JohnnyBGamer

Sonic Rip-off

Wyatt and I went to GameStop and traded in a bunch of his 3DS games for credit. He claims he is finally done with Pokémon until the Switch version comes out in November. Wyatt then picked up Sonic Forces with his newly acquired funds. Being the good dad, I had read several reviews on the game. I knew that Sonic Forces wasn’t supposed to be all that great. However, my knowledge and preferences paled in the light of a little boy who had credits burning in his pocket. We exited the store with Sonic Forces for the Switch.

He played for a chunk of Saturday afternoon.

He then had a friend over later on in the week. Wyatt’s friend told him that he was close to the end of the game. Surely not, I thought. He just got the game. There is no way he is almost finished.

A quick Google search proved Wyatt’s friend correct. Sonic Forces is a 4-5 hour game at best. $40 for 4-5 hours worth of gameplay. I know we could get into a debate on a game’s value versus time, but I don’t want to go there. But I do want to note that in addition to checking a game’s content, one might also want to check a game’s length.

Sonic Forces = $40 new (no used copies)

GameStop Trade-In Value = $22

Maybe, in the end, the game being short is a good thing. Less time for Wyatt to hog the Switch. More time for him to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Now if only the weather would cooperate and stop raining. Do you hear me, Texas? I’m tired of the 90 degree weather mixed with low 70’s and rain. Bring on the Fall!

Destiny 2 – Send the Light

Finished up the original Destiny 2 campaign over the weekend. Bungie managed to tell a somewhat decent story. I loved the bookends, the beginning and the end of the game. But I’m still not sure what happened in the middle… Cayde-6 and I are now friends? Tight gunplay mechanics continue to rule the series. No matter what, Bungie knows how to make a shooting game feel good. Real good. In the end, I wish had some friends to play through Destiny 2 with.

Destiny 2 isn’t perfect, but I enjoyed what I played. The game makes me miss the Master Chief of Bungie’s Halo. The Guardians, the Destiny player characters, lack character. The calm and determined physical presence of the Master Chief would certainly be most welcome.

From Across the Net – Humans of Gaming Podcast #118

Enjoyed listening to Drew, of Love Thy Nerd, interview Ben Esposito, developer of Donut County. Drew has created such an awesome environment on his Humans of Gaming Podcast. I love how relaxed his guests are and how open/honest the faith discussions become. Give Episode 118 a listen for me here.

We Cannot Bring About Lasting Change In Anyone

Labor Day has thrown me off this week. I keep thinking that it is Tuesday when it is really Wednesday.

I’ve been wanting to share my notes from teaching through Paul Tripp’s Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family in Sunday School. Each week has been a good reminder of what I’d call Christianity 101. Foundational Biblical truths we all know, as Christians, and yet forget to live out.

Sunday morning, our topic was on Inability (Chapter 4). The key principle was: “Recognizing what you are unable to do is essential to good parenting.”

We started out by reading the following quote:

If you are going to be what God has designed you to be as a parent and do what he’s called you to do, you must confess one essential thing. This confession has the power to change much about the way you act and react toward your children. It is vital that you believe and admit that you have no power whatsoever to change your child. If any human being possessed the power to create lasting change in any other human being, again, Jesus would not have had to come! The incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus stand as clear historical evidence that human power for change does not exist.

And then shifted to talking about our inability to save ourselves from the punishment we deserve for sinning against a holy God. How only faith in Jesus Christ can bring about lasting change, in our lives, and save us.

We then went over the Gospel presentation that our Children’s Director goes over with our kids. I think it’s helpful to know what our kids are going over AND the simple presentation is good for us adults.

As a class, we read through the following scriptures noted in the presentation:

Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:8; Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9-10, 13.

Afterwards, discussing what Tripp calls “The Three Most Often Used Tools of Parental Power”.

Fear – “the power we buy into here is that we can issue a big enough threat that creates a big enough fear to change our kids.”
Reward – “This may be the most popular way we fight our inability to change our children. We manipulate them to do what we want them to do by holding certain reward in front of them.”
Shame – “Shame and guilt are power tools that parents use more frequently than we recognize.”

Coming to the point where we realize that we cannot bring about lasting change in others, apart from Christ, is freeing. Whether in our friendships, relationships, or parenting, Christ is the only one who can bring about lasting change. We CANNOT change anyone, no matter how hard we try.

“Good parenting lives at the intersection of a humble admission of personal powerlessness and a confident rest in the power and grace of God.”

A World of Nightmares, A World of Fears – A Night with Inside

Playdead’s Inside opens on a bleak night in the woods. Rain pours down as you, the player, guide a young boy to safety from those looking for him. In the brief moments where I have failed to evade capture, those hunting me have not hesitated to kill or send in the dogs. Strangling the life out of the boy, tearing him to pieces, and other times shooting him as if he poses a threat. Why are these government agents so angry, efficient, and deadly? Why does the boy’s life have no value, in the world of Inside, unless he is dead?

In the midst of the tension of evasion and escape, developer Playdead showcases a subtle technical prowess. For example, the rain storm that immerses the opening of the game naturally comes to an end. If you look in the background of the pictures below, you’ll see how the boy has moved through the storm to the point where the clouds are diminishing.

The limited color palette provides for some striking visuals. I love how the game uses natural light to highlight scenes and immerse the player deeper into the overall tone of the game.

Inside also cleverly uses light in it’s puzzles. My favorite so far (not pictured), being an unseen light overhead moving back and forth. As the light hits a pipe, the light bends around it, forcing the player to move in order not to get caught. It is as if Playdead is having a silent conversation with the player, dance with the light and death will not become you.

I have so many questions about the brutal world of Inside. My biggest question right now is: By the way the camera is positioned, is something watching me? I’ll keep playing to find out. But first, let’s end with something cheerful, shall we.