me: 8/2–8/7
I record every game I play and I post them weekly. Here are links to one, two, and three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one.
Free games
Congratulations! by m58b33
Thanks!
Emotional Sincerity by Selfish Dream
There have been quite a number of games that have been difficult to write about because discussing its content will take away any surprises, but by acknowledging that fact, it sets up expectations for something unexpected to occur.
Yesterday, I read a short story and it almost made me cry at my mini-golf job. Man 2 sort of guided Man 1 to be intimate with him instead of his (Man 2) imaginary sister, written in an odd yet powerful way. It put me back in the place of remembering what it’s like to be so close with another boy for the first time, excitement mixed with fear.
I told my friend about the story, but I knew that I’d be spoiling the twist by doing so. I figured that it’s likely he wouldn’t read the book… I don’t know why I assumed that, but the probability of that pointed to “no” (although, improbably, the following story mentioned the tiny little town he resides in).
Whatever. It’s way more important to share that experience than hope they stumble across it someday.
Node.js Server Test by Gupreet Singh Matharoo
I don’t know what this is but I still recommend playing it
Pretty Print by Sean LeBlanc
I want to be Sean when I grow up
These Chips Are FUCKING GREAT!!!!! by RustyMoon
I’ve had food so good I had to scream, but I’ve never made a game for those feed (‘feed’ is plural for ‘food’, yes?). If you haven’t experienced such strong emotions for your feed, I sincerely hope you do. Good luck!
kORi WALk by Korigame Ltd
Golf, but the ball is suction cup leggies, and there is nothing but island and water traps, and its really cute
Paid games
Road to Balhalla by Torched Hill
Here’s my review I posted on the most popular PC videogame storefront:
Road to Ballhalla surprised me by how wonderful it is. I didn’t expect much sue to its the grid-based gameplay, rude narrator trope, and cheesy puns.
Gameplay-wise, it never grows dull. The basic quest is concise, often introducing new mechanics whose potentials are used rather well. It’s quite challenging but never unfair. I’m not the type to torture myself by striving for extremely difficult 100% completions, so I’ll let that go, happy enough with the regular endgame.
The writing here is surpringly funny. I never expected to laugh so much, as I was skeptical of the narrator’s tone from the trailer. The comic timing of the japes and quips landed bang on, punctuating the difficult gameplay with relief, followed by more difficult gameplay.
Also worth noting is the polish on this game. It looks slick, utilizing shaders effectively and never looking dull despite the fact that we’re confined on grid-based courses. The music is excellent too, serving not only as a guiding function for the rhythm required for this game, but a yummy treat in itself.
This made me really happy, and I know I’ll return to it in the not-too-distant future.
Wuppo by Knuist & Perzik
I fucking hate RPGs. Anytime I’m presented with a multitude of options, my anxiety goes off the charts because I start overthinking what to equip. Even simpler games like Doom can drive me nuts, often causing me to over-conserve ammo for the big guns, rarely ever using them as a result. I’m trying my best to curb that behaviour, batting away the ‘what ifs’ away whenever possible.
I’ve also got the stumbling block of just wanting to play through without stopping the flow of gameplay via menus, dialogues, and cutscenes. I just don’t understand why people love dealing with these systems that feel like nothing more than fluff to me. Yeah, sure, that’s an oversimplification and there are exceptions I enjoy (e.g., the Penumbra series), but I’m generally more moved by succinct experiences that minimizes content that isn’t actual gameplay.
I’m easing into the RPG system with Wuppo. I’m almost tempted to quit right now, picking up in a decade or however long it takes me to gather patience for this form of gameplay, but I’m pushing myself to go through with it. It’s a bit difficult knowing that I’ll have to struggle with my tiny attention span over and over, but it’s just way too cute to quickly pass on. The characters and writing are impossibly awesome and it just feels so good. I mean, this game is one of the highest rated games on the largest PC videogame digital storefront for a reason, right?
Fight Night 2004 by a really big company I don’t want to shout out
I like boxing for different reasons. I bought this game for 1USD at the used electronics store. I had difficulty with making my PS2 work, and it sort of does—I have to put a large weight on top of it. My friend says it’s a dust problem.
I purchased this so I can create cute boys to punch each other, but I’ve only birthed one so far (the actual boxer James Toney is handsome and works for now). Unfortunately, there’s no combover haircut that I always choose in every custom character creator, and the actual beard (the above is stubble) is one of those shaped beards that doesn’t look like it wants to be stroked. I’m really glad they have the option to make decent-looking chunky bodies, though!
It’s okay.
Documentary made for TV but I watched it on DVD
Slammed: Inside Indie Wrestling by National Geographic
I like wrestling for different reasons; I don’t care for anything but the action. This starred two guys, the above guy (pretty hot) and another younger fit boy (not into him but he has a wonderful smile) trying to become famous. It was okay.
Music
Here Come the Warm Jets by Brian Eno: I was surprised by how incredible this is.
Something About Airplanes by Death Cab for Cutie: Sorta like We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes except somehow even more boring.
Book
It Chooses You by Miranda July: I read this in two days, most of it during downtimes at work. Wow.
Continued playing, but already wrote about: Desert Golfing, N++, PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate (I beat it!), and Ico (I also beat this!).
