#ABOUT FUCKING TIME ACTIVISION

[wishfuldivine]

Finally! About time they put my precious boy on there! He's so fucking cute and adorable and precious and.. and.. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

[full-time-depressed]

[dawnblade]

.

[cordeliawhohung]

okay, here's the better run down on mafia!Soap as promised (as well as his fem!nurse!Reader gf <3)

like it's sorta referenced in canon, Soap is the youngest of Price's closest circle. he used to do freelance work as a programmer/hacker and got hired by the wrong crowd trying to steal some of Price's information. impressed, Price actually offered the man a job and he took it mostly because Price paid better. stayed because he also grew to like the man.

people legit call the man Soap in this universe too because he can clean hardware and information like no one's business. otherwise, they'll just call him by his last name or Johnny.

has an odd dynamic with Simon in this universe. more of like his annoying little brother than a good friend. they get along fine, but they don't really interact much outside of work. he's actually really close friends with Kyle, though. the two play games together sometimes, and Soap of course teaches him how to torrent games because fuck activision <3

he's got a few piercings. simple ear lobe piercings that he usually wears simple studs in, but he also has a tongue piercing. just the classic, straight through with a simple bar. he got it because he's a fucking munch

i feel like he wouldn't get many more tattoos than what he already has in canon ngl. if he does, they're def something stupid as fuck that have no meaning. something he probably got due to a dare, or while he was insanely inebriated.

he also doesn't have as many scars as he does in canon. certainly not the one on his chin. he def played football when he was younger, and still likes to play skirmishes every now and then. he also lifts on the regular. sure, he's tech savvy, but he goes fucking insane having to sit around too much, so going for a run or hitting the gym is a really good way to get his energy out!

while he doesn't have too many scars, he still is getting himself hurt a lot. not because he's clumsy or anything, he just really, really, really wants to ensure that something gets done right whenever he's sent out to do "field work." usually ends up with a TBI because of it lmfao.

and that's actually how the two of you met (:

being an ER nurse, you saw a lot of weird shit at the hospital, especially on day shift. then you had this loud man with a huge gash on his head and a suspected concussion roll through the door and honestly you're just glad it wasn't another damn car accident. you were tired of looking at compound fractures.

Johnny is just a fucking loon. literally acting inebriated, and poor Kyle is trying to prevent him from saying anything too stupid.

it doesn't work

at first you have a hard time telling if he's being a creep or not. commenting on your scrubs, how he likes the color, but honestly you've heard worse. but it is sort of cute. he's so loopy he's got this dog-like excitement to him and has a hard time focusing on anything in particular. it's more innocent than anything else.

he falls in love with you the moment you bring him a snack (some shitty and dry saltines and a cup of water). he devours one of the crackers like it's crack and thanks you with his mouth half full.

that's when he gets the bright idea to give you his number. a simple thanks isn't enough for the kind gift you've given him! he's got to let you know that he's down to do anything for you! so if anyone fucks with you, if you need someone taken care of give him a call. he won't ask any questions!

kyle is fucking mortified, hiding his face in the corner of the room, but you just smile and kindly take the piece of paper with his scribbled number.

of course you don't actually text or call him. he was a patient of yours, and that's just breaking so many rules! and you certainly don't need anyone to be taken care of. so you leave it be. despite how adorable his loopy smile was or how pretty his eyes were or... christ, you need to throw that scrap paper away.

and Johnny? well, he forgets all about you. not on purpose or anything, the poor man was hardly conscious when he met you, and he only interacted with you briefly. so imagine his surprise when him and Kyle are out on the town and the man points you out to him asking if you ever ended up texting him.

Johnny is fucking confused. why would she text him? (you gave your number to her, idiot) oh. that can't be. (why not?) because he would have fucking remembered if he had given his number to a girl that beautiful.

now he wants to figure out why you never texted him ):<

anyway there's more to this but my shift was long and my brain is frozen from the fuckin -31 degree weather we got so <3 enjoy lore about the idiot

[mrsunder]

Ever since I made that post about Alone with the little joke about him being Ghoap baby I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

Like imagine Soap (who isn't dead because fuck activision) finding this hulking monster while doing zombie clean up and thinking it's Ghost at first but Laswell swears up and down (and even shows him proof) that Ghost is safe. After he sees his own familiar tattoo and the unmoving arm he thought was just shadowed behind its back was actually darker skinned... he realizes what it is and is both SUPER PISSED and hesitant.

He knows what these monsters can do… but he can't bring himself to kill Ghost even if it's not actually him. He'd never sleep again if he had to put a bullet between Ghost's eyes himself. (he didn't think about the arms, didn't want to think too hard about what they were trying to do that resulted in a three headed monster and signs of the entire 141 on its body) So he just sits down in the room he found it in, stays close and lets the thing engage first while trying to be as little of a threat as possible. (It's the STUPIDEST thing he's ever done and Ghost absolutely tell him that as loudly as possible when they eventually meet up again) It takes a while, but when it sees his tattoo and realizes they share a mark on their skin Alone decides that Soap is clearly Like Him and now Soap has his very own Giant Murder Child. He goes back to the 141 because he can't keep doing what he's doing while also trying to care for Alone with just the hands off help Laswell can provide and the only reason they have a Calm Discussion and they don't all throttle him for faking his death is because said murder child doesn't quite understand different levels of violence and would just assume they're attacking him. It obviously takes a while for them to really get behind having Alone around (especially Ghost for REALLY OBVIOUS REASONS) but eventually they all realize he's got some kind of humanity in him. He was able to be taught to use a gun and doesn't just run around killing everyone he gets his hands on like the other monsters they were shown after Soap's return. While he has issues speaking because of damage to his body and how the side heads attach to the main one, they're able to teach him to read, write, and how to use BSL. It's slow going, but they make progress. Soap retires to a nice secluded place after a while so he can dedicate more time to helping Alone. Ghost follows along behind him because he's not going to let Johnny out of his sight ever again. (Price and Gaz visit often because Ghost wasn't the only one waking up from nightmares of Soap's "death") Alone will be as close to a fully functional person as he can be (what with the multiple heads, arms, random body jerking, and being a literal monster making it a bit hard to just go get a normal 9 to 5). He just needs to be taught what he missed because he was "born" fully grown. He'd probably either take up Soap's place with Laswell and get to go happily rip zombie heads off or join Kortac because they make a him a damn good offer (and if he threatens to tear out the throat of anyone that so much as looks at the 141 wrong, well that's just between him and his fellow operators).

[gofishygo]

hot takes part 3099097273: soap isn’t dead.

look- in modern warfare remastered, we’ve already had two characters- one of them a lead, die and then return to life out of nowhere. alex kellers return to the ulf after manually detonating a bomb that explodes the span of multiple buildings, graves who joins farah’s forces after being fucking fried in a tank. the developers no longer value the weight of characters on the plot, and will bring them back for shock value.

we’ve had a foreshadow already. graves’s line, “well, i wasn’t in that tank” after his alleged death is seen in soap’s hector blackcell skin bio.

not to mention, a military funeral, common for all people in milita (especially at soap’s rank) should have occurred. this is usually open casket. the choice of his body being cremated off screen leaves room for a possibility that the urn at the end of mw3 did not contain soaps ashes. and as said before, this could very wel be the truth since activision seems to care more about emotes of captain price twerking than evaluating the content of their campaign writing.

combined with the recent nautilus skin, here is my theory.

due to the leitmotifs of a hazmat suit, gas mask, and chemicals (seen on back of skin in valves), it is probable that soap resides with whatever group is currently holding the chemical artilleries, the gas in his mask suggesting it was not out of pure will. most likely captured by konni group, in my opinion. in the case that the writers decided to haul him out of his grave (or urn), i am interested in the course of mw4. although i disagree with bringing him back- if you’ve already killed him off like some npc, just fucking roll with it- it does expose the possibility of even more humanitarian crimes, maybe some new group associated with the older ones. praying that the writers lock in and do him justice this time- if we can get snopp dogg and john price hitting a bong and execution moves where graves used laser eyes to split his enemies in half in this game, we can hope and pray that they are creative enough to craft a better campaign

[sanasanakun]

Can we actually talk about how insane it is that Simon removed his mask for the 141? Everything he’s been through has caused him to disassociate entirely from the person he is. He cannot bear to BE himself; to have Simon Riley be someone who exists and is acknowledged by others. He uses the mask to create his nonexistence; to become a weapon only focused on finishing his mission. With the mask, Simon Riley is dead. The only thing left is his “Ghost.”

By creating this barrier, he distances himself from his teammates emotionally and can convince himself that only the objective matters (see: abandoning Soap after Graves betrays them and calling it “a force of habit”).

Simon is not good with expressing his feelings. For example, he’s extremely worried about Soap during “Alone,” but shows it through jokes and talking to keep Soap calm. Any time Soap insists Ghost cares, the man immediately deflects and insists they are only “teammates” and that Soap needs to focus on his own self-preservation.

But we see afterwards that Ghost wants to make an effort to connect emotionally to his team; to show the 141 who “Simon” is, not just Ghost. For example, after Rodolfo assumes that Ghost would wait for his men and Soap begins to express his doubt, Ghost immediately jumps in and asserts that, yes, he would wait for them. He lets Soap know with his own words that he is there for his team. This is a rare instance where Ghost allows himself to be emotionally vulnerable and open, and it sticks out immediately to the player.

And finally, the ultimate showcase of trust: the removal of the mask. Simon rips away that last barrier of distance between himself and the 141. He affirms HIS existence and allows his teammates to see the true person underneath the mask. Price’s “Good to see you again, Simon,” only adds to the fact that this is “Simon” standing with them. In that moment, there is no “Ghost.”

Anyway, I just thought it was really touching. Simon is a deeply traumatized character, but he’s also someone who has bottled up that trauma so well that it can be hard to separate his two identities and their wants. I really hope his backstory gets touched on more in the next game (and please don’t fucking kill him right after that Activision lmao).

[efingart]

Hey E! idkifishouldaskhereorinyourcodaccount BUT I’ll ask anyway. I’ve noticed you post a lot about Frank Woods, what made Woods be THE favorite character for you?

Hey no worries, I'm not exactly the most organized so it doesn't make a difference to me!

Oh my god where do I start? I'm going to try so hard to hold back because I will just tell you everything I like about him and this will take me even longer to write 😅

Frank falls into the unwanted child trope a bit. Not confirmed by Activision, but close enough and it is a trope that I find myself drawn to. The idea that he was a runaway, his home life must have been bad enough that the streets were better. Born right at the start of the Great Depression so his early life was never going to be easy. But he must have been resourceful and smart enough to survive. Another quality I like in my faves. It's interesting to think about that piece of his history that we will probably never get in any detail in canon. But that's ok, I'm happy to fill in the gaps with my own headcanons and fics.

Frank was then able to pick himself off the streets and enlist (his options were so limited, but he must have made the best choice for himself at the time.) Become such a standout that he was recruited into the CIA. And there, despite being a "self-reliant loner" he developed close friendships with Mason and Bowman. (as an aside, it is always funny when people hc he's an extrovert when he's very much not)

It's clear he cares for them deeply, even at the expense of his own well being as seen in 'Payback.' I do think he was still reeling from Bowman's death and that's why he acted with such reckless disregard for his own life. (But that's headcanon)

The way he reacts when anyone else is hurt or in danger, it's always them first him second, even in the middle of a firefight (redirecting Mason's attention to the pilot in 'Victor Charlie,' the kid on the PBR in 'Crash Site', the nurse during 'Suffer With Me' in BO2, multiple examples).

Then the way he treats Bell. I think he's the first person to deliver Bell a genuine compliment in the game (if you're a good shot). He knows his people and if I could ever get the damn sound bite again of him saying to Bell that he'd bet they'd like five minutes with the supercomputer to work again I'd link it here. How does he know Bell is such a nerd if he doesn't give a damn about his team?

He and Mason are the only ones who actually treat Bell as a member of the team. And that endeared me to him before I even knew about the plot twist.

And of course, the pain of Black Ops 2. He's just fucking dragged through the ringer isn't he? Everything, the shipping container, watching his entire team die, his tragic mistakes and how he reflects them as an old man. I really love that we get to see him as an old man. See him removed from his experiences in the 80s section of BO2. It's so interesting.

I mean even while he's still managing fresh life-changing injuries he still rallies for a kid who needs him. And he must have done a good job raising David because the kid turned out just fine in the end.

I probably could think of a half dozen more specific examples, his outrage at Project Greenlight for one: "Thousands dying in a flash and you're talking about fucking infrastructure."

Or how he has David's childhood drawings hung up in his room at the Vault.

I'm sure I'll have a dozen more after Black Ops 6 comes out if they deliver on the promised emotional journey storyline for Frank. (God, I'm so unbelievably happy he's in BO6.)

TL;DR

Frank is a complicated person. He has had it rough but doesn't wallow in self-pity. He's a smart and capable leader. He's imperfect. He knows how and when to keep things light. He takes care of his people. He rallies when he's most needed even if it's at his own expense. On the shallow end of things? He's hot, he's got great fashion sense.

Sorry, it took me a bit to get this all out. I think again I was trying to balance the urge to just dump every thought and feeling I have vs trying to be a bit more thoughtful about it. Also just cross-referencing things from the games to make sure I remembered them correctly. I'm sure there's a lot I left out. I'm planning on playing through 1, CW, & 2 again before BO6 comes out so I'm sure I'll have more thoughts to share. 😅

I genuinely appreciate you asking me about this, I love talking about Frank. Thank you so so much.

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

why did you tag your post with gaz erasure my ass? like what was hard to believe that the cod fandom has blatant patterns of purposefully removing the only black character and replacing him with everyone under the sun? your friend lied about killing themself to make them look like a victim. and you participated in harassing people who saw this for what it was. you need to step back and reflect on your own self on why you thought that your friend’s “death” was caused by people calling out patterns of anti black racism and then go on to harass them. you are not an ally by any means.

Back when I used that tag, I paired it with another tag right after, it was meant to be an aggressive call out on misinformation, I had meant for it to read as 'Gaz erasure my ass, y'all just can't read'.

(This because the original post didn't read like intentional erasure but rather like codslut thought Gaz didn't fit the post, since she also didn't use Reboot Soap, she used *Captain* Soap, idk how best to explain it but to me the two soaps are different characters so i figured it was an intentional choice to use him and keegan rather than reboot soap and gaz)

Edit: I want to add that I also used codslut's own explanation as the basis for why I didn't think it was erasure. And at this point, she's clearly not to be fucking trusted, so it wouldn't surprise me if it really *was* erasure/racism and I believed her word that it wasn't.

As time went on, I dropped the last part of the tag of 'y'all just can't read', and looking back it not only reads as a racist dog whistle but also, just in general, sounds and looks fucking disgusting.

I've said this before, but I think it warrants saying again: I *didn't* mean to say Gaz erasure doesn't exist. It does very much exist in the community and even Activision themselves often erase Gaz from promo materials.

I'd hate for people to think that I either dislike Gaz or don't see the blatant racism/dislike/erasure that happens with him on the community. That's not the case. Gaz is a main character (unlike König like so many people try to replace him with) who I absolutely adore, and I call out erasure when I see it here on Tumblr, on Tiktok and on Twitter.

I never meant to make it seem like Gaz erasure doesn't exist. I only wanted to call out misinformation... and ended up doing the exact opposite of both my intentions. I'm sorry about that. It was not just disgusting but full on stupid of me.

I also want to say that I didn't think that that screenshot post specifically or even the act of people calling out racism where they saw it was the cause for codslut possibly killing herself. That is not what I meant at all. And I don't want anyone to think I blame @soapskneebrace or @glossysoap or anyone else for that. Blood was never on their hands, I want to make that very clear!!!!

When I was confronting people, I was doing so on the basis that they're big creators with big platforms and that by accusing codslut of racism/erasure they opened the door for anons to justify their actions when going after codslut because they have so much reach and people with bad intentions need less than that to justify the hate they send people.

Looking back, I know I was in the wrong for how I spoke. I was aggressive and rude and mean, and none of the people involved deserve that. Hell, my actions were hypocritical as hell and I probably opened the door for them to get hate themselves. I'm really fucking sorry.

If I could take it back, I would. I never believed nor wanted them to believe that someone potentially harming themselves was their fault. It wasn't.

I do plan on taking a step back to reconsider not just the way I acted but everything that's happened. In fact, I was already taking said break and came online only because I got word of @/fulltacs' post.

I appreciate and thank you for holding me accountable (and by that I mean you and everyone!). And I especially thank *you* anon for wording this ask this way, and giving me, at least, a chance to explain.

[peachesofteal]

MW3 SPOILERS 🛑✋

I will stop talking about this eventually but right now I’m really focused on the lack of connection in that Final Cut scene. For a major character death, everything just seemed so… no effort. This a major franchise character, and that’s his send off? I mean, I get it… Activision is not known for their in-depth character exploration and it’s fruitless to expect them to invest a little bit of time into the demise of a beloved character but still… give our guy his fucking due.

At the end of the day, the games and character portrayal will never be as good as what’s in my head, and that includes Johnny’s fate. Doesn’t mean I still can’t be irritated.

I’ll probably rant about this again once I actually play it through for myself but for now. I’m irritated. 0/10.

[questforgalas]

I don’t think Activision realizes the absolute treasure chest they have in front of them with Soap and Ghost. I realize there is a less than 1% chance GhostSoap ever becomes canon so I won’t bother putting my clown hat on, but to have the chance to put an openly canon gay couple in not just one of the largest video game franchises in history, but a video game franchise centered around the military is something the developers are fools to not grab onto.

I haven’t picked up a CoD game since 2012 when they started to really lean into the online play and left the campaigns as little to nothing, and even back when the campaigns were the bread and butter, there was very little deep-level plot focus. Then I hear a snippet about the subtext of these two characters in the latest game and was intrigued enough to say “no way they did that, I have to check it out”. Fast forward to me downloading a CoD game for the first time in 10 years and it becoming one of my favorite campaigns ever.

Fast forward more to me telling my gamer friends about the crazy subtext they put in for these two characters, and every single one of them, whether they played CoD before or not, went and bought the game and are also now fully in. Just the tiniest hint of the crazy possible idea of a gay love story in a military game snagged 5 people in the course of a week.

Let alone if you dive into the GhostSoap ship tags and see the 1000s of people who have never played CoD but are so invested in their dynamic. Just imagine what Activision could do if they unlocked the LGTBQ+ side of the gaming community (which is a large and proud fucking community by the way).

And before the people start going “it’s a shooter game it’s an action game it’s not suppose to be romantic ewww kissing!” might I remind you romance isn’t handcuffed to one form of expression and can be as subtle as terms of endearment, pointed glances, dialogue choices, playful quips, on and on

And it can also be two thiccc ass special ops grabbing each other before a mission and placing soft forehead kisses and saying “come back to me” before they part

Activision DM me I have ideas

[drunkenskunk]

Can someone explain something to me?

So I finally finished watching Noah Caldwell-Gervais' latest more-than-feature-length documentary retrospective on the Diablo games.

Okay, I tell a lie: I just finished watching it for the third time. The video is quite good. Noah Caldwell-Gervais Miss Even Once Challenge (Impossible)

Still, there is a question here that I feel like I need help understanding. Why does watching this make me want to play Diablo again?

Like, it shouldn't, right? The 2nd half of the video is him going into great detail about all the horrific monetization of modern Blizzard games and how it hampers the surprisingly excellent (for the genre) writing, especially for Diablo 4. Hell, the entire section of Diablo Immortal feels like a dissection of how casinos work.

And, I mean, I personally swore off Blizzard games back in what I call "Black February," when Bobby Fucking Kotick announced record profits and then laid off 800 people in the same breath. And even though the prolapsed anus shoved into a ill-fitting human suit that is Bobby Fucking Kotick is gone, his stench and filth still remains at Activision Blizzard King.

So why is the thought "You should play Diablo again" swirling around inside my brain?

[jeffgerstmann]

You should be able to preorder cheech and Chong to get a third guy, maybe Seth macFarlane

I was thinking about this because, like, Cheech & Chong were already pretty old back when I was like 12 or something. Who the fuck is the audience for Cheech & Chong skins? Do modern weed enjoyers truly care about them? I know they've done some tours and Chong sells bongs or whatever, but it just seems really out of place. But I can't really think of anyone who would make more sense.

Like yeah, you could do a Pineapple Express pack or something? But even that seems ancient now. Who are the modern weed smoking icons? Are there any? I have to imagine at some point there's no reason to have people like that anymore now that weed is way more normalized and legal in more and more places.

That's why I'm saying that Activision needs to get with the times and put some lean icons into the game.

Actually, typing that out, even the idea of lean seems embarrassingly old, too. Though I would consider buying a DJ Screw skin for Call of Duty, provided it screwed and chopped the entirety of the game's audio when equipped.

[syoddeye]

this is re: your tags on a post you rbed forever ago (i'm creepin my way through ur blog to entertain myself while sick asf, hi (and also thanks for posting i guess lol)) so feel freee to just like… ignore this, BUT i just had to say you are sooo right about soap's death being dumb as fuck 😭

i'm suuper new to this fandom so idk if it's just because this is something that's been talked to death and that everyone's collectively moved on from, but i've never really seen anyone on here talking about how badly done that whole thing was?? what even was the point of that. like actually

idk if you're familiar with the original games at all, but it's crazy because as bad as it is even just looking at the remake as its own standalone thing, i honestly think it's even worse if you look at it through the lens of it being an adaptation... they literally took out the entire plotline his death was a part of & served to advance but then left in in purely for THE most empty, pointless shock value ever?? it's sooo frustrating

i could go on a whole spiel about this bc its so bad, but i will spare ur inbox all that and just say thank you for validating my irritation about this. you are so right about everything ever <3

hello and welcome! 🧡 thanks so much! i know i've read some great crits and reactions to soap's death, but i'm failing at remembering specific posts. but on the whole? yeah, soap's death is bad across the board.

obviously, i'm upset that he died at all, but honestly? i could've made peace with it if it didn't feel completely rushed. i haven't played the originals but i know that, considering what happens, major character death was always on the table. but yeah, activision shoved mw3 out the door.

then there's also neil. i'm not a person who stans actors, but he clearly loved being soap. the guy embodied him. did extra promo. engaged with fans. shared so much fanart to his twitter and instagram. it is *bonkers* to me that a company would waste the one actor putting in the extra work like that.

you can rant about this any time. i'm still mad about it lmao.

[neoyi]

Summer Steam sale happened, so I picked my annual batch of games that will, nevertheless, take me the next 5 - 84 years to complete, forever gathering dust in my ever expanding digital library till then.

Here are my purchases and my excessively detailed reasons on why I bought them. I'm sure a few of them will have you screaming at me, wondering why I wasted money on Game Such and Such.

American Arcadia I played the demo and found it intriguing. A mixture of The Truman Show with a conspiracy behind it is one thing, but the 70s background and style and how the game graphically incorporated it visually drew me in. I don't, in any way, find 70s aesthetic appealing, but darn it, the whole thing looks pretty.

Plus I'm rather drawn to the main character's design. He looks like someone's pathetically sad, nerdy dad. I'm aware his appearance, right down to the sweater vest and bushy mustache, is just culturally fashionable of that time period, but just look at that him in that promo pic. He's trying so hard to pull off an action-y pose. It's cute. I wanna help this Ned Flanders-ass guy figure out what the fuck is happening. I wanna drop him off at a nice, cozy cottage where he can have some time for himself. He just looks like he'd rather be grilling in his backyard, socks and sandals-clad, while casually chatting with his neighbor, Ted, on what 8-track tapes they bought and how persistently annoying "Disco Duck" is lately.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore I'm not sure how much I want to devote what little time I have playing any of the CD-i Legend of Zelda games in preparation for Arzette. I know I'll miss the experience of its banality and unintended cheese in order to truly appreciate Arzette, but I'm only human, and I'd rather play a good game that so just happens to pay tribute. I've heard people whine and discuss the dang CD-i games since the late 90s, so I think I know enough just through pure osmosis.

In any case, I didn't feel compelled to play Arzette (despite an incredibly faithful trailer) until I discovered the creator was the guy responsible for remastering the CD-i Zeldas into something resembling tolerance. And I can harp the same complaints everyone else has dished out onto those games, but in reality, I've not played a single one to truly say how I'd feel about them. As a consumer of awful, endearing media relevant to my interest, I'm sure I would have kinda even loved them.

I don't know the developer's thought process, but it sounds like he had that exact feeling when he made Arzette. Right down to the style, the same voice actors, and animators, you do not create your own Original Characters Do Not Steal based on some of the most infamously awful games to ever exist if you did not have an ounce of sincerity behind it. That's insanity. That's dedication. That's love, and I respect the hell out of it.

Bear and Breakfast

I'm getting used to seemingly endless games of crafting and house sims and hotel managements and what-have-yous, but I always appreciate the ones that has a plot that you can complete behind it. I've devoted countless hours into Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, but there's immense relief knowing there is a finale that allows me to end it there if I need to.

Bear and Breakfast feels like another good, turn-off-your-brain-and-enjoy-while-a-Youtube-video-is-playing-on-another-monitor type of game, but I'm just as intrigued on the plot. It might be a whole lotta nothing (bear and friends solve some mystery that might be lurking in the woods or something), but between an actual plot and maintaining an inn? I'm sold.

Cavern of Dreams

It was described as Spyro the Dragon+Banjo Kazooie.

With the prospect of either of these games series ever getting a sequel dwindling each passing year (Activision, for fuck's sake, would you kindly release a Spyro the Dragon 4?), maybe Cavern of Dreams will sate my classic platforming thirst.

En Garde! Oh, come on. You think I wouldn't get this game? it's got sword fighting! It's got swashbucklers dueling rapiers and wearing fancy feathered-hats. it's got capes and swishing and swooshing.It's got cheesy European accents in a fantastical cavalier setting! It's got daring-doos! Look at the poster! It's got a kickass lady in masculine clothing which I am always gonna be drawn to. It's got another lady with a piratey hat and an eye patch! It is EVERYTHING that appeals to me! So shut up and take my money!

Everhood

All I've ever heard from trusted mutual is that Everhood's story is very, very bad. Nothing about this game aesthetically vibes with me in any way other than it being a rhythm game (I guess from the trailer it shows me), but I am an intensely curious fool when something piques my interest based on a set of criticisms. Will I feel the same? Will I disagree? I guess I'll find out someday.

Florence

"An interactive story about love and life" tend to fall into what I like to call, Indie Quaint, where an indie game attempts a theme with deep meaning that ultimately just feels so sentimental and heart-wringing that I end up feeling exactly the opposite of what it was set out to gravitate.

But Florence is auto-biographical, so there could be something genuinely sincere from something deeply personal (very understandable) that might warm the cockles of my dark, dark heart. I don't begrudge the creator for speaking directly from her heart.

Also, this was on sale for, like, 2 bucks.

Gunbrella I'm not particularly fond of the grim, apocalyptic setting, but as a long-time fan of absurd weaponry, especially the gentlemanly umbrella, I couldn't keep my eyes away from this game for too long before I ended up buying it.

Gunbrella, 'nuff said.

Melatonin It looks like Rhythm Heaven and Steven Universe had a baby together.

Fine with me. I could use another pretty rhythm-based game that I absolutely suck at to play with.

Powerwash Simulator: Alice Pack This one was not on sale, but I love Powerwash Simulator, so I pick up pretty much any DLC they release.

Almost.

I still regret purchasing the Spongebob one; I figured my love for the game would overwrite my indifference towards the show (sorry, I didn't watch anything but a handful of episodes), but I find myself not as motivated to wrap that one up as I did the FF7 one and eventually, the Back to the Future one. I skipped out on the Warhammer one for precisely that reasoning. And if this DLC had been released maybe a decade back, I might have passed on it, too, because there was, for a time, an overwhelming amount of Alice in Wonderland adaptation that I really grew tired of. Nowadays, not so much, so I'm looking forward to this one in my spare time.

Summerhouse Definitely looks like one of those super chill games I would be able to play at my own leisure. And my desire to make fictional houses is more than enough to draw me into purchasing Summerhouse.

Super Kiwi 64 Man, can you tell I'm a nostalgic-baited son of a bitch who loves N64/PS1-era platformers?

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Man, can you tell I'm a nostalgic-baited son of a bitch who loves N64/PS1-era platformers?

YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG

"NEO WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" "NEO WHY DID YOU SPEND MONEY ON THIS!?" "NEO WHY ARE YOU TORMENTING YOURSELF!?"

Same reason as Everhood above: if it's a supposedly bad piece of media that is relevant to my interest, I want to play it. I want to know the method of its madness. I want to know specifically what makes it so pretentious and Indie Quaint. I want to know what on earth this hipster chic game has anything to say that I can formulate my own opinion of it. I want this game, which takes place in the 90s, a decade I grew up in, to bewilder me with on the hows and ultimately the whys the creator chose this particular era and specifically named it after the Y2K bug, a once persistent doomsday-bringer that severely drove my then 14-year-old's heart into full on anxiety the likes I've not experienced at the time.

I am but a moth to flame for shit like this and I am absolutely looking forward to seeing what this game has to offer me.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't say what really convinced me to give this game a go is Youtuber Zingus' video essay on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avX7hqzT7ag) which is exceptionally well-made. Please give it a look.

[summermoonshine]

Wow... Just Wow... You'd think in the post The Last of Us Part II world game developers would think twice before killing off a main character people were yearning to play again. I thought Activision knew better and since they didn't do anything of the sort in MWII, the boys are safe. Gosh, I was so excited, I just wanted to have a good time and see what's new with my buddies from 1-4-1. Fuck this, I'm exhausted

Dear Anon, I've got so much to say to the point I felt the need to distance myself from the fandom immediately after completing the campaign. I am emotionally devastated, and as crazy as it sounds, it was vital to me that AV gave Soap another chance after mw3. Sure, it's a war videogame and deaths are therefore inevitable, but killing the same character twice with the sole hope of making us hate Makarov so as to have more hype for the next COD (which, personally, I doubt will follow this arc since I define it now concluded although there are still unresolved issues) it was a stupid move to make, because by doing so we are hating AV, not Makarov himself.

Furthermore, what is most infuriating is that if the COD family has started to be so lively, creative and enthusiastic again in ways that it wasn't even 20 years ago, it is above all thanks to Saop.

Each of the protagonists in MWII was perfect, earning a special place in our hearts, but it is clear that Soap and the relationship established with Ghost were the catalyst of definitive affection that connected us so deeply to the reboot, leading us to buy even a new game that, more than a campaign, more than a DLC, is a scam:

rushed dialogues, too many characters piled on top of each other, typical warzone game dynamics with such a short duration that each level becomes chaotic etc etc etc... 2, maximum 3 hours later, we find ourselves with a Soap killed, slaughtered and left to die with total dullness and without any emotional focus DURING our game without even receiving a cutscene dedicated to him. And, as if that wasn't enough, by killing him, Ghost was also indirectly killed: for once, perhaps for the first real time, that man - always represented as cold - had found a family and something, someone to hold on to: taking it away from him , they demolished two people with a single shot.

Atrocious.

Treating one of the characters who has practically supported the entire current COD fortune on his shoulders in this way is, for me, a great injustice, as well as a stupid move.

Again, I don't hate Makarov; I hate AV.

Also, I apologize for the outburst, but after 20 years of supporting the COD saga, I never expected them to play so dirty with reboots.

I'll make a separate post when I find the courage, but for now thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about it openly.