Consume
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Playstation 5 | Completed
A strong follow-up to the first two. They managed to fit some surprises into what is a very comic booky story. Best-in-class traversal.
games11/13/2023The Sunlit Man
Brandon Sanderson
The final Year of Sanderson book. It’s a good read with a lot of cosmere connections, more than any of the other three except maybe Tress. My third favorite out of the four.
books11/6/2023Alan Wake II
Playstation 5 | Completed
I expected it to be good, but I wasn’t expecting a GOTY contender. Alan Wake II builds on the foundation of the first game, smashes in some Control, and boldly flips the genre for a horror masterpiece firing on all cylinders. I loved it, and it left me wanting more. Sam Lake and the rest of the team at Remedy just get better with every release.
games11/6/2023Closure in Moscow
Pink Lemonade
I’ve been playing this album a lot over the past week after stumbling across this band. The whole thing’s great but the standout tracks for me are Neoprene Byzantine, Seeds of Gold, and Happy Days. Their new album Soft Hell comes out in a few days and I’m really looking forward to it.
music10/25/2023My Brother’s Keeper
Tim Powers
Not his best. Too small in scope I think, with a cast of not interesting enough characters. 19th century England is a wildly different vibe from 1990s Los Angeles, and I think I prefer the latter.
books10/25/2023Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Playstation 5 | Completed
It’s 1000x better than the game I played at launch 3 years ago. I don’t even recognize it. The skill trees are exciting, the combat feels chaotic and kinetic, and the game breaking glitches are few and far between. The storyline for the new expansion is fantastic, some great new characters with top-tier acting and animation.
games10/18/2023Expiration Date
Tim Powers
Many years after originally reading Last Call, I’m reading the second two books in the Fault Lines trilogy. Expiration Date shares more DNA with his newer Vickery and Castine books than with Last Call. Despite not being a continuation of the same tale, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and after reading the first few chapters of #3 (Earthquake Weather) I’m excited to see how he brings the two worlds together for the finale.
books10/9/2023Night Fever
Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Been a while since I read something of theirs, it’s a solid standalone. Satisfying character arc backed up by some great art. It doesn’t have a ton of meat to it but it’s good read.
comics9/26/2023Sea of Stars
Playstation 5 | Completed
Wonderful game. You could call it a love letter to SNES-era RPGs like Chrono Trigger, and that formula’s tweaked with the kind of QoL updates you expect from a 2023 title. The OST is killer. My only quiet gripe might be with the difficulty (lack of), but even that could be enhanced with some of the gameplay-altering relics. A great follow up to Sabotage’s first game, The Messenger, and I’ll be closely watching for whatever they do next.
games9/24/2023Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
I first started hearing about this in relation to the gaming, since the main characters are developers and there are a lot of gaming references. There’s a lot in here about playing games, and making games, but the heart is two rich, layered characters, Sadie Green and Sam Masur, and the story flows from them and their relationship. I really liked it.
books9/19/2023Baldur’s Gate 3
PC | First playthrough completed
I finished my first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 at about 80 hours. What a ride. Act 1 was a little slow for me until the last bit, but after that it just got better and better through the end. I had fun with my Circle of the Moon druid, especially once I unlocked the owlbear, but I’m looking forward to trying a monk or paladin for my next run. There’s too much sweet gear that has no effect in wild shape, which was a bummer.
games9/13/2023Starfield
PC | 10 hours
It’s Skyrim in space. Planets to explore, space pirates to kill. My current goals are mostly outpost related. I want to get some supply lines set up and build some cool bases.
games9/8/2023Remnant 2
Playstation 5
It’s an improvement over the first in almost every way, but for some reason it hasn’t grabbed me as much as the first did.
games9/5/2023Drood
Dan Simmons
I’ve read a few books by Dan Simmons now, this might be my least favorite. It’s still interesting, but it’s long long long and peppered with less interesting subplots.
books8/24/2023Bomb Rush Cyberfunk OST
Various Artists
I bought the soundtrack before the game haha. I’ve enjoyed 2 Mello’s tunes a lot over the past year and this is right up the same alley, nonstop funky beats.
music8/23/2023Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Brandon Sanderson
This is my favorite of Sanderson’s three secret projects thus far. Great characters and setting.
books8/23/2023Baldur’s Gate 3
PC | 20 hours
God it’s glorious. Epic story moments backed up by solid combat. I started off as a druid and I’ve already been thinking about what classes to try out in my next few playthroughs. I’m really digging the way companion storylines are woven into the main quest, enhanced by top tier acting.
games8/23/2023Paper Mario
Nintendo 64 | Completed
Revisiting this N64 classic with upgraded visuals thanks to MasterKillua. It’s delightful, a fun turn-based romp.
games8/23/2023Final Fantasy XVI
Playstation 5
I started off pretty hot on this game but I’m feeling cool now. The combat’s fun and flashy but the side quests suck and the mechanics for the combat are too simple to sustain a game of this length. Got some slappers on the OST though.
games8/23/2023