Week in Review - 10/29/2021

 

• Book of Travels (PC - Steam)

Asan came to Braided Shore with practically nothing. Now he has commissioned the artificers of Crossings to fashion him a sword and a cane. He is now a formidable force on the battlefield again. Asan spends his leisure time fishing and peddling swords for glassware. He doesn't have any other strong ambitions, but he has been interested in learning a few potent tea recipes. I tried to find a secret market the other night only to find out that real life time zone issues interfered with my exploration. Frustrating since it's a weekly occurrence. I will have to try again next week. 

• Diablo II Resurrected (PC - Battle.net) 

My brother's friend at Blizzard worked on this game and we try to set aside some time on Sunday to play through it together. It is an official Bunker Hill Bros. event for the first time in a long time. This week Deez started a new character (Assassin) while I continued to push forward on my Necromancer. We re-covered Act 1 of the game up until the final boss which we will hopefully tackle this upcoming weekend. 

• Metroid Dread (Switch)

It should be little surprise that Metroid is an important foundation in my life. If it is a surprise, you should read some of my early articles. That said, I feel like I've only really played about 50% of the franchise. Super Metroid and Metroid Prime are two of the greatest games I think have ever been made. I have never beaten Metroid Zero Mission or Metroid Prime 2 & 3 but I just can't seem to get into Dread for some reason. I'm trying to pin down why I feel underwhelmed.

• Monster Train (PC - Steam)

Definitely got less runs in this week than last week, but I got some runs in nonetheless. After clearing the game with every faction at least once (though certainly not on the ever-increasing difficulty), I decided I was invested enough to get the only DLC available at this time. It introduces a new faction and some new mechanics - that I can't resist which I think is why I started losing when I was previously on a ridiculously long win streak. I can't pass up the opportunity to use the new DLC mechanics to make super powerful units or spells - which in turn makes the enemies ramp up in difficulty, too. I should really try to scale it back ... or should I just "git gud?" 

- TOP

Week in Review - 10/22/2021

 

• Book of Travels (PC - Steam)

I have two characters, but the one I consider my "main" right now is named Asan Nasani. He is tough, careful and self-sacrificing. He was raised by bandits, but left that life behind to become a mercenary. He currently serves an old friend named Sev Tro as a bodyguard in the Braided Shore. We got to play together a bit over the weekend, but time to dedicate to this game was short this week. 

• Deep Sky Derelicts (PC- Steam)

Reminding me a little bit of Darkest Dungeon, I have had an interest in trying this game since it came out, but didn't really get around to trying it until this week. I only played for an hour or so. I like it, but it was a little overwhelming as the game didn't do a hugely satisfying job of explaining all its mechanics to me. Reading all the tool tips and I'm sure I could get by a little better, but opening the game and reading through weapon and skill abilities for an hour is not that fun. I think as I get used to how to play, it will become a fun game. 

• Monster Train (PC - Steam)

This is the game that's really held my attention all week. I probably did at least 1 but often 2 runs through Monster Train every night. I put it off for a long time even though I knew it would be an addicting addition to my love for deck building. Often described to me as Slay the Spire but better, I think I agree. I really don't care for the aesthetics, or the fact that my train has 3-stories instead of multiple cars I can attach and customize. The whole "train" thing feels arbitrary. I like trains, damn it. Give me a real train. 

- TOP

Week in Review - 10/15/2021

 

• Book of Travels (PC - Steam)

I first noticed this game roughly a year ago and it looked real promising. It launched this past week and looking at it critically, I really wasn't sure if I'd like it. It has tons of potential, but it is also a very slow paced game without any hand-holding. You are expected (I believe) to just "live your life" in this little hand-drawn world. Doing whatever small jobs or tasks you set yourself to. It's not story driven, but role-play driven. You make your character the person you want him to be in this little world. As it turns out, I really enjoy it. 

• Lost Judgment (PS5)

My copy of Yakuza: Like a Dragon is in moving limbo sadly - currently stuck in Chicago waiting for a train to bring it closer to Maryland. As a result, I've turned my attention to the next entry in the Yakuza franchise which is Lost Judgment. This is the second game in the new "Judgment" series and it has been a real delight - improving on its predecessor in every single way so far. Combat is amazing. The story is engaging. The old characters are fun and familiar; the new characters are fun and exciting to get to know. 

• Pokémon Brown (Pokémon Red ROM Hack) 

After years of dancing around it, I decided to try and get into fan-made Pokémon games. I'm told many of them are better than their official inspirations. After years of being largely stagnant and [in my opinion] sadly "too safe" I really wouldn't be surprised to find fans have taken the series above and beyond the confines of what Nintendo and GameFreak have done with the franchise in the last 15 years. So I start where many people argue it all began, Pokémon Brown. I'm not entirely sure if I like it. I will get back to you as I get farther. 

• Returnal (PS5)

This is an interesting game. It can be frustrating at times, but it's a lot of fun to uncover the mystery of what's going on to poor Selene. Caught in a time-loop, death and restarting is part of the story. It also gives me some serious Metroid vibes because Selene acts and moves the way I expect Samus to move and she's exploring this dark, creepy planet full of hidden terrors and some ancient civilization. The way the rogue-like elements are woven into the story is what keeps the cycles addicting and intriguing.