Post-Pandemic Check-in: Orchids, tin whistle, and video game music! ♪
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
Hey, friends! It’s been ages and I hope you have all been well. While I’m still not in the writing mood very often, I wanted to show readers what hobby activities I’ve been up to this past year, which is mainly growing a LOT of houseplants, and also playing the tin whistle and making nerdy video game, anime, and film song covers! Like many, I got into houseplants during the pandemic and it’s honestly just so pleasant, peaceful, and rewarding. I especially like to acquire rarer species and propagate them to sell as a side hustle. I keep a ton of them in my office. All this green has turned my ..read more
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Adventures in Valheim
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
Valheim is all the rage right now and I’ve been having a fantastic time with it and our friends who are also playing. It’s the first game my boyfriend and I have found mutual interest in, in like… 5 years? (It’s tragic that we have nearly opposite tastes in games.) In fact, I’ve never felt drawn to the survival game genre. The only one I’ve ever really enjoyed is Ark: Survival Evolved, and that’s only because I’m highly dinosaur (and dragon) motivated. Spent the whole game taming dinos and nothing else. Valheim, however. Valheim I find so enjoyable that it’s inspired me to write about games fo ..read more
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State of the Blog: Where have I been?
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
You may have noticed, but I have been on hiatus over the past several months, for which I apologize profusely. I wanted to thank those who continue to stop by and catch up on my posts. I started this blog back in spring of 2019 and I was writing so much, so frequently, that eventually I hit burnout about two months after my PAX West trip last year. In addition, my hobby interests have turned away from gaming and writing to other things for a time, namely Tarot (the happy fault of Sayonara Wild Hearts), drawing, and online community building. I tend to go through periods of “hobby rotation” wh ..read more
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Nintendo Switch Accessory Review – Switchblades Rail Cover Kickstand
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
Regular Backlog Crusader readers might have noticed a banner ad on the last dozen posts or so for an innovative, robust product called Switchblades. This Nintendo Switch kickstand accessory is one I had been using so much that I had actually reached out the manufacturer, Gravilogic, personally to see if they wanted to support Backlog Crusader for a while, and they did. Thanks, Gravilogic! I use my Switchblade all the time when I play my Switch. Seriously. All. The Time. Here’s my review! In the past I had been disappointed by several other kickstand options for the Switch when I ran across t ..read more
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Wolven Storm – Musings on Love and Feminism in Witcher 3
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
Yennefer. Who is she, really? In the Witcher 3 we see her relentlessly pursuing her goals across multiple continents, taking down any obstacles in her way. Yes, she cares passionately for her love, Geralt, but he won’t distract her from her ultimate goals. Despite their closeness, she keeps extremely important secrets from the Witcher during their travels, yet he trusts her implicitly. She is strong and wise, confident and skilled, and a timeless beauty. Their romance is legendary in the Witcher universe, literally. In the story of Witcher 3 we meet the songstress Priscilla fairly early on ..read more
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Disco Elysium (PC) Review – As Good As It Gets
Backlog Crusader
by Bohdan
2y ago
Almost 20 years ago, Planescape: Torment made a promise. It demonstrated that video games as an art form are capable of delivering writing on par with the best narratives that exist over all forms of media. The world of Planescape offered prose so invigorating and eloquent, storytelling so pristine and cohesive that it captivated creative minds for decades to come. In its stead, many games posed to be the promised heroes, ready to cash in on that promise but unfortunately, no one managed to soar as high… until now. Of all iterations that could have been, few could imagine that the savior of ..read more
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Games of Our Childhoods
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
The Autumn colors outside have had me feeling somewhat nostalgic lately and I wanted to expand a little on my older piece about how video games influenced the different phases of my life. It is less common than you’d expect for a non-sport hobby to stay with a child into their later adult life. What is it about video games that allow them to stick with us on such a deep, sentimental level for so many years? My earliest memory of playing a video game was an old computer game called Spelling Blizzard on dad’s knees as a child. I remember learning words by finding them and pushing blocks all ov ..read more
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Neo Cab (PC) Review – A Dystopian Uber Simulator
Backlog Crusader
by Bohdan
2y ago
I must confess: I am a sucker for all things cyberpunk, so enthusiasm might cloud my judgment, but I cannot help but feel that Neo Cab is one of the coolest games I’ve played in a while. It is a game that does not only capture the general aesthetic of the setting (think neon lights, cheesy synths, high-tech gizmos), but its fundamental core: a struggle of an individual faced with a soul-crushing march of high-tech corporations. And Neo Cab achieves that not by projecting an image of some distant dystopian future. Instead, it narrows the gap between reality and the imagination until I could no ..read more
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Fire Emblem Three Houses Concept Art
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
It seems I’m fighting off a bit of writer’s block this week so instead of a text article I’ve got some official Fire Emblem illustrations to share with you from the concept art book that was included with the collector’s edition of the Three Houses. Obviously don’t view the rest of this post if you haven’t finished the game because some of the images have spoilers. In case you missed it, you can find my review of Fire Emblem Three Houses here. The sacking of Garreg Mach. Landscapes in the areas surrounding Garreg Mach. Early monastery design. Beneath the monastery… Praise the sun! Now a brief ..read more
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Sayonara Wild Hearts Analysis – Use of Tarot in Game Design and Narrative
Backlog Crusader
by Angie | Backlog Crusader
2y ago
Sayonara Wild Hearts incorporates all 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot in its fast paced, pop-arcade, cosmic wonderland. You can check out my full review of the game here. I cannot understate how creative and ambitious studio Simogo is to have given us such a spectacularly beautiful, mesmerizing rendition of the Fool’s Journey in video game form. I wanted to do a deep dive into the significance of Tarot cards and their meanings are used in Sayonara Wild Hearts to add a hidden layer of depth for those in know, so that’s what you’ll find in this article! I’ll be covering the entire game from start ..read more
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