Looks like I forgot to post anything in November. The past two months have been interesting. My family and I have been going out a lot more often, seeing family and friends. It started feeling like we have some sense of normalcy back in our lives. Unfortunately, it seems ANOTHER variant of the COVID-19 virus has been discovered in South Africa and those who possibly contracted it went back to their home countries, possibly spreading it all over the world again. It seems the dangers of this virus isn't going to go away anytime soon.
I finally got a new computer, with a new monitor, new keyboard and new headset. I wanted an Ultrawide monitor with a higher resolution, higher refresh rate, and curved to make use of all that extra power I have in my new computer. Since there were Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, I finally decided to replace my keyboard that I've used for 14 years and headset I've used for 9 years. It took 2 entire weeks to fully transfer everything from my laptop over to the new computer, check the integrity of my files and save progress of games. I've pretty much stopped all language learning and practicing fighting games as I've been putting all my time and effort into practicing piano. I've finally learned all the notes to the piece I'm learning, but still practicing to play it smoothly.
I caved in and ended up buying quite a bit of games. I realized that I hadn't bought any console games all year (not counting digital) and ended up picking up Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch after hearing so many great things about it. I've only played a few hours when I had the time, but so far it hasn't impressed me as much as I wanted it to. I also ended up picking up Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars for the PS4 because I've been waiting for this collaboration for nearly a decade so I decided to support it. It's a bit janky, as expected, but I'm enjoying it. Then I finally bought my first Oculus Quest 2 game (since I've been only playing everything through SteamVR). Resident Evil 4 VR sounded way too interesting and I got a 30% off coupon and decided to pick it. I was thinking it might be gimmicky and a cheap experience, but honestly I think I like it more than the original. Being able to see the whole world around me in VR, having full aim control, and being able to physically dodge out of danger is just kind of mind blowing out of a game that's over 16 years old. It might actually be one of the most exciting games I've played this year.
The really big purchase from these past 2 months is Battlefield 2042 Gold Edition. I got it to play it a week earlier from its base game launch so I could play alongside my friend. I haven't played Battlefield Online Multiplayer since Battlefield 4 which released back in 2014. We haven't played THAT much yet (considering how much we spent to pick them up), but it's been fun, nostalgic, but still frustrating. I've never been that good at Battlefield, and it's always frustrating getting a lot of hits and not getting the kill only to get killed in one to two shots. Also, this iteration of Battlefield promised a lot, but didn't deliver. There isn't a campaign this time around, which is fine (I also recently picked up Battlefield 1 and V to play their campaign). But besides the main multiplayer match, there's also a battle royale mode, and a portal mode which has maps and settings of older Battlefield games that allows for various user made game modes. Unfortunately, NO ONE is playing any of the other modes or maps. They're completely empty and I couldn't play them. The main game's gameplay is solid enough, it feels like a Battlefield game. But the maps feel like they lack dynamics and areas that create memorable moments like older games had. So while I'm having fun with Battlefield 2042, I also feel like I'm not getting my money's worth (especially with the various bugs in the game).
Playing Battlefield got me back into playing First-Person Shooters some more, with the online multiplayer side in particular. I've been rather lukewarm with playing competitive online games with the small exception of Insurgency: Sandstorm over the years. Playing Battlefield 2042 gave me that itch to play some more again and so I've been playing a bit of Insurgency: Sandstorm again. I even tried out Halo: Infinite this past weekend and really enjoyed it! It also helps that I have a computer that can handle playing these sorts of games at a higher frame rate now. I've been recording and video editing a lot again because of it which has taken quite a bit of time out of my days the past few weeks.
I have a lot I want to accomplish this month. I definitely want to finish learning the piano piece and perform it for my parents. I'm hoping to create at least one remix since I didn't make a single one this entire year. I have an idea for a music cover, but I'm not certain if I want to take the time to do that. I also have quite a few games I want to prioritize and finish. I need to finish 12 more games before the end of the month to reach the same amount of games I finished last year (I think I can do it). It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by. I still remember planning out how 2021 would play out and what I would be working on, but everything turned out way differently. I have a lot on my mind on what I want to do in the future, but it's also something I don't want to worry about for maybe the next two months as I take care of some short term goals first.
