Update 7

 Well, life continues apace I guess. I went to see the doctor and I do in fact have pneumonia. I have been struggling with a persistent cough although the meds he gave me have helped. I took about two weeks off of work and now it is the Chinese New Year holiday. So anyways I have been staying at home a lot although I have also gone out sometimes (wearing a mask of course).

So one significant thing I did is that I went to the Taipei Games Show with the twins this last weekend. I thought about writing a separate post for it but I just didn't feel like I had that much to say. It was significantly bigger than the G8 expo I went to and it was MUCH more crowded. So much so that it was often difficult to move through the aisles. We spent two hours there and saw most of it. But at the same time we weren't really drawn to try many games or stuff like that. The twins did try a new version of a fighting game that they like and play with their friends called Guilty Gear. They also got to watch some people competing at this game to try to learn some new moves. I also chose to wear my backpack which is fairly bulky which was a mistake considering that it made moving through the crowds or even standing still a bit more uncomfortable as people pushed past. I messaged Eric on Friday to see if he would be at the show but he said only briefly on Saturday (the day we went) so I didn't get to see him. I guess I kind of chalk it up as another thing that was a plus in terms of getting out of the house and doing something reality based, particularly doing something related to my hobbies. But it was pretty ho hum in terms of like actually being fun. But admissions was only 250 NT per person which is less than 10 USD so I guess I can say I got my money's worth.

As far as the Project I announced of playing Total War: Three Kingdoms, it has kind of been a bit of a failure so far. I played one hour on Thursday and one hour on Friday and then didn't play Saturday or Sunday. I feel like there is just some kind of psychological barrier that it feels like it is a lot of effort to get into this game and a lot to learn etc. Yesterday (Sunday) I was feeling like I wanted to deep dive a game but was feeling resistant to playing 3 kingdoms so I played Persona 5 instead. I guess it was ok but it feels a bit more like a visual novel than a real challenge. Part of the reason I picked 3 Kingdoms was specifically because I was kind of craving something a bit more crunchy. So anyways, I will just have to see how it plays out. I still have seven days of holiday to try to sink some hours into it.

The January challenge has been going ok. I have mostly kept up with it. Will do more mini reviews but feel a bit like I might be a bit more brief here. Part of me has been feeling slightly burned out with the challenge. Just starting a new game every day is interesting but part of me is kind of feeling tired of jumping into a new game every day and would like to find a game that can be my go to game. But then I have been thinking a bit that this can be the success of the challenge. If I can find a game I really feel excited about and want to sink some hours into then it will be good. So far the main candidates are Call of Cthulu and Persona 5. 3 Kingdoms is the other main contender for "Main Game" but it is outside the challenge.

So anyways, Monday January 20th: Euro Truck Simulator 2. This is another driving game but instead of racing you are a European truck driver. I just played the tutorials. The controls seem a bit complicated.

Tuesday Jan 21: Gris. This is an artsy platformer by the same people who made Neva. Feel mixed. Was a bit bored but also felt like I could really groove on it in the right mood. Had two crashes back to steam on deck in 45 minutes of playing.

Wednesday Jan 22: Lacuna, this is a noir detective game. Pixel graphics point and click. The voice acting left me a bit cold. The story had some promise but the controls felt a bit clunky. Overall mixed.

Thursday Jan 23rd: Firewatch. Learned about this one by watching pewdiepie on youtube (a long time ago). The intro is kind of emotionally heavy which is a bit of turn off but I did feel engaged by the game play. Basically you are a new park ranger in charge of a fire watch tower. But you have to deal with people doing crazy stuff like creating fire hazards or vandalizing your tower. Feel mixed but leaning positive.

Friday Jan 24th: Still There. Similar to firewatch you have accepted a job at a remote outpost space station in order to get away from heavy emotional issues. Basically it is a very limited area and most of what you are doing is completing tasks, either just daily upkeep or tasks assigned by your AI boss. Mixed. Felt some desire to play it in the days after the challenge but it also feels a bit arbitrary and requiring a lot of trial and error to complete tasks.

Saturday Jan 25th: Yes, Your Grace. You are the king who has to make decisions about issues that petitioners bring to you as well as dealing with family issues and a burgeoning threat to your kingdom in terms of some evil people coming over the mountains. The game is very up front about giving you difficult decisions and making it clear that you can't please everyone etc. Mixed but leaning negative.

Sunday Jan 26th: nothing

Monday Jan 27th: Metaphobia. Free game. This is an older pixel graphics point and click detective story. You are an artists whose politician father was murdered. The official story is a robber killed him but you strongly suspect your father's political opponent. Ok, but felt stuck less than half an hour into it.