But the mystery was half the point.

I don’t think I have autism, but my story to relate to this: I was in downtown Houston once with some friends and I told them about this spot nearby where there’s a big red button that you can push. It was only a couple of blocks away, and no one was interested. It’s a big red button! You push it and it does something! Am I the only one with a sense of adventure?!

There are a lot of things about Elden Ring that are great, but they’re just not for me. Like the whole gross aesthetic or the sweaty-rolly-dodgy combat. None of that works for me.

But in terms of creating an actual meaningfully open world, it’s a fucking masterpiece. I was constantly, constantly astounded at how full the world was. If that’s something you value, I can’t recommend it enough.

Zeus wouldn’t let him. Odysseus was fated to return home eventually.

I’m not saying you need to play the entire game, but you said you enjoyed act 1. Act 3 is more open, like act 1. Act 2 is just a short interlude that plays differently than most of the game.

It’s also just a huge part of the game and feels like it’s what the game as a whole is meant to be.

You’re entitled to your opinions, but the question at hand refers to a game you sunk a lot of time into, and you didn’t even get halfway through this one.

Act 3 is like half the total game. If you didn’t even make it halfway through the game then I don’t think you played enough of it.

I liked the style and most of the characters, but why didn’t they interact at all? Add like ten times as much writing and Octopath would be amazing to me.

I felt ambivalent about BotW mostly because I thought the destructible weapons were bullshit. I’m a completionist for Zelda games, and this one didn’t let me feel I’d completed it.

Still, I didn’t hate it. I guess the open world was impressive?

Then a few years later Elden Ring came out and I realized that BotW’s open world is actually garbage. In Elden Ring I see something that looks interesting in the distance. I go to it and find a new, unique dungeon. When I finish it, I get a reward, usually some kind of new weapon or spell. And even if that weapon or spell doesn’t fit my playstyle, I can totally imagine a scenario where it’s actually really great.

BotW I see something that looks interesting in the distance, and it’s just another fucking shrine or Korok seed or some other bullshit.

The top of that masher is clearly protecting the cube from the rain, so I’m not sure how the rain is expected to shoot the cube out as in option B.

A.

Last Christmas my daughter kept getting closer to figuring things out until one night she cryptically said, “I can’t wait until I’m an adult so I can learn about grown up secrets.”

“What kind of secrets are those?”

“You know, like if Santa wasn’t real or something.”

“Well if Santa wasn’t real, then we’d definitely want to keep that secret from kids like your little brother, so we’d never ever talk about it.”

“Oh yeah.”

Then she never mentioned it again.

It may have been our fault for doing way too many holiday activities. She must have met four or five different Santas that year.

It’s not really about the evidence. Once they figure it out you can get them to play along a little longer, but they know.

In my experience, if someone doesn’t want to be friends anymore, all you can do is move on. Her explanation isn’t an invitation to fix something and try again. It’s just a small attempt at politeness. It may not even be the whole truth. It may even be an attempt at specifically discouraging you from trying again.

Even if you got her to agree to “give you another chance”, what kind of friendship would result from that? You, constantly walking on eggshells to avoid doing something you never realized you were doing? Her, just going through the motions out of guilt for a friendship she tried to end?

Just move on. It’s hard. It’ll stick with you. But just move on.

This is likely the best thing I will read today.

You seem to have misread my comment. Providing convenience and affordability is a way to win over customers and make more money. Exclusivity is anti-consumer.

I like to go the extra mile. I uncensor shit emphatically.

A censored “shit” in a post about Star Trek? “SHIT” in big Star Trek font.

“Cunt” in a post about the UK? Enjoy your “CUNT” dressed in a union jack.

The censored word is “cock”? Here’s “COCK” in flesh tones with bulging purple veins on it.

Fucking lean into it.

The point of modern consoles should be to provide a convenient and affordable way to play games. Not everyone has or wants a gaming PC.

Oh shit. That explains it for me too then.

Yo.

Yes, that is a new fetish alright. Never heard of anyone into that before.

I’ve got shame for years. But sometimes I draw something nice. I’ve actually seen some of my stuff reposted as memes, and that feels like the opposite of shame, whatever that is.

Anyway you don’t do it for the art or whatever. You do it because it’s good for you.