Blog: Games of May 2018

I played some stuff I really enjoyed in May, but also felt really unsettled about where I wanted to put my play time. I also found that when I did have time to play, I often didn't have anything I wanted to sit down and play. Also, I often found myself playing things when I really should have been focused elsewhere. So I'm trying to be more mindful again, and to take time to enjoy games after taking time to - you know - get excited and get stuff done.

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

1. Paper Mario: Color Splash - I was hoping to find something new to play when I needed an evening off. I've never actually played a Paper Mario game (I thought it was dumb to have a "2-D" game on the N64, but I had a lot of dumb thoughts back then). I've found Color Splash to be interesting, the world and the characterization are great (as is the dialog), the game play mechanics are pretty good, but the boss fights are really bad and the game is bad about respecting the time you put into it. I will say it's extremely charming and I'll enjoy finishing it.
   
   

   

   The Princess and her fixer.

2. Stardew Valley - As I often do, I've been starting days in May playing a day or two of Stardew Valley. As always, it's a relaxing and gently consuming game.
   
   

   

   A good day on the farm.



3. Cities: Skylines - I drifted back into to Skylines a bit with the Park DLC coming out (although I haven't actually picked it up yet). I enjoy the city building, but I keep kinda feeling unsatisfied a bit when I play. Still very good and very worth poking from time to time.
   
   

   

   The University District.



4. Civilization VI - As I said, May may just have been not the right month for me to really get into and enjoy anything. I played some Civ VI, but I'm finding that my mindset isn't right either to stick it out for the long term, and also to play well the way the game expects (and granted I haven't picked up the DLC for this either).
   
   

   

   So what we built the Hagia Sophia in the tundra.



5. Europa Universalis IV - While I haven't been playing it a ton, I have been enjoying EU4 quite a bit. I like the new mission system they've added in, and this particular play through I feel like I've managed to do a much better job understanding how the game wants me to play to really get the most out of it.
   
   

   

   The center of everything (but the outsides are mighty big).

Here's my total play time chart for May:

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

Blog: Books Read in 2018

Kwatz!

Good Reads

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: Books Read in 2018

Amazing. What?

Good Reads