The summer is almost over, and I have to say I’m ready for it. Fall is probably my favorite season, as I always look forward to cooler weather and the holidays. Plus, more video game releases, and if I’m lucky, more time to play them!
Last month I focused a lot on playing through the first Mass Effect game. I’m just about at the Virmire mission, so I’ll probably wrap it up in a couple more sessions! You can read my game diary here. =)
I also tried Mortal Kombat X, which is my first experience with the series. My boyfriend bought the game and wanted me to try it, so even though I don’t usually like fighting games, I eventually caved and played with him. It was instant love. I was hooked. I’ve been playing mostly as D’Vorah, and while the learning curve is steep, mastering her moves is a lot of fun. I’m sure I’ll write a blog post about the game soon. I’m so addicted my fingers actually get tired of playing before I do.
As for writing my sci-fi novel, last week I had a major breakthrough that really tied a lot of subplots and themes together. It’s like I had more of an idea — characters, a world, a premise — than a story, until now. I used Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to flesh out the plot and hit all of the major beats in my story. I’m really excited to finish this thing now! I have this bottle of wine from a wine club I’m in, which has a typewriter as part of the logo design. Partly just to be funny, I decided to save it until I finish the first draft of my novel. Now, I really hope to drink it this year!
Anyway, this coming month, I’m excited to watch Suicide Squad. One of my favorite shows, Halt and Catch Fire, is also kicking off its third season this month.
But the real excitement is with all the video game releases — the holiday season feels like it’s already getting started, as I don’t think things are going to slow down until next year! The big ones for me this month are No Man’s Sky, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Telltale’s first episode of their Batman series. I’m really curious about that last one, as I just wrapped up their Tales from the Borderlands series and kind of flipped out over how good it was. Tales really showed their range, as it has a much different tone — and greater sense of humor — than their other titles. Now I want to see what they can do with Batman, and how they approach it in terms of tone.
What are you guys looking forward to this month? And what have you been playing lately?
— Ashley
Robo♥beat 
I’m so glad you found your groove with your novel! I hope you finish your draft before the end of the year so you can crack that bottle of wine to celebrate. :) I don’t think I’m going to finish my novel before the end of the year, but there’s always next year to aim for, right? Keep going, Ashley!!
Aww thank you! I’m ready to just plough through to the end now haha. It always takes longer than I think it will, though. Keep going too and good luck, it’ll be so exciting to read each other’s novels someday! :)
Agree completely on the games, August has the potential for being a cracking month. ABZU looks amazing too.
Oh yeah, I forgot about ABZU! That game looks really intriguing. Gotta add it to the list, I’m going to start stockpiling games again soon I think…
It’s by the guy/team who did Flower and Journey. They proved games can be art and emotionally complex so this next one should push things even further.
They tend to get lost under the annual franchises but games like ABZU are the most important showcases for the depth and range of the industry and should be lauded as such.
I hear you about the seasons. I’m more than ready for the hot weather to go away. Winter may be my favourite time of year, but I love autumn, too.
Good luck with your novel. I haven’t touched mine in months. Need to find a way out of this rut.
The lion’s share of my gaming time this month will be devoted to World of Warcraft. Pre-expansion events and all. While I don’t intend to play Legion at launch right now, I did pre-order so I can start my demon hunter early. In the meantime I’m amusing myself with collecting pretty clothes/cool weapons with the appearance system. Already have several outfits for my demon hunter ready to go, and she doesn’t even exist yet.
When I can tear myself away from Azeroth, I’ll continue to poke around in Landmark. Let me tell you: Digging out a valley is easy. Making it look natural is not. Maybe some SW:TOR, too, if I can find the time.
For TV, I’m continuing to enjoy Dark Matter’s second season, and Canadian Netflix now has every Star Trek series, so I think it’s time I reacquaint myself with Enterprise. Been far too long since I watched it last.
Nice. Another not-summer person!
I think I’ve seen reviews of Dark Matter episodes from you, but I’ve been avoiding them as I’m still working through the first season. I’m really enjoying the show!
And yes, Star Trek on Netflix. Have fun rewatching, I know I have watched a lot of Star Trek series on Netflix too.
If you feel like dumpster diving, you could always dig up my reviews from season one…