Raveniteh

This is a good month for games for me. Picking up long awaited Two Point Campus today right after work being reaaaaally excited about it as I love these kind of strategy games (well, most strategy games, actually) and what seems like another Devolver Digital gem Cult of the Lamb being two days away from release as well. Two Point Campus is going to keep me busy for many hours if it's similar to Hospital size-wise. I do hope it will come with mouse and keyboard support but I kinda doubt it as Two Point Hospital didn't support it either. Would be nice to have though. 

I have a story I'd like to share, whether it's inspiration for others or just me wanting to flex how awesome my mom is. But probably both. Anyways, here goes:

I got a call from my mom around start of this years February and she just wanted to share that she saw a trailer and some gameplay for a game she had no idea about before and she really liked what she saw. That piqued my curiosity because my mom usually stays within her usual genre which is either western developed RPGs or hidden object games (Artifex Mundi and such). The game she was talking about was Elden Ring. 

I instantly got red alert sound in my head because she never heard of FromSoft or any of their games prior to Elden Ring and as such clueless about how difficult those games might become. And as a dutiful son I am (mostly) I did my best to explain that factor - not to turn her away from Elden Ring but to somehow set some expectations and maybe curb disappointment. Now in retrospective I realize I underestimated her. One of the things I said is that FromSoft games have to be treated in a different manner - with respect, patience and (for me at least), going beyond 'just playing the game' but sometimes using internet to research and overall not to be turned away by dying all the time. She said she understands (spoiler: she didn't).

So she ended up getting Elden Ring and I was there for the ride because no matter what would happen, it would be fun to observe. What followed were dozens of minutes (sometimes over hour) long phone calls about the game, her feelings about it and what she managed or not managed to do. She did struggle through beginnings, attempting to grasp Souls mechanics and playstyle as she never encountered it anywhere else. But one thing never changed - her excitement about the game. Every single success no matter how big or small fueled her need for exploration and knowledge. She explored, tried out every weapon she came across, every spell (and as such her stat points were proper mess) and even tho she surpassed me in playtime and progress and it became spoiler territory for me as I didn't make it that far (got distracted by other games) I didn't mind and encouraged to tell me more. She also has a paper notebook where she writes down things she learns, draws her own maps, makes priority lists and such.

At one point (few months later) she said she finally understands what I meant when I described the game. And as Souls games tend to do when you play them for prolonged period of time it suddenly clicked with her. She got in the zone. She mentioned that after watching tons of videos realized that everyone is struggling the same, locked in "You died" cycle, getting back up and trying again until success hits the gates and she felt part of Souls community even tho she plays offline (no PS+) and does not interact with others online due to this common struggle. She carved her way through the game, beating this boss or another, exploring every nook and cranny. And props to FromSoft making this most accessible Souls game with features like an actual map or ability to summon Spirit Ashes.

After some time she called me almost devastated she made a choice she can't turn back and it didn't feel good about it so she restarted her playthrough. After 3 months of playing single character. Can you imagine restarting playthrough after being this much invested? But she persevered and had even better time since she understood the game better now. For the sake of the story let's just fast forward few months until last week.

My mom gave me a call that she, nearly 60 year old and after over 650hours of Elden Ring she beat the game as well as every boss within Elden Ring. She didn't play anything else since February and Elden Ring is by her standards best game she ever played. She said she nearly cried when that happened and I can relate to that feeling. Lot of us can. And I couldn't be more proud of her. 

This is a long way of me wanting to say: Don't be turned away if you thing something too difficult until you try it. All of you are better than you think you are because you don't know what you're capable of until you manage to do it. Don't be discouraged by failure, because failure is pavement to success and none of us are born skilled, none of us are born with knowledge. It's okay to keep failing and falling because at one point you suddenly find out you don't, not anymore. And not just in Elden Ring or videogames overall. So yea, my mom kicks ass. And so do you. 

Raven's Weekly Gaming Report:

Syphon Filter: +platinum - Used to play this game on repeat when I was a kid so when I saw it's a part of PS+ collection I just had to go for it. I found out I forgot some parts of the game (especially middle parts) but it's still great nostalgia wave surf for me. Having rewind option sure does help. Realized that this and MGS are two games mainly responsible for my affinity for stealth games and playstyles. Now Sony, how about Syphon Filter 2?

Everybody's Golf (Hot Shots Golf for some): +platinum - I can easily say that I am not sure how far I'd get without rewind option and I even doubt I'd have patience to score platinum. Nevertheless I love seeing where my beloved series came from and how it started. Now Sony, how about Everybody's Golf 2?

The Artful Escape: +platinum - Don't have words to describe this game and how I feel about it, honestly. Especially as an artist (not musician tho) myself and as someone who lived in a box I made for myself. I wish for this game to exist over dozen years ago because it'd help me greatly. If you struggle with your own creative identity, being labeled or forced to be something or someone you're not, play this game. It's wondering experience.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories: I went with this one on a whim and it's vastly different than what I thought it would be. I expected somewhat of a regular survival game but it's mostly an adventure game with survival elements. To put it simply you are visiting a city when it's hit by an earthquake and you're attempting to make it out (preferably alive). You meet lot of colourful characters along the way, trying to help them... or not, because this game has some sort of morality system and lot of dialogue choices. And while it's not meant to be funny game because disasters and whatnot, it's kinda silly in that typical Japanese fashion and just makes me laugh on regular basis. And I found a sushi compass which is a thing I didn't know I need in my life but guess I do.

Phasmophobia: First time playing this game although knowing about it for quite a while now. Excellent with a group of friends (up to 4 player coop), you venture into haunted buildings and locations to confirm existence of a ghost and identify which ghost type haunts said building. Game offers various gadgets to narrow down ghost type and make it out alive - which is more challenging than it might seem at first. What I love is that you can talk to ghost through voice chat and saying their name can anger them. It's a horror game at core and having group of several grownup people screaming in voice while trying to run out of a building is just so hilarious. Does help that I am making ghost noises on purpose to freak my friends out. 

Other than that I finished Ms. Marvel show on Disney+ (it was so magical and nicely captured main character, it's kinda different to comics origin and style but it still does it justice) and finally watched Alita: Battle Angel (I'm in love with this movie now, especially after reading manga seeing how they captured the world in cinema - it's not 1:1, they took some creative liberties but essence remains the same).

Game soundtrack of the day reborn #26: God of War - Bear McCreary - God of War

I still have no idea how they manage to pull off such a great game and de facto reboot the series from simple hack and slash series about enraged god of war absolutely destroying and demolishing anything in his way into father-son bonding road trip with a simple task to bring mother's ashes to a mountain. And twist it from iconic Greek mythos to Norse one. And to do it all in 'one take' camera must've been insane task. I highly recommend development documentary on youtube. it's 2 hours long but provides excellent insight into game industry and development and even shows some uncomfortable sides of it.

Game soundtrack of the day #25: Hotline Miami 2 - M.O.O.N. - Dust

The thing with Hotline Miami games is that there are 75 songs to pick from tallying over 3hours of music. Which ever song you pick from either of soundtracks is gonna be a great one. First game was one of the games that tipped me over to synth music despite not know what it actually is but I loved how it sounds. And it just spiraled out of there. I picked one pretty chill track from second game's soundtrack, one that I like the most and it plays during every score screen. Which songs do you prefer?

Game soundtrack of the day #23: Coffee Talk - Andrew Jeremy - It Smells Good

Been a couple of days since my last music post but here's another one! Very chill, very calming and extremely well made to fit the game. OST boasts nearly 30 tracks so I just picked one at random (well not as much random as clicking through the tracks to find one that would click right away) of lofi goodness. Game's also excellent VN with loveable cast of characters dealing with their own issues while it's up to us, the player, to provide them with hot or cold beverage of their choosing. Game itself isn't long and platinum isn't difficult but it's a game that makes you stop and think of a while and will probably stay with you for a long time after finishing it.