What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch is the third game I completed in 2023. And . . . wow. If you want to make the case that video games can be a unique art form, this is your prime example. 

 It’s a very short game. Two hours and change. I completed it in one sitting. And it’s not really a game in the sense that there’s no way to lose, and there’s not really any winning, or challenge, or puzzle solving. But I’m not sure I would call it a walking simulator either. 

 You explore a bizarre house, uncovering various stories of tragedy of the family who lived there. It looks great, and the stories are intriguing. The quirks of the house both present a mystery to solve and dictate how you navigate it, and its geometry is extremely well thought out to guide you through the story without wondering what to do next. 

 The way you experience the different stories you uncover is varied. One plays out as a Tales from the Crypt style comic book. Another lets you fly a kite. One simulates getting lost in imagination at a monotonous job by controlling reality and imagination with the right and left sticks, respectively. It does not get stale. 

And it is emotionally effective. A very tight and beautiful experience. It’s similar to Gone Home but without the mild puzzle solving, less freedom, and so much more . . . perfect. 

 Is it a game? I don’t know. It does allow you to play, a few times. 

 But it is art. 

 It’s a 10 out of 10.

Nier: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition

Nier: Automata is the second game I finished in 2023. It’s an action RPG blended with a bullet hell shooter both in the traditional scrolling style and twin stick, in different places. 

 I started it several months ago, but took a break after the first ending, and then another after I lost half an hour into the second story and had to start it over. I ended up switching to easy at this point just to see the story, which really pulled me in by the time I got to the second ending. I did turn off all the auto combat chips, though, so I could still get the satisfaction of fighting even if I was rarely in danger of actually dying. 

Visuals, performance, and story are all excellent. Although I have to say I saw the big twist coming very early, it was satisfying to see it confirmed. 

The combat is fun but when there are a lot of enemies it can get difficult to keep track of what’s going on, and you can take cheap shots as a result. It’s also frustrating how the lock on function doesn’t work as well as you would expect. 

The many fetch quests available don’t really add much, so I only completed about a third of them. 

After you get most of the endings it opens up a chapter select option so you can jump in at any point and complete quests or follow other choices to see where they go. This is a very nice touch that hardly seems to fit the same ethos that would have let you die an hour into the game and have to start over. 

All in all, it’s an 8 out of 10.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

My first game finished in 2023 was Disco Elysium. 

The game is quite distinctive. It’s like playing a tabletop role playing game like D&D, giving you a lot of different options through dialogue. The success of your choices is sometimes predetermined but often is dictated by a combination of your stats and chance. And many problems can be solved in multiple ways, and in different orders. If you have physical prowess you can jump over a gap or break down a door, or intimidate people. Alternatively, you can figure people out, lie to them, or endear yourself to them to get them to let you in. 

The story has you solving a murder in a poor city in a fictional world, with a union led by a corrupt man squaring off against mercenaries hired by the capitalists. It also veers into various levels of strange magical realism. 

It was well written, with distinctive characters each having their own motivations and quirks. And given how open your choices are I was surprised at how well the entirely voice acted story remained consistent. You would think at some point someone would say something anachronistic, but that didn’t happen. 

It took a little bit to become invested in the story, but once I did I didn’t want to stop playing. A solid 10.

Death Denied: Through Waters, Through Flames (2022)

A handful of people have kept in touch with me from my days posting here, and one of them is from Poland's Death Denied. I covered them twice before on here, but if you're looking for a hit of Southern style metal in the vein of CoC's best period or Black Label Society, and also with a hint of Alice in Chains, you should check them out. "High Priestess of Down Low" is the highlight for me.

Erratum, Disclaimer

Everything I ever wrote on here was what I believed at the time. And I did not believe they were harmful. This does not excuse the harm they caused.

However, I have evolved. Learned. And I no longer believe many of the things that I once did.

I plan to go through and delete some of the more harmful things I wrote. I will inevitably miss things, especially comments made in other fora, or be unable to delete some of them. Let me know what I missed and I will do what I can.

Please understand, and know that I am an ally who is trying to be better.

Tyrant Goatgaldrakona: Horns in the Dark (2013)

I got this promo four years ago when Blood Harvest released a 12" LP (since sold out, long ago presumably). And even after all this time, I still find occasion to listen to it.

Tyrant Goatgaldrakona is a Hungarian band who were on the leading edge of the burgeoning old-school death metal revival of the era. Vastum would be a close analog to what you find here.

It's primitive death metal with relentless drumming and riffs that shift from standard detuned thrash to tremolo-picked to slower, groovy sections peppered throughout. The solos are simplified, atonal, Slayer-esque, in the grand tradition of primitive death metal.

You'll hardly be able to tell the songs apart, mostly (a couple do stand out, like the longer cuts which open and close the record). But you will enjoy it. And that's all you really need.

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Negativity, Etc., and the Time Machine

Yes, it was bad form for me to come back from a long hiatus with a negative review.

But indulge me for a minute.

My queue of albums to review became extremely long, and clogged with stuff I didn't feel strongly about one way or the other. I didn't want to listen to them again to write a review. I put on Cough the other day, thinking that it should be a rare glimmer of light, and it sorely disappointed me, filling me with a rage.

So I've set about the task of clearing out the stuff I don't care about from the queue.

And soon I will have more reviews for you. Because I filled up that queue so long ago, it may feel like a bit of a time machine. Some of this stuff is OLD.

Cough: Still They Pray (2016)

I'm Still Alive

Yes, I'm still alive, and on occasion I'll review something. If it stands out to me. And it will probably be ridiculously out of date by the time I get around to it. Like this one.

Cough was awesome. Seriously, you should go back and read my review of Ritual Abuse. And then go buy Ritual Abuse, because Still They Pray sucks.

Ritual Abuse was dynamic, and the riffs had a beat you could bob your head to. The vocals were good, there was variety to the riffs, and they never dragged anything on.

Still They Pray is plodding monotony and the vocals this time around are just annoying.

I fell like that's all you need to go. But seriously, they used to be good.

Baroness: Purple (2015)

Mostly I blame myself for the lack of posting lately, but you can also blame Baroness. These assholes have been keeping me from checking out new music, because I keep listening to Purple. I haven't had time to listen to much of anything else, and I haven't needed to.

I know you've probably already heard it by now, or maybe you don't care about the band. But either way, it deserves another listen. I've been listening to it constantly. Several times each week--sometimes twice in a day--since it came out six months ago. I haven't listened to a single album this much since the days of the CD, which for me has been over for more than a decade.

Less experimental than its predecessor, Purple distills the essence of Baroness as a rock band, presenting a more focused, yet more fully realized picture than did Yellow & Green. It also makes the band's finest statement to date. That's saying a lot when you consider this is (at its core) the same band who created Blue Record.

These are catchy, pure rock songs, with masterfully crafted hooks and just enough solo shred to remind you of what they can do. It's less melancholic than their prior masterwork (Blue), but only in the sense that it's more dynamic. It hits that melancholy, with more joy, more hope, more lament, and--surprisingly, considering this is no longer a metal band--more anger.

Simply put, these are as good as the best riffs Baroness have written, in some of the best songs they've performed, and certainly the best collection of songs they've put together. Now, put that in the high-resolution realm of a rich, textured mix.

This is the defining album in an already-impressive catalog. And it's one to which I will keep returning for many years to come.

The Verdict: 5 out of 5 stars

Lifting Goal: Combined 1000 Pounds in July

In an effort to get back into blogging again, I think I'm moving somewhat away from reviews, and moving toward talking about music in the context of my life. To that end, I present Mortal Torment's album Cleaver Redemption.



It's ridiculous, brutal death metal. The kind of stuff music writers like to make fun of, because it's dumb. But it's also awesome. Hilarious sound bites ("Yes, it's true. This man has no dick.") introduce this music that's perfect for weight training.

The album has been a powerful ally as I've been seeking my weight training goals. Those goals have now become more concrete. I plan to participate in the Cornhusker State Games this year. That's a Nebraska multi-sport series of events. And the powerlifting event is slated for July 16. That's where I plan to hit a combined 1000 pound total on the bench press, squat, and deadlift.

Where do I stand now, and how far do I have to go? Right now I have a confirmed total of 920. That's 250 bench, 260 squat, and 410 deadlift. Obviously making 80 pounds in gains in just four months sounds like an unattainable goal, but I'm stronger than that confirmed total would suggest.

I don't always push myself to my absolute one rep max. For one thing, that's not an advisable way to train for the long-term. But there are formulas you can use that have proven to be extremely accurate. You take a lesser weight, lift it as many reps as you can, and plug those numbers into the formula to find your predicted one rep max.

My bench press has been stuck at 250 since last July, which has been an endless source of frustration to me. But I've recently tweaked my bench press training, and showing results. An extra rep at 215 pounds now, which translates to a predicted max of 258.

In terms of my squat, back in October I found I was not squatting deep enough. So I scrapped everything and started over, slowly building. Though my confirmed max is only 260, my predicted max is 293.

And my deadlift continues to improve, thanks in part to some helpful tips from others. The predicted max there is 424.

All told, that's a predicted total of 975 for now. My true total may be slightly less than that, but it puts things in perspective and makes that goal of 1000 pounds appear to be well within reach.

Now, today and tomorrow are rest days. Then it's back to the iron, and the Greek brutality of Mortal Torment.