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Consume

English Teacher

Season 1

What a nice surprise. Hadn't heard anything about this leading up to the debut, but then it felt like everyone was talking about it. And with good reason! Soulful and hilarious, Brian Jordan Alvarez and the rest of the cast are all excellent.
television10/17/2024

Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

Jason Schreier

Another deep dive from Schreier, audiobook version narrated by Ray Chase. I’ve played a lot of Blizzard games over the years. Starcraft and Warcraft 3 in high school, Diablo and World of Warcraft in spurts over the years. Lots of Hearthstone while I was smoking. The company’s history is fascinating, from the origin through recent years of turmoil, and Schreier pulls it all together in a digestible format. Like his previous two books, it’s not flattering to the industry as a whole, executives in particular.
books10/16/2024

Slow Horses

Season 4

Another great season of one of the best shows out there right now. Everyone talks about Gary Oldman (and he’s fantastic in this) but the whole cast is great. I really like Jack Lowden in this. He has the look of a leading man but his performance is understated, cynical, and ultimately lends a lot of depth to the character. Hugo Weaving made for a great villain in S4.
television10/10/2024

The Batman (2022)

Director: Matt Reeves

I was going to start watching The Penguin show and then remembered I had never watched this. Surprised by how much I liked it. Pattinson makes a great Batman, less Bruce Wayne millionaire playboy and more angst-ridden obsessive. John Turturro was a great Falcone, and Colin Farrell was great as Penguin. Looking forward to the show more now.
movies10/7/2024

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Director: Shawn Levy

It was a big movie weekend for me. This is the first Marvel movie I’ve watched in a while and it was… a Marvel movie, that’s for sure. Very quippy, follows the formula, fun character cameos. I don’t know, it was fun enough to watch but didn’t leave even the slightest lasting impression.
movies10/7/2024

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Director: Michael Dougherty

Hey, it’s October. I want to watch more horror movies this year. Started off with this one because it was recommended on a podcast, and it was pretty fun. Kind of anthology style where the stories are connected, and they all have some fun twists. It’s not really scary, more campy and fun than real horror, and I enjoyed it.
movies10/7/2024

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Nintendo | Gamecube

I think this is the first Zelda game I’ve beaten besides Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. I didn’t get into them much when I was younger. It’s a different formula for sure, the dungeons are a much bigger focus and each one feels like a giant puzzle. Combat is a little puzzle-y too but mostly not that interesting. I didn’t care for the world in Twilight Princess, especially compared to the newer games. I’ll probably play Wind Waker next since I’m on a Gamecube kick.
games10/7/2024

Yellowface

R. F. Kuang

Damn, what an unlikeable protagonist. But very relatable at times, especially if the reader has ever held literary aspirations. It's the right length, I wouldn't have wanted to spend any more time in June's head.
books9/28/2024

Lost Kingdoms

FROM Software | Gamecube

Another Gamecube throwback, but this one I’d never played. I liked the combo of deckbuilding and more active gameplay. Pretty basic elemental system of strengths and weaknesses. I goofed and did not realize until literally the last boss fight, that you can still cast cards when you run out of crystals and it will just pull from your health. Honestly the game was pretty easy and then that last fight was a huge difficulty spike. Overall I enjoyed it, didn’t overstay its welcome, and I’m looking forward to trying the sequel once there’s a Retroachievements set for it.
games9/23/2024

The Hives (w/ Bad Nerves)

St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit

Huh, I just realized I haven’t been tracking the live music I’ve seen. After years of drought, mostly thanks to Covid, I’ve been to five or six shows this year. It’s awesome seeing live music again, I love the energy and insanity of it. Being part of the crowd. It’s the first time I’ve seen The Hives and they were amazing, lots of crowd work and great showmanship. I hadn’t listened to their newest album so that went over my head, but loved all the songs from 20 years ago. Bad Nerves put on a great show as well, actually the second time I’ve seen them since they opened for Royal Blood earlier this summer.
music9/23/2024

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union

Michael Chabon

Second time I’ve read this, probably been about a decade or more. Just a spectacular exercise in worldbuilding. Quick read, but the time spent in Sitka feels just as fleshed out and lived-in or more so than real world locations. Great setting for a hardboiled detective story. Great cast of characters. Most delightful part: Chabon’s killer use of metaphor.
books9/21/2024

Leviathan Wakes

James S.A. Corey | Expanse #1

I watched the first few seasons of the show a few years ago, never touched the books. Really enjoyed the first one in audiobook format. Knew a lot of what to expect but the narrative and characterization had a depth the show didn’t deliver. Crazy to start another long, ten book series after finally finishing Malazan? Maybe… But if I listen to the audiobooks, I can just mosey through it in parallel with whatever other books I’m reading.
books9/21/2024

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Steven Erikson

It’s finally over. I didn’t really post the individual books on here as I was making my way through them. Some I really enjoyed, a few were a slog, and they’re are long as hell so there’s a bunch of details I don’t remember. The ending was really satisfying, a long series of battles and the fulfillment of a master plan so the good guys win in the end. At the end of it, I’ll reiterate I loved the scale. Elder gods and down-and-dirty marines get the same screen time, can have the same influence on world-altering events. Can’t give a blanket recommendation for anyone to buckle down and read all ten books, but I’m glad I did.
books9/16/2024

Cult of the Lamb

Playstation 5

What a delightful combination of cute and demonic. This is a pretty addictive roguelike and I’ve been having a good time. The soundtrack is especially memorable. I hated the combat when I first started but it’s growing on me.
games8/30/2024

YACHT

New Release

Yeah, New Release is the actual name of the album. The last time I listened to a lot of YACHT it was the Shangri-La album released in 2011. Just out of college, looking for great jams, and it really hit the spot. New Release is excellent so far.
music8/29/2024

Tales of Symphonia

Gamecube

Blast from the past! I remember playing this 100 years ago, and some of the main story beats stayed with me, but it’s been long enough it mostly felt fresh. The first Tales game I’ve played in ages and while the combat does get a bit stale I enjoyed it. Better story than I was expecting too.
games8/20/2024

Cuckoo

Tilman Singer (2024)

Thoroughly enjoyed it. More unsettling horror than anything truly scary. Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens turned in great performances.
movies8/20/2024

Press Reset

Jason Shreier

I liked this just as much as Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. A little more focus on individuals and their paths through the industry vs. development of specific games. Schreier has some ideas about the future of the industry and overall it’s a fascinating peek into how people function as game devs.
books8/20/2024

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

Jason Schreier

I’ve known about this book for a few years and finally got around to reading it. Fascinating details about the development of some big games, most of which I’ve played. I listened to the audiobook and Ray Chase is a fantastic narrator.
books7/30/2024

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Playstation 5

With the release of the DLC, I realized I needed to start a whole new character since it had been so long since I played. I’m glad I did. Revisiting the full game has only reinforced my belief this is one of, maybe the best, games of all the time. The open world is… absolutely insane. Build variety off the charts. I’m playing way different than my first character, playing str/fth with a greatsword and shield plus heavy armor. Loving the guard counter life. Shadow of the Erdtree so far is just more of an amazing game. Cake on top of cake. I’m taking my time and just enjoying seeing everything new.
games7/25/2024

Alan Wake 2: Night Spring DLC

Playstation 5

Great to spend more time in this world, if only for a little one. Rose’s episode is just dumb action fun with a side character, great writing. Episode 2 is amazing vibes in Coffee World and nice to see Jesse from Control again. Episode 3 is probably my fave, big time Quantum Break references and a delightful little choose your own adventure at the end. I enjoyed these but I am hoping the Lake House DLC is a more substantial canon story.
games6/24/2024

Star Wars: Jedi Survivor

Playstation 5

I finally came back to this one for a platinum-seeking New Game + run. It’s so damn good. If the original release hadn’t been so marred by performance issues this would have been an easy GOTY contender. The performance mode runs great now anyway. I just can’t believe what a huge evolution from Fallen Order this is. That game was great, and then they layered on better combat, better traversal, a better map, much more rewarding exploration and a huge world… it’s just excellent. I hope we still get to see a finished trilogy even though Stig left Respawn.
games6/17/2024

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

I liked The Martian and I liked this quite a bit too. There are some sections that are really math and science heavy but it never lasts too long, and there’s some great character work to balance it out. I love Rocky.
books6/17/2024

Dredge

Playstation 5

I’ve been meaning to play Dredge since it released, and I finally got around to it. It’s pretty short, if you stick to the main quest, and it’s kind of all about the vibes. The music, the mood, the style all great. But the gameplay is generally repetitive and the upgrades never feel impactful enough. Like, now that I’ve seen the ending I have zero desire to pursue the platinum.
games6/3/2024

Furiosa

George Miller (2024)

It’s a great follow up to Fury Road. I was a little iffy on the initial trailers; it looked there might be too much CGI, and I wasn’t sure about Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa. But it was great. Well-paced for a 2.5 hour movie, great story arc, satisfying conclusion. Two thumbs up.
movies6/3/2024

Masters of Doom

David Kushner

This it the first audiobook I’ve listened to in a long time. I liked it! Great for driving, a little more substantial than the podcasts I’m usually listening to. I enjoyed the insights into the early years at ID and all the history between Carmack and Romero. I kind of wish I had been alive/older during the shareware scene, early days of gaming.
books5/28/2024

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Guy Ritchie (2024)

Fun, though not as fun as Ritchie’s more gangster-centric movies.
movies5/28/2024

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Playstation 5 | Completed

Damn, this is a long game. I rolled credits last night after 75 hours and there’s still a bunch of side stuff I haven’t done, not to mention a hard mode playthrough if I go for the platinum. It’s a killer game. The boss fights were the highlight for me, just like in Remake. I enjoyed the huge open world and a lot of the side content, even if I’m feeling a little burned out right now. I really don’t know how they’re going to top this for part three.
games5/23/2024

Dragon Warrior II

Game Boy Color | Completed

Yikes, what a slog. Mostly smooth sailing but needed a few hours of grinding before the final dungeon. I can’t imagine playing this game without a guide and map. If I had more free time maybe the exploration would be rewarding, but it feels like the game expects you to sail randomly around the world to every island and city looking for what to do next. I have no patience for that, these days. I’m looking forward to III, and I’m going to play the translated SNES version. I’ve heard III is the first truly great game in the series.
games5/9/2024

Dragon Warrior

Game Boy Color | Completed

Is it time to play through all the Dragon Quest games? Maybe. I’ve only played through XI and IX, in that order. And I now, I guess. Extremely basic compared to modern RPGs, almost to the point of not really being enjoyable? I don’t know. I’m giving II a try but I might skip it if I’m not having fun, I’ve heard III is better.
games4/16/2024

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides | Steven Erikson

Sometime last year I read the first two Malazan books and fell off hard. A few months ago I found out my brother was reading the series, and decided to give it another go. Book 3 regained my interest and I’ve been going strong since. I really like the scale to the worldbuilding. You’ve got your regular soldiers, ascendants, gods, elder gods, gods from another universe, soletaken, etc.
books4/16/2024

Tomato Adventure

Game Boy Advance | Completed

What a solid little RPG. The gimmick mechanics add a lot of variety to the combat gameplay (and I won’t lie, I abused the Steam Deck programmable controls for some turbo button hax). Thanks to a fantastic translation this precursor to the Mario & Luigi RPG series is finally fully playable in English.
games3/20/2024

Balatro

Playstation 5

A roguelike based on poker hands. 100% perfectly nails the “one more round” effect. I love it, and maybe someday I will be good at it.
games2/26/2024

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Playstation 5 | Completed

I wanted to play through this again before FFVII Rebirth comes out later this month. I liked it on PS4 but thought there was too much padding. I’m feeling more generous after playing through it on PS5; this game is fucking gorgeous, a technical showcase, and the “real-time with pause” combat is a great twist on the original gameplay. Really excited for Rebirth after this, it’s looking great. I’m currently playing through the DLC with Yuffie and they knocked it out of the park, her character’s a blast to play.
games2/5/2024

The Talisman

Stephen King, Peter Straub

I read this when I was younger, can’t remember why I decided to revisit it now. It starts and ends well enough, but the middle third is a real slog. I should have read something else to scratch the King itch.
books2/5/2024

Evil West

Playstation 5 | Completed

What a solid game. The combat is fast, fun and crunchy. The story is dumb and the voice acting is borderline terrible, but if you can look past that the combat and progression deliver a solid package.
games1/31/2024

The Bear

Seasons 1 & 2

I tried watching this earlier and it felt too stressful. Just like real life in a restaurant! But I came back to it and stuck with it, and it’s an excellent, character-driven show. Something about the music really works for me too, it’s like it doesn’t quite match the vibe of a lot of the show and in that way provides a balance.
television1/23/2024

Pikmin 4

Switch | Completed

Well I didn’t play the first three but Pikmin 4 is pretty damn great. More chill vibes over this strange holiday season, except for some of the not-so-chill boss encounters. But the main path of the game only has a few nailbiters, otherwise it’s smooth sailing.
games1/17/2024

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

Playstation 5 | Completed

Cozier than I expected. I enjoyed the loop of dungeon delving, simple platforming combat, and city building. Good pacing for the story but definitely grind-heavy if you’re going for 100%, which I thought I might at first, but maybe later down the road.
games1/9/2024

Defiant

Brandon Sanderson

A satisfying conclusion to Spensa’s story. Lots of great character moments. Sanderson has left a lot of room to explore more of this universe and some big unsolved mysteries (where did Earth go?).
books1/5/2024

Earthquake Weather

Tim Powers

Book three of the Fault Lines trilogy. I wish I liked it more, and maybe the fault lies with me and not the book, but it was kind of a slog to read. I enjoyed Last Call and Expiration Date infinitely more. This one just felt a little unfocused, and the finale feels more like a conclusion for the new characters introduced (that I didn’t care about as much) than the cast from the first two books.
books12/14/2023

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Playstation 5 | Completed

What a wild ride. Only my second Yakuza game—I played Yakuza 0 a few years ago. I enjoyed the turn-based combat more than the brawler gameplay of that and other entries, and the story actually held my attention through the end (despite some overly long monologues). I might be a Yakuza (Like A Dragon) fan now, could be picking up Infinite Wealth at launch.
games12/11/2023

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.
games11/13/2023

The 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.
books11/6/2023

Alan 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.
games11/6/2023

Closure 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.
music10/25/2023

My 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.
books10/25/2023

Cyberpunk 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.
games10/18/2023

Expiration 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.
books10/9/2023

Night 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.
comics9/26/2023

Sea 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.
games9/24/2023

Tomorrow, 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.
books9/19/2023

Baldur’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.
games9/13/2023

Starfield

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.
games9/8/2023

Remnant 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.
games9/5/2023

Drood

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.
books8/24/2023

Bomb 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.
music8/23/2023

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Brandon Sanderson

This is my favorite of Sanderson’s three secret projects thus far. Great characters and setting.
books8/23/2023

Baldur’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.
games8/23/2023

Paper Mario

Nintendo 64 | Completed

Revisiting this N64 classic with upgraded visuals thanks to MasterKillua. It’s delightful, a fun turn-based romp.
games8/23/2023

Final 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