Today‘a game is some more Dead Space. I made it as far as Chapter 8 today. Not as crazy as my goal of 3 chapters a day. But what matters most to me is that I’m having fun so that’s more of a suggestion.

Anyways. I put the Beacon up. This section actually pissed me off a little because those big spinning arms were impossible to avoid. What I ended up doing was breaking the gravity clamps inside, and then going outside and doing everything there. Rather than what the game was suggesting I do.

On another topic, As I’ve been making my way through the game, I’ve found myself appreciating it more and more. Its design is really appealing to me because it’s not just generic bright Sci-fi, but it’s also mechanical and stuff. It reminds me of how things made to last are usually mechanical and bulky as it’s easier to repair them (with only the user presented side being futuristic). And getting to see that slowly become corrupted is cool.

Anyways. I boarded the Tram and made my way towards the deck. I saved right before boarding so I don’t get mixed up in anything. I’m gonna buckle in and try to complete this all in one more sitting as I’m really enjoying it and I want to see how it ends.

Today’s game is Assassins Creed Brotherhood. I’ve been playing this along with Dead Space. Dead Space would have been featured today but I got stuck on a boss and when I beat it I was left with no screenshots except 2. (For context, I take most of these screenshots for myself and then pair them with the writing).

Anyways, Assassins Creed Brotherhood. I have quite a bit of praise for this one. First off: the colors. That’s right. I didn’t ruin this one by fucking with reshape every 5 minutes.

I have to say that I find Ezio’s robes the most pleasing part of this. They’re so harsh to look at in a good way and almost seem to glow in direct sunlight. It resembles the promotional material which I love.

Then there’s Gameplay. It feels like a natural evolution of what 1 made, and 2 built off of. It feels cleaner, more refined even. Combat flows a lot cleaner and less janky. I will say though I feel as if they made countering with the hidden blade easier. Which I both like and dislike.

I like it because it’s good for combat. I don’t like it though because it feels too easy and reaching a “mastery” with it doesn’t feel as rewarding. Then again this could entirely be me gaslighting myself and maybe I just got good.

Speaking of getting good, one thing I’ve neglected to mention is the whole “training Desmond” thing is a cool Analog (at least to me) for fans who played the entirety of the first few games. We’re almost stepping into Desmond’s shoes and learning the gameplay loop to become the master Assassin ourselves. It’s a cool perspective I considered and like.

Anyways. I wanted to talk about this since Dead Space was giving me some problems. Tomorrow I’ll be back to it I believe. Though I’m really loving Brotherhood so maybe I’ll feature it again.

Today’s game is some more Dead Space. I wanted to start out by just appreciating the Boss Fights this game throws at you. I’ve only had two so far, maybe 5 chapters in. Both of them made good use of the game’s mechanics. There was the Brute-ish guy for example. I had to stasis him to beat him. I was a bit worried stasis would get relegated to an occasional “freeze this door” or “freeze this item in place” role outside of the option of using it combat. With this guy though it feels mandatory to get behind him.

I will admit though that I ran out midway through and started kiting him through a set of stairs to get pot shots on his back.

The second boss, and the one that was really interesting to me, was the invincible Necromorph. I liked having a (temporary) threat of a guy that couldn’t be beaten. Having to stasis it into the Cryo chamber and then freeze it was a really cool mechanic. The fact it’s still “alive” makes for an interesting threat to, because what if the guy can unfreeze him and sic him on the station. I doubt that’s what they’re going to pull. But it’s an interesting prospect.

Another detail I like is that the Cult is fucking everywhere. Some places are obvious. But some not so much. Like the Captain being revealed to be a Unitologist is revealed a little earlier if you notice the book chilling in his chair.

This is just me hypothesizing, but I also wonder if what’s his face who’s hiding in there is one too. Maybe he’s been reading it? It’s just a theory. Almost no evidence to back it up though.

Anyways. I made it to chapter 6 today when I have to eject the leviathan or whatever. Next I want to knock out another 3 chapters. Maybe more. This game is honestly making me nostalgic for Alan Wake again and when I 100% that. So I may try and 100% this to sate the feeling. It looks like it requires quite a few runs through though so that might be a wait of quite a while to pull off.

Today’s game is Dead Space. I did start AC Brotherhood today (I’m loving it) but I wanted to take a breather as 2 Assassins Creed games back to back is a lot. So instead I committed to this. I’ve had it in my library for a while now and never got around to playing it. Well now is the time.

First I have to compliment the diegetic design. It’s hard to pull off in a way that’s good I feel like, but Dead Space really pulls it off.

As for the story. It gives me major Aliens vibes. I only watched it for the first time last year. So I’m not super well versed in Aliens lore but I’m liking what I’m seeing of Dead Space.

I already know the big twist, so I won’t talk much on that. So instead I’ll talk about the Necromorphs: Cutting off their limbs is so satisfying. I know it sounds deranged but there’s something satisfying about lining up a shot and slicing off a limb. Really nice feeling. I also have taken to proximity mine trapping vents and double tapping any creatures. I feel more like I’m the antagonist here to be honest. It’s fun though.

Anyways. I’ve made it close to the end of Chapter 3. The centrifuge was a bit of a struggle as I kept going the opposite way of where I had to go. But once I figured that out I made it out there a lot quicker and gave things a rest once I ran into the first exploder.

Today’s game is Assassins Creed 2. I went ahead and buckled down and finished it today. I really enjoyed it. The DLCs did kind of interrupt the flow of the story. I think they’d have been better placed being put after the main story. But that’s just me.

The whole raid on Rome section was fun. I felt like it gave a linear space to utilize the stealth skills the game had been teaching you. My main gripe though comes from the linear aspect. It’s very obvious they had two main routes they expected you to follow which I didn’t really like. I ended up hugging the edge of the wall you run along to get there without being seen.

I did like the section where I had to get to the levers through the crowds. After not having crowd blending in AC1, I have to express how badly I missed it. If it was a physical concept I could kiss it.

I also really liked how Ezio is just a relay to get a message to Desmond. It adds some nice meta stuff and I really love the game utilizing the fact that there’s weird pseudo time travel shit going on. I’m hoping Brotherhood has less of that.

Speaking of Brotherhood. I went ahead and set it to download. I don’t know yet if I’m going to hop straight into it, as I love Assassins Creed, but 3 games back to back is a bit much. Then again I dont feel like the Ezio games are crazy long. So maybe I’ll commit to it and stop it AC3. Speaking of that. Since I already played it and Black Flag, here, what I instead was planning was just hopping in, finishing 100% and continuing to the next one.

Today's game is some more Assassin's Creed 2. I spent all day doing extra stuff. Namely (and this is actually what brought me to the synchronization point in the above picture) the feathers. I always here everyone talking about how bad they were, and i felt as my first brush with AC2, I'd go ahead and try and get them all.

I did it, it only took me like all day. Part of it was because i didn't realize i had to do a race for one, but the other was because i had to do Sequence 10 to get to the last few feathers. After that whole miserable ordeal though, i got to the end and got the cape that i will never use.

I gotta say though, i did find the cutscene between Ezio and his mother touching. It's too bad she doesn't get many roles in this game. I'd love to see her more involved.

I also did the tombs for Altair's armor. This is where i accidentally discovered the mod i was using for a free cam actually has a no clip built in too. I won't be using it but i nearly laughed my ass off as Ezio took too the sky flapping his arms like a bird, albeit a little frustrated too until i realized it's a glitch.

The glider mission was fun, though somehow i managed to get it stuck and had to wait for Archers too shoot it down to start over. After that though, with the second go it was a lot more fun.

Anyways, after all the feathers and the missions and Altairs armor, i just kind of messed around in the world waiting to get money from the Villa. I want to try and do most of the reasonable 100%, so basically everything except the damn chests. So i just kind of messed around and was working on buying all the art and weapons. I've got all the art and i'm a few weapons short. After that though it's just the armor.

I hear the PC versions include the DLCs that rip you out of the story, so when i return too it i'll get to do those. I haven't heard they're bad, just some tonal whiplash, but i also haven't heard they're good either, so i'll have to see.

Today's game is some more Assassin's Creed 2. I've mentioned before I've been playing with Reshade. I decided i'd mess with something else instead to keep myself from playing with the Reshade settings for more than 5 minutes, so i found something that gives me a freecam along with slo-mo controls and FOV controls. It's nice to have a photomode to use with this. Even just the HUD Toggle is nice.

I do feel a little shameful about using a freecam not in the game by default, but it's more of a personal enjoyment thing for me so i'll get over it.

Anyways, i completed sequence 7, and you know what i did? I just sailed around Venice on a boat i found. It was a relaxing evening with the OST. The OST of Assassin's Creed 2 really is a strong point. Jesper Kyd really knocked it out of the park. It makes me wonder what other things he's worked on that he's really killed it on. Knowing the the first 4 games are the only ones he worked on (until the RPG Era that is) really almost makes it feel more meaningful.

I was dicking around in the open world with the free cam, and got an upclose look at this guy. Certainly not meant to be viewed up close. I can't really say this is a strike against this game as i really shouldn't be this close to the guy and i think he was at a different LOD to, but it's hilarious to me how the model looked.

Honestly, exploring the world is one of the most nostalgic parts for me of Assassin's Creed games. They're what i grew up with, and when the story was all done and over i'd just run around the world killing enemies and running across rooftops. Honestly the noise of the Hidden blade extending is nostalgic enough for me because i'd flick it out as i ran around. Sometime's it'd start fights because i'd accidentally assassinate a guy. Black Flag and Unity were primarily where i did this (and that nostalgia might be particularly why i lean away towards the Ezio trilogy's default color palette).

Anyways, today was more of a nostalgia session for me than anything. I did do sequence 7 as i mentioned but that was a little bit of a blur to me. I did like the thieves guild though.

Today‘s game is Assassin’s Creed 2. I know I said it last time but this game is so gorgeous for its era. I will state this again too, that I am using ReShade to ditch the piss filter, but with some color stabbed into it, it looks good.

I especially love the field areas outside the cities. They feel so much more lively than what AC 1 had. In a way they remind me of Oblivion and how its cities look on the outside.

I notably made it to Venice. It looks really pretty so I’m excited to explore (plus tons of water), but I have heard that the parkour sucks kind of here. I’m hoping that’s not the case but I’ll have to see. I am excited to use the boats though, even if I suspect they’ll hurt my thumb.

I also liked getting to play as Altair in the Flashback. It’s cool they didn’t just ditch him to the wayside, even if he only really gets like 1 flashback (I assume) in this game. I know revelations though has a pretty big role for him though so I’ll be excited to play that again.

Anyways. As far as I know this is the halfway point so I’m already close to finished I think. I was hoping for some more modern day segments, but the lack of them I suppose is okay. Assassin’s creed 3 had that cool stadium segment I really liked so I know it doesn’t get entirely kicked to the curb (at least in this era)

Today's game is Assassin's Creed 2. I started this up today, and did a little tinkering with reshade. I still want to mess with it a bit because i feel it's way too saturated, but it's definitely got less of that ugly filter games of that era had. So, just consider this a disclosure that mileage will very if someone decides to replay this and sees my pictures.

I first wanted to start off by saying that the soundtrack to this game is absolutely amazing to me. The piece earth alone absolutely captured me with it's calm opening followed by the (what i assume) to be the electric bass.

Ezio's performance can come off a bit flat at times, but despite that there's something about him that has captured me in the same way my other favorites have. I think it's similar to Arno and how he goes from this almost cocky individual to something more reserved and at times furious. With my only other brush with him as a character being Revelations, it makes for a fascinating character arc. Especially since he gets a full 3 games to grow, something as far as i remember no one else gets.

This game really feels like they took the flaws of AC 1 and refined them. The parkour feels far nicer. So does the combat and the story. The characters feel like they have far more depth too. I suspect this will be as short as Assassin's Creed 1, but i'm hoping i'm wrong and we get a little more time. Obviously nothing crazy like Shadows but a Shorter game feels perfect, especially for a trilogy.

With the screenshot posts getting their anniversary yesterday, I decided I was feeling in the mood for Halo. So I gathered my friends together to kick off year 3. I decided to mix things up and do some maps and game modes we don’t usually do. Get a fresh perspective and all that. And on top of that I decided I’d limit myself. When I take my Halo Screenshots now. I do it with ReShade and take two versions. A version without filters (for these posts) and a version with for myself and friends/artsy sharing. I decided this time I’d do it without ReShade to see if that makes a difference. I’m proud to say to myself I think it did, and the photo above I feel is proof of that.

I like the framing of him running with the flag and the sun right over him. It makes for a strong image I really like. Plus with the way the shadow reflects across the ground it makes it an even more powerful image to me. If I could I think I would have gotten a different focal length. But I can’t really be a beggar with games and things like that. So I’ll take this.

From a game perspective we tried the duel game mode which honestly, I didn’t know it existed. For people who don’t know it’s basically just Slayer but the leader gets a big marker so they can’t hide. Honestly, that game mode is the most balanced one we’ve ever had. We usually have a point divide of ~10 Points between our skilled players and not so skilled players. This one everyone was around the same point level.

My assumption as to why is that everyone being clustered while also having a big target resulted in people favoring targeting the leader while also being up to jump another player by surprise. It was honestly interesting to see that be a result of the game mode, as I hadn’t expected it.

Anyways. I just thought playing one of my favorite games I’ve played on here would be a great way to start a new year of this. Tomorrow I’ll start AC2, though this has awakened another lust for Halo that may result in another day straight…

Today's is (if i did my math right, and i'm like 99% sure i did) the 2 Year Anniversary. I decided i'd do things the way i did it last time with a normal post with all the extra stuff attached at the end.

To celebrate 2 years i decided to just relax with my friends on the Minecraft server i set up. Setting up this server was a little bit of a headache, and I even set up docker to keep things a little tidier when handling it which added some extra work. But it's worth it to have a space like this to hang out with friends.

In the 2 Years the group i game with has grown from Me and My Best Friend with maybe an occasional other person, too almost 8 other people. Not all of them join for the same games, but that's fine. It feels unreal to an extent to have a group of friends like that, especially ones i feel i trust to such a degree.

Anyways, less about my feelings and more about the Server. I set up a series of secret tunnels running from my base too everyone else's along with secret windows. One of my tunnels got nearly discovered though so i also obfuscated them with a series of mazes armed with booby traps that would discourage anyone from exploring even if they did find it. It was a long project but well paid off in the end to essentially mess with my friends.

I also went to Tropicraft again which was fun. All my friends tagged along too, which in concept sounds fun but it somehow lagged the hell out of the server. I set up an Portal there to warp back and forth and we decided to just leave that place be for now.

2 Year Anniversary stuff

For the 2 year anniversary i wanted to do something different from last year. This is a lot less about the photos and instead i wanted to reflect on the games i played. The way i went about this was too first combine a (mostly) complete history of my screenshots into a stats sheet.

I say mostly because i didn't want to sift through 2 years worth of posts, so i wrote a script to do it for me, then i used that to sift through the incorrect info. It's still a little messy, but i thought it'd give a fascinating look into the screenshots.

For anyone curious though, the top 5 are:

• Halo (at ~82 entries (if we're cheating and counting the MCC as one entire game))
• Fallout New Vegas (at ~23 Entries)
• Alan Wake 2 (at ~22 Entries)
• Ghost of Tsushima (at 18 entries)
• Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered/Assassin's Creed Shadows (at ~17 entries)

Obviously i can't talk about this year without mentioning Halo. I didn't grow up with this franchise. Until i became an adult the only brush i had with it was a weekly LAN party we ran in my Middle School woodworking class which stuck strictly to Boarding Action Slayer. After that i didn't touch it again until i turned 18 and my Best Friend created a monster that would go on to have over 700 Hours and Climbing in Halo MCC.

The franchise has resonated with me in a way not many games have. I'm not a big PvP game person, but it's given me a space beyond that with my friends. It's became the spot where i'd say some of my most treasured memories with them have been made. All over a Voice Call and a game of Slayer, or Infection on Zealot, or hell even just replaying Halo 3 for the 500th god damn time. I can understand why the franchise is so dear to others, and i'm so glad i got a chance to experience it.

I'm going to skip over New Vegas, because it's New Vegas. I don't feel like it needs much more introduction. I ended up replaying Alan Wake 2 this year. I had gone into the semester enrolled in a Photography Class and was starting to feel like i could take on anything. So i decided to replay the game. It has one of my favorite Photo Modes of all time. So knowing that it felt like a perfect match.

As for the contents of the game? It's a story that just hit all the right feelings for me. The meta commentary alone is enough to catch my attention, and then all the extra stuff like Alan's character arc and the beauty and simultaneous horror of the world. Remedy truly crafted something special that i am not afraid to admit I cried a little when it was over. It was one of those games that left a hole in my heart and i don't think anything will ever fill it.

And with the subject of games that left a hole in my heart; Oneshot. I'm moving off the list here now. But this game to me was something special. It nailed every part of it's presentation in so many perfect ways. It made me feel attached to Niko in a paternal way i'm not sure i've ever felt for a fictional character. I was about to cry at the end when Niko left. And it manages to do all that without introducing any sort of combat mechanic or action. Every moment of this game was perfect to the point i don't think replaying it could ever recreate that feeling.

I will touch on one last thing, as though i had more planned, my Wi-Fi has unfortunately gone out and i'm using a hotspot with a supper spotty connection to write this. And that one last thing is The Last of Us Part II. It's the earliest game i remember from this year, partly because i made a blunder and assumed everyone knew a plot twist. I thought since it's what i remember earliest, it's what I'll end with. A proper closing to the last year of pictures.

I liked the game, i know it's a but controversial but on it's own i really liked it. I'm a sucker for a story of the cycle of violence. Is it corny and tacky, yeah. Probably, but i can't help but enjoy them. It looked pretty too and it made me feel invested in all the same ways the original did (which ironically was one of the last games i remember ending off last year with as i was 100% it around that time). I still need to 100% this game and finish my crushing run, but as a closure to the last year i think it's good.

Anyways, that will be all from tonight. I had been up sorting games for the last few hours and debugging a script i put off for far too long to get those stats for games. There was a bug where it could only scan like the first 476 Posts which was weird. I fixed it though. Sorry Lemmy api if there was anything weird going on. That was me. Anyways, before my hotspot disconnects me again I'm gonna end today here.

Today's game is Assassin's Creed. I finished it today, and the ending segment, gameplay wise, was rough. Like here where you have to kill the target? It throws like 10+ enemies at you with a combat system i struggled to grasp. What i ended up doing after about 10 retries was just standing up here and slashing at the enemies as they tried to climb up. A bit cheap? Probably. Is what Altair would do? Probably not. I was ready to be done with that fight though.

The boss fight towards the end had the same kind of issue, i did start to notice after all these deaths though that for some reason all the enemies put away their swords when you die and put their hands into fists. It's funny imagining Al Mualim throwing hands with Altair.

After a few rounds of that though i managed to get a few good counters in and beat the boss fight. I think it was the only one with waves like that which is interesting to me. Assassin's Creed isn't really a franchise i associate with having bosses with waves.

Anyways, as much as i enjoyed it, i see why people say it felt like a tech demo or a demo for it's older brother. It got repetitive, and it's combat felt really janky in a way. I know AC has always had kind of janky combat but this felt off even by it's standards. I still really liked it though. The story beats were engaging to me, and despite the jank it felt like a new experience i haven't gotten to with the AC Franchise.

I would say more on it, but i really don't have much more to say beyond that other than the story. I will briefly mention that i like Malik and his whole forgiveness of Altair and eventually coming to his rescue. It really i feel added to accentuate Altairs turn from how arrogant he was at the start.