Week in Review - 5/4/2012

Radiant Historia

I picked up Radiant Historia quite some time ago and only got about 20 hours in before being distracted by something else (I’m looking at you, Skyrim). After playing quite a bit of Xenoblade Chronicles, I really wanted a quality game I could play on the go and remembered I had left this game unfinished. I decided to start from scratch and am quite enjoying my current play-through. I manage to get totally absorbed in the story, and I really enjoy how the battles can be more challenging than the average game. They require extra planning and utilizing the battlefield.

Dungeon Defenders

This picture is the result of my hard egg hunting at work. Not to mention fully upgraded sets of Mythic armor that I build with the mana I made selling extra eggs. The game just added the 3^rd chapter in the Lost Eternia Shards featuring a sunken city, Aquanos, and devious Sharken monsters. Though my interest in the game has slowed down somewhat, I’m still logging quite a few hours a week – especially when my friends are on and wanting to defend some dungeons.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

It’s been over a month since I logged some time in Skyrim. I decided to wake Genjo up and get him moving again. He’s got an audience to appease. He was sent to bring a bandit leader to justice and found an entire encampment completely dead when he got there. Read more about it on my ancillary blog, “A Breton in Skyrim.” I’m also thinking of playing the boring adventures of Faendal the Wood Elf (a resident of Riverwood) but my attempts to model a character after him have left me feeling unimpressed.

Terraria

Terraria has stolen a lot of my attention lately. You create a character that resembles a Super Nintendo sprite and are thrown into a hostile world full of things to find and only your imagination to limit what you can build. Fighting monsters and building giant forts is every kid’s dream. It’s only better when you can do it in SNES graphics. I got hooked on this game watching a YouTube video series that I’ve linked below. I’m on Episode 72 – the farthest I’ve ever watched any web series. It still manages to entertain and inspire my future adventures in Terraria.

Xenoblade Chronicles

The plot of Xenoblade Chronicles is really starting to interest me. Lately it’s been popular to make a show or movie or game very mysterious and tease me with intriguing little carrots but then really disappoint me in the end. I like to blame Lost and M. Night Shyamalan, but whoever is to blame I am really starting to think Xenoblade Chronicles isn’t going to be counted among the giant disappointments of a good build up. I really feel it will all comes together in the end.  I’ll let you know (in a rant) if it doesn’t, I’m sure.

   

Related Links

• Ten Incredible Terraria Creations
• ReNDoG's "Let's Play Terraria" that got me hooked.

Week in Review - 4/20/2012

I apologize for ignoring this column for two weeks.
Truth be told I've only been playing two games since April started.

 Dungeon Defenders

Since April began, Dungeon Defenders has been running an Easter egg hunt which runs until the end of the month. The normal eggs are rather rare, but 24 unlock a Bunny costume for the Squire character. After getting the costume for both my own and my wife’s account, I began farming and selling the eggs and have made quite an extraordinary profit. After completing the original campaign on “Insane” we have turned our attention to the expansion “Eternia Shards” content and are finding it quite challenging. My enthusiasm for this game is still going strong.

Xenoblade Chronicles

Xenoblade Chronicles was released on April 6^th and I’ve been playing it ever since. I dare say I’m not terribly far in the game, but I am always kept busy with seemingly never-ending side-quests and projects to work on within the game. This builds relationships and affinity with people and places in the game and my characters grow ever stronger for their challenges ahead. So far I am enjoying the story and characters, but what truly shines in this game is the exploration and the music. Every piece of music I’ve encountered thus far has been absolutely stunning.

-TOP

Defending the Dungeon's Crystals

Some of you may wonder why “A Breton in Skyrim” has slowed down considerably in the last two weeks. Anyone looking at my Friday column “Week in Review” may notice a game called DungeonDefenders continues to pop up. I am tremendously caught up in this game, so please direct all blame at it and its developers at Trendy Entertainment for why I’m not playing much Skyrim. Even now I’d rather be playing it than writing this article. I’m currently thinking of the Barbarian I may create, ready to dual-wield his way to fame and glory. Since it’s Tuesday morning and I’m honor bound to post for you all, I’ll tell you of this gem that’s been hidden away on Steam since October, 2011.

It was just two weeks ago that Steam hosted a free-weekend of Dungeon Defenders. That means players were allowed to download and play the full version of the game for 48 hours or so before the content became locked and unusable again until purchased. A friend of mine owned the game and suggested I try it out since it was free. I downloaded it on both my computer and my wife’s computer. We were instantly hooked. Our whole weekend melted away inside that game and we have yet to run out of things to do together.

If strategy isn't your thing, try big guns on for size.

 The game is a very well put together hybrid of two separate game genres. It cleverly combines a genre of game referred to as “tower defense” with all the excitement of an action role-playing game. Each level of the main game is split into two phases. There is an initial Build Phase, during which you assess the battlefield and determine the best place to build your defensive arsenal of towers and traps. Then the game shifts into a Combat Phase where you have the option to sit back and watch your constructs tear through the enemy lines, or leap into the fray yourself to hack and slash your way to victory.

Roll is my current favorite character, the DLC "Series EV"

 The game starts with 4 character classes which each have their own unique defenses to build, and unique combat styles. The PC version (as opposed to its console version cousin) also has for purchase 4 mirror classes which are gender-switched versions of the original classes but boast their own unique combat abilities making them play somewhat differently on the battlefield. It also has released 2 new and completely unique classes, also available for purchase. The game also takes a very Diablo approach to loot as it randomly generates each piece of gear that drops from monsters and chests as you play the game. Finding and leveling your gear is perhaps one of the most intricate systems within the game, and comes with its own set of challenges. If you enjoy games where you are directly rewarded for grinding out your stats (like my love affair with the “Disgaea” series) then the armor system of Dungeon Defenders will welcome you with open arms as well.

Monks are tough.

The base game comes with a full Campaign of 12 maps and an additional bonus map once you complete it. It also comes with a variety of unlockable Challenge maps which provide unique ways to play maps you’ve already conquered in the Campaign. Since its release the game has seen a steady stream of downloadable content, including a developing expansion and a slew of Challenges to reward you with unique weapons, armor, familiars and costumes for your characters. Considering the game was just released in October (approximately 6 months ago) I’m surprised at how much content there is available for the game. There appears to be new content released roughly every month to keep the game fresh and exciting with new maps to explore and occasionally new classes to level. This dedication to constant updates and new content hold a promise to keep us entertained for weeks to come.

Anyone interested in playing with me on Steam, let me know. I’d be glad to help get you started.

Play Dungeon Defenders or NiCad will arm buster you to death.

Week in Review - 3/30/2012

Yesterday morning I found out I was having another son.
It sort of threw off my plan to post. So, this is a day late, hopefully not a dollar short.

Tales of Graces f

Thursday morning I found my PS3 had broken with this game stuck inside. I’m still really upset about it. I was hoping to beat this game before Xenoblade Chronicles comes out next week. I was really enjoying it – particularly the battle system. The story still wasn’t as good as Tales of Vesperia, but it was starting to get pretty interesting. I don’t really know what to do about my PS3, or the game tragically stuck inside. All attempts to retrieve it from the blinking red lights has failed.

Dungeon Defenders

My wife and I thought we could handle Nightmare mode on Dungeon Defenders, but we were wrong. We are still struggling to complete Glitterhelm Caverns on Insane difficulty, much less any maps on Nightmare. We are in the process of upgrading our Godly gear and hoping to find Mythic soon. Series EV (pictured) was just released this past week and looks to be the most over-powered class in the game, so we both leveled one up and are hard at work learning how to best utilize them. They are very fun.

Saint's Row 2

My brother has been playing Saint’s Row: The Third which got me thinking about the series. I’d never tried it and I found a deal on Steam to get Saint’s Row 2 for $2. I’ve been poking around in the game quite a bit and find that I enjoy many of the features presented in the game more than “GrandTheft Auto” series. I’ve been told “GTA” tries to remain more anchored in realism, while in “Saint’s Row” series anything goes. Things haven’t gotten that crazy for me yet, but I’m enjoying finding creative uses for my fake money.

Total War: Shogun 2 

I spent a few more runs on easy trying to perfect my strategy with the Chosokabe clan. They haven’t gone very well ultimately. I think I’m too concerned with war and not enough concerned with economy and infrastructure. I feel driven to complete the “missions” assigned to me by my clan, which typically involve capturing provinces nearby. I feel that forces me to expand too quickly, or at least a bit prematurely. Next time I attempt this, I think I will focus much more on building up my provinces and army before leaving Shikoku Island.

- TOP