Blog: Games of February 2019

February was a bit rough in terms of mindful gaming. It was also the last month I'll spend fully immersed in my thesis, so I guess I'll take what I can. I stress gamed more than I wanted to and didn't give myself a lot of time to play stuff I really enjoyed in a relaxed way. As such my February post feels a bit more critical than usual.

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

1. Into The Breach - I like this game. As I've said before the puzzle structure of the tactics gameplay makes me feel much smarter than some games where I don't have the time to sit and think stuff through. The more I play the better I get with the different mechanics and that's been a nice feeling.
   
   

   

   Grid.



2. Civilization VI - I dunno. The game is fun, but I always struggle with the one-more-turn problem. I should probably have left this one closed on steam, but it also feels like an easy game to play when I have a few minutes. Something I want to think about going forward is finding some good bite-sized games.
   
   

   

   Coastal.



3. Breath of Fire II - This game is confusing. It's certainly a strong response to the first game in the series, but it's still weaker than most JRPGs of the era. The translation also kinda rips the heart out of the game.
   
   

   

   Would you believe the W stands for Whale?



4. Fire Emblem: Awakening - As I've said here a lot, I'm bad at tactics games. I'm bad at this game. I think I managed in my one play through a awhile ago to grind myself into a state where I couldn't win. I restarted and seemed to be a bit more balanced, but never got myself to a point where I felt happy with how my play through was going. I should probably seek out someone who is actually good at the game on YouTube.
   
   

   

   from GameFAQs user Master_Bass



5. Invisible Inc. - I've really come around on this game and really enjoyed it in February. I like the stealth based tactics, and now that I've embraced them better, I've gotten a lot better. I'm now curious to see, if I lean into the rogue-light elements and let my team get better, how the game will evolve.
   
   

   

   Spy.

Here's my total play time chart for February:

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: