that Wikipedia surprisingly lists as still active. Now, I was never a big Paramore fan, but I have to hand it to Williams for making such a good song. Aside from some weird lyrics sprinkled throughout, I have nothing but positive things to say about Simmer.

YANKEE AND THE BRAVE – RUN THE JEWELS

If you haven’t heard of Run The Jewels (RTJ) before, I encourage you to check out some of their back catalog because it does a great job of expressing just how consistently good this duo is at making great songs. Yankee and the Brave was the first single to be revealed to the public from their upcoming fourth album. It’s a phenomenal tease for what’s to come and I can’t stop listening to it.

JUST DROPPED IN – KENNY ROGERS

So this isn’t a new song by any measure, nor is it the first time I’ve heard it. But with Kenny Rogers tragically passing away earlier this year, I found myself returning to what arguably is my favorite of his songs. It’s a really strange sound that somehow feels like some mixture of psychedelic rock and country that just hits me hard. Rest in peace Mr. Rogers, and thanks for the good jams.

SEQUESTERED IN MEMPHIS – THE HOLD STEADY

If you were going to build a quarantine playlist, I’d argue that you should consider putting Sequestered in Memphis on it, because it’s a really fun song despite its subject matter. The main hook of the song is what really grabbed me when I first heard it and if you’re anything like me, it might do the same for you.

I AM ELECTRIC – HEAVEN’S BASEMENT

Sometimes you’re in the mood for something a little heavier, a little angrier and faster. Might I suggest I Am Electric, a song that’s excellent for practicing your punches and kicks to. The song may have come out in 2013, but it recently found its way back onto my playlist due to it being just so powerful.

SAY SO – DOJA CAT

Like many of you, I had never heard of Doja Cat before, nor would I consider myself a fan of hers. That being said however, I am a fan of this song and its funky, disco-like rhythms. That’s really all I can say about why I enjoy this song, but here’s a bonus fact for you: Doja Cat released a song once called “Mooo!” which is perhaps one of the strangest, yet not unpleasant, songs I’ve ever heard. It’s also perhaps the greatest music video I’ve ever seen.

Here it is!

RUNNING UP THAT HILL – PLACEBO

A lot of people have expressed to me mixed reactions about Placebo over the years which is understandable. The main singer has one of those voices you’re either onboard with or not. Luckily I am, which is why I can safely enjoy this cover of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, which is also one of those rare occasions where I enjoy the cover more than the original.

I don’t really know the proper way to close out a post like this, so pardon the inevitable fumbling of this outro. But that’s what I’ve been listening to lately. What about you guys? Got anything good for my ears?