mellotronrules

@ben_h: from what i understand the bottom for podcast ads has really fallen out, so i think a lot of networks are pushing broader programmatic buys to cast a wider net.

the tech seems pretty braindead though. being in the nyc area sometimes they just decide all my ads should be a single repeated ad in Spanish (which, fair enough by demographics in nyc but i neither speak Spanish nor listen to any Spanish podcasts)

and then once in a blue moon the algorithm really freaks out and tries to sell me Toyotas based out of Tulsa or the like.

it's very rarely i get the more offensive political ads- but it's a shock every time i do (it's a lot of "who let this nutjob near a microphone?")

yeah, i get some real garbage from programmatic ads.

kinda feels like they're poisoning the well with this stuff- my 'skip 30 seconds ahead' reflexes have never been sharper.

welp, on the other side of it now. i think my back of the box quote for my time with DD2 would be:

"usually fun; never profound."

this is probably the strongest 7.9 out of 10 i've ever played. i'm really glad i took the plunge- the 3rd person perspective and combat has me second-guessing any residual affection i might have had for Elder Scrolls, and there's a 20hrs-ish sweet spot where everything was clicking in a super compelling way. we also love a freely swappable class system.

in the long run- the game stopped showing me new things sooner than i hoped, the narrative held the emotional space of an absentee father (when it tried to show up i cared it wasn't there), and for all the talk of profound 'friction' it kinda just felt out of 2006 (as opposed to interesting).

ultimately a good time (if not an incredible one); though i've never felt more certain that every person on this planet wants something different from open world games (there is no platonic ideal). for every person wishing Atreus or Aloy had a mute button there's me begging my pawns to move past the obsession with MATERIALS. and likewise it's neat we need to take in the scenery, but jesus christ are these carts made out of styrofoam? and couldn't this late game quest bouncing between diametric opposite cities have been an email?

yeah, they got me!

DD has been that game/franchise i've never played despite my circle of favorite critics constantly singing its praises. and i'll be honest, from this place of self- admitted deep ignorance- i'm not sure i 'get it.'

i don't mean this to come off the wrong way (this is very much an intangible matter of taste), but i still kinda don't get it with the lead up to DD2 (nothing about the promo material/period has stood out as particularly remarkable). HOWEVER- i'm happy to admit when i've been a fool (this has happened plenty of times before with bands/music i don't 'get' the buzz with, but after spending time with i do a full 180)...

...and so i've purchased DD2 and i'm going to give it a fair-shake. i need to understand what this thing is for my own peace of mind, hah. also i'm generally interested to see an alternate approach to fantasy mechanics/systems.

i was going to post Rebirth as joke (since I have neither played it nor overwhelming nostalgia for the franchise; i played FF7 OG in 97 and Remake last year- i like [not love] them both fwiw)- but since yall brought it up-

it's probably the most 'your mileage will vary' game on the planet. there are valid takes in every direction- but it feels like that game demands you have a personal relationship and/or history with FF7 to have the experience devs intended. and that feels like it could be a real double-edged sword. i'm seeing a whole lot of 'this is the greatest thing ever' and 'it's pretty good? i guess?' and never the twain shall meet.

nah, it'll come out (eventually).

yeah, a bit difficult to make a clean rec given the crossgen nature of this era. but i really did love Returnal and Baldur's Gate 3.

yeah, generally i like emotionally complex/challenging stuff. it isn't required obviously, but that tends to lean towards the more 'mature' end of the spectrum.

Baldur's Gate 3 was fucking up my shit for a good stretch. honestly it kind of feels like i'm still in deficit (and that was in like, oct 2023 hah).

for the love of god, WINDWAKER!