Zero Lives: 2022/07/05

~ Fuck the pain away ~

Jul 5, 2022

Another week is in the bag and we’re coming off a three-day weekend in the States. Everything from politics to mass shootings and the environment to medical care…it’s a big fucking mess and I’m finding it hard, if not impossible, to “celebrate.”

I try very hard to not be “political.” I only talk about politics on rare occasions and only with my wife. I find it otherwise to be a breeding ground for conflict because most people can’t have a discourse about such a passionate topic without feelings getting hurt.

What I am, in a weird way, is an entertainer. I write video game guides for a living. I share a passion of mine with readers all over the world on a daily basis. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I hope when you read this, that it offers a little oasis from the chaos that is our world. It gives you a brief respite where you can feel a connection about similar interests or be intrigued enough by something I cover to try it out yourself.

We’re in desperate need of some basic human kindness and decency. Be good to one another.

What I’m Playing

Outriders: Worldslayer dropped and it’s…conflicting. The campaign doesn’t add much and adds a ton at the same time. The main villain feels like they were thrown in and just as quickly dealt with. There was a lot of hype building up to them and it feels like their potential was ultimately wasted.

The endgame activity is fun in that there are swarms of enemies and a shitload of loot to collect. It lacks randomness and would benefit from a bit more variety, but is still a huge step up from the expeditions simply because it feels like players are now being rewarded for their efforts.

I feel guilty for betraying my Devastator with the Technomancer, but the Devastator feels like a one-note class compared to the versatility the Technomancer has. Who knows, though? Maybe I just need to tinker with it some more.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has consumed me. Work demands I play it as it’s the biggest release in some time. It’s more Monster Hunter, so if that’s your jam, then you’ll love this. I still think MHW and Iceborne were the superior entries, but Sunbreak needs to be playable on Switch, so concessions had to be made.

The biggest thing that gets me is I’m trying to progress through the story and it’s just so much busy work. Complete two hunts of this tier, do a special hunt, do two more hunts of the same tier, and then move up. Rinse and repeat.

The Steam Summer Sale has arrived and fortunately, there’s not much that was striking my fancy. I have a fondness for the Prince of Persia remake, so I snagged that. It was a fun parkour game with a gorgeous art style that was great for zoning out to.

I also grabbed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as I’ve always meant to play it, but never have. Platinum Games is one of my favorite developers with hits like Bayonetta and Vanquish, so I’m excited to delve into this one.

What I’m Watching

Umbrella Academy is so good! I forgot how much I loved characters like Five and Luther. Yes, the fate of the entire universe is at stake again and there are trust issues, but it’s so well-crafted that I give all that nonsense a pass.

Prisoners of the Ghostland is one of the worst fucking movies I’ve ever seen. It had potential but was ultimately squandered. It tried to be weird for the sake of being weird but ultimately failed in even that simple task. There was plenty of opportunity for clever metaphors and subtle messages, but forget all of that because the writer wasn’t capable of telling a basic compelling story. Good lord, just go watch Velocipastor instead if you want a good bad movie.

The Boys. Nuoh my god. It’s so fucking good. This week ended on a doozy of a cliffhanger and we only have one episode left this season. I NEED it!