Blog: Games of December 2019

2019 was a long year (long decade?). So it was really nice to be able to chill at the end of the month and the end of the year.

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

1. Chrono Trigger - I was a little bit inspired by Chuggaconroy playing this during the year, but also there's just something about the December break that calls for SNES games for me. I'm pretty fascinated at the number of things I've learned about Chrono Trigger, having played the game pretty consistently over the last two and a half decades.
   
   

   

   An adventure awaits.



2. Dragon Quest XI - Continuing along, I enjoyed playing, but the game does feel a bit slow.
   
   

   

   Fight! 



3. Cursed Treasure 2 - I love tower defence and out of all the free tower defence games available to play while avoiding marking this is the very best. I think I'm going to try to make my own TD game this year.
   
   

   

   In trouble, but happy.



4. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - The tradition continues.
   
   

   

   Last concert of the year.



5. Super Mario Odyssey - Out of all the games I played this year (more on that soon) this one is the one that calls to me the most to pick it up again. The game play and flow are enticing and it just always a joy to play.
   
   

   

   A game with a view.

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 October 2019

October was a month where I didn't really have a game I was setting out to play. I've hit a point where I'm a little tired of Three Houses. I played a lot of Dragon Quest as a game to relax with and then somewhat distracted myself with EU 4 a few days in the month. It's also been one of those months where I've found myself watching more things rather than playing, which is often a mid-semester thing for me.

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

1. Dragon Quest XI - As a game to pick up in the evenings and play for a little bit, DQ XI has been great. The feel of the game is very good, even while I have some concerns with other factors about the game.
   
   

   

   Hello! Everything is fine! Perfect! Going exactly as expected.



2. Europa Universalis IV - EU 4 has an amazing capacity for "fun", where in once things start going a little wrong they immediately explode into many things going very wrong. So a lot of my play time has been me trying to crush either the Papel Seat, England or Poland in retribution for the thing they did to me last time.
   
   

   

   Whelp. Time for another vendetta play through.



3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - October is probably the most interesting month to play Amiibo Fest. They introduce an extra candy collecting mechanics which has a roughly 50/50 success rate and means that you actually have to play with a little thought. We still play a bit on autopilot these days, but Amiibo Fest is still a weekend morning tradition for us.
   
   

   

   Racoon butts.

   
   


4. Sunless Sea - Mark Brown produced a video about rogue-likes talking about how the player skill and the difficulty curve interact. I am bad enough at most rogue-likes that I never really seem to see the game change. Lately I've been trying to improve how I play, or experience, or something, Sunless Sea. The story elements are still interesting, although I had a couple of captains die in quick succession, which broke a little of the illusion of continuity in the story structure.
   
   

   

   Perfect. Totally not doomed.

   
   


5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Remember how I hadn't burned out on Three Houses last month? Well, now I have. The problem with the 4 endings the game has is that it does require a lot of replay of very similar missions and eventually it starts to feel like I've just done the same thing over and over again. The combat simply doesn't support the amount of story the game has and the reuse of maps is kinda disappointing, at least if you play the Golden Deer and the Blue Lions one after the other. The Black Eagles - Crimson Flower have definitely been more different so far, but I needed a break.
   
   

   

   Inconceivable!

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for October:

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

Blog: Games of August 2019

We could just call this post Game of August 2019, because I've played a lot of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I got sick, and it turns out that the switch is a great game platform to bring to bed, play until the battery runs out then sleep until the battery charges up again. Also Three Houses is really good.


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

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - So yeah. I played 30 hours in a couple of days last month. This month I played more than a hundred hours. I've started on a third play through now. My first Golden Deer play-though was around 70 hours and my second Blue Lion's play-through was around 80 hours (there's a little discrepancy between my recorded time and what the save-game things I have recorded). The game play is compelling. My first play through was on normal, which was a little easy for a Fire Emblem game, especially when playing without permadeath. For my second play-though I moved the difficulty up to hard, which was a better feel overall, although some of the difficulty was in limiting repair of weapons rather than the actual tactical gameplay. The story is also very good and the different facets you see depending on which house you play and which support stories you build gives you a lot of reason to keep playing to understand more.
   
   

   

   To Battle!

   
   


2. Europa Universalis IV - It's been a little while, but I fired this up again needing a little break from Three Houses and I'm having a lot of fun. As usual (pretty much) I'm playing the Ottomans again, but the new mission structure is illuminating interesting things to do while playing.
   
   

   

   Decisions decisions.

   
   


3. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - Honestly should have played this more. August is the best in game month.
   
   

   

   Sisters...

   
   


4. Opus Magnum - The game is still very approachable, but the late story missions are a little more work than I feel like putting in right now. The missions from the Steam Workshop have been a nice follow up.
   
   

   

   Be fancy. Make potions.

   
   


5. Pokemon Go - Didn't play that much what with not wanting to leave the house. I'm hoping to see the number for September be a lot higher.
   
   

   

   The summer.

   
   

Here's my total play time chart for August:

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: 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 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:

Blog: Games of February 2018

February was another month of gaming where I played mostly for the quiet and the stress relief. I haven't really had a game I've wanted to sink my teeth/time into, but that's ok.


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

1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I have to say trying to do my 100% run and my master mode run at the same time might not have been the most ... efficient way to play. Though as I keep saying, the amount of depth and detail is amazing. Everywhere I look I can see that someone has taken the time to make it special.
   
   

   

   How did they not manage to include a photo mode in this game?



2. Stardew Valley - Speaking of special, Stardew Valley has been the place I go to when I need to get away. You're character in game escapes the work-a-day world for the freedom of the farm and the game fills a bit of that in real life too.
   
   

   

   Spring in Stardew



3. Earthbound - Earthbound is a bit hard to play. I follow several people on line who love this game, and they have been inspired to create amazing things by this game (and the communities that built up around this game). I see what they loved, but at the same time, it's not the most playable game in 2018. Still, a little bit at a time, I'm filling in this chunk of my missed game history.
   
   

   

   Nothing unusual here!



4. Civilization VI - I picked this up again because I was thinking about it, thanks to the new DLC. I enjoyed Civ VI when it first dropped, but (as I seem to get to keep repeating here) I'm not *good* at it. I keep hoping to find my stride and go back to my Civ II days, but I haven't quite found it yet.
   
   

   

   Tundra Egypt



5. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival - This isn't a game about competing. This is a game about relaxing on Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and a loved one. Don't forget to buy your turnips for the week.
   
   

   

   The cutest damn thing in Animal Crossing: Amiibo Fest is the bit where the hosts run around the station to wave good-bye!

Here's my total play time for February:

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