Week in Review - 2/12/2016

• Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green (Gameboy Advance)

Leaf is so cute!

Yes. You read that correctly. I fired up each copy of this game from 2004 in a Pokémon Project I'd been dreaming up for exactly one year. Unfortunately, I have no way to trade from Fire to Leaf anymore which puts a damper on this super secret project that I will never finish. Also, it appears Fire Red was corrupted or its internal battery is long gone because the save game was deleted and the game crashed when I talked to Mom. Leaf Green is still going strong, though. More on this to come in the future - perhaps. 

• Starbound (PC / Steam) 

Challenge accepted!

Kathmandu's legend continues to grow. Over the weekend I convinced my wife to join him on some adventures around the universe. She rolled up her own Felin (mod race) named Vana Snow. They make a cute couple! Kathmandu showed her the ropes and helped her get her own core fragments. She insisted she progress her own character or he would have loaned her some. He showed her around his secret base, but encouraged her to build her own. Kathmandu does not like sharing.

• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

[Insert Joke About Eating Tatsu]

It occurred to me that too much time had passed since my last foray around Mira. I logged into Xenoblade hoping to get another chapter done, but was promptly greeted by a multitude of quests I'd left undone. I began plugging away at them and managed to cap out my Affinity score with Lin. I've replaced her tanking supremacy with L for now, but he's about 15 levels behind Lin. Hopefully, he steps up his game before we have to fight a serious boss. 

- TOP 

@TOPGamingBlog

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Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS) 

My opinion on this game is evolving. I've changed from Knight to Machinist and spend a considerable amount of time researching and evolving mutations on to my Machinist abilities. The levels of customization in this game are the real shining gem of its gameplay. The way you can define your Final Fantasy jobs and roles within a party is tremendously involved and fun. Once I feel Machinist is established, I hope to turn my attention to Blue Mage. This week also marked the first time both brothers and both wives got to adventure together. It was so much more fun than our duet and trio excursions. I hope we get a lot more full party adventures soon. 

- TOP

Unfortunately, I have not played FFE enough over the past week to form any new stance. I'm still playing with everyone, but the progress I've made hasn't changed my opinion. I still struggle to come to terms with how deceptively shallow the depth of the game is so far. While the Job and Ability system is robust and deep, it's the only aspect of FFE that appears to have gotten special attention. Missions are straightforward and bland. There's no story on the surface to motivate you. At this point, I'm more motivated by the prospect of unlocking new outfits than I am by the actual gameplay. Nevertheless, I will march forward with high spirits in hopes the game will win me over!

- Deez

Felin Files #3 - Beneath the Temple

Ruin Explorer Kathmandu, at your service.

I can go no farther!

I ran into some trouble when I ran out of torches deep in the caverns below the abandoned mine. I didn't seem to have any materials available to make more. It is very unlike me to be this careless, but I suppose I never intended to dive this deep into the planet. I simply continued downward wondering "What will I find next?" Ruins beneath more ruins. Needless to say, I returned to the surface to resupply my stock of torches in order to press even deeper. 

Duel Wielding Action Cat

Back on the surface, I smelted down my iron and copper and made myself some new protective gear and some kick-ass iron sun glasses. It will help protect my eyes from poison spitting lizard men, and those awkward times I shine the flashlight into my face by accident. I poked around my impromptu cavern campsite. Just below my smelting area, I discovered a brand new cave system which held a multitude of new arms. Among the gear, I picked out a new pistol that shoots incendiary rounds. Now, I dual wield them like a cat-boss. The machine pistol lays down perfect suppression while the incendiary rounds burn my foes into pixels. 

What is this strange place?

To the east of my camp there is some bizarre landscape that makes me feel lighter than air. There are also some peculiar creatures living there that I have not found anywhere else on this planet. Naturally, they want to eat my insides so I burninate them to death with my new gun. This area of the planet is strange to me, but I do not want to waste too much time exploring it just yet. I still have to get the materials under the earth to repair my ship. It also happens that below the ancient ruins, below the Avian-looking ruins, below the abandoned mine, there is a decrepit, old cabin. I rest here for the night wondering what else I may find in the depths below. 

Camping in the Cabin

- Kathmandu
@TOPGamingBlog

Featuring:

• Felins

Felin Files #2 - Beneath the Mine

Kathmandu here.

Life in the Mines

The abandoned mine I found on the surface of this planet in Lathasia Expanse has proven to be both exciting and lucrative. I have continued to descend with my trusty side arm silencing all the tongue-bats that stand in my way. Among the crates and boxes, I have managed to salvage a lot of rope, bandages, and some lose bits of ore I may be able to re-purpose - mostly copper and iron. I'm not sure how long I will have to remain on this planet, but it is good to know that I will have a lot of supplies from this mine to settle in if necessary. 

A City Gate, Perhaps?

The deeper I go the closer I get to the precious materials I need to fix the ship. I hoped the mine would take me farther than it has, but eventually I got to the bottom. That's where things got even stranger. Beneath the mine, I have discovered some ancient ruins. They look Avian in nature, and this is reinforced by some strange pillars I found that looked like long forgotten nests. I wonder if stumbling into these ruins is what stopped production in the mine - perhaps they dug too deep and uncovered something they should not have disturbed. As if to emphasize this, a crate right at the edge of the mine held a working machine pistol that I add to my arsenal. 

Are These Nests?

Onward!

I trudge deeper through the ruins, ever the intrepid explorer. My curiosity is insatiable as I make my way farther and farther into the earth. Although I have had to widen a few paths along the way, I continue to find my way down into the depths laid out before me. Did the miners abandon the mines to excavate these strange ruins? Even more curious is that under the possible Avian ruins, I found more ruins of unknown origin. I've had to lower myself down some dangerous chasms, but deeper still I intend to go. I'm not sure I'll find conclusive evidence about what happened in the history of this little moon in the Lathasia Expanse. 

Who Built This?

- Kathmandu
@TOPGamingBlog

Featuring:

• Felins

Week in Review - 2/5/2016

Well, it's been quite a long time since I've done this column.

• Blade and Soul (PC)

Nara Lyn says hello!

My relationship with Final Fantasy XIV feels like it's about to break. Blog forthcoming. That said, Blade and Soul launched at a very opportune time to steal away my MMO attention. It's free and it's awesome. The only problem I'm having with it is that no one else seems to be getting hooked. Everyone has dipped their toe, but no one seems ready to commit to it. The login queues have lightened up and I find myself online for an hour or two every day, but I'm all alone!

• Final Fantasy XIV (PC) 

I don't have pictures of Shai on this PC.

I only log in to FF14 these days to raid with my main team. I was raiding on two teams for over a year, but finally let one of them go. My wife has all but quit, too. For us the game is stagnant and the end game isn't enjoyable. I only play about 4 hours a week - 2 hours 2 days a week - to work on Alexander Gordius progress. It's been insanely slow as people have left the group and the game one by one. We're finally seeing some progress, but an entirely new raid opens up later this month. We won't make it in time. 

• Minecraft (PC)

Not Actual House!

I'm not actually playing Minecraft. I turned my account over to my children along with my old PC. They now disappear into Minecraft every night. I only mention it here because I was in the game showing my daughter how to build herself a shelter and locate her way home. It's funny what they chose to prioritize compared to an adult. It's a neat social experiment to see how they spend their time and resources. One thing I have learned, when the zombie apocalypse comes, they're doomed. 

• Starbound (Steam / PC) 

This is my current desktop background.

I'm getting back into Starbound. It's been two patches since "Jack Unbound" abruptly ended, so a lot of new content for me to explore. You may have noticed me sneak Kathmandu into my blog last weekend and hopefully I can keep you updated on his adventures. Since restarting, though, I've thought long and hard how to get back into Jack's adventure. There are a few fans on YouTube patiently awaiting his triumphant return. I'm still trying to work out the details of that story.

• Valkyria Chronicles (Steam / PC) 

Valkyria Chronicles has been in the news quite a bit recently. There is the upcoming VC Remaster coming to PS4 and Valkyria: Azure Revolution coming out later this year. All this talk about one of my favorite games of all time was enough to push me over the edge. I installed the Steam version I bought long ago (hoping to encourage a VC2 or VC3 port) and began protecting Gallia one more time. The characters and the art is beautiful. The game itself is extremely fun.



- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog

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Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS) 

Onion Knight!

Seeking a game I could play online with my wife, my brother, and his wife, we all bought this game when it launched last week. The last game we all played together was Fantasy Life and I think compared to that, it has fallen short of our expectations. However, it's fun and cute and my wife and I seem to be enjoying it together quite a lot. I'm tanking on Knight class. My wife is healing on White Mage. The game really pulls a lot of weight with nostalgia. I'm now running around in full Onion Knight armor.

- TOP           

@TopGamingBlog

Monk!

Final Fantasy Explorers has yet to addict me. I was immediately intrigued when TOP introduced it to me, prefacing that it would be similar to Fantasy Life. Between us and our wives, we played the hell out of that game! Unfortunately, I have not been hooked in the same way by FFE. I've played about 4-6 hours, but I find it lacking. Fantasy Life feels immediately limitless, but FFE feels as if it's based solely on grinding. I do feel like I've only scratched the surface and I'm not giving up yet. 

- Deez

@Deezer509