Archive for the Best / Worst Category

Return To Demon’s Tilt – New Record!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments on June 21, 2025 by slateman

After finishing up Neon White, I found myself in the ever-familiar what-to-play stage of life. Summer vacation has begun, I have some PSN credit and nothing is beckoning me. So, on this Friday afternoon, I booted up the best pinball game ever: Demon’s Tilt. Now, its successor, Xenotilt is a great game and truly does address some of the issues with the original. But I think the first remains the best and since Xeno never came out on console, today was a Demon’s Tilt kind of day. I’ve hit a billion points a number of times, and that’s always the goal, but alas, I lost my first ball with less than a million points. What followed was a 20-minute run unlike any other. Multi-balls, Wizard Mode, more multi-balls. My console record was 1.53 billion. My PC score is about 1.8. Today’s result? A whopping 2.23 billion points! I haven’t touched the game in months and I get my highest score ever! Pretty fucking cool. I saved a video of the run that I’ll never watch, but still.

Neon White: Stylish Flair & Incredibly Unique!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Personal on June 20, 2025 by slateman

I started this game on PC last year and waited for a sale on the PSN to grab it and play it on console. After a few short spurts, I was enjoying it, but not fully sold. Then something clicked. And for a week and a half, I was hooked entirely. I simply couldn’t get enough. The superhero feeling, flashy style, zippy flow and cool presentation all kept me returning. Despite some frustrating sections, it was, overall, just remarkable. Easily on of my favorite games of the last few years. Without question.


Concert Review: Emperor – Silver Spring, MD – 11 May, 2025

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on June 16, 2025 by slateman

Concert Reviews Main Page

I remember hearing In The Nightside Eclipse in my freshman year of college. It truly was beyond my comprehension at the time and while it grew on me, it was Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk that was the moment of my tr00 conversion to black-metal fanaticism. Still, the band’s debut album always held some sense of mysticism: the raw production, legendary album art and airy allure kept it almost at an unreachable level of appreciation. Until tonight, that is.

I was fortunate enough to see the band in 2006 (sans Samoth) in New York and then again in 2017 in Norway where they played all of my top-10-favorite album Anthems in its entirety. When the mini-tour in the spring of 2025 was announced, imagine my surprise that this small Maryland town would be privy to host the mighty Emperor’s presence. Tickets were secured without a moment of hesitation. The fact that Nightside would be celebrated on this night was merely icing on the proverbial cake.

Google took me straight through DC for my trip this evening and the stop lights aplenty were enough to diminish spirits. Arriving in time to catch a glimpse of Wolves In The Throne Room was fortunate, and I enjoyed their droning sounds as I waited in the lengthy merch line. A quick trip to the bar and the head, not in that order, led me to meeting up with Tim, Erin’s former colleague, whom I’ve seen almost annually, after last years Mother’s Day Wayfarer concert and At The Gates’ revisit of Slaughter Of The Soul in 2022. The conversation was heavy on AI and the inevitable demise of the future, but I respect his vantage point and his words I revisited in the coming days.

Unfortunately, such distracted banter and my less-than-two-week-old surgery meant that we didn’t get very close for tonight’s festivities. I was quite disappointed in that, but while my desires to be close are never far from my thoughts, being anywhere near was impractical. Far away I resided for the night, as evident by some of my photos.




The album’s intro began with members emerging one by one into view. Ihsahn arrived last, just as the opening blast beats began and Into The Infinity Of Thoughts issued forth, its memorable-yet-simple riff accompanying Trym’s consistent rhythm. Shoulder injury may have relegated me to the detached realms of the venue, but my enthusiasm was not affected by said distance. I was immediately immersed into one of the less-known but most-influential recordings in history. They sounded fucking fantastic. Almost unrealistically so. The draw of the original LP is its sound and production, but it’s not the most approachable. Tonight, I could hear it all: Secthdamon’s booming bass, appropriately-mixed keyboards, Trym’s clocklike perfection and the one-two punch of Samoth and Ihsahn – it was fucking perfect.

That this was all written as teenagers isn’t lost on me. The Burning Shadows Of Silence, Cosmic Keys To My Creations & Times – it’s all such nonsense. But it sounded simply incredible. With each subsequent song, my appreciation grew. Emperor has always been my favorite black-metal band and despite having seen them twice before, tonight cemented this forever, with Nightside magically moving up my favorite-albums-ever list despite being three decades old.




And thus, as the night continued on, I realized that black metal – now three decades old – is all grey. Neither Ihsahn nor I have yet to hit 50, but Samoth certainly has. Tim mentioned how he resembled Father Time. The band’s balance between the extreme and the melodic – few have done it as well as they did on this record and this evening’s performance sounded as good as I could’ve hoped.

The final two songs from Nightside are legendary in their own right and they were both, almost dismissively, just as expected: phenomenal. This alone would’ve constituted a perfect evening but of course, there was more. While other shows (Europe, mainly) had some early-era material, they instead moved along with newer songs: one of my least-favorite IX Equilibrium songs, the requisite Prometheus entry and four from Anthems. You can guess which from each appeared, but predictability does not diminish quality and as Ye Entrancemperium concluded, my enthusiasm was exhausted. I often revisit my introduction to this song way back in 1997. The moody vastness of Alsvartr leading into the mind-boggling speed of this track was indubitably my introduction to their claim: “Emperor plays Sophisticated Black Metal Art exclusively”. Holy shit, it exceeded even my lofty expectations.

The night’s outro, The Wanderer, felt apt. An epic finale to a journey decades in the making. Having seen them several times over numerous years and in different states and countries – the voyage from teenage angst to mature adult – it all felt both perpetual and fleeting. I’d certainly see the band again, but I couldn’t ask for anything more after such a tremendous night. Simply amazing.



Setlist

  1. Into the Infinity of Thoughts
  2. The Burning Shadows of Silence
  3. Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times
  4. Towards the Pantheon
  5. The Majesty of the Nightsky
  6. I Am the Black Wizards
  7. Inno a Satana
  8. Tape: Opus a Satana
  9. Curse You All Men!
  10. Thus Spake the Nightspirit
  11. The Loss and Curse of Reverence
  12. With Strength I Burn
  13. In the Wordless Chamber
  14. Ye Entrancemperium

New 5×5 and 7×7 Records

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on May 18, 2025 by slateman

After adding a Gan 562 M to my collection, I also nabbed an Aofu WRM M 7×7 used alongside several other high-quality puzzles. I knew my 5×5 record was in reach but my times were really nothing particularly good. The expensive Gan cube just wasn’t giving me the edge I needed. So, with my wife out of town and my shoulder slowly recovering from surgery, I did a few 7×7 solves. My first one was 16:16.92 – literally one second slower than my record! After a few botched efforts with edge pairing going repeatedly awry, I busted out a 14:21 – breaking my record by two full minutes!

So, naturally, the question was: could I break two records in one day? The 5×5 record has stood for three-and-a-half years after all and a sub-four-minute time always seemed out of reach. Well, after a record-setting 4:03.70, I shattered the record with a 3:48.81! Sub-four and two records in one day. These new puzzles are just unreal compared to what things were like when I started. I’m quite satisfied with both and while that 7×7 could probably get better, I’m never in a rush on puzzles that take so long. Now to edit and update my cubing-records page!

Gan 562 M UV: A Premium 5×5

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on May 1, 2025 by slateman

My history with cubing nears its 15th anniversary and that time has been spent on both the speedcubing side and the collecting side of the hobby. While most of my best times are likely behind me, I’ve also reached a point in my life where I don’t need to make quibbles over an extra few dollars per puzzle. In recent years, I’ve replaced many of my older collection with higher-quality puzzles, matching the hobby’s current state in the mid-2020s. Some of those additions have helped me break records, others just made the process of solving that much more fun. My Gan 356M got my times lower, but my Gan Megaminx didn’t break any new records. Nor did my now Moyu Aosu V7 4×4. A great puzzle, sure, but my times may have hit their peak in brevity, residing forever in yesteryear.

Today’s new purchase was the 562 M – and like the Aosu, I opted for the UV coating. This puzzle has a premium feel and is the most-impressive higher-order puzzle I own. While the Aosu feels like a half notch between quality and budget, the 562 looks and feels like my hard-earned dollars were spent wisely. My first timed solve was 4:19, just seven seconds off my record. And, I’m wearing a sling after shoulder surgery three days ago.

I feel confident this puzzle will help me break my record and perhaps the ever-elusize sub-four-minute solve may even be in sight. Regardless of time accomplishments, it’s safe to say I will never go back to any of my prior 5x5s: not my original YJ Mini, nor my original ShengShou or even the SS magnetic stickerless from a few years ago. All retired for this new one. And I’m sold: you get what you pay for and OMG, this Gan 562 is one of the best puzzles in my entire collection.

2025 In Concerts

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music on March 7, 2025 by slateman

I’ve got some big shows coming up this year and I am quite excited. This list will hopefully grow, but as of early March, I have four really-exciting concerts on the horizon. Let’s see.

11 May: Emperor
28 May: Metallica
09 Jul: Ghost
14 Sep: Bruce Dickinson

There are a few others but I may not make it to those shows.

PSN: 10,000 Trophies!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments, Lists on December 1, 2024 by slateman

Through some strategic planning, this morning I achieved my 10,000th trophy on the Playstation Network – and that trophy was the platinum for Vampire Survivors!

It’s a geeky journey which means little to few…any, really. However, I find it interesting. Some quick stats:

  • First Trophy: 2 July, 2008
  • First Game: Super Stardust HD
  • Total Days Since: 5,996
  • Total Platinums: 70
  • Additional 100% Games: 20
  • Most Trophies/Year: 2016 – 1,122
  • Fewest Trophies/Year: 2023 – 315 (excludes 2008)
  • Total Months With 0 Trophies: 7 (4 within the first year of Trophies)
  • Most Trophies/Month: 236 (Thank you, My Name Is Mayo)
  • Most Platinums/Year: 2019 – 16 (Thanks Vita shovelware)
  • % of Bronze: 75%
  • % of Silver: 17%
  • % of Gold: 8%
  • % of Platinum: 0.7%

Platinums By Platform

  • PS5: 10
  • PS4: 24
  • PS3: 10
  • PSV: 26

Perhaps more to come.

Elden Ring: Where It Ranks & Why?

Posted in Best / Worst, Bloodborne, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid on September 7, 2024 by slateman

Despite getting into FromSoftware’s titles late: 2018 with the landmark Bloodborne, I’ve completed surprisingly-few of their titles. This spring I started Elden Ring anew and with it being my GOTY 2022, knew precisely what to expect.

Except, this playthrough was just as good, if not better than the first. And during this new descent into The Lands Between, its long-awaited and massive, sprawling DLC, Shadow Of The Erdtree was anounced. Thus, dozens of hours were added to my second playthrough.

And here, at the end of it all, I feel much as I did back in April of 2022 upon completion of the base game originally. Succinctly, Empty is the only word to detail this sensation.

After my first run through this game, I was confident placing it in my top-20 list of all-time best games. Halfway amidst my second playthrough, it was firmly entrenched in the top 10. It was here where my passion for this game expanded. Looking up item locations, reading Reddit threads on build suggestions, watching lore videos – my fascination deepened. Seeking out every grace, every item, talisman, boss, hidden area…it all became addictive. And THEN….the DLC hit.

The expansion itself, in my humble opinion, places it in contention for the best game of the year, but the Best DLC award is a shoe-in, not only for 2024, but forever. It never felt tacked on or half-baked. The lore was embedded in the story and revelations cleared up concepts from the main story. NPCs had purpose. Bosses were both impressive and impactful. My sense of wonder and exploration and awe never ceased. It assisted in completing what was already a perfect package.

It was then that the game crept up in my list. Leapfrogging God Of War (2018), Uncharted 2, DoDoPachi: Dai-Ou-Jou, it was now facing Metal Gear Solid 3 and Portal 2. Surely it’s not superior to them!? Top 5 ever???

Stuck on the final boss, I went up into clean-up mode before seeking out a method to defeat the Mighty, BS Radahn. “Oh, I missed that talisman and I should equip that shield.” Almost every part of this game is utterly fun and joyous. To be clear, its vague story is best digested in video form. Granted, some bosses were frustration machines. Losing a quarter-of-a-million echoes is a challenge. But after completing the DLC 100%, I went back to visit some main-game missed items. I exhausted NPC dialogues. And after all that…I started NG+. At this point, I raced through, slaying everything and hitting upon all NPC interactions. The draw of the adventure was intoxicating. The familiarity gave me a foundation from which to start, but I kept encountering things I hadn’t yet done in almost 300 hours of playtime. I knew the boss patterns. I was overpowered enough to blaze through much of it which kept the entire experience moving along swiftly. I devoured story videos, wiki entries again and find that’s part of the draw of the whole Soulsborne experience.

Much like my initial playthroughs, I just don’t want this to end. Dwelling in the Lands Between, exploring all of its corners and poring over each breadcrumb of lore makes me truly wonder how high on my favorite games list this title is. Ultimately, something will supplant this on my current-gaming agenda, and it’s likely that title will be Astro Bot in mere days. However, as an experience, I can only claim Bloodborne, the fellow FromSoftware title, to be a legitimate adversary and competitor to the crown of greatest ever. Today I feel confident bestowing upon Elden Ring #2 on my all-time list. I’m all-but-certain a new playthrough awaits me at some later date – starting from scratch with years of walkthroughs and guides and videos to aid me on the adventure. I’m in no rush for time to pass, but I look forward to this future date knowing what a delight such a day will be.

Minishoot’ Adventures: Fun!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games on April 27, 2024 by slateman

I’ve been quite enjoying Steam’s indie offerings as of late. Not that fantastic entries weren’t available in recent times, but for some reason, my patience for PC gaming has increased and after being simply obsessed with Balatro (after my second 100+ hour Elden Ring run), I’m now firmly entrenched in Minishoot’ Adventures! It’s simple and light and precisely what I need. Looking forward to continuing this adventure and the prospect of more in the future!!!

Balatro: Surprise Game Of The Year

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games on March 26, 2024 by slateman

It’s another case of, “I never knew I wanted a game like this,” yet here we are and I’m enthralled, utterly, with Balatro and its mechanics.

It’s simple but deep and full of game-breaking strategies – all of which are designed to be so broken. After a bit of time just messing around, I started trying to win and…to my complete surprise, today was the day! Armed with the powerful Triboulet joker and four kings of hearts, I beat the eighth ante, earning a whopping $260k on one hand! It was quite silly, really, but that is the point. I’m having such a blast with this stupid game.

Ba