#sysgaming

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every time i think im reaching the end of the emotional climax of Sea Of Stars somehow there is. More Plot. More Stakes. More more. So out of fear of spoilers i cannot yet look up gifs of this scene. but. to just. commemorate

garl..... my guy my buddy my pal.....

big bread for dragon and the power of friendship.... whatta game

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Well. Goddamn. Having finished In Other Waters. What a phenomenal game. No clue how to effectively recommend it to people in a way that both sells it accurately but also doesn't understate how. Thoughtfully and intentionally it's made. But I do want to capture my gut reaction, right off of finishing it. So. Hrm. Lets see.

- You experience the entire game through screens- minimal graphics, dots and radars and scans and texts. It is scientific and methodical and- not tedious, exactly, but. Exacting. You scan, and move, and monitor, and the whole world is lines and dots and bare bones information on a screen.

- But the world is also alive. It's so beautifully, wonderfully- at times, terrifyingly- miraculously alive.

- I don't know how to describe the way that the game builds this, but it feels like learning a language, or slowly seeing a pattern. Little things move in the water and you learn to recognize the movements. Wordy, beautiful descriptions for every spot you move to. Entries on the intricate and bizarre biology that grow in detail and understanding as you find more pieces and analyze more things.

- Its like. The entire mechanic of- you put together entries about each plant or creature or organism, piece together information in walls of text, and when you finally learn enough, you are rewarded- with a sketch, a visual representation of the thing you have been reading beautifully worded entries of, something you have been imagining and visualizing.

- You are reading, and scanning, and gathering, and imagining and theorizing. And then you, suddenly, can see it. You read about the shimmering veils of bioluminescence strung together in inky darkness, and then you see a rough sketch of an organism constructed out of blinking lights, metres long. You spent hours wading through waters reading about the way the light filters through water on the reef and the brilliantly colored plants sway in the waves and suddenly you see a sketch of one of the leaves. Fast moving dots described as winged, fast moving creatures, and you document their burrows and their paths and their food and then. A rough scientists sketch of one.

- The whole game. Feels like that progression- a slow sense of awe. Repetitive, intentional steps, unfolding into pictures.

- You are the only thing like you, in the whole game. An observer learning the world. You are alone, but not exactly. You are a guide, acting as the eyes and hands and leader for someone you only know through text. Ellery talks to you through text prompts, and not always- but she does talk to you.

- You are her hands and eyes- you scan and move and decide where to go and monitor the oxygen and power to keep her safe and fetch all the samples. She is your hands, and eyes- she describes each new point you move to with painstaking detail, describing the sand swirling in water or light glittering, or the way darkness closes in, or the way bioluminescence throws shadows. She notes down the information and processes the samples and is the one to write the entries and turns all the data into something real.

- You move Ellery around the whole game, act in service of her, but she feels very distinct from you- secrets of her own and backstory you have to earn from her even though you guys move as one unit.

- And you learn about Ellery, and Minae, and. man. man.

- The way the screen changes with different biomes- the colors and the music shifting. The way that the layout stays the same but you feel the differences. Deep darkness alleviated by points of light. Open, sunny sands with swaying vegetation. A choking, cloying algae bloom.

- The UX stays the same, for all of these. The color, and indicators of topography are all that changes. But you feel the differences.

- Look, the mechanics are- finicky. A little unintuitive. Occasionally frustrating. But it feels right- like operating a clunky control board to steadily map an unknown space. You learn it, clumsily, and you get the motions down until it feels right. Navigation is- at times slow, and tedious, and confusing. There aren't really shortcuts to navigate through the different sections. But that feels right too.

- The game itself is not always fun to play. But it is rewarding, and it feels worth it.

- There's a whole ocean of inexplicable, alien life! And you get to explore it in a way that feels so intentionally, lovingly crafted. I don't know what to say beyond that. What. A fucking treat.

... also the plot about corporations fucking up ecosystems because of the never ending desire for profit and the destructive impact of thoughtless corporate greed. so. you know.

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okay, having finished horizon forbidden west today (yayyy), a word vomit of post-completion i itial response/thoughts written in a tinely manner bc i Do need to commute to work in about. uh. 6 and a half hours.

- what do you MEAN. The zeniths brought a DIFFERENT EXISTENTIAL THREAT EVIL AI BACK WITH THE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THESE MOTHERFUCKERS BROUGHT BACK A MANIFESTATION OF THEIR OWN HUBRIS AND FLAWS AND ITS GOING TO. FUCKING. KILL THE EARTH. AND NOW THEYRE DEAD AND I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.

- FOR FUCKS SAKE.

- I JUST. SAVED THE WORLD. CAN YOU ASSHOLES STOP DOOMING IT FOR LIKE. FIFTEEN MINUTES.

- I am very pleased that this time they reset to AFTER the final mission so I can actually feel like Aloy gets some kind of a break after saving the world. again. Like the world is still ending but i can let her take a lap on a sunwing or have her eat some food or something without IMMEDIATE WORLD EXTINCTION hanging over her head.

- It was a little sad to have the base be so emoty tho :( void of everyone except Beta (yay) and Sylens (auUuuughhhhHHHHH)

- OKAY. backtracking.

- Really, genuinely, truly, LOVE how they did Aloy's character arc and development for this game. It was a very intentional choice and I think they pulled it off REALLY admirably.

- It is a very specific, extremely well supported, completely reasonable character trait to have Aloy not know how to ask for help or operate with help, and be independent to a fault. It was very intentional to have her unlearning that as the core emotional arc for the game and it did it. So well.

- Starting the game with Aloy lying to her friends, leaving a celebration early, and going off to start saving the world again, solo, was SUCH beautiful and crisp characterization and sets the bar so wonderfully. Erend and Varl pissed at her for it but still helping, resigned to the behaviour and still steadily working at it. Augahguagahh. friendship. my bread and butter.

- And Aloy growing out of it was NOT a one and done over. It was a growth, over the course of the game- it was a matter of repeated lessons, of various scenarios and people proving themselves, and intentional efforts and missteps. And it means in the last mission, when Aloy is delegating tasks and checking in with people and thanking them for coming- but not trying to turn them away- the difference is so fucking felt. Its core deep, and about someone who understands, fundamentally, how important relying on others and having others is.

- And its just- im not super pleased about all the details of HOW they did it. But I underatand why they killed Varl, from a storytelling standpoint, and I just. The person who was so dogged about getting her to accept help, who Aloy was so clearly pushing away in part because she was worried about getting him hurt or killed. His connections to Zo and everyone else are what starts the base. He is why Aloy can grow that way. And he dies before he sees the full fruition of it. He falls to exactly what Aloy was so scared of- dead as a casualty of a mission she felt was hers.

- But it is because of what he'd done up until that point, that Aloy does not shatter from the loss. Its BECAUSE of what he'd done that his loss does not set her back in connecting and caring about people and accepting help. Letting them risk themselves!!! His work is what secures her ability to survive when he is lost to exactly what she was scared of!! fuck!!!!!

- Shes going around after his death and- shes asking other people how other people are doing, which is so funny to me. queen of emotions. but shes doing it! His absence is his presence and his presence defines the nature of his absence and. the outline love leaves when it goes or w/e. im . auaghgha. varl ilu.

- This isnt even getting into the Beta scenario which like- god. god. Aloy you're kind of awful and I love you. you are ill adjusted and well intentioned and deeply hard on yourself and then you meet. yourself. except not and THATS how you learn to be kinder to yourself. and others. delicious! fucked up! beautiful. Aloy is yelling at Beta about why arent you better and wow the layers. again. wonderfully done.

- So. given all that. you'd think they would have been able to write Zo's reaction to Varl better than that, huh.

- Like damn how did you guys fuck that up right next to the great main plot.

- ugahjhh.

- I really. loved. the way the base grew and changed over the course of the game. The steady creeping of the plants. Items moving in. The way things were added to Aloy's room even though she was never sleeping in it. (The image of people creeping in and adding stuff so that the scant moments when Aloy is there she could enjoy things..... aaaa).

- Kotallo!! What a lovely character. He definitely grew on me. I appreciated the way he had the arm at the end but didnt really opt to keeo it on permanently. In general- idk. I liked the dynamic he and Aloy had at the end. 👌

- Alva. Sweetheart. mixed feelings as a character but I think I understand her archetype so she was. fine. In general the quen really just had me >:|

- fucking. techbro asses. fucking tech bro c e o fucking hero worship fucking dumbasses ugHHhhhhh.

- LOVED the designs of the clans otherwise though- Plainsong? Fucking stunning. The different Tenakth areas incorporating the local terrain!

- The museum in the Tenakth area, and how it fed into the specifics of their founding beliefs and culture? Fucking. Loved it. Bits piecemeal that get focused on and turned into a world and founding belief... dont have words for it rn but really good.

- Talanah spending her whole sidequest being like. Oh God. My Man :( was kind of. eh. but listen shes a girlboss who fixed the Hunters Lounge so she can do whatever she wants. including being really concerned over her manz for her whole plot. u get ur guy. i support you.

- Petra im glad youre doing well im SO sorry i couldnt flirt with you more actively.

- Erend is lovely once its clear he is no longer trying to hit on Aloy. the two of them mourning varl makes me. im fine. its fine or w/e. goddammit.

- Three cheers for various Quality Of Life changes. I am So Glad i never had to inventory manage in this game!!! incredible!!!! pulse your focus!!! wow!!!!!

- LAS VEGAS AREA MY BELOVED. BRIGHT LIGHTS AND SPECTACLE THAT ARE ZERO SUBSTANCE. MONUMENT TO BOTH FLASHY SPECTACLE WITH NO VALUE AS WELL AS INHERENT HUMAN LOVE FOR SHOWMANSHIP AND ADVENTURE AND SHARING EXPERIENCES.

- God I just . Underwater las vegas area. The moment when the water drains and all the lights are on around you and its so meaningless but also like- hey humans did all that! all these stupid advertisments and meaningless announcements about deals long gone and its doesnt mean anything anymore. But it matters that people made it. And its still. Beautiful.

- also tideripper :)

- aaauhh. also. Hodgins from Bones as the inventor guy. 👌

- New machine designs in this game? fucked severely. Slaughterspines? big bat? solar panel ptearodactly? LOCH NESS MONSTER?

- That said the AOE and rolling/stagger in this game is a BITCH.

- Rich People Be Fucking Shit Up as a theme is so funny. and devastating. they do be doing that. haha. :|

- Watching the last hour and Tilda was into Elisabet and Alva had a GF in the Quen and *gestures ay Aloy* and its just so funny like. damn aloy you got so many gays here in your base huh. good on you.

- the. the end. where the new risk is there. and she doesnt tell them. and you go. ah fuck. but then. in the cutscene, immediately after- its clear she does. and she talks about hope. and relying on others and its like. AughhHHhHHHH. growth. she does not tell them when they are celebrating. but she DOES tell them. she takes the moment to breathe. and she tells them. and she works with them. and shes going to work with them. Love It When A Character Develops.

👌

- ah fuck i need to sleep.

- Fun mechanics. Beautiful extension of the game. High highs for writing as well as low lows.

- Someone let Aloy take a fucking NAP, jesus christ.

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immediate thought dump upon completion of pokemon za:

- As I said out loud to my TV: oh shit they KILLED HIM?

- like hey they were dropping death flags but i didnt know theyd ACTUALLY kill him. respect i guess. (???)

- that said i DID spend a good chunk of the end going I Am. So Deeply Confused. Why is this happening now. What. Also Why Is This My Problem. Why is Floette using light of ruin supposed to HELP with the tower mega evolving. URBAIN WHY DID YOU GO UP THERE I BEAT YOU IN THE FIGHT, WHAT THE HELL MAN.

- Also what do you MEAN. THE BUILDING MEGA EVOLVES. I DONT THINK ENOUGH PAUSE WAS GIVEN TO THAT

- Like. the building IS ALIVE?? AND CAN MEGA EVOLVE? WHAT?

- (listen though my hot take is that it SHOULD have had a typing and i SHOULD have been able to exploit that. but its fine i guess. its ground steel in my heart though)

- I also fear that I was simply not endeared enough to Zygarde for its help to really spark anything for me. It was just very Hm This Guy Is Back Again.

- The big cannon was cool though I'll give it that.

- In general i do wish the final sequence had more like. Meaningful big battle, I think the flower bits were unfortunately grindy. i DO appreciate that they wanted to go dramatic with it and it was fun! the building was very, very cool! the mechanics were. okay.

- The sequence of everyone coming together to help WAS cute and fun and I enjoyed that (and the chaos of the mega evo battles).

- that said: Man this game really gives tou SO many slightly bad characters and does very handwavey justifications for why theyre good now. and then lets them keep doing their thing

- im both very into it and a bit baffled. Like Jacinthe is objectively Terrible and Terrifying but its fine because. uh? she likes you? i do sincerely love Corbeau but we REALLY are just glossing over the . Local Mafia of it all huh. At least they did sincerely try to do a redemption arc for Grisham I suppose.

- its just so funny to me that theyre REPEATEDLY like. heres your approximately morally grey character. yeah theyre just like that. they like your chara though so dont even worry about it. Your scientist used to be part of a terror group and is now under house arrest and cant leave/is veing tracked by the gov. keep catching those pokemon she'll give you little rewards! the owners of that food truck? ALSO previously in the terror group. but they like you :) so its all good.

- i cant tell if its good or bad writing that i am so compelled by a number of the characters and SO little is actually explained about most of them. fist of justice sister bro trio are just. like that??? okay! i guess! sure! also streamer has anger issues! ok thats all byeee.

- like. delightful motley crew of characters. Haphazard story usage of them. not the worst complaint to have.

- in that vein i cannot emphasize enough: what kind of fucking kinky dom sub yuri shit was playing out with lebanne and jacinthe. hello.

- the naveen lida urbain your character team IS cute and did grow on me over the game. urbain i do still find you aggravating, though. maybe the post game will help with that.... maybe....

- ok plot aside, game wise- the combat style DID really grow on me throughout the game. fun, quick, very satisfying

- AND, it prioritizes speed and fast moves and AOE moves in a way i find SO fun! it really shuffled my movesets and pokemon around and like. thats just really enjoyable.

- city format grew on me a bit more but i DO prefer arceus map. that said, i think the constrained/familiar map meant the sequence of navigating the wrecked city landed harder/felt more meaningful, which is cool! but i still wouldve liked more variability.

- beyond wild areas spawning, that is.

- oh my god, the in game logistics of wild areas spawning is STILL baffling to me. they donthave ANY say over it you can just WAKE UP and your front porch ETERNALLY HAS ALPHA SCOLIPEDE ON IT. FUCK YOU. skdgjsjjf.

- Wild areas were neat though, as a whole. i did like just hanging out and watching, although I still think Sword Shield/Scarlet Violet felt more properly "wild". But hey! city setting. so.

- also i wish. i had a Bike. or running shoes. 😔

- THEY SHOULD. GIVE. YOUR POKEMON. A DRINK AND SNACK. AT CAFES. WHAT. IS THE POIN T. OTHERWISE.

- anyways. I looove my fast pokemon, i love my steel pokemon. i did get properly attached to a good chunk of my team which is nice. <3 u hawlucha. <3 u riolouie. <3 u klefki my car keys. <3 u garchomp

- did really have a good time. sure ill have more thoughts as i chew through post game

edit: ok WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THATS MY WISH. THATS NOT EVEN MY WISH THATS THE CORPORATE WISH. HEY WHAT THE FUCK. HEY. HEY. something something illusion of choice. Even Urbains person would have been better!!! the fuck!!!!

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not putting any proper tags on this or venturing into tags until i finish it, but perhaps an hour into Outer Wilds and i think i do get the charm of it, already. already sitting here really enjoying the style of storytelling and the tone and pace it establishes. while being Horrendous at moving in zero g. literally (physically) bouncing off of plot points while having revelations. literal "OH HEY THATS PLOT- FUCK"

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extremely tired customary immediate spew of thoughts post finishing silksong ("finishing" silksong aka act 2 normal ending And Knowing Real Ending Is Yet To Happen)

- WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CONTINUED THE CYCLE :( (act 3. i know i know) (extremely funny to be like "oh no DID WE BECOME THE BAD GUY" *we watch Hornet sprout extra arms* ohp. yeah.)

- Excited for act 3 but also ugh i HAVE to do bilewater to get to it..... :(

back to the start:

- So Hollow Knight Wasnt Enough Of A Platformer Eh

- No truly I feel like my platforming improved so immensely throughout this game but By God That Was Not A Voluntary Growth

- Like just the. Fungus jumping from HK right into. You Are In Balloon Jumping Hell. Birds With Swords Be Upon Ye (Pogo Edition). Hunters March. So Many Required Platforming Sections. You didnt use pogoing last game? FUCK YOU. LEARN TO PLATFORM.

- I do sincerely applaud how much they made Hornets maneuverability a key component of this game. Sequels are hard! esp with a very distinct and clear IP/style from the first- preserving that and still mixing it up is tricky and they did a phenomenal job. I really fucking /love/ Hornets movement in combat. Her jumping. her dashing. air float. <3 i am going to get my ass KICKED the moment Im back in HK pantheon and forget I cannot just be Double Dashin.

- Redacting a few more bullets about the movement style for now. wow. so distinct though. alters game tone too.

- loooooove hornet as a main character btw. delightful. really significant tone shift from the first- Ghost is so charming and also entirely silent. Hornet is deeply opinionated and her commentary on the world reshapes both the experience AND your perception of her as you play.

- Like!!! Ghost is silent and dutiful and. cute. and Hornet is. also cute but also tired and sassy and animated. So much texture to it all. She says. I can kill you but please dont make me. Your weapon is very nice. So many people are trying to kill me and I am not in the mood for it. Young one why are you here this place seems unsafe. Do Not Fucking Try Me I Am So Tired. Ill try to help. Ill try. I wish I could pet these soft enemies but they have spiky parts and they want to kill me so bad.

- No its SO endearing to me that a quarter of the entries for enemies are just her going "this enemy looks SO pettable if not for the non fluffy parts and also the fact that it wants to kill me"

- #real. let hornet pet one of the little bell bugs. please.

- On that note they made SO many adorable creatures in this game. Damn. Some of them were cute last game but SO many of them this time made me go 🥺 like damn they cranked it up. Highlights include: bell head bugs! smelting guy with thing on his head! teapot guy! etc.

- sherma ilu. sorry you got stuck in the fucking Horror Game Abandoned Asylum part of the game.

- i do think the first game did a better job of justifying/contextualizing enemy encounters. pharloom being a hostile place can explain SOME of the I Enter A Room And Its Ass Kicking City Time. but i did like how HK used the world exploration to justify bosses/arenas. vs here it was continuously more of. You're in a room? FUCK you 6 waves of enemies. they hate you. dwai.

- really beautiful tone and space and atmosphere shifts between areas. the energy of the blasted steps- the music and the unforgiving sands? climbing ever higher? art. infuriating at times. but lovely. Not all the areas Hit™ but when they did they SURE did.

- Like the Choir Halls and the Cogwork core are both so fucking delightful. The memorium! Far fields!

- Rosaries felt easier to get and keep than shells, but i think theres also more to buy. Really liked how the rosaries played both that game mechanic and story function. Let me lighten those pockets for your climb. Dead pilgrims with frayed rosary strings. Running on empty in the underworks. The veritable endless riches from the enemies once youre in the Citadel.

- Multiple cities!! Bellhome and the singing guy is so near and dear to my heart.

- Shakra's master quest was beautiful. fucking HATE Bilewater. glad i did that though

- Double jump being optional and also locked behind Mount Fay is WILD btw. Its less hard than it seems but thats still an /intense/ platforming section. To get double jump.

- im sure I'm forgetting so many things on account of i had about two months of "can a depressed person do THIS" *unable to progress past any of conchfly/bilehaven/lace for ages bc i am too mentally exhausted and demotivated to actually learn the attack patterns but dont want to start a new game*

- in general i recognize that perhaps the game intended for me to fight differently (Not Just Needle Stabbing). HOWEVER.

- the bosses felt harder, maybe because more did multi hits at once. maybe because i was Not Using Tools. but a lot more of retrying bosses without adjusting strategy

- the progression of areas is really beautifully done. god.

- Cogwork dancers :) ( :( )

- bellhome..... singing guy.. they give you!! a house!! you carve a safe place out of somewhere sad and haunted!!

- im forgetting so many things but i need to. zzzz.

- im so excited to get to queue up the music. yippeee

- im glad i played so much of this with SL & B watching. im really glad i got to share it with them! celebrate boss defeats! have someone to listen to me go Hey What the FUCK as i encounter scary enemies! Comment on spooky things! etc

- whatta game.

- back to bilewater i guess. AKA Its Just You Me And These Maggots And Mosquitoes And That Guy Who Keeps Throwing Darts Oh God Oh Fuck Oh God.

- whatta game.

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tired. so in lieu of a standard braindump upon finishing a game, simply what i was yelling at the tv during the end sequence of totk, aka

- they UNDRAGONED HER?.?

- and they FIXED MY ARM????????

- and they TOOK MY CLOTHES???????????????

plus a bonus "oh she's a little fucked up after all that huh" @ zelda. which means i may or may not be a little in love w/ her now . i was kind of displeased with the. reversal bc it felt like a cheapening of her sacrifice bht then! the post credits scene... no that did a Number on her still so perhaps i Am ok with it. my gal youve got a Lot to process huh. lov u zelda hope u actually get an appropriate amount of time to grieve . this time. after getting catapaulted into a scenario where you realize youll never see your home or loved ones again. having essentially re settled into a new support system while assuming you would never see your old one or world again. getting close to people involved. literally and knowingly sacrificing yourself to fulfill that duty . only to somehow wake back up again having lost. your world and family. AGAIN. my gal u just do not catch a break huh. at least link got to eat some steaks and like. catch frogs and experience the sun between his strife. you got time warped and had a lil fun and then had to fight a war and then sacrificed yourself and were dragoned for x yeara and now you're BACK and youre leading a country again and people are pledging their allegiance. and. jfc. someone let you and link take a nap Please. lie down. please.