Gaming

I have been losing interest in Blue Prince. (This is spoiler free.) Many of the late game puzzles are beginning to feel grindy. I need to get specific rooms but it's random chance if I do, and then when I get them it's not guaranteed I'll even know how to solve what's going on. It's been very enjoyable up until now but it's lost some appeal in the end.

I have been playing a little Animal Crossing because my spouse got back into it. I have been playing a little Luigi's Mansion 3 and Mario + Rabbids because I've been using my switch more.

Enjoying KOTOR2 at the moment. A More Civilized Age (AKA my favorite podcast ever) is doing a playalong of the game right now, so that has been motivating me through all the clunky combat scenarios. I'm really loving the juicy dialogue and top-tier voice acting. The Exile is so much more interesting than any other protagonist i've ever seen in a BioWare game - I feel like I really have a lot of room to interpret what kind of grey Jedi i want to be. I am shocked that Obsidian (and notorious POS Chris Avellone) pumped out this much amazing writing in 10 months.

I never finished all the time trials in Mario Kart 8, and I don't have the budget to grab a Switch 2, so i've been plugging away at those trials to satiate my hunger for MKWorld.

Finished Xenoblade Chronicles, I'm playing the extra story now. I enjoyed it this time around. It's nowhere close to a masterpiece, but the setting is pretty unique and the gameplay is rather satisfying. Especially since every character plays differently from the others.

Playing a bit of Mario Kart World. The new systems (rails, wall riding) seem fun, but I'm not a fan of the constant straight roads. Grand Prix is not great and Knockout Tour is fun but is starting to get stale. The most fun I'm having is in Time Trial, as it seems like the best way to play with the new mechanics.

Only just started Pentiment. And by that I mean I got through the background selection, and I'm now trying to decide if I'm happy with my choices or want to go with something else. The game looks really good so far, I've heard good things and I'm excited to see how it plays out.

I'm addicted to Broken Arrow. I haven't played a war RTS since World In Conflict. I'm pretty terrible at it and it's taking time to learn how to put together a deck, but I'm really enjoying the multiplayer.

Just finished Steamworld Dig 2 for the second time, 100%ing it. Love that game. Started Bloodstained. Its alright, but it gets a little grindy near the mid to late game. I installed a mod that increases drop chances by 10% additive. Makes it less grindy, so I'm enjoying that. Also playing bloons TD 6. For funsies.

Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. 60 hours in, still going through all the content in act 3. It's really addictive, beautiful and fresh.

Metal Gear Solid. Only had a few minutes to play it -- I mainly just wanted to see how it looked, so I only got through the very first introductory room. Looks just like how I remembered it. I bought the collection with MGS 1, 2, and 3. I've already played a fair amount of the first game (although like...15 years ago), but never beat it. I only ever played MGS 2 on a friends Playstation 2 occasionally, and have never played the third game. So I'm really looking forward to those.

On my seventh attempt, I walked into a store and was told yes when asking if there were any Switch 2s in stock. The young cashier adorably turned to his older coworker and unironically said "Wow, that's four in one day! You weren't kidding about these things."

So anyways the past few days have been a blur of Mario Kart World. The new mechanics are a challenge to learn but they're a challenge I'm delighted to have and make me feel incredible when I'm using them well, the soundtrack full of remixed classics on par with the best of Final Fantasy VII Remake's that are just there to fill the empty space between the proper racetracks, and I was not prepared for HDR in the hands of Nintendo's artists. This game is by far the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on a screen and that was already true before I looked up how to use that shockingly unhelpful calibration tool the Switch 2 has and now it's twice as beautiful on top of that.

The sole complaint I have about this game is that I'm not enjoying Waluigi's new voice actor. I can't hear the pain underlying the mania that Martinet understood was core to the otherwise ill defined character. His animations and his costumes are so fucking good, though, it's hard to even care that his voice is downgraded.

Finished the main story of Enderal. Impressive for a total conversion Skyrim mod, I wish there were more like this! Feels like I may touch this game again after five years or so.

I just finished Cult of the Lamb. To was a quick buy satisfying play through. I love the snappy roll/dodge mechanic.