There has long been a debate about whether happiness is a fleeting, almost chemical spark that comes and goes without warning, or whether a more enduring version of happiness can settle into something like a steady state. Philosophers, psychologists, and everyone in between have tried to moderate this debate with different terminology-contentment, joy, life satisfaction, hedonia, eudaimonia, and so on.
When they don't seem checked out, they're busy telling you the elaborate details of how their marriage collapsed over intimacy issues. Or confiding in you about their secret plans to make everyone in their polycule very unhappy. Maybe they won't stop talking about video games (which can go either way, really). Or, as upcoming indie narrative game DateBoy simulates, maybe the guy you're dating won't stop playing video games. Ugh, my eyes are up here, buddy.
For many triple-A video games, appealing to a wide audience often means ensuring players can see a game to its conclusion. That sometimes translates to sanding down combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving to make it approachable as possible. But this can sometimes veer into making games too guided for their own good. Hell is Us tosses all of these conventions out of the window. Goodbye quest logs, maps, and objective arrows telling you where to go. By trusting players to figure things out, Hell is Us' smart level and puzzle design shine to create compelling and rewarding discoveries, despite middling combat and uneven storytelling.
Jenny Saville's paintings contain many narratives, including the journey of the painter, which can be traced through every brushstroke, mirroring the creative process of writing.
Lies of P takes place in the fictional city of Krat, a booming city of technology and innovation that discovered the technology of puppets - robotic beings that have made life infinitely easier. But a phenomenon known as the Puppet Frenzy has made the thousands of robots go mad and wantonly attack the city, on top of a Petrification Disease that's swept through Krat.
Ghost of Tsushima tells a complicated and deeply troubling narrative about revenge, possible avunculicide, and a warrior pushed to commit atrocities in order to protect the people he loves.
I didn't get to play too much of Time Stranger at Summer Game Fest--about 20 minutes in total. After exploring a hub-like area and seeing various Digimon (including a fun Digimon Adventure 02 easter egg of Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Wormmon hanging out together)...
