Hey Dad Weekly(ish) #1

Hey Dad,

I'd like to try something new out here on the Patreon. For a while I've wanted to offer you all something more, and something exclusive to the page. The first idea I had was extra videos, only available on the Patreon. There's one issue with that though, and it's workload. That would be adding a lot of extra efforts on top of what I'm already doing for the channel, and I feel that it would take away from Youtube. That doesn't mean that there won't ever be 100% exclusive Patreon videos, just not right at this moment.

The second idea, and one that I will be implementing in the near future, is early access to videos, and previews of videos on the Patreon. This will give the Patreon Subs the videos a day or two early. I also have some exciting stuff coming this October, that I'd like to show off and preview here, before anywhere else.

The third idea that I had, would be some sort of weekly post, and that's what this is going to be. This will be a text update, filling you all in on how the videos are progressing, how the channel is going, and what the future looks like. I'd also like to just ramble a bit, and talk about media outside of video games (movies, tv shows, comics, manga). Things that I'm currently into that I won't be talking about on the channel in full. Also, other games that I won't be making videos on for one reason or another. Keep in mind, I'm testing this out. So let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see here. I genuinely would love feedback on this. I'm going to call these weekly posts for now, but that could change to bi-weekly based on whether there are any updates to actually be made.

Also, if you have anything that you would like to see on the Patreon, just let me know and maybe I can make it happen.

(I also may or may not be working on a funny little "behind the scenes video" that will PROBABLY be Patreon exclusive.)

The Channel

With that being said, let's talk about the channel as it stands. The most recent video, Dragon's Dogma, seems to be received well, and I'm really happy with the way that it turned out. I genuinely enjoyed making that video, and Dragon's Dogma was an insanely wonderful game, that I'm so happy I got a chance to talk about. 

But now that Dragon's Dogma is finished, we're back on the Yakuza track. As I'm writing this, I just finished Yakuza 5, which was a damn long game, but was well worth the time it took to complete. Not only is the story massive, but the distractions that we've talked so much about are as well. I'm not going to talk about it too much here, but this game is genuinely MASSIVE. For reference, this is what my preliminary spreadsheet for all the "side-content" footage I need to get, looks like. 

It's.... a lot. There are days when I curse myself for starting the Yakuza series at all. It's not even that I don't like making videos on them, it's just that I wish I didn't fool myself into thinking this would all go smoothly.

I don't want to talk too much about my thoughts on the game, as you'll see a full length video on it soon enough.

Other Media

So, if you aren't aware. While I'm playing games and getting extra footage, or writing, or editing, it's much easier for me to focus if I'm watching something. I usually try to catch up on shows or movies that I haven't seen whenever I'm doing tasks that aren't hyper focus oriented. For Example: Hours of grinding out cash in the Yakuza 2 Cabaret Club allowed me to catch up on Better Call Saul hah. It also just helps to break up the 16 hour computer sessions when working on videos.

With Dragon's Dogma and Yakuza 5 back to back, I've been watching a lot of stuff. As these games have a lot of wrap up stuff to do.

One show that I've been loving recently is Severance. If you haven't heard of it, it's probably because it's only on Apple TV's streaming service, and who uses that? It's incredibly well shot, directed, and the performances are impeccable. It captures that intrigue and mystery very well. It's one of those experiences that always keeps you guessing, and you feel like you're one step away from getting some more answers. If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend it.

I've been getting back into Manga and Comics lately as well. My main squeeze though, has been Berserk. It's been years since I heard somebody first say "Bro, you have to read it, it's so good." And for years, I have ignored many similar statements. It's finally time that I caved though, and I have to say...they were right. It's fantastic, incredibly dark, well written, and the art is just superb. The world that Miura has created is so incredibly interesting and brutal, and I'm only about 6 volumes in (no spoilers please). It's been my nightly routine to lay down with a cup of tea and read Berserk for about an hour, and it's been great.

I've also been re-reading Invincible again, because it's just fantastic and how could you not? It's easily one of my favorite comics ever, and it just get's better each time. I finally bent down though and bought the whole thing physical, because I'd only read it digital before.

The first episode of The Rehearsal by Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You) just released, and it's been the highlight of the year. Nathan Fielder's work is always hilarious, inventive and though provoking and I can't wait to see where this show goes.

As for video games, I haven't been playing much outside of what you've all seen my talk about. I did recently get a Playstation 5 though, so that's opened up some new avenues for me.

First off, I think the PS5's UI is pretty horrendous. It's not awful, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe it's just that new console feel, and getting used to using everything takes some wearing in. But, I don't know, I'm just not feeling it. I do enjoy that you can actually access the Playstation Store in a way that doesn't take 5 minutes to load, but the whole taskbar that pops up when you're playing a game is really odd.

Because I got the new console though, I did finally try out Deathloop while it was on sale. I have to say, it was a surprisingly enjoyable experience. The gameplay isn't anything I would say I loved, but the story and the method of discovery was pretty interesting. The game mostly let's you discover plot points in whatever manner you choose, and doesn't seem to railroad you into any one path, which is nice. It reminded me a lot of The Outer Wilds, which I absolutely adore. It brought that spirit of branches that could be discovered and investigated into, and I enjoyed that aspect. The combat though, got kind of stale pretty quickly, and it's a bit too easy. Overall, it's pretty middle of the road for me.

Well, that's about all I have for now Dad. If you like this sort of thing, let me know in the comments. If you didn't like it, or want to see something added, changed, or just some Patreon additions, also let me know in the comments. Like I said, I really want feedback from everyone, because I want to make the Patreon as good as it can be. 

Look out for the Yakuza 5 video in the coming weeks!

Bye Dad.