#anyway my save state says 80 hours but i'm still in act 1

[rigaudon]

who the fuck designed these color palettes hE LOOKS LIKE A WATERMELON

[kaorei-endgame]

Have you gotten around to prey? If so, how does it compare to System Shock 2? Never played it, but I'm loving the hell out of Prey, more so than Dishonored or the Bioshock series.

It’s super good! And it hit me at the right time, which means I played it during a mega depresso binge over like three or four days.

It felt to me like this could’ve been a follow-up to System Shock 2 in some alternate universe where Bioshock never happened. Bioshock pared things down way too much for my tastes. This was like a midpoint between System Shock 2 and Dishonored in terms of systems, inventory management, stuff like that. You better believe I got SUPER hype when I killed the first enemy in the demo and found a research item I’d need a skill upgrade to harvest. That’s my bread and butter!

Don’t know exactly how to say this without spoiling it, but the trick they pull in the very beginning hit me like seeing an action movie constructed entirely out of practical effects would in this modern era where everything is CG blood. The tomfoolery with the helicopter ride. Them pulling the rug out from under you, then proceeding to show you how they manufactured the twist entirely in-universe, without, like, map-changing trickery was beyond rad. They could’ve just spoofed the helicopter ride with map changes, but instead you can walk around in the lab where the twist is deployed and see how all the pieces fit together It made me think “oh, they really cared about how tactile feel of this universe.” Essentially, they created a practical magic trick in a medium where it’s 10000% easier just to make literal magic. It spoke volumes about the ethos they were going for, that they worked hard to make all the pieces line up on something that a lot of people wouldn’t really even bother to think about too hard, or even care about if they did.

That’s present everywhere. When you start fighting mind-controlled crew members later in the game, they’re all named NPCs. There’s no like “mind-controlled crew,” it’s “Roger.” If, as I’m now told, we’re calling these games “immersive sims,” then this is about as immersed in one of these games as I’ve been in a long time. The touches are omnipresent, and touches are what make games stick in my mind after I get some time away and the gameplay hooks start to dull. Really early in the game, the first time you run into a stronger enemy than the standard mimics, it’s a spooky ghost monster but the spooky ghost monster is named “Yuki Sato” and later you can go to Yuki Sato’s room and paw through her stuff. The level design is Space Station Bland at points, but I can almost forgive it because they clearly put the effort into creating one big, confined space. Unlike Bioshock, where everything is segregated playpens with no sense of place in the greater world, when you eventually get to go out into space and see how all the pieces fit together, it’s a cool moment of realization that all the pieces really do fit together. That’s a commitment you don’t often see, especially these days. Before like six people told me they’re called Immersive Sims, I would think of games like this as “Dioramas.” They hit the exact right level of craft and verisimilitude to keep me interested. Not too tiny and scripted like a Gears corridor shooter, not too big and procedurally generated gunk like a Far Cry open world. The goldilocks of exploration.

I’m also totally sick of audio logs and want a moratorium on them almost across the board. I’m basically 180 on them and think the whole idea’s stupid because their purpose is to give you something to engage your brain while you’re rooting around trashcans, but practically speaking you have to sit still when you’re listening to them because the human brain actually doesn’t multitask well and it’s stupid to play the odds that you won’t run into a monster or get distracted by a hard to reach bauble and have to listen to the whole thing over again.

…..but the ones here were pretty solid. For one, it felt like they hit more character building notes and far less Expository Worldbuilding Gunk that I tune out on immediately because I know I’m gonna forget it as soon as the game’s over anyway and I’d rather save that brain space for, like, a book. For two… well, I try not to make super declarative statements on this stuff because I don’t feel like it’s 100% my place, but when people were talking up and being excited about the presence of queer relationships in this game, I assumed it was the usual case of having to do a lot of Rounding Up like to, y’know, pretty much always have to do in video games. 

So I was surprised that they gave you a couple fairly fleshed out queer characters whose plot was more than “yea I’m gay, super gay, all-the-time gay wanna fight about it,” was interesting. While I can’t shake the feeling that they gave your character a girlfriend because you could be a guy or a girl and people (especially gamers) are gonna be less gross about–well not less gross about but less angry gross about–lesbians than they are gay dudes, still, having that relationship play a fairly central part in the game beyond “Who You Choose To Bang 2/3rds Of The Way Through A Bioware RPG,” can’t be all bad, even if seeing the practical strings guiding that decision does get you kind of down about the state of things (slash-the-world-at-large).

I was disappointed in that part where you go into the lab and there’s post-it notes that say “not a mimic” on every single flask and coffee mug in the room and they didn’t pull the obvious trick of making one of the “not a mimic” post-its itself a mimic. To me, that seems like an extremely rude missed opportunity.

Really, the primary disappointment was the tech trees. I didn’t find almost any of the powers exciting, and I’m still craving that Shock 2 model of only having 4 super upgrade slots and for the 20-odd powers you could fit in them. Most of those powers were bad or useless, like “get more health from food,” or some crap, but that wasn’t the point! Some of them were cool things like “equip another cybernetic implant,” which were a huge boost. As always, I want far fewer upgrades that have far greater impact on how I act in the world. To an extent, getting mimic abilities did a little of that, but it was mostly for traversal. It’s that Path of Least Resistance thing I sometimes talk about–I didn’t really see much point in spending a bunch of time in the power wheel toggling around between my ability to launch enemies up in the air or mind control them or zap them when the shotgun and recycling grenades could handle almost everything without a fuss.

Likewise, the weapon upgrades were unspeakably dull. I was fine with them going with kind of a low-tech feel for the weapons, kind of like Half-Life, where the best you get is a shotgun and then a couple weird experimental science guns. It fit the theme. But I wish each weapon just had a couple of distinct, substantive upgrades (like I dunno, flaming shotgun shells or shotgun shells that shot alien bees) rather than the usual tepid “+1 to damage” and “+10% reload speed” that you just stack on without thinking about it. I just wish more games took the New Vegas approach of having individual accessories for each gun type, especially since those also applied aesthetic changes.

And the pacing’s weirdly back-loaded. I don’t know if that’s exactly something to complain about, but I played for like 20 hours essentially being alone with no one to talk to, like you do in these games sometimes, and then all of a sudden the next 10-15 hours are stuffed with NPCs and timed sidequests and stuff like that. I would’ve liked that to be spread out a little more just because my personal idiosyncrasies have me playing games like these at 120%++ in the initial hours (picking up every banana peel, reading every log twice, scouring the top of every bookshelf, unlocking every safe) that by the time they gave me more options to interact with the world, I’d burned myself out on most of it. I assume i’m far from the only person that does this, like I assume it’s pretty much the norm for the genre, so I wonder what the thought process was there–if it was anything beyond “we really want to keep the player isolated for as long as possible, because that’s what happens in these games.”

The twist itself, ehhh, you know. Once they hit you with that Trust No One vibe, you know the Trust No One x2 is coming at some point, so my initial guess on the ending right out of the gate was pretty much 80% correct when the credits rolled, but I didn’t feel bad for it. Because, like a magic trick, it’s about “how do all these actions line up??” rather than knowing the end result. Though I do think it was a bad call to give you a Bad End that’s accessible super early in the game and all but spells the final reveal out for you. The core conceit of the narrative (and the choices you make therein) not being based around “morality” but “empathy” hit a major chord with me. Even if I don’t think this is an end-all, be-all story, with video games, you kind of expect Nihilist and at best get Fatalistic. So to have Prey–a game about a Super Science Research Station Where Ethics Are Strictly Optional–poke and prod at compassion, and how it works, left me with a pleasant feeling. 

There’s this part where you go into a guy’s room and he’s got this gigantic, hand-crafted holographic diorama that, if you turn it off, there’s a chest behind it. I think I knew what I had to do to open it (it’s part of a similar secret earlier), but I couldn’t figure out how I had to do it, so I had to sit there and be like “do I wanna break this guy’s art to get his 60 credits or whatever?” And I don’t mean to be all Think Piece-y about it–because obviously I know people in video games are not real people–but I appreciate any time a game activates that fleeting instinct to be kind or preserve in me because I know there’s no permanence to anything I could do. Because like… I know people in books are not real people either, but I also get sad about them sometimes. To that end, recovering the composer’s symphonies was my favorite sidequest.

Prey got me at the right time. It’s got an aight sci-fi story, it’s got some fine trashcans to root around in, but what really invested me in it was the aesthetic choices and the cohesiveness of the world. I’d super ++++++ recommend it for anyone into Dishonored, Deus Ex, any of those games. Dishonored 2 had much better level and encounter design–Prey is a little too much on the Shock-style “random pipe zombie spawns to keep you on your toes at all times”–but the story/acting in it was kinda shit, so maybe it’s a wash. Anyway, if it’s within your budget of time/money, both are Capital G “Great++” games that you should get around to.

Tho I still super miss having to go around to the different science labs to correct the right minerals to research an enemy organ. Make a game where I have to pick up my Pb and Au to get that bonus damage to hybrids in 2017 (or beyond) and I’d be in heaven.

[mikeyg1985-blog]

Hits & Misses: Some albums that I really wanted to review but I'm a slacker so . . .

Linkin Park - One More Light

 Everyone freaked out when Linkin Park decided to go mainstream pop with their first single, 'Heavy,' from their new album, One More Light.  I'll be honest, the change in sound made them unrecognizable and I rolled my eyes at the desperate attempt for relevancy. 

I liked Hybrid Theory; loved Meteora; and  still believe that Minutes to Midnight is one of the most underrated rock album of the 2000's. I didn't understand what the big deal of them going 'pop' was - to me, they had always been a pop band or at least embraced their pop sensibilities. Sure, hiring Justin Bieber's writers isn't the most 'rock' thing to do - but there's no need for all of the homophobic slurs being shouted at them by their 'fans.' 

I anticipated One More Light because I trust Linkin Park - I've enjoyed all of their albums (except for The Hunting Party - which I totally forgot existed).  One More Light is lighter pop version of Minutes to Midnight minus the immediate memorable performances. I don't think this album will be considered underrated nor do I think that anything on it will be considered a classic in 5 years for their army. But I have to say that I am on board for whatever this little 'experiment' is for them - as long as it doesn't last more than one album cycle. Because, while the album is littered with Top 10 studio gimmicks, Linkin Park is at the heart of each song.

My biggest critique is that there should have been no need to collaborate with Pusha T or Stormzy on 'Good Goodbye' when they have Mike Shinoda. 

Also, they were smart clocking the album at 35 minutes.

Check out: 'Nobody Can Save Me,' 'Heavy,' 'One More Light'

Grade: B+

Father John Misty "Pure Comedy"

I joined the Father John Misty bandwagon really late - at least 9 months after I Love You, Honeybear was released. It made my top albums list of 2015 and I stand by that. However, I really haven't been able to connect with Pure Comedy much at all. 

I like the 'we're too connected to entertainment and that's how Donald Trump got elected President and we're all going to hell' idea, I dig his take on being Elton John  - but Misty also happens to be an asshole who makes good music. Too much of his own narcissism fills the last half of the album and I haven't returned to Pure Comedy since.

I respect the challenge of knowing that everything we know is wrong - but I just don't feel like being lectured for an hour and fourteen minutes nor do I find diving into Tillman's psyche for thirteen minutes that interesting.

Check out: "Pure Comedy," "Total Entertainment Forever," and "Ballad of a Dying Man." 

GRADE: D-

Blondie - Pollinator

Blondie's new album, Pollinator, should have instantly made my top albums list. First single, "Fun," was pretty pleasing and buzz singles, "Long Time" and "My Monster" were just as good. I liked the idea that Debbie and company had a lot of help from newer acts because honestly - they needed it. The days of Blondie releasing albums like Parallel Lines and Eat to the Beat are long gone and while there are awkward moments ('Already Naked') the album is harmless fun. 

First track, "Doom or Destiny," perfectly blends Debbie Harry and Joan Jett's vocals and starts the album off with a bang that continues for roughly five songs ('Long Time', 'Already Naked,' 'Fun,' 'My Monster').

So what could possibly kill an entire album, you may ask? Mmmmmmm . . . how about vocals that completely out of tune with the music. I don't know exactly who didn't let Blondie know that her vocals were off key throughout the whole song, but they should be fired and blacklisted from the music industry. Part of me also wonders if they accidentally released the wrong version of the song. And for the life of me, I have no idea why this wasn't pointed out by critics across the board. 'Best Day Ever' is un-listenable and kind of ruins the rest of the album which is full of mixed results. 

Check out: The first 4 songs.

GRADE: D

 Harry Styles - Harry Styles

I was never a fan of One Direction but I was a little intrigued to hear Harry Styles' self-titled debut album.  I mean, honestly out of all of the members putting out solo efforts, he was the only one who seemed remotely able to pull of an entire solo album.

I think releasing 'Sign of the Times' as the first solo single was pretty risky. Not only is it a ballad but it also shares the same title of a beloved Prince album/single - and I just thought that was a ballsy move. I didn't love 'Sign of the Times' - it had the same two melody lines during its five minute length - but I was a little bit more intrigued to hear the whole album.

Harry Styles is kind of a miss for me although I think it is an enjoyable album.  It sounds like absolutely nothing that is being played on the radio today and also sheds any Top 40 sounds. What it does sound like is Pink Floyd, Elton John, John Lennon, U2 and Oasis. I'm kind of surprised that Pink Floyd hasn't filed a suit for 'Meet Me in the Hallway' ripping off 'Breathe (In The Air)'. 

It's not just that if I want to listen to Pink Floyd, I'll listen to Pink Floyd or if I wanted to listen to John Lennon, I'll listen to John Lennon - it's that the lyrical depth of those artist and Harry Styles is just so drastic - and at the end of Harry Styles I've not learned anything about him beyond his musical influences - and that's a missed opportunity to really disclose who he really is. 

Check out: 'Sign of the Times'

GRADE: C

Paramore - After Laughter

Paramore's new album, After Laughter, came out of nowhere. Four years after their self-titled fourth album, first single 'Hard Times' showed up and After Laughter was released a little over a month later - it all seemed a bit rushed and I was convinced that After Laughter was nothing more than an obligation to their record label in order to fulfill their contract . . . well . . . for Hailey anyway.

It's sad - but Paramore has a rocky history regarding the comings and goings of their lineup and while it's easy to point the finger at Williams for basically the entire original lineup to walk away from a band at its peak - it kind of feels like Williams is truly the one who has sacrificed. I mean, she technically could have gone solo after Paramore's debut, All We Know is Falling and kept the fame and fortune to herself - but she didn't.

I initially passed on After Laughter. If another band claims evolution by ripping off the '80s, I'm gonna scream. But what is fascinating about After Laughter is its stark contrast of sunny beats and sullen lyrics. Williams truly seems to be over being the jolly frontman and isn't trying to hide behind orange hair and a smile. Instead, she gets pretty fucking honest that she's exhausted by the drama and seemed downright sad during the band's Beats1 interview with Zane Lowe. 

In order to really appreciate After Laughter, you have to really know the history of Paramore . . . pretty much the same as hearing the self-titled third album. On its surface, it's about ten tracks of 'Ain't It Fun' and a few 'The Only Exception.' But if you peel back production, there's a lot going on with Williams that she's trying to work out through the only therapy she knows - songwriting. 

There are a few missteps. 'Rose-Colored Boy' is kind of annoying and 'No Friend' really isn't a great idea at all.

Check out: 'Fake Happy,' 'Told You So,' '26,' 'Pool'

GRADE: A-

 Dreamcar - Dreamcar

For those who don't know - the guys from No Doubt and AFI's Davey Havok got together and formed a supergroup for all the emo kids in their 30s. Dreamcar is a fun ride and probably an album you could blast all summer long and not get bored with it.  

The album's first single, 'Kill For Candy,' is a sugar-induced bop that could very well be a sleeper hit and the rest of the album follows suit. There isn't a bad song on Dreamcar, although there are references to 'candy,' 'candy girls,' 'girls on the charts,' 'dead girls,' and . . . 'gum boys'. I'm not sure what any of that means. 

But the reason that Dreamcar works so well is that it's a low stakes album. Davey and the boys have made their names and their money. Dreamcar is pure adoration and tribute to '80s influences - most notably Duran Duran.  And it's an album that my kids can stomach and ask to listen to constantly. 

Check out: all of it.

GRADE: B

LP - Lost on You

Thank the Lord! LP has finally blown up in everywhere but the US. Lost on You has been released overseas since fall of 2016 and finally making its way stateside albeit with absolutely no promotion from Vagrant Records. 

I love LP's music. Her last album, Forever for Now, was a top contender for the #1 spot of my top albums list in 2014. I've followed her since and know that the song, 'Lost On You' is a few years old. But, a Greek radio station started playing the song and all of a sudden LP was a bonafide star! 

The U.S. version of Lost On You has added some tracks and is a cohesive set that proves how much of an underrated talent LP truly is. We (the States) really need to get on the ball and give this artist the recognition LP deserves because it is high time 'Lost on You' saturated our radio stations.

And Vagrant needs to release this gem on vinyl, pronto!

Check out: 'Lost On You', 'Muddy Waters', 'Other People'

GRADE: A

Incubus - 8

I feel like 2017 is the year for all of my favorite early 2000's bands to make comeback albums. 

S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself and Morning View all have their places in my Favorite Albums of All-Time list, but their last three releases have really left a lot to be desired. There seemed to have been a hunger that just kind of died down in them and their last album, If Not Now, When pretty much put me to sleep. 

I wasn't impressed by first single, 'Nimble Bastard', at all. It reminded me of anything Alanis Morissette released after Jagged Little Pill - trying way too hard and never ever reaching the same kind of genius. Thankfully (and I can't believe I'm saying this) Skrillex got his hands on the album and beefed it up a bit. The first few bars of first track, 'No Fun' actually sound like Incubus from their S.C.I.E.N.C.E. days.  Whether the album had a drastic change from Skrillex's collaborative effort, I don't know but 8 is a welcome return from a band I've been waiting to light a fire under their ass. 

There's nothing too surprising here - no political statements - Incubus plays it pretty safe. But, I think that's okay because 8 sounds like a band that has finally rediscovered that passion, confidence and drive (HA!) that once made them a great band. 

Check out: 'State of the Art,' 'Loneliest,' 'Throw Out The Map'

GRADE: B+