03.23.2026
Sorry this is going to be another post about video games because I have yet again been spending the majority of my free time playing them with my friends. I had a couple fun links this week... saw Shawn while he was up for a day and got lunch with him, spent a Saturday doing a windy beach walk and shopping around downtown Amesbury with Charlie, but it has been generally cold and gross again so I find myself inside looking at a screen for better or worse.
Last week I finished the campaign of Forza Horizon 5. Great game. Turns out driving cars fast in beautiful Mexican landscapes is really fun. There's so many different types of events like off road racing and street racing which adds good variety and you can drive the Halo warthog. What I didn't like is that their constant reward system feels like a skinner box in the worst way possible and they are doing the Sony AAA thing where there's always annoying characters talking to you about nothing. Just let me drive! I will be buying Forza Horizon 6 and I wish it was coming to PS5 day and date with PC as I'd much rather play it while sprawled out on the couch than sitting at my desk.
Speaking of desk games... the real big game for me and my friends right now has to be Marathon. It's a shame you can only play in a group of 3 or less because I know at least 10 people playing it so we've been mixing and matching groups when people are free. And it is SO fun. I wasn't a huge extraction shooter guy (dabbled with Arc Raiders) but something about the high difficulty level, gorgeous art design (and music!!), addicting one more round gameplay all wrapped up in gunplay that feels so good has me hooked. Most of the shooters I play (cough fortnite) are a little too casual so it is refreshing to play something where you really have to be locked in and focused with your team and victory feels so rewarding. Excited to see this game grow!
I can't remember if I wrote about this previously or not but I also kind of got back into Overwatch, a game I have not played in probably 8 years and swore I'd never play again. And I hate to say it but it still is kinda fun. But I really do not like that it makes me rage like no other game does and I'm generally not an angry person! I think it's because it's such a team based game and when your team is not performing well it sucks. When I lose in Street Fighter it's because it's my own fault which is one thing, but when I lose in Overwatch it could mean many different things. I don't know how long I'll be playing it for.
Also apparently today is Hellboy day so go read it. And my dad's birthday lol (I will call him as soon as I hit publish). Next week I promise I won't write about video games.
Links of the week: