The Professional Gamer - October 12, 2019

Hi folks! Denver saw its first snow of the season yesterday, and I took advantage of a generous telework policy to avoid having to deal with it. I also watched the last episode of Astra: Lost in Space, played some Guild Wars 2 and Link’s Awakening, and I went to the Great American Beer Festival last weekend. I can’t do a whole lot of review of the GABF, because I was really just trying to have fun and didn’t take notes about anything. But I can talk a bit about some other things.

I don’t have anything new to report in Link’s Awakening. I’ve only made a little more progress, delivering some items to people and looking for the next dungeon. I’m getting more used to the analog control, but I still find it betrays me once in a while.

As for Guild Wars, I don’t think there’s much to say about that. I haven’t purchased any of the expansions, so I’m still playing the basic game. Mostly, with lots of folks talking about World of Warcraft Classic, I got the itch to play an MMO, and GW2 is free and I already have a little time invested in some characters. I guess its just an easy way to satisfy that craving. I’ve heard lots of folks singing the praises of FFXIV, but I’m just not sure that I want to spend money on a subscription when I realistically only have time to play for a few hours per week. What do you think?

Lastly, let’s talk about Astra: Lost in Space. I’m not going to post any spoilers here since the last episode was just released this week, but I do want to talk about the show in some broad terms. Things that show does well: good characters and interactions, high stakes, good action, some good comedic or light-hearted moments. Some things that I’m not so sure about: the overall plot and mystery of the series, the resolution of the mystery, and the tonal whiplash that occurs in some episodes. Honestly, the fact that the series is aware of their tonal whiplash and other tropes is cute but also incredibly frustrating. I think that with a slightly more cleaned up plot this show could have been a new classic, but some of the writing really holds it back. Overall, I’d give it a “B” rating.

Next week should be the finale for Cop Craft, so look for me to talk about that next time. Until then, have a great week and game on!