Blog: Games of May 2019

My May was fairly busy, but it was also the first month I owned a Switch. Generally I've been pretty happy with the Switch so far. I think I haven't enjoyed the "gimmick" of the Switch so much, but the joy-con are pretty good controllers. I generally don't like the hand-held consoles, so I've mostly used it docked, but the couple of times I've taken it "on the road" (all the way to the back yard) it's been fun.

In addition to Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Tennis Aces, I also played Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. All in all it didn't quite grab me the way Odyssey did and I found it a touch ... sloggier ... than I'd hoped. I also picked up Celeste, but actually only played it on the one day in April I owned the switch. And finally I downloaded the Demo for Katamari Damacy Reroll, and I owe Dan a real apology for all the shouting I did watching his let's play. (But seriously, how do you TUUUURN?)

Also really enjoying having a console with a working screen-shot facility again. If you want to see what I'm up to you can follow @gamesTJPlays on Twitter.

My top five games (by play time) for May were:

1. Super Mario Odyssey - This is a really good game. I enjoy the bite-sized nature of the moon hunts in the "after" game. I also generally like the "main" game play following bowser, even if the "story" is possibly the worst ever in a Mario game. There's no question that between the this and Breath of the Wild (as the two big games in the first year of the Switch), I love Breath of the Wild significantly more, but I have fully enjoyed my play time in Odyssey. (Even if I've been slow learning to spell odyssey.)
   
   

   

   Looks like a nice place to adventure.

   
   


2. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Back in with my no-fast-travel play through. It's been fun and caused me to be a little more thoughtful about how I play. I've enjoyed the planning and side tracking such as, I need more storage for swords, now I have to go all the way to the Deku tree to get my inventory expanded, maybe I should stop in on Kakariko on the way. Also I'm still mad at the Bokoblins who exploded my horse.
   
   

   

   It feels like we've been here before, but it's good to be back. (Still need to fix the Wii U internet connection)

   
   


3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Fest - I have news. Your Amiibo top out at Level 6. We are not amused. (There are like 40 different emotions!)
   
   

   

   True Love.

   
   


4. Pokémon Go  - I haven't really deeply settled in to a routine playing, but I'm still doing the mostly daily.
   
   

   

   Adventuring.

   
   


5. Mario Tennis Aces - This game has a single player and I basically can't finish the first 4 levels. I assume I'm just not getting the idea of the game, but my history of not really hitting it off with the Mario Tennis games is long. However, I figure the best way to point out that I'd really like a new Mario Golf or Mario Strikers (in that order please) was to pick up Mario Tennis.
   
   

   

   Even the start menu is kinda hard to learn.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for May:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Games of March 2019

I was pretty steadily busy in March and still holding out on getting to invested in playing anything while I had work to do. I didn't play anything particularly of note, although I probably did get deeper into Xenonauts than I'd planned. I also very briefly started trying to play a version of Simon's Cat branded Snood on the phone, but that has the standard addictive gameplay and pay-to-keep-playing model so I ditched that pretty quickly.

My top five games (by play time) for March were:

1. Breath of Fire II - I'm struggling to get through this a bit. Some of this game is really well done and some of it isn't. The translation is obviously awful, and it has a very SNES RPG habit of sending you to do something ... somewhere, so I've had to resort to a guide (well, several guides) to find a decent way to play. On the other hand, something does keep me playing and I enjoy the overall feel of the game.
   
   
   
   via GIPHY


2. Xenonauts - I got listening to a Podcast where they were talking about XCOM (the real one from '94). So I figured I'd fire up Xenonauts until I got frustrated and quit. So far that hasn't happened and I've been enjoying Xenonauts quite a bit.
   
   

   

   Nothing to worry about.

   
   


3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - As (pretty much) always.
   
   

   

   Brother and Sister

   
   


4. Pokémon Go  - Also as (pretty much) always.
   
   

   

   I take it back. I'm slightly worried.

   
   


5. Mario Kart 8 - I needed something more tactile to play and this was really up my alley.
   
   
   
   via GIPHY

Here's my total play time chart for March:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Video Games of January 2019

I feel like I did a fairly good job of managing my play time in January.  I'm closing in on finishing my thesis, and so I've been playing in those times when I need to just stop thinking. Fortunately I've found a good set of games to play when I've got the right moment.

My top five games (by play time) for January 2019 were:

1. Breath of Fire II - I have a lot of nostalgia for the Breath of Fire series. The first game definitely has the strongest nostalgia hit, but it also has a lot of problems. I'm less nostalgic for the second, but it is better designed than the first. Even if it's a bit slow and grindy, it's been a nice way to unwind.
   
   

   

   Great! That'll do in place of a plot!



2. Pokémon Go - Have nice weather, will stop for a couple of minutes to catch monsters.
   
   

   

   The Guardian Bidoof protects us.



3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Into year two, still enjoying. The game lets you add new elements to your town, and we've very conservatively added just a little bit at a time, which has helped keep things fresh. The other fresh aspect is that the game is a little different each month.
   
   

   

   Happy New Year, Isabelle!



4. Invisible Inc. - I went back to Invisible Inc after getting super frustrated trying to play it a while ago. I've really enjoyed it on this revisit, but playing it the way it wants to be played stealthy and risky really works. It also helps to lean into the rogue like (lite?) elements and accept that easy play through might not be perfect.
   
   

   

   Are you ready operator?



5. Into The Breach - I've been working in pomedoros a lot during January and it works out that a map of Into The Breach can be finished in the break between work periods.
   
   

   

   He's a laugh riot at parties.

Here's my total play time chart for January:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Video Games of December 2018

I was super busy for the bulk of December, but I enjoyed what I played and I feel set up to take 2019 on in style.


My top five games (by play time) for December were:

1. Civilization VI - Two months in a row at number one. I guess the game is ok. I think accepting that I'm just not a hard Civ player has really let me love the game as it is.
   
   

   

   Think of the launch filming parties!

   
   


2. Fire Emblem Awakening - I'm not exactly sure why I started playing this, but I did figure it would be something to play during Christmas, especially when I wasn't going to be near my PC or TV. As it turns out I got really hooked and I think this game is quite good.
   
   
   
   via GIPHY
   
   I get bogged down playing Fire Emblem because I won't ever let anyone die, so there are a lot of levels where I'll play for an hour and then reset because I messed something up. Being able to play without losing my fighters each time has been a real relief. That said I'm finding the running a bit hard in the later(?) levels of the game, but it's been a blast.


3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - A whole year, we still love it and we're still playing.
   
   

   

   Two very dapper players.



4. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - We're not talking about it.
   
   

   

   Yes, yes this is a very old picture. But hey, Link likes that rubber suit.



5. Pokémon Go - I felt a bit like this Christmas wasn't nearly as interesting as years past, but as always fun to play.
   
   

   

   Daaaw, it's cute and pretending to be rare!

Here's my total play time chart for December:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Games of November 2018

I'm not super happy with how I spent my play time this month, especially because I found myself playing more out of frustration / burnout than relaxation or fun.

My top five games (by play time) for November were:

1. Civilization VI - Well, this is the game I play when I'm avoiding getting the stuff that needs to get done, done. I'm feeling behind on practically everything, and, embarrassingly, it's been much easier to pick this up "for a minute" rather than work. The problem is, that minute often expands out to be a lot more than a minute.  So my goal for December is to, a) relax, b) focus, c) get stuff done, and d) feel good when I do play.
   
   

   

   It has been created. Next Turn!

   
   On the not of the actual game, side I actually feel like I'm finally figuring the game out a little. I even caved and picked up the Rise and Fall Expansion. I'm not sure I'm actually getting good, but I have learned. Further I've accepted that not every game is going to be a game I enjoy playing until the end and it's okay to go back to the early game part where I was having fun. I also really the aesthetic of the game, the same thing I thought the first time I played is that it still calls back the things I loved from Civ I and II.
   


2. Ogre Battle 64 - While I'm accepting things, I'm accepting that I can love this game for the feeling it gives me even when a huge portion of it makes no sense.
   
   

   

   Happy Place.

   
   


3. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I still haven't beaten the Master Sword challenge. I have been trying to pick up some better techniques and skills and I feel like, except for the part I can't do, I'm getting good.
   
   

   

   Little Silver Jerks. 

   
   


4. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - As part of a routine of relaxing this game just keeps giving. It also has an incredibly slow reward system - costumes for the amiibo characters - which might just keep us playing for another year. Animal Crossing for life!
   
   

   

   Animal Crossing is mostly Animal Capitalism.

   
   


5. Pokémon Go - Between being behind and it being colder out, I've been playing a little bit less the last month.
   
   

   

   We're slow and that's ok.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for November:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Video Games of October 2018

October was a pretty head-down month. I didn't get as much done as I wanted, and didn't play that much either. I think my goal for November is to build a routine where I'm getting stuff done and enjoying my play time as well.

My top five games (by play time) for October were:

1. Final Fantasy XII - As with last month, I tried to fit Final Fantasy XII in as a "bed time" game of sorts. This worked out fairly well as the game does lack a certain amount of excitement. I've been thinking back to the train scene from the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, because it feels like XII is kinda lacking that kind of spectacle, let alone the character or charm of Final Fantasy VI. It also suffers from severe hero / protagonist dysphoria (which is a fancy term I just made up for the bit where the game is about Ashe and for some reason you keep playing as Van.)
   
   

   

   An now you will be killed by a bird, unless you remembered to do that side quest.



2. Pokémon Go - Baring a bit of snow at the beginning of the month, it's been nice to be out and about picking up stuff. Now I just want to work somewhere with a slightly higher density of pokéstops.
   
   

   

   You are getting sleepy, and pink.



3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Friends make the journey, and also working really hard to avoid getting eaten by a large ambulatory jack-o-lantern.
   
   

   

   Winners, but most importantly not eaten. 



4. Paper Mario: Color Splash - I needed more pictures of the game for my post, and so I had to play more. While this game certainly has a lot of issues, it's still a lot of fun to play.
   
   

   

   You're a key, Slightly Grumpy Toad.



5. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I'm like a speed runner, but slow, and bad, and kinda unmotivated because the game is hard.
   
   

   

   Who's a good boy? Not Link he's never going to pet that dog.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for October:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Video Games of September 2018

I've been busy enough, and stressed enough that playing hasn't really been that far forward in my mind. I've played to try to relax at the end of the day and to make a little mental space in my head. I'd like to get a little more mindful again, but honestly I'd also like to get my PhD finished so I can pick up a Switch and a PS4.



My top five games (by play time) for September were:

1. Final Fantasy XII - In his great review of Dragon Quest 11, Tim Rodgers mentions the mentality behind the Dragon Quest series in Japan. They're the games you play at the end of the day when you're ready for a fairy tale. That got me thinking about how I play and how I choose what I play, and it seemed like trying to play something to chill out a little more was a good idea. FFXII is also my current favourite Final Fantasy game (VI was until I actually played it again), and so I figured it was time to fire it up. And yeah, I'm playing the PS2 version for reasons, I was struck by how awful it looked, and how weird it played, but honestly after a few hours that's all faded away and I'm really enjoying it.
   
   

   

   They sent me movies when I asked for games! 

   
   
2. Pokémon Go - September was a pretty good month to be out and walking. That, and the explosion of Gen1 pokémon really pulled me forward. 
   
   

   

   Action in Pokémon



3. Graveyard Keeper - I'm not sure I like this game. I basically picked it up and started to play it because everyone playing it on YouTube was playing it wrong. I think it has a lot of nicely designed mechanics, and an interesting world, but I think it's missing the compelling element to really keep me playing (It really has nothing on Stardew Valley's charm).
   
   

   

   A little shaky, and a little weird, but a solid set of world mechanics.



4. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Yup. It's still nice to play video games in the morning. Played a three player game for the first time and interested that the game played just a little different.
   
   

   

   Forgot to take a photo in September, but now we can enjoy all the options the game gives you for purchasing fireworks.



5. Earthbound - I finally finished Earthbound after trying to finish it for about two years. I liked it, but on its own I'm not sure it was able to overcome being a SNES era game. It has a ton of wonderful concepts and is one of the most charming and well built games I've played, particularly when it comes to the world and the narrative. I'm appreciating the game significantly more watching Chuggaconroy's new Let's Play, as it illuminates a lot of the charm and interesting history of the game.
   
   

   

   It was a long journey, but our heroes stayed true.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for September:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Games of August 2018

August was a month where I mostly focused on getting my thesis done and on summery things, so I didn't play ton. What I did play, I really enjoyed.

My top five games (by play time) for August were:

1. Pokémon Go - I've played more PoGo in August than I have since I picked it up again (and possibly since before).
   
   

   

   This game really has it's hooks in me and I'm really enjoying it.

2. Earthbound - I pushed forward to get to the end of Earthbound. I didn't quite finish, but I did play a lot. The game definitely has charm, but was also a bit hard to play. Sadly a lot of SNES RPGs (and games in general) feel a little clunky if you don't have the nostalgia to grease the controller.
   
   

   

   How very Earthbound.



3. Paper Mario: Color Splash - I finished Color Splash over the summer. I enjoyed it quite a bit, except for the parts that I didn't. I haven't played a Paper Mario game before, and I loved the charm and the style. Some of the game play didn't quite measure up, but generally I thought my time with this game - and with friends - was well spent.
   
   

   

   Paper Mario: Color Splash, beautiful and willing to acknowledge that you've burned several of your hours on it.



4. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Coffee, brunch and the trials of capitalism, what's not to love?
   
   

   

   I've missed August Fireworks, but got to live many Augusts this year.



5. Mario Golf: World Tour - Hey, four years in and I've just about unlocked some stuff. World Tour is a lot of fun, even with just the basic three courses.
   
   

   

   You want to land left of the tree, with enough space to chip up onto the green. (Via Super Mario Wiki)

Here's my total play time chart for August:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Games of July 2018

I was pretty focused on work and watching football in July, so ended up not playing a lot. Also Dan Floyd started playing Kingdom Hearts, ProJared started playing Illusion of Gaia, and Chuggaconroy started playing  Earthbound, so I've suddenly been watching way more than my usual allotment of Let's Plays. All this reduced the usual amount I play, but I've had a lot of fun with what I've played.

My top five games (by play time) for July were:

1. Paper Mario: Color Splash - I'm 100%ing this game (ish*) and so I've ended up putting quite a bit of time into wandering around and hitting things with hammers, when necessary. I've also been playing with my partner watching for the most part, which has been a lot of fun (plus *someone* gets to see all the jokes).
   
   

   

   My research would have gone way faster if I had a science claw. - Wait no, the other thing. Slower. Much. Much. Slower.

   
   
2. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I'm still not good enough at the Master Sword Quest (well technically at fighting a pair of Silver Lizalfos) so I'm still just trying to git good.
   
   

   

   Look, I've been on the Sword Trials for a loooong time now.



3. Mario Golf: World Tour - Playing mostly on lunch. I'm surprised at how oddly they have the unlocks structured, none of the playable characters are available until after you unlock all the courses, and to unlock anything you have to complete some fairly tough challenges to get coins. I'm also a little disappointed that they implemented the club house, but then most of the actual content of the game has to be accessed through the main menu, a little more "role play" might have worked nicely.
   
   

   

   Sniper Luigi - Via Super Mario Wiki



4. Pokémon Go - Uh, yeah. Back on this train. Friends help. So does the rebalance in items. I think they've done really good work on this game recently, and I've really been enjoying this.
   
   

   

   Leveling Up



5. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Another month, more coffee, Animal Crossing and Chill. The game has 12 months, which changes the events and the length of the game. We've been keeping ourselves to only playing the current month, which keeps the game fresh and fun (and makes us say "We should play one more time while it's still July".)
   
   

   

   Fancy Brother / Sister Game Day

Here's my total play time chart for July:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

* I've decided not to get all of the cards as that just seems to be a bit more time than I'd like to spend on this game.

Blog: Games of June 2018

I travelled for 10 days in June and that - along with trying to get enough work done to travel - left me playing a little less than I usually do and it *slightly* modified the games we usually see on this list.

My top five games (by play time) for June 2018 were:

1. Mario Golf: World Tour - Between lunches and evenings on the road, I played Mario Golf on my 3DS a bunch. I'm in a state right now where I'm getting pretty good, and really enjoying it. I will say I think there are some weird game design choices for the game surrounding the actual golf, and I'm disappointed in how the spin is managed since you're limited to hitting the touchscreen without really knowing how much spin you have, or need, - as opposed to Toadstool Tour, where you can plot spin and then have to aim while you shoot.
   
   

   

   Fore! Lunch! Road!

2. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I've slowed down a lot because I swore to myself that I would finish all of the Master Sword trials. The problem is that, I'm not nearly as good at this game as I probably should be having played almost 280 hours. Anyway, I've spent the last little while trying to git good, and I'm *slowly* improving.
   
   

   

   Gotcha. (Yes, I need to fix my WiiU's Internet)



3. Stardew Valley - Still love playing this in the mornings, although I'm into spring in my third year and as usually the game feels a little like its starting to run low on content. 
   
   

   

   Feast Season.



4. Europa Universalis 4 - Always easy to drop a few hours into EU4. Playing ironman has felt pretty good. My Ottomans are questing to control the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, while not getting crushed by the really large Russians and Polish Commonwealth - or the HRE - or Spain which controls most of France - or Portugal which controls the entire west of Africa. (I really like it when the game goes alt-history).
   
   

   

   Getting a little non-traditional. (Or why is Spain so BIG!?)



5. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - As I've said before, this is a weekend morning game for coffee and chill time. That being said, while some of the actual game mechanics are out of your control (think snakes and ladders), the design and charm of the game really stands out. Also, we've accidentally spent a lot of time dropping cats in to the water in the name of "getting more points".
   
   

   

   We're glad you're hosting Punchy. Sorry about the water thing.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for June:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month:

Blog: Games of April 2018

April was a pretty busy month, so most of my playing was turn off brain time.

My top five games (by play time) for April were:

1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 56 hours in 2018, 272 hours in the year and a bit since it came out. I finished all of the shrines, finally and am throwing myself up against the master sword challenge now. My friend and I also had an interesting evening calling all the shrine names to each other (while trying to figure out which one I'd missed), which was also a fun time.
   
   

   

   Wonderful rewards. A simple scene.

   
   
2. Stardew Valley - The capacity this game has for a calm environment is great. I played a day (or two) before getting to work most days, and it's a good start to the day.
   
   

   

   Wonderful rewards. It can be as simple as words.



3. Into the Breach - Into the Breach is not always the most fun. It can be stressful and because the game is so well designed it's stressful because I made a dumb decision.
   
   

   

   Wonderful feelings.



4. Europa Universalis 4 - April was a month of pretty standard games, and so it's not terribly surprising that I ended up sinking some time into EU4. I watched a Let's Play from Gamers With Jobs and, as is often the case that put EU4 higher in my brain. I also think the modifications they made in the most recent patch - restructuring the national missions - has made the game a little more compelling and directed.
   
   

   

   Wonderful worry.



5. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Weekend mornings: coffee and a visit to Festival Town (is that what it's called?). Also a free lesson in the powers of compound interest and exponential growth.
   
   
   

   

   Wonderful welcomes.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for April:

And here's a chart of how much I've played over the month: