Each year, as New Year's Eve approaches, I make a long list of resolutions for the year to come. In 2023, I stuck to many of them. I tracked my water intake across the year, and managed to drink a gallon most days. I surpassed my goal to listen to 104 albums (52 new, 52 old). And I lost 15 pounds — though my goal was 20, so shrugs..
As I head into 2024, there are two monumental mountains of art that have long defeated me that I finally intend to scale. The first is Infinite Jest. I've owned David Foster Wallace's doorstop of a novel since high school when I bought it after falling in love with his nonfiction collection, Consider the Lobster. The 1000-plus page postmodern novel is Wallace's defining work (and, fairly or not, the defining book for generations of annoying young men) and it has long sat on my shelf, mocking me. I've made attempts, and usually make it about 100 pages in before setting it down for something a little breezier. I have found that this is not the kind of book I will ever read just because I feel like it. This is the kind of book that requires a resolution.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Bloodborne, a masterpiece that I would put in my top ten games of all time despite having never finished it, has proven to require a similar line in the sand. I wish I was the kind of person who, when confronted with FromSoftware's particular brand of difficulty, rises to the challenge and grows as a person in the process. Unfortunately, I am not. Much as I enjoy Soulslikes, I never beat them. But, I want to be the kind of person who sticks with a tough game until the end, even if some boss battles require hundreds of attempts, hours parked on the couch, and slippery hands grasping the controller for dear life.
I've beat some difficult games in my life. I made my way through Hyper Light Drifter's four tough bosses despite the game making me controller-throwingly angry at times. I've gone ten rounds with Souls bosses and beat plenty of the tough ones. I just have a hard time going the distance. When I was first playing Bloodborne back in 2017, I eventually uninstalled it to make room on my PS4 for NieR: Automata and, because of the distance that afforded, I couldn't bring myself to go back.
It's been six years now and Bloodborne still sticks with me. It's the highwater mark for video game atmosphere and Soulslike level design. Exploring Yharnam is one of the best experiences I've ever had playing a game, and it sort of kills me that it doesn't really "count" because I didn't hit credits.
Bloodborne Is My Favorite Game, Even Though I'll Never Finish It
I have no idea what happens at t🤡he end of Bloodborne, and I intend to keep it that way🃏.
I feel conflicted about these games because, on the one hand, their difficulty is the reason that exploring them feels so rewarding. If Bloodborne's enemies couldn't kill you the second you got cocky, then discovering new areas, and unlocking new Lamps (where you can save and level up), wouldn't be nearly as rewarding. And yet, on the other hand, I'm an adult with a limited amount of free time. The lack of difficulty options in Bloodborne (or Lies of P or Armored Core 6 or Elden Ring) means that I often have to drop these games and move on, even though I'm enjoying them.
But, in 2024, that's coming to an end. Time be damned, blood is getting borne.
🍌 2023 Has Been An All-Time Great Year For Survival Horror
What other year could possibly compete with the combined might of stelꦑlar new Resident Evil, Dead Space, Amnesia, and Alan Wake games?
