As I sit here writing this, it’s almost 5am. Last night, I thought to myself, “Hey. I should play fifteen minutes of South Park: The Fractured But Whole so I can write a bit more about it.”
Five hours later, I realized what time it was, said, CRAP CRAP CRAP out loud, and realized I had stayed up all night playing.
It’s been quite some time since I did that.
The older I get, the more I realize I can’t pull all-nighters like I used to. Staying awake all night makes me feel like total garbage the following day. Or, wait, the same day? Today.
Clearly I am already feeling the effects of not sleeping.
If you had told me earlier this year that I’d be playing the South Park game (and that it would have released at all), and enjoying it so much that I was missing sleep, I would have laughed. Yet, here I am, having an excellent time of it.
It’s been a hell of a year. I think just the thing I needed was a ridiculous game, and this entirely fits that bill.
During my marathon play session last night, I wound up with a shark costume! I slapped that thing right on and went bopping around South Park with my fetching shark hat on display. It was magnificent.
Some of the jokes are so out there, I’ve actually said NO WAY out loud. I love that they aren’t afraid to make biting commentary on, well, anything.
I’m not especially adept at the turn-based combat, but I’m developing better strategies over time. I still wish I was more adept at the system, but I’m enjoying playing something so far out of my comfort zone. This is just the palate refresher I needed.
I’m hoping to make good progress in South Park today and, before Friday, I’d like to go back and pick up where I left off with Wolfenstein. With Wolfenstein 2 releasing on Friday, I’d like to have the first one under my belt in preparation. Also releasing on Friday is Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and I feel like the deluge of excellent releases this year is coming to some sort of fantastical apex. I’ve already made peace with the fact there is no possible way I will get caught up on all the 2017 releases I’d like to, but I’m still hoping to knock out as many as I possibly can.
I’ve heavily tapered off Destiny 2, as my frustrations with the game have been mounting. I’m checking in here and there, but until Bungie makes some sweeping changes (hopefully by the time the first expansion drops later this year), I’m going to continue to put in minimal time. I’m also feeling awfully odd about the Activision patent that was leaked last week. I was already feeling strange about loot boxes in gaming and how they are dangerously close to gambling. The patent had some fairly diabolical aspects to it, and it made me wonder, who are we supporting and why? If a game takes a long time to create and the developers need to make up that money somewhere, so be it. But if a board of people is sitting around trying to figure out ways to get people to pay for things that don’t even physically exist (and only a chance at those things, no less) and to do it by making them feel bad or get trounced in a multiplayer match, I have a problem with that. I’ve bought loot boxes in the past and I’ve always regretted it. I need to stop buying into that system. The only way companies will change is if we show them with our purchasing habits. I need to start with myself.
This week I’m feeling all kinds of motivated to be productive and knock as many games out as possible. I also have an outing planned that I’m looking forward to: Knott’s Scary Farm with some friends I’ve known online for a while, but will be meeting for the first time this weekend! Hooray for online friendships! Now if my health will just cooperate…
With that I ask: what will you be playing this week? Are you planning on getting any of the heavy hitters releasing this week? If so, which one/s?
Categories: games
Rebekah Lang 
Ha, I used to play a lot of games until 3 or 4am every weekend, but now I rarely play games after 1am, when it’s around midnight I’m ready to just lay down and watch a movie.
I’m trying my hardest to not buy Fractured But Whole because I already have lots of games to play right now, but I don’t know for how long I’ll be able to hold on.
I’m at the last chapter of Darksiders and I hope to finish it until tomorrow. Then I don’t know what to play, I have a couple of options, but I’ll decide later.
I’m not buying anything in this big release week! I wish I had a Switch to play some Odyssey, but oh well…maybe next year. I want a X1X, a PS4 pro, a Switch, a new notebook…dammit! I want so many things! In november I’m waiting for Pokémon Ultra Moon and maybe LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2…I love Marvel but I think LEGO games are only okay…I’ll read some reviews. For Pokémon, my body is ready for my annual pokémon journey.
Have a nice week!
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You start watching movies at 1am?! WHOA! Hopefully by 1am I am deep in snoozetown.
Well hopefully you can hold out until there is at least a nominal price drop. I’m betting we see one around Black Friday.
I also don’t have a Switch, so I’m right there with you. I hope you enjoy your annual Pokemon journey. :)
Thank you! I hope you have a nice week, too!
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I’m still playing South Park,Shadow of War and Overwatch,I’m getting Origins and Wolfenstein as well.
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WHEEE!!! What a week for gaming! I hope you enjoy all those games!
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Hey Rebekah, I started Uncharted; not sure if I’ll finish it. I’m at the beginning of Ch. 3 in a tedious gunfight. Might have to lower the difficulty to normal. I’m enjoying the lock pick aspect of the game; it’s a refreshing change of pace, imho! Thoughts?
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Do you usually play the Uncharted games on a harder difficulty? I find due to the less than stellar gunplay that normal is where I sit with those. I know Naughty Dog has legions of fans out there, but I’ve never thought their gunplay was very good.
Either way, I hope you find a way to enjoy it and I’m glad you like the lock picking! I actually kind of like lock picking in games. :)
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I played Pyre a bit more over the weekend so I think any free time will be devoted to finishing that. I’m thinking of getting Fractured But Whole and Assassin’s Creed Origins but that’s about all in the immediate future. I’ll be waiting on Wolfenstein since I haven’t played The New Order.
Last week was a tough week of news with the leak of the Activision algorithm and the closure of Visceral. The big AAA publishers are making it pretty clear where they see the future of games heading and what they truly see customers as. It’s a shame that in a year with so many great games released and still on the way, some are overshadowed with this loot box and microtransaction nonsense.
I hope you have a great time both with gaming and your trip to Knotts Scary Farm!
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I hope you make good progress with Pyre! This month is laden with amazing releases! I hope whatever you decide to get, you enjoy.
That patent leak has left a dark cloud over microtransactions…which weren’t a lighthearted issue to begin with. It just feels gross. And I agree, both of those things felt a little foreboding. I think this week is already brightening things with those good review scores for all three games tomorrow!
Aww, thank you! I’m excited and nervous about tomorrow!
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Still plugging away at Shin Megami Tensei IV, and occasionally playing The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
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I hope you enjoy both!
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Ah, I concur! I’m often much too tired to persevere too late into the night playing games but when I manage it, it’s glorious fun until I’m half asleep the next day. Fractured But Whole seems genuinely funny, such a rare game accomplishment. I’ve had a hankering for a turn based game, namely XCOM 2, but I’ve been trying to wrap up other titles first. The Activision patent and the loot crate discussion in general has me peeved at the entire situation. The issue (and others) killed my enthusiasm for Middle Earth: Shadow of War and Star Wars: Battlefront 2. It feels like a topsy turvy world when in a raging debate about micro-transactions I’ve pre-ordered Assassin’s Creed: Origins (which announced it’s “helix” credits this past week). Have a great time at Knotts Scary Farm!
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I think you nailed it there! It’s like, WHEEE THIS GAME IS SO GREAT OMG IS THAT THE SUN I FEEL LIKE GARBAGE.
It IS genuinely funny, but holy cow there have been a couple of moments where I was like…is this really happening. One part in particular made me actually say NO WAY out loud over and over. It may be the most ridiculous thing I’ve encountered in a game…but then I remember Hatoful Boyfriend and I have to rethink that statement.
If you play XCOM I hope you have a good time of it! All I know is that it is brutal as heck.
I’m with you. I’m also peeved at the situation about the patent and loot boxes.
I hope we both enjoy Origins! One more day!
Aww, thank you. I’m already nervous but I’m also excited. :)
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