What I Got Up To This Month (December 2023)

Hard to believe it's almost 2024 but here we are at the end of December. As I mentioned in my previous one-of-these, doing a monthly wrapup is a way for me to A) consolidate my thoughts on what I've been doing and  B) get content™ for the blog. 

This month was spent celebrating the holidays with my family but, more relevant to this place, it was also spent desperately getting to the stuff I'd been meaning to get to all year. Games, movies, even books, I've been trying to gorge myself on as much 2023 (and before!) media as I can before the year is up. Because I have a lot of things to cover (many of which I'll probably be talking about in more detail Very Soon) I'll try to keep each of these brief.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

I still have a bit to go but I'm digging what I've played of it. I love Spider-Man and this seems like some more good Spider-Man. I currently have one gripe with the story but overall it feels like a solid followup to Insomniac's existing games.

Telltale's The Expanse

This is advertised as a Telltale game but, as far as I can tell, it was actually made by Deck Nine. Anyway, it's a prequel to the television series The Expanse and it follows Camina Drummer before she gets involved with Fred Johnson. It ties into the show in some fun ways and overall I liked having an excuse to spend some more time in that setting, if only to hear more Belter accents.

Jusant

DON'T NOD's newest game is dialogue free and I loved it. You're slowly climbing up a mountain with some tactile controls and it's a very satisfying way to spend a few hours. It's also very, very, very pretty.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019)

I played and really enjoyed the multiplayer for this a few years back but skipped the campaign because I'd heard some negative things. Curiosity got the better of me this month however so I made the decision to see it for myself and, um, yikes. Some really gross propaganda (even for CoD) but, you know, some mostly enjoyable setpieces and action. Not sure that offsets the scummy feeling I had playing through it though. 

Fortnite

Fortnite added their new modes this month so I spent a good bit of time playing those. I'm not a huge fan of the rhythm game but Rocket Racing and LEGO Fortnite are both substantive additions to the game that have me curious about the future of Fortnite as a "metaverse" (ugh).

 

Paranormasight

A visual novel with some fantastic art and a really fun sense of style. While Mio is an absolute delight, the rest of the writing could be better. I still had a very good time, however.

The Invincible

Really really cool walking simulator (I use this term lovingly). Sort of a "Firewatch in space" based on an old Stanislaw Lem book (that I plan to read pretty soon). I haven't finished it yet but it's a very strong sci-fi story and I want to space out my time with it a bit like I would with a good book.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Also haven't finished this but I've been slowly chipping away at it and this game is simply delightful. It's Nintendo firing on all cylinders.

Fights in Tight Spaces

I haven't played too much of this yet but I can already feel it getting its hooks into me. Feels like a combination of SUPERHOT's minimalism, John Wick Hex's core conceit, and Into the Breach's tactical/roguelike gameplay. It's all very cool. 

Resident Evil Gaiden

I've already said a lot about this, but I played the Game Boy Color Resident Evil game. It was pretty neat!