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"After some deliberation, I ended up pivoting to the 0079 movie trilogy starting with the 2nd film."
Can't blame ya, and glad that it was a successful shift for you. The third movie is usually considered the best, so good luck when you get to it! And to your comment about the franchise at large, honestly about 90% of the franchise is accessible to you after you're familiar with the original series. A huge number of spinoffs take place during or around 0079 (plus the equally huge number of completely distinct, alternate universe Gundam out there).

Glad I asked, because now I have a couple more games to keep my eye on, especially Golden Idol. Case had been somewhat high on my priority list for some months, but I'd completely missed that a sequel is on the way. Sounds like a good time to give it a shot sooner than later. I'm likewise excited for Hades II and Silksong, but don't plan to play either this year. I'm fine to wait on Hades II's actual full release (I usually hold off on Early Access titles), and as for Silksong... I share your skepticism about its timeliness. It's one of those things that I keep in the back of my head, but won't let myself get excited until it's actually out lol.

Well, even so, it does indeed look like the rest of 2024 will be calm for new releases, so I've been eyeing that Resident Evil marathon I mentioned before. It's been a while since I've done a lengthy franchise playthrough, so I'm looking forward to it (I'd say my last was playing all the 2D Metroids in 2021; the Marios last year just felt too short to count).

i don't think i am going to play any games anytime soon, i have almost no time for them, i'm at work for most of the week and when i'm home from work i'm too tired to play

signalis actually is on sale now too if you want it, i think its been discounted from 20 to 14 on steam

if you do get into resident evil you should play them in order now that all of the earlier games got remade. grab the origins collection so you can play zero too, it's a good game but people always seem to gloss over it when talking about the series

Well, I think the difference with the speed between Mario World/3 and Sonic is that reaching top speed in Mario is like a little puzzle. You get top speed, and you use it to get up and find a little secret. The benefit there being you get an extra life or find a secret path, which slows you down again. I don't think the point of these Mario powerups is to go fast, sure, you can do that, but if you just fly through a Mario level you don't get that much out of it. You miss out on collectibles, the big coins and keys in Mario World, hidden pipes, etc. In Sonic, up until 3 where they introduced the hidden big rings, this was not really a thing. And, even then, I think you get a lot more by speeding through stages in Sonic after memorizing a path and timings than you do by executing perfectly flights through a Mario level, which, in my opinion, isn't very enjoyable at all most of the time. Which is why I think Mario always has more of a slower, exploratory pace.

I do think the replaybility design was purposeful for nearly every game on the system. How many games on the NES bothered with telegraphing things? Most of the telegraphs are not part of the game because of their limited memory, at best you'd get something in the booklets attached to the game but a majority of the games are about a dude running forward and things appear and you have very little time to react. Maybe it's due to the console limitations that they cannot phase in or have a clearer effect telegraphing whatever it is they're doing, but nevertheless it is just part of that design for the entire library, from Adventure Island to Ninja Gaiden to Ghosts and Goblins to Battletoads to Castlevania 2 to Contra to Megaman 2's Heatman stage and the impossible to see disappearing blocks and so much more in all these random games where you'd just never know what's coming unless you beat the game already after thousands of tries. I don't think the idea was to make you angry, I don't think anyone's idea is to make someone mad enough to quit really, it's to surprise, extend the length, and add a satisfaction of being able to clear it much faster when you got it all figured out. Did it work out in all the games? I don't think so. I have my select favorites where I do actually feel happy enough to revisit multiple times, where I feel like the gameplay is satisfying enough to me that I want to keep going at it, and I know that when I pick up one that I have already mastered, like Adventure Island back in the day, it will be an incredible 15-minutes of pure satisfaction. But I'll never be beating something like The Immortal, for example.
Basically, a good bit of it was certainly artificially extending length, but in turn it inherently makes those seconds playthroughs so much more satisfying.

I didn't really get the chance to do anything else aside from the main story in Hi-Fi Rush. I kinda scrambled to get the few things I could do in the free week I got from GamePass. I mentioned that I did try and do the secret doors but didn't have much fun with those.

"The only thing is that some parts, mostly during the last quarter or so, didn’t sit as well with me compared to the rest of it."
I can understand. It’s been some years since I saw NHK, but I remember feeling the arc involving the pyramid scheme in the back half was weaker than a lot of what came before, though not weak enough to override the power of the other material – and much of that other material was tremendously impactful to my college self. I don’t need to get into details of my personal life at the time, but let’s just say I related to Satou to a worrying degree. There’s also kind of a tragic, meta aspect to the series in that the author (an actual hikikomori) wrote the original novel as a way to both make money and possibly work through his own issues… but the success and royalties from the book allowed him to simply subsist on his existing lifestyle. At least, that was the case about twenty years ago; from a cursory google search it seems like he might be in a happier place these days.

Glowing reviews like that for Gunbuster are one reason I’d like to rewatch it eventually. At the time, I remember only finding the last couple episodes particularly good or memorable. Personally I’d recommend taking a look at the pseudo-sequel Diebuster too; I doubt you'll like it as much because it's far less coherent, but there's a lot of fun spectacle and visual design.

"...given how seemingly small, one-off details can suddenly take on huge relevance later!"
Yeah, Urasawa is great at stuff like that. I’m thinking about reading his 20th Century Boys manga soon, because it’s just about as acclaimed as Monster but lacks an anime adaptation.

"Gundam 0079, though... to be honest, I’m finding it a little hard to get through."
I get it, honestly. I struggled myself with the mecha-of-the-week pacing and lackluster visuals of the original Gundam; it’s a series kept aloft by its core concepts and themes, but the presentation can grate on the viewer depending on their personal tolerances. If you’re really having a hard time, it might be worth pivoting to the recap films, which are a reasonable (if not perfect) substitute. I’d say they have the opposite problem of being paced a bit too fast; they leave the core narrative intact but cut a lot of character-building moments (or even entire characters). A theoretical middle ground, like a 25ish episode series, would probably be my personal ideal form of 0079, but sadly no such thing exists.

But, whichever route you take to finish MSG, please don’t let it scare you away from the franchise entirely! There’s a number of really great entries out there (and by definition every one of them is at least somewhat more modern lol).

Are there any 2024 games in particular on your radar? From my perspective it seems like a far calmer year, but there might be stuff I’m blanking on or unaware of.

I'd be shocked if you didn't enjoy AW2 more than the first, as virtually everyone seems to (for good reason), but hard to say how much more you'll enjoy it. Fingers crossed for when you do get around to it one day.

I did notice you’ve been dipping your toes back into anime (and I can respect liking but not loving NHK; for me the series came along at the perfect time and place in my life to really hit home).

As far as current and recent seasonals, Frieren is definitely a highlight, though I’d still put it below Vinland Saga S2 and Mob Psycho S3 as far as my personal top anime of the past couple years. I did notice you had the first season of Vinland Saga on hold, but without knowing whether that was due to issues with the show itself or just bad timing of when you were watching, all I’ll say is that the second season has a substantial decrease in action with a corresponding increase in meaningful character writing. For some, that was a negative, but most seemed to feel the second season was better than the first (myself included).

If we’re excluding sequels, aside from Frieren, The Apothecary Diaries and Pluto have also been pretty strong recent anime. Pluto is actually adapted from a mid-2000s manga by the same author as Monster, if that piques your interest at all.

But putting seasonals aside, I’m glad you’ve been having a good time with some classics. I’d like to revisit Gunbuster one day myself. I saw it in freshman year of college, and enjoyed it, but have wondered if I might get more out of it now. Seeing as you’re also a fan of Evangelion, I’d recommend looking into Kare Kano at some point. It’s very different from Eva or Gunbuster, but it’s personally my favorite Anno-directed anime (though my favorite Anno work period may be Shin Godzilla).

And since I know you’re slowly but surely working through the original Gundam… once you do finish it, you’ll have all the necessary context to watch several other (and, in my opinion, better) Gundam series, like direct prequel The Origin or side stories like War in the Pocket and Thunderbolt. Some would also count Zeta as being better than the original, though I am not among them.

Otherwise… I actually haven’t been watching all that much non-seasonal anime as of late. 2023 was just too packed with games that took up a lot of my time, and that’ll probably continue in 2024 for another month or two. I surprised myself by finishing Persona 3 Reload so soon, but I barely have time to catch my breath before FF7 Rebirth and Unicorn Overlord over the next couple weeks (though I may save the latter for my birthday).

describing what monogatari is about is difficult, i still can't fully understand it myself either. i do recommend using a watch order for it to get the most out of the show though, whenever you do get around to watching it

i've actually played rain world for a bit but i couldn't seem to get into it at the time. the game not holding your hand throughout is a good thing, even if it did feel a little frustrating while i was playing. it's a game i want to revisit when i have more time (and patience) for it to truly appreciate it cause i do know it's good from what i've played of it

if you're looking for horror games to play then i've got a couple of recommendations, you might already know about them or you might have already played them, who knows. signalis, crow country, hollowbody and they speak: zenith are some you should check out. a few of them were a part of steam's next fest lineup too, though i don't know if their demos are still playable or not

as for games i'm looking forward to, unicorn overlord and the new eiyuden chronicles game look promising. unicorn overlord is a srpg developed by vanillaware and eiyuden is a spiritual successor to suikoden, with (i believe) some of the same people working on it as well. besides those two i'd like to get rebirth next week if i've finished or am somewhat close to finishing persona 3 reload at that point. any games you're getting in the next few months?

Hah, that’s basically the Alan Wake review I was expecting, and I don’t fundamentally disagree with any of your critiques. It (and every other Remedy game I've played) are definitely story-first experiences, with gameplay that tends to be at-best functional, at-worst dull and tedious. It’s no exaggeration to say that I consider every facet of Alan Wake II to be better than the first. However, don’t mistake that to imply AW2 is suddenly a fantastic experience on a pure gameplay level. Its gameplay really is merely better. There’s somewhat more variety and depth, being overall just more competent than its predecessor and closer to a genuine survival-horror game, but still not something anyone would look twice at if not for the narrative it was attached to. Obviously I won't spoil AW2's story, but broadly I think it makes good on a lot of the latent potential of the original's premise, so I hope you agree whenever you do get around to it.

As for Control and any potential DLC... I don't think it would be worthwhile for you to play Alan Wake's DLC, if you were even entertaining the idea. The DLC is about 85% combat, 15% story, and only a few bits and pieces of that story are especially relevant to AW2. I'd say you're better off spending a few minutes with a wiki synopsis or cutscene compilation here.

Control is a trickier case. I do think AW2 is enhanced by playing Control, but it's not strictly required. And ironically, when I say this, I'm mostly referring to the Control base game enhancing AW2, rather than the Alan Wake DLC itself. That DLC is more of a teaser than a meaningful narrative addition, despite some neat tidbits. So I guess, ultimately, I'd recommend looking into Control and considering if it sounds like something you'd enjoy in its own right, since it is by-and-large its own game with no Alan Wake connection. Personally I think it's an interesting game, with especially a fascinating world and lore, but again somewhat let down by forgettable gameplay.

Oh, and American Nightmare is completely skippable. Technically canon, but essentially rendered irrelevant and barely referenced by the events of AW2.

i hope to get around to it soon! hopefully this year at least, and speaking of rewatching shows, monogatari is another i'd like to watch again, mainly because of the announcement of the new seasons this year

i've actually gotten back into playing games this month after not having played any for the better part of last year. i wouldn't say that there any particular stand outs so far but i did recently rewatch the first season of true detective which remains great and some of my favorite reads from last year are veil and ikoku nikki

like you i still have a lot to get to as well, not in terms of backlog or anything, just procrastinating getting to some things

anything in particular you are or have played or are looking forward to playing soon?

you're a lot better at expressing why you like something than i am but it's great to see you're enjoying it so much, i can tell by how excited you sound. monster is something i've wanted to revisit ever since i first finished watching it a few years ago, i haven't ever gotten around to it yet though sadly

i'm doing good, it really has been a while hasn't it? how are you doing these days

are you enjoying monster?

Haha, don’t worry, I expected a long comment in response given your strong feelings on Outer Wilds. Sorry if my own thoughts ended up a bit long lol.


On a separate note, I noticed you didn’t care for the original Alan Wake. Any chance of moving on to Alan Wake II? It might still be worth your while, depending on the nature of your issues with the first game.

Happy New Year!

I also think technology progress kinda led to a different trajectory. Sonic's first outing in its earliest levels gets quite complex quite fast. In the meantime Mario was slowing down, I don't think you get that much out of Mario World if you go at full speed, and the haunted house levels being such a common ocurrence really highlights that. It's a lot more of an exploration 2D game in the sense that you can explore an entire level any time you get into it, you truly can get a lot on just one playthrough, whereas with Sonic it still keeps the replay philosophy but has a crazier level structure that's really difficult for me to wrap my head around lol. Like, I think you can see this a lot with these early Nintendo sequels, Zelda II, Mario II (the JP one), that kind of replaybility design, where your first runs are gonna end up with a lot of what we now call bullshit and get angry that you can't have a clean full experience with a game, but then your fifth or sixth full clear will feel incredible if you really get into the game. That truly was the trajectory of the design in a lot of instances. Nintendo greatly benefitted when it comes to longevity by moving away from that soon after, but not everyone did, which is why so many games aged the way they did for most modern audiences that want to play as many games as possible.

I think to me it was indeed that it was not just a break from the combat, it really did feel like the majority of the game when it comes to ratio. Really started to feel that when attempting to replay levels and trying to get to the secret doors. Combat was so short while the movement took much longer. I would love to see more of a concert idea some time from this game I think, even as like a DLC of some sort, a campaign of changing songs that are pure combat spectacles one after another. In general I just think this game feels like the beginning of something bigger, hopefully it is but you never know in the current landscape.

Good luck with the Baldur's Gates, I can only hope you find them interesting enough to keep retrying occasionally, unless you magically manage to click with it instantly to the point of wanting to spend dozens of hours on it. It definitely took me at least a dozen attempts.

I don’t have problems mastering systems for the sake of completing actual content, such as, say, beating the optional post-game levels in a modern Mario game. But optimization of the same set of levels ad nauseam is where things lose me. Rating systems and the like in games, where you’re graded on how well you complete an encounter or mission, barely matter to me for that reason. Unless there’s a very strong in-game incentive, I don’t feel a personal motivation to turn that B into an A, if you get what I mean. And yeah, I do have one friend who loves “hyper-optimization”. One of his favorite things in RPGs is rolling the final boss with some specific build or party setup. More power to him, but I prefer to just play games as designed for the most part lol.

I think my last comment put Outer Wilds on my mind, as I did end up playing it in full over the past couple weeks! You could probably categorize me as the “(greatly) enjoyed it with some reservations” type.

I'm completely on the same page. Whether it's games or another medium, an especially long experience always makes me think about the number of shorter ones I could've had fit into the same timeframe. I do think the best of the best long-form media tends to have a larger impact on me than the best of the best short-form, but it can be a gamble to even attempt something so long. Like, I'm not gonna watch every 100+ episode anime hoping for a hidden gem here or there, but a 12 episode run every so often? No problem. (And to your point about the hours being "samey", that's a big reason I rarely play multiplayer games for very long. I don't get much intrinsic enjoyment out of mastering a set of gameplay systems, which is what multiplayer games tend to boil down to for me - short of the occasional party game, of course.)

"I guess I’d always assumed the games were mainly notable for the novelty of a portable Mario game back then."
I would say that definitely describes Land 1, but Land 2 brings some interesting ideas to the table (even if the Gameboy tech only lets them take it so far). It's also a super short game, one that can be cleared in a sitting or two (especially with the use of save states and such), so I'd call it a curveball recommendation if you're ever in the mood for more Mario.

And happy new year! Sorry for the slow response; to be honest, I kept putting off replying because I'd been eyeing starting Outer Wilds before Christmas. Since I saw it's one of your favorite games, I was going to mention it when I did... but unfortunately time wasn't on my side, then Christmas came around with a slew of new titles as gifts and pushed my timeline out. But I'd still put it at a 99% chance that I play Outer Wilds in 2024; I picked it up during a holiday sale.

As always, I shall begin wih an apology for how long it took to respond. Just tradition at this point.

I do think that the marketing and the whole speed thing took away a lot from my enjoyment of classic Sonic, because I truly despised the slower platforming segments because of it. I say Sonic feels slippery and that's why I don't like them, but to be fair, classic Mario is extremely slippery as well and I never cared much about that. I do think it's just that I enjoy that feel of speed so much that anything getting in the way of that too much would be detrimental. Once again I just need to find an angle to approach a game from to really dig into it.

I do really hope that Frontiers 2 gets made, I think it did really well relatively to other recent Sonic games, so I hope they keep at it, but with this franchise, who knows. Sega has a lot on their plate right now with all the recently announced remakes of their classics though, so it's hard to say where Sonic as a franchise fits into all of that. Maybe a return to 2D Sonic is on the way, who knows. They did say they have more in store.

I really like Hi-Fi Rush. My one big thing with it is that I don't care whatsoever about the platforming and exploration segments, which took up a large chunk of time. I do enjoy finding all the robots and hearing all the quips and how everything moves to the beat, those are full of personality, but all the secrets and them needing you to replay these segments? Those tired me down a lot, I really didn't vibe with the level design. Admittedly that might be because I tried to cram so many games into my free Gamepass trial though haha