Nick’s Game Diary Week of Feb. 25, 2024
A weekly diary of the things I’m doing and digging.
Feb. 26, 2024
New ep out now! It was nice to just kick it with Josh for an episode. I know the format is done to death, but I love doing it.
I hopped on our Tiktok just to see if I missed any messages since the last time I logged in. It strangely felt like checking the mail for someone who was out of town. I do not miss that place. It’s empty, cold, and it doesn’t feel like anything meaningful is being shared. Everything just feels like it’s there to be fed into an algorithm and spit out to us dum dums. I know, I know, I am the old man yelling at the cloud right now. But to be fair, I’ve been saying “Fuck the algorithm. Tell a Friend” for over a year now. This time last year we had an Ark video go “miniature” viral. It was just Jake sharing a story about him being shitty in the game. It was cool to see that blow up and watch people dunk on Jake (I specifically told him not to read the comments).
We watched it rocket to 500k views and sat back as our followers and likes crept up in tandem. We thought we had finally found something that worked, some good story telling. We decided to follow-up with more stories, but the truth is, no matter what we did or didn’t do, another video taking off wasn’t going to be up to us. I see a lot of advice for making videos that parrot the same sentiment. “Make something undeniable, something that pulls people in.” It’s advice I hear a lot too in the screenwriting world. It’s the go to advice whenever professionals are asked about making sales or “going viral.” The truth is, it all comes down to luck.
I think a majority of internet facing folks would like to go viral. I get it. Attention in the form of views and followers is a currency in the entertainment industry. Everyone wants to get big and cash those numbers in for some actual $$$. I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge how excited I was with our five minutes of ‘fame.’ My honest advice? Don’t chase what works for them. Pursue what works for you. When no one is watching that’s when you have the most creative freedom. Practice that freedom while you still can. And even when you gain a following, keep practicing that creative freedom. Fuck the algorithm, just do you.
Feb. 27, 2024
Ultros review is now live! I know I was harsh on the game during this week’s podcast, mainly due to the pacing, but the game has sort of warmed its way into my heart. I’m not downplaying it’s faults (and believe me it has plenty), but the game’s meta narrative goes hard. When it comes to combat, you don’t have to swing your blade at all. It’s not outright communicated to the player, but hinted upon through the Gardner, a character you run into multiple times who tends to the plants and wildlife throughout The Sarcophagus. You are essentially a virus, running amok. Going in with “Metroidvania Brain” you’re of course going to swing away at any critter that crosses your path. It’s a game that demands you to rethink the genre overall. Add it to my list of games I want to do a follow-up write up on.
So, you’re stuck in a time loop…
Feb. 28, 2024
No recording tonight. Our guest canceled, so Josh and I decided to do some Helldiving. Some rough missions this session. We landed deep in bug territory two missions in a row. My pod opened and I was immediately destroyed by a Charger. We’d kill an agressive Charger and then be met by two new Chargers to replacing their fallen cousin. The impact of Helldivers II has sort of been crazy. Here we thought Palworld was going to carry the zeitgeist up to Rebirth, but Helldivers snuck in and made a cozy little corner for itself. Even crazier, I think Palworld still has a healthy following behind it. Sure, it’s not what it was, but there are still a lot of people jumping in to scratch that itch that Game Freak has been failing to scratch this generation. I do wonder if the 1.0 full release of the game will see similar numbers that the early-release saw.
A Bug’s Life 2
All this Balatro talk really has me wanting to play Balatro.
Feb. 29, 2024
I was wondering when the EA shoe would drop. I’m already numb to all the layoff news, but this is the one that I wasn’t going to be caught off guard by nomatter when it happend. EA seems to be a ship held up by Madden, Apex, and whatever their soccer game is called now. Everything else misses the mark. As painful as it is to admit, Titanfall 2 was not a moneymaker for them, which is why Respawn is doomed to be their IP workhorse until further notice. Maybe the canceled IP titles are a sign of things to come? I think the IP obsession that’s driven the games and entertainment industries has finally plateaued. I hope decision makers learn the right lessons from Palworld and Helldivers II’s success…..ok they probably won’t.
Gaming’s most punchable logo?
March 1, 2024
It’s March! How the hell did that happen. Some light gaming this weekend. I reviewed Inkulinati last year for its early-access release. Time to circle back and see how that’s going. See everyone next week!
Lovely.
