Had a #Podcast clear out. I just don't have the time anymore, so I've had to ditch some long standing favourites. Goodbye #NobleBlood and #Nextlander. You've served me well but, well I've got to triage this stuff.

#ReasonsToBeCheerful is back though. A show about ideas, and how they can be used to make a difference in our pretty broken world. A hard recommendation from me.

Glad to hear the #Nextlander guys talking about some of the same issues I've had with #ResidentEvil4Remake

Namely that the movement feels stiff and that the aiming is just kind of... unresponsive. It's been a few days since I last played it and whilst I'm eager to go back to it, I'm not sure I'm actually going to finish this one.

What #Gaming #Podcasts are we listening to?

My favourites are #TheBesties and #TheResties. I've been listening to these guys talk about games for over a decade now, and whilst I don't always agree with their takes I find their banter and overall vibe to be incredible enjoyable.

Shout-outs to:

#TheGamesPress which focuses on gaming journalists and their respective careers.

The #Nextlander Podcast: Old #Giantbomb alumni that I still really value hearing from.

Anyway I'm finally catching up on the #Nextlander watchcast, having not had a lot of time for movies recently.

Blade (1998) was... interesting. I am definitely not the target audience for that one; vampires are almost definitely my least favourite of the "classic" supernatural villains.

Knowing nothing about the character it was at least interesting to find he was a vampire hunter instead of just a vampire "super hero" or something.

Confused by Brad's statement that he doesn't consider #EldenRing to be a 'hard game' because people have 'figured out the Fromsoft formula/how to play those games'.

I agree that we've figured out how to meet those games on their terms; the idea that the game doesn't fall into a category called 'Hardest Game' is laughable.

The game sold well, but I how many of those players got past it's first major boss? How many completed it?

More accessible/successful doesn't mean it's easy.

#Nextlander

Working my way through the #Nextlander GOTY podcasts and as much as I adore #EldenRing for its incredibly deep lore and world, I'm not sure it really hangs in the category labelled 'Best Storytelling'.

Now as I've already said, I think the game has incredible world and lore, but it's hidden so far away that the only reasonable way you can discover it is by heading to YouTube and watching lore videos for hours.

That's not good storytelling in my book.

Last night I watched Michael Clayton (2007) for the #Nextlander watchcast and considering my expectations weren't exactly through the roof when I heard "legal thriller" wow I had a good time.

Possibly the most satisfying ending I've yet seen in a film.

Finally watched They Live (1988) and Halloween (1978) in my ongoing attempt to catch up with the #Nextlander watchcast.

... The infamous fight scene in They Live is certainly An Experience.

Also, pleasantly surprised by how subdued Halloween was for a slasher flick.

Have not listened to the #Nextlander watchcast episode for it yet but Prince of Darkness (1987) was certainly... well.

Out of all the movies that exist, this definitely was one of them.

Now that I'm not frantically playing #Splatoon3 every moment I can to catch up on the catalog I have a whole month's worth of movies in my backlog to watch for the #Nextlander watchcast.

The plus side is I love the watchcast and having so much of it to listen to is gonna be great.

The down side is that the month I missed was actually October. One of the movies is literally Halloween. It's almost Christmas. I am way, way tonally off the mark.