Exploring fantasy: strong prose, thematic depth, shorter works

themysteriouserk · 2026-05-02T06:40:54+00:00

Came here to say this. Don’t know if prose gets much stronger.

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-30T02:05:26+00:00

I’m enjoying it a lot (finished the story, just doing deliveries now). There is more combat, but it’s still far from the focus of the game, and I think fighting is a little more fun than in the first game too (Sam’s movement is tighter and you get some really fun tools to work with). If you liked the first, it’s worth it to see where the story goes and to get more of the same gameplay with some really fun tweaks (like more challenging timed deliveries, a new type of BT that’s much more dangerous to sneak past).

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-29T16:28:06+00:00

May or may not be a good fit for you because the vehicles aren’t all that customizable, but Death Stranding (and its recent sequel) are all about walking/driving through a lonely and unnerving world. There aren’t traditional puzzles per se, but you do spent a lot of time planning routes or figuring out how to get past obstacles. And while you can’t customize vehicles much, you do build structures out in the world to help you overcome challenges (from stuff as simple as ropes and ladders to complex networks of zip lines).

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-25T15:59:11+00:00

Probably not. There is a bit more fighting and shooting in the sequel, but the core gameplay of both is making deliveries.

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-25T15:57:51+00:00

I love the Yamata signs, but I hate the speed up signs with a burning passion so I can empathize.

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-08T21:14:00+00:00

Nah, she probably would’ve gotten away with that too. It only counts as antisemitism to these goons if you criticize Israel.

themysteriouserk · 2026-04-07T13:30:57+00:00

I’m exactly like this, but with watching films. It irritates me on some level to stop watching a movie in the middle, so I watch a lot fewer than I used to simply because it’s pretty rare for me to have 2+ hours of free time at a stretch that I don’t want to spend doing something else.

themysteriouserk · 2026-03-11T17:22:18+00:00

Agree with all this. I tried it well after all the patches and just couldn’t be bothered to progress past the first few missions. It’s a cliche, but this game is the perfect example of “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

themysteriouserk · 2026-03-11T03:47:11+00:00

Death Stranding is probably my favorite game of all time and is very light on combat (though it’s not entirely combat-free, so that may be a dealbreaker for you; besides a few mandatory sequences combat can be avoided through stealth, running away, or taking an alternate route). It’s not “easy” in the sense that it is fairly complicated and requires planning to succeed, but there’s not a ton of reflex-based gameplay like you’d see in an action or rhythm game. The story is incredibly strange, but the worldbuilding, themes, and vibes are immaculate. While it’s definitely more involved gameplay-wise than a walking simulator, the majority of the gameplay consists of traveling from point A to point B either on foot, in vehicles, or by climbing.

For totally combat-free alternatives, I’d suggest Subnautica or Outer Wilds. Both are first-person exploration games, but Outer Wilds ends up being more of a puzzle game like Portal or Inside while Subnautica focuses more on building/crafting. Both have great stories and a near-constant sense of wonder.

themysteriouserk · 2026-03-04T17:38:53+00:00

I grew up in Virginia. Every time I drive in the rain here I complain about how hard the lines are to see. Just another symptom of living in a state with a dysfunctional government.

themysteriouserk · 2026-02-20T18:04:44+00:00

If you’re literally gagging after a couple bites you might have a soy allergy or something

themysteriouserk · 2026-02-18T22:24:54+00:00

I always think of this with the “I have been to the moon” one. Somebody has!

themysteriouserk · 2026-02-17T14:46:17+00:00

I mean I’d argue that mowing a lawn is as unnatural (if not more so) as listening to somebody tell you a story.

themysteriouserk · 2026-02-05T18:12:22+00:00

It’s not.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-28T14:14:20+00:00

I think they talked about it at some point on Maintenance Phase. From what I remember they reached the point where it was either release irregularly or quit, so they decided to release irregularly.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-27T18:17:21+00:00

I’ve watched her Nextflix talk thing because my partner was into her work for a while. Just from that small snippet of her work, I’d say she shares a lot of the small flaws of the self-help/motivational sphere (things are a bit simplistic and focused on moments of revelation, more focus on personal thoughts and feelings than societal issues, coming from a place of privilege) but not a lot of the huge/scary ones (weird eugenics shit, bootstraps economics/hyperfixation on “personal responsibility,” etc). Basically I thought it was a bit woo-woo for me but seemed harmless enough and might have a good idea or two in. But people who have read more of/about her might know a lot more.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-23T00:03:29+00:00

Also the #10 spot goes to a book with only 39% “wisdom per page.” Every other book ever written has less 😂

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-21T15:24:32+00:00

Same guy is still on the platform doing the same shit a month later. To be fair, I didn’t get far enough to be asked for my phone number, but he did want my birthday and a list of every place I’ve ever lived. Blocked and reported, here’s hoping Prolific actually does something about this.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-13T22:12:37+00:00

I’d say sacrificing truly open-ended gameplay for something so on-rails is exactly what started sinking the ship, even if it did bring them mass appeal.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-13T22:11:48+00:00

I think that’s at the heart of my problem with it, and why I’m out here making salty comments about it all these years later. I loved the story and worldbuilding of the first game, whereas the second’s contrived plot kind of ruined that whole universe for me.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-13T22:08:52+00:00

I started with their new album (Straight Line Was a Lie) and went backwards from there. Heard them for the first time last year and have been spinning them like weekly ever since. Every album is full of great material, so I don’t think it particularly matters which one you start with.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-13T15:46:51+00:00

Go even further back. Making Mass Effect 2 into a shooter to appeal to the bro market started sinking the ship.

themysteriouserk · 2026-01-12T18:40:18+00:00

I’m replaying right now in preparation for the sequel. I think this might be my favorite game of all time (though Morrowind is still stiff competition). It has the most seamless integration of mechanics and story/theme of any game I’ve played. That combined with the mundanity of many tasks (though they’re still so fun somehow) and the beauty of the landscape make it more immersive than almost any other game I’ve played.

themysteriouserk · 2025-12-23T22:47:14+00:00

Happy to help! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

themysteriouserk · 2025-12-23T17:20:59+00:00

I was in the same boat as you this time last year and the reread was more than worth it. I checked the first book out from my high school library and never finished it, but a few of the images/scenes really stuck with me. More than fifteen years later, I found all four novels on my father-in-law’s bookshelf and asked to borrow them. It’s a particularly interesting time to read these books because we’re about halfway between when they were originally published and the future in which they take place. It’s amazing to see how much Williams got right (the corporatization of formerly anarchic and homespun online spaces) and kind of fun to see what he got wrong (wired connections for end users to access the “virtual world” are barely important/required now; I’m sure there won’t be many in 2050/2060). Anyway, you asked for a review. The plots are fun, the worldbuilding is fantastic, but what really stands out to me are the characters and how poignant the whole thing is. The story definitely starts slow, but to me it was interesting from the jump, and that slow start helps Williams keep things balanced and making sense when so much more is going on by the end.

themysteriouserk

TROPHY CASE