inkerman

...it feels kinda like some Fisher-Price toy bullshit.

I just got the Smash Switch bundle with the cool artwork (which is really cool) on the dock (but not the actual console, wtf Nintendo?), and this the first time I've actually seen or held a Switch in person. Holy shit does it feel flimsy and toy-like.

The dock is light and plasticy, and the joy cons and console are really fiddly. The buttons you press to unlock the joy cons from the console are awkward, and I feel like a I'm hitting a bunch of buttons every time I take one off, while the locking 'click' you get when you slide them on seems to happen late; like you push them on, and then a bit further before they lock. On the console itself I straight up broke the kickstand off when I tried to open it the first time. I got it back on, but fuck is that a cheap bit of plastic. Meanwhile when I put the console in the dock, it goes in, but it kinda just 'sits'. Not nice firm lock-in for the console it seems.

Gonna pick up Zelda tomorrow, but on the whole currently pretty disappointed with the console, at least physically. The Smash art on it is actually really cool though, I'll give Nintendo that.

Considering getting a pro-controller, but they're pretty expensive for what they are in my opinion. Also, is the 'dock-scratching-the-screen' thing still an issue? Should I get a screen protector?

Final complaint; how does this thing not come with a carry-case? I feel like Nintendo cut every budgetary corner they could on this thing.

I liked it, not as much as the first though. I've never played a Castlevania game or watched Vinny play it, so I know basically nothing about the actual story/lore. I feel like this one was less brutal than the first, and the inclusion of the other vampire generals seemed mostly unnecessary. At the very least the focus on Godbrand seemed ultimately pointless, but the human servants' backstories were at least interesting. For the amount of time they spend in that library/basement, I wanted more character development with the heroes.

Achievements can be done well or poorly, like any aspect of a game. I personally don't understand achievements for completing compulsory story stages (like 'You beat Chapter 1!'), apart from actually finishing the game. But those which encourage playing a certain way to make the game more interesting, or doing something in a unique or special way are kind of cool, if they encourage the player to explore the game more than they otherwise would, or provide that extra challenge that some players want from a game. They should reward that deeper engagement with the game, rather simply just playing it.

I don't like the word really, because it was used to bully and insult people because of things they liked to do or watch. Every time I hear people say 'nerd culture' or talk about how 'nerds are cool now' and stuff, or that the word has been 'de-fanged' I think it's total bullshit. Enjoying the big budget Marvel movies, or Harry Potter, or playing Fortnite, doesn't make you a 'nerd' in the way the word was used less than a decade ago, and to some extent because of the way people used to be treated, I think it's offensive.

'Nerd culture' isn't mainstream, and the success of those movies and some videogames shouldn't fool people into thinking it is. Most people still can't tell you a single thing about Batman that wasn't in one of the movies, or tell you a single thing about old-school RPGs like Baldur's Gate or what made Street Fighter 2 great. They might go and see the latest Avengers movie, but they probably don't then go home and discuss it on a forum about comic books, or listen to a podcast about how it compares to the comics. That deeper level of interest is still dominated by the people who would be traditionally called 'nerds'. It's more open than it was before, but there's still a big gap.

I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, at all. It's been great that traditionally 'nerdy' things have at least become more mainstream, or at least aren't immediately scoffed at, but given the fact the people who are into comics, old school videogames, Warhammer, whatever, were often labelled as 'nerds' and then ostracised for it, it's just fucked for me that someone who has no interest comics beyond the Marvel movies, or hasn't played a single videogame beyond Madden and Fortnite, can honestly call themselves 'nerds' and that be ok.

Having said all of that, I don't and have never identified as a 'nerd' (but other people have called me that). I don't like labels, and not in a 'rebellious' kind of way. I just like the things I like. I don't need to attach a label to my identity.

Red Orchestra 2

I like my FPS fairly hardcore without being ARMA hardcore, RO2, despite being super dated, fills that niche for me. I've played Rising Storm 2 (the sequel-ish to RO2), but still prefer RO2.

So I've read quite a lot this year, just finished McMafia, about organised crime around the world, and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a kind of intense book about how mythological stories from around the world all repeat the same or similar themes of the Hero's Journey and the cycle of time, and how that it connects to deeper human psychology. I don't know how accurate it is, but I'm reading it for its value to fiction writers, because it has a great overview of the Hero's Journey.

Red Orchestra 2ooooooooooooooooooooooo!

(I'm not playing anything special for October, considering diving back into Stardew Valley though, never did find out what lived in the sewers)

I think Warhammer 40K: Space Marine is pretty good if you like the lore. In terms of gameplay it's a run-of-the-mill Gears knockoff, but the lore is spot on and they do a really good job of making your Space Marine character feel heavy and powerful.

- Muppet Treasure Island is the best movie ever made.

- The original Blade Runner is a boring mess and the more recent one is vastly superior in basically every way.

- Starship Troopers is a fantastic film whether or not you pick up on the satire.

- Call of Duty multiplayer peaked in CoD4.

I don't really like Chess, but I respect it.

My issue is that because it's such a 'rigid' game, it simply boils down to who knows the better moves. There is no chance, or other aspects out of the players' control. Each is essentially responding to the other, which is fine, but it also means there is no 'outside the box' thinking or creativity unless you are at the highest levels of play.