So… about that month of August…

Those that had read the entry Fires Inside are already aware, but at the start of the month I suffered a herniated disc that pinched my sciatic nerve. In more common tongue: stuff came out of a disc towards the bottom of my spine that made my leg hurt like a son of a gun.

I used my remaining vacation time for the year in order to take time off from work and try to give my back some rest. Sitting for any length of time was uncomfortable and only caused more pain. After a week of rest I returned to work, forced to sit roughly eight hours a day with occasional breaks to try and ease up the pressure on the problem spot. The unfortunate impact of returning to work was that I could not stomach the thought of sitting any more than necessary, and so no progress was made on recording Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Physical therapy the past two weeks has been a major help, and I now feel more comfortable with the notion of resuming my recordings. Unfortunately, I can no longer promise a video in September. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to make October. This whole ordeal initially dealt a major blow to my motivation to create a Rise of the Tomb Raider video.

Such feelings are likely the product of self-imposed pressure. In a week I’ll be receiving a copy of Spider-man, and the week after that sees the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. My initial plan was to have Rise of completed in time for its sequel, but I no longer expect that to be the case. My first instinct was just to give up and figure out a new project. However, I have already determined that I can make a standalone, evergreen video on Rise regardless of the direction of Shadow. Am I certain that it will be evergreen? Not really, but I feel it is possible as long as I’m careful with how I phrase and discuss the nature of thematic elements and Lara’s change between the first two games.

What else is on the docket? Well, for those of you that have been following along, you may recall I had planned to work on a comparison between Darksiders and its sequel. This was largely inspired by the news of the third game’s imminent release this year and my desire to replay the first two before it hit shelves. I am no longer confidant that is the best direction for me to go. I still hope to replay the games, but I don’t feel much passion for such a video and I remain concerned that my evaluation will be pointless with a sequel releasing.

So what do I try and get done next? It’s been a point of contention for me. I’m afraid that I’ve spent too much time on my channel with niche, unknown properties. Aside from Metroid Prime: Echoes, that is. When you look at my latest clips, they’re games that aren’t even really cult hits or classics. A lot of channels grow because they hit just the right fanbase do not only get shared around, but have a high chance of stumbling into members of the fandom.

Is that the reason I should be choosing a video, though? I had already told myself I want to focus more on playing games I want to play rather than what I feel I should play. Recently I’ve also determined that waiting until I can record a game is no excuse to not replay something. I’m going through Iconoclasts yet a third time on Switch and still I pick up on tiny little new details.

While I’m proud of my Iconoclasts video, I also wonder if I made the best video I could. Am I too worried about timetables? Is that a game that really could have used a longer analysis, even though the further past thirty minutes I get the more I feel I risk overstaying my welcome?

I suppose that’s just part of what I need to figure out. Some games deserve a thorough investigation, but others a zoomed in focus. Do I really need to cover a game in its entirety? Well, I think for some I do. I’d like to discuss both mechanics and narrative of I Am Setsuna, and I especially want to revisit Akiba’s Beat. So much so that I couldn’t return to sleep after a rude 4a.m. awakening as a script played out in my mind for it. These are niche, though! Shouldn’t I make good on my promise to create a Halo: Combat Evolved video? The one I’ve yearned to do since I started this channel?

A video that, I think, I hesitate to create due to knowing how large of a task it is, and knowing that so many people have discussed that franchise that I’m not sure anyone will care.

In the end, all I can see is “we’ll see”. If I do a mainstream game after Rise of the Tomb Raider, it will probably be a comparison between Titanfall 2 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Shorter games whose writing will be my primary target, giving the script a focus. After that I can decide what’s next.

Given this fire to do a video on Akiba’s Beat has lasted a whole year, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wins.

...oh, wait, didn’t I want to do a video on Breath of the Wild as well?

Goodness gracious, too many games and too little time to play and record it all.

I suppose it all depends on my mood once I’m done Rise of the Tomb Raider. I’ll be trying to focus on it this Labor Day Weekend, making up for what lost time I can. Fortunately I was not idle in this past month, as can be seen by the very redesign of the blog before you. I hope this makes it easier to read anywhere at any time, and I would hope it makes it worth sharing. I also created some new art for the podcast and the channel, and have one last piece to finalize.

With that out of the way I should have more time for actually writing, as well as gaming. I look forward to it.