November Monthly Update

Image taken from:  http://www.videogameobsession.com/videogame/merchandise/posters_flyers_stickers_etc/Nintendo_Calendar_1990/index.htm

I haven't played much games lately.  Mostly I've been working my ass off.  Also:  staying on my sisters couch in her tiny house.  And quite frankly, she tends to say judgmental things about video games which discourages me from playing them.  Even though I get a lot of alone time, I also feel compelled to work during that time, to help prepare her house for her upcoming wedding reception.  I have this little mean elf-goblin-thing on my shoulder that says 'you don't want to be the lazy ass that plays video games all day and doesn't work enough, you unemployed piece of shit!'  The elf looks kind of like my sister.  But I'm likely projecting.

Anyway, it's down to the wire, and I'm fighting these bad feelings more, and playing a bit more, y'know, to relax.  Trying to get through Mirror's Edge. I'm pretty far.  I think I might have enough new data to generate a full review, but the short version is:  Fun game, deeply flawed.  So very close to awesome.

I'm also playing Anodyne, which is pretty rad.  That's the one that's got my attention, and the one I think of when my thoughts are wandering.  I doubt it's too long.  I expect maybe four or five hours.  Creepy Zelda clone; like it!

I sort of left Fez out of the story.  I will return to it, but I think I want to do so under circumstances when I can really put a lot of attention into it, rather than playing while looking over my shoulder for judgmental sisters. (It's crazy how these dynamics pursue me into adulthood.  It doesn't hurt that I've got no steady source of income and have placed myself in a position to be somewhat dependent on her.)

Alright, so far I've:  torn down a wall of drywall, put up a wall of wood, hacked down way overgrown backyard, dug out a chinaberry bush, dug up a thirty foot driveway and am in the process of laying out four cubic feet of gravel on said driveway.  And I don't have a metal rake, just a floppy piece of shit leaf rake.

I'm done with manual labor for a while.  I'm taking breaks so I don't hurt myself.  Or anyone else.  On to Anodyne!  ... Yep, it's still cool, getting better as I play it!

-D

P.S. here's an article called "Plagiarize This" from a new (to me) website called Gameological Society.  The article is about particular game mechanics that you'd like to see used more often.  There are some cool ideas in the article and more in the comments.  Check it out, if your into that sort of thing (I'm really into that sort of thing!)