Off My Mind

For various reasons 2017 has been quite the year in video games. I was thinking of doing a list of my top games but I think that format and awards in general have become pointless the more the medium has grown and it can be quite limiting when trying to talk about the year in general. Which brings me to this list; a list of things related to gaming that I felt really warranted some discussion. Favourite game of 2017. This one should be obvious if you're reading this, there is one game I have talked about more or less nonstop since playing it near the time of its release and I will continue to so do for many years. Guerilla came out of nowhere in the open world genre with Horizon Zero Dawn and showed everyone else how it's done. I've already spoken at length about my enjoyment of this game so this is really just its final layer of frosting on the best cake of the year. Game I played in 2017 that I really shouldn't have waited to do so. This one is actually pretty tou...

Wow where to begin with Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, it's one of those games when someone asks you "hey what's that new Wolfenstein game like?" you ask yourself just what do I tell them. Assuming they have played the previous game it's very easy to give them just enough details to where they will want to jump right back in to the volatile concoction that this series has but if not then it becomes very difficult. The gameplay in Wolfenstein 2 feels like a bit of a step backwards from its predecessor whereas the narrative aspects of the game have been propelled to heights I would never have thought possible. Much like the first game it's the characters and story that steal the show in Wolfenstein 2 and they do not pull any punches here. Wolfenstein 2 does not waste any time in getting back to the main story from the first game. It picks up right where The New Order left you and things are pretty dire. You get a very clear understanding of the state Blaskowich...

After an unfortunate technical hiccup we're back with a new name and a new voice. UndeadJim joins us for the first time to discuss all things Star Wars and EA related. https://soundcloud.com/user-681687483/rarely-on-topic-episode-4-19-11-2018

Cuphead is one of those games that makes you want to talk to people who you know will have no idea what it is or even have an interest in games to begin with. I have yet to meet anyone who has a dislike for the early 1900s cartoons appearance that Cuphead so deliberately imitates and that visual style goes a long way in making what is essentially Contra in a lower gear feel like something far more important and enjoyable. There is more to Cuphead than just its truly gorgeous visuals though, there is an extremely well produced game under it all with some of the most meticulous and layered animations you're likely to see in the next decade. The games length did leave me disappointed and I reached the point of figuring out the games tricks much sooner than I would have hoped but that only puts a minor dent in what is otherwise a thoroughly superb game. It's really hard not to talk about the look of Cuphead so I won't even try to save that for later. This game looks absolutely ...