I thought I liked the smaller and more focused levels, but then I started playing some side missions which all appear to be retreads of the main mission levels, which I admit is a little underwhelming.

I never made it too far in that game, but doesn't it let you respec for free whenever you want? I remember that being a big selling point, that you can't get stuck on a build you don't like.

I've been offering most my extra loot at the shrines. It's useful if you need a little extra bump to level up, plus you get lots of extra elixirs.

Chris Benoit, I think

What are the second and third stats dual swords scale with? I'm still early in the game, but health and ki seem like vital things to invest in, so that naturally makes swords and spears my default weapons. Turns out dual swords are super fun, but if I'm not putting points into skill, will they be completely useless to…

On the subject of Kodama, is there any point to collecting them in old missions other than trophy hunting / sense of completionism? I only got 7/9 in mission 1 and got some Kodama sense equipment in mission 2, but since their bonuses are unique to each level, will I actually gain anything from hunting them down?

That's definitely true, but at least those items help with the boss. I'm still struggling through the first main mission though, so I don't have much else to offer.

I really want Horizon to be awesome, but I'm worried it's going to suffer from major open world bloat and repetitiveness.

I'm a total n00b myself, but early on you can unlock a skill that lets you ki pulse while dodging, so you'll probably end up nailing it by accident a lot of the time.

Gus Johnson deserves better than college football games on Fox Sports 1

I saw Hidden Figures Friday night and it was surprisingly packed. It was conventional and crowd-pleasing, but still fairly enjoyable. It feels good to support a movie championing diversity, feminism, and science right about now. And Janelle Monae remains a national treasure.

I've been boycotting Starbucks for years, because Howard Schultz is the reason the Seattle Sonics no longer exist. Also, their coffee is ass. But now I have to respect them, which is easily the most insidious thing Trump has done.

I got it on the cheap during the PSN holiday sale, and that stealth section makes me want to give up on the game forever.

Not to mention predictable. Has there ever been a villain left alive who didn't come back to imperil the protagonist later on?

How was Tigerman? That's been on my list for a while.

Agreed, and I also thought Ridgeway was a very underwhelming villain / bogeyman. The institutions depicted were far more terrifying than any one individual could ever be.

Me too. I got the Kindle version from the library once, but the formatting was kind of wonky so I couldn't do it.

They really missed a golden opportunity by naming him Pope Pius. A Young Pope should obviously be named Urban, the streetwise Pope!

That would require the Seahawks winning two playoff games first, so no need to be scared of the Packers.

Seahawks - Packers? Are you peering two weeks into the future at the NFC Championship game?