Redwolf's Journal (continued)

So, I got in some hours of play time with GW2's new expansion over the weekend. I've not finished it, but... I think I cleared Act 2 of 3? So far, I'm a bit conflicted about it - or at least indecisive. First, there are the technical issues. There are always technical issues. Somehow, it's more annoying when I can't play on a weekend than a weeknight, and I don't know why Arenanet pushed this out on a Friday rather than the industry-standard Tuesday. Whatever the case, issues of being unable to log in or change zones plagued the game on and off. I played for a couple hours Sunday, then there was an update and I couldn't even stay connected to do guild missions that afternoon. Go figure. None of that is surprising, just kind of disappointing. I've unlocked the thief deadeye specialty, but haven't actually tried it yet. I don't really feel like learning a new gameplay style while trying to make story progress. The mounts are a mixed blessing.

Friday? That's just weird. Game releases are supposed to be on Tuesdays, everyone knows that. Heh. Well, fine. So, the new GW2 expansion is out Friday and... I guess that's fine. I'll be the first to point out I haven't really been digging into the meat of what's coming. I haven't tried any of the beta/preview stuff. I've only really looked briefly at the one new spec that applies to my main character. The talk of mounts makes me think "about time" rather than "awesome" (and I'm not really fond of the idea of having to do mastery tracks for them). The only new guild thing I've heard of is a new hall (which current guilds will already have one of) rather than any new missions to run. Overall... I think I've not been this unexcited about an expansion since... WoW: Warlords of Draenor. It probably doesn't help that the recent Living Story content has fallen a bit flat with me with too many abrupt changes of direction. Sea

As a general rule, I don't revisit stories. TV repeats make for comfortable background noise, but turning my focus to something I've experienced before is hard. I have whole seasons of shows on video tapes I really haven't watched more than a couple times. I know people who have read and reread books countless times, and that seems a bit alien to me. There are a few exceptions. I've gone back to some open world games (Elder Scrolls and the last few Fallout games for example), because there are branching experiences to be found there (though often my interest will peter out after a while). I replay the original Deus Ex every now and then becaues it was pretty damn great. But I'll rarely go back to a novel, as the story comes back to me and robs me of any real drive or need to go through it again. But after having a random impulse to seek out a book I'd read long ago based on wisps of recollection, I had to reread Barbara Hambly's Darwath trilogy. What I re

Over the weekend, I finished out Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice . That was... an experience. As a hack-and-slash game, it's mediocre - the combat system has a certain "weight" to it that's kind of nice, but it doesn't have much sense of fun and gets to feeling repetitive (some of which may be by design), with fights that are scattered and yet still manage to overstay their welcome at times. The puzzles are sort of neat, but not all that compelling on their own. Graphically, it's nicely done, but pretty bleak. The thick Norse lore provides a good atmosphere/flavor. The sound is well done in general, and I think justifies the recommendation of using headphones. The game has a lot going for it, particularly for non-major developer, but as a game there's nothing really great about it. It only really shines as an experience. In a very vague sense, it reminds me of Spec Ops: The Line - it's more powerful as a psychological journey than a game. GW2 progr