Caerwyn_Glyndwr

I have spent my entire career dealing with the fallout of the opioid epidemic, working both on the sides of those suffering from addiction and government services trying to handle the fallout.

Dopesick is my number one recommended show.

Everything about this show is truly exceptional. In Keaton's performance, I saw the same pain, the same helplessness, the same feeling of betrayal many of my clients felt as they took their own journey from legally prescribed pain patient to addict. And that is just one tale of this beautifully crafted tragedy - each of the stories in Dopesick shows the many facets of the opioid epidemic, shining a light on the complexity of this issue, on the reality that not all addicts fit into convenient stereotypes, on the evil which pushed this poison on our communities.

I would recommend this show to anyone who cares about this issue - and that should be everyone, for we all have some tie to this issue, whether we know it or not.

There is nothing more emblematic of the Zelda franchise than sprawling dungeons filled with monsters and puzzles. For decades, this winning formula has produced hit after hit and some of the most beloved games ever created.

It boggles the mind that Nintendo decided to forgo that formula in favor of small side-puzzle "dungeons" (if something so small could be called such) and big beasts. It really boggles the mind that players allowed them to do so.

Breath of the Wild is a game I could see myself loving - if I had not felt so incredibly betrayed by the experience of playing a Zelda game which lacked the fundamental element I enjoyed most about the franchise.

Perhaps one day I might bring myself to revisit the game and find the joy so many others have before... but, darn it, every time I think to, I just load up OOT or another installment that actually gives me the gameplay experience I crave from the franchise.

One-dimensional characters are nothing new to the Fire Emblem franchise - with so many characters, there is usually a focus on the main players (nobility and the player character) and a few dimensionless filler characters to fill out the roster.

Playing through Engage, even the nobility felt like filler. One of them likes to drink tea? Prepare for every one of her conversations to be about tea. Want to learn more about how much another princess likes meat? Just you wait - that is pretty much all she will be talking about. How about one of the prince's strength training and muscles? You are in luck - you'll get that... and a toss away character with the same muscle obsession.

Compare with Three Houses - every character had some kind of secret and depth to them, which increasingly became known through conversations and the story.

The one dimensionality of the characters is made worse by the almost singular way in which they interact with the player character. In prior games, you were a respected tactician, a beloved sibling, a teacher who comes to serve a lord. Folks that you might look to in battle - but who were still a part of the team and interacted with as a brother or sister in arms, a treasured advisor following one of the other characters

But in Engage? You are basically their god - and every single character treats you like it. There is no superior lord who confides in you as a trusted advisor. No people who treat you as an equal. You are their god and leader and they make sure to remind you at every turn.

All of which is incredibly disappointing given how fun the gameplay is - it is a Fire Emblem game, after all. But what sets Fire Emblem apart from other tactical games has always been the characters and their relationships - and this really fell flat on that front.