Hi all,
We’ve made it halfway through 2021 and summer is beginning! The season of spending relaxing time with family & friends, enjoying the sunshine, and of course, playing (and watching) video games 🤣
There’s quite a bit to get to so I’m going to jump right in!!
TL;DR
- Finished: Cyberpunk 2077, Subnautica, FF7R DLC
- Ongoing: Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Upcoming: Subnautica Below Zero
Games Finished Since Last Update
Cyberpunk 2077 (130 parts): Finished this series six months on the dot! I spent quite a bit talking about my thoughts in the very last video, but TL;DR I enjoyed the game a lot for what it is, but I can completely see others not having the same experience esp. for people that look for more gameplay-based elements. I’d be happy to revisit Night City whenever the story expansions release.
Subnautica (30 parts): Outside of the challenges with recording a survival game (mentioned more in the last post), I found this game super fun. It’s given me a bit more confidence to try other stuff that might not be strictly narrative-driven too!
Initially I came into this expecting something akin to Outer Wilds – I love both games but IMO they are so different outside of the exploration concept that I would warn against going into one expecting something similar to the other.
FF7R INTERmission (8 parts): My first PS5 game! Short in playtime but it didn’t feel like anything was cheaped out on compared to FF7R Part 1. Yuffie’s battle mechanics are a meaningful expansion on the established battle system, and some story threads have been set up for the sequel(s) too.
I also took a first look at:
The Magnificent Trufflepigs: First-person “walking simulator”; two people metal-detect for a pair of lost earrings on a hot summer day, but that seems to only be a pretense to something more. The graphics and voice acting are nice but some design decisions are experience-hampering: e.g. a complete separation between the story and gameplay: whenever someone talks, you have to stop everything you’re doing and just listen.
Biomutant: An third-person kung-fu RPG of a raccoon thing (?) saving a world distorted by radioactive mutations. Creative character creator where your attributes decide your appearance. The initial combat bits seem fun too, but repetition seems to be a problem the deeper you get into the game.
Backbone: Point and click-style adventure featuring a raccoon detective set in a dystopian Vancouver, B.C. The water effects are veeeery beautiful and what I’ve played of the story is a bit cliché though still interesting. I’ve seen reviews say that the high point in the story is the beginning parts unfortunately.
Progress on Current Stuff
Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition: I’ve picked up the video pace and we’re probably over half-way through the story now? There are definitely some 2007isms (e.g. repeating rooms) but the story is so rich and engaging I don’t care at all lol. Enjoying it lots & hoping to keep up the schedule pace all throughout the 3 games!
Upcoming Stuff
There are some upcoming smaller games I’m keeping an eye on (Death’s Door, Road 96, Annapurna’s Last Stop and Twelve Minutes), but my next bigger thing is going back to Subnautica Below Zero. I finished the first game last month and wanted a small break before continuing. (With the summer heat I’d really love to play a game about the frozen winters right about now too 💦)
Thanks as always for your support, and feel free to let me know about any other games that could be cool to see on the channel and/or any other thoughts you have in the comments!
Welonz
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For new patrons: Patreon has a bug where comments (esp. long ones) disappear – for a fix, please see the “On Disappearing Patreon Comments” section in this previous post.
2021-06-24 00:06:27 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Aaaaaah! Things have been so hectic I nearly forgot to write a post!!! Feels like I blinked and it’s the end of May already! We're almost half-way through 2021!? Whaat!?!?
Hope you're doing well wherever in the world you are. Here in Canada, vaccine rollouts have been steadily increasing, and a lot of my friends are finally getting their first doses. Looks like the end is in sight and we can regain some sense of normality… soon-ish? (but I am still probably going to be inside playing video games most of the time anyway looool)
TL;DR
- Ongoing: Cyberpunk 2077, Subnautica, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Upcoming: FF7R Intergrade, Subnautica Below Zero, indie stuff hopefully!
Games Finished Since Last Update
EDIT: I completely forgot about this lol
I took a first look at:
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...: Third person hack & slash action RPG. I played Nier Gestalt back in 2017 or so, so it was a nice trip down the memory lane to go through this first NieR game again. It's definitely nicer to play & look at now! I've heard there are changes outside of the general remaster treatment.
Progress on Current Stuff
Cyberpunk 2077: I’m at the very tail end of my playthrough, in the last 1-2 story missions or so!! It will take me maybe 1-2 more weeks to check out the other endings, but other than that it should be a wrap for this 6-month long series... until the story expansions anyway!
Subnautica: I also seem to be at the end-game portions of this one! It’s been a great ride.
Behind the scenes stuff: this is likely one of the most time & effort-consuming series I’ve done since a good portion of my “organizing stuff” play time doesn’t make it into a video. I love the game so it's not that I mind, but it does hamper with my schedule in that I normally might be able to juggle three “average effort” video series, but if one of them is Subnautica, then that becomes really difficult. Which brings me to…
Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition: I’ve had a slow start to this (because of the aforementioned) but I am sooo baffled by just how good and lore-dense it is just from the first few hours. It is good. That is all. I am super excited to dive more into this ASAP.
Upcoming Stuff
Once CP2077/Subnautica finish up, Mass Effect will be the next thing to stay for a while, and some space will open up in my schedule for new stuffl, likely beginning with FF7R Intergrade coming out on June 10. (I did manage to get a PS5 and have it all set up!!)
I’m also interested in continuing with Subnautica: Below Zero, but realistically, juggling three series where one is a Subnautica may not work so well lol. I’m thinking I’ll focus on Intergrade (shouldn’t be that long as it’s a DLC), use that time as a break, and then return to Below Zero in full force.
Seems like it’ll be a relatively slow summer with not many big releases after that. Really hoping to get back to some indie games too! There have definitely been a few I’ve held off off on just from lack of time 😭
That’s all I have! Hopefully by next month’s post, we’ll get some more variety with new stuff starting up. Thanks as always for your support, and have a great rest of May!
Welonz
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For new patrons: Patreon has a bug where comments (esp. long ones) disappear – for a fix, please see the “On Disappearing Patreon Comments” section in this previous post.
2021-05-24 21:44:37 +0000 UTC
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Hey all,
Hope you are well! It’s been a really busy month over here. Usually I try to sneak in writing these at my day job (lol) but we are undergoing some big system changes lately so everything has just been insane.
TL;DR
- [Admin] On Disappearing Patreon Comments
- Ongoing: Cyberpunk 2077, Subnautica
- Upcoming: Mass Effect in May?
[Admin] On Disappearing Patreon Comments
Some people have brought up the issue of comments disappearing in the past few posts. I haven’t removed any comments since the inception of this page – if your comment went missing, it wasn’t me! :(
I talked to Patreon support and what’s happening is they have an aggressive spam filter that page creators themselves can’t manage (very Good and Smart system). The solution is to please email guidelines@patreon.com using your Patreon account email address and ask to be taken out of the spam filter. This only needs to be done once and your comments going forward should be approved, as well as previous removed comments restored.
Apologies that this is such an archaic and high-effort way to fix this – I tried my best to do all the admin work but they insist that patrons themselves have to email in :’(
Games Finished Since Last Update
I mainly focused a few first looks to complement starting Subnautica:
Mundaun: A first-person indie horror set in the Swiss Alps using monochromatic, hand-penciled textures, which is great at setting the eerie tone. There are some very culture-specific things and it’s only voiced in Romansh – these might be barriers of entry to some but I personally found it kinda cool and educational.
Paradise Lost: First-person exploration of a young boy investigating an abandoned bunker in Polish nuclear wastelands. The atmosphere is immersive and there’s lots of read to learn about the setting, but the pacing (and walking speed) seem quite slow.
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut: From the last poll, I think many of you are already familiar with this! I did a first look anyway since lots of people voted for it :)
So far, it’s an interesting world and a lot of the dialogue is really clever, but TBH the pacing from the first 1-2 hours gave me some concern for a potential full-length series. I can immediately see why this is such a niche game for the average YouTube viewer – it’s very much a slow burn.
Apparently the Final Cut added new quests on top of voice acting (which needs time to play out) too. I think my initial estimate of 30 playtime hours based on the original version way undersold it lol. Long story short - I know a lot of you very passionately vouch for this game, but with all the factors above, it may be a while before I can return to it.
Genesis Noir: Point-and-click adventure of personified cosmic beings getting into a love triangle that results in the Big Bang. Very jazzy, very noir, very stylish. The gameplay can be a bit confusing though – sometimes I felt like I was clicking on everything as opposed to really solving puzzles.
Progress on Current Stuff
Cyberpunk 2077: Enjoying it lots as usual! Guestimating I’m over 2/3s of the way through judging by how many side quests are left, so this series may wrap up in 1-2 months or so.
Subnautica: It’s here!! Thanks again to everyone who voted for this in the poll. It’s been a joy to explore the unknown oceans so far.
I haven’t recorded an open world survival game before and whew it is mentally demanding. Oftentimes I don’t have to think hard on how to progress in story games, but for Subnautica, I’m finding shorter recording sessions + mentally planning when I’m not playing, or at least not commentating, helps a lot. Learning new things about how to make better videos everyday!
Upcoming Stuff
The next big thing I have my eye is probably Mass Effect Legendary Edition coming in May (it’ll be pretty tight schedule-wise…. but I’ll figure something out…) I forgot if I’ve talked about it much, but the series is probably one of the first I’ve played as a “proper” PC gamer, and the remaster/remake seems like a great time to bring it on the channel. I sped through a lot of it back then and never read the codex, so this’ll be my first deeper dive of it too!
(I am aware RE8 is coming out in May too but I haven’t played RE7 yet so I’m gonna shelve that for now. Still need some courage (and time) to move into that first-person horror space 🥲)
That’s all I have for now! Feel free to let me know your thoughts/suggestions/questions in the comments. Have a great rest of April!
Welonz
2021-04-21 21:25:33 +0000 UTC
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The winner of the vote is…
Subnautica! 🐟
I feel like this was one of the most competitive votes we’ve had! Disco Elysium and Subnautica were neck to neck for most of the poll, but Subnautica pulled through in the last stretch with a burst of support.
As a reminder, every option in these polls is something I'd like to play someday, so if your choice didn't get picked this time have no worries - it's unlikely it'll be the last time they appear in these polls. (Or I might pick one up randomly too!) I can see there's a lot of interest in Disco Elysium so I think I'll do a first look when the voice acting update drops anyway.
I think I'll start Subnautica next week! I have some Outer Wilds-type expectations out of the experience although I'm a tad nervous about how it'll go since I don't think I've played survival games on the channel before. If you have any spoiler-free tips/things to be mindful of, please feel free to let me know.
Full Poll Results
2021-03-18 08:17:03 +0000 UTC
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Feel free to pick up to 6 (total # of options - 1) games in the poll that you'd like to see on the channel!
The number in brackets is the estimated playtime hours (rounding up the Main + Extra option at HowLongToBeat.com). The poll will be open for a week.
2021-03-10 19:55:10 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Hope you’re doing well!
Firstly, apologies for missing last month’s update!! I prioritized getting the Q&A out because I reaaally didn’t want to write yet another update about how it’s still not out (though I did miss the “goal” of not starting a new game before it came out, sorry! 💦)
If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find it here:
Things are still a little crazy on the IRL end for me due to family stuff mentioned last time as well as some unexpected work/job changes, but at least on the channel I can focus 100% on games again! No more guilt whenever I play a game instead of working on the Q&A, yaaaay…!!
TL;DR
- Finished: Hades, Little Nightmares 2 (+ DLC for the original), Maquette
- Ongoing: Cyberpunk 2077
- Upcoming: Poll!
Games Finished Since Last Update
Hades (70 parts): I ended off with 77 runs and got to the final story epilogue! I think I’ve waxed poetic enough (waxed enough poetic??) about this game everywhere already hahah. This was a good experience that made me feel more open to branching out to other genres in the future.
Little Nightmares 2 (8 parts): A 2.5D spooky side-scroller in the veins of Limbo, Inside, or the first Little Nightmares (lol). Very atmospheric with an ambiguous world & story that leaves plenty of room for speculation – enjoyed it tons.
Little Nightmares DLC (3 parts): I went back to finish up the DLCs of the first game after playing the second. These are less polished than both main games but does add to the worldbuilding with a new revelation.
Maquette (4 parts): A first person puzzle game (published by Annapurna) focusing on recursion and scale models as puzzle mechanics. It feels like they have a strong base puzzle structure but didn’t get to flesh it out. Definitely worth a look, but may be missing that “something” to take it from good to great.
I also took a first look at:
Haven: A third-person visual novel/exploration RPG blend about a couple who escape to an unknown planet away from their old lives. The overall production values are quite high (great voice acting + funny dialogue). Made by the devs of Furi, which might be a bit surprising as combat doesn’t seem to be a massive focus here.
Progress on Current Stuff
Cyberpunk 2077: Still enjoying it lots! The end is nowhere in sight lol.
Upcoming Stuff
I don’t see much releasing in the next month or so (until maybe Nier: Replicant at the end of April or Mass Effect Legendary Edition in May?) so I figured it’s a good time for a poll.
I want to start something mid-length-ish (20 – 30, 40, 50 hours…?) this time and have come up with a shorter list of options:
* This doesn’t have a release date yet but the devs have assured that it will come out before March 2021 ends (hope they are not like me with the Q&A).
These are titles I’ve had recommended to me multiple times, and some I’ve mentioned as being hard for me to commit to because of the length... but considering how I spent a billion months on Hades without meaning to, I want to give it a go anyway. (I think most of you know this already, but no matter how long a series takes I’ll see it through!)
I’ll start up the poll over the next few days. If you have other stuff along the same vein, feel free to suggest!
Thanks for your support as always, take care, and have a good rest-of-March!
Welonz
2021-03-08 20:35:27 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a good start to the new year!
Since the last update, I wrapped up VTMB and the channel’s been coasting along with Hades and Cyberpunk.
Some of you may have heard that my dad is currently in the hospital (I had made a video update on Twitter.) He was in the ICU for a brain infection since last Christmas, but has apparently been transferred to a normal ward now (“apparently” because my access to info about him is sort of limited due to us not being in the same country & complicated family situations…) Things are looking improved now but the road to a discharge/further recovery looks like it may be in the range of months.
TBH, that whole situation’s been a hit to my productivity. But as I mentioned in the video, I don’t think lying around doing nothing is the greatest way to deal with it either, so I’m still trying to work on the channel but at slower pace (= 1 Hades or Cyberpunk video a day).
TL;DR
- Finished: VTM: Bloodlines
- Ongoing: Hades, Cyberpunk 2077
- Upcoming: status quo for a bit more!
Games Finished Since Last Update
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (51 parts): This game definitely has some 2004-isms that didn't age well, but it's really one of those games that make you think "they don't make them like these anymore!!" Fascinating story that's been interesting all throughout. Thanks again for voting for me to experience this in the last poll!
Progress on Current Stuff
Hades: I’m about 60 runs in now and I think in end-game territory now, story progression-wise. It’s been a lovely journey! I think I can see this series wrapping up in about 10-15 more runs?
Cyberpunk 2077: Having played spent ~20 hours now, it’s very much sci-fi Witcher with the books and lore everywhere (= great!) Bugs do crop up here and there but nothing that I’d say is greatly affecting the experience.
Upcoming Stuff
I think the next bit will still be Hades/Cyberpunk. When time allows, I’m thinking of going through a few really short games (<2-3 videos) to get back in the productivity groove. Before ANY of that though, the Q&A……… I am sorry to say I'm stiiiiiiiilll editing it…….. I’m pledging here that I won’t start any new games until it’s out…!!
That’s all for now. I appreciate you sticking with me despite the small “rut” the channels’ going through atm – hoping I can bring better news on every front in the coming month :)
Enjoy the rest of your January!
Welonz
2021-01-23 01:18:48 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
2020 is almost over!! It’s holiday season, so hopefully all of you are mostly lounging around, relaxing and all that. Things have been running pretty per usual on the channel so we’ll cap off the year with a short-ish update.
TL;DR
- Ongoing: VTM: Bloodlines (99% done), Hades, Cyberpunk 2077
- Upcoming: … things 💀
Progress on Current Stuff
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines: This series isn't completed as of this update but we are down to the last ~2 videos! It’s been a very enjoyable ride. I haven’t actually finished playing yet though so I’ll leave my final thoughts for the last video/the next update.
Hades: I’m still enjoying the game a lot although I’m torn because this does take up a good chunk of time I could use to check out other titles. I’m about 50 runs in and feel like I’ve got to at least be ~50-70% through the overall story progress…? So that’s a broad way of saying I don’t think I’ll go into 100+ run territory, but I’m not sure when exactly I’ll be ending off yet.
Cyberpunk 2077: Controversies aside, I’ve been having fun with this treating it as a Witcher-with-sci-fi-theme sort of game. Have started slow but hoping to change that once VTMB is finished.
Upcoming Stuff
Hades and Cyberpunk will go on, but once VTMB (and the Q&A………) are done I’m hoping to get back to some shorter games too.
Speaking of the Q&A….. was hoping to have better news by now but I am just 1/3 of the way done editing. (It looks like it’s gonna be 3 separate videos and I’m done one so far.) It’s not like I took the whole month to do this 1/3 (more like only the past week), but I’ll be realistic – I’m not sure if the end-of-the-year deadline is still feasible 😵 I hate to overpromise and underdeliver so I’ll just say the end is in sight but I’m not quite there yet. (I have this section to let you know I’m still working on it and it will be done, but really I’d rather not bring it up anymore until it’s actually complete 💀.)
On the topic of Miles Morales mentioned in the last update: I’ve decided to wait to get a PS5 for the next-gen version instead. I checked out some footage and it’s okay when you don’t compare, but the difference in FPS seemed reeeeally massive, so I figured I’d just wait until the next big Spider-Man comes along and play it all then.
That’s all I’ve got!!!! This will be the last update in this odd year of 2020. Happy Holidays, thanks for sharing your time with me and for all the support this year, and may we have even better gaming times to come!!
Welonz
2020-12-24 21:55:20 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone,
Hoping you are all keeping safe! Over here, we’re officially on lockdown again, so there’s that 😬 It’s the second last month of 2020 already…. where has all the time gone!?!?
The next gen consoles have launched on the bright side! For those who’ve got them, how’s your experience so far? I’m probably going to get a PS5 down the line but am in “wallet recovery mode” at the moment lol. Speaking of which - I’ve managed to secure a new RTX 3080 graphics card! It did end up involving F5ing stores (to the point of learning their stock patterns 💀) but at least that’s over with now. This should hopefully mean a video quality increase for PC games across the board.
This upgrade was 100% made possible with your support – thank you so much.
TL;DR
- Finished: The Pathless
- Ongoing: VTM: Bloodlines, Hades
- Upcoming: Cyberpunk 2077, maybe Miles Morales? Q&A is progressing......
Games Finished Since Last Update
Have still mostly been focusing on VTMB/Hades in the past bit but I did manage to slip in one smaller series:
The Pathless (8 parts): The newest game from Giant Squid, the creators of ABZU. Lots of improvements upon their last game esp. in the gameplay department: it plays like a combination of The Witness + Shadow of the Colossus where you spend time travelling the (very scenic) landscapes to solve puzzles, then fight bosses, all of which require unique strategies. It’s not very “hardcore” (ie. no health bars, can’t really “fail” if you try enough) and is still more focused on a smooth narrative experience.
Progress on Current Stuff
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines: The last Patreon poll winner. I’m now at the third of four areas in the game – so far so good!
Hades: I’m 33 runs in now and it’s looking like I’m gonna keep going… quite unexpected even for me since this isn’t usually the kind of thing I play. People seem to still be enjoying it so that’s good! With a bit more experience, the videos are starting to get shorter too, which is giving me more time to work on other stuff.
Upcoming Stuff
VTMB + Hades will continue on!
I missed the launch of Spider-Man: Miles Morales despite the good reviews (and also the whole thing about not having a PS5). Wondering if I should just play it on my OG PS4 now or wait for a PS5…?
Cyberpunk 2077 got a smaller delay but will be out soon now. These few days I’ve been hammering everything out with recording on the new GPU so hopefully N O T H I N G will go wrong. I’ll hopefully be completely ready!
Q&A progress: I’ve finished recording and am in the editing stages now, and oh, boy. I’m trying to find a balance between “elaborating more on answers” and “not rambling on endlessly”, but atm I can’t see how the final product could possibly be any less than…. 3 hours long!?!?! But I guess you should all be okay with that since you’re on this channel anyway lol. Really hoping to get it out before the year’s end – apologies for the lateness & thanks for your patience!
Feel free to leave any comments/suggestions below, and may we all pray for no more Cyberpunk delays…
Welonz
2020-11-23 21:44:28 +0000 UTC
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Hey hey,
It’s the month of spooky horrors. Happy one week before Halloween 🎃
In Western Canada, our case numbers have been spiking up again. I think similar things are happening in many places around the world since everyone’s been cooped up for so long and understandably feel like they need to get out and breathe. I hope you remain careful and safe out there. Silver lining is that now we all have a bigger excuse for staying indoors and playing video games 🤷
TL;DR
- Ongoing: VTM: Bloodlines, Hades
- Upcoming: continuing the status quo, Cyberpunk 2077 next month, Q&A is progressing......
Games Finished Since Last Update
DISTRAINT 2 (4 videos): A sequel to a small psychological horror game I played 2 Halloweens ago, continuing the story of Price's journey to redemption after doing awful immoral things for his job as a realtor. (Spoiler for the general direction of the ending?) The story isn't super groundbreaking but it ends off with hope and optimism, so it's hard to say anything bad about it!
I also did some first looks:
I Am Dead: A point & click puzzle game about exploration of the afterlife via the use of an x-ray vision-like superpower. Pretty relaxing and everything is voice acted as well. Published by Annapurna (Outer Wilds, Edith Finch, Donut County, etc), which might give you a quick sense for what type of game it is immediately.
Amnesia: Rebirth: A sequel to a classic horror game. The first hour looked promising story-wise but the “match burns out every 5 seconds and OH you also can’t run or jump or it’ll go out even faster” mechanic shaved about five years off my life… But TBH I was less scared than I thought I’d be (AND I played this at 10 PM!!! I had to play the first few hours of RE2 all before 5 PM because I was too scared once the sun had gone down lol.)
Progress on Current Stuff
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines: The Patreon poll winner from last month. An RPG of a newborn vampire making sense of and finding their way through vampire society. Noticeably aged, but very solidly engaging with lots of deep lore behind the world. I’ve just completed the first of the four areas of the game and I can already see why it's hailed as such a cult classic.
Hades: Supergiant Games’ magnum opus, an isometric “god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler” where our goal is to escape hell. This game is outside the realm of stuff I usually do on the channel, but both gameplay + story has been really solid. I’m slightly worried about how to end this off though – usually for a story game I’d just end when the story is complete, but this game’s main focus is on the repeatable roguelite gameplay, and the very last story bits seem like they’ll need multiple dozens of hours to be reached. Not sure how time I’m going to invest in this but as of this post I have about 21 runs done, 8 where I’ve reached “the end.”
Upcoming Stuff
VTMB + Hades will probably continue onto the next month. I have interest in continuing Amnesia: Rebirth too (surprisingly!!) but I need to figure out if that can even work - as much as I love Hades, those 1.5 hr+ videos make it difficult to do much else.)
Then as you all know, Cyberpunk 2077 is coming out in November. I still haven’t gotten that graphics card upgrade yet, so I’ll need to join in on the “F5 every 5 seconds to try to get a 3080” game these few weeks too :’) (Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also coming out but I’ll wait on reviews for this. I liked the Spider-Man base game a lot but the DLCs were kinda lackluster.)
Q&A update: I’ve recorded my answers to about the first third of questions. To make up for taking so long, I thought I’d try to elaborate more wherever I could, but I’ve done that to the point that I couldn’t finish answering the questions in one sit down lol. But I want you to know Things are Happening...!
My overall progress on........... everything??? is behind where I’d like to be, but rather than chasing maximum speed and productivity, maybe it’s good to slow down a bit to savour things too.
As always, feel free to leave any comments/suggestions below, and have a lovely end of October and/or Halloween.
Welonz
2020-10-22 23:01:03 +0000 UTC
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And the winner of the vote is....
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines! 🧛
VTM Bloodlines lead the poll until the last day when RE1 caught up, then they were tied even up till the last few hours... but Bloodlines pulled through in the end! (Interestingly enough the top two contenders for the last poll were VTM and RE2 - both series seem to be popular choices.)
I've heard good things about Bloodlines so I'm excited for this! I'll be starting it up sometime this coming week. I think I'll need to do some pre-play research since I know the base game is pretty broken without fan patches. So far I know:
- Install Wesp's Unofficial Patch (just basic or plus?)
- Probably don't pick Malkavian or Nosferatu for first time playthrough
If you have anything to add (or know where I could read up more), do feel free to let me know.
Full Poll Results
2020-09-26 22:50:42 +0000 UTC
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Feel free to pick up to 11 (total # of options - 1) games in the poll that you'd like to see on the channel.
The number in brackets is the estimated playtime hours. The poll will be open for a week.
2020-09-19 17:30:33 +0000 UTC
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Hi all,
Some boilerplate here about it being September already, 2020 sucking, hope you are all safe, etc etc :^). Haha seriously I had a look back at the previous posts and I feel like that’s how I start most of them!! I do hope you’re well though.
Over here in North America’s west coast we’ve recently had some forest fires (thankfully none directly where I am) and the skies have been smokey and the air quality awful. I hope none of you are also affected by this.
Anyway, there’s been lots of exciting gaming-related announcements in the past week: the new Xbox, PlayStation, graphics cards, etc. Are you looking forward to any of these? I’m most interested in upgrading my graphics card. I’m personally not a huge stickler for graphics/framerates, but lately I’ve been feeling the limits of my current card (GTX 1070) in recording more intensive games. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong for stuff like Cyberpunk later. If I do upgrade, it’d be because of your support that this can happen - thank you!
I’m gonna open a poll very soon - scroll down for more info.
TL;DR
- Finished: Ghost of Tsushima, Alan Wake, Control: AWE, Tell Me Why
- Ongoing: n o t h i n g
- Upcoming: POLL
Games Finished Since Last Update
Ghost of Tsushima (50 parts): Third person open world samurai hacky slashy. It’s very technically polished and mechanically fun to play. Story-wise: the main narrative is engaging enough but IMO the highlight is in the side character missions. Some of the other misc side missions feel weirdly “gamey” and not narratively immersive, but I don’t think it took away from the overall product. Great swan song for the PS4.
Alan Wake (18 parts): Third person shooty shooty. Revisiting this again, it felt like early sections drag on a bit with repetitive gameplay & environments, but it’s still a solid story. The game’s age shows in some spots (the sometimes poor audio quality and low-res cutscenes) but overall it still plays well 10 years later.
Control’s AWE expansion (7 parts): It’s good old Control: lots of spooky documents & extensive worldbuilding… but now crossed over with Alan Wake! Exciting to see Alan Wake stuff here but I feel like the DLC might not connect well for people without that investment. This is largely a set up for future Control/Alan Wake content.
Tell Me Why (18 parts): The latest choose-your-own-adventure title from DONTNOD. It being three episodes instead of the standard five give off the impression that some parts were rushed, but it’s a short & sweet story that doesn’t overstay its welcome. I liked it a lot!
I also did a first look of:
Paradise Killer: A first-person/visual novel hybrid detective game where you get to freely explore an island to find (or not find) the clues you need to solve a murder mystery. This is an interesting one as I got the impression it doesn’t handhold. A lot of detective games do the thing where it’ll nudge you in the right direction with hints, but I haven’t seen much of that even in places where you’d normally expect them. One potentially divisive thing: its vaporwave aesthetic and overall artistic vision might not be for everyone.
Progress on Current Stuff
…. There are no games being played as of publishing this post! Cancel this Patreon!!!
(I’ve just finished a bunch of games back-to-back so I’m writing this in the middle of a small break. I’ll start some small things soon while waiting for the poll mentioned below to finish!)
Upcoming Stuff
I don’t see much releasing until the obvious giant Cyberpunk 2077 in mid-November (and MAYBE Amnesia: Rebirth in late October…...) I’m gonna open a poll in a day or two with the following options:
- Celeste (13 hrs)
- Dishonored 1 DLC + Dishonored 2 (10 + 23 hrs)
- Hollow Knight (38 hrs)
- The Longest Journey (21 hrs)
- Resident Evil 1 HD Remaster (14 hrs) - side note: or RE0? Not sure of the "proper" start point
- Subnautica (45 hrs)
- Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines (29 hrs)
This time I’m mainly looking at longish (< 45 hrs) games since it’s not often that there’s a bigger block of release-free time. If you have suggestions along the above vein feel free to suggest – I’ll be starting the poll very soon to get a game underway ASAP though.
That’s it for this time! Have a great rest of September,
Welonz
PS. I haven’t forgotten the Q&A, really! But I wasn’t kidding when I said that it might take a while for a video to materialize lol. I couldn’t find time at all to sort through the questions when I was playing a bunch of games, but now that they’ve finished that should change. Expect it.... Soon™
2020-09-17 16:48:31 +0000 UTC
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Hey hey,
I hope you’ve been well! It’s the end of August 2020 already… On one hand I feel like it’s crazy that it’s already this far into 2020, but on the other, 2020 can’t be over fast enough. I am sure we are all in agreement of this 😬
I’ve had a super busy month IRL - turns out stuff that needs doing starts piling up if you don’t go outside for too long… but it might’ve been a blessing in disguise! If my driver’s license didn’t need a renewal, I would’ve never gone out and eaten at a restaurant for the first time in like half a year and re-discover how good Outside Food can be lol. I started taking small walks around the block too and definitely feel better mentally lately. If you need a boost, I’d recommend trying Outside Things in small doses too (even if you feel like you’re normally an introvert and don’t need it!!)
TL;DR
- Q&A video is in progress
- Finished: Necrobarista
- Ongoing: Ghost of Tsushima, Alan Wake
- Upcoming: Control: AWE Expansion, Tell Me Why, poll next month
Update on the Q&A
A small update – I’ve finished taking in questions (thanks for taking your time to send some in if you did!) and am currently sorting them all out. I am too afraid to give an ETA on the video right now lol, but it will happen...!
Games Finished Since Last Update
Necrobarista: Originally did a First Look of this and decided to go back to it in full. A visual novel about what happens to people after they die but before they move on to the next thing. Fancy presentation on a budget – all of the main story is cutscenes (of mostly character stills, but still) that give a good sense of the location & setting. Story is enjoyable, although personally I didn’t think it was as relatable as, say, VA-11 Hall-A. Music was very on-point & a big positive.
Necrobarista was a tad longer than I expected (thought it would be ~5 hours but it was more like 8 with the reading) - I didn’t manage to get around to many other things :(
Progress on Current Stuff
Ghost of Tsushima: I’m currently on the tail end of Act 2 of 3 (so ~60% through?) It began as more of a typical open-world game with lots of activities with but a more forgettable tale, but deeper into the game, there have been some really interesting and unexpected side-character stories.
Alan Wake: This was a bit of a sudden decision spurred by the upcoming Control AWE expansion, which is expected to intertwine heavily with Alan Wake. I played this years ago before but don’t remember much, so this is like half-blind playthrough. Still very engaging despite being a decade-old game!
Upcoming Stuff
The 27th is a busy release date with two things I’m interested in:
I don’t think these will take massively long (Control’s other expansion was ~8 hours, Tell Me Why is 3 episodes over 3 weeks). Since I see nothing else on the horizon until like… Cyberpunk in November?? I think it’ll be a good time to hold a poll next month! Be on the lookout for that :) (Patreon very kindly reminded me that it’ll be the two-year anniversary of this Patreon next month too – great timing for a vote!!)
Hope you are staying safe and healthy in your corner in the world, and as always, feel free to leave ideas/suggestions/general comments below.
Welonz
2020-08-23 23:21:50 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone,
I hope you are well!
Hard to believe but we’re almost 8 months into 2020 already. Time really flies. All the days and weeks seem to blend together, but at least we’ve still got some video games as entertainment and small comfort.
TL;DR
- Submit questions for Q&A if interested
- Finished: Metro Exodus, The Last of Us Part II
- Ongoing: Ghost of Tsushima
- Upcoming: smaller indie stuff
50k Subscribers Q&A
OK, it’s happening!! Submit your questions here: https://bit.ly/Welonz_QnA
(no close date on the form ATM, but I expect it to be open for at least 2 weeks. I haven’t shared this link publicly so refrain from that.)
I can’t guarantee I’ll tell you my mother’s maiden name and bank PIN but feel free to ask anything you’re curious about.
Some of you might remember from the 20K one that I take 5000 thousand years to do these types of videos, so just a heads up that this might still be a while from fruition. (If you want fast answers about simple things, stuff with time limits and/or things you’re OK with receiving a text answer to, you can always continue to ask in the comments here.)
Games Finished Since Last Update
We’re done with the apocalyptic games! As much as I appreciated the immersion with mirroring with the real world and all that, it really did bum me out and I can only hope it didn't affect you too. Bad timing on my part and all that. Noted for the future!
Metro Exodus (36 parts): After finishing the main game my impression is roughly the same as during : it’s ambitious and very immersive especially in claustrophobic, spooky areas as in the previous games. But the open-area levels caused some changes to the narrative style that make up the game’s biggest weak points: e.g. too much exposition, people droning AT Artyom for multiple minutes. It’s enjoyable as a stealth shooter but I would hesitate recommending Exodus for its story.
The Last of Us Part II (46 parts): Easy things to talk about: technical production quality - graphics, acting, gameplay – is at the forefront of the industry.
Harder things to talk about: everything else.
I think my talk in the credits in the last video sums up my thoughts (not spoiler free of course), but with this game I find myself thinking about it a lo and my opinion not fully solidified. It’s truly unlike anything else I’ve played before and I feel on that basis alone it’s a game worth playing, but it might not be suitable for anyone looking for fun and escapism during these pandemic times.
I also did a first look (today!) of:
CARRION: A reverse horror game where you play as the scary monster going after the people. This game is EXACTLY the kind of mindless power trip I needed after playing two depressing games lol – it’s a great ton of fun.
Progress on Current Stuff
Ghost of Tsushima: Third person hacky slashy samurai game, probably the PS4’s swan song. I’m only through the first 2 hours as of this post but it is supposedly 30 – 60 hours depending on how much optional content is tackled (knowing me, I’m guestimating it’ll be on the longer end??)
Upcoming Stuff
Between backlog stuff and the latest releases, there’s been a heck ton of AAA on the channel lately. I really do miss playing smaller indie stuff so this will likely be my focus alongside Ghost. I've got a few plans but if you notice anything < 5-6 hours coming out lately that I might like, do give me a ping!
Thanks much for the support as always - stay safe, have a great day and I’ll see you again soon.
Welonz
2020-07-23 18:03:23 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Hope you are doing well! Drinking your 8 cups of water a day, getting some exercise and sunshine, etc etc….
I’ve been a bit under the weather the past few weeks so my progress on channel stuff has been slower than I’d like. (No worries I am fine! Maybe it’s the lack of going outside that’s getting to even me, normally an introvert, lol.) TLOU2 got me in gear again though so I’m gonna pick things up again.
Over the past month the channel also hit 50,000 subscribers! I don’t really have plans to celebrate (I'm lazy...) but a Q&A seems to be something people are interested in. I’d love to field questions from patrons first as a small thanks for all your generosity & support, so be on the look out for that. I’ll share more info once I figure it out.
Also: Patreon will be implementing a new sales tax starting July 1. This shouldn’t affect most but please see the last section of this post for more info.
TL;DR
- Finished: VA-11 Hall-A
- Ongoing: Metro Exodus, The Last of Us Part II
- Upcoming: Ghost of Tsushima
- Info on Patreon’s new sales tax starting July 1
Games Finished Since Last Update
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (23 parts): A visual novel set in a cyberpunk future. Strong, nuanced writing with memorable characters from beginning to end – greatly recommended for those who don’t mind lack of gameplay. I am definitely interested in the sequel N1RV Ann-A when it comes out later this year.
I also did a first look of:
Minecraft Dungeons (lol): It’s pretty and it’s basically Minecraft the hack & slash RPG. Not much to it other than I felt like revisiting Minecraft, which some of you might know is the reason why this channel exists to begin with :)
Progress on Current Stuff
Metro Exodus: First person shooter. The third installment of the post-apocalyptic survival story normally set beneath Moscow, but now moving to the surface. The scale of this game is massive compared to the previous two. Some areas are definitely improved (gameplay, graphics), but IMO the size also magnified the franchise’s weaker points (ie. dialogue writing). I think I’m roughly halfway through the story right now.
The Last of Us Part II: Third person shooter. I’m sure everyone has heard all about the discourse surrounding this. I’ll save my full thoughts for when I finish. I’m enjoying it so far though, with about 3 hours into a 25-30 hour campaign.
Upcoming Stuff
Metro Exodus + TLOU2 threw a big wrench into my whole “actiony game + chill game” plans. I can only hope to stay sane with this + the state of the world lol. Seriously speaking though, I don’t think I’ll have capacity to get to anything else until one of these finish. Many apologies!
The next definite Big Thing will likely be Ghost of Tsushima next month. *eyes trailer with a bunch of samurais killing each other* ….who knows, maybe that’ll turn out to be a relaxing & chill title…? :'D
[Admin] New Sales Tax Requirements on Patreon
By now you should have received communication from Patreon regarding the new sales tax requirements that may affect some of you. Here’s a brief breakdown:
- Patreon announced that they will be required by new laws to start charging sales tax on patron pledges on July 1, 2020
- This affects patrons in parts of the US and 17 other countries (see list of countries & tax rates)
- I have set all the tax settings Patreon asked me to to ensure your rates are correctly calculated & minimized
- From what I can gather: this tax will likely not affect the majority for this Patreon, as I don’t specifically offer digital or physical goods
For more information, see Patreon’s help article: New Sales Tax Requirements on Patreon.
As always, I appreciate all of your support, and do let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions/general comments below.
Welonz
2020-06-22 23:30:41 +0000 UTC
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Hey there,
Hope you are doing well! (It's kinda crazy how quickly that's become the "standard" greeting nowadays, huh...?)
Over in western Canada, restrictions have started relaxing (restaurants opened this week), but the general atmosphere is still to stay home so not much has really changed. It feels pretty dreary but I'm hanging in there. Wherever you are, I hope your situations are letting up too.
Last month, most of my efforts went towards FF7R so it’s going to be a relatively small update today.
TL;DR
- Finished: FFVII Remake
- Ongoing: VA-11 Hall-A
- Upcoming: Metro Exodus
Games Finished Since Last Update
Final Fantasy VII Remake (45 parts): My first foray into FF7! The story isn’t complete yet but I really enjoyed what I saw and I feel like I can understand why its treated as such a classic. I think this game also gives me more optimism for pursuing other FFs/JRPGs in the future (although, the long play times are still an obstacle…)
Progress on Current Stuff
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action: A visual novel of a cyberpunk dystopian bartender listening to her clients’ woes while dealing with her own problems. The gameplay just consists of creating drinks by either following straight instructions or small riddles, but I’m finding the writing quite nuanced and enjoyable. Good for relaxing & vegging out. I’m currently at Day 9 of 19.
Upcoming Stuff
These past months I’ve been trying to keep a schedule of “one actiony game and one relaxing game to counter it”, and now that FF7R is done I can start Metro Exodus. I reeeally wanted to get to this much sooner, but IIRC its release coincided with when I was playing RDR2/Witcher 3 and it kept slipping away… really looking forward to wrapping up the Metro universe (until the fourth game anyway!)
TLOU Part 2 was indefinitely delayed when I posted the April update but that’s no longer the case. That in June and then Ghost of Tsushima in July will probably be the Next Big Things. (I’m glad TLOU 2 has a soon-ish release date but TBH I’m also kinda peeved how it was basically forced by the leaks – I selfishly wanted a bit more time to hit the backlog… I’m sure I’m in the minority though lol and everyone is happy about it!!)
As with always, feel free to leave any ideas, suggestions, and/or comments in general below.
Keep on keeping on,
Welonz
2020-05-22 23:11:31 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone,
Last update I started off saying the world has been unpredictable - this is probably an understatement now :(
Over here with me in Canada - everything is shut down & I've transitioned to working at home full time. Some of my coworkers are still working on site though so I recognize I'm really fortunate to be able to do so. I'm hoping you & yours are all doing safe and well too.
One thing I'd like to note before jumping into the games stuff: some patrons have apologized to me for having to lower pledges or unpledge out of financial difficulties – please, please take care of yourself first! Patronage is appreciated but entirely optional especially during these trying times. I am already more than thrilled to have your viewership!! (I also have my job still so I'll be OK!)
TL;DR
- Finished: RE2 Remake (poll winner), Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Control DLC, RE3 Remake, A Short Hike
- Ongoing: FFVII Remake
- Upcoming: backlog stuff
Games Finished Since Last Update
Resident Evil 2 Remake (poll winner) (27 parts): ScaredyCatWelonz finished a survival horror game!!!! The first few hours were really mentally taxing but I grew to enjoy it by the end. IDK if I got braver or if the game got less scary... either way, it’s done! Thanks to everyone who picked this one on the poll again.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (14 parts): A breathtaking metroidvania platformer. Personally felt the story was a small step back from the original’s, but the visual direction and music is still as gorgeous as ever. Gameplay and general traversal is smooth as butter.
Resident Evil 3 Remake (10 parts): I haven’t played the original so I can’t compare, but as a standalone experience I thought it was a fun AAA spectacle. It’s fundamentally different from RE2 though; it's much more actiony and a relatively short campaign.
Control: The Foundation DLC (8 parts): Set after and continues a plotline from the main story. Still as mysterious and creepy as ever, the DLC doesn’t feel inferior in story quality to the base game - I’m very much looking forward to the Alan Wake DLC later on.
A Short Hike (3 parts): An isometric platforming journey of a bird exploring the wonders of nature and making her way up a mountain peak. Lately I’ve been playing lots of shooty shooty high-octane stuff, so this one is really just a soothing, wholesome game for relaxation purposes :)
I also took a look at:
In Other Waters: A visual novel with dynamic HUD design of an AI (the player) helping out a biologist explore the depths of unknown alien oceans. I liked what I saw, although I think it could get monotonous for viewers as the game is 100% HUD-based and relies on player imagination and patience.
Progress on Current Stuff
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Remake of a gaming classic that needs no introduction. I’m about 9 Chapters in so far (of 18) and really enjoying my time!
Upcoming Stuff
With TLOU Part 2 being delayed indefinitely (☹️) I don’t see any big releases until Ghost of Tsushima in late June (which TBH might get delayed too). I’m going to take this opportunity to get to the backlog – there are some multi-game series I reeeeeally want to close out (Metro, Dishonored), and some games I’m interested in in preparation of upcoming sequels (VA-11 Hall-A, VTM: Bloodlines, Alan Wake for the second Control DLC).
I 1000% won’t be able to get to everything listed here in the next 2 months lol but it’s a general indication of the kind of stuff I’m thinking about.
Be safe, and I'll see you again in May,
Welonz
2020-04-22 19:03:13 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Things have been unpredictable these few weeks - I hope you and your family/friends are well.
Over where I am in Canada, most recreational things + school have been shut down. I work in health care so I’m still clocking in everyday but overall things are okay for now.
Silver lining: being stuck at home with more free time is perfect for video game stuff!
TL;DR
- Finished: Deliver Us The Moon, AI: The Somnium Files (poll winner)
- Ongoing: RE2 Remake (poll winner), Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Upcoming: Control DLC? RE3 Remake? FFVII Remake?
Games Finished Since Last Update
Deliver Us The Moon (8 parts): In an apocalyptic near-future, an astronaut goes to the moon to learn what happened to an energy relay that was keeping Earth powered but blacked out without notice. Budget constraints show in some places, but overall it’s high quality: solid story, excellent voice acting, atmospheric music and immersive & intermingling puzzles & environment.
AI: The Somnium Files (59 parts): Detective visual novel/adventure game of a serial killing incident where all the victims’ left eyes are carved out. Solid mystery but another big draw is the cast of charming characters. It stumble-finishes at the very end but the journey was well worth it. More anime-style compared to the creator’s previous Zero Escape series though so it may not be to everyone’s tastes.
I also took a look at:
Final Fantasy VII Remake demo: Never played the original so this was my first exposure to FF7. Interesting story setup, breathtaking visuals, and fun combat too (for me, a button masher hahah) so for now I do plan on playing the full thing. From the comments section, many original players are interested in the perspective of a newcomer to the story too. (The only thing I know plotwise is what happens to one girl – I think this spoiler is the “I am your father” of the gaming world lol.)
WORLD OF HORROR: An old school text-based roguelite adventure game inspired by the horror styles of Junji Ito and Lovecraft. The section I played was a small contained tutorial, but it was very interesting and creepy. More unsettling-spooky than jumpescarey-scary.
Progress on Current Stuff
Resident Evil 2 Remake: It started with me sweating bullets every 30 seconds but it’s getting better!! I’m around half-way? through Leon’s A campaign right now.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Very smooth metroidvania platformer with beautiful environments and music. About a third into it ATM.
Upcoming Stuff
We’re finally getting into the video game release season again:
- Mar 26: Control – The Foundation DLC
- Apr 3: Resident Evil 3 Remake ( ← this depends on how well I fare with RE2 by the end but ATM I *am* interested, surprisingly)
- Apr 10: Final Fantasy VII Remake
These are bunched fairly closely but I’m gonna try my best to see if I can fit it all in… somehow….
I’ll be getting to A Short Hike shortly too. I want to play more small, relaxing stuff esp. in light of the current situation.
That's pretty much all I've got! Hope you are all taking care of yourselves in these stressful times. Stay safe, and I'll see you again in April!
Welonz
2020-03-19 21:32:09 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
The February poll concluded, and the winner is….
Resident Evil 2 Remake!
TL;DR
- Finished: Kentucky Route Zero, Not For Broadcast
- Ongoing: AI: The Somnium Files
- Upcoming: Resident Evil 2 Remake :')
Full Poll Results
So. Resident Evil 2 Remake. Thanks everyone for this :))))))))) Just kidding, I do have interest in the game even though it’s horror – that’s why I put it in the poll in the first place. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m about to pee my pants though!! :')
I was monitoring the poll and VtM: Bloodlines tied with RE2 until the last day. I thought RE2 was gonna get the rug pulled out from under again just like in the last poll, but thankfully (for RE2 voters not me lmao) that didn't happen.
Anyway I really do have interest in every title here. Even if it’s not the winner this time there’s nothing to say I won’t get to it in the future!
Games Finished Since Last Update
Kentucky Route Zero (13 parts): A magic realist point & click adventure, I played the first four acts in 2017 (around when this Patreon started) and now it’s wrapped with the final Act 5. There are some truly awe-inspiring spectacles in this game, although I wish I played the game continuously as Act 5 in isolation can feel underwhelming.
Not For Broadcast (3 parts): A Papers Please/Five Nights at Freddy’s simulator type game where we work at a TV station deciding what propaganda to put out to the masses. Had great fun with the three levels in Early Access for now – there’s a lot of great dry humour/British satire in the broadcast videos.
I also took a first look at:
Tokyo Dark: A murder mystery visual novel/adventure game following Detective Ito's search for her missing partner. There's interesting choice systems that promising branching narratives later on. (I'm interested in continuing this but maybe when AI is done? It's a little too similar in premise/game type.)
Coffee Talk: A coffee brewing simulator while listening to the life stories and problems of the residents in a fantasy Seattle. Akin to Red Strings Club/VA-11 Hall-A, but with coffee. This seemed promising too!
Progress on Current Stuff
AI: The Somnium Files is still ongoing. I'm guess I'm about 60-70% through. It's quite impressive how this game keeps throwing information at you but the core mystery still remains, well, a mystery. Enjoying it a ton still!
Upcoming Stuff
I’m going to be out of town next week so RE2 will probably start the week after. I’ll also need extra time to prepare because it’s a horror title (= it’s harder for me to have a consistent schedule because some days I’ll just be too scared to play looool).
There's still a few indie things I want to get to as well! Those will show up here and there.
That's it for this one!! Have a great rest of February (and Valentine's Day today!!!) and I'll see you in the next one.
Welonz
2020-02-15 00:22:33 +0000 UTC
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Feel free to pick up to 11 (total # of options - 1) games in the poll that you'd like to see on the channel. (I noted down your indie suggestions from last post and put the longer ones in the poll - the short ones (< 3 hrs) I can probably get to sometime even without a poll.)
The number in brackets is the estimated playtime hours.
May the best game win!
2020-02-05 23:28:49 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
It’s the first update of the new decade! It's a little late but I hope you had a wonderful winter holiday, New Years, etc etc.
TL;DR
- Finished: Death Stranding
- Ongoing: AI: The Somnium Files
- Upcoming: smaller indie stuff, poll
Games Finished Since Last Update
This past three months I mostly focused on Death Stranding (67 parts), which I’ve wrapped up today.
This was my first Kojima game and I can see why many have differing opinions on his work - it’s really hard to give a blanket rec or no rec to DS. I found the game mechanically brilliant, the world setting intriguing, but the way the narrative unfolds middling. All in all it was an entertaining ride though, and I do think it's worth looking into for the weird factor alone.
PS. I’m happy I finished this 70+ hour game at a relative quick pace (for me lol).
Progress on Current Stuff
I started & have been progressing on the winner of the last poll AI: The Somnium Files. Guesstimating I’m ~30-50% through? It’s very steeped in anime/otaku culture but also a genuinely engaging murder mystery - liking it a ton so far.
Upcoming Stuff
Death Stranding was a big project so I’m going to step back with smaller indie titles for a bit first. Have a ton of stuff I've been meaning to get to for the past 50 million years but I don't want to overcommit – will probably post hint doodles on Twitter as usual when I’ve decided the specifics :)
Other than that, February continues the trend of few new releases so let’s do another poll. Next week I’ll open one with the following options:
The options are same as last time but I took some out that 1) had ≤ 5 votes in the last poll, and/or 2) are too similar to something I’m playing (ie. AI: Somnium is enough Japanese/detective mystery for now.)
Feel free to suggest anything < 25 hours to be considered for polling. BTW, I recently got a Switch so Switch games are on the table too.
That's all for now! Thanks for all your support as always and I'll see you again soon.
Welonz
PS. We're only a month into 2020 but many unfortunate things have been happening all over the world lately (ie. forest fires, virus outbreaks) - please take care, especially if you are in affected areas!
2020-01-28 23:36:54 +0000 UTC
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HELLO,
Welcome to the last update of 2019! December’s been a slower month with the holidays and game releases winding down... But that only means it's perfect time to catch up on stuff I missed throughout the year!!
TL;DR
- Finished: LIS2 Ep 5, Arise: A Simple Story, Telling Lies
- Ongoing: Death Stranding
- Upcoming: Poll winner - AI: The Somnium Files
Games Finished Since Last Update
November was a month of shorter indie things:
Life is Strange 2 Episode 5 (4 parts): Episodes have varied in quality but the strong endings (much stronger than LIS1) and elevate the season as a whole. We don't have to wait for new episodes anymore so I can recommend it now, although I'm not sure if I can easily say something like "if you liked LIS1 you'll enjoy LIS2 for sure" - LIS2 can be very depressingly real about world issues. That might not be something people who want to play games for escapism want to be a part of.
Arise: A Simple Story (4 parts): A short & beautiful 3D platformer of a dying man journeying through his memories. Along the veins of Journey, GRIS, etc, in terms of art style. The story itself is par for the genre but the wordless metaphorical storytelling is very strong.
Telling Lies (11 parts): A nonlinear detective thriller where primary gameplay loop is searching through video clips to piece together a story involving "four private lives and one big lie". Basically Her Story with a big budget increase – very cool use of the gaming medium, but also really niche.
Progress on Current Stuff
I’m in Episode/Chapter 5 of Death Stranding with the end nowhere in sight l o l
Upcoming Stuff
The winner of the latest Patreon poll is AI: The Somnium Files, which I'm looking to start next week as mentioned in the Nov update. If eligible, be sure to vote on whether you’d prefer English or Japanese voice acting here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32477559
There’s really not much releasing for the rest of December (and even January, really) so aside from DS and AI, I’ll try to slot in indie things I missed throughout the year (hello, Unheard DLC from August….)
That’s all from me for the month, year, and decade! As always feel free to leave questions/suggestions/whatever else in the comments. Otherwise, enjoy your fantastic holiday times and I’ll see you back in 2020!
Welonz
2019-12-19 19:31:15 +0000 UTC
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The winner of the Patreon poll is AI: The Somnium Files, a Japanese game with options for Japanese or English voice acting. I'm 100% OK with either & am torn on what to choose so I’d like to throw the choice to you.
Here’s a sampling of both:
English Dub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJiHU8bTZL0
Japanese Dub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1xP6m4elew
2019-12-19 19:30:11 +0000 UTC
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The poll has concluded and AI: The Somnium Files has come up as the winner! A little surprising to me since other titles like Resident Evil 2 had a strong lead in the first few days, but I guess you never really know until the final second strikes!
This game has both Japanese and English voice acting options - I'm personally okay with either so I'll make another poll to see what is the majority preference is in the next few days. (The Japanese can probably considered the "original" voice acting, but I understand with foreign language voicing there are always concerns with accessibility.)
I'm going to take the next 2-ish weeks to finish off loose ends like the last episode of Life is Strange 2 first so I'm hoping to start AI in mid to late December.
Thanks to everyone who participated in voting! The full poll results are here:
2019-12-03 04:39:25 +0000 UTC
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Feel free to pick up to 19 (total # of options - 1) games in the poll that you'd like to see on the channel.
The number in brackets is the estimated playtime hours - more for my own reference but you may find it helpful to know too.
Enjoy the vote, and may the best game win!
2019-11-25 17:53:23 +0000 UTC
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Hey all,
I hope you’ve been well! I’m back from my vacation – it was a nicely timed (and much needed) break after finishing Witcher 3, but I’m ready & excited to get back to the wonderful world of playing video games and talking to myself for multiple hours on ends again (....???)
TL;DR
- Finished: Control, Little Misfortune, Fran Bow, Neo Cab, She Sees Red, Afterparty, Superliminal
- Ongoing: Death Stranding
- Upcoming: Patreon Poll Next Week
Games Finished Since Last Update
I finished a heck ton of stuff since September – here’s a quick overview on each to help with picking out what interests you:
Control (29 parts): Third-person shooter of a secret agency in New York infiltrated by paranormal happenings & beings. Extensive worldbuilding and spooky sci-fi lore – really solid on both the gameplay + narrative front.
Little Misfortune (4 parts): Side-scrolling adventure of a young girl who seeks escape from a foretold death. Fairly on rails/linear, but it’s a nice self-contained experience mixing both absolutely morbid and tooth-decaying cute.
Fran Bow (14 parts): Creepy and surreal point & click following the journey of a young girl struggling with a mental disorder. Shares a narrative world and also in the same vein of morbid + cute as with Little Misfortune (same devs).
Neo Cab (10 parts): Visual novel about the last human taxi driver in a world of advanced automation and invasive technology. It’s clearly budgeted but well-written and brings interesting discussions to the table re: technology of the future.
She Sees Red (2 parts): FMV game about an investigation into a death at a night club. More of a watching experience than a playing one as player choices can be far apart, but does an interesting thing where, to piece together the full story, you’re expected to play multiple times.
Afterparty (9 parts): Two college graduates believe they’ve been mistakenly placed in hell and seek escape by outpartying Satan… it’s as crazy as it sounds. Unbelievably smart and witty dialogue but fairly light on gameplay, much like the devs’ previous work, Oxenfree.
Superliminal (3 parts): First person puzzle game with an interesting and mind-bending perspective mechanic. May be the kind of thing you want to play yourself first though, as best parts of the game are often the “A HA!” moments.
Aside from the full-length playthroughs, I also did first looks of:
Progress on Current Stuff
I would’ve liked to have more of a break from super long games but new releases await nobody lol. Last week I began Death Stranding, which I 1000% think I’ll spend 60+ hours on. It’s super weird and probably not for everyone, but I’m enjoying it a ton.
Upcoming Stuff – Poll Next Week
I’ll be primarily focusing on Death Stranding since I don’t want the thing where I spent nearly half a year playing RDR2 to happen again, but with not much releasing from now till the end of the year (or decade - haha), I think it's time for a vote to see what you are interested in seeing.
I'll open up a poll next week, tentatively with the following options (links go to store page):
These aren’t based off too much aside from what I’m feeling like at the moment! I tried to mix in both indie/mid-tier/AAA options while keeping it under ~25 hours play time (with a few exceptions – eg. I didn’t get around to Dishonored’s DLC back in March, so I decided to just lump it in with Dishonored 2 here).
If there’s something you think I’d like that you’d also like to see, feel free to suggest it in the comments! There’s still a few poll option slots available.
As always, thanks for your support, and see you in the next update!
Welonz
2019-11-18 22:56:30 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
Hope you are well! I’ve been delaying this update until two big things finished up so I could file them under “completed” when I made this post lol. Apologies for it being a tad later than usual!
This is also going to be a Sep + Oct combined update as I’ll be away for vacation 2 weeks next month.
TL;DR
- Finished: The Witcher 3 (!!!!!), Judgment
- Ongoing: Control, Little Misfortune
- Upcoming: slowdown: resting from AAA with indie things, vacation
Games Finished Since Last Update
The Witcher 3 (200 parts): This needs no introduction I trust! From starting the novels in summer 2017 to finishing up W3 in Sep 2019, my time with the Witcher universe has spanned over two years. If for some reason you still need a push or recommendation, I think I’ll let the years speak for themselves!!! (As of writing, I still have one last Alternate Routes video to reeeally wrap it all up but it should be completed soon.)
Side note: You may remember that me playing The Witcher series resulted from a Patreon vote, so it being completed also means a huge slot for voting is finally free!! I’ll have more details to share on this once I return from vacation.
Judgment (70 parts): A beat-em-up with an engaging crime thriller story. My first foray into a Yakuza-style game and it's serious yet completely hilarious at times. Overall it’s been an extremely fun experience.
Life is Strange Episode 4 (4 parts): The final episode comes out in December, close to which would probably be a better time to hop on the wagon if you aren’t already on it. The content is good but the wait’s been a killer.
I also did a first look of:
Greedfall: An open world RPG set in fantasy 17th century Europe. Many systems are reminiscent of The Witcher series and Bioware RPGs. From the hour I spent with it, it seemed promising in narrative & story aspects, but may not as polished in other areas (e.g. gameplay).
Current Stuff
Control: Third person shooter focusing on fascinating, supernatural SCP-esque mysteries. Not sure how far long along it I am but guessing over halfway.
Little Misfortune: Short side-scroller/point and click-ish series! Just 4 parts long.
Upcoming Stuff
Now that two big series are finished it’s a great time to start new stuff, but I have two considerations:
1) Both W3 and Judgment were on the AAA/massively long side so I want to go back to checking out some small indie stuff first.
2) I’ll be away to Osaka and Hong Kong from mid to late October. I don’t think I want to start anything big before I get back!
With these factors in mind, I’ll probably take it slow from now to mid-October to prerecord for when I’m away. E.g. I mentioned She Sees Red last time: I finished it but got too busy to push it out, so it’ll likely show up now.
Other than that, a heck ton of really interesting indie games have come out recently/will be coming out soon:
Already released (no particular order):
September
October
This list is massive so I really don’t know which ones I’ll end up getting to, but you can get a good sense of the scale/type of games I’m thinking about here. (I'll of course get back to AAA stuff.... after I get back!)
I think that’ll be it for this time. Feel free to leave any comments/questions/indications of interest for particular items on the above list!
If you’re interested in how my vacation goes, I’ll probably update with pics and stuff over on Twitter :)
Thanks for your support as always and see you in the next one in November!
Welonz
2019-09-25 21:51:17 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
We’re over mid-way through August! It’s been a relatively standard “started things are ongoing” kind of month as I’ve taken on three mid-to-long length titles (why do I do this to myself), but I’ve completed Wolf 2 today so it’s time to look onto the horizon for new things!
TL;DR
- Finished: The Sinking City, Wolfenstein 2
- Ongoing: Witcher 3, Judgment
- Upcoming: LIS2 Ep 4, Control, other undecided things
Games Finished Since Last Update
The Sinking City (17 parts): Third-person detective title of a man investigating into why he has Lovecraftian visions/nightmares. It’s a game made with a lot of love (and craft) alongside some unique detective mechanics, but ultimately it still feels unpolished in many aspects. Fans of Lovecraftian lore would probably view this game more favourably.
Wolfenstein 2 (23 parts): Good old adrenaline-pumping FPS action – IMO not nearly as tight of an experience as Wolfenstein 1 but still very enjoyable with one of the best told storylines in FPSes, and definitely worth getting into if you enjoyed the first.
I’ve also done a first look of:
Metal Wolf Chaos XD: A third person robot shooty shooty about the President of the United States on a mission to liberate America… with a giant mech robot… created by a Japanese studio. It’s every bit as cheesy and bizarre as it sounds. Playing through made me feel like I got a history lesson in gaming lol.
Current Stuff
Witcher 3: Continuing through the Blood and Wine DLC 🏃
Judgment: Currently at Chapter 9 of 13. At this rate, guestimating I’ll finish by mid to late September.
Upcoming Stuff
Last time I mentioned I would jump straight into Wolfenstein Youngblood after Wolf 2, but I’ve had second thoughts as it didn’t review very well especially in the aspects that I’m most interested in (story and single player gameplay). I’m going to end up putting this plan on hold.
The summer season closing out means there are quite a few new releases coming up:
I almost certainly don’t have the capacity to get to all of these on release, so I’ve italicized the titles as the ones I’m fairly certain I’ll get to. Other ones will have to see how time (and courage) permits.
A lot of the list leans more on the AAA side though, so I’ll also be looking into slotting in indie things in between, beginning with She Sees Red in the next few days - a short FMV mystery thriller. I’d love to get around to the free DLC of Unheard that came out last week too.
That about sums it up for August! As always, have a great rest of month and feel free to leave any suggestions/comments/questions/musings!
Welonz
2019-08-19 21:33:06 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone,
The hot summers of July are upon us! 🔥 I hope tons of you are having fun vacationing halfway across the world or something, but for as for me...... Surprise!! I'm gonna be playing video games l o l
TL;DR
- Finished: Outer Wilds, Sea of Solitude
- Ongoing: Witcher 3, The Sinking City, Judgment
- Upcoming: Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Youngblood
Games Finished Since Last Update
Outer Wilds (20 parts): An open-world space exploration experience about learning the mystery behind the universe being trapped in a time loop. Far less of an explicitly driven narrative than 95% of games I play but no less wonder-inducing. I don't want to hype it up too much, but this game has evoked some emotions for me that no other game has and is pretty squarely my GOTY so far. Highly recommend playing yourself first if possible – it’s one of those games where you can never get another “first time” in.
Sea of Solitude (4 parts): A 3D puzzle platformer of a woman’s journey through her own loneliness – think GRIS, RiME, or ABZU. Visually/aurally appealing and technically impressive (zero loading screens). There are some weaker areas (e.g. voice acting) but an overall enjoyable experience.
Current Stuff
Witcher 3: Continuing through the Blood and Wine DLC.
The Sinking City: A Lovecraftian detective game. Interesting lore investigation mechanics, but also unpolished and janky in many aspects. Currently on Main Case #4 of 9.
Judgment: My first foray into a RGG studio game, also a detective mystery game but with a larger focus on presentation with the story mostly told like a TV series via directed cutscenes. Currently at Chapter 3 out of 13.
I’ve taken on a little more than I can handle (as usual lol) with 2 longer titles, but I do expect The Sinking City to finish up within the month.
Upcoming Stuff
I’m running a little behind but I will be getting to Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus veeeery soon, and then hopefully Youngblood which comes out on the 26th.
New releases have pretty much ground to a halt in the summertime but I think I’ll have enough to keep me occupied for the next bit anyway. There’s a lot of AAA titles on the channel right now so I’m really aching to balance it out with some indie titles as soon as I can.
Feel free to leave any suggestions, questions & comments, and enjoy the rest of your July!
Welonz
2019-07-10 18:20:35 +0000 UTC
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