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...

A couple more thoughts... 7.3 in WoW is a goddamn playground for my paladin main. The story feels almost as much like an extension of the paladin campaign as it does the main Legion storyline. And while I'm a little annoyed at the density of enemies, I have had zero issues taking them on. Level 112 rare? Oh, that'll take a while to burn down, but I'm not going to die. Pull 8-10 normal enemies? Inconvenient to wrangle together, but again not a lethal threat. I'm sure other class/specs work just fine as well, but protection paladin feels almost ideal. I managed to squeeze in about half an hour with the Destiny 2 beta this morning. That was just enough time for me to finish the initial mission, skipping some of the cut scenes. Overall, it looks and plays pretty good. Of course, a beta doesn't necessarily accurately reflect the final product, but I do some some criticisms. For a new player, there was very little explanation of how to play. "Super charged....

The Long Dark remains my go-to background game. The first couple chapters of the story mode were enjoyable enough, though there's a bit of a disconnect when having to gather a bunch of supplies for one of the few NPCs you enounter. Comparatively, the survival mode is all about you. I'm still learning some things about it, and I find it enjoyable, if quiet. I'm easing back on Secret World Legends play. Transitioning from blue to purple gear feels like a pretty steep climb, and some of the later content in Transylvania and Tokyo is a bit rough to solo at that gear level, it seems. So the game's feeling a little more grindy at the moment. I've considered paying a month to be a "patron," but the rewards are surprisingly unmotivating to me. Lockbox keys and a few extra skill points seem unlikely to make much difference in the experience. GW2: Path of Fire is out at the end of September, which otherwise looks like a fairly bleak month for new releases from ...

Pepsi Fire is one of the oddest drinks I have sampled in quite some time. As a "cinnamon flavored cola," I suppose it's not really surprising - it has a taste far closer to liquid Red Hots than any a simpler cinnamon-sugar flavor. There's a little burn to the aftertaste. I can also see, in the initial flavor, how someone described it as being "vodka flavored." Not what I would call particularly desirable, but I told myself I'd try it and I did. I finished the "original" story quests to Secret World Legends and have pressed past some things that were old post-release content in TSW and into the recently released (for SWL, at least) return to Tokyo. There have been a few quests in that bunch that ramped things up a notch, in a good way. Driving an armed snow mobile was a little clunky, but fun. The additional cut scenes help with the storytelling. Of course, the story being told is still kind of hazy, but the experience there shows improvement...