• 24Sep 09

  Shining in the Darkness Review

  Quick note for those who don't frequent the RPG Temple but might still be interested:

  Shining in the Darkness Review

  • Posted Sep 24, 2009 8:19 am GMT
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• 23Sep 09

  Life is a highway....

  For all you youngsters reading my blog, Life is a Highway was a moderately popular song by Tom Cochrane from the early 90's that's generally a metaphor explaining how exciting life is, with new adventures at every turn.

  Well, while I agree with the choice of term, I think the metaphoric conclusion is flawed. Highways are neither exciting nor adventurous (at least not after you turn about 22 and don't drive like a total jack ass anymore), and therefore, are a fitting metaphor for the common man's life.

  In any case, this is just a boring way of saying I haven't been doing terribly much lately, but felt the need to reconnect to my friends here lest you all forget that I do occasionally blog and (more rarely) have something interesting to talk about. So, at the risk of sounding even more like Eeyore, here's what I've been up to.

  Completed Games:

  

  La Pucelle was a charming Strategy RPG with some fun and cute characters and an okay story about loss and redemption that would have been made better with actual loss. In any case, it was fun and worthwhile for SRPG gamers. Maybe I'll do a review on it at some point, but for those who just can't wait, I'd rate it in the 7.5 range.

  

  Fable 2 is miscla-ssfied in my opinion. It's not an RPG, at all. It is, in fact, an Action RPG/Adventure game just like Zelda and Landstalker. That being said, it's not a bad game, just not one that I was able to really enjoy due to the very poor narrative and direction. Couple that with the fact that some skills morphed my fun female character into an unrecognizable behemoth with crazy blue lines all over her and the game was more or less ruined for me by the end.

  Soon to be complete/Now playing:

  

  At the beginning, I loved this game. By the middle, I was convinced, thoroughly convinced, that I hated it. Now I'm at the end and I'm loving it again. Whatever, I'm almost done, though I'm sure I'll play it again sometime to see which of my two viewpoints was valid.

  New Acquisitions:

  

  Obviously, I don't have this baby yet, but it is payed for, and likely to be the only game I buy for myself for the rest of the year.

  In life news, my wife is STILL looking for a job (thank you housing market for both killing her last job and the economy in general), my son made first team Defensive End for his football team, and my daughter joined the church choir which makes me a proud papa.

  Oh, and I changed my avatar to something that even fewer people will recognize. His name is Needle Faintheart and he's from the 1995 PC version of Blood Bowl. I find him appropriate in honor of both the release of the new Blood Bowl and the nearing of Halloween.

  Alright, I guess that's it unless anyone wants to offer me copious amounts of money

  • Posted Sep 23, 2009 12:21 pm GMT
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• 17Jul 09

  Completed RPG's as of 7/17/09

  I've stolen Jude's (Lightfellower) idea because I thought it was interesting to examine. I'm ever so slightly ahead of him with 58 total completed RPG's.

  Sega Master System (2)
  Miracle Warriors
  Phantasy Star

  Sega Genesis (7)
  Phantasy Star II
  Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
  Phantasy Star IV
  Shining Force
  Shining Force 2
  Shining in the Darkness
  Starflight

  Playstation (2)
  Suikoden
  Suikoden 2

  Gameboy Advance (2)
  Fire Emblem
  Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones

  Gamecube (1)
  Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

  Playstation 2 (24)
  Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia
  Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
  Champions of Norrath
  Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
  Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
  Final Fantasy X
  Final Fantasy X-2
  Gladius
  La Pucelle: Tactics
  Persona 3
  Radiata Stories
  Rogue Galaxy
  Shadow Hearts
  Shadow Hearts: Covenant
  Shadow Hearts: From the New World
  Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
  Shining Force Neo
  Suikoden III
  Suikoden IV
  Suikoden Tactics
  Suikoden V
  Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Willie Zur Macht
  Xenosaga Episode 2: Jenseits von Gut und Bose
  Xenosaga Episode 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra

  Xbox (1)
  Jade Empire

  X360 (
  Enchanted Arms
  Eternal Sonata
  Fable 2
  Fallout 3
  Infinite Undiscovery
  Lost Odyssey
  Mass Effect
  Tales of Vesperia

  PC (12)
  Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
  Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
  Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
  Diablo
  Diablo II
  Icewind Dale
  Knights of the Old Republic
  Knights of the Old Republic 2
  Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
  Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
  Might and Magic V: The Darkside of Xeen
  Planescape: Torment
  Star Control 2

  Soon to join the list: The Last Remnant, Persona 3 FES, Growlanser II, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

  • Posted Jul 17, 2009 8:16 am GMT
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