Ever Dance With The Devil In The Pale Moonlight?

Coming in hot here at the last second.


Effortlessly channeling those 2025 vibes
through my creative endeavors

Just a short share today, but I’ve got to keep on keeping on with my challenge of writing everyday during the month of March. I thought I had remembered the date correctly for my one year anniversary of having started Elden Ring, but double checking my trophy history, it was actually the 2nd of March 2024 and not the third, so oopsie fucking daysie on that one. Good thing this wasn’t an anniversary involving an actual relationship, or I’d be in couch jail right about now. In a ridiculous twist of fate, in spite of a year of playing, I have in fact, not yet started a new game plus of the title, which is slightly mind boggling to me. Though I’ve finished the vanilla experience and the DLC, I am still cleaning up some content on my first playthrough, though I think I’m nearly finished sweeping up the last remnants of obnoxious pain in the ass trash that is still littered about.


Pictured: This bitch
Not pictured: The absolute audacity

I am about to start my quest to find the legendary equipment strewn about the Lands Between to finally acquire my platinum trophy, but I am tasked with besting what I believe to be the last boss left to beat in Elden Ring, which is the infamous Malenia, and all of her bloodrotting glory. I’m grossly over-leveled for the affair, having already gone through Shadow of the Erdtree before I even got to her, and with that in mind, I still didn’t down her my first play session, which is a testament to the wealthy dividends one may muster involving successfully managing the absolutely steamy piles of horseshit shenanigans she manages that I’ve heard so many prattle on about at this point.


A quick visual reference of what to expect when
encountering Malenia

In my defense, my first attempt was a half-hearted drop in the perverbial time bucket, so I’m not overly concerned about her becoming the same kind of roadblocking shit house like Radahn was at the end of Erdtree, given my pedigree at this stage in the game, so her phase 2 Poison Ivy cosplay looking ass is getting launched directly into oblivion in due time, me thinks. I imagine my new game plus will be right around the corner soon after, which is great, cause I may be able to power through this just fast enough to wrap up the platinum in time to play Elden Ring: Nightreign when it launches on May 30th, a title which is suppose to be a multiplayer focused time restricted roguelike remix of sorts using core mechanics from Elden Ring, which based on gameplay footage from the network test they did, is shaping up to be a May 30th, 2025 release worthy of excitement.

Cheers to future ass beatings.

~Pashford

Saving the day, one punched fascist at a time

My goal coming into March was a simple one: write everyday no matter what, and like some kind of demented boss warped by the pretense of capitalism beyond reason, that’s what I’ve set my mind on to put myself through.


This guy’s boss the next day wondering if he is still
coming into work to help cover a shift

Unfortunately, that might mean fighting agains the clock some days to get meager blurbs up instead of full on posts (EG: today), which means some of my posts may very much be just that-thoughts thrown into the eager. The picture is relevant in two ways, as it is also a reference to my continual trek through Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, which came out on the Xbox Series X in December 24, and as part of Microsofts Project Latitude, which make it’s way to the PS5 this spring. What I thought was just going to be a predictable movie tie in, ended up being a surprisingly engaging romp involving stealth beating fascists in far greater volumes than previously anticipated, mini-sandbox gameplay driven by light detective work reminiscent of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and kind of a “Let’s Play” atmosphere vibe that would likely nominate the game for an idealized look into the idea that experiences don’t even have to technically qualify as fun to play these days to be desirable, but just fun to watch, as I imagine many would simply get off on viewing someone else playing this one as opposed to playing it themselves, as if they were just enjoying another movie of Indy notoriety.

More on that another day. Hope you enjoy the rest of yours.

~Pashford

Inanity, thy name is video games

The struggle is real.


Who I’m envisioning as the mascot for 2025

At least, it feels real in regards to not just the complete insanity that 2025 has already launched with, but keeping up with the craziness enough with the same kind of “DON’T PANIC” vibes I advocate for on the regular. That obviously complicates my day to day, including finding time to sit my ass down and write with any regularity whatsoever. I always desire to have more fleshed out ideas for articles in this space, to elevate Active Time Event above just another gaming blog, but alas, to quote a prescient prophet of our cosmic time, if wishes were horses, we’d all be eating steak. With all of that said, I feel as if in a constant state of flux truth be told, in always feeling as if I need to “start again”, as if reigniting the fires of creativity in some kind of conceptual grand gesture to imbue my meager efforts with some well needed feelings of gravitas to frame the whole affair with. Keeping that in mind, I’m not quite sure the number of times I’m essentially going to refer to my own writing endeavors as a “soft reboot“, but I’m speculating the number will indeed be too many, and simultaneously, not enough at the same time. I did make my return to the writing space about this time last year, and while the first half of the year dragged a bit in terms of consistent content, the couple of pieces I did get out were decent pieces of dynamite, setting the stage for a second half of the year resulting in a wild stream of content every day for months on end. A stream of content I may add which eventually ended in November for, uh, tragically disappointing reasons many of you were confronted with as well.


November 5th forced me into doing a perpetual Steve Harvey face for the rest of the year, ngl.

As I made mention recently, this time of year is always devastating for me, as both seasonal depression and related moments of destructive tendencies that are contingent on said moods tend to drag me down to the depths of despair and debauchery in the most nefarious of ways. In those ever present and unrelenting times of melancholic torture that attempt to drown me in chaotic malaise, I seem to catch a serious case of the fuck its I just cannot shake, and the lack of motivation and complete abandonment of what I view as my duties that follows is one of absolutely brutal and insurmountable malcontent that is nearly unrivaled in bloodshed and misery.


Nearly unrivaled

That’s kind of the abhorrently abysmal hole I’m still attempting to crawl out of, on some metaphorically psychological level at least, but this year has been one of the most promising springboards of regeneration coming from a point of stability in recent memory. I’ve at least maintained a decent day to day of gaming and an ounce of respectability in terms of writing about them, far more so than basically any point around the same time in the last 7 years combined in retrospect, which is worth saying. Perspective is everything, and if you’re use to test flights ending with the entire vehicle engulfed in flames and crashing into a side of a mountain, merely having a rough landing where a wing gets bent or a wheel falls off should be marked on paper as a successfully executed colossal undertaking.


Someone made a PS2 about similar subject matter
if my memory isn’t betraying me…

So yeah. Still enjoying my new Xbox Series X, still don’t have a PS5 (work in progress), still somehow enjoying games on my launch Switch, a system which is in extraordinarily dire stakes, with the back cracked in half, the poor damn thing randomly vibrating, and on it’s fifth set of joycons mind you, but still trucking non the less. I somehow still haven’t beaten Echoes of Wisdom, in spite of the title being both a Zelda game and getting in weekly play sessions on the regs, but I’m always enjoying about 7 games at any given moment, so playthroughs tend to take a second. I’m also schmoozing the competitive Smash scene and admiring Animal Crossing up close and person everyday, but I don’t have much in the way of interesting ideas floating around about either at any given moment. This could be do to the notion either feels like an old relationship of some kind, where it’s become more of a way of the everyday then a conscious effort, akin to the nutrients vicariously but unconsciously absorbed that keeps one breathing. A lack of inspiration involving writing ideas could also be predicated on that notion I just know to stay in my lane and realize I’m not within the authority of exterior design to speak with any gravitas on the matter, or wish to give some succulent trade secrets of the Smashing persuasion, but I hold my tongue appropriately when I feel as if nothing of value can be imparted to ye lucky crew of readers and onlookers alike. I suppose I’ll dig deep and attempt to offer insight on both Smash and AC simultaneously for you now.


Love what they’ve done with their village layout. They
have trees and everything. Also, Smash Protip: Don’t
fall off the edge.

See? Rubbish.

I’m continuing to give Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 a shot, even though I feel as if I know me and the game have no real shot of longevity together. The campaign was fine enough, though the multiplayer does feel like it lacks a certain crisp quality involving that bespoke 30 seconds of fun (of Halo legend) needed for any gaming experience to stay relevant for long in this hyper competitive market this day and age. However, I muster the courage to continue my college effort in my affairs with the title, giggling still as I play, watching the big bologna men run hither and thither doing big bologna men like things whenever I play Space Marine 2, wondering who in their right mind takes any of this seriously, but that may be one of the only things keeping me invested in my bologna man space dystopia adventures, so it’s really the small things that count.


A screenshot of one of my more intense
matches playing Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2.

I did also finish getting all the achievements for Castlevania, Order of Ecclesia, the final cheevo involving beating Albus mode, which is just where you go back through with an optional character and rebeat the campaign with an unlockable character after the credits roll, in the memorable style of Symphony of the Night. I do chuckle thinking about the comparative nature of Albus as a character vs others in the series, as while he is relevant to the main story of Ecclesia, he is essentially a dude with a gun in a story involving legendary vampire hunters and demonic entities born of myth and fury. Still, Dracula still has a mouth that one can fire bullets into, which contributes in meaningful ways to dislocating his ass from this reality and then launching his bastard ass directly into hell with relative fucking gusto.


Pictured: a conceptual representation of Any Castlevania
progatonist by the end of their respective game. Not pictured:
Dracula’s immense frustration with being evicted by the
Belmonts every god damn century

On the PS4, I’m largely just focused on Elden Ring, having finished the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree about a month ago. I maintain a pride in having played through both the vanilla portion of the game and the DLC without having used any external help whatsoever, be it guides, videos, walkthroughs etc, and even pushed myself not to summon any player help to fight any of the bosses, which I consider to be a stubbornly bullheaded endeavor of herculean proportions that I’m happy to have seen to it’s bitter end. Though the playthrough of both the title and it’s add-on did put things into a stark perspective, and that is I can’t sacrifice a year of my life to a single game all of the time, as it just simply isn’t sustainable. I realize not every experience is going to be as demanding as a souls-like is, but the truth remains that in this day and age of hyper busyness, combined with a ridiculous slate of games coming down the pipeline, on top of my general desire to have hobbies and passions outside of gaming, I’m trying to remind myself it’s really okay to ask for help and or take a shortcut every now and again, or else one would surely get consumed by the madness of struggle, and drown in the endless sea of everyday inanity in a moment’s notice.

~Pashford

The Belmont’s Day Off: Anal-Retentive Chaos

My last article involving Castlevania was back in September, and there was a delightful twist of irony in regards to the write up, in that I didn’t actually write anything directly addressing Portrait of Ruin itself aside from the phrase “historically reflective”, which by this point I have absolutely no idea what the fuck I was talking about.


Let’s see if my folder entitled *Castlevania: IMPORTANT!*
can shed any light on my previous thoughts…

I think I might have an idea about what I was blathering about, but at this point it’s so much more fun to only vaguely gesture at the games I’m writing about then directly referencing them, I may as well continue to keep this kangaroo court level of absurdist writing going while the going is good. Per my article last week, my delay in returning to writing (about video games) was one part holiday despair, one part wanting to come back strong, and another part realizing I should seriously just shit or get off the god damn pot of self-actualization, by doing what I always do, and that’s by taking up the mantle of writer, as I have done time and time again. I think it’s a lot easier to be hyper critical of one’s own craft when shaking the cobwebs off, much like taking up exercising after a long break: you got to start small. Even when Superman feels the weight of the world crushing down on him, it’s not like he can just bench press the entire planet with ease.


[SIC] Nevermind

Well, that’s why Superman stories are bullshit anyways. Still a lesson to be had in the observation. As I continually yearn for more motivating ideas to scribe my thoughts with, I do find myself in a similar predicament as I did with Portrait of Ruin, in that I’m faced with titles I’ve loved for half my life, have reached a moment of flirtatious endeavor in which I can gush about my cozy experiences, and still draw an absolute blank with what utter grandiosity to gratuitously gab about . I think my first notion is an echoed sentiment I had briefly touched upon, and that’s Order of Eccelsia’s mindful editorialization, which may be indicative of the virtues my aged heart and hardened wisdom lust for these days. The ability to entertain by saying a lot with a little, by knowing how to keep the brevity succinct and the audience members on their toes at all times is a sleight of hand super power sorely under celebrated in these times of extreme business and extraordinary excess of demanding time investments, one should be so lucky as to be granted the gift of fleeting exchange.

~Pashford

Raw Dogging the Rough Cut

This photo captures the essence of self-deprecation
involving my sales pitch of this post, but I promise
you the vibes are at least twice as funny and four
times less shitty in execution

In reference to my visual sarcastic aside above, I kept putting off a similarly slapdash attempt at a return to proper writing (about video games) for arbitrary reasons, though I imagine unless I had been kidnapped by a traveling dance theater to perform for them due to their outlandish threats involving being sent to actual hell before I die, outside of that obviously reasonably likely scenario, just about any other reason for a mood being spoiled thus halting the creative process would come off as arbitrary.


Like when family get togethers really spoil the holidays,
for example.

The joke would be on that ill-fated group of stylishly groovy kidnappers regardless, as December does represent a kind of personal hell for me every year, though I refuse to elaborate within any serious context as to why. I do attempt to keep this first and foremost about gaming after all, and the reasons I reference fall far outside the boundaries of the virtual. Now that it is almost February, and I’m in a much better place overall, I will eschew the notion of waiting for my first piece of writing, “the return” if you will, to be some grandiose affair or some amazingly well thought out narrative or brilliant deconstruction of the industry or some title I’ve recently beaten. I’m just going to casually riff about games in general for a bit, if that’s okay.


Just the average Pash like creative noodling for
your idle entertainment, just like old times

I recently gifted myself an Xbox Series X for X-mas, not that I even care about celebrating the event in any serious way, but I’ve been attempting to curtail my more Grinchly demeanor in many small, celebratory fashions to attempt to hold back the cynical tide that washes over me. In a twist of unintentional spiteful reinforcement of my complete apathy towards Christmas itself, I did in fact not even open the damn thing on the day of, and even waited till the New Year to do anything with it. While I have been thoroughly enjoying my experience with said system, as I have always been an advocate of any major platform within the realm as someone who identifies as platform agnostic, the series X is by and far the least substantial jump from one generation to another I have ever seen. It makes sense on some level, as why fix what’s not broken, as the UI for the Xbox family has always been mostly functional, so keep the ecosystem similar, right?

Fair enough, though I do think this among many factors indicative we, as a collective, are starting to come to a head here in terms of sheer innovation for consoles moving forward, and I’m not just picking on Microsoft here. Having seen the PS5 UI in action, and at least glimpsing the very “same-ish” nature that the Switch 2 is bringing to the table, I think the day of the truly new and the innovative, in terms of pure individualized ingenuity, is likely behind us at this point, for many reasons I think is worthy of a much longer winded, well constructed post on the matter, so I’ll save elaborating on that thought for another time.


An example of a well constructed post

The game I chose to be my “launch title” was Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and truth be told, while the experience has been fun, I’m kind of shocked that this console is already four years into it’s lifespan and this is the supposed peak that we’ve hit with it thus far. Like, yes, I realize it runs at a high frame rate while stable, with hi-res textures and a shit ton of enemies on screen moving around, but the fact that it comes off as kind of a derivative Gears of War third person action romp comes off as a little underwhelming. Much like the Series X; yes, its fun and I’m enjoying myself quite a bit, but I certainly wouldn’t advocate to anyone to rush out and drop several hundred dollars on picking up the new Xbox offering or upgrading their PC just to enjoy this. Both feel like warm greetings to someone who hasn’t just arrived, but is “already there”, if that makes any sense. I know any stans of either MS or 40k are probably just vomiting blood at this point due to my perceived heresy in having reserved expectations about consumer products I interact with instead of trying to be the next big shill in the content creator space, but I didn’t start writing about games to blow smoke up the ass of either developers or fandoms while giving them a reach around with every prevailing thought I have regarding their favorite hobby/industry of choice.


I did not get into this line of work cause
I enjoy gargling wieners mind you

However, one is lucky enough once in a great while to enjoy a come hither experience that runs parallel to a gratifying sexual release, which is where my mention of downloading the Castlevania: Dominus Collection comes in. This would in fact be a double dip, but this is one media allegiance I don’t mind getting undressed for, as we normally have no problem having quite the sexy time together. That is of course, when Konami isn’t being a bunch of shit heels cause they’re too busy putting out low-grade pachinko machines for horny middle aged Japanese business men, and doesn’t leave me high and dry by sitting around with their thumbs up their stubborn asses for a better part of a decade doing absolutely fuck all while Nintendo and Netflix do all the heavy lifting in reminding people how awesome Castlevania is.


So awesome

Good thing I did download it, too, as Warhammer took an astonishing 11 hours to install on day one, and I desperately wanted to actually use my Series X for something on January 1st aside from using it as one of the most gloriously excessive paperweights of all time. Since I had recently just finished Portrait of Ruin on the Switch, and I had not touched Order of Ecclesia since it’s days on the DS, the choice was obvious (sorry Dawn of Sorrow). Such a damn good game that helped to set the ground work for what would become it’s marvelous spiritual successor Bloodstained. If nothing else, I praise OoE for it’s mindful editorialization, as the pacing is par excellence. I mean, everything is about as Castlevania-ey as it gets, so the game is a complete package, which goes on to help further showcase the the mind numbing, head scratching direction Konami would travel forward with after a successful series of three top notch titles on the DS, by going the Lord of Shadows route immediately following, soon after diverting into complete obscurity for the series in total.


Seen here: Konami helping to lay the ground work for
the eventual shift into focusing on their pachinko machine
machinations

Game pass has been sorely missed, and for all of the very reasons I love it, I also ironically can’t really utilize it. The value involving the content available with the sheer number of titles is astronomical, and definitely helps to continue to set the tone for what most platforms should have moving forward, but my problem is time, not access. To wit: I happily picked up Rare Replay once again after so long away, to continue my long and arduous trek to get the end all be all equivalent of a “soft” 100% of the title by finally acquiring the achievement “Stamper Brothers Forever”, which is essentially mastering like, 30 games. I double checked, and come this August, it will have been a decade since I started this insane quest, and I do not plan to slow down any time soon. Though, referencing my point about time being my problem, not access, outside of the last couple years where I was in a purgatory of sorts in a myriad of ways that prevented me from having an Xbox full stop, time is not on my side when considering the excessive standards, beefier offerings and ridiculously overstuffed with content that modern day gaming represents.


Surely, we must stop and ponder what might be
considered too much of a good thing?

I have many more thoughts to share, and even ones mentioned here deserve far grander elaborations, but this is my first post in months, so I’m going to give myself a Pash on the back and let this small victory breath for a moment while I muse what and or how I may continue to write with consistency in the near future.

Till next we meet…


~Pashford

Gaming News Update: Firebolt Edition!

My last post was about limitations.


This was fitting, as I had personally reached my fucking limits that day.

Fear not dear readers: not in any kind of serious psychological way, mind you, more so in the realm of peak exhaustion. Crazy too, as my last post was indeed kind of one of those buffer posts; a little hello to tide you over while I got some well needed shut eye. Ridiculously enough, many days of rest later, and I honestly still feel like I’m half asleep burning alive at the wheel. I don’t know what kind of wall I’ve hit, but I think I hit it going about one thousand miles per hour while on fire. A shame on top of a shame, really, as I was reminded with my post about the Kickstarter involving the EGM compendium that it was up to a newer generation to carry the torch of competency thusly, and shine the light onto a brighter future with our tireless march forward. Unfortunately, due to the you know, being engulfed in flames bit, it’s been of a slight difficulty doing the gaming news justice.


I was going to write about it, but some
bastard beat me to it

Rest assured, there’s definitely video games and news galore to discuss…just let me wake up enough to douse the flames, and we’ll be good to go. Any day now…
(Promise)
~Pashford

Words of Wisdom: Limitations

We are often confronted by the idea of limitations.


Even in the face of the infinite, we may yet find a
satisfying conclusion

I think with that in mind, it is important for one to ponder on what their own limitations are, and what that means in their everyday. For while it is impossible to accomplish everything one wants within a day, with a little consideration, one will be able to find the capability to accomplish at the very least, a moment of secure satisfaction for themselves within the context they reside in. This may yet better ready themselves for another day in which to build off of their previous success in securing the means to a more satisfying future. Tomorrow will come soon enough, so make sure you do what you can today to see it through, and to be ready to continue to build off of your own success, which will act as tribute to your own capable abilities.

Take care of yourself, and others.
~Pashford

Check Out The New EGM Compendium Kickstarter

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.


In this case, that is a good thing

I clearly have been too busy for my own good recently, as I totally had my head buried too deeply in the sands of busyness to be paying attention to recent matters of relevant interest. To wit; a new Kickstarter that has recently started is looking to pay tribute to the myth, the legend, *the* magazine about gamng to read back in the day: EGM is looking to celebrate it’s decades long history with a compendium.

Though the project is technically already funded, you too can contribute some of your hard earned cash to a worthwhile cause in the name of gaming history, by pledging some money to what is going to be a 320 page blowout spectacular celebrating the 25 year run of EGM with a massive spread including it’s entire history, the thousands of games they covered, with new developer interviews, revisited stories, new bits and pieces contributed by old editors, and just…a shit ton of content that makes the mind reel.


So awesome

You of course can just donate a few bucks if you want, or you can plop down some serious casholah, which will net you a series of rewards depending on your level of commitment, including pins, a poster, a special edition physical copy, and even a massive digital archive including every EGM at your fingertips to enjoy at your leisure.

Head on over to the page and contribute to celebrating a cultural institution if you’ve got some extra money. EGM is basically the reason I write about video games today, and if it means half as much to you as it does to me, you will not want to miss being a part of this history.

~Pashford

Yooka-Laylee Getting The Remaster Treatment

It’s a rare moment when a 90’s stylized collect-a-thon experience is responsible of the offense of falling flat.


The look of guilt says it all

In a fun surprise announcement from developer Playtonic, a remaster of the spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie, Yooka-Laylee, gets an announcement trailer showcasing the games new visuals. The remaster has been promised to not only have graphical enhancements from the original, but enhanced performance and resolution as well. the team has also mentioned gameplay additions, new collectables, and touched up controls and finessed camera system to boot.


Look good, feel good

The newly updated version, entitled Yooka-Replaylee, must still be knee deep in development, as no release date has yet been mentioned for the title, though the remaster is advertised as coming to all consoles when it finally launches. I’m a little shocked to hear the game was getting a remaster, as it seems like I helped to donate money to the Kickstarter just yesterday (*my name even appears in the credits!), but apparently, the original launched way back in 2017, which seems like a lifetime ago at this point. With a team made up of many of Rare’s former staff that worked on the massively successful title Banjo Kazooie, and carrying the flag of 90’s 3D platforms collect-a-thon’s forward into the future for new generations to enjoy, Yooka-Replaylee was a treat the first time around, so I’m definitely looking forward to when this one finally launches. Check out the trailer below.

~Pashford

*Which is all well and good as a freebie for donating to help Kickstart the game, but my name is one of millions who did contribute, and it makes the credits an absolute slog to get through. You can even fast forward through them, and it still takes like, an hour to get through them all. It’s positively absurd…that’s what credit where credit is due looks like though!

Zing, Zing, Zing Went My Heartstrings

Nearly at the end of the line here, so put on your happy face that we’ve nearly reached out destination. No worries on the bumpy ride, just pretend you had fun and everything won’t seem so glum.


You just need to smile more

This whole Siren play through has been less than perfect. It’s hard for me to discern exactly whether or not the game ended up falling right into a week where my schedule ended up going crooked, or if my lack of interest in what has turned out to be a stubborn as all hell title to enjoy has helped to sabotage my efforts in getting through the experience with any expedition. This article marks the first of a likely two part wrap-up, as it’s about time to move on from the mess that is the happening in Hanuda village.


…whatever the hell that ended up being. Was there
a hidden message somewhere that when decoded it
just says the equivalent of “Drink Your Ovaltine”?

There is kind of too much to recap at this point (or maybe I’m just tired of doing so), but I urge anyone looking for some interesting analysis of me picking apart the game in the last week to go have at it. Siren doesn’t get much right…at all, honestly. From the game’s deviations of normal tropes involving PS2 survival horror games, to attempting new ideas that don’t pan out, to putting the player through a ridiculous amount of trial and error in some kind of baptism by fire notion of “earning” progress, the whole thing ends up being hell in a hand basket real quick, and never fully recovers.


WWFD? (What would Freeman do?) I wish we could
always just crowbar our way to victory…but alas.

I think one of the final nails in the coffin for Siren was indeed outlined in my last write up with the “Trolley Problem”, as the game locks a lot of lateral content behind needlessly detoured ideas of how to get by obstacles. Not only that, but the whole game is kind of set up on this “loop track” as it were, where you end up replaying the same round of missions over and over again. There are the main objectives, than there are hidden secondary ones you have to go through the levels again to try and find. On paper, it seems like a cool idea to help connect all the disparate mission threads in a game with a non-linear story line. In actuality, between the brutal amounts of rigid difficulty making you play each mission several times, on top of having to go back and replay missions anyways to complete secondary objectives, on top of the game eventually just giving you the equivalent of a spreadsheet with the missions you still need to go back to with little direction after that, and Siren turns into a cell sheet nightmare with ferociously appalling gusto.


Spreadsheets: The ultimate survival horror

I’m in kind of a fucked up spot with the game, as I do want to finish it, which means playing it more, but that also means not being able to immediately move on from the title, stalling a more immediate follow up of different writing machinations. Siren is a great example of why producers and editorialization is so pivotal in crafting a good experience, as a whole lot of people should have said “no” many more times than they did during the development process of Siren, as so little of this game works. I am going to discuss in a little further detail as to why in my part 2 of the wrap up, but my schedule has forced me to divide it thusly. By the time I get to my part 2 later tonight, I’m hoping to have a better handle on both my final thoughts and a want to mosey on down the path of philosophy in regards to what little interest the game has to offer in the face of it’s failures.

To be concluded….
~Pashford