Top Five: Video Games of 2023

• 2023 was certainly an interesting year, with all of that connotes. It would be weird to write about all of the great video games I got to play without mentioning the thousands of people laid off by the games industry due to terribly short sighted corporations as they try to extract every last dollar of profit, even at the expense of the people who count on them. Games don't spontaneously emerge, they are the hard work of people who genuinely love them and those people deserve to be treated better. By celebrating these games, I celebrate the people behind them and hope everyone can find stability in the new year.


• Monster Hunter World - Some five years after its release, I finally saw the ending of Monster Hunter World. That it took a foray into Monster Hunter Rise to remind me that I never completed the earlier game feels a little silly, but I'm glad my appetite for fighting those gargantuan beasts brought me back. MHW let you explore the world, learn how to navigate it, and discover how the monsters act there. It was neat to get to know those environments and really explore those fantastic ecosytems.


• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - It feels a little strange to put a game on this list that I played thrugh to completion previously, but BOTW really earned its return trip to the top five. And the reason for that is that I played through the game for my daughter. It wasn't hard to convince me since I wanted to warm up for the impending Tears of the Kingdom. In a way, it reminded me of my childhood when my brother and I would game together, with one of us at the controls and the other navigating. We had a great time, laughing our way through the game. I'll never be able to say the words "spirit orb" without a funny voice again.


• The Making of Karateka - I received the Criterion Collection DVD of >Citizen Kane as a gift one year and was immediately taken with all of the extras included that help explain why the film is held in such high esteem. Without all of the work, the film might have come off as terribly boring because decades of movies have learned so heavily from it. I suspect the same would have occured if I attempted to play Karateka outside of this amazing package. More documentary and archive than game, The Making of Karateka walks you through its creation and the discusses the advances Jordan Mechnar made in bringing his vision to the computer. It is an exciting start to Digital Extreme's Gold Master Series, and I'm fascinated to see when they go in the future.


• Vampire Survivors - When Vampire Survivors first came out, I was perplexed as to why anyone find it fun. "You just run around and try not to die?" I asked myself. Thanks to Game Pass, I was able to try it for myself and discovered that there is a lot more to it. The "trying-not-to-die" part is greatly assisted by the upgrades you choose and your thoughtful positioning to get the most use out of them. It is a very strightforward game, but the simplicity of execution allows for an easy on-ramp to the layers that it adds. For a while there, it became a ritual to run a level before work every day. I don't know if there is any way to finish the game, but I quite enjoyed my time with it.


• Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - When this game was first announced, I had trouble understanding why it was necessary. Having finished it, I still have the same thought. But it doesn't have to be necessary to have been a joyful addition to the Like A Dragon series. Just running around Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' Sotenbori again was enough to remind me how much it is to just exist in this world. Of the two combat styles, I far preferred the Yakuza style to the new Agent style, but the game did not suffer due to that preference. If anything, the game was very welcoming to just going out and having a great time. So much so in fact that it was the first AAA game that I ever completed all Xbox achievements on. For it to grab ahold of me that thoroughly is quite the compliment.


• Honorable Mentions: Hi-Fi Rush, Saints Row, Starfield, and Borderlands all flirted with space on this list, but didn't end up making the cut. I still liked them all for various reasons.


• Um, I'd better get started on the 2024 list if I want any chance of releasing it before the end of 2025.

Top Five: Video Games of 2022

• 2022 was an interesting year for video games. I found myself with less time and less drive to play games. But also found that Xbox Cloud Gaming works really well, so I played more than I expected. Here are the five games that ended up occupying my time and headspace the most in 2022.


• Elden Ring - An understandable game of the year. It really deserves all of the rewards it received. That said, I mostly ended up playing this for my daughter. If I were writing this from a 2023 perspective, I'd have pulled it from the running because I'm kinda exhausted with it. (Look forward to my forthcoming post on why I need to stop hatefucking Fromsoft games.) As it stands in 2022, I can't deny that this game started out fun and gave me something to do with my daughter.


• Conan Exiles - One of the themes of my gaming this year was finding world live in rather than conquer. Conan Exiles, for all of its hardcore tendencies, is also a game that you can just nest in. I made a nice little house, outgrew it and started a bigger house, made some "friends", and generally had a good time. I eventually drifted away, but there was a lot to just enjoy about being in a world that was only as savage as you wanted it to be.


• Arcade Paradise - I love a good "out of nowhere" game, the kind that blindsides you and reminds you that you don't need follow every marketing post for a year just to enjoy a game. Arcade Paradise's tale of a teenage parental disappointment who slowly transforms a laundromat into an '80s arcade is both sad and heartwarming. But under the story is just a fun collection of throwback arcade games and the compulsion to just put in one more quarter. Not every machine is a hit, much like at any arcade. But I was a lot of fun to play and work and see the arcade slowly grow.


• Disney Dreamlight Valley - Heh, this is like Disney's Anti-Conan. In many ways, this game scratched the same itch as Conan Exiles. There is the same exploration, playing dress up, and homemaking, but with a lot (A LOT) less bloodshed. If you have a fondness for Disney characters and just want to hang out with them, this is a fun way to do it.


• Cyberpunk 2077 - The launch of Patch 1.5 did a lot to revitalize interest in Cyberpunk, with many taking the opportunity to finally venture into Night City, myself included. The game, well, is still the game. Many of the roughest edges have been filed down, and there is great fun to be had. In many ways, it feels like a much prettier Borderlands to me. But I'm not sure if I'll ever finish the game. And that's okay. I had a good run with it.


One game that I wish I could have placed on this list is Tunic. Tunic's entire Zelda-like, meta-examination of the joys of discovering a new game hit me right in the nostalgia center of the brain. But then the all-to-frequent difficuly spikes pushed me further and further from that joy until I could not bring myself to even try to headbash my way through the next brick wall in front of me. /sigh

What's this? We're halfway through 2023 already? I can't wait to see what ends up on this year's list. (Or when I'll actually post it.)

Watched Lately: Skeleton Knight in Another World

• I didn't mean for this to become the anime blog, but I guess we play with the hand we're dealt. And my hand includes the most aggressively mediocre show that I have watched in I do not know how long.


• Like, I don't even know why I did it. I bounced off of Aharen-san wa Hakarenai after just one interminable episode. I gave up on The Executioner and Her Way of Life and Trapped in a Dating Sim after just a few episodes each, once I realized I didn't actually care what happened to the characters. But for some reason, I just kept watching Skeleton Knight in Another World even though it's not a very good show. It's barely a passable show, but I kept watching.


• Skeleton Knight stars your standard overpowered isekai protagonist, Arc, who wakes up one day as his character in his favorite MMO. Only, his character was using a transmog to appear as a skeleton, which has carried over to this new world! Of course, none of that matters outside of a few gags. If you removed the skeleton conceit, it would have no effect on the story.


• Not that the plot is any better. Arc quickly discovers that slavery is common in this new world and finds himself helping those in need of protection. He ends up assisting an elf warrior and a beast girl ninja in freeing various captives and striking down their captors, not out of any sense of justice, but because it's the cool thing to do. As I type this, I come to realize that this my largest issue with the series. It presents this world as full of injustice, but the protagonist could not care less. His companions may provide direction, but he's just a tool, in every sense of the word.


• Don't be a tool. Don't watch this anime.


• Rating: 1 1/2 stars

Random Shots: My Predictions for Season 2 of My Dress-Up Darling

• SPOILER WARNING! This post is for a very small subset of people who have both watched the first season of My Dress-Up Darling as well as (somehow, mysteriously) caught up with the current chapters of the manga, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru (referred to as such because none of this is officially available in English yet). Which means I'm pretty much just writing this for me and several people who will never find this post anyway. Enjoy!


• With the end of the first season of My Dress-Up Darling, we look ahead to what I'm sure everyone hopes will be a Season 2. Considering how closely the anime hewed to the manga, it's a safe bet that they will do the same with a new season. The first season covered Chapters 1 through 39. With the manga up to Chapter 74, let's break down how the next season could look.


• These first three episodes seem pretty straightforward.
• Episode 1 - Chapters 40 through 43 - The first episode will likely cover Amane's introduction to the series. He is one of my favorite new characters and I'm excited to see him show up. Though I suspect they will have to compress the chapters a little to fit it all in one episode.


• Episode 2 - Chapters 44 through 46 - The next episode would then cover Bunny Suit Arisa. It's a tight three chapter arc that would be perfect for the next episode.


• Episode 3 - Chapters 47 through 49 - Then we get to Halloween, another three chapter arc that fits perfectly with how season one was plotted.


• Here is where it gets a little harder to guess. The School Festival runs for thirteen chapters. In addition, Chapter 50 kind of stands alone, so you could push it into the end of episode 3. If not, you have fourteen chapters to deal with. I can't see forcing the arc into three episodes or stretching to five, though the pros could figure it out. Considering how important this arc is to opening Gojo and Kitagawa's passion for cosplay to their classmates, it deserves quite a lot of time. If I was doing it, the Rei episodes would be:
• Episode 4 - Chapters 50 through 53 - Rei (part I) would start with Shizuku's birthday party precredits, then cover the choice of festival entries, Gojo's introduction to Council Host, and the reassurance that he needs to dedicate himself to making the costume.


• Episode 5 - Chapters 54 through 56 - Rei (part II) would cover making the costume, the wig, and trying to make Kitagawa look like a man.


• Episode 6 - Chapters 57 through 59 - Rei (part III) would cover costume try on (watch out for fan service!), manliness lessons, and making the rainbow rose.


• Episode 7 - Chapters 60 through 63 - Rei (part IV) finishes with the makeup demonstration, the festival itself, and the karaoke party.


• This next one is a gimme, no matter how the Rei arc is paced.
• Episode 8 - Chapters 64 through 67 - This episode covers the "Marin got Fat" chapter as well as trying out her new camera. Poor Kitagawa. The girl doesn't deserve to be body shamed, but it's unfortunately something real teens have to deal with.


• And now, my confidence in the exercise comes completely off the rails since there are just not enough chapters to fill out the season.
• Episode 9 - Chapters 68 through 71 - This episode will introduce Akira and lead into the afterparty. If I were breaking this season for real, I'd absolutely want to end an episode on Juju picking up the phone.


• Episode 10 - Chapters 72 through 74? - Here we have the ending of the afterparty with Akira's declaration about Marin and leading into the sleepover, because...


• Episode 11 & 12 - Chapters 75? through ?? - ... because now we've run out of chapters.


• By my count, that leaves the creator, Shinichi Fukuda, very little room to tie up the sleepover and the Coffin event or whatever else they want to do. Maybe I'm wrong and the studio will speedrun the School Festival or maybe cut something. Or maybe the show will get a 13 episode order and enough room for everything to breathe. All I can say is that I'm glad I can armchair theorize the breakdown because I would be sweating if I was in their shoes.

Watched Lately: My Dress-Up Darling

• Have you ever felt that you had to hide something that you're passionate about out of fear that other people would not understand you? For me it was comics books, anime, manga, role-playing games, video games, miniatures.... I've certainly had my fair share of hobbies that I didn't feel confident discussing with others until I could find like-minded people to share with. And lucky for me that I did. Not everyone is. That's where we find our protagonists at the start of My Dress-Up Darling.


• Wakana Gojo is a high school student with a true passion for traditional Japanese hina dolls. Ever since he was young, he's been enamoured with the porcelin beauties. But he has also carried the memory of his young friend berating him for showing interest something girly things. And up until high school, he has kept mainly to himself, bemoaning his loneliness, but afraid that someone might discover his secret.


• Marin Kitagawa is, in many ways, Gojo's opposite. Outgoing and confident, Kitagawa is an otaku through and through. And she completely owns her passions, unafraid to stand up to anyone who might belittle the things she loves. The only thing she can't do is make her own cosplay, try as she might.


• When the two finally meet and reveal their passions to one another, it is like two complimentary pieces coming together. Marin, instead of ridiculing him for his fascination with hina dolls, identifies with his passion. Wakana finds himself lowering his defenses, promising to use his talent for making doll clothing to help her achieve her cosplay dream.


• Over the course of the series, the pair contend with the challenges of making cosplay and coming to terms with their emotions. Wakana barely believes that this girl could even have the time of day for him, much less enjoy his company. Marin, for her part, finds that her unexpected emotions have built to a point that she has trouble keeping her cool around him. But they face their challenges as we explore the world of fandom together.


• According to her creator, Shinichi Fukuda, Marin is meant to be an ideal girl for fans to fall for. At the same time, she has some faults that test Wakana in ways he is not prepared for. One of which is her predilication to providing copious fan service for Gojo and the audience. There is a whole other blog post coming about that, but I have to temper my high praise for the show to set proper expectations.


• And my praise for the show is high, indeed. My Dress-Up Darling is one of the best anime I have seen in years. From the lovingly rendered characters, to the perfectly cast voice actors, to the highs and lows of the story, and more. I didn't fall in love with Marin, as her mangaka hoped. I fell for this cute couple helping each other learn and grow together. And they reminded me that I could be fearless about my passions as well.


• Also, I'm this close to asking my mother-in-law to teach me how to use a sewing machine, because how cool would that be?


• Rating: 4 stars