GAME LOG

This isn't actually my first stint of playing League of Legends. I played for a couple weeks in early 2020 before dropping the game. I don't think I was emotionally ready to play a game with such a toxic player base at the time.

League of Legends is not an easy game to get into, and I doubt I would have gotten into it if I hadn't watched LOL like it was a sports game every night for the past 5 years. I learned a lot about it through osmosis, and my partner is an avid League player which helps if I have questions.

Despite him playing ARAM every day, I mostly play normal solo queue. What brings me the most enjoyment from the game is the satisfaction that I'm playing well, even when my team loses. —That, and getting takedowns from across the map with Lux's ult. Now, I am the toxic player base. (Just kidding!)

If you're an Animal Crossing fan, I implore you to try Pocket Camp Complete, though. The improvement of Pocket Camp Complete's monetization system has created tangible difference in the gameplay loop. While it seems obvious, removing the microtransactions has made *playing* the game fun. Similar to other games in the AC series, I feel the satisfaction of saving my resources and planning ahead.

The original version of Pocket Camp was disheartening due to the inherent feeling of FOMO, designed to make players spend. If anything, I feel reaffirmed in my belief that F2P is an inherently harmful model for players.

You can read more about my experience with PCC in my Animal Crossing shrine

I picked up TS3 on a whim for a few days, playing an old family. I really enjoy the pets and family gameplay in this version.

While I have been a Harvest Moon fan since childhood, I didn't grow up with the original A Wonderful life. I went in without nostalgia bias or an emotional connection to the original game. My favorite part about farming sims is building a family, interacting with townfolk, and raising animals. These are definitely some of the strong points of AWL, and it was a refreshing experience.

I love that AWL has a fixed story that begins and ends, with many different endings at that. It keeps my gameplay structured while giving me the freedom to interact with my farm as I wish. I always find myself getting bored after marriage in most early Harvest Moon-inspired farm sims (like Stardew Valley). This was a fun take on the classic farming sim gameplay loop.

That said, the game does get repetitive after awhile. I didn't quite finish the game, only playing through the first two years. I plan to return once I start craving a weekend of cozy farming sims.

If you're curious, I married Lumina.

Hamsters when they're building highway systems

Love Plus is a cute little dating sim, similar in gameplay to classic dating sims like Tokimeki Memorial. I came across Love Plus while looking through what English fan patches are available on the 3DS. I had never heard of it until now!

I was impressed by the quality of the game, especially the graphical fidelity. While I played the ROM on my 3DS, the game came out for the original Nintendo DS. The girls have the most beautiful and high quality 3D models out of any original DS game I have ever played. The game is also fully voice acted, and the sound quality somehow avoids that crispy DS quality.

I know that the bar is literally on the floor, but my favorite part of the game is that the girls are not overly sexualized. Their proportions make sense for an anime art style, and none of the art felt overtly fetish-y. It gets exhausting to ignore gross sexualization in many male-oriented dating sims. Sometimes, I just want to play a cute, innocent dating sim, and Love Plus scratches that itch.

I finished the common route and ended up dating Nene. She is so strange and cute!

Somehow, the Last of Us is a game that completely flew under my radar for over a decade despite being a fan of zombie action-adventure games. I had always dismissed it as one zombie game in a sea of them at a time where new ones were coming out constantly. This one is not like the others, at least in terms of quality.

The story is simply a 10/10 for narrative quality, cohesion, and impact. I have a draft of an essay reviewing and analyzing the story that I wrote shortly after finishing the game, but it's not quite ready for public eyes. The locations the game takes place in are unique and explore the zombie apocalypse genres in ways I haven't seen before. For example, there is a level that takes place in a long-abandoned bunker where families with young children survived (until they didn't). The themes of childhood being altered by constant death is the most striking part of the Last of Us. No other story I've read, watched, or played through has spoken to the concept of lost innocence like TLOU.

As far as gameplay goes, I will admit I am too big of a chicken to play through zombie combat as they genuinely scare me, haha — I watched someone else play through these parts. The level design was well crafted, and game progression was smooth and consistent. Not only is the story and set dressing effective, but the game mechanics are well-crafted and fun.

It's genuinely one of the greatest games I've ever played. At the end, I was left wondering how Naughty Dog could have possibly made a sequel given it's a complete and satisfying story.

(See entry for the Last of Us)...
And my question was answered slowly and painfully. Naughty Dog made a sequel to a complete narrative and they shouldn't have. Honestly, I am probably being too harsh by giving this entry a 🖤 instead of a 💙 — but it's been over a week and I'm still mad about it LOL!

I tried to be self-aware and as fair as possible going into this game. I knew given how much I enjoyed the first one which was a complete story, I would need to be lenient with the second. I knew it likely wouldn't compare to the first, and I went in without knowing anything about the game. However, given that it both won GOTY 2020, it was impossible to avoid the knowledge that fans of the series weren't impressed, though I didn't know why until I played it myself. I still haven't had the heart to read other fans complaints.

In short, it felt like misery porn — a complete departure from the initial game's theme of hope against all odds. Holding onto humanity despite living in post-apocalyptic society is Ellie's defining trait in the Last of Us. Death still meant something to her despite having every reason to be desensitized to it. Ellie is cheerful, lighthearted, and humane - traits that TLOU II Ellie have completely lost. And yes, the grim circumstances of the narrative could break anyone's spirit. But what was the point? That revenge will rot your insides and take everything that you love away? It's antithetical to the themes of the first game, and Ellie was the wrong character to tell this story with.

My favorite part of the game was the meuseum section flashback. I liked it so much that it almost felt like a slap in the face. This is the soul of TLOU, and the fact that Naughty Dog still understood that enough to include a moment of it made me feel sad. This is why I love the Last of Us. Why couldn't the entire game built upon the theme of hope for humanity and ambition?

Here are some other things I liked about the game:
Dina is a fun character, and I love the sequence of a quiet life between her and Ellie. On paper, the concept of a lesbian couple traveling the country in zombie post-apocalypse feel like it was made for me, even if the execution was poor.
I liked the concept of juxtaposing the hero (Ellie) and the villain (Abby) in a way that makes it clear that they are living narratively parallel lives. This was just the wrong game to tell that story.

I was thoroughly disappointed by TLOU II despite reserving my expectations. It was a painful and slow slog to get through, and I left my controller feeling frustrated.

Another game of the year winner W00T!

I was expecting a Friends of Mineral Town reskin with a darker twist, inspired by the success of Stardew Valley — I am pleased to say that this game breaks the farming sim mold in a satisfying way. The gameplay loop is completely different than most farming sims like HM: FOMT or Stardew Valley.

Charming little puzzle game, I recommend it

Skyrim is one of my favorite games of all time, but I never played Oblivion.