Session start: 1:16 a.m.
Session end: 5:42 a.m.

Holy shit! Now, this ain't a genuine gripe at all, but I hate the enemies that can kill you instantly by bumping into them. It's just so damn stressful! Hahaha.
Currently, I'm at like, the 5th chase sequence with that ol' Sakura-Stalker, and jeez, what a trip it's been... I found myself screaming like 2014 Pewdiepie Markiplier on the FNaF with my toes curled up tight like millipedes!
So where I'm at, I gotta get all these things to unlock a chained-up door; I had to pause for breathers with every lock unshackled.
I finally found everything I needed, meaning that now, I just needed to get to the door. But before I could do that... the GODDAMNED MONSTER GOT ME!!! What a total kick in the metaphorical nuts.
I gave it one more shot before I called it quits for the night (morning), but Cherry-Chaser got me pretty much right off the bat.

It's no big surprise that veterans of the series, Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka, teamed up once again for this title.
With past Silent Hill games (mainly 1–3), I can more easily just pop them in to play and chill out. That's not the case for Silent Hill: The short Message though. Of course I'm way more familiar with the earlier Silent Hills—making me more able to calmly play them—but there's something that really fucks with me in knowing I can't face this new nightmare from Ito's design, with Yamaoka's sound.

Overall, it's been a bit on-the-nose in places so far, but not to a large degree.

While the insult-addled Post-its are obvious, seeing them coating furniture and interiors from head to toe makes for solid visual metaphor for how a mundane living space can be tainted with abuse and harmful memories.

One thing I don't gel so well with is the whole speaking-aloud thing. I find the subtitle method of communicating a character's thoughts (present in SH1–4) way more intuitive; when I read something, I'm practically thinking it in my own head anyway—so that aligns me closer with the character thinking—you get me?
It's very nice the actors are getting fatter cheques for using those trusty traps of theirs, but does it make for a more immersive experience?

Another inclusion I don't dig so far is the whole "Silent Hill Phenomenon" thing. I'm cool with the supernatural powers branching out from the town like shown in SH3 and SH4, but this is just a bit too contrived for my liking. It rubs me as trying to take away and appropriate things from the town—and I can't say I get behind that.
Side note: it's also weird to see COVID-19 and totally unambiguous timeframes just dropped like that in a Silent Hill game—not necessarily bad, just different!

I still remember when I first saw the leaks—that concept art of the Cherry Blossom by Ito. It makes me so happy that that monster is as bitchin' in the game as it looked in concept.

Overoverall, I'm enjoying it so far and look forward to getting to the controller again! >:3 (Even if it makes my nerves fire up...)


15.52 HOURS LATER...
Session start: 9:13 p.m.
Session end: 10:24 p.m.

As I'm writing this, the date is 2/5/24. I'm back here because I realized I completely forgot about logging my second session with this game! Session... Haha I make it sound like I'm its shrink or something. Anyways, I'm here now to report that I bumbled, fumbled, and stumbled my way into conquering that intense final chase sequence!
I'll prob write a some of my gripes in an actual review—especially since hindsight's got me with a more stable stance on the game as a whole.
I don't know when I'll write said review (if ever). Could be soon, could be later... I just know things have been feeling shifty lately. Like something's changed in my habitat, but everything is identical... Whatever though, I'm getting sidetracked, haha.

Thank you for reading! I love you oh so parasocially for this!

Session start: 8:03 p.m.
Intermission (Bro taking Annie to bus): 8:28 p.m.–9:22 p.m. (25 mins)
Intermission 2 (Bro showing me stuff + us goofing off): ~9:50–10:54 ( mins)
Session end: 12:30 a.m.

After everything, he's finally finished! My brother has FINALLY completed Silent Hill 4: The Room!! It's such a heavy weight off both our backs. Man...

Anyways, despite consistently ripping on the game throughout his whole playthrough, he ended up fessing up to thinking it was actually pretty solid.

Here's some of Bro's thoughts on the game:

Session start: 10:51 p.m.
Session end: 3 a.m.

It was the Building World (revisited), and I was powering through most of it for my bro while he played like, 3 diff versions of "Stayed Gone" brainrot covers like a damn loon. It was a migraine and a half, but I ended up pulling through it to the end.

There was also this, hahaha. Kinda familiar...

Started playing 11:53 pm (yesterday), finished @ 1:22 am (today).

Again, need to leave the cap on rack for now. Will write more soon.

Played 12:24–1:12 (both in the AM)

I said I'd write about certain things "next time" in my last note. I've been way too tired though, so that'll have to wait.

This time my bro and I played after we watched Alien.

Hello! I'm here again, ready to write up on my experience playing Sackboy: A Big Adventure from 11 p.m. yesterday to 2 a.m. today! :3

To begin, I'd like to note some of my criticisms of the game so far. While I (and presumably my brother) both had fun in our most recent run, we'd also started being a bit harsher towards certain choices made for the game.

Btw, do keep in mind that we've only made it to the second theme/world so far, so take all of this with a cup of salt! Also, another heads-up: there'll be spoilers for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd LittleBigPlanet's from here out (and also early ones for SABA, of course).

Vex doesn't have much presence as a villain. I almost totally forgot he was in the game. He showed up at the very start acting like top shit and oh so evil and kinda bounced LOL.

I don't know what they have planned for this radical jesterman, but I think the whole "safe early zone trampled on by big baddie buzzkill" thing was done better in LittleBigPlanet 2 with the Negativatron.
Even the Negativatron's design seems to be better: he's a vacuum; vacuums are big scary household machines that suck up small bits and bobs (which is what comprises the universe of LittleBigPlanet). The symbolism and philosophy is clear. Why is Vex a weird Oogie Boogie-looking Vivziepop-esque red-licorice-armed jester? So far, the reason eludes me...

Again, I'm not very far into the game, but I hope to see his look having some significance as things unfold. It's something the previous games nailed each time:

LittleBigPlanet's the Collector was an insecure little guy. He was simplistic and small, which created an interesting dynamic where he could be caught hiding behind the corner. It was actually fascinating and even creepy how we could helplessly watch him kidnap our mentors.

LittleBigPlanet 2—well, I already talked about him.

LittleBigPlanet 3's Newton represented how an idea can have unforeseen and negative consequences when put into practice. His design being a light bulb—a symbol of ingenuity—reflects this well. The fact that his yellow (the traditional lightbulb color, also symbolic of optimism) is inverted into purple (symbolic of power, ambition, mysticism, and mystery) is a brilliant use of color!
Now, this part might be a stretch, but I'll include it anyway: A lightbulb above a head is a common way of showing a character having an idea. With this in mind, one could interpret Newton's head being the light bulb as a visual metaphor suggesting Newton lets his ideas and ego "get to his head."

I think a culprit in Vex's forgettability so far is SABA's gameplay loop. When I play the game, it doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere, or that anything's at stake. So many of the levels feel short and strangely fragmented; their design makes me feel like I'm playing a bunch of minigames rather than something coherent.

Something else I've noticed is the lacking impression I'm left with concerning the themes/worlds, especially when contrasted with the many memorable ones in LBP 1–3. Maybe it's just the first one that's sorta meh with its generic green garden environment, but my bro and I have reached the jungle area, and it's not looking all that striking. We did have a sweet time slapping the big mama monkey first thing there though; that addition is awesome.

I totally have lots more to say, but I'm going to let those digs be carryovers to my next log. So be sure to check that out (when it is out) if you wanna see my writings on the following:
• Scarlet and the Characters
• The Canonization of the Sackboy
• "I Wish I Could Make This..."
• A Faulty Wardrobe
• Proposing a Better Villain
Oh! And how could I forget...
My sackboy! I will take and attach an image of them next entry. :3

Anyways, here's some care; take it. Catch you later! :D

P.S. I also watched my bro play mess around a bit after my controller called quits, so I guess I'll add the "watching another play" tag too.

P.P.S. I liked when Vex said "sackers" because it sounded like a slur for sackboys. That was pretty funny. Doesn't help that he's enslaving them and all...

I watched Brother find all the eight pages. I continued thereon, eventually getting FNaFed by Not-Jeff-the-Killer and getting got by Slendy before finding all the generators.

Sackboy, I have a feeling this is going to be a BIG adventure…

I've no qualms with Sackboy being treated to his own outings here and there—I just hope that he returns safely at the end of each one with his parent, LittleBigPlanet. The uncomfortable thought of him being severed from his progenitor reminds me of the cultural metamorphosis Despicable Me's minions underwent. I'm happy Sackboy gets to be on stage, but let us not discard his roots and home as consequence, no?

My biggest gripe so far would have to be the return of the character "Zom-Zom." He is a filthy capitalist who threw my brother and I in a Squid Games-style hog pit to watch us roll around in the mud whilst we squeal though our scrounging and scraping for bells which trickle down from his monopoly and out through his snide sleeve. Truly one annoying bastard!

I also do get a tad dismayed in moments which I remember I cannot recreate anything like what I'm playing in this game (which is of course not the case in the LittleBigPlanet games).

Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable little platformer so far; it reminds me of games from my earliest years.

P.S. We rocking this on his PlayStation 5. :3