I feel like I'm living that Lewis Black bit about candy corn, except substitute The Game Awards. Yes, I'll have them on tonight, because I don't learn from my mistakes.

Seeing all the pictures coming out of Cybertron, it's reassuring to see that the TF team still knows how to make a solid TOY when it comes to Star Convoy. It's practically its own play pattern ecosystem. Almost makes up for how disappointing those Aerialbots are.

Oh no, I got my first reply from a bot on Bluesky.

M&L Brothership does NOT need this many side characters. I'll be enjoying myself, then everything comes to a halt while 10 or so characters will decide to have their daily stand-up meeting. I'm playing games to escape this kind of thing!

Brothership is hitting its stride with me, but man those opening hours did not need to be that drawn out, drip feeding mechanics like that. I can feel a bit of bloat with the side quests and islets, but at least I don't feel restricted in battles anymore. The music is pretty great though.

I'm through the opening of Brother ship, which was a bit of a slog. Now I feel the game really opening up. Given the emphasis on island hopping, the load times can be kind of a drag still.

Ok Dandadan, I already agreed that you're really good but now it just feels like you're rubbing it in. You didn't have to make me cry like that.

"Mario, I'm trying to sneak through this gate, but I'm dummy thicc..."

Starting up Mario & Luigi: Brothership. First impressions are that it gets a bit chatty, but that's standard for Nintendo tutorials anymore I guess. Also, pressing A for Luigi's menus, but then B for his actions feels immediately wrong.

And that's a wrap on The Lake House. It's a bit weird to end AWII with an intermezzo rather than the wide open implications of the end of Night Springs, but I get how that might not be the right fit as far as tone is concerned. So uhh... How long do we have to wait for Control 2 now?

Currently playing The Lake House dlc of Alan Wake and it is certainly succeeding in the vibes department. I'm definitely glad to be playing it after the balancing patch, because these new enemies are rough and I don't think I'd be having a great time if they did even more damage.

Not to discount the collaborative effort of full creative teams, but when are we as a society going to give Sam Lake the same auteur level of respect and hype that Kojima gets?

It feels liberating to be able to scroll through a feed without being inundated with shitty ads and bots. Though I will admit to missing the occasional ray of sunshine from Chiitan.

Had a great Halloween night excursion with several out of town friends (some I hadn't seen in person since pre-COVID) at Markoff's Haunted Forest in Dickerson (heh) MD. Especially now, take the time to reach out to your friends or reconnect with others. You'll both be better off for it.

I got pretty sick of the hellscape of social media and resorted to just lurking for content. But the vibes here are pretty good, so maybe I'll try... Interacting again?