Console Catch-Up - November 2025 Monthly Recap

Another month has been completed, and in some aspects of my personal life, things are turning around.

About midway through November, I got accepted for a job. It was both a relief and nerve-wracking - especially the day I had on the day of the interview! GPS sent me to the wrong location, and my laptop - which I had charged the night before - died on me just as I was about to give a presentation! I thought surely I did not make a good first impression. And yet, the next day, I find in my inbox that I came first in the interview process, and that I had to wait 10 days for an appeals period to conclude before the role was officially mine.

That was the most stressful 10 days I've ever had.

Now, the contract is signed, and I officially start on the 1st December. I wish I could say I am excited - part of me is - but I am also worn out and anxious. This year has taken a massive toll on me, and I am unable to let go and relax. I keep waiting for the axe to drop.

I've tried to make good use of my time before I started work. But it hasn't been easy. Even in the moments where I thought I could relax, I couldn't sit still for long. I did finish off Xanadu Next, and I did start Yakuza Kiwami - at least with the latter, I made it to Chapter 4, and the only reason I haven't proceeded further is both lack of time and the amount of sub-stories available. As for PlayStation, I have barely touched it. My wife and daughter have spent more time on it than I have.

I've put a little time into Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater and reached The Fury. I also managed to squeeze in a level of It Takes Two - a game I play with my wife and has been sitting there for over a year, waiting to be completed.

I still have a long road before I can say my life will be back in order. Sometimes I wonder if it will ever be. What I do know, however, is that I'm not going to be back to how I felt by the end of the year. There is still a long road of recovery ahead of me.

BONUS ENTRY:

Name: Stray

Platform: Steam

Status: Released

I thought of writing about this game mainly because it was available as part of the November PSN bundle. I had actually completed this game back in January 2023, but the game is still worth mentioning.

I am impressed by how the developers managed to create a protagonist that you could fall in love with simply by having them behave like their real-world counterpart. They portrayed the behaviour of a cat unbelievably well. And they made every scene and interaction with them absolutely evocative - from the absolute beginning.

My only complaint, which I believe many people shared the same thoughts, was that it was way too short! The story was building up nicely, and it was very emotional, but it ended way too quickly! And there are still some things which I feel were left unanswered. Still... It's a game I would happily play again. Maybe a second playthrough might help me see things a little differently now that I know what the story was like.

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I cannot wait till 2025 is finally over. I haven't even written about everything I have had to endure this year. All I know is that I feel drained and hollowed out. I've unwillingly had to take a step back on a lot of my hobbies - not just my gaming - and I am struggling to get back into them, simply because I'm not in the clear yet. If it weren't for the fact that I have a commitment both with this blog and with a regular release schedule on JanitorAI, I probably would have quietly given up on those as well.

I'm tired of making hopeful promises, but at the same time, they keep me going. I hope by the end of the year, things will be somewhat better.