Queuenanigans

Actual conversation in our Discord channel:

Liz: Wednesday queues are so easy! You get questions based on all the early week news!

Kalcheus: Friday queues are easier! It’s the end of the week, everyone is excited for the weekend!

Liz: You have it so easy!

Kalcheus: No you have it easy!

Liz & Kalcheus: I wish I could trade queues with you for just one day!

But of course it’s not just one day, it’s permanent (until it’s not)! Red and I will still be alternating weeks, though. So be sure to ask Red plenty of questions next Thursday!

Anyway while I try to figure out how to navigate life as a gnome, let’s answer some questions!

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.

BlizzCon 2026 is happening and I couldn’t be more excited! Well, that’s not true — I’d be a lot more excited if we were getting BlizzCon 2025. That said after BlizzCon 2024 was cancelled I wasn’t sure if we’d ever have another one again so it’s welcome news that the event isn’t dead yet.

As for whether or not I’ll try to attend I’m actually leaning towards it; I’ve yet to go to a BlizzCon so it’d be a new experience. The only concern is flying out there — I’d rather drive but Carolina to California may be too much of a haul. Of course it’s not just planes that give me anxiety as I’m not fond of large crowds anymore either. Now that I think about it I’ll probably be happier staying home and watching it on screen instead of in person. I guess I have 18 months to make up my mind.

Whether or not I go though I’m curious what’s going to be announced. If Midnight is out early next year as expected it seems a little too soon to be talking about The Last Titan (although the Northrend visual in the trailer suggests that could be the case). It’s definitely too early to talk about what’s after the Worldsoul Saga, right? Maybe it’s spinoff time!

While I dream about a Heroes of the Storm revival, let’s answer some questions!

Ok, that is admittedly a poor quality header image, but do you know how hard it is to take screenshots in the middle of digging through trash? Anyhow, sing it with me!

I am a Dwarf and I’m digging through trash
Diggy diggy trash
Diggy diggy trash
I am a Dwarf and I’m digging through trash
Diggy diggy trash
Digging through trash

I said this already earlier this week but I’ll repeat it here in case you missed it: the aesthetic of Undermine does nothing for me but the vibe is fantastic. I don’t plan on sticking around after the patch, mind you, but it’s kind of a nice break from the usual rigmarole our characters go through on a daily basis.

Anyhow Liz was not able to do the queue today so I’m taking a break from shoveling through trash for Empty Kaja’Cola Cans to answer your questions! Let’s get to it!

Cory asked me to tackle the queue today so here I am! Since I wanted to spend my last Queue championing Ila I didn’t have a chance to discuss Metaphor: ReFantazio like I originally wanted to. So now I am!

In short, I really enjoyed the game. While “fantasy Persona” could’ve been a simple skin job of the popular franchise they really made an effort to build Metaphor as a new IP and it shows. The hybrid combat system is fluid, the Archetype system was involved and clever (but not overwhelming) and the story while odd on the surface was still compelling and ended in a satisfying manner. It wasn’t a perfect game, mind you — a couple sections felt cut or rushed — but I still feel like Atlus knocked it out of the park and hopefully we’ll get future titles set in the same timeframe.

Plus Gallica was super adorbs.

So while I figure out what game to play next, let’s answer some questions Cory-style!

I could talk about WoW’s latest patch 11.1, or I could talk about Metaphor: ReFantazio which I just finished and think was amazing (it definitely deserves all the awards it has gotten). But instead I’m going to use this space to drum up a little support for ILA: A Frosty Glide. You star as the titular witch Ila as you journey around the land looking for your lost cat Coco. Your transportation? A skatebroom! Handles like a skateboard, flies like a broom — the perfect method for getting around. Inspired by games such as A Short Hike and A Hat in Time, Ila seems like it’ll be a delightfully cozy game. They’ve already hit some of their stretch goals like Switch and Playstation ports, but I always think the more support the better. The Kickstarter ends in a day so be sure to check it out and if it looks like your kind of game you may want to get in on it now.

While I try to rig my gas blower to a broom, let’s answer some questions!

After complaining for the past 10 days that I hadn’t gotten any of the mounts (I’m including the Renewed Proto-Drake Love Armor in that category) I finally had RNG on my side and got the Love Witch Sweeper yesterday. While not as prestigious as the X-45 Heartbreaker it is a nice addition to my mount collection. Inspired by this success I decided to take all my alts through the Crown Chemical Co. fight to see if I could get the Armor or Heartbreaker with low odds — with the promise that whichever character landed me either would get priority with leveling and gearing for the rest of the expansion!

Sadly my offer was refused and I got zilch. On the plus side I had a little time to get my characters cleaned up while waiting in queue, and I even discovered a level 70 toon that had really, really bad gear for their level and wasn’t even a member of my guild, the Undeleted. I’ve mostly rectified the issues, but I’m disappointed the attention didn’t get me a mount. Ah well, there’s still a week of attempts left.

While I sit in queue waiting to be disappointed, let’s answer some questions!

The Lunar Festival has begun so it’s time for my annual gripe: where the heck are the Elders of Pandaria? The Pandaren literally have spirits of their ancestors as regular residents on the island and yet none of them give us lucky red envelopes. This oversight still bugs me, and seeing that Khaz Algar was getting Elders kinda angered me.

Fortunately they did a fantastic job with the new Elders. They recognized the fact that actual spirit Elders of the three NPC races made no sense and instead turned it into a way of instructing residents of the past — one of the Earthen Archivists was even pretending to be an Elder for immersion. Kudos to the development team for not just mindlessly adding spirit Elders to the zones but finding a way to expand on the holiday. Now if they could just turn their attention to the southern continent …

While I cruise around everywhere but Pandaria collecting Coins of Ancestry for the cool new mount let’s answer some questions!

January is the cruelest month, at least for those of us who follow gaming. Relatively few titles get released as many studios made sure to get them out before Christmas or are waiting until February and there also tends not to be many events where news could happen.

This year may be a huge exception though. Microsoft announced there will be an Xbox Direct next Thursday showcasing South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and DOOM: The Dark Ages — and a secret fourth title rumored to be from a “legendary” Japanese IP with decades of history. The rumor mill is in full swing over what this title might be with guesses ranging from Persona 6 to a new Final Fantasy title to even a new entry in the Ecco the Dolphin series.

The even bigger rumor that’s resounding throughout gamingdom is that we’ll finally be getting the Switch 2 announcement tomorrow. As of this moment there is no confirmation, but the report is credible and major outlets are treating it as highly likely. By this time on Friday we may be have all the details on Nintendo’s next generation console.

While we patiently look forward to jubilation or disappointment, let’s answer some questions!

2025 has arrived and while I’m not one to eschew resolutions for personal improvement (see below for more specific answers), I feel like sometimes the focus on “New Year, New Me” detracts from current version of you. While most of us have aspects of ourselves that we’d love to change or improve, suggesting a radical transformation assumes there’s not a lot already worthwhile in a person and I don’t think that’s true at all. So yes, make plans to exercise more or be more attentive to family/friends or to finish watching Season 2 of Arcane (we’re up to Episode 8!) but don’t forget to take the time to reflect on what’s already good and beautiful about yourself. It may be hard to see, but I’m sure it’s there.

While we all pledge to make 2025 the best year so far, let’s start it off well by answering some questions!