Going in Blind

I take it many of you Spidey fans out there have already seen Spider-Man: Homecoming. As a big fan of the web-slinger, I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie myself, though I'll be waiting for the home release (I get motion sickness in move theaters.) As per usual, before the movie hit theaters, there were previews and each preview brought new footage. Usually, I don't mind more previews but I found myself avoiding them because I was beginning to feel that by the time I do see the movie, I'll have already seen so many snippets of it through previews that some of it won't feel fresh to me. Lately, I've found myself feeling this way about upcoming games.

We are very much living in the spoiler generation. Books, movies, TV shows, it matters not the medium, in the age of the internet and quick access, spoilers are never hard to find, whether you're seeking them out or not. Being taken by surprise almost seems so rare these days especially if you're keeping up to date with a game you're really looking forward to. YouTubers regularly play the latest releases and most of the soundtrack to these games is already on the site before the game's launch date. Earlier this year, I really didn't mind having too many things spoiled for me. The months I've spent playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild really made me rethink my Who-cares-about-spoilers mindset.

Studiopolis looks and sounds incredible.

Before Breath of the Wild released, I had seen very little of the game. I never made a point to keep tabs on it and the most footage of the game I had seen prior to the game's release was the trailer that Nintendo had showed off during the Switch presentation back in January. Outside of a few Let's Play videos on YouTube before I bought the game a few days after launch, I still didn't have much of the game shown off before I got my hands on it. This meant that bulk of my experiences in BOTW were blind. My first encounter with a Lynel, where I went through so much food just to keep myself alive as he trashed me around the landscape, was my own. I could have watched a video on YouTube to see how to dodge a Lynel's attacks and such, but I am ever so thankful that I didn't resort to that. Much of what I needed to know to fight a Lynel, I learned on my own. When to block with a shield, what shields will actually hold out against certain attacks, when it is wise to attack and when to put some distance between myself and the Lynel. None of this was spoiled for me and I'd forgotten how good it feels to approach a game without completely knowing what's in store for you.

Super Mario Odyssey is a game I am very, very excited to play. That E3 trailer had me wishing it was already late October. I'm already aware that Mario can ride a moped, use Cappy to posses pretty much anything, Bowser is forcing Peach to marry him, Mario's wardrobe is expansive and that Pauline is the mayor of New Donk City with an amazing singing voice. Beyond that, there isn't anything else I know, and I want to keep it that way. I don't want to know every single corner of New Donk City before I can play the game for myself. I'm dying to find out what Mario can do as a T-rex, but I want that to be my own discovery.

If the music in Studiopolis from Sonic Mania is any indication, that game is going to have an outstanding soundtrack. To this day, that is the only song from the game that I've heard as I'm waiting until I sit down with Sonic Mania to hear the rest of the score through gameplay.

I'm not saying I want every single game I go in to to be a totally blind experience. However, going into a game without knowing every single thing about it is highly rewarding on a personal level. As someone that used to regularly flip through his comic books before reading, having genuine shock as I read is pretty dang nice.