Week in Review - 6/22/2012

Nintendo DS

• Pokémon Conquest  

 When this game launched in Japan back in March, I was extremely excited. My Facebook has had a picture of Kenshin and Mewtwo since then (I should really change it). I never thought the game would see a US release, and only three months later! I was going to write an entire article about how I wish these niche games would come over here, but now that’s a moot point. I bought it on a whim yesterday and I’ve really been enjoying it. So far I’ve united Ransei with the Main Hero and I’m about to dive into the side-story episodes.



PC

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent

I nearly cried shortly beyond here.

I popped this game on a few nights ago because I couldn’t sleep. Did I think this would help? No, not really. Fortunately I stopped before it got too intense. That is to say, I came around a corner and caught a glimpse of a strange bipedal beast-man just as he disappeared around a corner and I nearly pee’d my pants. I play with the lights off and headphones on as the game directed me. Yeah. Well, I’m enjoying it when I am in the mood to have the pants scared off me. It is a great idea for a game.

• Civilization V

With the release of Gods & Kings just this week, I have had “Civilization” on my mind. I decided recently that I would try and wait for the expansion to go on sale, but it doesn’t stop me from picking away at the long list of achievements I have yet to conquer in the original game and its downloaded content. I started up a game as Arabia and am pretty well situated in the northeast of a continent. I have a wall of City States protecting me from France, Mongolia and China. I will strive for economic dominance. 

•  The Sims 3

The last time I played The Sims 3 back in March, I had created a small household that was made up of 4 cloned and killed Sims modeled after myself. I decided to pluck Electro Oliver out of his home and make him a successful businessman in his afterlife, but I got bored playing as a ghost and decided to boot up the original Sim Oliver before death claimed him. For the first time since I’ve owned the game, I managed to get Fishing to Lv5, Gardening to Lv7 and Cooking to Lv10 to make myself Ambrosia and thus immortal.   

Playstation 3

• Final Fantasy XIII

"This is ridiculous. Worst birthday ever."

I’m still working on my analysis of the Final Fantasy XIII plot. I’m paying a lot of attention to the Datalog and learning small tidbits here and there, but so far nothing is so ground-breaking that the entire game suddenly makes sense. I’m waiting to get near the end where all the rules established early in the game start to fall apart. I’m hoping this time things will add up. I’m part of the way through Chapter 6 out of 13 so I’m making some good progress. I may publish my notes when it’s said and done.

I did not play Planescape: Torment at all this week. I cannot get into it. Sigh.

-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog

Week in Review - 6/15/2012

PC

• Planescape: Torment

This is as far as I got basically.

I decided to play Planescape: Torment but it’s not going well. I’ve never been able to really get into games like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights which means it’s pretty difficult for me to get into this game. I’ve made it out of the Mortuary and am struggling to find Pharod, but the complete lack of direction throws me off. I really want to wrap my brain around the story and the struggles of the Nameless One as he tries to recover his identity. So I’ve dedicated playing a few hours here and there and working through my differences with the game. 

Playstation 3

•  Final Fantasy XIII  

This is as far as I got basically.

Don’t judge me. I gave this game a lot of crap when it came out in 2010 because the story was so ridiculous and convoluted. It was the exact opposite of what I really want in a “Final Fantasy” game. I’ve decided to give it another chance, though. I’m doing more of an analytic review of the game to see if the story just has more than meets the eye. Many apologists for the game insist the story isn’t that bad. I decide to see for myself. I’m taking notes and maybe publishing what I find later on.  

Wii

• Xenoblade Chronicles

This picture makes me miss it already.

 I cannot pull myself away from this game. I blame this game for my re-interest in Final Fantasy XIII because I truly am enjoying the more action oriented battles which feel a lot more adrenaline generating and strategic at the same time. The battle system of Xenoblade is just the icing on the cake of what is a wonderful game. I recently beat it and just started over from the beginning again. I sank another 25 hours into the game before finally setting it down to play Planescape and Final Fantasy XIII. It still nags at me, but my addiction MAY be broken.  

-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog

Week in Review - 6/8/2012

PC

• Diablo III 

Nightmare Witch Doctor

The biggest challenge to me in Diablo III is my internet connection. Since I bought the game, my internet has given me and my wife nothing but trouble. We recently rearranged some furniture and since then we can’t seem to stay consistently connected to the internet after 8pm EST. It’s making progress in the game difficult. I have never been a naysayer against the demand to be online to play the game, but it sure is annoying me now that I can’t stay online at night. We never had this problem with any MMO. We recently hit up Whimsyshire in the afternoons, though. 

Wii

• Xenoblade Chronicles 

Shulk: Terrible name, Cool character

I had a patch of being busy lately and now that I’m caught up with life, I return my attention (nearly undivided) to Xenoblade Chronicles. It pains me that I was unable to stay focused from start to finish, but after briefly reintroducing myself to the game’s mechanics I’m firing toward the end and breakneck speed. I’m determined to see it through to the end before any other distractions pop up. I continued to be amazed by the music. The story is now picking up nicely, too, and I find myself more and more desperate to know what happens next.

Games on Deck:

Ever since I started blogging back in February, I've been reading more and more video game news and personal blogs about gaming in order to come up with topics and familiarize myself with what's going on in the world of gaming. That is to say, more than I used to. Since February I keep stumbling on the name of a game I'd honestly never even heard of until this year. It's surprising because most people are commenting that it's the best role-playing game (or Western role-playing game if they are segregating) of all time. How could I have never heard of this? 

The game is Planescape: Torment and I'm told it's an existential experience. I recently procured a copy for Father's Day and I'm hoping to turn my full attention to it after finishing up Xenoblade Chronicles. It means pushing back Persona 4 again! Can anyone who reads this far comment on whether they'd rather play Persona 4 or Planescape: Torment? I expect I'll have to decide which I devote my time to sometime next week.

-TOP

@TOPGamingBlog