The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing (PC) - This game received a new “Final Cut” update, so I thought I would fire it up and play it again because I really liked it the first time around. It’s a fun take on the action-RPG style. I like the funny conversations between Val Helsing and his female ghost companion. Right now I am still working on completing quests in the first town. Most of my time has been spent wandering in nearby woods and murdering many creatures. I picked the Protector, which focuses on melee combat with a sword and shield, and so far the class is a lot of fun.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (PC) - It’s just like the first two games, but with a “III” in the title. In this game I built a character who uses machine guns and flying robots. Dialog is still entertaining, combat is still fun, and character development is deep enough to hold my interest.
Final Fantasy V (PC) - Following our break-out from the bad guy’s castle, we head west in this new land to find a bridge. I am a little unprepared, so the battles that we encounter on the bridge wear my guys down. We barely eek out a win over Gilgamesh and move quickly to the town nearby. My guys are out of potions, my healers are out of mana, and we’re all nearly dead, but we make it to the Inn. This town has some new spells and supplies, so I am going to stick around for a few hours and level up. At this point, I have no idea which Jobs I should be using. One of my characters has already mastered the Geomancy class, so maybe I should try to master a few more classes before moving on, as the battles in this area are tough.
Halfway (PC) - This strategy RPG feels like a combination of System Shock and XCOM. I found my first companion right near the starting point, and we were immediately set upon by a space zombie thing. I didn’t know how to equip my gun, but luckily the companion already has a gun equipped so she was able to kill the creature. Combat feels similar to the classic XCOM style, except the game uses a straight down view instead of the isometric view of the XCOM games. I was able to kill a few more creatures and finish stage 1 without much trouble. Despite having somewhat low-fi graphics, the game still manages to maintain a decidedly creepy tone.
Civilization V (PC) - I tried and failed to conquer the world as France. I was pushing hard towards a world religion but was defeated by someone doing something else. I’m not even sure how I lost. Now I am trying again as France, but this time I am more military-focused and I am sticking to one city to see if I can get the “win with one city” achievement. It’s tough, but interesting.