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Posted by Kim183 Comments on Gamers blog party: winter 2018 invitation Blog

Gamers blog party: winter 2018 invitation

Christmas is only a few weeks away and everyone is starting to get into the festive party mood. So put on your best frock and dancing shoes, grab your laptop and join in with the latest blog party here at Later Levels – there’s no better way to celebrate this time of year than meeting some new blogging friends and reading their awesome posts.

The rules are simple:

🎉   Arrive at the party: don’t be shy and stand in the corner – say hello and introduce yourself in the comments below! Give an introduction to your blog to welcome new readers and let us know what you’re all about.

🎉   Present your gift: think about the posts you’ve written during the past three months and choose your favourite or one which was fun to write. Leave a link to it in your comment and explain why you’ve picked it.

🎉   Show your festive spirit: a blog party is nothing without good music and video games. Tell us which favourite festive tune you’ve brought with you, and the video game you’ll be playing this holiday season.

🎉   Mingle: grab yourself a drink, put on a party hat and get to know your fellow guests! Check back on the comments throughout the day to discover excellent sites and meet new bloggers.

🎉   Party all day: the comments below will be open for 24-hours until 06:00 BST on Tuesday, 11 December 2018 so you’ve got plenty of time to meet and greet. Plus your posts will be shared on the Later Levels’ social media channels!

These blog party events are my way of giving something back to the amazing WordPress community and showing my appreciation for all of your support. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some lovely people and talented writers over the past two years; here’s a little thank you and a way of finding some awesome blogs you may not have come across already.

The record number of posts shared in a single event still stands at 29; can we beat that this time around? Enjoy – and excuse me while I go grab another mulled cider!

UK Blog Awards, UKBA19, logo, voteHello there! If you like what you see in this post, why not take a moment to vote for Later Levels in the UK Blog Awards 2019?
Doing so will bring you great loot, increase your XP by +100 and make you immune to fire.*
(*Not guaranteed.)

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Kim View All

Video game lover, Later Levels blogger and SpecialEffect volunteer. Big fan of wannabe pirates and fine leather jackets.

183 thoughts on “Gamers blog party: winter 2018 invitation” Leave a comment ›

  1. Hello! I think I am early for once which is cool. If you don’t know me, I am Michelle and I write for A Geek Girl’s Guide. I don’t solely write about video games but it is a frequent topic of mine. Since it is the holiday season I am sharing my gift guide post (https://ageekgirlsguide.com/2018/11/26/the-ultimate-gift-guide-for-geeks/) in case you’re still gift shopping. There is a nice gaming secrion in it! For my holiday song I have “It’s the most wonderful time of year” because it keeps getting stuck in my head. And for games I have a giant backlog to get through but I just got a Switch and have been playing lots of Mario Kart. Plus thats a good game for parties like this!

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  2. Hi! I’m mostly sneaking in via the back door to peep what’s shaking and to see the reply record pass 29! I’m not a game blogger, per say, but I’m a consistent party crasher! I run a blog about exploring literary devices as they occur in our favorite pop culture (and occasionally using pop culture to explain grammar). I’m bringing Owl City’s Pepermint Winter because this song makes me smile every time I hear it, but I think I brought it last year too! I’m working on my M.S. thesis, so I’ve only written 2 blogs in the last few months (I’m on an extended dramatic pause), so I guess that I bring the gift of grammar today! I’m like that awkward relative who wants the kids to learn, so I bring all the educational gifts wrapped in pretty paper for the holidays! https://popcultureliterarytutor.wordpress.com/2018/09/14/pop-culture-grammar-bytes-possessive-vs-plural/ If you’re having trouble knowing the difference between Santa’s cookies and Santas cookies, this is the post for you! Can’t wait to sneak back in later and see all of the blogs everyone has shared!

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  3. Hello there, I brought some traditional Witcher potions to spike the punch.
    I’m Alex, I write stuff, and since I love video games, sometimes I write about those. Mostly in letter style, personally addressed to the games in question. Here’s one I’ve written to one of my favourite games of all time, The Witcher 3
    http://mcwritestuff.com/2018/10/16/dear-video-games-the-witcher-3-review/
    There’s also going to be a letter addressed to tutorials scheduled for Thursday.
    Right now I’m playing the PS Vita game “Iconoclasts” cause it’s free this month for PS Plus members and I needed an excuse to dust off my handheld. It’s a beautiful game, reminiscent of Shovel Knight.
    Music wise, I am literally listening to The Witcher 3 soundtrack in my car everywhere I go. A simple drive to the grocery store can turn into an adventure.
    Careful with the punch now, kids, this shit is gonna make you see in the dark. And don’t even ask me about Thronebreaker, it’s on my list.
    Let’s party! Woooooohoooo!

    Liked by 10 people

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    • Only three posts shared so far, and somebody has already spiked the punch! ha ha

      I hadn’t heard much about Iconoclasts previously but over the weekend, I’ve seen loads of articles about it. I might have to borrow the stepkid’s Vita…

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  5. *stumbles backwards in to the party wearing a tiger onesie*

    Hello! I’m Luke… Aka Hundstrasse… And I do the blogging about all sorts of games and gaming things, pretty much whatever is in my head at the time I start tapping that keyboard.

    Ah, now you may be wondering why I’m dressed like this, but since my recent exploits in VR I thought the stripes rather suited me. Check out the post here if I’m not making much sense: https://hundstrasse.com/2018/11/14/no-body-knows/

    *Waves to Kim and passes over the traditional Twiglet hedgehog… It’s like a cheese and pineapple hedgehog, but with Twiglets*

    Oh yes, and I brought a vinyl if Merry Christmas everyone (or whatever it’s called) by Slade, unfortunately the record is scratched so it’s just Noddy Holder yelling “it’s Chriiiisstttmmmaaasss” over and over again, should I pop it on?

    And for gaming I’ve brought some Timesplitters 2 on PS2 courtesy of my recently rediscovered ps2 collection. Split screen anyone?

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  6. Another party crasher here… I’m not a game blogger, but I don’t really have a niche in particular anyway! However, I do love games and definitely think I can have an intelligent conversation about them, so let’s get this party started!

    I’m Kayla, 20 from England. This Christmas I will of course be procrastinating from my dissertation, by dedicating too much time to Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee! We finally got a switch last week, so feel free to recommend any fun Christmas time party games. And the song I will be bringing is Fairytale of New York (but we’ll save it for an end of the night, wait until we’ve all had a bit to drink first.)

    This is my favourite blog that I’ve written, it’s sort of deep but I had a lot of important issues to address: [this out-of-context link has been edited by Later Levels – please think before you comment!]

    Good luck with beating 29! 💛

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  7. *Comes down the Chimney*
    “Ho Ho Ho Nerds!”
    Today I’ve brought my post about Deep Rock Galactic. Why? Because it’s a great game and I think more people should try it out. https://geeksleeprinserepeat.com/2018/11/21/early-access-revisited-deep-rock-galactic/

    My PC died this weekend, so I need to get that fixed ASAP because two of my most anticipated games of the year are (almost) here – Ashen and Below. That’s what I’ll be playing this Christmas period!

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  8. Hey all! My Name is Nana, and I run a blog on video games and anime, my experience making video games! I also just started writing for Game Savvy!
    I brought Michael Buble’s Christmas album, and my Final Fantasy XIII review, so enjoy those: https://nanamarfo.weebly.com/blog/final-fantasy-xiii-review
    I have been playing Bastion’s Demo and a LOT of Anime games and demos, such as SoulWorker and Serment: Contact with a Devil.
    Party Time!

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    • Congratulations on writing for Game Savvy, that’s awesome! 😀

      And also, well done on the song choice. Is it really Christmas without a bit of Buble?

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  9. This party is starting very early in the morning! I am okay with this. I’m not normally a party animal (like, at all) but a text-based party is absolutely something I can get behind.

    Um, hello. I’m Pete. I used to be a professional games journalist; you may have seen my work on GamePro, IGN and USgamer as well as in a few lesser-known places. If you live in the UK, you’ll also have seen my words adorning the pages of the sadly defunct PC Zone and Official Nintendo Magazine.

    I have a particular fascination with localised Japanese video games and visual novels, and thus that is where my site MoeGamer.net places much of its priority — although I also explore a variety of retro games that have left a strong impression on me over the years, or that I’ve “discovered” recently through collecting or emulation.

    I’ve brought one of several articles I wrote on AliceSoft’s impressive RPG Evenicle. There was a lot to say about this game, so it was hard to pick one, but here’s what the game taught me about polyamorous lifestyles and why some people might choose to live that way: https://moegamer.net/2018/09/21/evenicle-family-affairs/ Follow the links in the article if you want to find out more about other aspects of this game!

    Music-wise I’ve brought the Blue Reflection soundtrack, because what’s a party without a combination of pulse-pounding drum and bass and twinkly piano that makes at least one person start sobbing uncontrollably? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsHi8qkIBE

    As for gaming, I’ve had a tough time dragging myself away from Super Smash Bros for the past few days, but I’m also playing Atelier Rorona DX as I’m going to cover the Arland series on my site once the new year rolls around.

    Now where’s that punch? It’s a bit dark in here, I could use a snifter of Cat…

    Liked by 9 people

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    • Hey Pete! I might have to steal that ‘text-based party’ quote for the next blog party – I like that. 😀

      Every time I take a look at your site, I find out about a game I’ve never heard of before. Now I just need to get around to finding the time to play them all…

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      • Ahahaha. Good to know I’m doing my job! I aim to highlight stuff no-one has heard of and convince them they should give ’em a chance!

        Evenicle was a real highlight of my year — though do be aware if you decide to check it out that it is extremely 18+ due to its explicit sexual scenes. Just fair warning! 🙂

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  10. Hello!

    I’ve brought cake with me. I left it on the table over there. It’s chocolate, I hope that’s okay. It’s lovely to be here again and see some familiar names. *Puts on party hat*

    Anyway, I’m Krista although sometimes I’m known as Leekseverywhere and I typically blog about video games and technology. Here’s a post I’ve shared lately. It’s a type of post I haven’t done before but I had great fun writing it. https://leekseverywhere.wordpress.com/2018/12/09/xmasgifting/

    I’ve been listening to Against the Current’s album Past Lives a lot lately while playing some Super Smash Bros Ultimate over the weekend but I’m also trying to become a Pokémon Master again on Pokemon Soul Silver!

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  11. *Ellen thunders into the room, trips over a plant, and then stands awkwardly in the corner… even though the host said not to* Ahem. I’m so bad at parties 😅

    Anyway, I’m Ellen and I babble on the interwebz about video games, mostly. My favourite thing I wrote recently was this: https://lividlightning.com/2018/10/21/ace-ace-baby-moar-asexual-representation-in-games-please/ I’ve been having a difficult time dealing with romance-y stuff and discovering my orientation this year made me feel a lot better about me. Ellen still needs a lot of work though, haha. Love is love, in all its beautiful forms 💗

    My song (again this year) is The Night Santa Went Crazy by Weird Al. It’s very dark humour and it’s kinda like Grand Theft Auto Christmas, haha. I’ll likely be playing Breath of the Wild at my family’s house over the holiday. Not my cup of Zelda but I want to get through it.

    Work time… Ugh. Have fun guys! Party hard, eh.

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    • OMG… someone who doesn’t like Breath of the Wild?! 😲

      Seriously though: I hear you. I haven’t played it yet but I now don’t have any real desire to do so. What is it about it that’s not your thing?

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      • I honestly agree with Ellen about Breath of the Wild. I think it’s a brilliant and fun game but I don’t rank it highly with Zelda games. The thing that some people complain about in Zelda games: the basic story, the rinse and repeat nature of the dungeons with a map and item inside, the linearity of progression. I love all that in my Zelda games. That is why I buy Zelda games! It’s like a comfort blanket of gaming for me. I bought a Switch to play Breath of the Wild and I haven’t finished it. I’ve done most of the side quest stuff but I have 2 dungeons left and I find them as dull as dishwater. Probably my own fault because I keep comparing them to other Zelda games but I can’t help it. They just kill my drive to complete the game. I will at some point though. Anyway I’m gonna chewing your ear off about Breath of the Wild now!

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        • It’s really interesting hearing everyone’s take on botw. As my first Zelda game (I was firmly in camp Sega as a child) I loved it, but it sounds as though fans of the series were disappointed. Do you think you would’ve liked it more if it hasn’t been a Zelda game? Like if it was just called “princess somethingorother : Breath of the Wild”

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          • I still really like the game. I have it as my number 2 of my games of 2017 but it’s low on my Zelda list in my head. That’s a good question, I think I have a decent answer as to why I feel it’s a disappointing Zelda game. Zelda games come out every half a decade or so. Usually 1 per system or 1 plus a port. Breath of the Wild is great but its existence alone meant that a traditional Zelda game wouldn’t be out for another 4-6 years. If it was something like Assassins Creed I wouldn’t have an issue. There are at least 1 of those a year usually. I loved Assassins Creed 2 and Brotherhood but then I had my fill. The repetition got stale for me and so it’s good when it trys new things like Black Flag or Odyssey. Even if I didn’t like the change, I know next year might be more for me. With Zelda games though, particularly the 3D ones which are the ones I really love, new iterations are very sparse and so when they turn up I want them to be full of the reasons why I love Zelda games. Sure I think Breath of the Wild has the best traversal mechanic in gaming, essentially just clamber up any walls you want and one of the best open world experiences. But that isn’t Zelda to me.

            Perhaps another reason for my disdain might be game paranoia. This came out to wild praise and that might mean that my traditional 3D Zelda games are going away in favor of BOTW style. If Nintendo did BOTW with classic style Zelda dungeons with unique themes and item unlocks, it could top Ocarina of Time or at least be very close for me.

            So, I don’t hate the game. I just don’t like what it replaced as much. As a game on its own it’s amazing. New IP it. Call it Helga and you play as Bink. I’d probably adore it as it would mean I would get my classic Zelda games too. Anyway, that was a long explanation haha.

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            • A long explanation, but a good one! 😁

              I totally get it, it’s always risky to mix up a formula that works, especially in such an established series. I guess publishers are just more wary of the possibility of a new IP flopping.

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      • I know!! Blasphemy. I’m I terrible person 😛

        But yeah, my biggest complaint is that it doesn’t seem Zelda (not a fan of the no proper dungeons). Also weapons break way too easily and I find all the empty spaces to “explore” kinda… well, boring?

        I’ll go hide from the angry mob now…. *flees*

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        • There’s definitely a fine-line with open-world games. They can either give you a sense of excitement, because you want to know what’s around the next bend in the path; or leave you feeling bored but there just isn’t enough to fill them. I kind of overdosed when playing Horizon last year so I haven’t picked up many open-worlds during 2018!

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    • Hello Ellen!

      I am also having a lot of trouble with romance-y stuff as well, so your not alone there!

      BOTW is something I need to try! I just need to get a Switch…

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  12. Hi everyone! I’m Kate.

    *politely removes shoes* (Oh crap, there’s a hole in my sock!)

    I mostly blog about language and retrogaming (sometimes together, sometimes not!) I’m a nitpicker when it comes to spelling and grammar (hi to the fellow grammar nerds!) so my blog began in that vein, then meandered into other things.

    I brought my post about the controversial ‘monkey wrench’ puzzle in Monkey Island 2. It’s a really interesting puzzle from a language point of view, and I enjoyed writing about it. https://musingsofanitpickinggirl.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/can-we-talk-about-the-monkey-wrench-puzzle/

    My music choice has to be Spaceman by Chris de Burgh, so we can all start off slowly swaying and then bounce off the walls when it hits the crescendo.

    Over the festive period I’m playing Unforeseen Incidents, which is a great point-and-click adventure with amazing hand-drawn graphics and deadpan humour. And references to some of my favourite shows like The X-Files and Twin Peaks.

    I’m going to check out some of your posts now. Nice to meet you all! Hic!

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    • You brought a post about Monkey Island… did I mention how supremely awesome you are? 😉

      I played a bit of Unforeseen Incidents at an expo earlier this year but haven’t actually gotten around to playing the full game yet. Sounds as though we have very similar tastes!

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      • Haha, it does indeed! I highly recommend Unforeseen Incidents. It’s really well made, too – very dynamic in that if you click on an item before you know what you need it for, he’ll query it, then his response will update when you have the connected piece of information. A simple and fairly obvious thing, but surprisingly lacking in a lot of p’n’c games.

        I didn’t word all that very well – must be this spiked punch.

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  13. *Proceeds to leave the corner of the room but not before some Dutch courage* Hey there, I’m Fitzy and you can find me rambling about video games over on my blog Game Time. I don’t really have a style of writing, I just write about what I love or dislike about games or what weird thought I had in the shower. Usually that involves games too!

    Since this is the Christmas party of the year, as that is what is written on the entrance and doors don’t lie, I thought I’d share a Christmas gaming tale. https://gametime.blog/2018/11/11/what-was-your-side-quest-mini-game-purgatory/, this is my trials and tribulations of trying to win a bowling alley Christmas turkey in Yakuza 0. And we all know, that’s where you get the most succulent of turkey’s. My post is also a place to share your minigame or side-quest misery, if you so wish.

    My song is What’s This from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Yes, the song is sung by a spooky skeleton but this is more of a Christmas song than Halloween. Jack’s sense of wonder and innocence in first discovering Christmas really makes me smile. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have this feeling every year? It’s a feeling that I wish I could encapsulate and keep with me at all times. Gaming wise, this Christmas I have a back catalogue of games to get through before I allow Santa Claus to bring me a new game. So, Ni No Kuni 2 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are currently being worked on. Who knows, I may get Smash Bros Ultimate before March at this rate.

    Right, I’m off to work but I’ll be popping back in when I can to hear the Christmas gossip and to mingle. Have fun all!

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  14. The door swings open and in steps a tall geeky gentleman. “Good Morning Vietnam” he shouts.

    “I come bringing gifts of awesome gameplay, the finest banter and orange flavoured chocolate”

    https://youtu.be/6-kQ4htqk3Y watch this and enjoy.

    Hi my name is Colin and this weekend i moved my blog to a new host so puggygaming.com is currently being worked on. I’m installing plugins, finding a suitable looking theme and getting everything back up. Its exciting stuff.

    Slice of chocolate orange for anyone?

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  15. Good day fine party people of the internet *bows* I’ve brought some mulled beer (it is a thing, honest!) and some homemade pepperkaker, so help yourself!

    Oh…I haven’t introduced myself…

    Hello! My name is Pix and I write a video game blog called Shoot the Rookie in which I talk nonsense about games and how I’m not very good at them. My latest offering is this piece on how seemingly unrelated pieces of music remind me of video games – specifically video games in the Final Fantasy series. The tunes aren’t particularly festive (unless you REALLY like power metal), but we may as well listen to them here anyway.

    https://shoottherookie.com/2018/11/30/top-5-songs-that-remind-me-of-games-the-final-fantasy-edition/

    Call me boring but I always bring the same game to parties – Guitar Hero! It is the game that defines me after all *winks*. However, during Christmas this year I’ll be mostly playing Persona 5 in a desperate attempt to actually finish a game before the end of the year *ashamed face*

    Anyway! Where’s that punch got to…

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  16. GOOD DAY PARTY PEOPLE

    I moonwalk into the room with a too-small box of Festive Animals (they’re just chocolate-covered biscuits) and start blaring The Darkness’s ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’, which I think I might also have wandered in and started playing at last year’s December blog party but there ’tis.

    I’m Chris, and I write stuff on overthinkeryblog.com, and also lately thewellredmage.com and obilisk.co. I think my favourite thing from the last three months is probably this thingy about why diversity is cool even if you personally suck: https://overthinkeryblog.com/2018/10/18/five-reasons-to-embrace-diversity-in-fiction-even-if-youre-an-incorrigible-bigot/

    I’ll be focusing over the Christmas break on continuing with the novel I started in National Novel Writing Month, and I’ll also be playing some Killer7 because it’s the next game I’ve got to review for The Well-Red Mage! (It’s very weird, but I’m enjoying it.)

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  17. *runs into party at full speed, knocking at least two people over*

    Just nipping in on my lunch break and thought I’d say hello *hands out Chocolate Oranges to anyone in vicinity*

    I’m Gary, had a few blogs before but now I’ve made The Well Red Mage my home. Yes, I asked Red first – I’m not a squatter!

    My gift is my first TWRM post of this new era – a review of PS4 launch game Knack.

    https://thewellredmage.com/2018/11/14/knack/

    Probably not the best of starts to a new era, but I’ve had the crazy idea of hammering through as many PS4 games as I can….

    That will explain my Christmas gaming…I’m thinking Killzone with a chocolate orange on Christmas night…hey, my backlog respects no festivities!

    The only Christmas songs I like are the sad ones * puts on Last Christmas by WHAM and does strange interpretive dance in middle of party*

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    • I haven’t had any Chocolate Oranges yet during this festive season. I think I need to start changing that!

      Over the past year, I’ve found myself moving away from my PC and towards the PlayStation (although I’m not entirely sure why). I’ll be keeping an eye out for your reviews and seeing which games I should add to my backlog. 😉

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          • No…not sure why I played it truthfully. I think it’s because I got a free copy on PSN and it was one of the PS4’s launch games.

            People seem to like the sequel, so I’ll have to try that at some point.

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            • I’ve done that too: played something I know isn’t going to be great just because we’ve got it as a PSN freebie. There isn’t much in December’s batch that I haven’t already completed or want to do so – and as luck would have it, I only picked up SOMA a couple of months ago!

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              • Unlucky, that’s the worst when you buy a game only to get it for free later! I did it with Gucamelee, but luckily it was only a few quid!

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  18. *warps from work to the Later Levels party, glad I decided to wear my video game “ugly sweater” today* Hey guys! This is Athena from AmbiGaming Corner, and I ted to look at video games through a lens of reality, as I call it, so basically taking things I see in video games and relating them to theories and concepts in the physical world. I deal with psychological topics a lot, and sometimes sociological and theological, but don’t be scared to come by and say hello! I come bearing Coventry Carol, but after feeling the vibe of the room I’ll be offering Jingle Jingle by the Echelons again 🙂 I’ve also brought along some fixings for my Yoshi’s Eggnog from Spirit ‘n’ Sprites, so I’ll be busy in the kitchen fixing drinks if you need me.

    I haven’t been super pleased with my writing recently, but I really loved writing my Surviving Horror piece, about why we wouldn’t actually survive in a horror game/movie, even though we like to think we would: http://ambigamingcorner.com/2018/10/11/a-question-of-survival-could-you-survive-a-horror-game

    As for gaming, I’m working through Knight of the Old Republic very slowly, but might be switching back to some good, familiar Metal Gear games soon, just for a little variety 😉

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  19. Hi everyone! I’m Michael and I just re-launched my blog to be more gaming focused. You can find me over at http://www.prudentgaming.com

    As I have just re-launched my blog, I am yet to have much gaming content but I have got a review of the game Submerged which you can see here – please enjoy: http://www.prudentgaming.com/submerged-review/

    My favourite festive song is Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and I’m diving into Child of Light over the festive season. I can’t wait to write a post and make a video on it. The bots on twitter have also suggested that I make let’s plays of the games I play, despite the over saturated market on YouTube.

    I can’t wait to engage with you all and I hope you have a fantastic time over the holidays!

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    • Hi Michael, lovely to meet you! I’ve just given you a follow across social media so hopefully that will serve as an early Christmas present.

      I tried playing Child of Light a while back and really liked the story and graphics, but ultimately didn’t finish it. I just don’t seem to have the patience for turn-based combat… hey, I think there might be an idea for a post in there somewhere… 🤔

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  20. It’s the most wonderful time of the year – the Later Levels blog party, of course! I’m Matthew from over at Normal Happenings, a blog about appreciating everyday life, and… and…

    Okay, I can’t hold it in anymore. If you haven’t already seen it, we just finished a collab of epic proportions called The Games That Define Us! We brought 34 bloggers from across the internet, including Kim herself and many you know from this party, for a month-long exploration of the video games most meaningful to our lives. From games as old as The Bard’s Tale, to as modern as The Sims 4, it has been a wonderful ride exploring all of the ways games positively impact our lives. Plus, you get to see some good designs and serious writing chops from some wonderfully talented writers.

    You can dive in anywhere, but here is the Adventure Map to get you started!
    https://normalhappenings.com/2018/10/31/adventure-map-the-games-that-define-us/

    I will be playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate until the metaphorical cows come home. So if you’d like to get your butt kicked with Toon Link, I will be at the equally metaphorical “over there.” I am undeniably a one trick pony when it comes to Smash… I’m fantastic with Toon Link, and absolutely terrible with everyone else. So, um, yeah. If you challenge me to a Smashdown tournament, I will accept, but it’s pretty much an assured victory for you.

    I’ve also borrowed Later Levels’ kitchen (hope you didn’t mind, Kim) and prepared a fresh protein-packed veggie stir fry. Because, let’s face it, we’re all going to be eating terribly over the holidays and need to front-load with some healthy green stuff.

    Anyway, I know many of you, but feel free to introduce yourself or say hi! And seriously, go check out the wonderful bloggers involved in The Games That Define Us. They’re seriously the best!

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    • Hey Matt, thanks for joining us! 😀

      And thanks also for hosting the awesomeness that was The Games That Define Us collaboration. It was a lot of fun to take part in and even more fun reading about everyone’s memories. Please keep me in mind for the next one!!

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  21. Hi, my name is Tessa and I blog about games and personal things over at princessinacastle.com and about books and writing at narratess.com. I wrote for MMogames for a short while about Guild Wars 2. It’s not my main game anymore since I’ve switched back to Diablo 3 and The Sims, but I’ll still play during events (wintersday is starting again next week!).

    I do want to share a post about Guild Wars 2. It’s not my best, but it’s one of the few in which I’m angry at the game design and why certain mechanisms should be eliminated from game design. The boss battle that I’m talking about is from a story patch from last year, but it can still contain spoilers. Don’t worry, there’s a big warning in the post as well.

    http://www.princessinacastle.com/guild-wars-2/guild-wars-2-the-confessor-is-dead/

    Can we play some Ni no Kuni 2 later? I just started the game and I’d like to finish it this year. Also, I made my famous tiramisu for whoever is craving dessert 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

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  22. Happy Holidays from GamersUnitedGG! My name is Luna and I run GamersUnitedGG which is a video game and interests blog. We blog about video games, board games, mobile games, Netflix Shows, WWE and more. I’m normally late to these things but I’m happy to bring Egg Nog and a great board game called Dead of Winter!

    Dead of Winter is a zombie survival game that can have multiple people being betrayers to the camp’s survival. You can visit multiple locations, search for supplies, kill off zombies and complete objectives until the game ends. Finish your secret objective by the time the game ends and you win!

    My present is the casting for my community event that I have just completed, Gamers House! It’s a reality house where different video game characters were pitted in events and voted to go through. The finale episode just aired this morning as well. Check out the Casting Post https://gamersunitedgg.com/2018/10/01/pilot-episode-pt-1-new-princess-in-town/

    Time to eat my weight in Christmas Cookies and egg nog!

    -Luna 🙂

    Liked by 6 people

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    • I haven’t played many board games, mainly because my local friends aren’t into them and those that are live far away! But Dead of Winter sounds like something I’d enjoy. I seem to recall Will from GSRR saying positive things about it too… 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

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      • It’s super fun and there are expansions to keep the game going. I have the deluxe edition with the long night expansion that brings extra characters to choose from and 2 new zones. Such a fun game to play with friends, especially when you don’t know who’s trying to sabotage everything haha.

        Liked by 1 person

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        • Ooh ok! I’m going to an expo early next year where there’s going to be a dedicated board game section, so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this one. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

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    • Aloy Aloy Aloy Aloy Aloy

      I’ve hardly heard any Christmas songs this year. Normally, they’re playing everywhere I go and I’m sick of them after the first week – but this time around nobody seems to be playing them down here! 😲

      Like

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  24. Is this party still going on? I had no idea!

    Hello, Galaxy here! My name is DJ and I run this: https://sspectres.com/ piece of the internet. I’m currently working on my favorite piece, it’s going live tomorrow and it’s about the top 8 PC games of all time. I focus alot of gaming reviews, first impressions, discussions, and some opinion pieces as well as some historical articles ( https://sspectres.com/2018/08/11/the-road-to-bfv-the-united-states/ ) that I’ve been pushing since 2017. I play alot of military shooters, action adventure games, and single-player games. My favorite games are singleplayer.

    My favorite holiday song is probalby “Winter Weather.” , recorded in 1941:https://youtu.be/stAkyzZdE-k

    Liked by 3 people

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  25. Hello everyone! I am quite late to the party as I have been at work for most of the day but I can finally join in with the festivities. My name is Brandon Green and I run the blog That Green Dude. I write about gaming with a focus on niche titles and retro games, sometimes I will also wrote about non gaming related things form time to time.

    Here is my most recent post where i have announced my big project, “Resident Evil Memories”. This is a a collaboration piece that is intended to celebrate all things Resident Evil. It’s also a way to unite RE fans and make conversations about the beloved survival horror franchise.
    Here it is. https://thatgreendude.com/2018/12/09/announcing-my-big-project-resident-evil-memories/

    As for music I have brought Pearl Blue Soul from Ridge Racer Type 4 with me. It is a mesmerising piece of music. I’ve been playing Sly Cooper Thieves in Time but I am now about to start playing the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the Devil May Cry 5 demo and Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. I am really exicted about the last two. I am a HUGE DMC fan and Fist of the North Star is my favourite anime and manga. I can’t wait to get stuck into them.

    Have fun at the party everyone! 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

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  26. Hello! I hope I am not too late! My name is Kelly and my blog is Why We Play Games where I write about video games!

    The post I want to share is my initial review of Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! I loved writing this post because I love the game so far plus I also enjoy naming my Pokemon ridiculous names!
    https://kellycwhyweplay.wordpress.com/2018/11/30/pokemon-lets-go-pikachu-a-delightful-remake-of-my-childhood/

    My festive tune will be “Christmas Time is Here” from Charlie Brown Christmas because I am currently learning it on guitar! I am really excited to finally start learning guitar songs!

    The game I will be playing for the holidays is Final Fantasy XV because I got it for Christmas two years ago so the game reminds me of Christmas!

    I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday!

    Liked by 5 people

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  27. What’s up folks? It’s still Dec. 10th in Southern California. So consider me on time to this party. Blogging live to you and yours! It’s your boy Justin Reed aka TWOTALL4UFOOL. A little bit about myself I run the blog TWOTALL4UFOOL’s Gaming & More. Many people call it entertaining so do yourself a favor and check it out. Here’s one of my latest posts which is a game review on Mega Man 11. Check it out (https://twotall4ufool.com/2018/12/04/mega-man-11-game-review/). If you haven’t played it I suggest that you do. And since it’s the holidays I’m going to choose one of my favorite Christmas tunes. I hope you all like Kurtis Blow because we gonna be bumpin’ some Christmas Rappin’. That should get you all in the holiday spirit. Well holla at your boy when you get a chance and I’ll be sure to check you all out. Thanks once again Kim for putting this together.

    Liked by 1 person

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  28. And that’s another #blogparty officially done! We may not have beaten the record of 29 posts but we came close: 26 articles shared and over 160 comments left. Here’s a little something to say thank you to everyone who joined in…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • I know the feeling – I’ve taken a bit of a break over the past week and now I’m really far behind on reading everyone’s recent posts! There next blog party will be in March so there isn’t too long to wait, and I’m glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the holidays. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

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