Chapter 13 done - lots of damage sponge bosses and lots of me getting one-shot. I could drag things out with all of my consumables but it was pretty rough. Hopefully I still have opportunities for item shopping or whatever.

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · 19h ago

Okay chapter 13 of FFXV really keeps going, so I'll come back to it later. Neglected to mention it earlier but there are some thematic things in the game I really like. Chapter 9 has Luna communing with Leviathan, and the juxtaposition of a god negotiating with a regular girl is kind of awesome.

The title track on this is pretty nice. Chopped up stuttered rhythms and things <3 #nowplaying officialdjhybrid.bandcamp.com/album/boom03...

BOOM032 - DJ Hybrid - Movements EP, by DJ Hybrid

5 track album

officialdjhybrid.bandcamp.com

There needs to be a 100-step sidequest where you assemble a shelving unit. And it just dumps every dowel, screw and bit of wood in your inventory randomly when you accept.

IGN@ign.com · 2d ago

IKEA is coming to Skyrim in an unexpected collaboration that has fans making the same joke about The Elder Scrolls 6. https://bit.ly/3T82D7y

Okay chapter 13 of FFXV really keeps going, so I'll come back to it later. Neglected to mention it earlier but there are some thematic things in the game I really like. Chapter 9 has Luna communing with Leviathan, and the juxtaposition of a god negotiating with a regular girl is kind of awesome.

“having to hunt for money” <- I’ve just found the Treasures tab containing items that exist to be sold for money. About 40000 just sitting there.

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · 2d ago

I feel like the modern elements of FFXV (the mobile phones, the car) aren't really that "weird" next to the other design elements that rewire my RPG brain (having to cash in experience, having to hunt for money, managing food and fuel.) There's definitely an acclimation period.

The White House arcade thing is so bizarre. Even the most committed racist isn't going to play a crap Snake or Tetris reskin when several decades of ethically dubious action games exist.

random additional FFXV thoughts: it's interesting coming to this from XVI, and knowing that this was one of the series' first "action-y" efforts. You can kind of see where fine-tuning was needed for the next game, and where it was applied (by Ryota Suzuki, admittedly) in Clive's adventure.

That said, I did enjoy the Altissia "negotiation" minigame before this - it was almost like a cute nod to the FFVI banquet ✨

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · 2d ago

Up to chapter 10 in FFXV. I thought there would be more of a gimmick to the boss at the end of chapter 9, and died a bunch trying to discover it, but "nah just waste time until it's within warp-strike distance". Like the chapter 4 boss, it was another set-piece battle.

Up to chapter 10 in FFXV. I thought there would be more of a gimmick to the boss at the end of chapter 9, and died a bunch trying to discover it, but "nah just waste time until it's within warp-strike distance". Like the chapter 4 boss, it was another set-piece battle.

I feel like the modern elements of FFXV (the mobile phones, the car) aren't really that "weird" next to the other design elements that rewire my RPG brain (having to cash in experience, having to hunt for money, managing food and fuel.) There's definitely an acclimation period.

Skimmed through State of Play so far. A date for FFVII R3 was all I was after, so now I can start scheduling an OG/Remake/Rebirth playthrough. Maybe.

...too soon to put up my curtain of pumpkin LEDs? 🤔

The chapter 7 boss of FFXV was… not fun, but items and well-timed parries helped. At least I had time to prep afterwards and didn’t get teleported straight into another dungeon- ah fuck

Not too sold on the chorus but this P4R battle theme isn't bad. It just means I'll have to optimise encounters to finish them quickly. 😁 www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ffu...

Persona 4 Revival OST - Prime Time Golden Hour Show (Battle Theme)

YouTube video by Rubhen925

youtube.com

(Also Steyliff Grove (or whatever it is) wrecked me yesterday so it may be a case of grinding around the entrance, or doing stuff elsewhere in the world...)

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · 4d ago

More FFXV notes: Aranea and her impractical boob armour were no match for my stockpiled potions and tactic of “running away whilst waiting for the next team attack.”

More FFXV notes: Aranea and her impractical boob armour were no match for my stockpiled potions and tactic of “running away whilst waiting for the next team attack.”

SEIKEN DONKSETSU 2 (sound on)

LET IT DIE: Offline Edition now available Publisher GungHo Online Entertainment and developer Supertrick Games have released LET IT DIE: Offline Edition for PlayStation 4 and PC via…... https://www.gematsu.com/2026/09/let-it-die-offline-edition-now-available

LET IT DIE: Offline Edition now available

Publisher GungHo Online Entertainment and developer Supertrick Games have released LET IT DIE: Offline Edition for PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. To play it, a $19.99 purchase of the downloadable content "Offline Key" is required.

gematsu.com

*shrugs* Game ownership died as soon as consoles could go online - a disc with a 128kb activation key that serves as a "license" to play is nothing new. The only crappy thing is that they know this and don't do a whole lot to improve the digital experience.

VGC@videogameschronicle.com · 4d ago

Sony says "reasonable consumers" know they don’t own the digital PlayStation games they buy. It argues that it's "not plausible" to suggest that when they buy a digital game they actually believe they're "obtaining ownership" of it. www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-sa...

The month in games | August: Final Fantasy VI Speedball 2 Marathon (2026) (stop laughing) And the beginning of another attempt to play Final Fantasy XV, which I'll hopefully continue in September. Last month: bsky.app/profile/qazi...

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · last mo.

The month in games | July: Live-A-Live ("Never-Ending Cycle" ending) Robobeat Or, "the month in Live-A-Live." The RPG isn't free from criticism, and I didn't bother with the for-realsies ending... but also it kind of dominated my gaming time for a while 😊 Last month: bsky.app/profile/qazi...

#nowplaying soundcloud.com/bop/ruminati...

Rumination

Bookings: iambop.bookings@gmail.com Send me tunes: demosforbop@gmail.com New EP: https://microfunk.bandcamp.com/album/blips-3000 Electronic music producer & DJ @HospitalRecords Artist @MicrofunkMus

soundcloud.com

Reached chapter 5! Not sure why I dropped it at the chapter 4 encounter last time, but everything beyond here will be new to me.

Dan (qazimod)@qazimod.bsky.social · 5d ago

Installed my Steam copy of FFXV recently. Now, and over September, I'm going to make another spirited attempt to actually "get" it. Primary goal is to get past the point at which I dropped the PS4 game (midway through ch4.)

State of Play returns on September 3, followed immediately by State of Play Japan! Full details on the back-to-back broadcasts: play.st/4wUjfNR

Installed my Steam copy of FFXV recently. Now, and over September, I'm going to make another spirited attempt to actually "get" it. Primary goal is to get past the point at which I dropped the PS4 game (midway through ch4.)

Now if he’d said “somebody will make the “Limbo of the Lost” of AI…”

Eurogamer@eurogamer.bsky.social · last wk.

"Somebody will make the Half-Life 2 of AI" - after the Rideshare controversy, Saber CCO says something will come along and "change people's minds" about gen-AI https://bit.ly/4xq6CuX

We'll see. A while back I wouldn't have thought I'd enjoy a new Top Gun movie and I was surprised. (possibly of interest to @danthornton.net :D )

DiscussingFilm@discussingfilm.net · last wk.

First tease at ‘DAYS OF THUNDER 2’. • Starring Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway • In theaters on June 2, 2028

This time #RandomGameSaturday provided Hidden & Dangerous. Insert your own joke about farts. The late 90s was sort of my PC shootmans phase and I remember this being well-received, if buggy. That said, I never touched the sequel.

Vincent Brooks, Catherine. He's kind of a bumbling idiot who doesn't help himself - but he takes so much shit from the girls and I really didn't want to go for the "wed Katherine" ending. In my mind the "ditch both of them and fuck off to space" finale is his canon fate.

Sophia_Nyx 🐰@sophianyx.bsky.social · last wk.

Name a character who deserved better.

I feel like marketing hurt the game a lot. Anyone not actively following it would be surprised by one or more of these things; 1. The game exists 2. It came out 3. It’s no longer in closed beta Even I was blindsided by #3. And being exclusive to Riot’s launcher didn’t help.

Wario64@wario64.bsky.social · 2w ago

2XKO Active Development Will End in December 2026 www.riotgames.com/en/news/2xko... -Servers will remain on beyond 2026, and 2XKO will be playable on all platforms -'We're unlocking all champs. We’re also bundling most cosmetic items, and refunding all money spent in 2XKO on or before August 20'

It feels like every other day on YouTube. Decided not to skip it recently and I found new depths of loathing that I didn’t know existed.

Mason/みそかつ🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️STOP GENOCIDE☮@misokatsuhaumai.bsky.social · 3w ago

Any of yall getting liven ads? The ADHD solution type AI song AI video ad thingy? It’s evil