Happy Eclipse Day, everyone. Just remember, this afternoon’s darkness is only temporary; the political and social climate of the country will remain darkened for (at least) the remainder of 45’s term.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I occasionally have trouble getting motivated to continue writing here. Sometimes it’s just because I don’t have time; sometimes it’s because I don’t feel like I have anything important to say; most of the time it’s because I’m well aware that there are far more important things to be paying attention to than whatever I might write, especially since what I write here is about rather trivial stuff. That being said, sometimes I find that I need to concentrate on the trivial stuff, if only because it’s a necessary reprieve from the crushing Sisyphean despair that comes from constantly refreshing Twitter to see if the world is still falling apart. And, also, my mom is back in the hospital for the third time this year and while she’s in much better spirits this time around, it’s still emotionally draining and stressful to be worried about her, especially since there’s not much I can do beyond visiting.
So, then, allow me to indulge in some nonsense.
1. My glasses finally arrived! A week and a half after they were supposed to arrive, but still! New specs! That’s the old look on the left, and the new look on the right. (Yes, I’m wearing the same shirt.) Similar-ish style, to be sure, but the new prescription is finally up-to-date and features lenses that are both progressive and transition[al]. I’m still getting used to them, but they’re already making a big difference.
2. Yes, I pre-ordered the super-special Project Scorpio edition of Xbox One X. Don’t judge me. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but bear with me just in case I haven’t – ever since I went on my quest to break the 100K Achievement barrier late last year, I’ve more or less made the Xbox One my main console of choice, despite knowing that the PS4 is more powerful. Yes, I’ve played the same games on both consoles; yes, I can see the difference. Nevertheless, I like the Xbox One’s UI a lot more, and the Elite Controller is by far the best controller I’ve ever used, and since I knew I’d be getting this new Xbox anyway, I figured I’d be able to put up with some performance issues since they’d get patched down the road. And I have, for the most part. I don’t have a 4K TV, nor do I feel like I need one, but at least now I’ll be able to justify getting one in a year or two.
3. I’ve rented and have played a few hours of Agents of Mayhem, the new Saints Row-adjacent 3rd person shooter from Volition, and I think I love the hell out of it? It’s this weird hybrid that lies somewhere between a single-player Overwatch (in its multiple hero system), Crackdown (in its visual style, as well as its super-powerful characters who defy the laws of physics), and Saints Row (obviously). But there’s also something…. I can’t find the right word for it, but I want to say that it feels sincere. That’s a weird thing to feel for an over-the-top open world game where everything blows up all the time, but it’s also true – I get the sense from playing it that the developers were really excited to work on something new, even if Saints Row’s DNA is heavily embedded in it; instead of having to try and out-do the off-the-wall insanity of Saints Row 3 and 4, they just went in a completely different direction. I don’t know if I’m going to finish it – my backlog is INSANE at the moment and there’s some new stuff arriving shortly that I’m eager to try out, but for the time being it’s a very pleasant diversion.
4. Regarding that backlog – yeah, it’s rough. To wit:
- Sonic Mania (looks and feels so much like the original Genesis games that it’s almost scary)
- Tacoma (I’ve only played the first 30 minutes, but I’m always down for a Gone Home-in-space thing)
- Observer (bought this because of some very intriguing word-of-mouth recommendations; I’ve only played the first 30 minutes or so but I’m still very much intrigued)
- Undertale (Vita)
- Hellblade
- Pyre
- Superhot VR (need to get back to this now that there’s been a few patches; when I first tried it my hands were glitching out all over the place and the game was near-unplayable)
- a replay of the new and improved No Man’s Sky (I don’t know how much time I’m going to sink into this but I’ve already visited a few planets in a brand-new playthrough and it might as well be a completely new game – if you bought this and gave up on it when it first came out, I’d suggest giving it a look now)
- Vostok Inc. (I am, as noted, a weird sucker for idle clickers – this is an idle clicker hidden within a twin-stick shooter, which is a pretty interesting hybrid)
- a replay of Headlander (strictly for Xbox ‘cheevos)
- Halo Wars 2 (why did I even bother getting this in the first place, I’m allergic to RTS games)
- FF15 and FF12
Plus: this week sees the release of the Uncharted thing, and then there’s also the Horizon Zero Dawn DLC shortly thereafter.
5. At some point I’m going to write a thing about my fascination with / addiction to the idle clicker genre. But I did want to at least mention that I have “finished” Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire, in that I’ve gotten every driver up to their maximum level and now there’s nothing else left to do.
Shouts From The Couch 