Comments 539

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (15th November)

Li_Bae

TOTK. It didn’t appeal to me at all when it first came out; the assembly mechanic, the massive open world, it just seemed too much game and I wanted something more contained. For no particular reason, a couple of months ago I changed my tune and jumped in, and boy oh boy, I’m glad I did. What a masterpiece. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but in case there’s one more human being out there who needs convincing, this is an experience not to be missed.

Re: Square Enix Hit By Mass Layoffs As Part Of Global Restructuring

Li_Bae

Granted, it sucks to lose one’s job, and it’s nice to see how compassionate people on this site are for them. That said, these layoffs comprise about 2% of SE’s global staff, and the precise nature of jobs they are isn’t clear; could be redundant middle managers who don’t add sufficient value to the company to justify their salaries, rather than 80-hour week programmers pouring their hearts into making great games. Many companies hoarded staff in the last few years having been stung by a tight labor market, but now are finding that they no longer need to. Let’s drop the kneejerk reaction that firing employees is always evil and bad. If a company can’t stay competitive, then they go the way of Acclaim, Hudson Soft, Interplay, etc.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (20th September)

Li_Bae

I was sitting on an unused voucher for a while and finally cashed it in for TOTK. While my tastes tend to shy away from massive open world games, the unanimous praise for this one, coupled with Nintendo’s general track record for unparalleled inventiveness and game design, convinced me to take the plunge. Only a couple of hours in so far, but it’s excellent.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th September)

Li_Bae

The original Legend of Zelda beckoned to me unexpectedly, and I couldn’t resist. I’m glad I grew up at a time in which other people were playing it, so we could learn from each other which obscure bushes to burn, how to get through the Lost Woods, how to access Level 6, and where to find the Master Sword. Its opaqueness is a joy to me, and further adds to its dark allure and enchantment.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st June)

Li_Bae

Just finished Dawn of Sorrow, thus completing the wonderful trio that is the Dominus Collection. This was my first time with all three games, and Portrait of Ruin came out on top. Dawn felt like a slog in the second half, with too much “go here, now go way over there” perfunctory gameplay across unimaginative map layouts. Haunted Castle Revisited was a fantastic epilogue, and just what I needed after finishing Dawn.

Next, I’ll be working through more of Konami’s yesteryear output with the Cowabunga Collection. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally make it past the underwater bomb sequence.