Metonymy

I’m really curious to see where this ends up. Tsushima is so good because its systems are so deeply informed by its narrative; a coming of age tale about a man forced to choose between the rigid morality of deontology and the fluidity of utilitarianism. Every hot spring rested at, poem written and person interacted with allows the player to evaluate the cost of that inevitable decision. The surreal, wild and unknown beauty of the island reflects this and stands in stark contrast to the comfort, security and safety of the status quo that Jin has benefited greatly from.

I’m skeptical of taking that blueprint and simply slapping a revenge fable overtop of it. I’ll be playing it soon, and I’m hoping Sucker Punch have made the adjustments and added the flourishes needed to make this tale sing.

Huge milestone and an incredible legacy. Cannot wait to see what Intergalactic is all about.

Everything has its pros and cons. I’m content with the balance of my decision to purchase games physically.

RDR2 at the cost of a Trevor DLC feels like a lottery win. Not a small one, either.

I have the demo of this downloaded. Really need to give it a try!

@Fiendish-Beaver If not for Clair Obscur, Cronos would be my game of the year as well. A real shame it will likely go unnoticed in the awards season.

Looks to be an incredibly competitive year for game awards. I’ve actually managed to play a good chunk of these but likely only have enough time to fit one more in before the end of the year. Gotta choose between Indiana Jones or Ghost of Yotei…For now though, Clair Obscur gets my vote.

First I’ve heard of it but sounds like something I could really get into.

Hard to hold an opinion with so few details. I hope the consequences, in whatever form, serve as a sobering reminder to the offender of the far reaching destructive force of abhorrent behaviour. I hope the victims find healing as they carry this with them for the rest of their lives.

Just about finished the New Game+ hard mode run on my way to the platinum for Cronos but realized last night that I messed up my essences earlier so I’ll have to replay a section of the game I wasn’t planning on. Good thing it’s awesome 😄 Happy gaming!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks! Looks like it could good. I’ll keep an eye on it for sure.

I’ve yet to play it so I have no opinion but it’s on the ever growing gaming to do list. 😆

I guess it depends but I do try to play something spooky for October. This year in particular, it’s been nothing but horror for the month. It’s a good time to be a horror fan!

@Vermines Just what I was hoping to hear, thanks! Hopefully Outer Worlds 2 lives up to the first for you.

@Vermines How has Tormented Souls 2 been? I quite liked the first one.

AI has its place. Good people just need to keep it there.

@StitchJones For some reason the slow, plodding pace is really doing it for me right now and the sound design is exceptional! I’m so excited to start Yotei.

I’m really enjoying Cronos: The New Dawn. It’s extremely good survival horror. Also making progress in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Happy gaming!

I’d like to see George Miller and John Seale (or more likely Simon Duggan) take this on. I think it’d be a great fit.

Couldn’t be more thrilled for the renewed viability of Silent Hill. It’s a bit of an enigma: offbeat yet still within the mainstream; the best of both worlds. Hope it doesn’t lose its footing again.

Can’t wait to play it. It has the potential to be an all-timer for me.

Continuing on with my second play through of the stirring Silent Hill f along with inching my way through the very challenging Hollow Knight: Silksong. Happy gaming and happy Thanksgiving to any fellow Canadians!

@Th3solution They definitely take Sword of the Sea about as far as they can, at least to justify a 2-3 hour experience but within that limited time I had so many ‘This is why I play games’ moments squeezed in, it’s hard to decry it’s length. It’s arguably their most polished game to date but for me, The Pathless is their largest and most well rounded game. There’s a great story, loads of clever puzzles, a unique and fun traversal system, epic boss fights, a striking visual style and a simply incredible soundtrack. In the way that Journey and Abzu led up to The Pathless, I’m hoping Sword of the Sea is a taste of something more substantial to come. I really want to hop off the sword and swing it at something! 😄

@Th3solution What really made an impression on me in Sword of the Sea is just how different the Sword, Dolphin and Shark feel from each other without losing the simplicity at the heart of the games design.

Whatever secures Giant Squids long term viability, I’m good with. One of my favourite developers and Sword of the Sea is undoubtedly one of the best games I’ve played this year.

I can’t see this acquisition as anything other than a panic purchase during a particularly lavish Microsoft spending spree.

Ghost of Tsushima’s design is so thematically and conceptually unified, one of my favourite aspects of it is just how easy it is to embody the character of Jin by simply existing in its world. I’m so pumped to play this.

There’s some cool shots in here but it’s hard to get a sense of exactly what this is.

Making your budget work for you is doubly important in independent filmmaking. If you can’t effectively replicate that ultra-high fidelity super clean Marvel look that costs industry professionals 100’s of millions of dollars to achieve, why bother striving for that look? It’s worth embracing your budget as part of your film’s identity rather than struggling against it at the cost of execution. There’s definitely grey area here but sometimes it’s just obvious how far apart budget and vision are landing.

Everything doesn’t need to be for everybody. Thats ridiculous. Ultimately, I’m all for artistic integrity: the creators of a game should design their game in the way that fulfills their creative vision.

This message of competition keeping prices down seems to be lost on the X-Box division. Perhaps they can’t hear it over Mr. Koticks’s laughter.

All of this Yotei talk sure is tempting (I’m glad to hear mostly everyone seems to be enjoying it) but I’ve committed to wrapping up some of my backlog before diving in so I’m continuing on with Silent Hill f and Hollow Knight: Silksong. One I have to finish a few times and one I might not be able to finish at all 😅 Cronos is on deck next! Happy gaming!

I’m still playing it so I won’t vote but if I had to give it a score right now I’d give it an 8. It’s very Silent Hill to me, which is to say it has its ups and downs but the atmosphere, storytelling, puzzles and distinct brand of psychological horror are carrying the weight with ease.

Great article! I have a fundamental disagreement with the author of the IGN piece. I don’t believe grief is the singular theme of any of the examples given. Sure, it can be in the thematic mix and can be used as a character motivation that serves the larger picture but it’s a real stretch to declare grief as the point. Clair Obscur, on the other hand, is a perfect example of a game that explicitly, singularly and brilliantly deals directly with the overarching theme of grief. There’s clearly something deeper here that’s bothering the author.

This will be my winter game but I’m very much looking forward to it. Hope everyone playing is having a blast!

Can’t wait to pick up my copy! Hopefully today.

I was dreaming of a less straightforward sequel but surely I’ll still enjoy the heck out of this, as I did Tsushima. It’s a winning formula.

This looks like incredible fun.

This game frustrated me in so many ways but it’s an undeniably high-quality addition to the Essential library.

The demo was very promising. My gaming schedule is pretty well filled out until at least February so this should slot in beautifully!

I felt let down by A Quiet Place: Day One but thought Pig was excellent so I’m very much ‘wait and see’ at this point. It’s a very rich universe to draw from.

I’m still not completely sold on the decision to move away from the titular town but this is sounding pretty great to me, lack of enemy variety in a combat-focused entry aside. Between this and Cronos, my October should be appropriately spooky.