The Book of Daniel Vol. 2

1. Do you decorate your home for different seasons and holidays?
No, I'm not home for most of the holidays, and I don't really see the point in putting the money into it for just myself anyway.

2. Do you switch out your wardrobe for each new season?
Not really, past the obvious seasonal necessities (coats/jackets, winter boots, occasional short-sleeved shirts for summer, etc.)

3. Are you buying any new clothes for this new season?
Not specificially for the season; I usually just buy new clothes on an as-needed basis.

4. What vacation plans do you have for the future?
None specific upcoming ones.  I just took a few days off for my birthday earlier in the month.

5. Have you started planning for the upcoming holiday season?
Not really, just hoping to enjoy it as while the last couple were good, there were a few bad ones a few years ago (the pre-breakup one in '22, the COVID one in '23 etc.)

1. What chores did you have to do, growing up?
The most regularly-assigned was lawnmowing.  Probably why I pay somebody to do it now.

2. Which chore do you hate doing the most?
Cleaning the bathroom, easily and measurably.

3. Which chore do you actually enjoy doing?
I don't think there is one that I actually enjoy *doing.*  But sometimes getting something *done* - cleaning up a messy room or closet, getting yard work done, etc. - does bring its own type of satifsfaction.

4. Did you receive an allowance when you were growing up?
$5 a week, which did go up to $10 by teen years, as long as I did the aforementioned lawn mowing.

5. What was (or is) your favorite subject in school?
Assuming we're talking grade- and/or high school here, any type of art class.  No surprise there.

1. What is your favorite vegetable?
Probably would have to be potatoes, based on both the vegetable in and of itself and the variety of proucts made from it that I enjoy.  Corn and eggplant would probably be close runners-up.

2. What is your least favorite (or most disliked) vegetable?
I don't know.  I could never get the taste for Brussels sprouts, I guess?

3. How many half cup (one deciliter) servings of vegetables do you eat on a typical day?
No idea.  Anywhere from one to eight, I guess.

4. What is your favorite fruit?
Granny Smith apples, raspberries, pineapples, strawberries... quite a few, I guess.  The wide variety of tomato-based products that I enjoy would probably actually put that in the lead, but I dislike raw tomatoes in and of themselves.

5. What is your least favorite (or most disliked) fruit?
Bananas.  Can't even smell them without getting nauseous.  And I'm pretty sure it's psychological, stemming from a specific event: when I was in fourth grade, my friend Shawn had a running gag where he'd sit on his lunch bag and then show everybody at the table the results inside it.  Usually it was a PB&J sandwich, and the punchline was, "peanut butter and SMELLY!"  Well, one day he had a banana in his lunch bag, and for whatever reason my immediate reaction to seeing that squashed banana was to projectile vomit across the lunch table.  I got to go home sick that day, but I haven't been able to be in the presence of unpeeled bananas since.

Red Dead Redemption II
It's one of those cases where I don't really know what I can say about it that hasn't been said a million times already, but man, what a game; what an experience.

Since I never had a PS4 or Xbox-whatever from that gen, it took me almost eight years to finally get to play it, and while I regret not getting to do so earlier, at the same time it was fully worth the wait. Whatever else I might say about Rockstar as a company, they sure can make a hell of a video game.

I didn't get 100% yet, so there's still things left to do - especially finding collectibles like the cigarette cards (which I actually dabble in collecting from this period IRL), legendary animals (I think I have two left), stuff like dinosaur bones and rock carvings (of which I haven't found a single one yet), the graves of fallen characters, etc. There are probably even a couple of Strangers quests that still need to be done (I know I forgot to do one of Henri's in Saint Denis' before Arthur, well, you know). And with the world being as rich as it its, it'll be nice to return to it occasionally, even if it's crossed off my backlog.


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Uninvited
First - after working on some of my game room decor in the afternoon, I popped in Uninvited, which was the only one of the three NES MacVenture conversions that I hadn't completed before (on previous attempts, I'd always get up to the labyrinth and lose patience with trying to navigate it - this time I did cheat on that part and looked up directions for the labyrinth).

While this is by no means a bad game, compared to Deja Vu and Shadowgate, I do think this is the weakest of the three - both of the others had, IMO, much more interesting plots and far richer flavor (I even think Shadowgate used its horror elements better, even if Uninvited is the one specificially set in a haunted house), and Uninvited relied a little more on moon logic for some of its puzzles too (how would you ever figure out that the way to get rid of the servant ghost is to throw a dead spider at it, other than sheer dumb-luck guesswork?). While it was the last of the three released on the NES, I believe Uninvited was actually the first of the MacVentures to be released in its original Macintosh version, so maybe some of that just comes down to it being a first try at the format for ICOM.

That said, it does definitely have some fun elements - the closest thing to a final boss being, for all intents and purposes, a Killer Tomato is so random that I can't help but like it, there are some fun easter eggs that call back to the other MacVentures such as the gravestones in the labyrinth for Talamar the Warlock Lord from Shadowgate and Ace Harding from Deja Vu, as well as the record player that plays a discordant snippet of the music from Shadowgate (much like the flute in Shadowgate that played a snippet of Deja Vu music), and Uninvited does have one of the funniest deaths in the entire trilogy - ( spoilers )


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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
After dinner yesterday I played the rest of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which I'd gotten somewhat sidetracked from (along with most everything else) by RDR2. I quite liked this one overall - it's a definite slow burn, especially in Tape 1, but builds on that and picks up toward the end of Tape 1 and into Tape 2 - and would generally compare it favorably to the best of the Life is Strange games. I appreciated that the '90s nostalgia aspect really wasn't that heavy-handed and was mostly just in service to exploring the characters' pasts, rather than just being there for "'memba this?!" purposes - I think it pulled that off better than, say, even Mixtape, for instance (doesn't hurt that the characters were of the same general age bracket as me (they're about 4 years older, if they were 16 in '95).

I do have a handful of nitpicks - the video-camera mechanic got a little tiresome (and I didn't even get into editing the videos I took or anything); Corey as the main villain was a little too broadly-portrayed (to the point of becoming downright cartoonish especially during the chase-through-the-woods segment), and I'm not sure about the post-credits scene, where ( spoilers )

I got the ending with ( spoilers )

At any rate, kind of disappointing to hear that sales didn't meet expectations, because I think this was good overall, and I would be interested to see what might be done with it if Lost Records became a full series, especially if instead of direct sequels it followed the "anthology-in-a-shared-universe" model that Life is Strange was originally supposed to be and only partly became.

I've been tracking the games I've completed this year on a message board that I frequent, and I've fallen behind on reposting what I write about them on that board here on my journal.  These are not all of the games I've finished since Expedition 33, but it is a roundup of those that I had (I think) more interesting things to say about.

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Life is Strange: True Colors
( Read more... )

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The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
( Read more... )

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Life is Strange: Reunion
( Read more... )

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Mixtape
( Read more... )

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Jack Move
( Read more... )

Over the last several months I've been struggling with my sleep machine.  The mask I'd been using since getting it a few years ago - the Airfit F30 - worked fine, but was discontinued, and the company automatically switched me to the F40 mask, but it just didn't work for me at all - wouldn't maintain a seal, and I don't think it was the right size either.  So I tried the F30i, which is supposed to be the same as the F30 except with the hose on the top of the head, and for some reason that wouldn't work either.

So I took a radical step in trying a totally different style of mask, a nose-only one (the N20).  This, unfortunately, necessitates taping my mouth shut, which will take some getting used to; I've woken up a few times just due to the unfamiliarity of it, and at least one of those times I'd actually unconsciously pulled the tape off.  The mask itself, though, is pretty comfortable and seems to keep its seal, and I think I feel like I'm getting better-quality sleep, so I think that'll be the long-term solution.

I guess the lesson here, kids, is "when you get old, don't forget how to breathe when you're asleep."

 I feel like I've been having trouble getting motivated on my days off lately.  Especially on Fridays (the first day of my "weekends") I have no shortage of things to do around the house, but I'll often get up late, laze around until the early afternoon and by the time I get to a point where I can start on tasks, it feels too late to even bother.  

Yesterday was a case in point.  Today I definitely got more done - vacuuming, cleaning out my mail stand, working on my game room, etc. - but because of how much lost time I had yesterday, I still feel like I didn't really get enough done.

I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about taking time for myself on the weekends, but still, there's always more that I should be doing...

1. In an average week, how many nights do you eat home-cooked dinners?
Depends on how you define "home cooked."  If it's just eating at home, just about every night, with very infrequent exceptions.  If it's actually making something via a process more elaborate than heating something up or placing something from a package in a bowl, probably somewhere between 2-3 on average.  With unlimited time available I'd like to do that even more as, in my "old age," I've discovered that I actually like cooking. 

2. Do you plan your meals out in advance, or just wing it?
Yes, though usually only a day out, two at absolute most.

3. How many nights per week do you eat out or order food delivered?
Somewhat rarely.

4. Do you keep a stock of nonperishable foods from which you could whip up a meal or two if you needed to?
Generally, yes.

5. Have you ever tried preparing meals for the week all at once, say, on the weekend?
No, I never plan that far out.  I guess the closest would be if I make something like, say, a soup, and keep half of the yield out for immediate/near-future consumption and freeze the other half.

1. What do you consider your current main fandom? (This can include hobbies and collecting. Anything you feel fannish about!)
For specific recent ones... I guess Expedition 33 (recently played/still working on post-game content), the Sabotage Studios game universe (currently including Sea of Stars and The Messenger), and Life is Strange (played and  completed the whole series since January) would, almost by default, be the most notable recent additions.


2. What was your first fandom?
TMNT was probably the first really huge one for me.


3. Do you have any favorite headcanons or fan theories?
I really dig the idea of the "Tommy Westphall Universe" - the theory that through various crossover episode connections between shows, the ending of St. Elsewhere - which revealed that entire series took place inside an autistic boy's mind as he looked into a snow globe - set off a chain reaction that led to probably at least half of every TV show ever, various movie franchises, and - arguably - real life itself also all take place in the boy's mind.

For personal headcanon stuff, one big one I have is simply booting the Burial at Sea DLCs out of my BioShock headcanon.


4. Have you ever created fanworks?
Nothing too serious, unless some super-crappy Final Fantasy fanart drawings I did as a teenager count.


5. Are you still active in any old fandoms?
Oh, totally.  I'm a lifelong Three Stooges fan; TMNT is still cool; I've still never bothered to outgrow wrestling since starting watching as a kid in the late '80s... for general categories, stil a game junkie; have fallen off of movies the last couple of years but need to get back to them.  Currently "rereading" Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories/Last Kingdom series, which I've been a big fan of for the last decade or so (I've already listened to the audio versions of the Warlord/Arthur trilogy, which is probably my very favorite Cornwell.

Last month I caved and finally bought a PS5, along with my first two games for it: Clair Obscur; Expedition 33 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (funny thing about the latter is that the original version of Oblivion was also one of the two games I bought with my Xbox 360 back in 2007).

So far the majority of my PS5 time has been devoted to Expedition 33, and I. Love. This. Game.

Great story with some unforgettable twists, great characters, great gameplay, and stunningly-beautiful art direction in terms of both visuals and music.

I like that a lot about the mechanics of the game feel very old-school to an almost surprising degree, from the battle system being a true turn-based system (albeit with an evolution of Mario RPG-style timed hits/blocks/dodges/etc. and button inputs for special attacks to speed things up) and exploring back corners of certain areas leading you to run into super-strong enemies that you can't possibly beat at your current level and know you'll have to come back for. I wonder if, in an alternate timeline, the battle system of modern Final Fantasy games might have eventually evolved into something like this game's had no one at Square ever played Devil May Cry.

The only thing I’m not huge on his how the equipment/ability system works; weapons are fine but I’m not huge on the Picto/Lumina system. But it’s not nearly the worst equipment system I’ve played either; I mean, Final Fantasy VIII exists after all.) I also wish I liked Sciel's battle mechanics a little more since I do like her as a character, but I did warm up to her a bit after shifting to primarily use her as a buffer for the powerhouse characters. Maelle, on the other hand, is a near-constant in my party - when you get it and the Painted Power picto to break the damage cap, her Stendhal move is ridiculous - and Verso (and, earlier, Gustave) also make strong powerhouse characters, while Lune is a good mage (I focused her on fire and healing), and I dig Monoco's pseudo-Blue Mage setup (the way he acquires his skills actually more reminds me of Gau in FF6).

As far as my progress in it goes - while I won't say that I'm actually done with it, as there's still a good amount of optional Act 3 stuff left, I did go ahead and play through the final boss and credit roll of Clai, so I'm going to call it for the purposes of my completion list.

My final dungeon/boss team ended up being Maelle, Verso and Monoco, and they wrecked house - between Maelle's Stendhal, Verso's Endbringer and Phantom Stars, and Monoco's Portier Crash (and, by the end, Creation Void), nothing in the final dungeon stood much of a chance. While I don't think I was too overleveled (~65) to enjoy the final battle, the last round did end up getting more or less one-shotted by Maelle's Stendhal (as did the one fight after that).

As for the ending, ( SPOILERS )

Anyway, I've been working through the higher-level Act 3 stuff after getting the ending - did some of the optional areas, did some level grinding in Frozen Hearts and then Dark Shores, got some of the collectibles (lost gestrals, manor doors, etc.), etc.  My team is currently around level 85.  I did most of the Flying Manor but got crushed by Clea at the end of it, so I'll have to go back for her; accidentally flew into the flying dragon and succeeded in taking it down (it had destroyed me at the beginning of Act 3 when I flew into it just to see what would happen), and am currently working through Verso's Drafts.  Having already seen my chosen ending, it's kinda nice to just be able to pop it in and enjoy a bit of the game without the urgency of getting to the end of the story (although some of the post-game stuff does add a bit to the story anyway). 

Very good chance that this could end up on my Top 10 Games of All Time list the next time I update it, which is wild since there's only one game on the current list from after the year 2000, and that one's from before 2010 (Grand Theft Auto IV, for the record).  I even ordered two t-shirts from the game's official merch, and put a preorder in for the Esquie plush for good measure.