Current Playlist

[rwburnham]

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.

[Kazriko]

Finished: Tales of Hearts R

Just starting: Trails of Cold Steel, Shining Force EXA (Just picked up Gamefly again, this is my first game.)

Updated goals:
Portable: Trails of Cold Steel -> Nostalgia -> Atelier Ayesha Plus -> Breath of Fire 4
Home PS3: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen -> Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension -> Remember Me -> Ni No Kuni -> Disgaea D2
Home Other: Shining Force EXA -> Vagrant Story -> Disgaea 5 -> Xenoblade Chronicles X -> Earthbound

Saturdays, and randomly: Minecraft

[rwburnham]

Civilization V (PC) - Playing as France, I built me nation right next to Korea. They were dicks, as they often are, and they managed to raze one of my cities, but I guess they used all of their resources doing so because I won the game shortly thereafter by being the last civilization standing. I started a new game as Germany and so far I am focusing on military and money. Germany has low land unit maintenance costs, but military victories are tough in this game, so I am leaning on science as a secondary win option. I just build a laboratory, so I am hoping to either nuke someone of fly into space.

Final Fantasy V (PC) - I am still leveling up in preparation for the tough dungeon nearby. Right now, my jobs are Samuri, Ninja, Chemist, and Ranger. I have some white and black magic at my disposal, which is helpful, but I still feel underpowered. I am buying new weapons and armor as I can afford it, so once I get everyone geared up I’ll probably be ready to hit that dungeon.

[rwburnham]

LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII (Steam) - Why are all of the Final Fantasy games on Steam titled in ALL CAPS? Why does the PC port of this game say “Do not turn off your Playstation 3 system…”? Where is the Exit button on the main menu? Why does the game default to Japanese language? Why does using an Xbox One gamepad feel awkward, despite this game being made for consoles? Why did I buy this game?

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (Steam) - The early hours of this game are rather tough and annoying, but now that I am past all that and past level 20, things feel fair and fun. I am wandering though a place called “the ink” or something like that, and it I love the surreal nature of the place. I am playing as a Constructor, so I have a big floating gun platform that follows me around and shoots things. I can also summon various robots to shoot things. I have guns too, which I use for, yes that’s right… shooting. The Constructor likes guns, you see. I really like this series, even though all three games feel more or less the same and it can at times feel a little generic. Frankly, I couldn’t tell you anything about the story other than than I have a female ghost fighting alongside me and sometimes she says funny stuff.

FINAL FANTASY IX (Steam) - As my second favorite Final Fantasy game, it’s nice to be able to play this one again. The updated graphics look quite nice, especially considering this is a 16-year old game. The first few hours of the game revolve around a plot lead by Zidane to kidnap Princess Garnet. Things don’t quite as expected and now the party is lost in a weird forest. I am so happy to have this game on Steam.

Civilization V (Steam) - I started the Conquest of the New World scenario. It’s different than a regular game, because you are limited to 100 turns and you have to accomplish certain things in that time, like find the New World and collect treasure. It adds a distinct level of tension to the game. 50 turns in, I have a couple of boats roaming the ocean looking for new places. It’s a neat change of pace from the more slow-paced standard game, where it is at times tough to know if I am winning or not.

[Kazriko]

My "now playing" list hasn't changed in 2 weeks. Except for adding Modded Minecraft 1.9 to my list. I really need to buckle down and finish these two games that I'm working on. I'm 2 months behind on my PS3/Retro game goal for the year! I am adding another game to my PS3 queue though.

Current Goals:
Portable: Trails of Cold Steel -> Nostalgia -> Atelier Ayesha Plus -> Breath of Fire 4
Home PS3: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen -> Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension -> Remember Me -> Ni No Kuni -> Disgaea D2 -> FF13 Lightning Returns
Home Other: Shining Force EXA -> Vagrant Story -> Disgaea 5 -> Xenoblade Chronicles X -> Earthbound

Saturdays, and randomly: Minecraft 1.8, Minecraft 1.9 Modded

LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII (Steam) - Why are all of the Final Fantasy games on Steam titled in ALL CAPS? Why does the PC port of this game say “Do not turn off your Playstation 3 system…”? Where is the Exit button on the main menu? Why does the game default to Japanese language? Why does using an Xbox One gamepad feel awkward, despite this game being made for consoles? Why did I buy this game?

Aaand, this is why I'm a console gamer I actually am looking forward to playing this on PS3... But I'm WAY behind.

FINAL FANTASY IX (Steam) - As my second favorite Final Fantasy game, it’s nice to be able to play this one again. The updated graphics look quite nice, especially considering this is a 16-year old game. The first few hours of the game revolve around a plot lead by Zidane to kidnap Princess Garnet. Things don’t quite as expected and now the party is lost in a weird forest. I am so happy to have this game on Steam.

Sigh. I should replay this some time.

[Doomer]

Square's bad PC ports don't really represent PC gaming. A lot of games have problems with Xbox One controllers for some reason, especially on Windows 10 with the wireless adapter.

[Kazriko]

Square's bad PC ports don't really represent PC gaming. A lot of games have problems with Xbox One controllers for some reason, especially on Windows 10 with the wireless adapter.

That's entirely true, but they do represent a whole lot of my gaming in general, and a lot of what I'd be playing on PC instead of console if I were playing more on PC. For now, I'm mostly just play PC exclusives on it.

[rwburnham]

Final Fantasy XIV (PC) - I reactivated my account because I’ve been hankering for some MMO fun. I like some of the features of this game, like being able to level any class without changing characters. However, the game is too reliant on raw experience grinding. I understand that the leveling is setup to accommodate people leveling multiple classes on one character, but I can’t shake the boredom of this leveling system. The class quests are neat because you get to engage in a story, but I think other MMOs have handled story quests better. I don’t think I want to play FF14 anymore. Games like World of Warcraft, EverQuest II and Star Wars: The Old Republic all do a great job of moving you through the game via quests so you rarely have to repeat a quest or sit in one spot and grind experience. Final Fantasy’s leveling system feels tedious and outdated. Maybe it’s time to fire up Elder Scrolls Online again.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut (Steam) - I have three quests in my quest book, but none of them tell me where to go to complete them. After exploring all of the areas that are open to me, I found nothing. I am officially stuck, so I might have to quit this game. Luckily, I already beat the original version of this game (before the “Final Cut” update) so quitting isn’t that big of a deal.

Final Fantasy IX (Steam) - After the drama of the early game, I spent some time exploring the crashed airship. Then we headed out into the curiously named Evil Forest, where we had to fight some strange plant monsters. Vivi’s fire spell came in very handy.

[rwburnham]

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Steam) - I started a new character mainly for the purpose of getting some achievements. My main goals are unlocking all dark side powers, finishing the game as a dark side character, and seeing if I can train Atton and/or The Handmaiden as Jedi. Playing as a male this time should allow me to explore different character interactions this time. Last time I played, I spread my character’s abilities too thin, so this time I am going full on Force-centric. Essentially, I will be Emperor Palpatine without the skin problems or overacting. At the moment I am murdering people and being generally disruptive on Telos IV as I try to find my ship.

World of Warcraft (PC) - After growing bored with Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars: The Old Republic, I decided to fire up WoW after being away from it for at least four years. Back in the early days of this game, I preferred to play EverQuest II instead of this game, but it’s still fun. I am switching between my Paladin and my Shaman, and I find the Paladin to be more fun. My Shaman seems to die too much. I don’t know how long I will play this game. It could just be a temporary distraction. But for now it’s fun.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper (Android) - This game is always installed on my tablet. I can’t imagine it will ever not be installed. It’s a perfect game to play while lounging on the couch and watching TV, especially if I am just binge watching a show that doesn’t require my full attention.

[rwburnham]

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Steam) - After taking care of business on Telos IV, we flew to the surface of Telos in search of our stolen ship, only to be shot down. Luckily, Bao-Dur finds us and joins us, but he’s kind of a crappy hand-to-hand melee class. With him along, we are able to get into a nearby base and find a ship. We take that ship to a polar region of the planet where we think our ship was taken, but we are again shot down. Why do I keep getting shot down even when I am not flying the Ebon Hawk? Nearby we find a formerly hidden academy in the snow, where we meet Jedi Master Atris and her sexy handmaidens. Luckily they have the Ebon Hawk, so after some story, we get the ship back and head off to find the rest of the Jedi Masters who exiled me. Because I am playing as a male character, one of the handmaidens sneaks onto the ship, and soon becomes part of my growing party of misfits. I like her because she trains while wearing just her underwear and she’s a good melee tank. I hear she can be trained to be a Jedi Guardian or a Dark Jedi Guardian, so I’ll be working on that. Now that I have my ship back, it’s time to head to Dantooine.

Final Fantasy V (Steam) - After finding our way to the Moogle village, we are flown to the Castle of Bal by a wind drake. We find out some interesting information about Galuf, Also, the drake that transported us is dying, and that’s bad, so we are sent out to find a way to heal it. North of the castle we find the werewolf town of Quelb. We end up befriending the people of that village and finding out a little more information about Bartz. I have decided my next goal will be to have every character master one of the original job classes (Fighter, Monk, Black Mage, White Mage), so I’ll be leveling up in this spot before proceeding to the Drakenvale.