On the Steel Breeze

On the Steel Breeze is the second novel in the Poseidon's Children trilogy (series?) by Alastair Reynolds. The Akinya family's still in the protagonist role but the series didn't turn out to be the kind of family saga I was expecting -- hoping, even. I don't know how the Akinyas managed to squander their riches but they did have the time: this novel takes place a couple of centuries later. Only a single human generation has passed, though: aging having been defeated once again.

Games I Finished in 2024

In terms of exciting new game releases, 2024 was quite the poor one. There was a whole bunch of games for me to wishlist but none of them really fit the spot of an undisputed game of the year. The Game Awards gave that title to Astro Bot, a PlayStation-exclusive third person action platformer of all things.

Metro Exodus

4A Games decided to try something different with Metro Exodus. You're no longer trapped in linear metro tunnels, the majority of the game instead taking place on large surface maps. This fact seems to have chased off few fans of the previous games but the open world isn't as lame nor scary as some may think. There are no copy-pasted points of interests; everything is meaningful and following the main objective can still offer quite a linear experience. Taking the time to visit the few optional locations is very much worth it, though, for weapon accessories and suit upgrades.

Erewhon

"Why Is It Called the Butlerian Jihad?" asked a Youtube video recommendation. I didn't know, although I didn't exactly have a recollection of even seeing the term mentioned as such in the Dune books I had read so far either. The video explained where the name (most likely) came from but I thought I might check out the source myself as well.

Metro: Last Light Redux

Metro: Last Light is a direct sequel to Metro 2033 and, unlike its predecessor, it has a completely original story, though Dmitry Glukhovsky did work on it as well. Interestingly enough, the author also used many of Last Light's details in his Metro 2035 novel later: for instance, Miller's daughter Anna.

Metro 2033 Redux

Originally released in 2010 and 2013, the post-apocalyptic first person shooters Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light developed by 4A Games, were released a second time in 2014 as remastered Redux versions. Some of the gameplay and even visual changes apparently weren't to the liking of every fan -- for the first game in particular -- but if you're starting the series from these, you don't really need to worry about the differences between the remasters and the originals.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

I have had the impression that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II isn't regarded as high as its predecessor. Critics didn't seem to like this sequel -- not that the first one got high scores either. Initially I thought The Force Unleashed II to be a clear improvement: visual clarity had improved and gameplay felt quicker and more responsive. But I suspected the problems would become apparent later.