Recent reviews by Backupharmonica

Look like crabs, shoot like people.

I loved DOOM (2016). I found it inventive and marvelous. When I first picked up DOOM Eternal, I was dismayed; while the ultraviolence was omnipresent it was... weak--joyless, even. I set it down for a few days and then came back when I was angry at social isolation and the world.
It was better. I'd played other shooters, and grown to conservative with health and other resources.
As soon as I remembered this was DOOM: that life only prospers on the brink of death; that a flashing "low health" warning is cause for inspiration rather than fear; that running out of ammo is little more than cause for creativity; I found the joy again.
This game is all about being comfortable with being on the brink of death.
The moment I remembered that "low health" meant "go forward and destroy" and not "find cover" was the moment I found the joy again.
This game is marvelous in that it forces people outside their comfort zone. I'd wager that that joy stems not from the elegant ultraviolence, but from the microdosing of relief having survived for just another moment.