Goddamn it. I swear. THIS will be the year I finally start blogging on a semi-regular basis.
I hope.
I hope.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happy New Year! *Cough*
Hrmm. Yes. Happy New Year Everyone!
But enough pleasantries, onto the important stuff.
I'm on break for one week, so I've been taking the opportunity to finally play some games on the backlog.
For the Xbox 360, I finally got around to playing and completing Infinite Undiscovery. I can see why it didn't win any Game of the Year awards. While the combat was easy enough to get the hang of (even though there were some glaring issues with how your NPC team-mates handled themselves with mana, among other quirks), and it had a pretty good musical score, I just couldn't get past the poor dialogue, bad storyline which, even with it falling along very predictable and generic JRPG plot-lines, was made worse with one of the most unlikeable protagonists ever to get the job. There was a small glimmer of hope towards the end of the game where his attitude and opinion on the "status quo" of the game world changes to where you might actually think that there's something actually interesting about him. More importantly, it could mean that the game might be better as a result. However, this isn't the case, and he sadly goes back to his old, unlikeable self. Overall, it's not that good a game.
I've started playing PS1 games since I have so many of them and I haven't played one in years. I'm dividing my time between The Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy IX.
I hear so many nostalgia related topics when it comes to The Legend of Dragoon on the internet, so I figured it was about time that I play it. So far, I'm enjoying it, especially after the train-wreck that was Infinite Unidscovery. I'm digging the combat mechanic for the game where it's sort of a QTE moment when you initiate your attack, although it can be a bit irritating when you need to perform more advanced moves, or when you enter Dragoon mode. My only real complaint with the game is the odd translation. It's not engrish, per say, but I get the impression localization team did a straight japanese to English translation, without doing any modifications to the dialogue to make it "flow better" in english. It's not terrible and the basic meaning behind what the characters is being received, but it does feel out of place at times.
I'm also replaying Final Fantasy IX. I had to rebuy a copy of the game, since my original copy was damaged thanks to my collection's nemesis: Disc Rot. I found a black label copy for a relatively affordable price so I snagged it. It was in surprisingly good condition and seeing the game again made me feel all nostalgic for it so I decided to pop it in. Playing through it again has made me reaffirm my opinion that FFIX is my most favourite one out of the whole series. The plot makes sense so far (I haven't played FF XII, but I think that IX was the last Final Fantasy with a plot what wasn't impossible to understand), the music score is amazing, the game still looks great for a PS1 title, the combat is very robust and the dialogue is incredibly well written. A great ride so far.
On the PC I've just started playing Swords and Soliders HD. It's a very fun and easy to play strategy game. Hopefully I can finish it soon so I can add another game to the "Completed list" on my ever growing Steam backlog.
That's about it for now. I'm going to be putting up photos of my game finds that I happen to come across. I've got a few that I picked up over the weekend, so when I find the time I'll take photos and put em up.
edit: Well, that was fast. I finished Swords and Soldiers HD in one setting. Granted it took a bit longer than I anticipated (about 3-4 hours), but it was a lot of fun to play.
But enough pleasantries, onto the important stuff.
I'm on break for one week, so I've been taking the opportunity to finally play some games on the backlog.
For the Xbox 360, I finally got around to playing and completing Infinite Undiscovery. I can see why it didn't win any Game of the Year awards. While the combat was easy enough to get the hang of (even though there were some glaring issues with how your NPC team-mates handled themselves with mana, among other quirks), and it had a pretty good musical score, I just couldn't get past the poor dialogue, bad storyline which, even with it falling along very predictable and generic JRPG plot-lines, was made worse with one of the most unlikeable protagonists ever to get the job. There was a small glimmer of hope towards the end of the game where his attitude and opinion on the "status quo" of the game world changes to where you might actually think that there's something actually interesting about him. More importantly, it could mean that the game might be better as a result. However, this isn't the case, and he sadly goes back to his old, unlikeable self. Overall, it's not that good a game.
I've started playing PS1 games since I have so many of them and I haven't played one in years. I'm dividing my time between The Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy IX.
I hear so many nostalgia related topics when it comes to The Legend of Dragoon on the internet, so I figured it was about time that I play it. So far, I'm enjoying it, especially after the train-wreck that was Infinite Unidscovery. I'm digging the combat mechanic for the game where it's sort of a QTE moment when you initiate your attack, although it can be a bit irritating when you need to perform more advanced moves, or when you enter Dragoon mode. My only real complaint with the game is the odd translation. It's not engrish, per say, but I get the impression localization team did a straight japanese to English translation, without doing any modifications to the dialogue to make it "flow better" in english. It's not terrible and the basic meaning behind what the characters is being received, but it does feel out of place at times.
I'm also replaying Final Fantasy IX. I had to rebuy a copy of the game, since my original copy was damaged thanks to my collection's nemesis: Disc Rot. I found a black label copy for a relatively affordable price so I snagged it. It was in surprisingly good condition and seeing the game again made me feel all nostalgic for it so I decided to pop it in. Playing through it again has made me reaffirm my opinion that FFIX is my most favourite one out of the whole series. The plot makes sense so far (I haven't played FF XII, but I think that IX was the last Final Fantasy with a plot what wasn't impossible to understand), the music score is amazing, the game still looks great for a PS1 title, the combat is very robust and the dialogue is incredibly well written. A great ride so far.
On the PC I've just started playing Swords and Soliders HD. It's a very fun and easy to play strategy game. Hopefully I can finish it soon so I can add another game to the "Completed list" on my ever growing Steam backlog.
That's about it for now. I'm going to be putting up photos of my game finds that I happen to come across. I've got a few that I picked up over the weekend, so when I find the time I'll take photos and put em up.
edit: Well, that was fast. I finished Swords and Soldiers HD in one setting. Granted it took a bit longer than I anticipated (about 3-4 hours), but it was a lot of fun to play.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
I Suck.
Well, better late than never I guess!
Yeah, it's been over a year since my last post on here, and I apologize for that. I need to periodically update this from time to time, if anything, just so that it makes good practice.
It would be impossible to talk about everything that's happened in the time since my last post. Suffice to say, I'm still alive, so I guess that's a good thing. Also, I'm now attending university again, so I hope that this will lead to something good. It feels odd, especially at my age, going back to school, but so far, it's manageable. I also recently got student financial assistance, so I'll be putting that money to good use, once I'm able to get access to the funds, that is.
As I look at what I wrote in my last post in regards to what games I was playing, I can at least say that I finally finished off Final Fantasy XIII. It might not have been the best Final Fantasy to have been released, but it was decent. I give credit to Square Enix to try and take the Final Fantasy franchise in a new direction, but there were other issues that they hopefully resolve in their upcoming sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Other than that, I haven't finished the other titles on my launchpad. I lent out Lost Odyssey, and I just can't seem to get into Kingdom Hearts because of that stupid flying bit. I had to restart Prince of Persia from the beginning because I forgot how to play the damn game, and I seem to have hit a bit of a roadblock in Final Fantasy IV, in that the game's difficulty curve has multiplied by a factor of 10. I do, however, hope that I can finish that game sometime this year.
That's about it for now, I guess. I do have a project that I need to start working on today or tomorrow, so I might not post any updates until after the submission date. I just hope I don't procrastinate on that. That would be "fatal" to my grade.
Yeah, it's been over a year since my last post on here, and I apologize for that. I need to periodically update this from time to time, if anything, just so that it makes good practice.
It would be impossible to talk about everything that's happened in the time since my last post. Suffice to say, I'm still alive, so I guess that's a good thing. Also, I'm now attending university again, so I hope that this will lead to something good. It feels odd, especially at my age, going back to school, but so far, it's manageable. I also recently got student financial assistance, so I'll be putting that money to good use, once I'm able to get access to the funds, that is.
As I look at what I wrote in my last post in regards to what games I was playing, I can at least say that I finally finished off Final Fantasy XIII. It might not have been the best Final Fantasy to have been released, but it was decent. I give credit to Square Enix to try and take the Final Fantasy franchise in a new direction, but there were other issues that they hopefully resolve in their upcoming sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Other than that, I haven't finished the other titles on my launchpad. I lent out Lost Odyssey, and I just can't seem to get into Kingdom Hearts because of that stupid flying bit. I had to restart Prince of Persia from the beginning because I forgot how to play the damn game, and I seem to have hit a bit of a roadblock in Final Fantasy IV, in that the game's difficulty curve has multiplied by a factor of 10. I do, however, hope that I can finish that game sometime this year.
That's about it for now, I guess. I do have a project that I need to start working on today or tomorrow, so I might not post any updates until after the submission date. I just hope I don't procrastinate on that. That would be "fatal" to my grade.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A post of Substance!
...........Or not.
Although, I did manage to finally play AND finish Chrono Trigger. Finally, I got to see what all the hype was about. Was I disappointed?
Not really. It was good for what it was. I think I would have appreciated it more had I played it back when it was first released. It certainly fit in with my schedule, and I was able to knock it off in 25 or so hours (that was with a bit of grinding just to make sure I didn't have any trouble towards the end). Overall, it was very enjoyable, and I enjoyed the ending that I got.
I also managed to get rid of another thorn in my gaming backside by completing Dead Rising for the Xbox 360. Final boss fight was a bit of a challenge, in part due to having to do 2 sections prior to it without being able to save in between. That was slightly annoying, however, the game was gracious enough to allow me to regain my health back in between stages, which was a welcome surprise.
Now, I'm really hoping that I can get the ball rolling and finish off Lost Odyssey as well as Kingdom Hearts, but I'm not optimistic, especially for Kingdom Hearts. I seem to lose interest as soon as I load up the game. I'll have to get over that hump sooner or later if I want to put it in my completed pile.
As it stands right now:
PS3: Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy 13
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo DS: Final Fantasy 4
PS2: Kingdom Hearts
Most of these games have been collecting dust for a while, so I need to spend some time soon to get them over and done with.
Did I also mention that by the time this post was made, Starcraft II has just been released, and my collector's edition is sitting in my closet, unopened?
Sigh.
Although, I did manage to finally play AND finish Chrono Trigger. Finally, I got to see what all the hype was about. Was I disappointed?
Not really. It was good for what it was. I think I would have appreciated it more had I played it back when it was first released. It certainly fit in with my schedule, and I was able to knock it off in 25 or so hours (that was with a bit of grinding just to make sure I didn't have any trouble towards the end). Overall, it was very enjoyable, and I enjoyed the ending that I got.
I also managed to get rid of another thorn in my gaming backside by completing Dead Rising for the Xbox 360. Final boss fight was a bit of a challenge, in part due to having to do 2 sections prior to it without being able to save in between. That was slightly annoying, however, the game was gracious enough to allow me to regain my health back in between stages, which was a welcome surprise.
Now, I'm really hoping that I can get the ball rolling and finish off Lost Odyssey as well as Kingdom Hearts, but I'm not optimistic, especially for Kingdom Hearts. I seem to lose interest as soon as I load up the game. I'll have to get over that hump sooner or later if I want to put it in my completed pile.
As it stands right now:
PS3: Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy 13
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo DS: Final Fantasy 4
PS2: Kingdom Hearts
Most of these games have been collecting dust for a while, so I need to spend some time soon to get them over and done with.
Did I also mention that by the time this post was made, Starcraft II has just been released, and my collector's edition is sitting in my closet, unopened?
Sigh.
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Second Post In A Month? I'm On A Roll!
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was heading to my graduation ceremony in the US last week, and I got back last night.
The ceremony itself wasn't too bad, the food was pretty good. Overall, it was enjoyable. I wasn't able to really go out anywhere, but driving 8 hours straight really took it out of me. I was, however, able to try out something that I had been wanting to try out ever since I first heard of it. Yes, I got some looks from my family for actually driving out to getting one, but luckily it was only about 2 minutes away from the hotel, and I just had to know how it tasted. And of course, I'm talking about the KFC Double Down.
About a year ago, I heard about videos on the internet showing people "Doubling Down" on their meal, and I had always wondered what they were talking about. Once I found out where the DD phenomenon came from, I won't lie and say that I was very interested in trying it out. Unfortunately, even though it was announced that it would be rolled out from its test stages to nationwide in the US, it would not be the case for Canada, and a recent article in the Toronto dashed any hopes I had for it coming north of the border, when a spokesman for KFC confirmed that.
Going to the US for my graduation was my only chance at being able to try it out. Once I got it, I took a couple of images of it to show how it looked, just in case anyone was wondering. If you're a health nut or on a diet, look away now:
This is how it first looked when I opened the carton it was in, and this is what it looked like on picking it up:
Yep, that's two pieces of Original Recipe Chicken (I'm pretty sure they were pieces of white meat), which act as the "bread" of the sandwich, and in between those, lay two slices of cheese and bacon.
Opinions on this sandwich vary, from people saying that it's really good, to those who have said it's awful, to those who even say that it perfectly captures the problems that America has when it comes to obesity.
After trying it, I do have to say that I was a bit surprised by it. Yes, it was salty. There's so much salt in it, in fact, that they say that one sandwich has 1,380 milligrams of sodium which is already the limits for what they recommend as part of your daily intake (which ironically, is less than the amount of sodium in their grilled version. Yes, the grilled version has more sodium in it, if you can believe it).
It was also very greasy. I normally have an aversion to touching my food, so you can imagine how I felt when having to handle this grease pit. That shitty piece of paper that covered the Double Down did nothing to stop the flow of oil spreading all over my fingers. To top it off, the store forgot to provide any wet-naps or napkins of any sort, so I had to make sure I didn't touch anything else in the meantime until I could get myself to a sink and some soap.
However, all that aside, it was pretty tasty. Perhaps it was because it was made when I ordered it, and it wasn't lying around on a heating tray, but the meat was very juicy and the cheese complimented the chicken pretty well. I could barely taste any of the bacon, so powerful was the chicken and salt, but other than that, I thought it wasn't too bad. If it ever does come to Canada, I doubt that I would buy it, just for the fact that the sodium content is way too high, but it was worth trying out once, just to say that I was brave enough to taste it.
On the gaming side, I finished up Nexus as well, and although the story made little sense towards the end, it was a very enjoyable experience. I'm probably going to focus on a console game now, since all my gaming time has been devoted to PC games lately.
I was going to name this post "I Just Double Downed" but foresight taught me to google it beforehand just to be safe, and Urban Dictionary provided me with enough definitions to go with a different one.
The ceremony itself wasn't too bad, the food was pretty good. Overall, it was enjoyable. I wasn't able to really go out anywhere, but driving 8 hours straight really took it out of me. I was, however, able to try out something that I had been wanting to try out ever since I first heard of it. Yes, I got some looks from my family for actually driving out to getting one, but luckily it was only about 2 minutes away from the hotel, and I just had to know how it tasted. And of course, I'm talking about the KFC Double Down.
About a year ago, I heard about videos on the internet showing people "Doubling Down" on their meal, and I had always wondered what they were talking about. Once I found out where the DD phenomenon came from, I won't lie and say that I was very interested in trying it out. Unfortunately, even though it was announced that it would be rolled out from its test stages to nationwide in the US, it would not be the case for Canada, and a recent article in the Toronto dashed any hopes I had for it coming north of the border, when a spokesman for KFC confirmed that.
Going to the US for my graduation was my only chance at being able to try it out. Once I got it, I took a couple of images of it to show how it looked, just in case anyone was wondering. If you're a health nut or on a diet, look away now:
This is how it first looked when I opened the carton it was in, and this is what it looked like on picking it up:
Yep, that's two pieces of Original Recipe Chicken (I'm pretty sure they were pieces of white meat), which act as the "bread" of the sandwich, and in between those, lay two slices of cheese and bacon.
Opinions on this sandwich vary, from people saying that it's really good, to those who have said it's awful, to those who even say that it perfectly captures the problems that America has when it comes to obesity.
After trying it, I do have to say that I was a bit surprised by it. Yes, it was salty. There's so much salt in it, in fact, that they say that one sandwich has 1,380 milligrams of sodium which is already the limits for what they recommend as part of your daily intake (which ironically, is less than the amount of sodium in their grilled version. Yes, the grilled version has more sodium in it, if you can believe it).
It was also very greasy. I normally have an aversion to touching my food, so you can imagine how I felt when having to handle this grease pit. That shitty piece of paper that covered the Double Down did nothing to stop the flow of oil spreading all over my fingers. To top it off, the store forgot to provide any wet-naps or napkins of any sort, so I had to make sure I didn't touch anything else in the meantime until I could get myself to a sink and some soap.
However, all that aside, it was pretty tasty. Perhaps it was because it was made when I ordered it, and it wasn't lying around on a heating tray, but the meat was very juicy and the cheese complimented the chicken pretty well. I could barely taste any of the bacon, so powerful was the chicken and salt, but other than that, I thought it wasn't too bad. If it ever does come to Canada, I doubt that I would buy it, just for the fact that the sodium content is way too high, but it was worth trying out once, just to say that I was brave enough to taste it.
On the gaming side, I finished up Nexus as well, and although the story made little sense towards the end, it was a very enjoyable experience. I'm probably going to focus on a console game now, since all my gaming time has been devoted to PC games lately.
I was going to name this post "I Just Double Downed" but foresight taught me to google it beforehand just to be safe, and Urban Dictionary provided me with enough definitions to go with a different one.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
D'oh!
I really have no excuse for letting a year pass between posts. Truth be told, I sorta forgot about this place. Can you really blame me? It's not like anyone reads this (I still have my suspicions about the commenter on my last post, yes, I'm talking to you, RyanL, if that is indeed, your real name!).
It would be next to impossible to go through whats happened to me in the past year, but suffice to say there have been some ups and downs (more downs that I would have liked), but I'm still around and kicking, so I guess that's good. I guess I should mention that my degree was conferred on me, and I'll actually be heading down to the US this week for the graduation ceremony. Yay, me!
But enough about me, lets get onto the most important part, and that's about games.....
GAAAAMMES.
I figure the best way to make use of this new entry, is to go through my previous post and see if anything had changed from one year ago. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that there have, indeed, been a few changes here and there.
First, and foremost, one of the first things I talked (or lamented over, I guess it depends on how you look at it) about was my PC and how it was getting on in terms of its age. Well, I can now report that I now have a new PC, which has allowed me to finally start playing some of those PC games that I've had on the back-burner for oh, so long.
The biggest benefit out of all of this is that I don't have to worry about my PC crashing on me every hour or so anymore, or bother with the other "quirks" that came with having a computer that old.
I also mentioned a list of games that I had been playing, or had "on the launchpad", which were at the time:
Playstation 3: Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: The House of the Dead 2&3 Return/Zack And Wiki
Nintendo DS: Retro Game Challenge (luckily I find myself playing this)
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Prophecy
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
PC: World of Goo
So, what's happened in the year since I made this list? Surprisingly, more than what even I would have assumed.
I finished Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Retro Game Challenge (great game by the way!), and Jak and Daxter. Two out of those three games happened to be titles which I had on the backlog for years (and I do mean years), so it felt great to finally get them out of the way. I also managed to finish off other games burning a hole in my backlog pile like Super Paper Mario Wii, Gears of War 2, Psychonauts, and most recently, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky.
Unfortunately, I've yet to finish off the others listed, and in the case of World of Goo, lost all of my save games due when I had to install my new OS. I'll probably get to it when I have more time.
MMO wise, I re-upped my subscription for Final Fantasy XI (again), but the recent announcement that they'll be increasing the level cap from 75 to 99 might be all the motivation I need to stop playing. It took me forever to get to 75, and even then, I managed to do that barely. I don't think I have it in me anymore to devote that kind of time to level grinding.
Final Fantasy XIV is something that I'm interested in learning more about, especially since I hear it's much more casual friendly, compared to XI, but it's all wait and see at this point.
I also signed up for Star Trek Online, but I'm already regretting that decision. During the beta, I did play the heck out of it, but when that initial launch week came by, I felt myself being more and more uninterested with how the game was structured, especially having to deal with instanced area after instanced area. I've probably played it 4-5 times post-launch, and that's about it. Perhaps it's due to my long years of playing Final Fantasy XI, but in the case of that game, in return for a monthly fee, I managed to get a vast, open world, full of danger and possibilities, which was, during my heyday playing it, worth the expense. In the case of STO, however, this game is more or less instanced area after instanced area, with about 20-30 people max (I'm not entirely sure of the total number per "zone", but there aren't many). I guess Guild Wars spoiled me in that respect, since they're doing pretty much what STO is doing, and that is to offer the same kind of instanced environment, the only difference being that Guild Wars doesn't charge a monthly fee, while STO does. I do realize though that with the monthly fee STO charges, that this will lead to new content being put out at regular intervals, which obviously works in STO's favor, since there hasn't been anything new on the Guild Wars front for the past couple of years now. Still, when it comes to the overall game world, STO just doesn't feel that "grand" in scale. I don't have that same feeling of awe when I travel around in STO, unlike the way I felt when I walked into the Hall of the Gods, which eventually took me to "Sky", and in the case of the Chains of Promanthia expansion, traveling around "Sea" for the first time. STO's apparent initial lack of content for the Klingon's has also been somewhat of a deterrent for me as well. There are other reasons for my apparent dislike of STO, but that'll make this post drag on longer than it really needs to, so it might be the topic of a post down the road. Hell, I might even start playing it again and ignore the problems I have with it personally.
Oh, I was never able to sell that copy of Warhammer Online, and with the recent fiasco involving people over billed at least 14 times or more, I seriously doubt that I'll be selling it at anywhere near the price I originally bought it for. Now that I think about it, selling it at all would be a miracle at this point. Ah well, at least it looks nice on my shelf.
As for my last bit in my past blog, I guess I haven't outgrown games, especially since I got my new PC. Being able to finish off games that I've had sitting on my shelf for a while, like Mass Effect, and being able to complete more recently released titles, like Dragon Age: Origins is so awesome.
If I were to make a current "launchpad" of games that I'm currently playing through, it would look a lot like this:
PC: Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Playstation 3: Nothing!
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: Nothing!
Nintendo DS: Hotel Dusk: Room 215
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Yakuza 2
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
Yes, I do have games on the shelf for the entries listed with "Nothing!" entered, but it just means that I'll only really move onto those platforms when I finish another game platform from the same company (Ps2, Ps3, etc). Also, some of the titles that are still there from my previous list means I haven't touched the system since I've been trying to focus more on games that I can finish off easily.
I should mention that I would have finished off Yakuza 2, but due to a save game bug, either on Yakuza 2's part or on my PS3's part, my save game became corrupted, and I lost all of my progress, forcing me to restart everything from the beginning. It was a real kick to the gut to have 10+ hours of game play go down the tubes. I wanted to finish the game before Yakuza 3 was released over here, but that unfortunately didn't happen. I'll try it again when I feel like it.
I should also mention that a friend lent me his old SNES, with his games, so I'll be checking those out once I finish off Nexus. I'll probably start first on CHRONO TRIGGER (yes, it's that epic a game that it must be in capital letters).
Well, that's about it for me in this post. No guarantees, but I'll try to post on here more often. If anything, it'll help improve my typing skills.
It would be next to impossible to go through whats happened to me in the past year, but suffice to say there have been some ups and downs (more downs that I would have liked), but I'm still around and kicking, so I guess that's good. I guess I should mention that my degree was conferred on me, and I'll actually be heading down to the US this week for the graduation ceremony. Yay, me!
But enough about me, lets get onto the most important part, and that's about games.....
GAAAAMMES.
I figure the best way to make use of this new entry, is to go through my previous post and see if anything had changed from one year ago. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that there have, indeed, been a few changes here and there.
First, and foremost, one of the first things I talked (or lamented over, I guess it depends on how you look at it) about was my PC and how it was getting on in terms of its age. Well, I can now report that I now have a new PC, which has allowed me to finally start playing some of those PC games that I've had on the back-burner for oh, so long.
The biggest benefit out of all of this is that I don't have to worry about my PC crashing on me every hour or so anymore, or bother with the other "quirks" that came with having a computer that old.
I also mentioned a list of games that I had been playing, or had "on the launchpad", which were at the time:
Playstation 3: Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: The House of the Dead 2&3 Return/Zack And Wiki
Nintendo DS: Retro Game Challenge (luckily I find myself playing this)
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Prophecy
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
PC: World of Goo
So, what's happened in the year since I made this list? Surprisingly, more than what even I would have assumed.
I finished Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Retro Game Challenge (great game by the way!), and Jak and Daxter. Two out of those three games happened to be titles which I had on the backlog for years (and I do mean years), so it felt great to finally get them out of the way. I also managed to finish off other games burning a hole in my backlog pile like Super Paper Mario Wii, Gears of War 2, Psychonauts, and most recently, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky.
Unfortunately, I've yet to finish off the others listed, and in the case of World of Goo, lost all of my save games due when I had to install my new OS. I'll probably get to it when I have more time.
MMO wise, I re-upped my subscription for Final Fantasy XI (again), but the recent announcement that they'll be increasing the level cap from 75 to 99 might be all the motivation I need to stop playing. It took me forever to get to 75, and even then, I managed to do that barely. I don't think I have it in me anymore to devote that kind of time to level grinding.
Final Fantasy XIV is something that I'm interested in learning more about, especially since I hear it's much more casual friendly, compared to XI, but it's all wait and see at this point.
I also signed up for Star Trek Online, but I'm already regretting that decision. During the beta, I did play the heck out of it, but when that initial launch week came by, I felt myself being more and more uninterested with how the game was structured, especially having to deal with instanced area after instanced area. I've probably played it 4-5 times post-launch, and that's about it. Perhaps it's due to my long years of playing Final Fantasy XI, but in the case of that game, in return for a monthly fee, I managed to get a vast, open world, full of danger and possibilities, which was, during my heyday playing it, worth the expense. In the case of STO, however, this game is more or less instanced area after instanced area, with about 20-30 people max (I'm not entirely sure of the total number per "zone", but there aren't many). I guess Guild Wars spoiled me in that respect, since they're doing pretty much what STO is doing, and that is to offer the same kind of instanced environment, the only difference being that Guild Wars doesn't charge a monthly fee, while STO does. I do realize though that with the monthly fee STO charges, that this will lead to new content being put out at regular intervals, which obviously works in STO's favor, since there hasn't been anything new on the Guild Wars front for the past couple of years now. Still, when it comes to the overall game world, STO just doesn't feel that "grand" in scale. I don't have that same feeling of awe when I travel around in STO, unlike the way I felt when I walked into the Hall of the Gods, which eventually took me to "Sky", and in the case of the Chains of Promanthia expansion, traveling around "Sea" for the first time. STO's apparent initial lack of content for the Klingon's has also been somewhat of a deterrent for me as well. There are other reasons for my apparent dislike of STO, but that'll make this post drag on longer than it really needs to, so it might be the topic of a post down the road. Hell, I might even start playing it again and ignore the problems I have with it personally.
Oh, I was never able to sell that copy of Warhammer Online, and with the recent fiasco involving people over billed at least 14 times or more, I seriously doubt that I'll be selling it at anywhere near the price I originally bought it for. Now that I think about it, selling it at all would be a miracle at this point. Ah well, at least it looks nice on my shelf.
As for my last bit in my past blog, I guess I haven't outgrown games, especially since I got my new PC. Being able to finish off games that I've had sitting on my shelf for a while, like Mass Effect, and being able to complete more recently released titles, like Dragon Age: Origins is so awesome.
If I were to make a current "launchpad" of games that I'm currently playing through, it would look a lot like this:
PC: Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Playstation 3: Nothing!
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: Nothing!
Nintendo DS: Hotel Dusk: Room 215
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Yakuza 2
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
Yes, I do have games on the shelf for the entries listed with "Nothing!" entered, but it just means that I'll only really move onto those platforms when I finish another game platform from the same company (Ps2, Ps3, etc). Also, some of the titles that are still there from my previous list means I haven't touched the system since I've been trying to focus more on games that I can finish off easily.
I should mention that I would have finished off Yakuza 2, but due to a save game bug, either on Yakuza 2's part or on my PS3's part, my save game became corrupted, and I lost all of my progress, forcing me to restart everything from the beginning. It was a real kick to the gut to have 10+ hours of game play go down the tubes. I wanted to finish the game before Yakuza 3 was released over here, but that unfortunately didn't happen. I'll try it again when I feel like it.
I should also mention that a friend lent me his old SNES, with his games, so I'll be checking those out once I finish off Nexus. I'll probably start first on CHRONO TRIGGER (yes, it's that epic a game that it must be in capital letters).
Well, that's about it for me in this post. No guarantees, but I'll try to post on here more often. If anything, it'll help improve my typing skills.
Friday, April 3, 2009
A post? April Fools!... wait..
A couple of days ago, I rearranged the furniture in my room, so now it looks a bit more spacious than before, and I have my consoles, both current and old, nicely sitting on a stand. I'll take a picture of it to show how it looks now.
I also hooked up my laptop (well, my cousin's laptop, which I'm now using since he doesn't use it anymore) to my TV and somehow managed to find an audio cable to connect the computer to the TV, so now I have a sort of HTPC setup going, although it's not much to write about, it's still better than what I had before, and it's a far sight better than my desktop when it comes to mkv videos, which just stutter on my old computer.
Speaking of my crappy desktop, I was at the supermarket, and I came across PC Gamer's latest mag about buying/upgrading to a newer computer, and they had this chart, where they had CPU's and Videocards listed from the Top of the line to the crappy of the crappy, and guess what? My CPU was 3rd!
From the bottom.
Not that was unexpected. The computer is older than 5 years, which in computer language means it's already on life support. It doesn't work as well as it should of course, and it has it's problems, namely:
- Even though I use a USB keyboard (Logitech G15), I still have to keep my PS/2 keyboard plugged in, otherwise it won't boot up. Annoying.
- My computer refuses to bootup using the DVI connection and will only display on the VGA connection, until the Windows "Welcome" message pops up, at which the DVI connection will then activate. This has resulted in my having to still have my old 17" LG monitor hooked up just so that I can see if there's an issue on bootup with my computer. I read that a possible reason is due to a refresh issue, where the DVI just isn't set properly, and that I have to go to my BIOS to change some settings, but frankly, the old girl is at the stage where this is the least of my problems.
- There are times where it just doesn't detect either my HDD or DVD-ROM drive on startup. I have to open up the case just to pull out the IDE cable, and pop it back in.
Those are just some of the problems I still have with this. But still, with all that to write about, it still has served me well all these years, and still can run for days at a time (that might be why I have these issues in the first place, but hey, I need to download).
I also seem to have become used to the hum that the computer makes, so much so that I don't think I can have a good night's sleep without it being on. I wonder if anyone else has that problem.
I recently formatted the computer, and along with removing 2 out of the 3 HDD's to reduce power consumption (I didn't really need them anymore, especially the 20 gig SAMSUNG HDD, which has been a part of this computer since I bought it in INDIA), and found some RAM in a box in my basement, which as it turns out, was slightly better than my existing ram, although one of the sticks seems to be bad, resulting in a BSOD everytime it gets passed the windows bootup, but I can't complain about that really.
I mentioned earlier I was at the supermarket. I actually went there to return a 6 foot HDMI - DVI cable, because at $40.00, it was a bit pricey. I went to Canada Computers, and I ended up buying a 10 foot cable for only 24 dollars. Could have possibly gotten a cheaper cable, especially if I went around on Craigslist, but I'd probably waste more money on gas driving to get the cable itself. Anyways, the cable I got works well, and it's now hooked up to the laptop. I'm trying to figure out an optimal way to utilize the new setup so I can use the big monitor to play games like Team Fortress 2.
Speaking of games, I'm currently playing Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS, which, if you haven't already done so, please head to your nearest game store and pick up a copy. If you're a fan of 8-bit games, then I can't recommend this game enough. It's a nostalgia trip and then some. Playing this has even opened my eyes to the Japanese TV show that the game is based from, called Game Center CX, where a japanese celebrity by the name of Shinya Arino has to play old 8-bit Famicom (NES) games and complete different "challenges" for them. Watching the series has been one huge nostalgia trip for me, and I find myself wanting to play older games, just for the fact that there were so many titles that I missed out on when I was a child.
However, other than my renewed urges to play old video games, I find myself stalled when it comes to the games on my shelf of backlog. I'll be taking a picture of the shelf soon, but as it stands right now, I seem to have lost interest in playing many of the games I'm going through right now. The best way I can describe is like a "Gamers' Block", where I just can't find it within myself to pickup a controller and bootup a game to play through.
Right now on the launchpad waiting to be played I have:
Playstation 3: Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: The House of the Dead 2&3 Return/Zack And Wiki
Nintendo DS: Retro Game Challenge (luckily I find myself playing this)
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Prophecy
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
PC: World of Goo
On the MMO front, I cancelled my ID's for Final Fantasy XI again, this time, I'm seriously considering not renewing it and letting my character be wiped out. It's sad, since Stickler has been with me since 2002, and I do wish I had the opportunity to finish some of the storyline sagas (Chains of Promantia especially since I was only a couple of missions away from completing it), but I did manage to get my main goal out of the way, which was to hit level 75, so I don't really have any regrets now. Still, knowing how I am, I'm probably going to renew it just before that 3 month period passes, unless of course, I forget completely.
I also decided to put my unopened copy of Warhammer Online for sale. Crappy desktop aside, I just didn't feel like I could get into another MMO. I hope it sells. I've sold a couple of old games I've had lying around, and even a new game which I hadn't opened (I could never get into Pokemon for some reason), all proceeds going into buying a new computer at some point.
Well, that brings me to the end of this post. So many games to play through, and other than Retro Game Challenge, I don't even bother looking at the other games. I hope when I do complete RGC, that I'll have a renewed focus on these other titles that I have yet to complete.
This could also mean that I've "outgrown" video games, and I don't find myself entranced with it as I once did. It's a scary thought.
I also hooked up my laptop (well, my cousin's laptop, which I'm now using since he doesn't use it anymore) to my TV and somehow managed to find an audio cable to connect the computer to the TV, so now I have a sort of HTPC setup going, although it's not much to write about, it's still better than what I had before, and it's a far sight better than my desktop when it comes to mkv videos, which just stutter on my old computer.
Speaking of my crappy desktop, I was at the supermarket, and I came across PC Gamer's latest mag about buying/upgrading to a newer computer, and they had this chart, where they had CPU's and Videocards listed from the Top of the line to the crappy of the crappy, and guess what? My CPU was 3rd!
From the bottom.
Not that was unexpected. The computer is older than 5 years, which in computer language means it's already on life support. It doesn't work as well as it should of course, and it has it's problems, namely:
- Even though I use a USB keyboard (Logitech G15), I still have to keep my PS/2 keyboard plugged in, otherwise it won't boot up. Annoying.
- My computer refuses to bootup using the DVI connection and will only display on the VGA connection, until the Windows "Welcome" message pops up, at which the DVI connection will then activate. This has resulted in my having to still have my old 17" LG monitor hooked up just so that I can see if there's an issue on bootup with my computer. I read that a possible reason is due to a refresh issue, where the DVI just isn't set properly, and that I have to go to my BIOS to change some settings, but frankly, the old girl is at the stage where this is the least of my problems.
- There are times where it just doesn't detect either my HDD or DVD-ROM drive on startup. I have to open up the case just to pull out the IDE cable, and pop it back in.
Those are just some of the problems I still have with this. But still, with all that to write about, it still has served me well all these years, and still can run for days at a time (that might be why I have these issues in the first place, but hey, I need to download).
I also seem to have become used to the hum that the computer makes, so much so that I don't think I can have a good night's sleep without it being on. I wonder if anyone else has that problem.
I recently formatted the computer, and along with removing 2 out of the 3 HDD's to reduce power consumption (I didn't really need them anymore, especially the 20 gig SAMSUNG HDD, which has been a part of this computer since I bought it in INDIA), and found some RAM in a box in my basement, which as it turns out, was slightly better than my existing ram, although one of the sticks seems to be bad, resulting in a BSOD everytime it gets passed the windows bootup, but I can't complain about that really.
I mentioned earlier I was at the supermarket. I actually went there to return a 6 foot HDMI - DVI cable, because at $40.00, it was a bit pricey. I went to Canada Computers, and I ended up buying a 10 foot cable for only 24 dollars. Could have possibly gotten a cheaper cable, especially if I went around on Craigslist, but I'd probably waste more money on gas driving to get the cable itself. Anyways, the cable I got works well, and it's now hooked up to the laptop. I'm trying to figure out an optimal way to utilize the new setup so I can use the big monitor to play games like Team Fortress 2.
Speaking of games, I'm currently playing Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS, which, if you haven't already done so, please head to your nearest game store and pick up a copy. If you're a fan of 8-bit games, then I can't recommend this game enough. It's a nostalgia trip and then some. Playing this has even opened my eyes to the Japanese TV show that the game is based from, called Game Center CX, where a japanese celebrity by the name of Shinya Arino has to play old 8-bit Famicom (NES) games and complete different "challenges" for them. Watching the series has been one huge nostalgia trip for me, and I find myself wanting to play older games, just for the fact that there were so many titles that I missed out on when I was a child.
However, other than my renewed urges to play old video games, I find myself stalled when it comes to the games on my shelf of backlog. I'll be taking a picture of the shelf soon, but as it stands right now, I seem to have lost interest in playing many of the games I'm going through right now. The best way I can describe is like a "Gamers' Block", where I just can't find it within myself to pickup a controller and bootup a game to play through.
Right now on the launchpad waiting to be played I have:
Playstation 3: Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey
Nintendo Wii: The House of the Dead 2&3 Return/Zack And Wiki
Nintendo DS: Retro Game Challenge (luckily I find myself playing this)
PSP: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Playstation 2: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Prophecy
Dreamcast: Shenmue II
PC: World of Goo
On the MMO front, I cancelled my ID's for Final Fantasy XI again, this time, I'm seriously considering not renewing it and letting my character be wiped out. It's sad, since Stickler has been with me since 2002, and I do wish I had the opportunity to finish some of the storyline sagas (Chains of Promantia especially since I was only a couple of missions away from completing it), but I did manage to get my main goal out of the way, which was to hit level 75, so I don't really have any regrets now. Still, knowing how I am, I'm probably going to renew it just before that 3 month period passes, unless of course, I forget completely.
I also decided to put my unopened copy of Warhammer Online for sale. Crappy desktop aside, I just didn't feel like I could get into another MMO. I hope it sells. I've sold a couple of old games I've had lying around, and even a new game which I hadn't opened (I could never get into Pokemon for some reason), all proceeds going into buying a new computer at some point.
Well, that brings me to the end of this post. So many games to play through, and other than Retro Game Challenge, I don't even bother looking at the other games. I hope when I do complete RGC, that I'll have a renewed focus on these other titles that I have yet to complete.
This could also mean that I've "outgrown" video games, and I don't find myself entranced with it as I once did. It's a scary thought.
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