Toomanywires

In Case You Missed it: Success in Akihabara  / The Goliath and Peace & Quiet / A Rare Gaming Sesh November Playlist I've spent the bulk of November playing and enjoying Forza Horizon 5 . You can read all about that in the last two links above.  I also dipped my toe in the Halo Infinite multiplayer. It's good but it hasn't really grabbed me, but then it has been several years since an online FPS did. However, it has definitely increased my interest in the single player campaign next month, so job done. I finally got around to Jedi: Fallen Order earlier in November. I really should've played that much sooner. The first hour feels a lot like Uncharted in space, though it isn't able to maintain that level of quality throughout. I loved the characters, and although I never felt I'd completely gotten the hang of the combat, it was certainly satisfying. It's far from perfect, with overly long chapters, unrewarding exploration, and huge gaps between narrative

Something unusual happened yesterday morning, something that almost never happens any more. I played video games for three and half hours, uninterrupted and undisturbed. I had the morning, the house, and the TV all to myself. I decided to ignore the million other jobs and projects I could've, probably should've, been getting on with so that I could indulge in my favourite pastime. And that pastime, as you may already be aware, is video games. I don't deprive myself of games, not by any means. I try to play for an hour almost every evening, but I very rarely settle down for a multi-hour stretch. There just aren't enough hours in the day and, if I'm honest, my attention span isn't what it used to be. Also, the chances of me being wide awake much beyond 23:30 are slim, especially on a week night, so there's a fairly hard cap on the time I'll spend with my Xbox or PlayStation. I'll get my hour in though, as long as I'm not nodding off. I spend far lo

My favourite part of Forza Horizon 5 thus far was when it shut up for almost fifteen minutes. A little under fifteen minutes of uninterrupted racing, free of clutter and noise. A chance to focus on the essence of what is clearly one of the best games of 2021. The Goliath is the finale for one of the Horizon Mainstage events. Supposedly, it's the longest race in Forza Horizon history, according to the very cheerful lady who's constantly in my ear. It took me around twelve minutes from the start to finish, and provided an ideal opportunity to take in some new scenery and drive on roads I had yet to grace with my led foot. It was a starting grid full of supercars, but beginner-friendly supercars. Fast, low to the ground; consumer-grade Batmobiles. They scream from the start line, and will weave and wobble at the hint of a change of direction, yet they're fairly easy to tame. On Horizon's advice, I selected the jet black Lamborghini from my garage, and it was perfectly suit

It was the last stop of the day. The Suragaya nearest the JR Station, the one tucked away down a side-alley. I wasn't holding out much hope for bargains, as it's usually over priced. Well-stocked, so worth a perusing, but you're unlikely to get your wallet out. It had already been a very fruitful trip to Akihabara, Tokyo's electric town and home to all things video games, anime and anything remotely nerdy. It was a last-minute decision to visit two Sundays ago. Back when I was working in Tokyo, I'd stop by Akiba almost weekly, but the pandemic put an end to that. However, with the situation more under control, I'm starting to venture out a bit more now and I feel much better for it. And nothing lifts the spirits quite like a trip to Akiba. As proof, here's a video of me struggling to contain my excitement.  Shopping on Mercari or Yahoo Auctions is fun, but it's not the same. You can find some unexpected bargains in your local Hard Off, but it's one s