As I alluded to yesterday, I am still struggling pretty hard right now. While I am not putting in near the hours I was at the beginning of this current crisis, the fact that it continues to drag on over a month into it… is just grating. The only word I have to adequately describe where I am mentally is “weary”. Part of what has helped me deal with all of this is the fact that I could come home and spend a few hours running around the galaxy with my cast of “friends” in Mass Effect Legendary edition. Unfortunately that is now coming to its own end as I have reached the point of no return in the third outing. Essentially if I move the story forward at this point I will be on a downhill slide to the end of the game.
I find myself somewhat wistful about this most recent outing in the Mass Effect universe. This was my first time playing a female Shepard and I enjoyed it greatly, apart from the less than awesome romance options. I’ve learned something about my particular brand of “pan” in that I am just not attracted to traditional straight white guys. If I could have romanced Cortez or maybe even Joker… then possibly. Instead I basically clung to Liara like a life raft in that department. Mass Effect Andromeda has a mod that opens up all romances to all genders, and I am hoping eventually someone figures out how to do one for the Legendary edition because Tali and Jack are far better than anything I had open to me apart from the non-paramour characters of Chambers and Traynor.
It is really interesting how different the three games in the series are. Mass Effect 1 is this very tight and focused adventure with extremely sharply focused storytelling. Mass Effect 2 is this big meandering adventure with a truly staggering cast of playable characters. Then Mass Effect 3 narrows the focus once again and makes everything about this driving conflict of the Reapers trying to annihilate all life in the galaxy. I still after all of this time prefer the second game and its pacing, but I prefer the mechanics and visual style of the third game. There are some pretty staggering cinematic moments that feel integral to the story and not just window dressing.
If I get home at a decent hour, I will focus on pushing the game across that finish line. From what I remember once I start the assault on the enemy base, it is a quick slide to the final moments of the game. As it stands right now… I still don’t have a clue how I am going to finish things up. I know I have three decisions before me and I have more than enough war resources to get the best possible endings down each path. The problem with finishing however is this journey will be over… and right now I have been using the nostalgia that it has brought me to prop me up and keep me from collapsing under the weight of stress. If I wrap things up… I am absolutely going to have to find another big sprawling adventure to dive into in order to keep me focused.
In another side notes… I did 182 pull ups last night that took about 15 minutes of real time and got absolutely nothing for it. If you find yourself down this path… abort because it is SO not worth it. In additional side notes… I am going to try and ease back into blogging again because the entire process is therapeutic for me and maybe will help me weather the storm a bit better. I miss these morning one sided conversations. I hope you are all doing well and I hope tomorrow I will come visit with you again.
I feel it, there’s something cathartic about the communal nature of BioWare games that does have a calming effect on external factors. I remember getting lost down a rabbit hole of Dragon Age Inquisition last April working in Banking, coming home feeling drained and tired each day and just finding a little solace hanging around with my buddies in the Inquisition. Really made a difference when I needed it. The Citadel DLC was a great penultimate mission to experience for the first time.
Sorry to hear the chaos at work continues. :/ Any light at the end of that particular tunnel as yet?
In the meantime, I wonder whether you might enjoy jumping back into something you’ve done before — similar to Mass Effect here, but even without the benefit of a remaster/remake. The Witcher 3, or an earlier Dragon Age game perhaps. Or just take a look down some of your personal favourites lists from years gone by and see if anything leaps out at you. 🙂
Or down a completely different path entirely into the realm of the new — might I suggest a look at something like Satisfactory? There a few games in this genre, but one of their key defining features is that there isn’t really a penalty for getting things wrong. You can freely deconstruct anything you’ve built and redo it, be it to optimise or just because you changed your mind. So while there is undoubtedly a learning curve, it isn’t a punitive one.