Cultured Individual's 2023 Recap And Plans For 2024

The year of 2023 is finally coming to an end, and it is time for me to reflect on the year I had in general, as well as what I wrote on this blog. I would say that 2023 was a memorable year for me, with my biggest highlight being my European mega-vacation touring Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. I was able to play my fair share of video games this year as well and wrote some good reviews. There were some events and stories this year and I want to talk about those as well.

"Sea Of Stars" Is An Excellent Tribute To SNES RPGs

By Sabotage - Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72375507

I just finished playing Sea of Stars, which is a turn-based RPG from Sabotage Studio, which has had heavy influence from the Super Nintendo RPGs that came before it. There is so much influence from those SNES RPGs that Sea of Stars feels like a tribute game, or a love letter, to that genre on that system. Part of the fun of Sea of Stars is identifying which classic games influenced this game.

Looking Back On The "Gears Of War" Series

I had a trial for a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and last month was the time for me to use it, because I had the craving of playing the Gears of War games all in one go. I have not played a Gears of War game since Gears of War 3 came out in 2011. I thought it would be as good of a time as ever to relive the original Gears trilogy, as well as play the newer Gears games (4 and 5) and give my brief thoughts on those games as well.

Around Athens In Three Hours

My voyage on-board the Celebrity Infinity came to an end, docking at the port of Piraeus, just southwest of the city of Athens. I have talked about the Celebrity Infinity in two previous blog posts but for this post, I am going to talk about our brief tour of Athens before we had to go to the airport to catch our flight. While on our city tour in Rhodes, our taxi driver connected us to a tour company in Athens who was able to show us around the city for a few hours before taking us to the airport (for a reasonable rate).

 

Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer Thoughts

If you have been living under a rock for the last little while, we finally got to see the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI. I did not think I was going to see a GTA VI in my lifetime, considering how long ago the initial release of GTA V was. I am so genuinely excited and hyped over this announcement and the trailer that 2025 cannot come soon enough. I just want to offer my brief thoughts on the trailer and offer my general thoughts on the Grand Theft Auto franchise to this point.

A Beach Day in Nafplio, Greece

Our last port that the Celebrity Infinity stopped at (before the end of our voyage) was the Greek city of Nafplio. We needed a day to just relax at the beach, and Nafplio did not look like there was much going on in terms of interesting things to see, so this was our designated beach day. This was another of those stops where we had to take a tender boat to get to the actual port of Nafplio, and the views from the ship and the tender boat were impressive. There was hilly terrain with the occasional fortified structure.

2023-2024 CONCACAF Nations League Quarter-Final - Canada vs. Jamaica (Post-Game Thoughts)

I went to the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final between Canada and Jamaica last week, and the match was wildly entertaining (especially in the second-half). Unfortunately, Canada fell to a shock 3-2 defeat to the Reggae Boyz and they were now out of the Nations League tournament. Here are my thoughts and observations on the match and everything around me. 

The Rug Salesmen of Türkiye (Türkiye Part 2)

This is the second part of my day in Türkiye. The first Türkiye blog post is here. By this point, we have explored the ruins of Ephesus, but we still have another whole half of a day to spend in this country. There will be more exploring of ruins and religious sites, but there was a surprise waiting for us after we finished eating lunch.

Exploring The Ruins of Ephesus (Türkiye Part 1)

Let us talk about a different country for a change. This mega-trip of Southeastern Europe also included my first time visiting Türkiye (formerly known as Turkey). I have always wanted to visit Türkiye, mainly the Istanbul area, but I was perfectly okay with visiting any part of the country. The Celebrity Infinity docked in the port town of Kuşadasi. It was a beautiful, quiet morning as the cruise ship pulled into the dock. The town itself looked like a picture from a postcard, with the sunrise looking over the buildings on the hills.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review

By nintendo - https://www.ign.com/games/super-mario-bros-wonder, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75108015

Some of my earliest and fondest gaming memories was playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES and Super Mario World for the SNES when I was a child. Playing these platforming games and trying to get to the end of the level was captivating to me, and it helped to stoke a love affair for video gaming that I still continue to have. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World were hugely influential games and along with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, were the pinnacle of 2D platforming games.

The Colossus In Rhodes

The next port of call for the voyage onboard the Celebrity Infinity was in the city of Rhodes, which was in the island of Rhodes. The island of Rhodes is just southwest of Turkey, but the island is a part of Greece. The only time I have ever heard of Rhodes was the Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Unfortunately, the wonder does not exist anymore, but I get to go to its former site.

A Chaotic Evening in Santorini - Part 2

This is the second part of my day in Santorini. If you have not read part 1 yet, here is the link. In this post, I talk about walking through the quaint Greek village of Megalochori, exploring the village of Oia (which is the main tourist town of Santorini), and describe the chaos of trying to get back to our cruise ship before it leaves us.

Exploring Santorini, Greece - Part 1

The next stop on the Celebrity Infinity voyage was the island of Santorini in Greece. I know Santorini is generally one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe with its blue and white buildings, but now I get the chance to go to the island myself and see if this place is worth the hype. Little did I know that Santorini would be one of the most chaotic days of my vacation, especially towards the end of the day.

There are many things to show from this day, so I will split this day into two blog posts. This post is part one of my day in Santorini.

Dubrovnik, Croatia (How I Fell In Love With My Croatian Tour Guide)

The first stop on my Celebrity Infinity cruise was the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Dubrovnik is probably best known nowadays as being the setting of “King’s Landing” in the HBO show Game of Thrones, but this is a city steeped in history, like most cities in Europe. I will say right now that despite the amount of walking that I did, Dubrovnik was probably the best day trip I had during my cruise.

Celebrity Infinity Highlights

This will be a companion post to my recent cruise ship review on the Celebrity Infinity, for which I was a guest for the ship's voyage around the Adriatic Sea and the Greek Islands. This post will be less formal in nature, and I want to share some experiences I had aboard the ship that I could not fit in my previous post. There were a number of things happening on the ship, and I tried to experience as much as I can. So without further ado, here were my highlights onboard the Celebrity Infinity.

Cruise Ship Review: Celebrity Infinity

I came back from my trip sailing with Celebrity Cruises, which is a luxury-focused cruise line. I was on a 7-night cruise aboard the Celebrity Infinity, which sailed to Croatia, Turkey, and various ports in Greece. The Celebrity Infinity is a part of their Millennium-class ships, built between 2000-2002 and all recently renovated, though the Infinity definitely shows its age in its decor and furnishings. My perks for sailing on this cruise include the basic Wifi package, the classic drink package, and an onboard credit.

Final Fantasy XVI - If "Game Of Thrones" Was A Video Game

I do not think I have reviewed a main-line Final Fantasy game on this blog. I have reviewed the Final Fantasy VII Remake, as well as Crisis Core, but I finally get to talk about a brand-new Final Fantasy adventure and find out if FFXVI is as good as the legendary name that dons it.

The Worst and Best of Air Transat

I just came back from my extended vacation in Europe, and even though there were too many tours and not enough beach days, I still had a good time. My trip was book-ended by two flights from Air Transat. The flight going to Rome was the worst flight I have ever experienced, while the flight coming home from Athens was the best flight I ever experienced. I will talk about both experiences in the first of my many blog posts from the Europe trip.

I Go International (for real this time)

So, this will not be a very long blog post. I will be going to Europe for the first time in my life at the end of this week, and it is safe to say that I am pretty excited. A dream of mine is to travel to every habitable continent at least once in my lifetime, and I can cross the second continent off the list.

I will be travelling to Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey over the next couple of weeks, so you will not see any new blog posts during that time. However, when I come back, I think there will be enough blog content to last the rest of the year. I squeezed as much blog content as I possibly can out of vacations to Mexico and Hawaii, but I think there will be even more to experience in Europe.

I don't really know what to expect when I go to Europe, maybe that everything is smaller and more narrow? I am expecting the food to be amazing, especially in Italy. There will be historic sites, beaches, and pickpockets I presume. The only way to know is if I go and see all of this for myself.

Hopefully I will have much to show on this very blog. Here is to another adventure!

Diddy Kong Racing - The Superior N64 Racing Game

I have been thinking about creating blog posts giving my thoughts playing video games that I used to play religiously in my childhood. There is no video game console that defined my childhood more and that I remember more fondly than the Nintendo 64. I have already written posts about Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Super Smash Bros. However, I want to use this post to talk about Diddy Kong Racing, which is the superior racing game on the N64, and certainly better than Mario Kart 64.

Everything Can Change In An Instant

So far, I can sum up my summer of 2023 in one word: weird. The reason why this summer felt so weird for me can be traced back to a singular moment on a fateful May morning.

The Toronto CN Tower Edgewalk

Last week, I did the unthinkable. I went in the CN Tower and completed the Edgewalk. Normally, I would not do these kinds of activities where the star attraction was how high you were from the ground, but with a need for blog content (and a little bit of peer pressure), I decided to go and complete the Edgewalk. The Edgewalk is an attraction where you walk around the outside edge of the CN Tower while suspended over 1100 feet in the air, taller than Canada's tallest skyscraper. I will talk about the whole experience, and offer my thoughts on this rather harrowing attraction.

Cassette Beasts Is What Pokemon Should Have "Evolved" Into

I have been playing Cassette Beasts, which is a monster-taming RPG that takes inspiration from Pokemon. Cassette Beasts is an indie video game made by Bytten Studio that I bought on sale during the Steam Summer Sale, because I heard good things about this game, and I wanted to check it out. I am glad I played this game, because Cassette Beasts is solid, and feels like an evolution to the long-outdated gameplay mechanics of the mainline Pokemon games. Before I compare the gameplay mechanics between Cassette Beasts and Pokemon, I will highlight the other aspects of Cassette Beasts and give my thoughts.

What Do You Do With Toronto FC?

I did not want to write another post about Toronto FC this year, and especially so soon after my last post a couple of months ago. However, the overall atmosphere surrounding the club has become so toxic that I had no choice but to say something. I do not know how many times I can say the same thing in different ways. I have also heard seemingly every single opinion about this club from every type of Toronto FC supporter and casual. I am just going to give my thoughts on the recent events at TFC and (once again) talk about how badly mismanaged the club is. I am tired of talking about Toronto FC mismanagement, but deep down, I secretly revel in it.

A "Little Canada" In Canada On Canada Day

On Canada Day, I spent some time at Little Canada, which is an attraction that recently opened its doors a couple of years ago at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto. Little Canada is a showcase of miniature-scale dioramas of various locations in Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, and beyond. Before I talk about my experience at Little Canada, I will share a personal anecdote of mine.

My Old Company Cannot Afford My Services

I want to share something with you. I would not call this a dream, or a fantastical thought I had, but it is a blend of the two. This is a blend of something that actually happened to me, with a mix of a fantasy scenario, and it combines two things that I have spoken about in length about this blog. These two things are my value and the time I worked at an old company. Let me briefly go over these things and then lay out this scenario that had been buzzing through my head for the last little while.

Corporate-Mandated Fun at Cirque du Soleil

Last week, I had a work outing at Cirque du Soleil, which is a circus producer of many travelling shows around the world. As of last week, they had their show Kooza playing in Toronto (as of writing this post, Cirque's run of Kooza shows have finished in Toronto) and I always wanted to go see the show, but I could never justify paying $150 for a decent seat. Luckily, because this is a work event, my company covered the Cirque ticket. Also, because this is a work event, I must go socialize with many of my co-workers at the event, which is (for an introvert like me) a complete nightmare. I decided to suck it up, because I do not think there would be a time where I would willingly go to a Cirque du Soleil event.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Gameplay Perfection

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is, without a doubt, one of the best video games I have ever played. It might just be THE best video game I have ever played. Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the previous main-line Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. Even though Tears of the Kingdom plays extremely similarly to its predecessor, TotK makes BotW feel like a Switch tech demo in terms of its scale, immersion, and exploration. I will try to keep this blog post as spoiler-free as possible.

Toronto Football (Country) Club

“I thought it would be a nice little job for him to learn some stuff by,”

This was a quote made by former MLSE President and CEO Richard Peddie towards former MLSE COO Tom Anselmi, who was set to become the top executive overseeing the newly-formed Toronto FC prior to their inaugural 2007 MLS season. I find this quote to be extremely prominent in my mind, and I always come back to it whenever I think about Toronto FC, and especially when there is some sort of drama at the club (which is frequently). If you asked me the question of "what do you think is the one single thing that sums up Toronto FC as a football club and a sporting entity?" My answer would be the quote I mentioned above.

What Is Success? What is Failure?

I occasionally hear discussions on the topics of success and failure and I have always wanted to talk about what I thought about success and failure (more specifically, what I believe is a successful person). There were two events that made me want to write a post on this. One such event happened recently, and the other happened a while ago during a family function.

What Do I Do With Twitter?

I have been wanting to write a post like this for some time, but now is as good of a time as any to talk about Twitter. More specifically, I want to talk about the state of my usage of Twitter. Twitter is in an interesting position in terms of its public perception (especially of the person who bought the company), and its survivability as a major social media site. Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter, there has been this weird shift on the overall climate whenever I scroll through my Twitter feed and explore trending topics. I will get to this later in the post, but I want to talk about how I came to use Twitter and how I enjoyed using Twitter over the years. Then, I will talk about my future on the platform itself and everything I noticed since the Twitter takeover.

The Lakeshore Terrace

I lived in three places - at work, at home, and at the stadium - but my real life was at the stadium.

Forgive my bastardized quote adapted from the short story The Hockey Sweater but I wanted to write an ode to my home away from home. I am from Toronto and a massive footy fan, so of course I am talking about BMO Field, and even more specifically, section 114.

Quick Thoughts - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

Maybe this is my fault for having high expectations, but I thought the new Crisis Core remake was on the disappointing side. I do not think the new Crisis Core remake was a bad game, but I do not think there was much that made it a good game either. When the Final Fantasy VII Remake was released, I was floored with the overall presentation and its beautifully rendered cut-scenes and music. The new Crisis Core remake feels significantly inferior to the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Maybe I am not supposed to compare the two games, but since Crisis Core is a direct prequel to the events of FFVII, it only seems logical to do so.

Random MLS/Toronto FC/Canada Soccer Thoughts - March 2023

I have a few random football thoughts that I do not want to fit in a series of tweets, so I will lay all of it out in a blog post before I either forget everything, or it is too late in the MLS season.

The Cultured Individual

I had a thought, or maybe it was something closer to a fantasy. I imagine somewhere in the future, maybe 50 years from now, and assuming the internet still existed in a similar way to now. I think about someone important, by some random chance, stumbling onto my blog and seeing the posts I have made about 50-60 years ago. I feel like that person in the future will label me as 'one of the great thinkers of our time'. How could that possibly be? I am just one person with one blog in the sea of millions of blogs on the internet. I do not consider myself important, nor would I ever anyone else consider me as important, or even go so far as to call me 'one of the great thinkers of our time'.

God of War: Ragnarok (Review)

God of War: Ragnarok is a sensational follow-up to the 2018 release of God of War. I want to say this right off the bat. God of War: Ragnarok was the satisfying experience I wished the 2018 God of War could have been. I mentioned in my review of the 2018 release of God of War that the developers made it too obvious that a sequel(s) was going to be made, and the game experience suffered because of it. The overall story of God of War: Ragnarok, with a definite beginning, middle, and end made the gaming experience worth it.

Quick Thoughts: Xenoblade Chronicles 3

I finally finished playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (seriously, this game is well over 100 hours in game length if you do many of the side quests), and after playing the first two games in the trilogy, I think it is safe to say that XC3 is the best game in the series, and one of the best (if not, the best) JRPGs on the Nintendo Switch. I felt like XC3 is the sum of the best parts of XC1 and XC2 and improves upon them, which I will explain below:

My Top 5 Games I Played In 2022

I was meaning to write this post earlier in 2023, but I was dealing with a tailbone injury so I could not sit for long periods of time. I feel well enough now to talk about my five best games I have played in 2022. As mentioned in previous lists, this is not my best games that were released in 2022, but rather the games I played for the first time in 2022. Before I get into the list, I have one honorable mention: