I haven’t written anything personal about myself here in a while, so I thought it’s about time I got back to that. I’m going to post about the games that I’m currently playing on occasion, and I’d love to see what you think about these games, as well as what you are currently playing.

The Last of Us

I finally beat this game, after playing it for the first time about 9 months ago at a friend’s place. I found it for $20 at a used game store in Seattle, so I couldn’t say not to that offer!

I LOVED the opening of the game. I wish the entire game was like that. The fighting quickly grew repetitive, as did many of the mechanics, such as moving the ladders and swimming Ellie across the water. It got so bad at one point, that the game actually cracks a joke about how repetitive it is. This game was essentially Uncharted 4: Zombie Edition, without many improvements.

Fortunately, the story was engaging, and kept me coming back for more. I had really mixed feelings about the ending, because it was so abrupt, and not very satisfying. After coming all that way, it ends, out of the blue. Odd.

Regardless, if you enjoyed the Uncharted series, I feel you’ll enjoy this, due to the extreme similarities. Overall, I was satisfied with the experience, but it was a mediocre game, at best.

 

 

Destiny

C’mon, I had to get this as soon as it came out. I bought into the hype. I enjoyed the game, despite how repetitive and empty it felt. Again, the ending came abruptly ()noticing a trend here?), and I was even more pertrubed when I discovered that everyone gets the same prize at the end of the game, regardless of your class.

The multiplayer component seems pretty good thus far, although the competitive aspects of the game are still bare. I was hoping for the ability to just run up to other players within my world or instance, and be able to speak with them, but that is not the case. You need to go into a few menus, add them to your fire team, which allows you to share experience and quest goals, then add them to your party. Why the additional step? Why not just let me be able to talk to people? Everquest figured this out  15 years ago.

Essentially this game is a combination of Borderlands and Diablo III, minus the extravagant loot and cooperation. So I guess it’s not really like them, then?

 

Grandia II

What, a 14 year old game on this list? Hell yeah, I love older games. I found this at the same shop in Seattle, where I found The Last of Us. I haven’t played it since it initially launched on the Dreamcast, so I thought it was time to give it another go. The soundtrack is fantastic, and composed by Noriyuki Iwadare, who also worked on one of my favorite JRPGs on the Sega CD, Lunar.

The combat system is certainly the best part of this game, due to its unique nature. Read about it here. The graphics hold up well, although they certainly do appear 14 years old in many ways. if you are familiar with other JRPG franchises, such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, then I definitely think you can find a good home with this game as well.

The voice acting is cheesy at times, but the dialogue itself is quite enjoyable. It is bothersome that not all of the interactions are voiced, however.

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@DaveVoyles

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