At this point if I have to print something I just go to the library. I’m fortunate, but it’s been like two years since I’ve had to print something on actual paper.

This game got me good. The atmosphere and way it drips out puzzle after puzzle is so rewarding. I drew maps. I wrote down a litany of notes on my iPad to keep track of. I tried to solve everything I could on my own until I just couldn’t any more. It felt like playing games as a kid where you had to have paper handy and wrote down passcodes.

Pouring over every inch of the map was so fun, and while I do think there will be copy cats to this game pop up in the next year, I don’t think anyone will be able to capture the magic of this again. It’s like its own singular entity that no one else has ever done. Not in this way.

For that, it’s my game of the year. Astro Bot is my second, since it’s a technically near perfect game. But it’s also simply peak platformer. Animal Well is novel. It’s just built different.

Astro Bot (PS5)

Since my personal GOTY is already taken (Animal Well), let’s just add a lot of peoples’ here — it’s also my second favorite game of the year.

Do you like 3D platforming? Why not try the best platformer since Mario Odyssey‽ Help save your friend bots with a dozen or so hours of the purest platforming fun in…a long time, honestly. People have really hyped this game, and they really aren’t wrong. It’s pure fun the entire time. Everything is beautiful and interesting. No notes, really. Good job Team Asobi.

Man, what happened to Tapper?

I used to think he was pretty on the level, but this plus his and Bash’s weak ass debate moderating have really soured me on the dude.

I guess being “bullied” off of Bluesky because people wanted him to do his job better really screwed him up.

I have this feeling that once it starts going on more sales and more people play it the general consensus will be that’s it’s a pretty solid game. I also imagine like a lot of these games there will be a patch in the next month that fixes a litany of issues.

You’re right it’s kind of interesting that the factions don’t really add a lot of meaningful gameplay mechanics, but oh well. At first I was like, “I’m not working with the Pykes AT ALL because I know what happens in your spice mines.” But you end up just being friends with all of them as needed (to get their rewards).

Just having this big coat of Star Wars paint over this otherwise fairly standard action/shooter/open world game really does make it more fun, though. I still have a bit to go in the story, but I’m just basting around cleaning up side quests right now because it’s fun to do.

For sure.

But the nerds around here put him on a GIIIANT pedestal.

It’s OK to make fun of Gabe, guys, he doesn’t care about you as he tries to figure out which of his six or seven yachts to ride around on this weekend.

Yeah! I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

I'm fortunate that I have the means and ability to go to my polling place with ease, though I'd prefer to vote with an absentee ballot because that's easy.

But this ratfuckery stuff like this is why I'm 100% going to vote in person.

"Gabe was quoted as saying, 'Yesss, another yacht for me!'"

Edit: Oh sorry, when he's our billionaire he's cool, right?

Maannn, a new Solomon's Key game would be so cool.

Maybe we need LLMs to (first of all, we don't need LLMs for this) rewrite headlines any time the word "slams" gets in there.

Honestly, Outlaws has flaws, BUUUUT it's fun as hell. It's a 7/10 game, but it's fun. I enjoy my time with it even though I see some glitches here or there, or that the lip sync is a little jank.

It's a big ass Star Wars game (with no AC towers hooray!) where you get to rub shoulders with scoundrels and play Sabacc and visit honestly cool locations that are visually impressive.

I feel like most of the issues it has is probably a function of "we need this game out by X date" versus the devs' ability.