The Games I Played in March (Day 3759 - 3/10/20)

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Stephen says that he didn't think that they would have late dinners for 2 days straight. They're both having the leftover chicken fajitas from yesterday's dinner. Stephen mentions that they also had a late lunch since they had to take care of a few things. He also did a First20 stream today which always ends up starting late. Stephen had told Mallory ahead of time that today's First20 stream was going to probably going to start late since he always underestimates the amount of time it takes to set everything up. He says that moving all the equipment and changing how the stream is set up is a pain. There is also the time spent picking games to play. So, by the time Stephen finished all 4 games, it was already late.

While Stephen was streaming, Mal was painting. Mal says that she painted for a long time, but it doesn't look like she did much. Stephen comments that this painting might've been more time-consuming than they originally thought. Last month, Stephen did a vlog about games that he played during his First20 stream at the beginning of that month. He's going to do another one today since people seemed to enjoy the previous one. But, he's going to eat dinner first.

Later, Kepler joins Stephen as he talks about the games he played in March. The first game was Final Fantasy VII Remake. Stephen says that the gameplay mechanics were different from the original game. He says that the orignal game had a time-based system and had a setting you could enable to turn to game into a turn-based RPG. The time-based system revolved around waiting for a meter to fill up in order to attack. Stephen comments that the gameplay mechanics in the remake feels more like a Kingdom of Hearts game. Stephen notes that the remake feels more like an action game due to the new mechanics which could cause some people to dislike it, but he liked it. He says that the action elements add a completely new feel to the game. He mentions that he never finished the original game. Stephen says that he only played the 1st disc multiple times and he never even beat that one. He hopes that he will get to beat the game one day. He had fun playing the remake and he thinks that people who feel nostalgic about the game will like it. Stephen says that he only played the 1 hour demo, but he still felt some nostalgia despite not having ever finished the original game.

The second game he played was Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling. Stephen says that it's clear from the beginning of the game that it's trying to be like Paper Mario. He notes that the style of dialogue, the UI, and the art direction are a direct lift from the Paper Mario series. Stephen says that if you like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, then you will like Bug Fables since it has the same exact feel to it. He says that Bug Fables is like one of those imitation is the best form of flattery type of games. Stephen says that it imitates a lot of things while leaving behind the worst parts of Paper Mario. It also introduces some new ideas which makes it feel like it can stand on it's own. Stephen says that he will release the First20 for this game soon. He mentions that he played an hour of this game even though he wasn't obligated to because it was fun to play.

The third game was a visual novel game called Eliza which is set in Seattle, Washington. The tone of the game is very serious and heavy. The player is a new employee at an AI company that does mental health counseling. The company offices are set up as small cafes where customers come to get mental health counseling. The whole shtick of the company is that employees wear helmets with an AI system that's feeding responses to that employee through the helmet when talking to clients. Most of the other mental health counseling companies in the game rely on chat bots. So, the company the player works for is considered better since they incorporate a "human element" to the counseling which helps clients feel more at ease. Stephen says that this game is hard to play since the story is written extremely well and feels really authentic. The voice acting is also really good which makes the game feel real. He mentions that there were a few people in chat who couldn't watch it since it was so heavy and that it could probably hit close to home for a lot of people. Stephen says that he didn't get far into the game, but he could tell that it was about humanity vs. listening to what the AI tells you to do. Stephen says that this game felt similar to Papers, Please. In Papers, Please, you check passports and make tough decisions about who to let in the country. It also has the concept of adhering to the rules vs. letting someone slip through. Stephen notes that Eliza is not a game that everyone can handle and he understands that. He thinks that it was interesting to see a game that tackled the subject of mental health in such a serious and authentic way.

The final game was 198X which was a coming-of-age story about a kid growing up the 80s. It's about a boy who is going through life while not being sure about what his place is in the world or where he belongs. Then, he stumbles upon an arcade and ends up really loving the arcade games. Stephen says that this game has some of the most beautiful pixel art that he's ever seen in a game. It also has wonderful voice narration and the games in the arcade are playable. He notes that all the arcade games are in the style of famous 1980s arcade games and it was well done. Stephen says that it seems that the game will be pretty short, but he liked how everything was portrayed. It had music that is spot on for the 80s and great pixel art cinematics. He notes that there was a huge list of artists listed in the credits which makes sense since the game was beautiful.

Stephen then talks about how he played 5 games last month, but he only played 4 games this month. He explains that it was late by the time he finished the 4th game, so he just stopped there and had dinner. Stephen says that with these 4 games, all the First20 videos for this month are covered. He notes that he will do another First20 stream at the beginning of April and another vlog talking about the games he played in April. Stephen says that it feels weird recording this vlog while sitting against the side of the couch upstairs. But, he recorded last month's vlog about First20 games in this same spot and it was stuck in his head. He reminisces about how Sagan was right over his shoulder in that vlog and how his cat hair is still all over the couch. Stephen then says that all the games were great and were worth playing. He's excited to release them on YouTube and tells viewers that the First20 streams are also archived on Twitch.

Then, he talks about how they haven't been talking much about Sagan lately. But, they've been thinking about him a lot and the both of them have been talking about him together. One of the things they talked about within a week of his passing was that grief isn't linear. They might have a day or two where they're fine and then something just sets it off. Mal had a day like that a few days ago and a few times today. Stephen had a day like that yesterday. Sagan is still on their minds a lot and it hasn't even been 3 weeks since his passing. Both of them are also keeping an eye on Kepler to make sure that he's happy. Stephen says that Kepler's his little buddy and loves spending time with him.

He says that he closes the door when he's recording Morning Mario or doing First20 streams. When he's done and opens the door, Kepler is alseep on the stairs from waiting for him. But, he wakes up right away once the door opens and meows at Stephen. Kepler used to never really do that, but it's probably because he always had Sagan. Stephen says that he feels like Kepler's been taking everything pretty well which is good. He doesn't show any signs of depression and his appetite is good. But, it's clear during certain times where he's alone that he feels lonely because those are times that he would've spent with Sagan. Both of them are concerned about how he does when they're not at home. But, he spends a lot of time with them when they're at home. He then talks about how he's going to continue to push ahead get stuff done. Stephen notes that being caught up with vlogs has been a weight off of him mentally. He still has a lot of other stuff to do, but it made a big difference. Finally, he tells Kepler that they're going to bed now.