ManChild Media Review

I HATE to admit how fucking accurate this is. I’d love to think I’m above these mental games and trends.

Alas…

Me when the game reviewers agree with my preconceived notions of a game I haven't played vs. Me when game reviewers disagree with those assumptions.

When the scores are enough to feed my hype for a game, the reviews are valid.

That’s how this works. Okay?

I don’t make the rules.

🤨 Alriiiiiiiiiiiiight. We’ll allow it.

Anti-Italian Discrimination Avoided!

QTP with your first mobile phone

The Samsung Brightside

The year was 2012. I was a freshman in high school. My mother was still hesitant to let me have a cellphone. And I proved my irresponsibility to her by losing 2 to the toilet and 1 in a pool.

Luckily, it had insurance on it.

With Mafia: The Old Country just 2 days away, reviews should drop any minute.

And if they’re bad, well…

You know what that means:

a man and a woman are hugging in a dark room ALT: a man and a woman are hugging in a dark room

Mafia: The Old Country is out on Friday, that reminds me to play the trilogy before it as I haven't touched them at all.

two men are standing next to each other and one of them is saying `` it 's anti italian discrimination '' ALT: two men are standing next to each other and one of them is saying `` it 's anti italian discrimination ''

When someone tells me they haven’t played Mafia yet.

Basically, this is life advice none of us will take, sadly lol

Seriously hope this doesn’t come off as rude or argumentative. I genuinely just love talking about this sort of thing and your post opens up what I think is a good and important discourse in the community. 💜

But I don’t think it’s fair to just write off someone saying that a big game being smaller may have been to it’s benefit (or vice versa).

Of course, none of this is set in stone.

There are dogshit linear games.

There are balanced, brilliantly written and interwoven big games.

And there’s room for BOTH as far as I’m concerned.

Whereas, with a shorter more linear game, you’re more likely to see the writers and designers pack all the important beats, gameplay moments, character developments into one tight story for the player.

But with games, bigger often means a less dense story.

Character development and relationships are offloaded from the main story into side quests. Side content varies in content and quality, from repetitious bloat to unique gameplay challenges, meaningless chores to key lore or background.

That’s not ALWAYS the case. Prestige TV shows like Mad Men, games like Kingdom Come Deliverance, are massive in length and scope, and the quality of the storytelling is the same throughout.

I get, and in part agree with, this sentiment. But as a big story gamer…

A. I don’t want to skip cutscenes, I want less bloat and repetition along the way

B. If I’m looking for a great story, shorter and more linear is more likely to provide it.

This. Is. So. Mother. Fucking. RAD!

I knew my wife had ordered me a BigNerdGaming flag for my birthday. She told me it was coming but just hadn't arrived in time.

I was thinking I'd put it on a wall in my gaming area downstairs.

It arrived today. I just got home from being out, and she's got the damn thing hanging outside 💀💀💀.

Wake up! The Cubbies are hitting again!

Every game, my team of Prestige 2s is matched with Max Level sweats. If you play with 2 people, they never match you against another pair. They throw you to the wolves against a full team. It’s crazy.

I wish I could tell you! If I knew I might be able to work toward a solution.

But something just isn’t clicking.

My guy feel sluggish no matter what. I try different builds (even the special EA-made ones) and nothing helps.

Not to mention the matchmaking SUCKS.

Ever wonder who Robert Downey Jr’s dad was and realize just how dumb you are?

This is very good news. Hell yeah.

Dude. We’re in our 20s and we can’t compete. Idk what it is about this NHL.

Last year we were beating the brakes off every team we played. This year, we look like fucking chumps.

New #promosky. I made it all by myself.

Games I dig lately:
🧔 The Drifter
⚔️ Baldur’s Gate 3
🦾 Cyberpunk 2077
🏒 NHL 25

Games I hate lately:
🏒 NHL 25

Some music I like:
🤘 Opeth
🎤 David Bowie
🎸 Iron Maiden
💅 Nine Inch Nails
🎷 Miles Davis

I also like:
🏎️ Formula 1
🧟 Horror
🎲 TTRPGs
🚫 Not being itchy

As my squad likes to say…

“When it’s good, and we’re good, and we win, it’s the best game ever.

When it’s bad, and we’re bad, and we lose, it’s the worst game ever.”

Walkin’ in a winter wonderland! 🌨️🥰🌨️

I see a game in both piles and a sentiment I understand all too deeply. 🤣

it's a vicious circle, and we never learn 🕹️🎮

Image from the Prologue of Gustave and Sophia watching the Paintress paint

An image of a rose flower from the game

Verso standing watching the stars with Esquie

Black and white images of candles on the ground from the game

After 93 hours, my Expedition 33 has finally concluded.

I don't have enough words right now or characters to voice my full thoughts. So I will paint them instead.

But not a literal painting on a canvas necessarily, no. This will be a painting of words, words of reflection and introspection.