For some reason I haven't been able to find a game to really grab me for a long time, not since Hades. Don't know if that means I've just been playing 7/10 games, or if I'm so worn out by everything going on that my heart isn't in it.

Final Fantasy Tactics x Octopath seems intriguing! I really enjoyed Octopath, and a more involved plot would solve my single issue with it.

I wasn't really that keen on Rex joining Smash...so I'm happy he didn't! Pyra/Mythra I'm all for!

Barbers have been closed for months so my hair's longer than it has ever been...and I kind of like it? I do have bad hair days now and I don't know how to do it right on purpose, but I just got off the couch, walked by a mirror, and saw a happy accident.

As someone who doesn't know shit about Kingdom Hearts except "It confuses me", the listings on Epic...confuse me. From what I'm getting the $50 bundle is all games except Dream Drop Distance and 3, which are $60 each? If so, that one sounds worth a go.

Bandwagoning on the Balan Wonderworld demo: it has some fun ideas and cute art, but it doesn't have the level design, gameplay mechanics or controls to make it work. Billy Hatcher this ain't. Also, tell me this opening song isn't just "Friend like me".

I hope this post won't come back to bite me, but for now it's too good not to share. Last Monday, when other cities in the Netherlands were faced with riots, someone in my town violated the curfew...to write "Stay Strong" in the snow on the main square.

Power has been out for the past three hours. Send help. I'd say this is like living in Limbo, only I can't play LIMBO to verify BECAUSE THAT WOULD REQUIRE ME TO HAVE POWER!

A curfew went into effect in the Netherlands today, to hopefully halt a wave of the virus. On the one hand it sucks that so much has to be surrendered, but on the other hand...I'm a nerd; what the fuck was I ever going to do after 9? Parties? Booty calls?

It is a wonderful cold day in DC, and you are a horrible goose.

The memes are all well and good, but leave it to the man himself to one-up it all. #blessedmas

I get the worst Imposter Syndrome sometimes. I'm staring at the article I wrote that by all accounts is nearly ready for submission and all I can think is "This is crap. I may need to rewrite the whole thing."

It's okay, MH Rise, I'm already going to buy you. You don't have to convince me anymo-OH MY GOD HE'S SUCH A PRECIOUS CUTIE! <3

That's nice, Monster Hunter. Now, would you care to explain why the move "Axe: Elemental Roundslash" is not actually listed in the controls anywhere? Good lord, I'm literally an academic and I can't figure this thing out. Back to Bows and Hammers it is!

I finally set up my internet blocker at home, because it was clear I needed it to focus. Any blocked site now shows me this image instead. Also, notice how I'm here on Destructoid telling you about it....I'm still ironing out the kinks, okay?!

ALSO YOU GET AN OWL FRIEND! Hard sold.

It took me a second to realize it, but the doggo friend from Monster Hunter Rise is literally just Repede (Tales of Vesperia), isn't it? One of the demo builds even named it "Yuri"!

It turns out I'm waaaaay out of practice for Monster Hunter. Nearly had trouble with the easy demo quest! I will say that the demo doesn't explain the new mechanics very well, but I feel like they have a lot of potential to make the game more fun.

In the spirit of Dere's Lord of the Rings-based Wholesome Friday, here is Sir Ian McKellen getting his vaccine. "Next time I come, well no, six days after I next come I'm going to give them all a big hug - is that allowed?"

According to an Oral History piece published by Bloomberg today, during development of the original Xbox Microsoft reached out to acquire Nintendo. They got laughed out of the room.

I've been watching a bit of a Bugsnax Let's Play, and now I can't stop doing Bunger impressions. It's too good. Bunger bunger bunger bunger-bunger.

I'm not so sure I've watched Lord of the Rings this year, and I've got about 12 hours until midnight. I'm done with 2020 on Earth; I'm out.

I don't think I've ever spent as much on videogames as I did the past year. Then again, I'm missing out on some other expenses, and this is been an extremely "screw it" kind of year. The backlog is MASSIVE but the good news is that I only got burned once.

Here's a counter-recommendation for RiffRaff & friends: I am Dead. It's effectively a hidden object game, but you examine each item in an MRI-like manner. Lots of fun voyeuristic surprises to be found, like a guy hiding Crocs literally all over his house.

It's official, you guys: It's almost Christmas.

Finished Control, loved it. In terms of gameplay I was well and truly done with it, but I could read those documents and watch Darling for hours. Spoilers in the comments for my absolute favorite bit (endgame) that actually made me laugh out loud.

Lately I bought a few games from other stores than Steam, but those often don't support my Switch Pro Controller. Turns out, by using Steam's "add non-Steam game" function it instantly works perfectly! I feel like that shouldn't work, but it 100% does!

Sephiroth seems like a fairly standard fighter, but they did right by him nonetheless. Plus, a ton more FFVII music now! Plus plus, out today! (if you beat the special mode)

So Immortals: Fenyx Rising is already 33% off on at Ubisoft and at the Epic store it seems you can apply an extra €10 discount. I wasn't ready to jump at full price, but at effectively half-off that's more interesting. Anyone has thoughts on the game?

#Blessedmas My favorite channel to watch lately has been the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who you might remember from their Animal Crossing streams about the museum. I watch the penguin feeding every day, and also here's more penguin because penguin.