The Bag

Been working away on Journeyman Miniature’s version of Paul Bonner’s Cadwallon Bodyguard. This is a massive piece of resin, such fun to paint I’m painting this quicker than I think I’ve done anything else, ever

It’s looking great, really captures a cold ethereal tone.

I love the first two, I’ve seen them so many times. I went to see the third in the cinema, I’ve not watched any after that.

Doh, I shall move it.

Game of the Year 2021 A1. Unpacking Delightful wee game. Surprisingly effective at conveying its narrative through snapshots of a life at various stages, and through mechanical choices like [spoiler]the only place for her degree (I think) is under his bed, that was heartbreaking.[/spoiler]. A masterclass in environmental story telling. A2. Overboard Another year another Inkle game in my GOTY list. Trying to get away with killing your husband on a transatlantic crossing in 1935. Very Agatha Christie inspired. A3. It Takes Two I admit I’ve not finished it but what I’ve played so far is so joyfully inventive that it’s crashed into this list this week. A4. Guardians of the Galaxy Again a game that’s really driven by the characters relationships and constant bickering. A group that never shuts up, and they pull it off, it’s very entertaining. The weakest element to me was the combat, I don’t think it managed to pull off what it was going for. A5. Game of the Year (premiered anywhere pre-2021) B1. Haven Loved the character relationship & writing, the voice acting was along really strong. Really sex positive too. Loved the flying around and could just do more of that. For the flying you controlled one of them & the other followed or they held hands. Other interactions reflected the fact they were a duo & you were controlling both of them, using a stick to represent each of them. Cooking and crafting each used two ingredients, one picked by each stick. Combat was the same, but they could do different actions or perform the same action as a paired action. Combat was the weakest aspect, turned down the difficulty of it. But it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. It’s really a game about the character’s relationship, and I’m an old romantic at heart. I just want to spend more time with Yu & Kay. B2. A Way Out B3. Monster Train Biggest Disappointment of the Year Z1. Activision Blizzard and all the associated shit Z2. Ubisoft still not having sorted themselves out Z3. The embracing of NFTs by the games industry Sound Design of the Year S1. Guardians of the Galaxy S2. S3. Visual Design of the Year V1. The Ascent V2. Unpacking V3. Writing of the Year W1. Guardians of the Galaxy W2. Overboard W3. Format of the Year F1. Publisher or Developer of the Year P1. edit - moved Haven, will fill in other bits later

Just going back to this, it really is very good. If a mix of Tetris & Lumines appeals then I’d encourage you to pick it up - it’s currently in sale on the Switch. It’s obvious enough people aren’t playing it as I’m 20th on the leaderboard for the Flow A game mode. The only thing I want from it is an explanation of what the game modes are.

Like I said in the other thread I think GOTY should be games released that year, otherwise it’s not really game of the year. And that there should be a second category for games released in previous years, so Hades, Monster Train, whatever. The difficulty is early access games. Could let them be included on ea release & on final release. Someone mentioned that it’s harder these days with how games are released and updated, and it definitely is. For bafta we have an evolving game category where live games and remakes/remasters end up.

that’s fair, I’m just judging it from the trailer. I really don’t mean it as negatively as that phrase comes across, it’s extremely my thing. I’ll be picking it up on Switch later.

That sounds like the perfect game for me to lose hours to, it looks so good At the same time I’m amazed they can get away with (for lack of a better term) such a rip off of the other two games. Glad they did, looks awesome. Rail Route also seems like fun.

I’m in two minds about the Hades thing. If it’s release this year was the first time you played it then it okay but if you played it last year I don’t think you should vote for it again. But then again as someone mentioned above there’s Monster Train which I played at the start of the year but is ineligible because it was released on the 17th of December last year. Couple of weeks later and it would have been fine. Personally I’ve always tried to keep GOTY to games released that year, because to me it should be about celebrating the games of that year. Maybe we just need another category Best Game From Previous Years where all the remasters, rereleases, platform changes, game pass additions, etc can go. Cause at the moment it feels a bit like voting for your favourite film because it got a blu ray version this year, despite it already having a dvd & vhs out there. Not the best analogy I know.

it really feels like the person writing this knows nothing about gaming as it was back then, or about the other games released at the time, and is just projecting issues they see now back the way.

Happens once or twice a year

Calling this one done too, it’s good to have some time off work. Again more photos here if anyone cares https://www.instagram.com/p/CX1Zwnmt_xt/?utm_medium=copy_link

Finally finish this piece More photos here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXy8V6JNcQ4

I haven’t commented in here in the last week, I’m just catching up on the thread. Almost week on and I still feel the same way, F1 is dead to me. There’s just a void currently where there used to be this sport I’ve followed since the late 80s. That decision was watching a sport I loved become an utter farce, and now I’ve no interest in it, it’s just gone. Which feels especially strange as not that long ago we were excited about one of our licensed drivers making it into F1. I know they’ve decided the race director can do what they want so the rules do matter, but the rules say any lapped cars and it that context any means all. There’s simply no other way to read it in the English language - it means any cars which have been lapped. Which is all of them. And it always has been. Now they can argue the final decisions about these things are down to the race director, but to argue “it doesn’t say all” is pure internet troll level of argument. I would have preferred Lewis win, but I also think Max should have had this tied up earlier and would have if he learned to play the long game rather than fight like every corner is the last. I’d like Lewis to get his eighth and walk away from this. I also think Max will be a multiple time champion. So if Max won that’s fine but the way we got there throwing the rules and precedence out the window for at best spectacle and at worst a desire to change the outcome is just nonsense. I realise I’m probably repeating much of what’s already been said.