<–The State of the Gamer: 1/24/17          The State of the Gamer: 2/7/17–>

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’d put this on my to-do list so that I’d be sure to (more than likely) play it, then I realized that I really wasn’t that interested in continuing with I anymore.  I’m really not up to all the grinding I have to do near Elfheim in order to continue on.  If I could find a decent place to do it so it wouldn’t take forever, I think I’d be more apt to doing it.  As it were, I think I’m going to see what this version of II has to offer.  I’m hoping Squeenix fixed the horrible level up system, and if I don’t find this to my liking either, I’ll move onto DS III.

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

The to-do list trick did work for GBA’s FFIV.  I’m currently in the Dark Elf’s cave at the first save point.  I haven’t faced the dark fiend himself yet, but I have the Twin Harp, and I’m more than prepared to kick his odd-talking ass.

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

I managed to defeat Omega God in the last Tearoom mission, and apparently when you do that, you automatically get him as a Mirage!  That first day buy really came in handy, as I believe that’s what opened up the option for him.  He has the Mirajewel for Meteor, so you know I’ve been spamming that.  Speaking of the dark summon, apparently Sephiroth is considered an “anti-champion” in Grymoire.  There’s a Tearoom mission where Cloud is musing over his location, and Tama gives that tidbit of information.  I do find it interesting that the one-winged angel is the only “villainous” champion where all the others are considered heroic.  Makes.  You.  Think.

I’m still leveling up, currently in the Crystal Tower, but I think I’m going to switch to Castle Exnine since the experience there is much better.  I just hang around a save point, running back to it after every battle to heal up my HP and AP.  Exnine looks like an MC Escher painting (not sure if I mentioned that before), and there’s absolutely no map, so I have no clue where the next save point is.  I don’t want to accidentally finish the game, so I’m just hanging around the beginning.

My goal is to have all of my Mirages have their original board completely filled out.  I also want to have one of each transfiguration (if that’s possible).  I haven’t heard back from the lady who said she’d trade me Maduin for a Titan.  I’m hoping I do soon, because I don’t have much hope of completing that mini-game.

Let’s Plays Finished This Week

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

Terarain (sp) has been defeated, and I can’t wait for the next YouTube or Twitch stream, but no pressure! Lol.  If you want more details about the grand adventure, I suggest you check out Hungrygoriya’s own post right here.

Title: Limbo
Genre: Platform/Puzzle
Developer: Playdead
Original Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android, Wii U
Original Release Date: July 21, 2010
Let’s Player: Vicious Computers

This is actually a combination of me playing and watching.  I got around a quarter of the way through (about a half hour in) before I hit a snag spot and handed the controller over to my husband.  He then played for another hour or so before he became stuck.  I then realized I wanted to just watch how things played out/see the ending, so I found Vicious Computers’ let’s play.  It was his first run so I had a few “yelling at the screen” moments, but then I was just as stumped as he was about things nor do I think I could’ve played half so well.

Limbo has a decidedly dark aesthetic so much so that I needed to watch something else before bed in fear I’d have nightmares.  Though there are some definite terrors (giant spiders anyone), much of the horror comes from the ambience and sudden echoing noises.  The game is mostly silent.  You’ll find no background music, cheery or otherwise, here.  It makes the sounds there are resonate louder, and in the surrounding quiet, even that’s enough to make you jump.

I’m going to date myself here, but the game had a Pitfall vibe to it,

Remember this?

and the LPer mentioned it reminded him of Metroid…only minus the super suit and abilities.  I enjoyed what I played of it, but it would definitely be a game I’d only play once, because I’m a wuss puss.  Also, the enjoyment of it is solving the puzzles, though I could see going through it a few times once you achieve expert mode in order to do a speed run.

Games Currently Watching

Title: Mass Effect III
Series: Mass Effect
Genre: Action RPG – Sci-Fi
Developer: BioWare
Original Platform(s): Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3
Original Release Date: March 6, 2012
Let’s Player: Olizandri
Date Started: January 23, 2017

I think between Miracle Warriors and Limbo, I haven’t watched any ME this week!  A travesty :O  I’ll remedy that tonight.  I want to know more about this Prothean weapon, and I’m also wondering what Shepherd is going to do about Cerberus now that she and them are on opposite sides again.

Games Added to Playlist: 6

1. Cthulhu Saves the World – Are you kidding me?  Of course I added this once I knew it existed!
2. Read Only Memories – Thanks to Cheap Boss Attack for putting me on this one’s trail.  There’s an AI named Turing (brilliant) and transgender characters in the cast.  I am all about representation.  Plus this is a point and click style game.  I haven’t played one of those in a long time.  The fact that this has that style put me in the mind to add a few more of the games on this week’s list.
3. Dare to Dream – Talk about old school…I first played this back when I was in my old school.  I just remember the part where you talk to an alligator.  I’m probably recalling the graphics as looking much better than they actually do, but that’s okay.  This is another point and click.
4. The Legend of Kyrandia – Let me tell you how long it took for me to find this game again.  I thought the name in the title was Kyranthia, Kiranthia, Kyrintha, Kirantha, and a whole slew of other things.  My old roommate had this game back when I was in college, and I had no idea it was part of a trilogy, nor did I know that the main villain is a wicked clown (not like that paradigm isn’t common).  I’m sure I could find this for pretty cheap somewhere.
5. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions – I was told to play this particular version on the PSP.  I forget who told me, but I know it was someone who gives good advice, so I shall heed it!
6. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE – Another recommendation from CBA.  I really should be paying him lol.  I love turn based JRPGs, so it’s really not hard to get me to set aside my life for them.  I’m pretty sure I’m set for the next 50 years with that genre alone.  When am I retiring now?

Games Bought This Week: 1

1. Limbo – Bought, played, and watched.  Done.

So of course I have to talk about this.  Today is January 31, 2017, which means it’s the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII, the game that changed my life.  You’d think I’d remember its anniversary, but I typically celebrate and post about it on September 7, since that’s the day it was released in Japan, and, well, September 7, 1997 is kind of a triple seven (September, 7, 1997).  So I have to thank I ♥ Old Games for not only posting about it, but tagging little old me in the post ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (seven hearts for yoooou!)

Final Fantasy VII, is (among many other things, but this is relevant for obvious reasons) a dystopian, futuristic (but not that far in the future) story where the ipso facto ruler of the world is a corrupt business man who only cares about lining his own pockets at the expense of the impoverished and the environment/planet.  I am not the only person who has made this observation. The main characters are part of the resistance, and the narrative forces you to dig deep into what’s true, false, and really happening. Like many dystopian stories, it is dead on for events occurring today, and in that above all, it remains relevant now more than ever despite being in the “bastard medium” that many erroneously consider video games.

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