#“STAR WARS TALES OF THE JEDI (2023)”

[kurlyfrii]

i love aliens

[darth-memes]

AHSOKA COMES OUT IN 18 DAYS!

[gingy7891]

Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 art work

[gospelofme]

So we are also getting Tales of the Jedi season 2.

DOES THIS MEAN MORE REX AND THE OTHER CLONES?!!??

[gosupermarinespitfire]

Title: "Reaching Out".

For Day 15 ("Draw a ponified version of your favourite book, game, etc./Draw a pony crossing over").

Of all the traits of Jedi: Fallen Order that I like, it is the menu that pops up when you meditate at the save points that really stands out. It is visually impressive. The colourful Sunny Starscout is about as out of place as you can get in this monochrome realm of the Force, but I like the idea of her having to enter a place like this as part of her growth as an alicorn.

Self-reflection:

I chose to do the entire piece as a digital painting. Rendering ponies is something I have not done in a bit, so the shading on Sunny needs quite a bit of work.

The objects in the distance are supposed to be shrouded in a mist, with crepuscular rays emanating forth from behind the centre-most planet. I do not think this effect is evident.

[tlmtwelve]

April 6, 2023: Yaddle

[looseleafteeaves]

Tutleduck has gotten us both back on the topic of Star Wars, and said the iconic quote “THIS IS MY MANDALORIAN DEIFICATION: DIN DJARIN.”

😂😂😂

Sorry, @two-turtleducks it was too funny not to share

[pinkrangerv]

So IDK what other people are thinking, but generally when I imagine Samuel Jackson characters swearing, it's because Jackson said he swears to deal with his stutter, and I feel like that's a valid disability accommodation. Mace Windu would still be peaceful, still be professional--but it would be easier for the actor to deliver his lines if he gets to ad-lib a few 'damn's. And even professionals say 'damn' occasionally.

Also the Jedi are trained from near-birth to be so emotionless as to have attachment disorders (possibly featuring actual attachment disorders), so while once again I cannot speak for everyone, I'd like it noted that Mace Windu is actually very unsympathetic to anyone, because he is suffering from a severe developmental disorder, and part of the reason the Jedi fell is because they--while they claimed to be good guys--were actually really not very good people at all, and were supposed to be a narrative discussion on what happens when people are allowed to do whatever they like unchecked, especially in organized religion. I mean Windu is a badass and I love him, but that doesn't mean he's flawless, either.

You guys do realize that Mace Windu never once comes close to swearing, right? He also doesn’t shout very often. He’s not going around screaming “MOTHERF***ERS” all the time, okay? Are you sure you’re not just projecting your possibly/probably racist presuppositions onto a canonically kind and respectful black man?

[gffa]

THE HIGH REPUBLIC CHECKLIST: If you want to consume these in order, I really like Youtini's High Republic Reading Order list for being extremely comprehensive and solidly updated for Phase III+ or the more middle-ground comprehensive High Republic guide from starwars.com or Wookieepedia generally does a good job putting things in individual release order. This post is just a checklist of what's available and not quite a reflection of read order. (Which I generally suggest following release order, not chronological order, given that you're often meant to know/not know certain things.) Possibly missing a short story here or there, but assume the novels are in read order for each given phase and that it's a useful list for remembering what you have/haven't read yet!

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

The High Republic: A Test of Courage

The High Republic: Into the Dark

The High Republic: The Rising Storm

The High Republic: Race To Crashpoint Tower

The High Republic: Out Of The Shadows

The High Republic: Mission to Disaster

The High Republic: The Fallen Star

The High Republic: Midnight Horizon

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: Path of Deceit

The High Republic: Convergence

The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City

The High Republic: Cataclysm

The High Republic: Quest for Planet X

The High Republic: Path of Vengeance

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness

The High Republic: Escape From Valo [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Defy The Storm [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Temptation of the Force [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Beware the Nameless [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: A Valiant Vow [UPCOMING]

The High Republic: Into the Light [UPCOMING]

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE I:

The High Republic (2021) - 15 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 13 issues

The High Republic: The Monster of Temple Peak - 4 issues

The High Republic: The Edge Of Balance - 2 manga volumes

The High Republic: Trail of Shadows - 5 issues

The High Republic: Eye of the Storm - 2 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: The Blade - 4 issues

The High Republic (2022) - 10 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 8 issues

The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Precedent - 1 manga volume

The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror - 4 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight - 4 issues

The High Republic (2023) - 2 issues [ONGOING]

The High Republic (2022) - 1 issue [ONGOING]

The High Republic Adventures – Saber for Hire 4 issues [UPCOMING]

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Tempest Runner

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE I:

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #6 - "The Gaze Electric"

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2021

The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021

The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #14 - "A Very Nihil Interlude"

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2023

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE II:

The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE III:

The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing [UPCOMING]

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE I:

Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight - Anthology of Insider short stories. [Includes "Go Together", "First Duty", "Hidden Danger", "Past Mistakes", and "Shadows Remain"]

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE II:

Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment - Anthology of Insider short stories. [Includes "New Prospects", "A Different Perspective", "The Unusual Suspect", "No Such Thing as a Bad Customer", "Last Orders", "Missing Pieces", and author interviews.]

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - ALL PHASES:

The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life [Includes "The Queen's Bloom", "A Closed Fist Has No Claws", "Shield of the Jedi", "The Lonely Traveler is Home", "After the Fall", "The Force Provides", "All Jedi Walk Their Own Path", "Light in the Darkness", "The Call of Coruscant", and "Rogue Element"]

[tremendouskoalachild]

Inquisitor Women in Star Wars: a 2024 Summary

while women are underrepresented in the Sith order, the Inquisitorius is quite an egalitarian organization :) let's sum up what we know about these lovely ladies

(spoilers for everything concerning inquisitor characters, including the manner of their death)

2. Second Sister aka Trilla Suduri

Padawan to Cere Junda at the time of Order 66

captured and tortured into joining the Inquisitorius shortly after

dies 5 years later, executed by Vader for her perceived failure

human; age unknown, I'd estimate late teens to mid-twenties at the time of recruitment

created for Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), appeared before the game's release as a cameo in Darth Vader 2017 issue 19 (2018) and as a main character in the game tie-in miniseries Dark Temple. mentioned in Rise of the Red Blade (2023).

ambitious, relentless, a good slicer. wears a full helmet all the time when on the job.

3. Third Sister aka Reva Sevander

12-year-old human youngling at the time of Order 66

joined the organization voluntarily and while hiding her identity, at an unspecified point a relatively short time before 10 years post-Order 66

left the Inquisitorius 10 years after Order 66, after failing to kill Darth Vader and being left to die

created for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). not in RotRB, likely due to not yet being a member during the book's timeline. does not appear and isn't mentioned in other canon material, outside of OWK's comic adaptation.

spent 10 years single-mindedly pursuing her goal of revenge. very intense and ambitious. youngest recruit we know of and the only one to have at least a quasi-canon number duplicate (the Third Brother).

4. Fourth Sister aka Lyn Rakish

joined the Inquisitorius around the time of Order 66, apparently of her own free will

species, age and rank at that point unknown, may have been a peer of Barriss or somewhat older

left the Inquisitorius after serving it for over 15 years (actual time unknown but less than 20 years)

created for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), part of the main cast in Tales of the Empire (2024), mentioned in RotRB (2023).

dedicated to the organization, pragmatic and better at cooperation than most colleagues.

7. Seventh Sister

joined the Inquisitorius shortly after Order 66, and appears to have been tortured into it

mirialan; age and rank before recruitment unknown, implied she may have been a peer of Aayla Secura or younger

killed in action after serving the Inquisitorius for 16 years

created for Rebels s2 (2015), a minor character with several scenes in Darth Vader 2017, RotRB (2023) and the Inquisitors comic miniseries (2024)

only one on the list without a known name. snarky and flirty with targets. strained relationship with multiple coworkers.

9. Ninth Sister aka Masana Tide

Dowutin, age unknown and hard to estimate

joined the Inquisitorius involuntarily shortly after Order 66, through torture and mutilation

dies 10 years later, killed by her target

created for Darth Vader (2017) as a recurring character. part of the main cast in Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), shows up in Jedi: Survivor (2023), has a part in RotRB (2023) and Inquisitors (2024).

best empath of the Inquisitorius. snarky and jovial even with Darth Vader. very traumatized. keeps losing body parts.

13. Thirteenth Sister aka Iskat Akaris

joined voluntarily after flirting with the dark side for years and being groomed by Palpatine

21-year-old Knight at the time, pkorian (species created for her)

killed 5 years after joining by Vader for perceived disloyalty

created for Darth Vader 2017 issue 19 (2018), main character of novel Rise of the Red Blade (2023)

only inquisitor to have a boyfriend in canon. has a helmet she wears on missions but is pretty laid back about it. only gets her inquisitor name a while into her tenure, so her birth name is known to others.

+ Barriss Offee

former Jedi in Republic prison at the time of joining

agreed to get recruited a short while after Order 66, but left on her first mission after learning more about the organization, never got a proper inquisitor title

mirialan; age unknown but is around the age or slightly older than Ahsoka, 17 year old at the time; would have been 21 according to a non-canon reference book

has existed since 2002 as a background character in the prequels and their now non-canon tie-in novels, her short-lived inquisitor iteration was long rumored and introduced in Tales of the Empire (2024).

[dare-to-dm]

For my newest poll I thought I'd pick more recent releases. I'm always trying to catch up with my backlog and I'm always so very behind the times.

Anyway, I realized my folly basically as soon as I started making this list. There are a lot of reasons I don't play recent releases. I barely managed any games that came out this year, most of them are from 2023. So below, here are the games that didn't make this list and why:

Dragons Dogma 2: I aint paying $80 for any game, I'm going to wait for this to go on sale. I expect to be able to pick this up for like 80% off in a year or so.

Hades 2: As a policy, I don't play early access games. You only have one chance at a first impression, and I want the experience to be as polished as possible.

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth: Because I want to play Like a Dragon Ishin and Like a Dragon Gaiden first.

Alan Wake 2: Because I want to play Control first.

Assassin's Creed Mirage: Because I want to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla first

I'm sure there are many other awesome games didn't make the list because they just haven't had enough time to percolate into my general awareness.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

[darth-memes]

AHSOKA COMES OUT IN 15 DAYS!

[disneytva]

November 2023 - Programming Highlights

Kiff

Hungee Squirrel ; Foreverangees 11/4

Snow More Ketchup ; Kiff And Barry Go To Prom 11/11

Hamster & Gretel

Shush Hour ; I Was a Teenage Mad Scientist 11/4

Too Many Crooks ; President Fred 11/11

The Ghost and Molly McGee

Smile Valley Farm ; The Grand Gesture 11/4

The Many Lives of Scratch ; Alaka-Sham! 11/11

F.O.N.A.A.! ; Game On 11/18

Mickey's Christmas Tales

Starstruck - SHORTS PREMIERE 11/27

How To Build A Snowman 11/28

Holiday Hideaway 11/29

Slip N' Sleigh 11/30

Playdate With Winnie The Pooh

Piglet And The Kite 11/1

Eeyore, Kanga And The Treasure Hunt 11/15

Tigger And The Toy Hoop 11/29

Pupstruction

Itty Bitty Barn Build; A Colorful Job 11/3

Pupstruction Saves Christmas; Pups On Ice 11/27

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures

Charhound Chase ; Creature Comforts 11/8

An Adventure with Yoda ; The Talon Takeover 11/9

Mystery of the Opal Cave ; Clash 11/10

Stuck in the Muck ; Junkyard Sleepover 11/17

The Great Leaf Glide ; The Harvest Feast 11/24

SuperKitties

Merry Mousemas 11/28

Firebuds

Hello, Halo!; What's Up, Woodpecker? SEASON PREMIERE 11/1

Sugar Crash; The Cut N' Chrome Caper 11/2

Mayhem At The Museum; Wrong Way Rescue 11/3

Apple Pie Peril; Hike & Seek 11/10

Blizzard Buds; Parade Escapade 11/30

Alice's Wonderland Bakery

Jacques Turtelle's Soup; The Curious Case Of Crumbs 11/4

Mickey Mouse Funhouse

Mickey's Sky-High Birthday! ; The What About Me Birthday 11/17

Minnie's Snow Ball! ; The Snow Princess 11/19

Spidey and His Amazing Friends

How To Train Your Doggy ; Dome Alone SEASON FINALE 11/10

[reliquiaen]

Alrighty! A bit late, but here's my gaming roundup of 2024. All the games I played (or, well, most of them, the important ones) and my general thoughts on each. You can see last year's here!

--

GAMES I LOVED!

Shadow Gambit The Cursed Crew:

This game was utterly magnificent. I didn’t have time to play it when it released in 2023 but it was so so worth it. The characters were so charming (I did not expect them to all be fully voiced but the whole game was! Outstanding!) and all their abilities were so much fun. I was consistently in a position where I was doing a mission and thinking ‘damn wish I had X character with me, that one ability of theirs would be helpful’ and it didn’t matter who I took with me, this was a constant thing. The levels were gorgeous and well laid-out, I do so enjoy this kind of stealth puzzle game, really I have no notes. Gameplay, art style, the fun quick save mechanic to rewind time, the characters, the story, the whole thing, top to bottom was a 10/10 from me. Might be my first real foray into this genre and it’s absolutely one of my faves, I’m keeping my eyes out for other games like it going forward. (2024 gave me Sumerian Six which I haven’t had a chance to play yet but it’s first cab off the rank 2025, you better believe.)

Planet of Lana:

Nice short little game – I enjoy those in between longer ones – with a delightful art style, Mui is there (love that guy). I’m not usually big on platformers, I find many of them require such precise inputs that they stop being fun and start being work, but Planet of Lana was more of a puzzle/platformer than a hardcore struggle. The visuals and world were so pretty, as well, I would love to know more about the world. Fully recommend this one if you’ve got a bit of time on your hands. (The achievements are 99% fine and cool to get but the not dying at all one is ROUGH buddy, avoid.)

Dragon’s Dogma II:

Game of the year for me. I know a lot of the criticisms about this one were for the microtransactions (which are absolutely pointless, you can earn it all in-game), the lack of monster variety (it’s about the same as the original base game, I do hope they add more in a DLC like they did with the first game), and the story being half-baked (a fair point, it was no better done than the first one, though they did seem to try at the start to have more plot). Oh, and the constant back-tracking, tedium of traversal and limited fast travel, which is like… half the point of the game anyway. Idk, I loved it because it was more of what I loved most about the first game. I enjoyed the hell out of its impenetrable mess of a story and the philosophical nonsense and it had a much chunkier end game with the Unmoored World (though I do wish you could hang out there longer and weren’t at the mercy of the time limit). Great character customisation, great classes, great combat, the pawn system was much improved. I had a blast with this one; DD2 and Shadow Gambit were the only two games this year I kept playing after 100%ing.

Kamaeru A Frog Refuge:

Cozy city builder wetlands repairer with adorable colourful frogs? Literally what the fuck that’s amazing! The story wasn’t anything amazing but lbr you’re not playing this for a deep and meaningful tale, you’re here for the fabulous art style and that really was the star of the show. The frog breeding was surprisingly not as tedious and horrible as I was expecting and decorating the areas was like… so satisfying? Without being super annoying and frustrating and grindy? Absolute gem of a game.

Star Wars Jedi Survivor:

Waited ages for this one to be in a playable state and I still wasn’t entirely sure my computer would run it or that it would be optimised enough not to crash all the time. But I risked it when it was on sale and it ran fine. Was definitely worth avoiding spoilers for, this was an improvement on the first game in every sense. The traversal challenge tears were annoying as all hell, and the sheer number of collectibles was… trying, but when movement is that satisfying it’s not the most annoying thing in the world. Exploring was a good time, the side quests were charming, combat was way more flexible with the different stances (I thought for sure that’d annoy the shit out of me but no, it was just really cool to be able to have these focused ways to build Cal out.) I’m not sure how it’ll run on most systems, but my laptop is getting long in the tooth so I’d say if you can grab it cheap, you might as well, the story was rock solid.

Dredge The Iron Rig DLC:

This was more of the exact awesomeness from the last two instalments. I’m really enjoying how they’re expanding the world out and I will keep devouring each new section as long as they’re willing to provide more. More creepy fish, more relaxing minigames, more variety in biomes, more eldritch monstrosities. This game is honestly such a masterpiece that was made special just for me, I love it.

Still Wakes The Deep:

Banger of a game. Walking simulator, yes. But the atmosphere, the horrors, the creeping around to avoid the tentacle beasts, the weird pulsating flesh plant. The not knowing how much is real and how much is the Dread sinking in already. Is Caz an unreliable narrator because he’s hallucinating from the horrors? Are we experiencing things accurately? Is the ending literal or is there room for interpretation? Who knows! Really fucking enjoyed this. Normal ass person versus incomprehensible horrors the sneaking simulator is a genre I’m really starting to believe we need to embrace as a culture. (I’m hoping to try Nobody Wants To Die at some point in 2025 solely because Still Wakes The Deep was so good and convinced me to try it.)

Sea of Solitude:

This was a lovely little 3d platformer about depression and moving on and forgiveness. It was cute and sweet and felt very personal since you were unravelling all the traumas and issues the main character has with her family. There’s this huge idea that loneliness/isolation turns you into a monster and that plays out visually in some wonderful ways. Definitely have a look at it if you’ve got a few spare hours and enjoy that style of game.

Duck Detective The Secret Salami:

Gruff duck solves silly crime in an office building? Charming characters, you get to decide the outcome. I am literally so chuffed to find out there’s a sequel coming 2025. I will be all over that when it releases.

Alien Isolation:

Can you believe I preordered this and then spent an entire decade procrastinating actually playing it? Because that’s the truth. I have the Scout xenomorph items in TF2 to prove it. I was such a fucking scaredy cat about playing this game but I finally got my shit together and played it this year and omg. 1) I was right to be piss scared, and 2) I am SO GLAD I finally played it, what a masterpiece. The alien is my best friend and the working joes can fucking die. Nina Taylor deserved better. I need to know if Verlaine survived (I would also like to own her shirt, something I would unironically wear). Literally this game is a masterpiece I have no notes. As a fan of everything Alien, this was the exact game I have always wanted. Now I just need a game that lets me properly live out the fantasy of being the xenomorph and murder hoboing my way through a settlement or something and worshipping my queen mother. I think it’s my favourite kind of horror game when the combat is pretty minimal and you’re encouraged to avoid the big bad rather than confront it. I know there’s a Jurassic Park game in this style coming and an Isolation 2 which I will hopefully not put off for a decade this time.

Tiny Glade:

Haven’t played very much of this game yet but it’s absolutely charming and delightful. The building mechanics are so smooth and the 1.0 build does a lot that I felt was missing in the beta (I did play a lot of the beta). This is gonna be a very important relaxation game this year after work I can feel it.

Dragon Age Inquisition:

This is a replay; when this released originally back in 2014 I played it and vigorously disliked it. I didn’t really like Inquisition in comparison to Origins or II, I liked the characters less, the story felt fairly uninteresting, and the combat was more action-focused which I bounced off of at the time. Replaying it in 2024 and 100% all the achievements and DLC (which I didn’t have the first time round and didn’t go back to when they dropped), I’m having a more positive experience but I do still think of this as the weakest Dragon Age game.

I still don’t feel as invested in any of the characters like I was in Origins or II – returning characters are bringing baggage with them, the version of Leliana and Morrigan I left in Origins are not quite the same as the ones I’m meeting here and although I love them both, it’s a weird feeling to be interacting with them again like this. Cullen has annoyed me for 10 years and the more heroic version of him presented here compounds that, I will never forgive him. Varric and Cassandra are fine. I enjoy Vivienne and Dorian and Sera and Blackwall a moderate amount. I enjoy having them on my squad to hear them banter, but I otherwise have very little interest in them. I think Blackwall had a really interesting personal story but I don’t think enough has been done with it and that’s a shame. I find Sera a bit one-note in that she’s defined by her humour and “incomprehensibility” which bugs me because I find it hard to imagine how friendships work with her outside a very limited sort of personality match (and how come she’s the only character we’ve ever met who talks like that?). My point is I don’t feel like these characters were afforded quite the same depth as previous sets of companions and that’s where I derive the majority of my enjoyment in these sorts of games. If I’m not invested in the characters around me and I can’t picture my protagonist being friends with them (regardless of, or in spite of, personality differences) then you’ve lost me. I have romanced Sera, Blackwall, and Josephine in various playthroughs and at no point did I feel like this was… important to my character, let’s say.

The gameplay has grown on me. I miss spirit healer for mages, but the variety of new stuff for archers and melee characters is very satisfying, and as I’ve played a wider variety of games with a breadth of different combat styles, I find myself appreciating Inquisition’s combat more. That’s really all I have to say. It’s more engaging in a moment-to-moment way, it’s a bit more hands-on when you try out companion skillsets, and being able to respec skill points to try out new things is always my preference. I played a rogue (leaning heavily into bow and arrow) and a mage (knight enchanter) and had a lot of fun with both.

The story still isn’t much to write about. Corypheus reminds me a lot of the hoop-headed guy from Andromeda whose name I always forget: I’ve played Inquisition twice now and I’m still not sure why they made him the villain when there were plenty of other things to focus on. The fallout of Anders’ actions not the least of them. I enjoyed the world-ending threat of the Blight in Origins, and I enjoyed the more grounded people-driven conflict of II, Inquisition felt like it was trying to have the best of both and failed because of its indecision. At least to me. I know Corypheus was set up in II and that his lore was clarified and all that and it’s interesting in its own way (Sera’s reaction to elf gods and the Maker both being real is the highlight, I think) but for the most part Corypheus felt – TO ME – like a sort of unnecessary stepping stone on the way to something else.

Replaying it, I enjoyed it more, but a lot of my original gripes haven’t changed. I still think the story was a disservice to the set up from DA2, I still think Corypheus was a villain with very little to compel him, I didn’t fall in love with any of the new characters. The regions were large and empty and the crafting was tedious because of how much farming you had to do. In the ten years since it released, I have come around on a few points, there are some subtle narrative beats that have merit, I like the Inquisitor themselves as a protagonist more than I did initially, and so forth.

Dragon Age Veilguard:

Is DAI still the weakest now that Veilguard is out? Idk to be quite honest. I enjoyed the characters, traversal, and combat in this game way more than DAI’s offering. But the story and writing was much weaker overall. The art style is not the problem I have with the game, I think it’s fine, actually; but the intense therapy-speak and lack of any real depth and nuance is a real slap in the face. None of the characters are actually allowed to be stupid or mean or make mistakes on screen. Sometimes they refer to mistakes they’ve made or bad things they’ve done, but it’s all filed back and polished to a marketable shine that really peeves me. I don’t need Dragon Age to look gritty and dark, but I would love to see it return some of that complex grey morality that so defined it in the first two games. I miss being able to encourage my teammates (or myself) to make horrible choices, to be horrible people. I miss the ‘no right choices’ of DA2 in that nothing you do really matters it all sucks in the end; and I miss the ‘no right choices’ of DAO in which there’s no black and white to be seen only shades of grey and the justifications you tell yourself to help you sleep at night. I enjoyed Veilguard, but it’s not the Dragon Age game I wanted and I’m starting to think we’ll never get another one.

I feel like I have more to say about DATV, but not the energy or interest to really bother. Most things have been said already and more eloquently by other people. I wasn't as disappointed with the game as I was afraid I would be, but it also didn't exactly blow me away. It was a solid 6/10 RPG game, but a pretty lousy 1/10 as far as Dragon Age goes.

Jurassic World Evolution 2:

I now have all the many, many DLCs for this so I started it before Christmas but haven’t finished it yet. So far it’s a lot of improvements on the first game, a lot more dinosaurs and a few of my faves added. I’m absolutely loving the aquatic environments and the greater flexibility the aviaries/lagoons have in this one. The lagoon decorations still suck though and there are a lot of little design things I wish were added. But overall it’s just more dinosaurs and that’s all I’m here for.

--

GAMES I’M MIXED ON!

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth:

I think this might’ve been my most played game of the year? Weirdly? Ended up with 200+ hrs in it and I STILL didn’t even finish both halves of the story. I finished Cyber Sleuth but not Hacker’s Memory and at this point I don’t know if I have the strength to go back and do it. I love Digimon and I love this game. I love doing all the work to evolve-devolve-evolve my Digimon into the perfect fighting machine. I love having my faves follow me around everywhere. But MAN the grinding to get anywhere is rough buddy and idk if I have it in me to do that again for Hacker’s Memory. We’ll see. Cyber Sleuth was a blast though and if nothing else I’m glad to have finished it finally.

Horizon Forbidden West:

I wrote about all my many mixed feelings on HFW here earlier so if you wanna read more specifically, have a look. Otherwise, the gameplay improvements, QOL additions (bottomless storage my beloved), and new machines were fantastic. I enjoyed Aloy’s story arc this time around and liked (to various degrees) the new characters that were introduced. The overarching story was a massive whump for me though, just didn’t hit right. Read my other post for the nitty gritty. I’m not as excited about the inevitable sequel as I might’ve been before playing but I’ll still watch out for it with cautious… No, that’s it. I’ll watch cautiously. Maybe they can make part 3 something more narratively enjoyable but I won’t hold my breath.

The Shore:

Another walking sim but not as good by far as SWTD. It was obviously made with a much smaller team and budget, but it still tells an interesting story through a Lovecraftian lens and has a good ocean horror vibe. Some parts were frustrating due to the clunky mechanics and lack of any kind of explanation as to what needs to be done, but it was fine, not a waste of two hours or anything.

--

GAMES I DIDN’T ENJOY!

Pyre:

It was nice. Really pretty art style and I love the animation, Supergiant always makes such good looking games. I simply did not vibe with the weird soccer gameplay. As my brother so wisely put it: “Supergiant just ain’t the dev for [me].”

Grime:

Look. Listen. Buddy. This is a metroidvania and I’ve LEARNED that they are not the genre for me. I know that. But the VIBES!! I had to give it a go and I enjoyed what I played! The art style is excellent, the combat was chunky and satisfying, the biomes were delightfully weird and grotesque. It was great. Just not for me.

Sunless Sea:

You see, I didn’t realise this was going to be sorta rogue-like in nature, I thought it was story driven, a slow adventure with detailed management mechanics. But no. It’s a live, die, repeat from the beginning deal and I am just not interested in that gameplay loop.

--

Onward to 2025! I've already got about 8 games ready to go and I want to finish JWE2 in January so wish me luck!

[ruanbaijie]

☁️ art

[x] gabimaru by @xhanisai 

[x] tgcf collage piece by @crimson-chains 

[x] howl’s moving castle by @crimson-chains 

[x] mingye in dunhuang style by @duyeqing 

[x] okumura rin by @beandogg

[x] flight by @no1rubbish

[x] the god pleasing prince by @janellelawrence 

[x] all my love is yours by @misspaperjoker

[x] wei wuxian by @cloudy-recesses 

[x] timid by @kishibe 

[x] terrarium for tail by @yuumei-art 

[x] he xuan by @retiredpeach

[x] kon by @pearlygrey 

[x] the iconic foot receive by @mistyspecs 

[x] gojou satoru by @barabim

[x] hua cheng by @vwwitch 

[x] tristamp as vintage sci-fi movie posters by @yuyu-finale 

[x] honkai star rail by @mirshroom 

[x] arbiter hall v2 by @electroslag 

[x] four great calamities by @eileenwdj 

[x] four famous tales by @eileenwdj 

☁️ edits

[x] vice versa top 11 talay outfits by @oswlld

[x] the tragedy of hayakawa aki by @hayakaws

[x] chainsaw man - denji by @dicennio 

[x] vice versa by @talays-portkey 

[x] gundam by @kanamesengoku

[x] favourite spring 2023 animanga by @tanchirou 

☁️ gifsets

[x] the forgers by @mx-sinisters

[x] jjk favourite funny scene by @mx-sinisters 

[x] star wars day by @cal-kestis 

[x] beyond evil every friend group by @thoresque

[x] kinnporsche favourite antagonist/ villain by @thoresque 

[x] jedi: fallen order + songs from my cal kestis playlist by @seaoftr

[x] star wars prequels by @padme-amidala 

[x] unasaka miri by @crimsonrosee 

[x] kinnporsche favourite locations by @spicyvampire 

[x] be kind, please rewind by @spicyvampire 

[x] kinnporsche favourite tropes by @spicyvampire 

[x] star wars day by @starfighters 

[x] haikyuu by @blckjckls 

[x] kinnporsche favourite antagonist/ villain | music by @chinzhilla 

[x] julia louis-dreyfus as selina meyer in veep by @jamietarrt 

[x] katerina petrova by @witcherz 

[x] fruity four + high school alignments by @yenvengerberg

[x] cersei lannister by @bi-alinaoretsev

[x] iu by @xinxiaojie 

[x] buddie + music by @georgefans 

[x] yellowjackets by @melodramas 

[x] daenerys targaryen’s transformation from frightened girl to powerful woman by @asoiafdaenerysdaily​ 

[x] morgana and emrys by @ughmerlin 

[tlmtwelve]

April 4, 2023: Count Dooku