The Queue

I’ve been having a bit of a love/hate relationship with cozy games of late, because to me there can be a fine line between smoothing over the rougher edges of reality and utterly obliterating them to the extent that it seems like a cruel mockery of lived experience. I’ve enjoyed Wanderstop so far, and part of that is that there’s clearly some kind of magic surrounding the tea shop, where you don’t have to worry about your expertise as a tea seller or the solvency of the shop. The other is that this is a temporary escape, a short respite to breathe deep, enjoy your surroundings and the tea, and then move on. Of course, the escapism is that you get to move on when you’re ready and only then, but who’s counting.

This is The Queue, our daily column where you ask us questions and just sit for a minute. Listen to the birds. It’ll be okay.

I know that the odds of Heroes of the Storm coming back into full production are pretty low, but that doesn’t stop me from taking a big whiff of Hopium every time we get news about it! Did you know that with Microsoft PC Gamepass you now get a nice pack of 30 Heroes in Heroes to play with? So if you were ever like, how do I even get into it when I don’t want to be relying on just the basic stuff like Jim Raynor. Now’s your opportunity!

Surely this means that Microsoft is looking at ways to build some hype prior to a full-throated re-launch at BlizzCon ’26!

While I start building my expectations sky-high, it’s time for — The Queue!

This is very undignified. That’s really all there is to say about it. At least last time this happened I was right-side up. But no.

Anyway, while I’m here I may as well try to answer some questions before the blood all rushes to my head and I pass out. Let’s Queue.

I was going to try and be clever but let’s face it, nobody comes here for that. Let’s do the Queue, everybody.

A wise count once posed a rhetorical question, which he then answered: “What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets.”

And you know what? Even if he might have had a point, It’s not up to us to chastise anyone. In The Queue, we’re chill. We know that people make mistakes, and if they’re willing to share their deepest sins, we’re willing to hear them out — and maybe even forgive them!

*dramatically throws a glass of wine on the floor*

But enough talk… have at you!

I have a doctor’s appointment in a little bit, and I need to make sure I get the laundry in before that so it has time to run so I can dry it. I’ll probably vacuum a bit later. Maybe go get a coffee if I’m good at the doctor’s.

Anyway, this is The Queue, our daily column where you ask us questions and we’ll give you the answers, just like every other day.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Winter freeze had broken and Spring was here. There was a whole week of temperatures above freezing!

Oh boy, I should not have said that.

Arthas must’ve heard me and taken it personally. We got more cold, more snow, and then when that second round of snow went away — we got even more this weekend! There was 25 cm! Close to 10 inches for you non-metric people. Maybe next week spring can start.

While I invest in warm socks again, it’s time for — The Queue!

It’s a big dangerous world out there, but it does look a little bit bigger when you’re encountering it from gnome height. But if we were intimidated by every robot dinosaur and giant ape duo we saw, we would never get out of bed.

But for now, we can take a break between pulls to answer a few (a very few) questions.

Both are technically groups of Dinosaurs.

And yes, I’m listening to Space Age Love Song on repeat.

I’m a fan of jazz music, but I wouldn’t really consider myself an aficionado — I only recently discovered Bud Powell, for example —  but I really enjoy the vibe that jazz provides as a soundtrack (like in Undermine). Blue Wednesday goes a step further and makes being a jazz artist the central plot point while mixing elements of Visual Novels, Walking Sims and Rhythm Games. It’s a little on the short side, and it’s too easy to miss some important things on the first day of the game while you’re still getting the hang of it but the atmosphere and vibe are fantastic so I heartily recommend it.

While I finalize plans to visit the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City this September, let’s groove to some questions.