The Backlog Check-in Vol. 424: 2/14/26: Avowed PS5 Edition

[isthatallyougot]

Izzy, having 4 children and a wife who traveled for work made doing anything I wanted to do extremely difficult . I am currently sitting outside in the car waiting for the 10 year old to finish so I can take her home before going to the pharmacy to get a prescription for the baby. Then I will go home and make spaghetti for dinner

(It was at this point I had to stop typing the message because I had to help the child find her Apple watch which is the only way we can communicate with her out in the world because she doesn't have a phone. I am getting ready to get up and go to the gym now and remembered I started this message so I returned now )

After dinner, it's bathing the babies and putting them to bed which is a chore in itself so I get done with all of that by 9. I go to bed at 10. So time is a real luxury. Gaming when my primary genres are RPGs and the like is very much a problem given my limited time. I have this whole week off and don't think I turned on my Steam Deck even once since Friday morning on the train to work But at least I get to lift daily. So there's that .

Played: I think it was only River City Girls and SOR4

Beat: Nothing

This week: bruh, see above. I should just play Ballatro exclusively, it requires very little attention .

But I will get a list together soon. Reflection is a good skill to develop, good for gratitude and what not .

Hopefully it goes without saying that I was only playfully poking you. You've shared enough details of your life here that I'm quite aware of your burden/blessing. You must be the energizer bunny, ha. Whereas for myself, I can easily feel overwhelmed, even when channeling the spirit of David Puddy.



I'll look forward to it if life ever grants the moment.

[isthatallyougot]

I have found myself extending my time with Dragon Quest 8 simply because of how much I have loved it. And it got me thinking about some of my all-time favorite games, especially on the PS2, appropriately enough, given the name of our board.

There are so many wonderful games, but what really came to the front of my awareness now was Okami.



Maybe I'm due for a replay. A funny story about that one. I have pre-ordered exactly ONE game in my life. I always found it silly and unnecessary, personally. You could, almost without exception, go pick up a game on release day, even if you had to go to a couple different stores. And, I usually liked to wait until it was cheaper and get it later after a discount. I know there were/are sometimes pre-order bonuses, but I never cared. But for some inexplicable reason, I DID pre-order Okami and there was a bonus - a Buddha board where you would make water art on a surface - an image that would only last for a little while as you learned/practiced embodying impermanence and taking joy in the present moment - the only living moment there can ever be. This one here:



My child and I played with it quite a bit and had fun making our fleeting images of beauty and then letting them go so that something new could be born.

Anyway, there is something incredibly beautiful about this game/experience, and I have found that game and character (Amaterasu) to have remained living within me. In my interpretation

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(I know the name references Japanese folklore/mythology, but I'm just referring to this experience here, although there is surely intended overlap.)

, this being is a life-giver - a light that can withstand ANY darkness because her/its light is self-contained and does not depend on any external sustenance. It is the fundamental nature of this being, and I imagine her/it saying (with no necessary abstraction - simply by presence), "If your light was extinguished by the darkness of the world or maybe never even had the chance to properly burn, if you search and all you can find is darkness within, all is well. I will shine for you, and as you take my hand (paw ), we will walk together and your ember will reignite and your flame will burn again as always intended." There is this quality of transformation and effortless miracles simply by the virtue of its nature. It can appear ferocious and intimidating, given its power, but all of its effects are pointed towards the greater good - towards healing and LIFE. Sometimes things must be burned to ash in order for the soil of rebirth to become fertile, but the net result is renewal of vibrant life and healing grace.





And, of course, the game is beautiful visually, but for some reason music always connects on an even deeper level for me, and there are so many tracks worthy of mention. But there is one that touched me in some peculiar way long ago and has truly lived within as the appearance of this life has unfolded.



I cannot say why or even how it resonated with such an endless and mysterious echo, but it surely has.

In other gaming news, we have reached the apex of the USBL season. After the lengthy battle and marathon of the journey, an adventure FULL of highs and lows, the New York Rose and the (my) Michigan Lakesiders will meet in the glory of the Victors' Crown.

[argyle]

There are so many wonderful games, but what really came to the front of my awareness now was Okami.

I've really fallen out of following upcoming releases. There are some I'm aware of, mainly because of how much promotion/hype is put out that they're impossible to miss, but even the ones I'm interested in these days I wait until I'm ready to play them & they're cheaper. Usually if I'm playing a new release at release, it's because it was put up on Gamepass.

That said, I was talking to Tam the other day & I told her the only announced upcoming game that I *really* want to see more info on is the new Okami. The last thing I heard was the director talking about how they wanted to make the sequel that the fans wanted, and that combined with the fact that apparently a good chunk of the core original team is working on it has me extremely hopeful. That *will* be one I get at release.

I need to take pics of my Okami collection soon. I have about 5 games/franchises that I casually collect for these days, and that's one of them. Y'know, I think I could go for a replay of that one myself.

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[canedaddy]

Okami is a very special game indeed. The HD version is $9.99 on PSN right now.

Did any of y'all play Okamiden? It was pretty good but not on the same level as the OG.

[argyle]

Okami is a very special game indeed. The HD version is $9.99 on PSN right now.

Did any of y'all play Okamiden? It was pretty good but not on the same level as the OG.

I have it, but never got around to playing it while I could still see the DS screens.

[isthatallyougot]

There are so many wonderful games, but what really came to the front of my awareness now was Okami.

I've really fallen out of following upcoming releases. There are some I'm aware of, mainly because of how much promotion/hype is put out that they're impossible to miss, but even the ones I'm interested in these days I wait until I'm ready to play them & they're cheaper. Usually if I'm playing a new release at release, it's because it was put up on Gamepass.

That said, I was talking to Tam the other day & I told her the only announced upcoming game that I *really* want to see more info on is the new Okami. The last thing I heard was the director talking about how they wanted to make the sequel that the fans wanted, and that combined with the fact that apparently a good chunk of the core original team is working on it has me extremely hopeful. That *will* be one I get at release.

I need to take pics of my Okami collection soon. I have about 5 games/franchises that I casually collect for these days, and that's one of them. Y'know, I think I could go for a replay of that one myself.


anime-thinking.gif

You should share your Okami loot. I DO hope it lives up to the original, but we'll have to wait and see.

Okami is a very special game indeed. The HD version is $9.99 on PSN right now.

Did any of y'all play Okamiden? It was pretty good but not on the same level as the OG.

I started it many years ago, but only *just*. I think it was one of those in-between-games states where you just kind of pick up a variety of things and sample and dabble in that gaming "Pursuit of Happiness" until you find yourself continuing to play something while the other trials are sort of abandoned for some imagined later date. I do remember that my brief exposure was positive though, and it seemed to carry the same essence as the OG.

Edit: argyle is blind!





I think I half-way skimmed some bit of information while browsing online that indicated that this guy was in trouble or did something unseemly. I can't remember if that's accurate or not though. I sure did love the show though!



I still think one of the most underrated/understated comedy scenes is the crash where Julian emerges with his drink still full after the vehicle rolls. I mean it's his character staple/signature, and the fact that apparently nothing can alter it is so funny to me.



I mean, they did emphasize it with the lingering camera, but it still just landed hilariously.

[canedaddy]

I sure did love the show though!

My favorites were these two:



I actually saw Ricky, Julian and Bubbles on stage in D.C. many years ago. Very funny show.

[argyle]

I think it was one of those in-between-games states where you just kind of pick up a variety of things and sample and dabble in that gaming "Pursuit of Happiness" until you find yourself continuing to play something while the other trials are sort of abandoned for some imagined later date.

So that's not just me then? Good to know!

I keep meaning to check that show out - it's Canadian, right? A good friend of mine turned me onto another great Canadian sitcom last year: