Content around these parts has been slow and not very steady. I appreciate you guys who have stuck around all these times. I’m starting to get some ideas for regular content together but it’s slow going. It’s always the “fish or cut bait?” dilemma. Right now, fishing (playing games) is winning out. The Monthly Releases will still flow (albeit delayed) but I also have a few other ideas I’d like to get around to. But for now, here’s what I’ve been playing:
Portal 2
The single player portion of Portal 2 is in the bag. Finishing Portal 2 was not as satisfying as finishing the first one. That being said, there were some serious laugh out loud moments during the single player game and I loved every moment of it. Throw in the new things they added (gels, fricken lasers) and it was a most excellent experience.
Enslaved
Gamefly delivered Enslaved months ago but it took me a while to get the disc in the machine (Portal 2 had a lot to do with that). Since then, I’ve played quite a bit of this game. At times, Enslaved feels too easy and other times it feels just right. The fluid animation and fun combat makes for an underrated gem.
Halo: Reach
I’ve been working through Reach co-op-style with a buddy and it’s been a great time. You guys can have your Battlefields and Calls of Duty. I’ll stick with Halo.
Final Fantasy XIII
I haven’t played a Final Fantasy game since FF Tactics on the GBA and I haven’t played a straight-up Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy II (FFIV) on my Super Nintendo. Twenty years later and I figured it was time to play another. I’ve heard it takes 20+ hours before the game gets “good” but I’m six hours in and I’m having a good time, even if I have no idea what’s going on around me.
On Hiatus:
Borderlands
We had a good group of three playing this and we’re making a bit of progress before one of our companions got busy with schoolwork (priorities!). We still get in an hour or two here or there but it’s slow going. I’m itching to get back to Borderlands soon, though. Maybe after we finish Halo: Reach.
Age of Empires Online Beta
I was really excited to get into the AoEO Beta. I enjoy and respect RTS games for what they are, but I’ve never been good at them. I preferred Age of Empires over any other RTS I played (including Starcraft. Blaspehmy, I know). But this game just hasn’t grabbed me like I thought a persistent, MMO-RTS would. I played this for a while and then sort of petered out. I may go back when it goes out of Beta but I’m not sure.
Torchlight (XBLA version)
Confession time: I didn’t finish Torchlight on the PC. I got far with two of the three characters but didn’t see it through to the finish. I am very close to finishing Torchlight on the Xbox. This game will come out of retirement very soon.
Dragon Quest IX
My DQIX cart went missing and I thought all was lost. I have poured 30+ hours into my game and I was pretty bummed it was gone. Luckily it turned up and now I’m just waiting for the mood to strike me to pick it back up. I haven’t touched my DS in a long time.
Lord of Ultima
This is an online MMO-ish persitent empire building game. It had its hooks in me for a while as my empire grew and I had cities to manage and armies to build. But the lack of any “action” and the tedium of managing over 150 cities just got boring. My Empire is still there. Some day I’ll make it back.
On tap:
Fallout New Vegas
Limbo
Mortal Kombat
Obviously, I’m not playing all of these games at once. Right now I’m focusing on Halo: Reach and Enslaved, with Final Fantasy XIII picking up the rest of the free-time scraps. I hope to finish Halo: Reach this weekend. What will you be playing?
– I know nothing about this game, but from the few screenshots on Amazon, I was instantly intrigued…
– I played the first Dungeon Siege back in the day and it felt like a hollow, 3D Diablo II rip off. I never tried DS2 and feel no compunction to try DS3.
– Man, it’s 1998 all over again this month!
– I’m seriously confused about this. Will it be “Press A to squeeze the elephant dung to drink?”
– If I remember correctly, all three of these games were 15 bucks a piece, so this deal is solid. Of course, things are just getting good.
– Seeing Mortal Kombat without a number after it was a little jarring. Normally, this would probably be a week-one purchase for me. Except for a little something coming out this week as well…
– Oh yeah, I know what I’ll be doing this week. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
– This is not a game, I’m just surprised someone had come up with this idea earlier.
– Yeah, I’m at a loss for words here. Seriously, what would you do in a Man vs. Wild video game?
– “I’ll take games I never thought would get a sequel for $800, Alex.”
– Man, it’s even worse for Play Station 3 owners! Three SOLID games in one week.
