Overwhelmed With Choice of Media

Over the past year, I've been overwhelmed with videogames to play, books to read, audiobook and podcasts to listen to and TV shows and films to watch. So, over the past several months, I've been using most of my spare time (about a couple of hours before bed each evening) playing videogames. There's been a plethora of amazing AAA games so most evenings would find me working my way through the unholy trinity: Elden Ring (167 hours), God of War: Ragnarok (31 hours) and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West (18 hours in, when I stopped for my annual videogame detox).

Every year, I abstain from gaming for a period of at least a month. I find it gives me a chance to engage in my other hobbies which may get overtaken by videogames. We've never had it so good, what with the constant sales, discounts, demos and the drip feed of big name and hot-new-indie releases but it can become overwhelming. There's always another game to buy, another 'must play' to experience, a huge discount for a game on the Wish List that would be silly not to buy... always something or another.

This year, I used January as my appointed time away from gaming to read a couple of books, catch up on my pile of gaming and cult TV and film magazines, listen to loads of podcasts and write stuff for this blog. In short, it was a very productive time that lightened my soul and lifted my eyes away from the screen, apart from the film watching and blog writing of course.

As February hit, I worked my way through Horizon and finished the game after a total of 37 hours. It was a great game and I'm glad I played and completed it, but after 2 other open-world games, I was glad to just play a platformer or something more focused. I definitely have open-world fatigue so will use the time from now to Zelda: Kingdom of Tears, to play my shorter titles that have languished in my download pile. First up is Sackboy: A Big Adventure; a great platforming game without huge lore  but I love the banging music, including Chemical Brothers, Bruno Mars and David Bowie.

I still have a huge pile, both digitally and physically, of stuff to work through but sometimes time away from it all offers perspective and you realise... does it even matter? No, this is not a feeling of ennui but more a feeling of freedom- it'll still be there when you decide to get around to it y'know. It doesn't all have to be done right now is all I'm saying.

To quote my favourite film, Kieslowski's masterpiece Trois Colors Rouge, ‘Etre.’

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- Nintendo: My One True Gaming Constant

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West- Videogames As Art

When Horizon Zero Dawn came out 6 years ago, I enjoyed the stunningly realised open-world and the robot dinosaur antagonists. The story was intriguing and I found the moment to moment gameplay enthralling. However, unfortunately for the game, it coincided with the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which took the wind out of its sails - pun intended. The constant chuntering of Aloy alongside her martyr complex made her a frustrating character to warm to, especially when she built up friendships after years of being shunned yet discarded these connections to go on her solo missions.

Luckily, this time the developers have given Aloy's colleagues time to shine and the cadre of friends really helps the game. It's warming to see Aloy grow as a character and the story develops well as a result. Also, Aloy is now able to hack and fly robot pterodactyl equivalents- and that’s always going to be amazing!
Unluckily, Forbidden West coincided with the biggest game release of last year, the juggernaut that was Elden Ring. I've only just got around to completing Forbidden West after Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok and was suffering open-world fatigue, but thankfully at around 30 hours, the game doesn’t overstay its welcome.

I enjoyed my time and will eagerly pick up the set-up third game but hope, for the sake of the developers, that it doesn't get overshadowed again as it is a gorgeous game that is well worth your time.

Here are some screenshots from my playthrough: