Books Read in 2022

Reclamation. Family. Truth. Pain.

Books Read in 2022

Connection. Disconnection. Treachery.

Video Games of October 2022

I'm not sure there's been a month before where I've only played 3 games, so that's novel. On top of that, between being sick and some other things, I almost totally lost track of what I did play so this is by far the roughest estimate of play times ever. That being said, my time in the tracker is almost exactly the same as my time on my Xenoblade 3 play-through so I must be kinda close.

So that being said, good riddance to October 2022.

My top five games (by play time) for October were:

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Having realized how much character means to me in stories and games, I've really been able to lean into "The Ongoing Adventures of Eunie and Sena, Plus Their Other not as Funny Friends". I'm not sure that I played any "main" story at all during October, but the quality of the side stories has been really high. I have a couple of complaints about the coupling of the side stories to the main story and just mechanically I've been so high levelled for such a long time that the bulk of the gameplay has kinda stopped.
   
   
   
   


2. Mario + Rabids: Sparks of Hope - A fantastic game, that is exactly what it needs to be. The tactical combat is fun, interesting and low stakes enough that it's easy to throw yourself at something and see if it works. Breaking off the grid for movement has also been great, so I hope the folks working on XCOM (or Marvel Midnight Suns) are taking notes. The story is also charming and perfectly supports everything that's going on.
   
   
   
   


3. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe - You know the story here. Push button, receive serotonin.
   
   
   
   

Here's my total play time chart for October:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Video Games of September 2022

October has been a wild month, so I'll be honest that I don't really remember what my thoughts were about games back in September. That being said, September was definitely dedicated to Xenoblade 3, so really there's not to say anyway.

My top five games (by play time) for September were:

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Back in August I mentioned how much I find characters to be the thing that ties to me a story and honestly the characters in Xenoblad 3 haver really hooked me. Eunie's the boss and Sena needs you to remember to use your mouth-words.
   
   


2. Hollow Knight - I've enjoyed messing around with Hollow Knight. I feel a bit like I may need to "git good" to really get everything out of it, but honestly, just wandering through Hollownest is a lot of fun.
   
   


3. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe - As always; Push button, go fast, shiny colours.
   
   


4. Triangle Strategy - It's maybe not fair, but my quest to get the "good ending" is getting hung up on the game being just hard enough to require me to pay attention and my general irritation at how slow the game is.
   
   


5. Super Mario World (Nintendo Switch Online) - I've really been looking for quick games I can quickly play and which feel really good. SNES games don't *quite* feel like that for the most part, but Mario World is maybe the best.
   
   

Here's my total play time chart for September:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month: