I know folks who used to at least be kind. But ever since joking this cult, they’ve lost every bit of humanity and empathy they once had. Even when he’s gone, there will be lasting damage for years to come. I just hope America can actually make it through.
Oh wait, this is an actual theory? I had a little hopium brain nugget that it could’ve been a fake finale, but didn’t realize some folks are actually all in on this theory LOL aye, if it happens, that’s some cool shit. But I highly doubt it.
What are the chances this is all a meta storyline where we the audience have been fooled by Vecna’s mind tricks and the real finale drops soon? 0% chance. Hope the spin offs are just as good at the very least! Looking forward to them! In the meantime I’ll have the OSTs on loop.
But, at the end of the day, I still think they did a great job. It was disappointing in some areas, but I would imagine it’s always a pain in the ass to end such a huge series while trying to make everyone happy. I get it. Sad to see it end, but I’m glad it wasn’t a disaster.
I think they unfortunately cast way too wide of a net and had a TON of side characters thrown into the mix by the end. Literally felt like the entire town was part of the group. I think it probably would have felt better and more satisfying if we had more time with our core group.
Also, I think a lot of us were expecting this final season to be a lot darker than it turned out to be. I would have been fine with some character deaths. Which leads me to Stranger Things biggest problem: by the end of the show, the small crew had grown into a massive cast.
I honestly don’t think there is any story explanation for why the Demo creatures weren’t there - I think it was purely budget/time constraints. They wanted a huge Mindflayer monster with a big battle, and that was about all they could do. I get it, but it does hurt the finale.
It felt like it took them no time at all to defeat Vecna, and in turn, the Mindflayer. I wish it would had been more of a struggle. And something that could’ve done that would be to throw Demos into the mix. All the other creatures were sorely missed from that final battle.
Mostly stuff that’s already been pointed out, relating to the finale. I felt we had a hell of a lot of build up for this huge final battle in The Abyss, only for it to be a relatively quick segment. The Mindflayer reveal was fucking awesome, buuuut…
The coming out scene actually made me cry legit tears (which I know is apparently a point of contention on the internet rn) idk why, it just really hit for me. That, Dustin’s pleading to Steve, and the very last scene also broke me. But I was also disappointed with a few things.
Horrible historical events aside, here’s my unwarranted thoughts on Stranger Things 5. I did really enjoy most of this season. The action was all great, the Will reveal with the big demo battle was hype, and a lot of emotional beats landed for me. Mostly happy with it all. MOSTLY
Maybe I’ll make a video eventually, rapid fire reviewing everything I played this year. Dunno yet.
Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a better 2026!
Finally, Dispatch is my GOTY. I fucking love everything about this damn game, I can’t get enough of it. AdHoc made something truly special here. I thankfully got to live vicariously through my wife playing it for the first time after me. Still not enough. Need more, please.
Fourth, I’ve played entirely too much Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I’ve been enjoying my time in Lumiose. Story was actually good, ending was wild. Still working through the DLC, but quite enjoyed the main game. Though the next gen NEEDS to be a big step up. VO at the VERY least.
Third, Cronos: The New Dawn. It’s a conflicting game. On the one hand, I enjoyed it quite a bit - Dead Space-esque with its own identity. However, the combat can be frustratingly difficult (I’m old), inventory is a nightmare, and the endings felt like wet farts, unfortunately.
Second, Dying Light: The Beast. A great game and nice continuation of the story. Another world to get lost in for a bit - though the combat can feel sluggish, enemies can be annoying, and parkour can be frustrating, still a great time. Story felt a bit Resident Evil near the end, maybe too much.
To close out the year, here’s some rapid fire reviews. First, Ghost of Yotei. I platinum’d it. It was fantastic. I truly lost myself in this world, and took entirely too many screenshots. Weirdly enough, it wasn’t the end that made me tear up, it was the bonfire scene before it.
I made some dumb shit in my free time. Behold, HALF-LIFE: HOPIUM!
Well howdy folks. Been a while since I’ve posted here. Think I wanna change that. Here, have a dumb ass #dispatch edit I made.
Sorry for the super late response here but thank you very much!! Happy to have made an impact ❤️
me every time I read the news nowadays
Nice, sounds like you’ve got good things lined up! Yeah I definitely understand you - worlds insane right now, comforts are coming in very handy.
Busy over here too, I know your struggle! But Avowed is pretty enjoyable so far. Nice story and characters, beautiful environments, and fun combat. Definitely a good game.
Howdy Blutarch. What’s your year of entertainment looking like? For me, I just finished Invincible, loving Yellowjackets and Daredevil, hyped for AC: Shadows, enjoying Avowed, enjoying Monster Hunter Wilds (though it’s UI is quite overwhelming), and looking forward to a great year in gaming overall.
Just had some garlic naan yesterday 😅
the two greatest threats to Thedas
The internet is just a burning trash pit all around right now. It feels like everywhere you look it’s always just the worst shit happening.
I’d go on a profound rant, but I think just “ugh” sufficiently describes it all. It’s about all the energy I can muster.
Ugh. The state of America, politics, and even video game discussion right now… ugh.