The 1UP Rejects + Me

Greetings, Earth Clan.

Nearly all of my energy has been going into getting the 1UP Rejects project off the ground. We've got a great group of folks contributing with written words, streams, a podcast, and some video work. It's actually coming together. It's still very early in the process, but it's actually clicking, and I'm in love with it. We're still figuring some things out. We're definitely still in a 'beta' state. Give it a look, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitch, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube, and just generally let us take over your life. Please.

Most of my contribution has been getting the systems up and running, and a little streaming and a little writing. And a lot of coordinating people. It's exhausting, and I'm looking forward to checking out mentally for a few hours tonight, but I love it.

I've always wanted a modern games media outlet that skewed toward us old timers. The people that came of age during the magazine era, into the early days of 1UP.com. I kept waiting for it to happen, and then, during these last few months, I realized I could just get off (or actually, on) my ass and make it happen, with a lot of help from fellow 1UP Rejects.

So, yeah, give it a look, understand it's still early, but enjoy the content, and let us know what else you want.

So, here's some of my streaming series I've got going. Dragon Age is every Tuesday on the 1UP Rejects Twitch channel, and Witcher is whenever I feel like it on my Twitch channel.




And that's it for now. This blog is my personal stuff, while the Rejects is my big project, hopefully for a long time.

Thanks for reading!

-Blaine

Some Updating

So, October, with the Puerto Rico fundraiser, wiped my ass out, but it was a great success.

I took most of November to rest, as I went from summer code crunch time to neck surgery to recovery to a month-long intense fundraiser, and I needed to breathe.

So, here's some random shit for you.

The 1UP Rejects
First, some of my fellow 1UP.com community alumni and I have got this thing going called The 1UP Rejects. It's a ... thing. Videos and writing and streaming and shit. Check it out. It's actually very, very early, and doesn't really launch until next year, but take a gander and feel free to go ahead and start enjoying it.

I'm streaming there every Tuesday evening, at 8PM central. Last night was the first stream from the new channel, and it was ... an adventure, but ended up being very successful.

So watch me there, and/or follow this playlist (warning: some NSFW mods in there):



We have a show we're doing every Thursday on the channel, too. 8PM central, also.

Really, there should be stuff going most evenings over there, with a great variety of streamers, and we're starting to get some lunch slots filled, too.

Check us out:
Blog
Twitch
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook

Moving on ...

2017 Games
I've played a few games this year, and the two that left the biggest impact were Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Each of them are easily my favorite games of the year. They are wildly different games, and fed different parts of my soul, but I loved them both. DOS2 tickled my intellect deeply and let me stop and think. HZD was a really cool world and equally cool story with very rewarding combat and exploration.

Go play them both.

Also, any 'best game of 2017' nominee list that doesn't include them both is wrong and should be ignored.

This year, I've also enjoyed Torment: Tides of Numenera, Elex, Mass Effect Andromeda, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, ESO: Morrowind, and Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire. Go play all of those, too. Especially Torment.

What did I miss? What are your favorites from this year? Have you played HZD and DOS2? What'd you think?

I'm still playing through Elex, and I'm really looking forward to Seven: The Days Long Gone, which releases Friday. It's coming from some ex-CDPR devs, and it's isometric stealth parkour steampunk awesomeness.



Shit looks dope.

Follow me on Twitter for more stuff, probably streaming and random thoughts and shit. See ya.

-Blaine

HERE WE GO!!!

Hey, we're really kicking things off this week, in regards to our Halloween stream fundraiser.

YOU CAN DONATE HERE!!!

And, oh, hey, check out my first night of Soma here:

There were some technical issues, but we got past them, and it was a really fun stream. Give it a look.

Ultimately, I'm really, really wanting to make a difference in Puerto Rico. The devastation that has been wrought there is unbelievable, and so several of us have teamed up to try and raise money for a children's hospital in Puerto Rico.

Check out this week's schedule here. I'll be playing more Soma, and my friends are playing all kindsa great shit.

And please, help me promote the shit out of this.

Other Gaming

Otherwise, I'm still plowing through my second playthrough of Tyranny (this time, with all the extra shit they've added since it came out), which is a vastly underrated game. I've slowed a bit on Divinity: Original Sin 2, but I'll pick up the pace again soon. I just kinda ran face-first into something I'm not ready to tackle, so I'll need to come back to it later, even though I really wanna do it now. We'll see.

I also just got Forza MotorSport 7, which, as always, is excellent. I love driving my Honda Civic Si in real life, and the Forza series really feeds into that. This iteration is excellent. I'm amazed at how well-refined each entry is. I'd thought about just sticking with only the Horizon branch of the series, but I gave in last week, and I'm I got FM7. It's an absolute blast, and fun to play with my sons.

Elex is out in a couple weeks, on 10/17, and I am very excited. This game, I think, is going to be my main winter game. I'll probably ease into it, as I don't think I'm close to finishing DOS2, but we'll see. They're vastly different games, so I could play them concurrently, but with my Halloween streams ... eh, we'll see.

The Cardinals are out of the playoffs, so I'll have more free time than usual in October. This is sad.

Not Gaming
I found out recently that a woman with whom I'd shared a magical summer, 20 years ago, took her own life. I hadn't spoken to her in about 20 years, and that conversation hadn't gone well. I regret that now. I was unkind to a wonderful woman, and while we probably weren't long-term compatible as lovers, we did have an amazing summer together that I'll always treasure. I'm very surprised at how hard this has hit me, as she was ... amazing.

I have two things to say about this. One, every conversation you have could be the last you ever have with that person. This shouldn't dominate your thoughts or control every conversation, but perhaps, if things aren't going well in that relationship, you should try to end it in a way that leaves your conscience clean. Mine never will be, in regards to Teresa, and it's not the first time I've had this precise regret.

Two, if you are considering suicide, tell someone. Talk to someone. It's probably not the right choice. In the cases of terminal illness, maybe it is, but I think most people deserve to be happy, and you're probably one of them. Just reach out and give someone the chance to help you.

Hell, if ya don't wanna go that route, the national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255.

Give them a call. It's worth it. Life can be great if you can just find your footing.

Anyway, that's that. Death is permanent. A lot of us are still alive, and we can help others stay alive, whether it be through suicide prevention, or raising money for Puerto Rico.

Help us out. Please. And Spread the word.

-Blaine

Halloween Scream Team Team Stream

So, some fellow 1UP Rejects and I are doing a big-ass Extra Life fundraiser for a children's hospital in Puerto Rico. Hit that link and donate what you can.

I'm kicking off the first stream tonight at 8PM central (2000 for those that think of time correctly) with the Scorn demo!

Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv

I'd love it if you joined me as we check out this amazing-looking game tonight!

Horizon Zero Hope

At the end of July, I awoke one Sunday morning with a little soreness in my left shoulder. I asked my wife to rub it out a bit, and she did, but nothing seemed to help. It was a weird pain, too. I played a lotta sports in my younger years, and knew it wasn't muscle pain. It was something ... more precise? More along a straight line? I dunno how to describe it.

Anyway, by about lunch, I'd decided it was a pinched nerve, which I'd had in the same spot a few months before, and it had gone away on its own a couple times.

By that evening, I was starting to squirm with pain. It was starting to get bad, and it was getting harder to hide it from people.

I had already scheduled myself off that Monday, so I could drive the kids around to things while my wife was part of a panel for children's storytelling.

By lunch that day, I had to call my mother to have her take over because my entire left arm was basically useless. It was electrified with pain, and my hand had started to go numb.

I went to the hospital early the next morning. I will say that the one nice thing in this situation is that being a male in your 30s, overweight, with left arm pain, you go to the front of the line at the ER. I did explain several times that I wasn't have a heart attack, but whatever.

They admitted me, and time went by, and I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my spine. And FUCK, it hurt. I was diagnosed around the first week of August, and then it was discovered I had two herniated discs via MRI, and then, because of the severity, I needed surgery on my c6 and c7 vertebrae, and during the surgery, it was discovered that the impingement was even more severe than they'd thought, and that my spinal cord was in jeopardy. However, my surgeon was a rockstar, and fixed me up. From ER check-in to surgery was 18 days. 'Ozark' on Netflix was great, but 'The Defenders' was a little disappointing.

After surgery, I was laid out for at least a month.

Side note - I'm primarly a PC gamer. I occasionally slum it on console when I have to, but I much prefer PC, for a long list of reasons.

This condition left me basically unable to handle PC gaming for the time being. It was just too hard to get comfortable with my laptop and m/k setup for any length of time. I tried doing some games with just a mouse, and did start a second Tyranny playthrough, but it just wasn't really working for me.

My left hand was still recovering, too. I was getting a little bit more feeling in it every day, and decided that *gasp* a controller might be something that would help me rehab my hand.

I remembered a game that had dazzled me at E3 in 2016, that I'd bought when it came out in early 2017, but had been ignored by me in favor of Torment and Mass Effect.

(FYI - all these pics are mine, taken via screenshot on my PS4 Amateur.)

Horizon Zero Dawn.

I fired it up one morning, and just started seeing what was what. I'd played through the basic tutorial stuff maybe six months prior, and had to take a bit to remember how to do everything, but I eventually kinda got the hang of it, even with a left hand that was slowly coming back from being useless.

So, the main issue I had was everything on the left side of the controller, AND I was already not used to playing games with a controller anymore (I'd 'graduated' from most console gaming during the PS360 days.) I have both modern consoles (XB1 and PS4), but they're mostly for the kids.

The key issue was my left thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger, and the palm near all of those. Pre-surgery, most of the feeling was gone from there. Post-surgery, at first, a little had come back. And then, every day, a little more would come back. Still, movement and aiming was really hard at first, but I loved the game so much, I kept pushing myself to make myself use those digits and make them work.

So, I had a steep learning curve here.

Here's the thing, though. Guerilla Games made a nearly perfect game, especially for someone who was really worried if he'd ever be 'right' again.

I wasn't really talking much to people. I was, and still kinda am, worried that I'll never play guitar again, or feel my wife's cheek with my left hand, or even be able to move like I used to.

All of my favorite things, driving, playing guitar, PC gaming, all of it was taken from me, and I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do any of it again. Between you and me, I remember one night I got really pissed at my wife over something stupid that was not at all her fault, that was just me lashing out because I was so afraid, and I stormed out the front door (more like stiffly lurched), slid into my beloved Civic Si, and I just sat in the driver's seat and bawled for about 20min. I hit some really low points, man. I was directionless and demotivated and genuinely frightened. I'm not even 40 yet, man, and I was dealing with some serious shit.

Luckily, I'm easily distracted. I read every night to derail my anxiety, even before all this, and I love fictional worlds.

Horizon Zero Dawn has an already fascinating premise, especially for a science fiction junkie like me. Add to that a protagonist, Aloy, played perfectly by Ashly Burch, who doesn't belong anywhere, isn't accepted by anyone, and is in way over her head, and I was really feeling this character.

Horizon Zero Dawn called out to me. And one morning, I finally fired it up, mainly because I wanted to see how fucked my left hand still was. And I was curious to see if I could actually play through a console game.

Robot dinosaurs. Artifact hunting. Trap setting. Pre-battle strategy. Lotsa lore. And a surprisingly smooth controller-driven combat system.

Before long, every weekday morning, around 9AM, I'd fire up the PS4 and Aloy and I would continue our trek until lunch, when we'd break and eat, and then I'd continue on until one of my family chased me off the TV (part of the reason I don't play console much anymore).

I felt her lack of confidence, absolutely, and I shared it. What's incredible about the game is how it allowed me to work with it to boost my confidence. It encourages experimentation. The leveling is just right. Maybe this is something all games do. I don't know. All I do know is that HZD was a really big part (along with some great family and friends) of getting me through one of the most difficult times in my life.

As the weeks went by, the hand got better, the neck/back got less sore, and like I said, I was seeking out challenges. At the start, every encounter with enemies was terrifying, but toward the end, I was all like, 'BITCH, PLEASE' to the bigger machines. That's something I rarely do in games. I usually like to just get the story, and then bail. In this case, though, I loved the world so much, I was pulling up bandit fortress locations and cauldron locations on my iPad Mini, and I actually got a little obsessed with hitting level 50.

I'll never forget, toward the end, barely being able to get out of my recliner and walk, but I was hunting for Thunderjaws and Stormbirds to take down. I was filled with confidence, and I began using that same confidence to get off my butt and start taking walks around the block, and to fill my mind with positivity and hope.

Hope.

That was the main thing HZD gave me. Hope. At the start, the game does an incredible job of presenting to the player a very daunting world. It also gives you all the tools you need to succeed, but it's up to the player to figure out how best to deal with it all. (pro-tip, the Ropecaster is your best goddam friend toward the end)

Horizon Zero Dawn filled my mind. It gave me a place to protect and nurture my soul as my body mended. Aloy's world was a vast and intimidating one, but it was also one that I came to know I could exist in while I needed to give my body time to do its thing.

As my medical leave wound down, I started getting concerned that I wouldn't finish the game before I had to return to Earth. Something in me told me that Aloy and I needed to see this all the way through, or I wouldn't be ready to face the world again. Like I said, I'd hit a point in which I was running around, trophy-hunting, and then one day, I decided to take the plunge. It was time to face the big bad. And we did it. Aloy and I completed the task, and goddamit, that ending got me. I had tears streaming down my face. On one hand, the ending was that touching, but on the other, I knew it was time to take the confidence I'd built up in HZD, and translate that to returning to Earth. She and I were saying goodbye (well, until November 7 this year.)

There was one other lesson that Aloy imparted to me, though. I wasn't going to return to my old life. She'd affected change. That was something I could do, too. I didn't really wanna return to my old life. Nothing about it was horrible, at all, but there are things out there that I want to do that I've made reasons not to do, and I'm already taking steps in that direction now. Long story short, I haven't had a proper outlet for a long time, and I'm crafting one for myself. Creativity is essential to what I am.

I still feel like I haven't explained this well. Every so often, a game or a film or a record or a novel is there at exactly the right time, and ya just merge with it.

As for now ... I'm much better than I was, even if it's been hard to return to Earth. I'm really sore, I have most of my feeling back, and when you been outta the game for a couple months, it just takes a while to get back into the rhythm of Earth.

The plan is to write here some more, stream some more, and just be a little more 'involved' in the gaming world, instead of just lurking in its fringes.

I also really wanna talk about Divinity: Original Sin 2 soon. I am loving that game, as well.

-Blaine

Returning From Spinal Surgery

Hey All,

I am alive. I've been away. I'm recovering from spinal surgery right now. I'm mostly OK, but still missing some feeling in some areas of my body, and my neck, where I had the surgery, is pretty stiff.

I'm going to start doing more thoughtful and critical writing about games in this space, as well as some peripheral topics that will probably include media in general, and occasionally, sports and music.

I had a lot of time to just to sit and think, and one of the things that really sunk in was how much I need an outlet, and how much I enjoy writing. I also have an idea for a mod for Divinity: Original Sin 2 that I wanna get going on.

Oh, and Horizon: Zero Dawn and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are both incredible games.

I'm also going to get some streaming going soon.

-Blaine

a quick shout

Shit's still outta-control insane busy, but I feel like talking at someone about games, so here's some quick hits.

Looks like Bethesda's starting up the hype train by teasing some E3 announcements. PC Gamer has a good take on it. Obviously, there are two unknown properties that will be discussed, but I also think that the bigger surprises might come from games that are already shown there. I also think it's maybe time to retire Skyrim. The Morrowind expac will have just dropped, so another big-ass ESO announcement would be nice. I'm tired of them milking Skyrim. As for Fallout ... go big or go home. Gimme New Vegas 2 from Obsidian. A single-player expac for Doom would be awesome. Dishonored is on there, so something substantial in that area would be cool. No more trials, please. Gimme a proper expansion. And it looks like there be Prey post-release content? Wow.

As for the new stuff ... I'd love to see a new IP, obviously. I'd love to see another Rage game. Yeah, I'm that guy.

Dirt 4 has a trailer. Unfortunately, it looks like they're going arcade-style again, after the excellent Dirt Rally. This seems an odd choice.



On the plus side, FFXIV has dropped a pretty new trailer for Stormblood.



I also think I'm gonna ramp up my presence here. I'm getting pretty frustrated with existing so-called 'gamers' and gaming communities, so I'm giving thought to starting my own. I'm just tired of the hate, hyperbole, and discrimination. I try to learn from those that are different, but I know a lotta people that react in the opposite way.

I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do. I just wanna start a community that's more inclusive. I firmly believe that most gaming enthusiasts aren't what 'gamers' portray themselves as. I think most are normal, well-adjusted adults. Not the alt-right GamerGate Nazi fucks that are most commonly out in front.

Regardless, I'm also really fucking tired and I've had people all up in my face nonstop for weeks. I'm a private person that values his alone time greatly, and I rarely get it, especially lately. That's just how this time of year is for me. Holy cow, though, dude ... I am exhausted, both in terms of lack of sleep, but also in terms of face time with other humans.

Whatcha Playin'?
I'm still double-fisting Mass Effect: Andromeda and Torment: Tides of Numenera, with a side of The Elder Scrolls Online. I finished the ESO main campaign this weekend, and that was pretty rad. I haven't had much gaming time lately, but after I do some travel next week, I should be able to finally have some personal time again, around mid-May.

My goal is to finish MEA and TToN before E3. I think that's feasible.

I'm also trying to do a Dawn of War 3 mission whenever I can. I love that series. I'm not totally sold on the new one yet, mainly because I LOVED the cover system in DoW2, which has been replaced with something ... else, and I don't love it ... yet.

We've also got Prey coming next week, though I'll be traveling at the time. I'm still going to try and get it going then, but I'll likely have to wait until mid-May before I can really dig in.

Zzz
Anyway, I'm tired as fuck and tired of people as fuck. I'm tired of humans. I'm tired of being tired. I used to love spring time. I think next year, I'm going to just force everyone to fuck off in April. I dunno.

Good night.

-Blaine

Betas and Busy

Howdy.

I played a shitload of Mass Effect: Andromeda over the weekend. The game has really sunk its hooks into me. For me, the planet of Kadara was a real turning point. Everything prior to that was cool, and I was really digging the 'explorer' vibe, but Kadara is where I really got into the story, and where I really started to like my companions. I'm now about 60 hours into the game, and a little less than halfway to completion.

I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but reading Nexus Uprising has added a lot of cool background information to my experience. If you've played MEA at all, you can gather from the title what it's about.

Really, I'm having a harder time than ever with the critical abuse that this game has taken. I'm not gonna expound on why people act like hateful lemmings, but let me explain how you should approach this game.

One, it's a new games that takes place in the Mass Effect universe. A lot of mechanics, weapons, species, and more will seem familiar. However, it is NOT ME4, in any sense. It has a 'feel' that is vastly different from the other three games, and story-wise, it's a clean break that references back to ME1 and ME2 a little bit.

Just go into it loving the universe, but not expecting more of what you know, and you'll fall in love. I really feel, strongly, that this was a great move for the franchise, and I really wanna see more in Andromeda.

As always, Torment is what I'm hitting a bit each week, and it'll shift back to being my 'main' game once MEA wraps up. Torment is a hell of a game.

Meanwhile, I've been on two betas. One was Dawn of War III, which I sniffed at briefly, but just never made time for because of MEA. The other, I can't talk about at all because of an NDA, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

PRE3
We're in the last seven weeks before E3. It's getting so close, I can start to feel the hum of excitement coursing throughout the gaming world.

Typically, leading up to E3, I set some gaming goals for myself. Nothing really hardcore or crazy, just for fun, and to nudge me a bit to clear my pile of shame somewhat.

This year, we're targeting Mass Effect: Andromeda, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and the Elder Scrolls Online campaign, which I've been sitting on the end of for over a month now.

What's tough is that between now and E3, we're seeing Dawn of War III drop this week, Prey next week, and Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind on 6/6.

And I haven't even mentioned the PS4 games I still haven't finished.

The pile of shame is going to swell, and then hopefully, the summer sees a drought of releases. 2017 has been nuts in terms of releases.

Oh shit, I also accidentally bought Ghost Recon: Wildlands! Don't ask! But it's really fun!

Beyond that, I'm going through the joyful exercise of slowly building my E3 week. Every day, I scour the internet for more dates and times and anything that might add to the week. I build quite an experience for myself every year, and this year shall be no different.

So far, we know about EA, Microsoft, and Bethesda's pressers. We're still waiting to hear from Ubisoft, Sony, and maybe PC Gamer. I hope they do another PC Gamer Show at E3. I've really enjoyed those.

It'd be interesting to see someone else push their way onto the scene. Squenix has done PRE3 pressers on occasion. Acitivision or Blizzard would be interesting.

What's been getting harder each E3 is the fact that EA owns BioWare, and EA's presser is worse and worse every year, and they just haven't leveraged BioWare well in a long time. This year will be interesting, since we're going to see a new IP from BioWare.

What I'm expecting, though, is that Andrew Wilson will come out, lead off with two minutes of a shooter that everyone but me wants, then talk about BioWare for maybe 90 seconds, and then we go into 90min of fucking soccer.

I hope not.

I'll do a full EA preview when we get closer to the actual event.

What about you? You hyped for E3? What do you wanna see?

-Blaine

KotOR No More ... until mid-May

Hey ya'll. I'm putting the KotOR stream series on hold until mid-May. I need the time on Thursday and Friday nights for other things.

I'll be doing random, barely-announced streams at other times. I'll still stream Dawn of War III beta this weekend.

-Blaine

Happy Almost-Friday

I didn't post the last couple days, but I still wanna be your favorite bloggist.

Some shit got kinda dramatic in a few parts of life, and it was a couple days in which it was best if I avoided a medium in which I tell the world what I'm thinking about or what's going on.

It can be hard to maintain perspective at times, especially if you've got a history that's had some rather dramatic moments, but not in a while, if ya follow me. I thrive on being boring. I'm boring by design.

That being said, sometimes shit happens, and it's no one's fault. You can either keep it to yourself, or you can talk to someone. I encourage you to talk to someone. If you think you can't find someone to talk to, keep trying. You might be surprised. Just don't give up. It's worth it to keep trying.

While talking, make sure to listen, too. I had a good friend this morning throw something back at me from another perspective that really surprised me, and it was actually extremely helpful, and something I needed to hear.

When you feel like you're in crisis, clear your head, and really look around you. Your support network is bigger than you realize.

Anyway ...



I'm really stoked because Dawn of War 3 is out in a week, followed by Prey the next week, and I'm already backlogged by Mass Effect: Andromeda, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Oh, and Elder Scrolls Online gets the Morrowind expac in June.

The good thing is that, after that, I've presumably got several months until anything interesting releases.

Regardless, this weekend, DoW3 is running an open beta that I'll be streaming on Twitch. I'm stoked to get in there and get my ass handed to me. I've loved the Dawn of War series for a long, long time, and I've loved Relic's ambitious and unapologetic approach. They drastically change the game with each numbered release, and that's kept the series fresh while also pushing the medium forward.

I'm not sure exactly what I'll be going live. I'm guessing probably Sunday? My weekends are back to being crazy for a while. Either way, I'll post to Twitter and probably here.

That KotOR Streaming Series
We're resuming the stream tonight and tomorrow night!

My last two episodes, the mic was fucked. I'm sorry. Thank the Maker for a friend that popped in and told me. That has been fixed, and we're resuming tonight!

I'll be going live around 8PM central both nights. Tonight, we start Tattooine, which is a really fun planet in KotOR.

Other Gaming Stuff
My gaming time, lately, is really cut down. That should alleviate once we into the second week in May. I think.

What little time I've had has been devoted, mostly, to Mass Effect: Andromeda, which I'm still really enjoying. I'm also squeezing in some Elder Scrolls Legends when I can, here and there. I hit a point the other night, though, where I really needed something else. I'm not a one-game guy. I'm just not. I fired up Torment for the first time in a month (I got frustrated by an unwinnable battle and Mass Effect hit), and fell right back in love. I was able to come at the battle another way, with no fighting, and move things forward. God, I love that game.

I think my goal is to finish Mass Effect and Torment before E3. We'll see. It would be fun to take the summer and do something different, which is play mostly PlayStation games. My family and I use the Xbox One constantly, but hardly ever touch the PS4, but it has two games I want to finish, which are Horizon and Uncharted 4.

I'm also giving thought to writing off console exclusives altogether. Console games are very inconvenient for me to play, and I really think I might just vote against them with my dollar. Not releasing every game on the device on which it was developed is just stupid. Not being able to take a game on the road or to work or mod it or any of that shit in 2017 is absurd, and I don't want to support it.

Anyway, that's all for now. Time for movie lunch at work.

Oh shit, and there's a new SWTOR release. I need to play that!

-Blaine

Let the countdown to E3 begin in earnest

Yeah, so I more or less start the countdown to E3 as soon as the previous one ends. Yeah, I love it that much.

I don't REALLY start thinking about it much until I start seeing how publishers are positioning products marketing-wise in December at the Game Awards. That often tells me a lot about what we're gonna see in the spring, versus what will still need to show at E3 the following year.

I start really zeroing in on it a bit more when spring training hits, as that's the last HUGE thing for me, in terms of time off from work, before E3.

Star Wars Celebration is now inserted in there, as well, though they're skipping it next year. Sigh ...

... so yeah, I'm now fully locked in on E3, which is now only two months away. A little less, actually.

As has been happening the last couple years, the major press conferences are spreading out more and more, as publishers jockey to dominate the news cycle for at least a day each before the show starts on the Tuesday of E3 week. We now have EA going on Saturday, MS and Bethesda on Sunday, and I'm assuming, Ubi and Sony on Monday. I'd love to see PC Gamer Show return, as well. With Monday wide open now, maybe they could slot in early? I dunno. That's usually Microsoft's spot, but they've jumped to the day before, so who knows what the hell is gonna happen now?

And E3 is changing. They're now open to the public, publishers are setting up their own nearby events, some publishers have returned, and the online viewership is higher than ever. I love it.

Where once it was an event that a lot of read about a month or more later in a printed magazine, everything from the nature of the vertical slice demos (more and more, they're just recorded videos) to the cost and bombast of the pressers (they're bigger and louder than ever) is totally different, and that's not even bringing up the 'live at E3' streams that have cropped up in the last decade.

I remember first 'watching' E3 on G4TV. I actually went a couple years, before ever watching it at home, and I gotta tell ya, watching it at home is better, though I am ever-thankful for the context that actually having gone has provided me. If you've never gone, and you love games, just go at least once. It's fucking rad, and if you're working, be prepared to lose about 10 pounds. For real.

I'm really curious to see how the show and its attached pressers/events 'feel' when there's more breathing room.

And for the uninitiated, E3 is really two distinct parts. First, there's the 'PRE3 Pressers,' as I call them, where each of the major publishers (Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, and Sony) takes the stage and announces the announcements that leaked the week before.

The second part, the actual 'E3' floor show, runs Tuesday through Thursday that week. That's where you see all the live demos and shit.

So, I'm really curious to see how this year feels. It'll be fun.

I'm also curious to see how the show evolves in other ways. I think one thing that they can do is chase after more of the PC indies. The console 'indies' get plenty of love by being propped up by the console holder, so it'd be nice to see games like Wasteland 3 and Pillars of Eternity 2 get some love. This is as much on the press outlets as it is the show organizers.

I think it may also be time to check against the original purpose of the show, which was to hype games and gaming-related products to press outlets and retailers. While I'm not opposed to allowing the general public into the show, I think maybe they should restrict the hours or days in which the general public can attend. I promise you, the general public being in attendance is going to be a problem this year.

But we'll see.

I think, over the next several weeks, I'm going to do a column or two on what I wanna see at the show this year, as well as some previews of products that I know are going to be there, about which I'm excited. Good times.

What about you? What's got you stoked for E3 this year?

-Blaine

Star Wars Celebration Day 2 is Over! KotOR time!!!

First, watch this:



Wow. Just wow. Gonna watch that several more times tonight.

Day two was awesome, and it's still just building to the big blowout. Yesterday morning, with the 40 Years panel, and today, with The Last Jedi panel and then the Carrie Fisher tribute, were probably the emotional peaks, but we're gonna dig into the games and the books and the comics and all that great stuff the next two days, and I can't wait. We've already found out about some Phasma comics and novel coming, as well as another Leia novel from Claudia Gray, which is awesome.

Tonight, though, very soon, in the next several minutes, in fact, we're gonna settle in for some KotOR and talk even more Star Wars. Join me at 9PMe/8PMc over on my Twitch channel.

Otherwise, I'll post some more video-watching spots in the AM and preview some of the action.

See ya shortly.

-Blaine

Star Wars Celebration Day 2! Almost there!

Day 1 Thoughts
So, yesterday was an absolute blast. The '40 Years of Star Wars' panel was almost overwhelming in how emotional it got. It was an incredible experience, and one I will always remember. I think that's something that will never, ever be topped. I was a heaping mess by the end.

What's interesting about yesterday is that it seemed very much focused on the Lucas Era. The 40 Years panel, Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, the surviving original cast, and more. It was all A New Hope through The Clone Wars.

I really liked that they did that, that they seemed to carve out a day just for those that are no longer with us in corporeal form, and those that do not have any more work with the franchise in the future. It wasn't something that they came out and said, but towards the end of the day, I began to pick up on the theme.

Yes, for those of you that are utterly pedantic, there were references and glimpses of post-Lucas stuff, but the focus was utterly on Lucas Era.

My previous post has the video of the 40 Years panel. Watch it, seriously.

Day 2 HYPE
Today, though, we're talking about THE FUTURE! MOSTLY!

First up! The Last Jedi panel! Watch below (and then it'll go totally dead after the live stream)!



Then, as soon as that's done, the day rolls on, with The Star Wars Show Live!



I cannot frakkin' wait. I REALLY HOPE The Last Jedi stream doesn't totally shit the bed, like the 40 Years stream did toward the end.

Either way, enjoy it, and I'll be back a little later with a wrap-up and to pimp tonight's KotOR stream, which will happen at 9PMe/8PMc, in which I'll be talking Star Wars and even more Star Wars.

See ya'll later! Enjoy the show!

-Blaine

Star Wars Celebration Day One & KotOR!!!

Wow. What an incredibly emotional day. That opening 40th anniversary panel was just mind-blowing. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out below.



I'm man enough to admit that I was in tears for parts of it, that I was doubled-over in laughter for parts of it, and in awe for parts of it. It was beautiful.

Otherwise, the rest of the stream was just pure joy. Ian McDiarmid, Warwick Davis, Ray Park, and more were amazing to hear from, and Andi Gutierrez and Anthony Carboni are great hosts.

I'll be talking more tonight as I continue my KotOR stream/video series. Check out the current progress here or below.



I'm really having a great time replaying these games, and I love sharing my love for them, as well as a decent amount of knowledge. And I know a lot of you also love these games, so come hang out, talk KotOR, talk Celebration, talk whatever. It's a blast. We have some fun Dantooine stuff lined up for the weekend.

I'll be going live at 9PMe/8PMc. I hope to see you there!

-Blaine

Star Wars Celebration - Day One Preview! Watch the show right here!

It's almost here! Star Wars Celebration!

You can watch everything for day one right here!

First up, we have the '40 Years of Star Wars' panel here or just below! This starts at 1100e/1000c.



Then, at 1230e/1130c, the day-long Star Wars Show launces! You can watch here or below!



It's gonna be a blast. I cannot wait. Aside from E3, this is maybe my favorite con every year. Hell, it's better than E3 in a lotta ways.

I'll be back later to write up some thoughts on the day's festivities. What are you most looking forward to today?

-Blaine

It's almost Celebration time!

I'm super-stoked. Star Wars Celebration 2017 starts tomorrow!

I've watched the past two iterations online, and it was absolutely wonderful, as a Star Wars fan. I got to hear from the BIG names (Mark, Carrie, Daisy, Billy D, etc), as well as the smaller bit players, who were just as interesting (random Imperial Admirals, guys in alien costumes, etc). And let's not forget about the trailers and behind-the-scenes footage. And the video games. And the fandom.

Some time, I'm going to go, but it will not be this year.

Luckily, they're streaming the show online, and we'll have a steady feed. Obviously, not everything will be shown, since there won't be multiple live feeds, but enough that I'm really excited.

What, specifically, has me so pumped?

First, I'm pretty isolated in my level of passion for things. I'm always the most 'into' something of anyone with whom I'm close. People that exceed my level of passion for things like Star Wars or Star Trek or Dragon Age or whatever tend to have debilitating mental or social problems, and it's difficult for anyone to be close to them. I won't enjoy things like Star Wars at the cost of losing my job, my family, what's left of my physical condition, etc. Even I have boundaries.

ANYWAY, everyone that's close to me skews more 'normie,' and I know that they don't like hearing about what I love, so I spend a lot of time alone in my love for Star Wars. It's OK. I'm used to it, and it's not something that's destroying my life or anything. It's all good.

But the Celebration stream is a chance for me to revel in my love for Star Wars, and share it with my wife and kids, and let them get a taste of what it means for me.

Star Wars and Star Trek are woven into my life, and have been since as far back as I can remember. They've been constant companions, and while we've grown apart at times, or had difficult moments, we've always come back together.

I'd love it if Star Trek had something like the Star Wars Celebration stream. God, that would be amazing.

It's great getting to share the passion for a few days every year (except next year, apparently.)

Second, the announcements. Whether it be a new Marvel comic series, or a new novel (please bring back Karen Traviss), a new Star Wars game (please make another PC RPG), a Rebels announcement, or *GASP* a new film, I'm all over it. I've loved seeing this universe simplify, and then expand. I cannot wait to see what this year holds.

Third, the reveals. What do I mean? C'mon, guys. The trailer and/or footage.

I will never forget watching the "Chewie, we're home." trailer and sobbing, along with millions of other geeks. I don't know that we'll ever have a moment like that again, unless they bring back Revan from deletion.

The whole thing is just magical. It's a chance to connect directly with something that is a persistent source of joy and wonder. It's something that bridges my child brain and adult brain.

It's going to be so hard watching Mark lead the Carrie Fisher memorial (I can't believe I'm even typing those words), but it's something that I think we all need. I've certainly not totally reconciled my feelings on her passing, and every time I see her, it's like a lightsaber through the gut, but I'm ready to hear Mark talk about it. I hope it heals.

But, yeah, I'm excited to see any and all cast and crew, I'm excited to learn and see more about The Last Jedi, I crave more details on the Han Solo flick, and I wanna see anything else that's in the pipeline, especially if maybe, possibly BioWare has something fun to announce? Maybe?

So, keep an eye on the Star Wars YouTube channel, keep an eye on the Celebration site, and let me know what you're excited about!

May the Force be with you!

-Blaine

KotOR III? KotOR HD? KotOR Online? WHAT IS IT?!?!

UPDATE 4/11 1338: Fuck my life. It's probably all a misunderstanding.

Original:
How funny that I've been running a weekly Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic stream/video series, and it looks like BioWare Austin might have something interesting to say about the series this weekend at Star Wars Celebration. This isn't a guarantee. They might make us wait all the way until E3, though that would really bum me out.



I've gone on and on about how much the Knights of the Old Republic games mean to me, and how they fundamentally changed gaming for me, so if this results in a new game ... holy shit, I will be in tears. Even if it's a reimagining of the original, so long as it's NEW, I'll be over the moon. If it's just a remake or a high-res version ... well, shit, watch the above video that I made. I can do that. I will not be excited about the same game, but prettier.

My understanding, though, is that this is, in fact, something new. Maybe a new version of KotOR that brings the game in line with what Disney wants for canon? That would be interesting. I can't imagine what they'd want to change, but whatever. I'm down.

Alongside this, for the last several months, we've been seeing KotOR creep into the canon anyway. From planets to ships to species, all unique to the Old Republic-era EU, they've been getting mentions or appearances in Rogue One, Rebels, and novels.

I think this might be real.

If it is, I actually heard about it last year, shortly before E3. I mistakenly assumed that it was going to show up at EA's presentation. When it didn't, I was VERY confused, as I had a pretty good source on it. We'll see, though. I hope it shows up this weekend. It's going to be so hard to restrain my enthusiasm, but this 'leak' is so well-timed. It might be a coincidence, but perhaps it's tehe Force ...

I've gotta temper my expectations, though. I need to be ready for nothing I care about to be announced at the gaming panel. Hey, at least I'll get to see stuff about The Last Jedi ...

... fuck, I just can't handle this. FUCK.

Anyway, it's movie lunch day, so I gotta split.

How about you? Do you want a new Knights of the Old Republic? Would you be OK with a remake? What do you want Disney to do with the Old Republic? Should they just make it all canon?

Also, if you wanna talk more about this live on my show, I'm streaming a KotOR playthrough on Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM central on my Twitch channel.

Lemme know! And may be the Force with you!

-Blaine

Happy Monday!

Welcome to Monday. I didn't get a lotta time here last week, which is too bad, because I like typing at you. It helps me organize my thoughts.

It was a decent weekend, if too busy (again.) This will get remedied soon. I had some great family time, took in a game at Busch, and got some quality time with Mass Effect: Andromeda, and had a couple really good episodes in my ongoing KotOR Twitch/YouTube series.



Mass Lemming Effect
I'm now 35 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda and still don't hate it. In fact, I quite like it, actually. I've, on occasion, had a flickering scene. It's happened, I think, three times. Once, it was so bad, it lasted about ten seconds.

I know, I know, I shouldn't be snide. but the groupthink and lemming-like followers desperately wanting to pile on with hate for this game just really disturbed me. People were enjoying being dicks. I don't understand that.

Regardless, this is not a perfect game. A few lines have made me wince in how cliché they are, I started to feel a little side quest fatigue on Voeld, and I can see why most humans wouldn't be wowed by the story.

This is a mass-market game that isn't a mass-market game. It's a quiet, introspective experience, at least relative to the melodrama and bombast of the original trilogy (which I adored), and I think a lot of people have brought, and will continue to bring, the wrong expectation to the game. I listened to their marketing, and the message I got was 'you're not pew-pew military guy, you're now explorer guy.' That had me super-hyped, and that expectation has actually been exceeded. I deeply roleplay my games, at least the first time through (one of the reasons I won't stream games my first time through), and this has been feeding a deep fantasy of mine, which is to be a space explorer. I love it.

What's upsetting is that the me-too pile-on gangbang of negativity is gonna harm this series, and make development even more directed by loudmouth forum trolls. I don't believe that art should be made that way. I like this direction, and I like how bold it is. I'm enjoying the quieter, more chill atmosphere, and I like the mysteries in the game.

I love that when I hear a character talk about a sibling back home, they and I both know that sibling has lived and died long ago, and that's so hard to process. Everyone I ever knew and loved back home is long dead. I just can't even reconcile that, and it is such a powerful feeling when I roleplay my character.

And I've loved playing him super-logical. That's my ideal version of me, and it's farther from the real me than I'd like, but it's a great fantasy.

I wish more people had given this game a chance.

STAR WARS EVEN MORE STAR WARS
Star Wars Celebration is happening this Thursday through Sunday! I'm so excited!

There will be a live stream for those of us that have to work for a living. It'll be on the Star Wars YouTube channel!

I'm expecting a look at Episode VIII, Battlefront 2, a memorial to Carrie Fisher, a SWTOR announcement, possibly some new films announced, some new comics and books announced, and really, just a fun time. I can't wait to start watching! The last two I've watched have been an absolute blast!

Otherwise ...
Life has been INSANE since I got back from my annual Spring Training pilgrimage two and a half weeks ago. Work and family have both needed a lot from me, which is great, honestly. It really is great to be needed, but fuck, I am ready to chill out soon.

I can always tell if I'm totally overwhelmed by how long it takes me to get through books. If I take more than a few days on a 500-page novel, I am absolutely not having enough time. I've been reading the latest Witcher translation for the last two weeks, and it's 474 pages. There ya go.

And E3 is now just two months away ... YYYEEESSS ...

-Blaine

Happy Almost-Weekend

I've been a bad bloggist this week, I know. Shit got real busy at work, and I've had to work through lunch every day, or I've had to go watch Vikings with the team. Either way, I gotta figure out a way to be more consistent here, as I really do love writing at you.

Anyway, I'm back with KotOR in high-res tonight, so I'd love to see you come hang out with at 8PM central tonight AND tomorrow night on my Twitch channel!

Get caught up here or below!



Otherwise, I got a lot to talk about with ya'll. Soon. I promise.

I'll tell ya this, though. I hate being busy more than I do pretty much anything else. I despise it. So much. SO FUCKING MUCH.

Anyway, I gotta go eat dinner and drive my kids around, so I'll see ya'll tonight.

*HUGGLES*

-Blaine

Destiny 2 Thoughts

I've been devoured by work most of the week, which is why I didn't publish anything M-W.

Since I feel very secure in knowing how publishers can market games to me, and how developers can gear design toward me, here's why Destiny was a slight disappointment for me, despite having a lot of positive aspects.

First of all, the lore and story was nearly incoherent. I had a vague idea of 'do thing or bad space beings do bad things,' but the story was too thin. The characters were even thinner. The game, for me, was nearly absent motivation.

That was doubly frustrating because the game's world seemed like a cool, fun place, but I couldn't really tell.

Word on the street is that Bungie gutted the narrative, but I don't think that's ever been confirmed. I could be wrong. By the time I heard it, I didn't really care why the narrative in the game was so bad, because I'd stopped playing.

Beyond that, I love it when publishers release storytelling material that's outside the game, like novels and comics. BioWare does it a lot, and it really enhances the experience for me. The Witcher, which was a series of novels before it was a game trilogy, fits this, too as Sapkowski's novels really enhanced my experience in the games.

But Destiny received none of this, and I never understood why. Activision is pretty much the embodiment of greed and monetizing the shit out of their properties, so I expected they'd pounce at the chance to make more off Destiny, but ... oh well.

Second, and this gripe isn't limited to Destiny at all, but the game really highlighted for me the need for the walls between PSN and Xbox Live (and Steam, for Destiny 2, where I'll be playing if I buy it) to come down. Players on both modern consoles and PC need to be able to freely play games together. It's utterly stupid that it hasn't happened yet, and there is no technical or technological reasons it can't happen.

If even fucking Squenix can make it happen with Final Fantasy XIV, then any developer/publisher can do it. Seriously.

If given the choice, I will always take the PC version, for a long list of reasons, but most of friends don't like playing on PC, which makes games like this nearly a non-starter for me. It'd be great if they could continue living like savage cavemen while I continue my life in the present day, but we could still play games together.

Third, I just have a really hard time playing and getting into console games. I have no desire to start a flame war here, but it comes to down to control over the experience, being able to play anywhere (whether anywhere in my house or anywhere in the world while traveling, or even at work while at lunch) any time, the mouse/keyboard combo, the upgraded visuals, never having to sweat backwards compatibility, and on and on. I play some console games, and I own both modern consoles, but they're more for A/V entertainment and for my kids to play games.

So, it's amazing to see the hype for Destiny 2. It became a favorite punching bag for the lemming locusts out there. Anything that be criticized, no matter how small, was dragged out and shat upon, en masse, by the negativity-obsessed so-called 'gamers.' It became fashionable to bitch about it.

Still, I know a lotta people that a) genuinely liked it, and b) genuinely tried really hard to like it. Bungie are good people, so I was glad to see fans actually like the game.

I liked a lot about Destiny. I thought, for a controller-only game, it controlled very, very well. I liked that Bungie attempted to do something different. I liked what I thought maybe the setting was (though I couldn't really tell.)

I'm glad people are giving them another chance, and I suspect that more people liked the first game than were willing to admit it, in order to look cool. I dunno.

Anyway, here's the new trailer for Destiny 2.



I'll be streaming more KotOR tonight. I need a cool name for the series. Suggestions are welcome.

I'll be on 8PM central time, and probably go for 90-120min. We'll see. I'm pretty tired and frustrated. It's been a week.

Anyway, if you want, you can get caught up on my KotOR series here or below:



And that's it. I hope to see you tonight, and let me know what you think of Destiny's past, and where you think it's going.

-Blaine

Happy Friday! 2017/3/24

It's Friday! Yay!

Last night was a great first stream for my brand new KotOR stream series. We'll be going again tonight at 2000 central time. We'll continue to explore Taris in an effort to find Bastila, and it's going to be great. Carth and I have made some great progress.

As a side note, the game hilariously defaulted my character's name 'Warm Kyja.' I have no idea why.

Check out episode one here or below:

I'm excited to keep this series going! Like I said, 8PM central, and we'll go 90-120 minutes. I'll be streaming from my Twitch channel and then pushing to my YouTube channel.

I'm also planning to hit up more Mass Effect: Andromeda and Torment: Tides of Numenera. I'd also like to get back to Horizon: Zero Dawn, and I think I'm going to just do an hour a night of that. It seems like that kinda game. And since it's trapped on a console, it's hard for me to do much more than that.

So, what about you? Whatcha playin'?

My in-laws are also visiting. They're great folks. This isn't the best weekend for a visit, though, since we just got back from two weeks on the road, and are still settling back in. I'm not sure exactly how this ended up happening, but it did. I've also got a lot of stuff to do around the house, so ... not sure what people expect from me this weekend. Oh well.

Oh, and Rogue One released on digital today, so I'll be checking out some extras, for sure.

Otherwise, I'm starting up the year's yard work and household maintenance, so that'll take up some time, too. Like I said, I'd planned to get back into the swing of things, but I also don't want to blow off my in-laws and make them feel unwelcome, and I need to get some max chill time. So, we'll see.

How about you? Whatcha playin'? What's on your weekend docket?

-Blaine

KOTOR TONIGHT

I love Mass Effect: Andromeda. I know, I've said it a buncha times already, but I actually think about wanting to play it when I haven't played it in the last 24 hours, and that's unusual for me. That's kinda my litmus test for whether or not I love a game.

Still, I'm really excited to start my KotOR stream series tonight!



It's gonna be really interesting having those two games juxtaposed for a while, since KotOR came out of BioWare back in 2002, and MEA, also from BioWare, just hit. One can actually see the basic framework for the Mass Effect series in KotOR, since that dev team went right into the first Mass Effect from there. It'll be fun playing those side-by-side.

A big part of the reason that I'm so excited for my KotOR (1&2) stream series is 1) I haven't played them in several years, and 2) KotOR rescued gaming for me. I'd been a JRPG guy up to that point, but Japanese dev, especially roleplaying games, had gone a direction that I was not digging, and KotOR acted as the lifeline that I needed, and it led me to a much larger world.



Also, Star Wars is one of the things in this world of which I am the most fond. The Old Republic setting, in particular, really resonated with me. It's thousands of years prior to the films, which unshackled BioWare from having to work in or around the film lore. They went to the comics and referenced the Tales of the Jedi series, which is FANTASTIC AND YOU SHOULD READ, and this gave them a great jumping-off point.

There's also a great KotOR comics series called 'Knights of the Old Republic' (imagine that), and it is nearly as good as the games.

When I play through the first KotOR, I'll be playing only with a few mods that let me set the resolution to 1920x1080. When I get to KotOR2, it'll be heavily modded, so that I can play something that resembles a completed game. It'll be modded to support 1920x1080, but it'll also have the cut content restored and finished, some of which I've never seen. This is going to be a blast!



The schedule, right now, is Thurs and Fri nights at 2000 central. I'll probably also sneak in some weekend sessions when I can. I suppose adopting a more strict schedule could help my regular viewership. What do you think?

While I'm playing, I'll be dropping some fun knowledge about the development, the in-game lore, and my own personal stories about previous playthroughs, how I first heard about it, funny tangential stories, and the like. You're gonna love it, I promise.

I'll be streaming on Twitch, and then pushing it to YouTube after each stream is done.



So, again, that'll be tonight at 2000 central time. We'll start from the beginning, and it'll probably be the first time that a lot of you see KotOR in a modern resolution. Also, for those that are interested, it is going to be a canon playthrough. Our KotOR 1 protag is going to be a male, and the KotOR 2 protag will be female. I'm also going to try and make choices within the bounds of the canon. Well, the canon within SWTOR, anyway. As you may know, Disney deleted the expanded universe, including all the excellent Old Republic stuff.

Regardless, I look forward to seeing anyone that wants to hang out and talk Star Wars or KotOR tonight!

-Blaine

It's Fashionable to Be An Asshole

I get it, man. There was that one tremendously well-written horribly negative review of that one game, and it was hilarious. That's always stuck with you. Not only was it a genuine piece of art, but it gained a lot of attention, and the writer was showered with praise. You wanna have one of those in your portfolio. I feel ya, dawg.

Combine that with the need for internet users to pile on and belong to that club that everyone's joining. Again, I understand. I've worked for years to break myself of that habit, and I'm mostly successful, but I may have piled on with the others on Sean Spicer. For the most part, though, I don't really try to belong anywhere. But I totally understand the impulse.

Here's the problem, though. Your shock tactics, when you try really hard to apply them to a product that may not really fit the mold, cost you credibility, and ultimately makes you part of the problem.

Let's take Iron Fist, for example. It's got problems.

Halt. I want to state now that I'm not linking back to any of the offending reviews because I don't want to give them clicks or views or any warm feelings.

Anyway, Iron Fist has problems. Totally. The first episode was not terribly enjoyable. It's got pacing problems, the action looks slow and weird, especially relative to the other three Defenders shows that are available right now, the bad guys are mindlessly BAD, and none of the characters really pop in any way during the first episode. It was bad.

And then, in the second episode, it starts to get better. I actually really wanted to watch the next episode right away. I didn't, because time is precious, but I plan to watch it tonight.

But, it has problems, at least two episodes in, and I'd guess that these don't totally go away. Absolutely address the issues, but stop trying to crucify it in an effort to make a name for yourself. You're a talented writer, but a lousy fucking reviewer.

What's interesting is that some of the extremely over-the-top negative reviews got their facts wrong. The writers were so hell-bent on writing a bad review, and more specifically, writing a gloriously bad review, that they either misunderstood or intentionally fudged facts that were specific to the plot.

Let me add, too, that I don't have a dog in this fight. I've never read an Iron Fist or Defenders comic, I'm a casual MCU fan, and thought Jessica Jones was the only absolutely amazing Netflix/Marvel series so far. I thought the first season of Daredevil was very 'blah.'

The action in the first season of Daredevil was extraordinary, D'Onofrio as Fisk was Emmy-worthy, the supporting characters were OK, but Matt Murdock is bland as hell, and the story was ... meh, as was the pacing.

As a side note, the most interesting part of the second season of Daredevil was The Punisher.

Anyway, what's most disturbing is the tone, in these cases, in which the writer conveys joy and excitement at being able to whip the product.

Hell, I saw some of this same behavior, to a lesser degree, with Mass Effect: Andromeda. In the reviews, at least. We saw the same orgy of hate regarding the animations stuff on Twitter and in comments sections, but the reviews, occasionally you'd come across that random outlet that, in the text, was really stoked to just take a giant shit on the product.

It's weird. I don't know if this is specifically American behavior, but it seems like we can't wait to murder our heroes. We can't wait to start hating what we once loved. I don't understand it, and it's actually a behavior in which I can't remember ever taking part, but I see it all the fucking time. It's a terrible habit, and I wish we'd stop pouring so much of ourselves into hating something.

What I would've rather seen in negative reviews of Iron Fist (which, based on two episodes, it looks like it deserves some criticism) is less hyperbole, more constructive criticism, and why you liked what you did, and why you didn't like what you didn't. Be chill.

Some day, you may get to review a licensed 3DS game that is an absolute turd, but until then, focus more on being reliable and trusted than jerking yourself off over a minor disappointment.

Also, I'm 12 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda and very much enjoying it. I'll do a fuller write up on the early parts of the game this week.

Last, don't forget: I'm starting my stream series for KotOR tomorrow night over on my Twitch channel. I'd love it if you'd join me.

-Blaine

Aaand we're back!

Woof! I'm back home! What a whirlwind couple of weeks! Florida, as always, was amazing. I never thought I'd be one of those people that treasures going to Florida once or more per year, but I am, and it's rad. If you live in the midwest, and don't give a shit at all about 'going to the lake,' then maybe you feel me.

Maybe I'l try 'going to the lake' this summer. Hmm.

Anyway, I'm back. I'm returning to work on Wednesday. I'm taking tomorrow to play Mass Effect: Andromeda all day. About this, I am incredibly excited.

I know MEA's reviews have been all over the place. I'm surprised at how defensive I feel about that, and I shouldn't feel defensive at all. I worry, of course, that might impact whether EA allows BioWare to make another Mass Effect, and I'm also just soured that other people don't love what I love. I guess that's part of being human, but it's also a stupid way to feel. I shouldn't care at all what people think of something that I love, but I guess even I'm subject to the stupid behaviors on the internet.

Oh well. I just gotta suffocate that tendency. And it's not like I haven't seen in every single person that I know. We shouldn't care, we tell each other that we shouldn't care, and we all do. Oh well.

I really do adore the game. I played the length of the single player trial and had a blast. I liked the slow pacing and exposition. I get why the slow pacing might irritate someone under a deadline, or why that goes against the grain of modern gaming style, but it suits me just fine.

Anyway, I'm back.

And I went from no new games to play to Torment: Tides of Numenera, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and MEA all being slammed down on the table in front of me. It's a good problem to have. If I clear them all by the end of April, when I get Dawn of War III and Prey, I'll be just fine.

I'm also starting my KotOR stream this week ... I think. My plan is to start a new stream series with KotOR 1&2. I'll be streaming 2-3 times a week. I'll be rocking lotsa mods. Good times.

Tentatively, we're looking at Thursday and Friday nights on my Twitch stream, and then that'll be uploaded to my YouTube channel.

What kind of stuff do you all wanna see in the stream? Or hear about? I plan to drop some Star Wars Expanded Universe knowledge, and any fun development anecdotes that I can find, as well as fun personal stories that tie into it.

So, that's how the gaming front is looking. MEA will probably take top billing for me for now, but I'm also loving Torment and HZD. And I'm REALLY excited about the KotOR stream series I'll be doing.

That's it, for now. I need to get back to getting my ducks in a row. *HUGS*

-Blaine

Mass Effect: Andromeda is Amazing (so far)

I've played just a hair under two hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda, and thus far, it speaks to me more than the other three games.

That's quite a claim, I agree. I absolutely love the series. Allow me to explain.

In Mass Effect 1-3, you're Mr. Military Man (or woman) (Shepard), and you're fighting this HUGE big-ass Space Threat. You're fighting it over the course of three games. You're also helping a Quarian kid get off Omega, helping a widow decide whether or not to genetically alter her baby, and banging beings of all species. It's a great trilogy that's very dear to my heart.

In Andromeda, though, you're an explorer, and that's hammered home repeatedly in the first couple hours. Yeah, there's the requisite violence, but there's still an overarching sense of being an explorer. You're part of a team that's trying to establish new colonies, and you're scanning, and you're taking on all kinds of activities that are based around learning and expanding your understanding of this odd little slice of space.

It's a really refreshing change for the series. I'm all about it. It's a whole new game that takes place in the Mass Effect universe, and a very smart choice for the future of the series. None of this, so far, feels reheated or tired. I'm really enjoying the new direction.

All that being said, I fear some folks are going to be off-put by the fact that it doesn't feel like classic Mass Effect. Personally, I find the change invigorating, but so-called 'gamers' are notoriously hyper-conservative when it comes to games. While I'm as guilty of 'oh no, they're dumbing it down for the filthy casuals' mentality as some of them, I try to balance that belief with a more open, embracing perspective.

In this case, though, I see change happening for two reasons: 1) to keep the series fresh, and 2) an artistic choice to shift the tone to something more positive and uplifting; ME1-3 got REALLY fucking dark. While this game presents challenges, they're intriguing and full of mystery, rather than oppressively grim.

I've avoided the early impressions and streams. I really wanted to go in totally blind, and I'm so glad that I did. It was a breathtaking experience, free of biases and preconceptions, and it was all mine.

I actually took in the first hour and change by myself, in the dark, by the pool out back down here in Key West. Just the cool night air, the Hyperion Ark, and me. It was wonderful.

I love this game so far. I love the positivity, the hope, the intellectual challenge being put forth, the switch from a military man to an explorer. It speaks to who I am, someone that is passionate about science and someone that believes that the future of humanity depends on inclusion and the embrace of a dogged pursuit of knowledge and exploration. Maybe I'm reading too much into this game too early on, but I believe that Mass Effect: Andromeda is the game that we need right now.

I played another less than an hour today, and I'll probably squeeze in a little more tonight. After that, I'm pretty busy, and don't anticipate much time with the game beyond maybe a little on Saturday night, after we're back in St. Louis. Then, I'll burn whatever remains of my 10 hour trial on Monday, and then I'm marathoning on Tuesday, starting at around 6AM.

Have you played it yet? What do you think?

-Blaine