Working On, Working Through
Puzzle Date Night
Last night, Tab and I:
- Turned off the TV
- Broke out the card table
- Grabbed some chairs
- Fired up Spotify
- And filled up a cup full of assorted chocolates (the most important part)
We then proceeded to open a 300 piece puzzle.
Our puzzle date had begun!
Two hours later, Tab and I finished the puzzle. Such a great date idea! Big thanks to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, for their puzzle date night Christmas gift.
From Across the Net – “Half Life: Blue Shift”
My friend Joe, over at the Raving Luhn, wrote about Half Life: Blue Shift this week.
The game puts you in the shoes of Barney Calhoun on the day everything went wrong in the Black Mesa research facility. Honestly, there’s not much to Blue Shift. Barney’s story is pretty simplistic: Trapped in Black Mesa, he sets out to find a group of scientists who are devising a means to escape the facility via a short range teleporter. The game doesn’t have the sense of discovery that Half Life did, nor does it turn the narrative on its side like Opposing Force. It’s the tale of a guy who had a bad day at work and wants to go home.
From Across the Net – “Interview with GG| Developer: Charles Watson”
This is funny, I was just thinking the other day that there needs to be a Goodreads for video games. I wasn’t sure if something like that existed. Thanks to The Reformed Gamers for this interview. Going to have to check the app out.
“I want Goodreads for video games”. And that was it. Being in the TRG facebook group as I was starting to get back into gaming, there were so many recommendations flying around that I couldn’t keep up with. No one likes spreadsheets so I wanted a really nice, simple app that I could use anytime. I started the first bit of Code on July 4th weekend in 2017 and released the app at the beginning of December that year.
On My Radar – Maquette
I love how video games can bring about that sense of wonder. That moment where you are reminded of past game experiences. And then have your mind blown as those past experiences (Myst in this case) are layered upon new mechanics. Graceful Decay’s Maquette looks incredible!
I love the games Annapurna chooses to publish. Games such as:
- Florence
- Donut County (which I am shocked I never wrote about)
- And What Remains of Edith Finch
JohnnyBGamer 