Nuttism

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't forget any game. I really enjoy analyzing games and game stories, so the shockfactor tends not to matter much to me. If I would forget any of my favourite games, all the analysis work would be gone, I would need to start anew and might even miss some insight I had made previously. Sometimes I appreciate games more when some time has passed.

@manburger It feels a bit like I am intruding on a personal conversation, hope you don't mind)

I don't mind at all, and thank you for the compliment. I made the comment on a public forum to facilitate discussions (and keep my ongoing guerilla warfare to promote Omori before its Switch and PS release later this year active).

Yes, I feel like if you are in real financial trouble you obviously sell what you need to for whatever price you can get, but it would not sit well with me to sell an unused (or used) consumer product above retail value without it being necessary. Yes, because of the desensitization aspect, but mainly because I am a pretty big leftist, and selling it for an inflated price would only make it available to the rich or desperate.

@lostsol: Thank you for the response. I am sad to hear about your episode, but I hope you are holding up at the moment. I also appreciate your sympathy when it comes to being close to someone in a bad mental state. It was honestly really difficult, and a part of me still feels a bit... relieved that the relationship has ended as it means my worries at least don't feel as much like my responsibility. We are still friends but... I do worry.

Yes, I definitely think one of the things I appreciate most about Omori (and Silent Hill 2 by extension) is how dealing with mental health issues is difficult and it simply isn't enough to talk it out. This was a really hard lesson for me, especially at the start of the relationship when she hadn't told me that she was bipolar. Thinking back on it, there was a lot I said or did that I shouldn't, and I was putting a lot of effort into making her feel better when she simply wasn't in a place to improve as she was in an episode. It didn't help that the relationship was long-distance for the most part.

Doki Doki Literature Club is a game I have very conflicting feelings about. I hate about 70% of it and 100% of the fan culture, but I think it has some legitimately good characters, and to me, it also has the most heart wrenching depiction of being close to someone with severe mental health issues you want to help, though you might actually be making things worse. Of course this was quickly undermined by revealing it was caused by malicious programming. It was genuinely very difficult for me to get through the dialogue in the hugging scene as I was coming to terms with something similar at the same time. You can see more of my thoughts (mostly negative) on the game in this thread.

What I find really unique about Omori, even separately from Silent Hill 2, is how it deals with recalling trauma. My ex has PTSD, but while we were together a lot of the "classical" symptoms weren't present. She had nightmares which gave metaphorical fragments of what she had gone through, but most of it was hidden to her while we were together. It wasn't till over a year after we broke up that she started remembering for real, and it really screwed her up. She was in a critical condition due to her recollections and is still working through her experiences with a psychologist. She gets flashbacks occasionally now, which didn't happen before. At least to begin with, she really would rather not have remembered what happened, though it is also necessary for her to start healing. This "elective amnesia" seems to be something her brain has gotten rather adept at doing, as she has also forgotten a regretful incident during our relationship and described walking with her friend in the city center, seeing something dangerous, and immediately forgetting about it till her friend reminded her once they had arrived. I also appreciate the game making the point that when you are blocking out your bad memories and everything associated with them, you are also forgetting some good memories by necessity, as they can also cause you pain when you are in a psychologically vulnerable state.

Another thing she has in common with Omori (I'm calling Sunny Omori for simplicity's sake) is that she also created a sort of "headspace" when she was a child, though in her case it was math and number oriented rather than a fantasy world (she watched Mr. Robot last year and said that she really identified with Rami Malek's character who has a sort of programming headspace, though I haven't watched the show myself). She spent a lot of time there as escapism before I got to know her, and still checked in occasionally during our relationship. She wasn't a hikikomori, but there were years where she refused to engage with anyone and even her psychiatrist diagnosed her with sociopathy (which I don't think you can do to a child? But he was a personal friend of her mother so who knows).

I largely agree with you on Jungian psychology and psychoanalytics. It doesn't really make any sense, and I wouldn't describe it as a science, but as our lived experience and psyche is in some ways a collection of stories (or narratives) and how we respond to them, it makes sense that sometimes stories are needed to help you make sense of yourself (though it can also be very dangerous). I will say that I am much more receptive to psychoanalytics now than before I got to know her, and I think it is a good lens through which to view the characters in Omori.

I agree with you, as in I don't think you would particularly like Omori if you dislike turn based RPGs since that is most of the game (the loudest criticism of Omori is that it has bad pacing). However, as in Silent Hill 2, the video only discussed a single character when there are a few very well constructed ones. Not a lot of people identify directly with Omori, with most of those who relate to him being people who have suffered trauma themselves. Basil is probably the one most people identify with despite the fact that (aside from Mari) he is the one you interact with the least, both in headspace and the real world. He is a really sweet and sensitive boy who wouldn't hurt a fly, but it becomes clear that he has severe separation anxiety and puts a lot of effort into hiding his real feelings as he doesn't want to be a burden. It is insinuated that he was bullied, and he lives with his grandmother since his parents are busy with their careers. If you are still curious about Omori, I also recommend this video which mostly deals with Basil. Strictly speaking, it is not as good as the other one in terms of structure and production values, but it is quite emotional and sincere.

Welp, that's another long post done. I hope you are enjoying Elden Ring and copulating to your heart's content. As you can see, I am not as effortlessly funny in writing as in person (where people collapse on the floor then and there around me in witless mirth) but it might at least serve as a minor distraction for you.

@superharman: It was "in engine" (whatever that means), and for what it's worth, pretty much everyone agreed that in terms of pure visual fidelity, the game was stunning. The problem is that the whole budget went into its looks so the game ended up being very short and not all that fun to play.

Since some people were wondering, here is an article by an Ukrainian on how you can help: https://kyivindependent.com/opinion/victor-tregubov-are-you-a-foreigner-who-wants-to-help-ukraine-heres-how/

Thank you for another incredible long-form writing piece. I know they (sadly) don't often garner the same attention as shorter posts, but I adore well crafted long-form analysis, particularly in writing form. I know I'm not the first one to say it, but you are an amazing writer. You have a perfect balance of (genuinely funny) levity to keep everyone engaged, while putting forth a well argued case for how things seem to you using a mature vocabulary (something I struggle with).

@lostsol If you are in a dedicated Discord group you probably already know about it, but for me, the most intriguing case of brain disorder is this. A woman who's world flips, but only if she spins in place. Otherwise she is perfectly normal. I'm also fascinated by the human brain and was considering getting into neuroscience for a bit, though ultimately I think I'll enjoy reading news stories about this sort of stuff more than researching it directly.

You know... I think you would really like Omori by Omocat. It came out a year ago, and delves deep into the psyche, though in a different way than in Silent Hill 2. *minor spoilers* While it is also a psychological horror game, most of the game time is spent in a pleasant Earthbound-like (which is a positive to me as I'm quite squeamish) and doesn't really have body horror to speak of. However, it does have great tension, and quite honestly the best depiction of a damaged mental state I have seen in recent years. Like Silent Hill 2, the main focus of the game is on guilt and trauma, but while Silent Hill is about dealing with it as an adult, Omori is about coping with it as a child. It also has really good music and amazing art.

My ex had a very troubled childhood and is still suffering from serious psychological issues stemming from it, so it was pretty unnerving how realistically the game portrays dissociation and suppressed memories. Usually, those memories are forgotten for a reason, and recollecting them is very, very difficult. Not because it is literally hard to remember them, but because you know they are damaging, and your body wants to protect you. I really can't remember any piece of media depicting this struggle so realistically. I really recommend watching this analysis video after you finish the game (or before, though expect heavy spoilers).

I haven't played Silent Hill 2 (as I said, very squeamish, in particular when it comes to body horror) but I'm sure I would like it. James and Angela both seem like well constructed characters, and I like the idea of this mystical (literally) place attracting broken loners. The bathroom aesthetic seems well placed.

@clovy: I feel similarly. I don't think it's a good thing the old guard left and really enjoy a lot of their contributions as well as thoughts and opinions, but I only listened to the first few Nextlander podcast episodes before deciding that this was empathetically not for me while Fire Escape cast remains my favourite podcast and it is all down to energy. While I enjoy the site more now than for most of last year, they are still some way from regaining the energy lost from Dan, Ben and Abby leaving the site. They are on the right track with Jess though, and I like how Jan is spending more time in the spotlight.

I enjoy the features they are adding (JeffJeff's Bizzare Adventure was close to reaching All systems Goku levels) and the guests (Tam and Lucy are fun). I just think they need a couple of more hires to get back to their old level. I'm worried about whether they have the funds available for that though.

I still miss the GBeastcast :-(

I feel like it has pretty much started now. I still hope for the best though. Honestly, I feel like "stay safe" just doesn't cut it anymore. One of my coworkers is Ukrainian and I can't imagine how she is feeling. I also know some Russians from when I was on exchange and hope for the best for their sake as well. Thank you for starting this thread and, well, stay safe duders.

@sethmode: I wonder if it would make you feel older or younger to know my father was a regular user of the site. It was pretty big in the early 2010's but I think it has had a large drop in popularity since then.