Zero Lives: 2023/01/02

~ I am the very model of a scientist Salarian ~

Just like that, 2022 is done and done. It was quite the year with plenty of change and overall, I’d say things have gone pretty well for me. I have an amazing family, a job I love, and literally want for nothing. After decades of struggle, I’ve finally attained the dream.

I ordered a new case for the Night Engine as my mid-tower had just become too cramped. So, I went full size and transferred everything over. It purrs and looks so sexy. Even better, I had enough room to add another fan, increasing the airflow. I think the Night Engine is finally complete. I can’t think of anything it needs. It’s a good feeling.

I ended up taking more time off in the last few weeks of the year than I had anticipated, but I think it’s been good for me. It will allow me to start the new year fresh and recharged. I have goals, dammit, and I’m going to meet them.

What I’m Playing

Destiny 2 - Rasputin has returned! This story is absolutely killing it. I’m probably spending too much time playing D2, but honestly, it’s in such a good place right now and I feel on top of everything.

Street Fighter V - I reinstalled after adding more storage to the Night Engine. It’s funny, I actually had to look up the guide I wrote on adjusting my PC settings so SFV would run at a stable 60 fps. Otherwise, my characters were bouncing around like a roadrunner on speed.

Soul Calibur VI - There is only one player still playing this. They’re Japanese and mopped the floor with me about a dozen times. I was then disappointed by what I inaccurately remember as being one of the best character creators out there. It’s garbage. I’ll probably dink around with the story stuff, but if there’s no one playing this any longer than my interest might fade quicker than I would like.

Mass Effect - Not sure what led me down this path but I installed the Legendary Edition and went down a rabbit hole of modding it. When I finally had enough of adding textures, bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements, I decided to commit to dozens upon dozens of hours of gameplay.

Mass Effect isn’t as bad as I remember. That’s largely because I realize 23-year-old me was a complete dumbass and didn’t know how maps worked. I knocked out the bulk of the side quests and made the best choices I felt possible. I ended at max level with a high Paragon rating, Liara romanced, space-racist Ashley dead, the Council sacrificed, and Captain Anderson made the head of the Council.

Mass Effect 2 - I’m just going to preface this by saying that prior to Destiny, the Mass Effect trilogy was my favorite and of the trilogy, Mass Effect 2 was my favorite. As soon as I imported my Shepard from the first game and fired up the second, I was back home. I LOVE ME2 so much and I’m going to savor this playthrough.

What I’m Watching

It seems to be season finale time as all of our shows are ending.

Chainsaw Man - The Sound of Silence might as well be the backing track as great characters like Himeno are biting it and then are getting touching farewells. I love the characters in this story and we’re going to start my favorite arc with the start of Season 2. Hopefully, it will come sooner than a year.

Spy x Family - Fiona just might be my favorite character. The interaction between her and Yor provides a great subplot to the now-tiring Anya school plot. But, that’s finally making progress after about a dozen episodes of nothing. Where Chainsaw Man is a thick, delicious cut of steak, Spy x Family is more akin to Dragonball Z with how much fat it has on it. I still like it, but it can seriously drag.

Wednesday - I’ve finally come around to Wednesday. The high school drama and YA novel nonsense of two boys fighting for our titular character’s affection are tiring, but I like the characters and main plot. I’m just hoping it doesn’t drag out unnecessarily and doesn’t lose the main plot for the side stories.

Die Hard - It’s not Christmas until we see Hans Gruber fall from Nakatomi Plaza.

Pacific Rim - I know this movie gets a lot of hate, but honestly, those people are stupid. Pacific Rim is a movie about giant monsters fighting giant robots. The story is going to be garbage as it’s simply a vehicle for the action scenes. Keep your expectations realistic and enjoy the movie for what it is. Plus, I’m of the opinion that Guillermo del Toro can do no wrong.

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