<–The State of the Gamer: 12/20/16 The State of the Gamer: 1/3/17–>
A weekly post updated every Tuesday detailing my current gaming projects. I have quite a backlog of games to either play or watch, and I’m hoping a weekly article will assist with my progress as my other accountable posts have done with reading and writing.
I have an account at Grouvee, which is a essentially Goodreads for gamers, so please feel free to friend me there!
Original source of the banner art is located here.
Title: Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square/Tose (GBA)
Original Platform: NES
Original Release Date: December 18, 1987
Current Platform: Gameboy Advance
Current Platform Release Date: July 29, 2004
Date Started: November 20, 2016
I’m embarrassed to report that I’ve made absolutely no progress on this game in the past week. I suppose I could blame the holiday, but I’ve clocked loads of hours on World of Final Fantasy. I usually play my DS/GBA at night right before bed, but I can allow that Christmas and the lead up has exhausted me.
I’m still in the Elfheim area, still attempting to figure out the best place to grind in order to earn enough gil for all the upgrades. I’m ever open to your suggestions if you have them, as it will take me quite a long time if I can’t find a sweet spot.
Title: Final Fantasy IV
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square
Original Platform: SNES
Original Release Date: July 19, 1991
Current Platform: Game Boy Advance
Current Platform Release Date: December 12, 2005
Date Started: October 24. 2016
As above to below. I haven’t spent any time playing this either, though I am happy to find out a good friend is currently playing it for the first time 🙂 I’m still in the Troia area, but I haven’t spoken to the clerics yet *spoiler* nor discovered Edward’s location and convalescence *end spoiler*
I’m hoping to catch up on this and DoS if not this week then next in the new year.
Title: World of Final Fantasy
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square Enix
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Date Bought: October 21, 2016
Date Started: November 5, 2016
You guessed it…I’ve been spending the majority of my time playing this and neglecting my other responsibilities not limited to gaming (we’re talking reading, editing, and essaying, too), but I can’t feel too much remorse. I fucking love this game.
I’m currently in the Train Graveyard just about to challenge the four murkrifts there and the fifth hidden one that appears afterwards. I have to give thanks again to EnterJayMent for his awesome tips for this game. He has a playthrough as well, but since I’m already doing that myself, I haven’t watched it. This is definitely a game I’d rather play than watch.
The funniest thing about this video was the My Little Pony ad that happened right before it. Talk about appropriate advertisement.
I think after this chapter, I’m going to spend some time grinding in either the Nether Nebula (where I can hopefully catch another Fritt) or the Windswept Mire where I can fight the Flan Princess/Malboro Menace combination over and over again. I’d like to get my Mirages leveled to a point where I can transfigure into the ones that only require a particular level. This seems like the best course of action at this time, and I can update my Excel spreadsheet
Games Currently Watching
Title: Mass Effect II
Series: Mass Effect
Genre: Action RPG – Sci-Fi
Developer: BioWare
Original Platform(s): Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3
Original Release Date: January 26, 2010
Let’s Player: Olizandri
Date Started: November 19, 2016
I think this game may have the best voice acting of any I’ve ever seen. Now that’s not saying much since I’m mostly an old schooler so most of the games I play/watch predate voice acting. Everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that Fem Shep is the best choice, which makes me feel a bit bad for Male Shep’s voice actor, but Jennifer Hale is totally boss.
I’ve just been introduced to the drell assassin; I think his name is Thane, but I don’t completely recall. All of the dialogue is so compelling in both intonation and delivery. You truly can’t turn away from the cut scenes.
Title: Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord
Genre: RPG
Developer: Kogado Software Products
Original Platform(s): Sega
Original Release Date: October 18, 1987
Let’s Player: Hungry Goriya
This let’s play has the distinct honor of not only being another one by my friend/fellow blogger Hungry Goriya, but also the first one I’ve watched where I’ve never heard of or seen the game before. I grew up a Nintendo girl and didn’t have much dealings with Sega. Obviously, I know the big names like Sonic and Spyro, but I’d never played or even seen an RPG for that system until now. Well…not for the original system at least. I have played Grandia II, which was originally released for the Dreamcast.
Like most RPGs of the 80s era, Miracle Warriors is difficult, requiring much strategy and guile even at the start. Where current games ease you in, MW drops you right into the boiling water, forcing you to jump around to escape the scald. Running away from certain enemies is paramount to survival and grinding up large amounts of guilders (the game’s currency) is an initial requirement. I’m certainly enjoying watching an expert play and can’t wait for the next installment to go up.
Games Added to Playlist: 2
- Oxenfree
- Limbo
I added these two together, but can’t for the life of me remember who mentioned/recommended them. It was probably Cheap Boss Attack...I’ve added so many games because of that guy hehe.
Limbo is about a little boy seeking to rescue his sister from a dreary world, and the cover itself sends chills down my spine.
The darkness with that splash of eerie light certainly sets the mood.
Oxenfree is about a group of friends who accidentally open up a paranormal rift on an old military island. Oops. I hate when my friends and I do that. Very messy.
Games Bought This Week: 1
- The Last Story
I didn’t buy it, but rather received it as a present from my awesome older brother, but I don’t have a section for gifts. I suppose I could have this be Games Bought/Received, but since I buy most of my games myself, I doubt this issue will come up that often. I do have to sit down and figure out the order of operations for my next gaming projects since I now have a lot of hefty RPGs to get through. I’m planning on writing a year end wrap up where I’ll be discussing this and my other 2017 plans.
Since we’ve just had a major holiday and are still currently enmeshed in a few others (it’s the 4th night of Hanukkah, the 2nd night of Kwanzaa, and the third day of Christmas if that’s a thing you do), did you receive any of the games on your wish list? I almost bought a Vita with the massive amounts of Amazon gift cards I was given, but I decided against it. I have more than enough games to keep me occupied for years to come without adding another system to the mix, though I really do want a Vita at some point. It’s around $200 though so I decided to hold off and spend some money on books. I think the rest of the balance will go towards purchasing some audio/video equipment so I can finally start my recording projects. That’s something else I’ll talk bout in my year end/new year plans post.
What are you currently playing and/or watching? Is it something new or old? Is it a first time run or a replay? What’s the genre? Would you recommend it? What’s on your radar to play next?
<–The State of the Gamer: 12/20/16 The State of the Gamer: 1/3/17–>
The Shameful Narcissist Speaks 
Pingback: The State of the Gamer: 12/20/16 | The Shameful Narcissist Speaks
The Last Story is quite good, so that’s an awesome gift to receive! It was probably me, talking about Oxenfree in my GOTY list and bringing up Limbo in my description of Inside (same developer). Even if it want me, both of those games are great.
I haven’t watched HG’s Miracle Warriors LP on YT since I’ve been in both streams, but it’s definitely a relentlessly brutal rpg. I like what I’ve seen though, and it’s always rad to watch games I’ve never heard of before (which is a rarity).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been eyeing it for years, but never made the purchase. It seemed fitting to throw it on my Christmas list! I’m actually happy my bro picked that up instead of a Kindle Fire since I think I told him that, too, but my mother-in-law grabbed the little tablet for me. I’ve only just started messing around with it, but I’ve seen how expensive iPads are, and I just can’t fathom dropping that much especially since I have a smartphone and laptop already. The tablet is pretty much just the in between of those.
It probably was! I think I read about them in your last Freakin’ Weekend post or the GOTY. Yeah that seems about right. Yup! You talked about Inside, which I already had on my backlog.
Omg I would never be able to figure that game out. I’m terrible at direction to begin with. I’d have to use a map. I’m enjoying it immensely. I usually like games I know or remember enough to know I love them, but an RPG I’ve never even heard of is something fun and new.
LikeLike
Inside is half off during this week’s psn sale, if it’s on your to-buy list!
My girlfriend got a new Kindle Fire last Christmas from my mom, so I inherited her old one. Once I inherited dad’s Samsung Galaxy Tab though, I never looked back. Now I can’t live without ir, haha. I do miss how compact the Kindle was, especially just for reading books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I’m going to have to look into that! I was looking at that Paper White, which is more expensive, and it’s only a reader. I don’t get that at all. The Fire is a tablet and it’s around $60 less than the reader with comparable storage. I can watch YouTube and Netflix on it so longer as there’s wifi. The choice was clear! I have a regular Kindle, which is smaller and more booklike, but I do like how the Fire has its own light. My Kindle is the very basic type.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t really use my tablet to play games or anything, mainly just web browsing, twitter stuff, sometimes watching YouTube in bed, so the Kindle was perfect. The Galaxy is just more powerful, has a bigger screen size, and actually gets the good apps since it’s Android lol. I remember when World of Warcraft came out with an app that let you access guild chat and handle other mundane in-game stuff, it wasn’t on Kindle. I was so sad!
LikeLike
Limbo does look really good. I love the gloomy/creepy atmosphere and the bits of gameplay I’ve seen from it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the shout out! 🙂 I really love FFIV and can’t put it down. Thanks again for making me bump this up on my “To Play” list. I also need to play Limbo and Oxenfree at some point to. Ugh, there’s just too many good games!
I’m really glad you are enjoying WoFF so much. I love it when I find a game that captures my interest like that. After I’m done with the other Final Fantasies, I can’t wait to see WoFF for myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have World of Final Fantasy now! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hope you enjoy Oxenfree. I had a lot of fun plaything through that game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Limbo is on my list… part of me wants to just watch a Let’s Play, but it seems just too good to pass up!
I just started Metal Gear Solid 5. I love the Metal Gear series. This one definitely changes things up a bit, so I’ve had my butt handed to me a few more times than I have in other recent MGS games, but it’s a lot of fun. I need to stop waffling and just play through The Last Story in its entirety… I’ll admit, planning a Let’s Play channel is certainly making me seriously plan out my game time!!
And (fangirl alert) AHH! THANE!! He’s in my top 3 favorite ME characters, right up there with Tali and Samantha (who you haven’t met yet…). Glad you’re enjoying the story; the interactions between the characters are great and make for a compelling personal story amidst the overarching galactic one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s how I feel. If I can play it, I’d rather play it. Sometimes I’ll choose the LP option due to time constraints, but since Limbo sounds like a short game, I think I could manage it!
Metal Gear needs to be on my list of games to watch (speaking of LPs). I’ve watched my husband play one of them (I forget which one, it might be 5), and it’s an excellent, keep you on your toes game. Since I got The Last Story for Christmas, I need to figure out where it’s going to fit in my play list.
Omg, so it usually takes me a while to admit it, but there is something about Thane that’s very attractive, but even though I’m totally into alien guys, I usually like them a bit more humanoid lol. But yeah, there’s something. It might be the forlorn nature since he knows he’s dying. I used to really dislike Miranda, but I’m always a sucker for the “My father genetically engineered me to be perfect and is a total dickhead” types (*cough cough* Sephiroth) so I have a new appreciation for her. Samantha not Samara right? I just ran into the justicar, and holy lord, I might be in love ♥♥♥ Mass Effect is one of the greatest games of our era.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes MGS is definitely a series worth looking into, even if it’s not a game you play. The story meanders a bit but is fascinating.
And I know what you mean! As a… shall we say gaymer?… I’m usually in the camp of “oh he’s a really cool guy and I like him a lot” when it comes to male characters that other women swoon over, but there is something about Thane… I think he and Shepard have a lot in common at this point in the story, which is subtly presented, and I just love his soft, phosophical heart.
I don’t know where you are in the game, but there is a part where you see Miranda’ s softer side and I was just done after that. Such a well-conceived character!
Samara is great, too! I took her everywhere, she’s so amazing haha. But yes, I was taking about another character named Samantha from ME3 who I also love!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another point to ME is how you can romance characters of either gender regardless of what gender you are, and all asari are pretty much bisexual when you think about (and multi-speciesial I suppose hehe). BioWare did the same with Dragon Age. Representation matters, and it means a lot when a well known gaming company does so.
I did see it! Is it the part with her sister? That’s what made me learn toward a more favorable view of her. She comes off as the “cold, calculating bitch” type, which is sadly used far too often with female characters, especially when you consider men who have the same traits are dubbed favorably ambitious go-getters.
Ah I see what you mean! I’ll meet her when I get to ME3 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, the representation in BioWare games is one of the most progressive I’ve seen, which is great! I especially appreciate that they try to stay away from “stereotyping” their characters. A character is never a “good female character” or a “good male character” but rather “a good character who happens to be (gender).”
Yes, that’s the part! If your Let’s Player goes through Liar of the Shadow Broker dlc and reads up on the crew, there are some other details that really humanize her,as well.
LikeLike
Pingback: The State of the Gamer: 1/3/17 | The Shameful Narcissist Speaks