The Queue: got the juice

I’m not sure what the etymology of the phrase “it’s got the juice” comes from. I am nearly positive it was a phrase used to reference a particular piece of media being an excellent example of form long before the song (though anything featuring Janelle Monet immediately has the juice). I don’t think it’s a direct reference to that viral clip of that kid eating corn from back when every viral clip was immediately turned into an autotuned song, but it is plausible. As an eating experience, grilled corn on the cob definitely has the juice.

Anyway, this is The Queue, our daily column where you ask us questions and we’ll answer — if we got the juice.

I am an unrepentant Titanium Court sicko. It’s got the juice. I adore games with fresh takes on older genres, particularly the ones that seem like they’ve had all the life strangled out of them by microtransactions like Match-3. There’s a weird little throughline that makes me want to compare it to one of last year’s indie gems, Drop Dutchy, in that you play a classic game type in order to gather specific resources, which bolster your gameplay in a different “battle” phase gameplay loop. But where Drop Dutchy has a great setting and tech trees to make the game a whole, Titanium Court leverages a wry sense of humor (see above) and an interesting overarching story.

Forbidden Solitaire is one I picked up and played through expeditiously. It’s weird, because it’s by a dev who keeps making Solitaire games with a demi-tech tree and plot thread, so I already have and enjoyed a few of their other games. The thing is, Forbidden Solitaire doesn’t diverge too much from those, aside from the veneer. So, if you liked Forbidden Solitaire, the Regency Solitaire series is dang near identical, down to reusing some of the same sound cues for things like drawing cards (which the lead dev seemed unhappy I pointed out on Bluesky. Oops!). It’s just that one features some gore and 90s aesthetics, while the other has a cute little regency romance plot from the 1890s.

I’ll also shout out two that I’ve been looking forward to which just released, but I haven’t had a single spare second to even purchase: Outbound, a cute little co-op driving and exploration game, and Greenhearth Necromancer, which has the tagline, “raise a garden… from the dead.” Relateable.

Plus, Subnautica 2 releases to Early Access today, and I’m excited to purchase a title with the intent to not play it for another six months to a year. I have never so fervently hoped a developer hits a set revenue target in my life.

Oh yeah, that one. You know, with the guy? He was like, a guy at the thing, but then something happened to him? You know how WoW is. Something always happens to the guy. It was something magic, I think, he could’ve been a mage, maybe a priest or warlock. Maybe a paladin. Or like, a Rogue. He had that hair? The guy with the hair, you know him. I guess it could’ve been an outpost near that one thing, but it seemed kinda far from stuff? And I think I remember like, animals maybe? Or constructs. It was a little weird for the zone but made sense for the guy. Absolute pain to get to, too. You know the one.

Lemon Noosa. It is too expensive so I rarely buy it. It is less expensive and a better overall choice than buying a lemon meringue pie, which is a weirdly similar eating experience, especially if you eat it with graham crackers.

My daily yogurt is usually The Greek Gods in peach or cherry. I get it in the big tubs, because I usually want like, half a serving with granola and berries. This also works out very well for me, since the big tubs are the perfect size for up-potting tomato seedlings. Just rinse it out, poke some holes in it, and throw a plant in it. For plain I usually go with Chobani simply because there aren’t a ton of choices. I prefer Too Good when I can find it, but my store usually only carries fruit flavored ones. I also get Chobani coffee creamer because their yogurt isn’t my favorite but their ethics tend to be top notch, so I may as well.