birdvsplane

Thinking of "Avalon?"

http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/giant-bomb-unplugged-avalon/2300-9530/

I definitely thought the writing and story in GTA5 were its weakest part, Rockstar's worst effort that I've actually played through. Most attempts at satire were super lazy or contrived, and much of the narrative fell totally flat for me.

Heyo, my galpal and I have begun playing DOTA and were interested in playing with folks who want to actually team up and not be super shitty at each other! We're still fairly new but are getting more comfortable after each round.

I am usually playing Jugs, DP, Shadow Shaman or Lion. She's rocking Witch Doctor, Skyward Mage, Drow, PA and more (she's much more versatile/talented than me).

US Central but down to play most any time.

Steam name: birdvsplane

The People of Paper - Magical realism crossed with all types of relationship problems.

Hey there, my partner and I have jumped into the world of DOTA 2 and are off to a... well, a start, to say the least. Have done plenty of practice against bots, a couple coop against bots and one actual match.

Thus far, I only feel sort of comfortable with Juggernaut, looking to expand.

Feel free to add birdvsplane but expect rookie-level play for a bit.

So "Gintama" is legit? Partner and I were look for a new anime to start and saw it was getting a lot of positive reviews. Doing some research on it and found a description that was essentially "vampires, aliens and even MORE breast fondling!!!" and decided to skip out.

Started "From the New World." Interested but not terribly invested yet, super weird ep breaks.

PSN: birdvsplane

Lots of Rocket League, Bloodborne NG+ and Dark Souls eventually, SW:Battlefront, other games as they appear.

Columbia, MO

Finally gave "Madoka" a shot. Went in totally dark besides the recommendation to "keep with it" as I'm not huge on a lot of anime (especially magical girl stuff), but hot damn, I blazed trough the entire series and "Rebellion" in no time.

All of it was just so good! I was so entranced by the witch/curse/nightmare art. So gorgeous.

Have been told to try out "Yuki Yuna" for a similar vibe.

This year marked my first legitimate "return" to games after some time away. This, combined with a terrible PC and only owning a PS4, I stuck mostly with major console releases this year. I hope to someday visit some of the smaller gems of 2015, but for now here's my list.

10. Mortal Kombat X - More punches, more kicks. With that "Selfie" fatality, how could this not at least make an appearance on the list?

9. Star Wars: Battlefront - This game is dumb fun, and that's all I wanted from it. Those laser bolts, those TIE Fighter screams! Pretty thin, but good to fill that "I have an hour to kill and don't want to invest in anything heavily" itch.

8. Soma - The story is the hook here, and it's a doozy. Clunky gameplay gets in the way of the narrative though.

7. Until Dawn - Rented this for a weekend with some friends and it was an unexpected blast. All the cheesiness of a B-horror flick and enough gameplay tricks to warrant some legitimate tension. The moment we finally lost a character near the end of the game and had a room full of people losing their minds sealed the deal.

6. Fallout 4 - I kept telling myself I couldn't be let down because even if this game was more FO3 I'd be so happy. Turns out that was closer to the truth than I actually wanted, and it came with the dumbing down of dialogue and game mechanics. Pair that with typical Bethesda writing of the main quest, and I was pleased yet underwhelmed. Still... JET PACK POWER ARMOR SLAM DUNK.

5. The Witcher 3 - My first adventure with Geralt blew me away. The world of the Witcher is so fully realized, so gorgeous and brimming with stories, people, and creatures. The monster design in this game is (almost) second-to-none. A frustrating inventory system and middling second act bog down this wonderful new experience.

4. Rocket League - Beautiful in its simplicity. I look forward to booting this up several times a week with friends, and each match is as intense as the next/last.

3. Life is Strange - Fell in love with this game's charm and got emotionally invested with each new episode. Playing with my partner was a joy as we ached over which decisions to make. Ultimately, the good of the many outweighed the good of the few, and it was heart-wrenching.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - On a purely subjective level, this game redefines what "open-world gameplay" means to me. Playing the majority of the game focusing on stealth, I get so excited discussing how others approached challenges or watching Drew tackle missions via "Metal Gear Scanlon." Unfortunately, the final package does feel unfinished, and I cannot help but want more out of the both the game's narrative and the messy mission structure.

1. Bloodborne - My first "Souls" experience, and I've never felt anything like it. I was hooked from second one and instantly fell into this gorgeous, gothic world. Almost every aesthetic decisions in this game appeals to me, specifically the horrendous beasts that lie ahead of the hunter. To this day, I still love puzzling together bits and pieces of the mysterious world and overall cosmic narrative of Yharnam. So frustrating, so fantastic.