Chamberlain and Chance

All the teraflops in the world can't fix Assassin's Creed bugs. Chamberlain would very much like to be playing Valhalla but the last patch broke fast travel and saving, so he is being visually overwhelmed (not in a good way) by Dirt 5 instead. Chance plays the only real next gen game, Demon's Souls, as it is a promise of what the new machines can really do. And Alex significantly ups his GPU horsepower becasuse a new video card was a thing that he could but with money and a PS5 still is not. 

The next generation has finally arrived in full. Chance has obtained his PS5, Chamberlain has both because he lacks common sense, and Alex continues to use his gaming PC, pledging his continued allegiance to the PC master race. No spoilers for Spider-Man Miles Morales this week, but all bets are off soon. Chance celebrates his new box by playing an old game at a better frame rate and resolution. Chamberlain tries and fails to find enough hours to play everything and Alex decides that sleep is now completely optional, playing two Assassin's Creed games at the same time. Everything is permitted, but come on man.

Welcome to the new generation! Sort of. Chamberlain has obtained an Xbox Series X and it feels more like buying a new video card than a new console. And neither Chance nor Chamberlain have a PS5. So Fuck Walmart. But there are games being played! Alex and Chance have played Assassin's Creed Valhalla and have managed to make Chamberlain vibrate with anticipation. He can't wait to stop playing Watch Dogs Legion. And so begins the next next gen - with a lot of yelling and just a tinge of disappointment. 

In case anyone has forgotten, Chance is Canadian. This means that he is extraordinarily polite, has a plus three bonus to cold resistance and has a vested interest in what goes on to the south of his very large, unguarded border. And just like Chance and Chamberlain are between console generations at the moment with no real guarantee on when the next will arrive, Chamberlain and Alex are between White House regimes. Neither of these positions are comfortable. Chance makes do with Ghost of Tsushima Legends. Alex finds solace in the Truffula trees of No Man's Sky and Chamberlian finds a new appreciation for British swearing in Watch Dogs: Legion.  

Excitement for the new hardware builds in spite of neither Chamberlain nor Chance knowing exactly when their new toys will arrive. Chance has filled these painful hours by reaching demigod status in Ghost of Tsushima Legends. Chamberlain can only gain joy from spoiling things, so if you care about Amnesia Rebirth spoilers (you shouldn't) skip overt his bits. He also wades through Layers of Fear 2, an even more mediocre 'horror' game. And Alex sidesteps all of the release date drama with Fallout 76, a game that he still insists is good now.

Weeks ago, both Chance and Alex dismissed the Ghost of Tsushima Legends expansion. Multiplayer samurai adventures? Who would want to play that? It turns out that Destiny 2 plus a sweet parry mechanic is Chance's kryptonite as that has, for the moment, pulled him away from Overwatch. Alex throws $15 down a hole and tries Fallout 76. He says it's fine but that may just be a coping mechanism. And Chamberlain makes the sad realization that he is too jaded to be frightened by a game even when that is exactly what he is looking for. No spoilers for Amnesia Rebirth this week but full plot spoiler in a week.

As the generation winds down our heroes need to dig deeper for entertainment. Chance returns to old (and new) friends in Overwatch and Ghost of Tsushima. Chamberlain spends a few fleeting moments with pixel art indies Huntdown and Ikenfell. And Alex dives deep into the lore or Warhammer with Warhammer 2 Total War. Plus just a little more Hades talk. No minds have been changed.

The Hades debate continues. Chamberlain is convinced that the whole world is wrong, that Hades is not worth the time, and Chance and Alex are having none of it. Chamberlian also bounces soundly off of Crusader Kings III, Scourgebringer and Wasteland 3 before landing on the mediocre (at best) Star Wars Squadrons. Chance has no patience for mediocrity so he left Squadrons in favor of a Ghost of Tsushima replay. And Alex is still playing Hades. For some odd reason. In spite of Chamberlain's futile insistence that it really isn't very good.

Also, I know I screwed up the first verse of Jabberwocky. It's a goddamn mouthful.

Pickings are a bit slim this week. Chamberlain didn't play Hades (on purpose). It's October now, so it is time for spooky games and the best he could come up with is Maid of Sker. Alex waited several years and several price drops to play Lord of the Rings: Shadow of War, a very smart decision. And Chance played just enough 13 Sentinels to be disappointed by it, just enough Spelunky 2 to be frustrated by it and just enough No Man's Sky to question his 'Alex was right' stance.

Chamberlain would like to apologize for his mood. He did not secure an Xbox Series X preorder and therefore everything is terrible. Even Hades. Chance insists that Hades is good but does not know quite what to make of 13 Sentinels, splitting time between that and a host of spooky movies. Alex also insists that Hades is good, inching in on game of the year territory before Cyberpunk even comes out.