October

Backlog Report – October 2022

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Hello all.

This month has been very slow. I have come home every day this week after work and just completely shut down once I get a moment of rest. There are a lot of things that I have not been keeping up with. I barely got the games I wanted to get done this month due to this exhaustion that I’ve been feeling. I also have this new foot pain that I should definitely get checked out if I wasn’t so scared about future medical bills (USA! USA!) Overall, this month was less stressful than last month’s gauntlet of work training. 

Not everything was doom and gloom this month. As a challenge for myself, I decided to make a conscious effort to save as much money as I could. If I could save a set amount, I would reward myself with something I found that I really want. I am happy to say that I meet my goal with flying colors and I now get to treat myself to this special item. The strange thing is, I’m not sure if I want my reward or not anymore. If I do end up getting it, I’ll mention it in next month’s post.

Other than that, I decided to get a new case for my computer. My original case is not completely compatible with the new motherboard, and I knew at some point I would have to correct this. I am nervous about having to move every component from one case to another, but I’ve done it once already without blowing up anything, so I should be fine this time around.

Finished Games

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

I was really looking forward to playing this Castlevania game this month. It had been sitting on my shelf for five years, and it took me about eight hours to finish it. What were my overall thoughts about it? You will have to tune in next week when I write up my thoughts on the early 3D Castlevania games that I’ve played. 

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

The same goes with Curse of Darkness. While I will say that I enjoyed this more than Lament of Innocence, both games have their good and bad qualities that make them fun to play. Again, I will have more details next week.

New and Finished Games

Castlevania Judgment

I had no intentions of getting this game, but I did once I found a brand new copy for less than $20 USD. It’s….not that bad, but far from a good fighting game. I like the attempt they made, but you can tell that more work needed to be put into this game. That is all I will say for now.

New Games This Month

Lost Odyssey (X360)

Not that many new games this month. I already own a digital copy of this game on my Xbox 360, but I keep forgetting that I have it since I never touch my 360. I found the strategy guide to the game at a used book store, and they had the game as well. So now I have a physical reminder that I have this game. I really should get around to playing this.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PS4)

It is almost time to continue my journey through this series in reverse order. I have been told that Trails from Zero and Azure are two of the best games in the series. Hopefully it doesn’t take me months to get through this game. I still have the Sky trilogy on standby for me to get through at some point.

Toukiden Kiwami (PS4)

I managed to find a PS4 copy in the wild for less than $10 USD. It will be interesting to compare this to the Vita version.

Currently Playing

I am biding my time until Pokèmon Scarlet and Violet comes out on Nov. 18. Something about the game is preventing me from being super excited for it, but I do plan on playing it day one with Kat and my younger brother. The co-op function will be interesting to try out, and I’m slowly warming up to the new battle mechanic. Until then, I need to work on something. I started Live A Live a few weeks ago and may continue that. It is a short game, so I should be able to get it done by mid-November. If anything else, I might start Trails from Zero and try to get that done before Trails from Azure releases. Plans are up in the air right now.

Plans for Next Month

Like I mentioned earlier, I do plan to have a post about the early 3D Castlevania games that I played this month. I will definitely have that ready next week. If I don’t you can all call me a liar liar pants on fire liar. The only other post that I have ready is continuing the series where I talk about gaming devices from my past. I am excited about this one because it is on a system that kept me playing games throughout the mid 2000s. It will be ready next month after some editing has been done. After that, things may start to slow down further as we somehow hit the holiday season. It feels very weird that we are about to enter the holiday season. The slow time will help me work on what might be my biggest end of the year post.

And that is all I got this month. Hip hip hooray for November!

October 2021 Report

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This has arguably the most productive month I’ve had in a while. I have been on a roll of releasing a new post every week (not originally my intention) and I still have content to keep that trend going. This is a good thing since I have notice that my foot traffic hasn’t been the same as it use to. This could just be a down time for most readers, or my content isn’t what it used to be. Either way, I’m happy with where I’m at right now so the drop in engagement doesn’t bother me that much.

Outside of blogging, other habits have been improving in a big way. I have finished the most games that I have in a single month since last April and it has been a wonderful feeling. On top of that, I haven’t had the desire to buy many new games unless I happen to see them in passing. With the holiday seasons coming up and more time off of work coming soon, I think I’m going to enjoy my first holiday season without much stress coming from school and work. That could all change is something stupid happens along the way, but I’m stupidly optimistic to see it happen.

Finished This Month

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Like every October, I went on a big Castlevania kick for the spooky season. Aria of Sorrow is still as good as I remembered, and may be my second favorite out of the series. I will need to finish the sequel, Dawn of Sorrow, at some point, but that may have to wait until next October (calling it now a DS collection is going to come out by then).

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Easily my least favorite out of the Gameboy Advance trilogy. The vertical layout of most rooms and boring design just made it boring for me to play towards the end. I can see why some would hold this game in good favor since they probably played it when it first came out, but with how much Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow improved the gameplay and how Symphony of the Night was designed better than this, I don’t know why Konami degrade this game when the GBA could handle it. I’m rambling, but know that I’ve played it and experienced it, I have no need to replay it again (unless I get sick in the head and want to 100% clear it).

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

The final game in the GBA trilogy that I finished. I had mixed feelings going into this game since I wasn’t the biggest fan of the character sprites, but once I looked past that I realized that this is a solid Castlevania game. If I enjoyed Soma for being customizable and flexible, I quickly learned to appreciate Juste’s fast movement and overall powerful arsenal that mostly focus around his whip, Vampire Killer, and spells with sub weapons. I definitely want to play this game again and go for that 100% completion rate. It was that good.

Tales of Arise

Honestly debating if this is my GOTY of the year. Tales of Arise surpassed my expectations and delivered one of the best Tales of experiences that I’ve had since playing Hearts R. This is also the first Tales of game that I’ve gotten the platinum trophy for just because it was so much fun to do so (and one of the easiest one’s to complete). I do have some grudges with it that existed all the way through the postgame, but the other systems of the game kinda balance them out for me to the point I can tolerate it. My full post will be out soon once I can get my right words and feelings out.

Pokémon Trading Card Game (GBC)

Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com

Sneaking in on the last day of October, I finished this game after realizing I was right there at the end. This is a game I picked up recently to play during my lunch break, and I don’t remember why I stopped playing when I was so close to the end. The Pokemon TCG is something that I never knew how to play before playing this, and I feel that is the case with some people who collected the cards, but never learned how to play the actual game. I would normally post a picture of my victory screen, but since I do not have a reliable source to screenshot my 3DS, then you will just have to take my word that I did in fact finish it.

New Additions

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Up yours scalpers! I knew my patience and scouting would pay off one day to get this below normal retail and scalpers ridiculous pricing. I have been looking forward to playing this after I finally finished the first game a few months back. It will sadly have to wait a little bit longer since I already have my next long RPG planned, but I’m glad I now have it in my possession.

Pilotwings Resort

When getting Xenoblade Chronicles 2, this game caught my eye and I said “sure why not.” I enjoyed Pilotwings 64 back in the day, but never had the opportunity to play Pilotwings Resort until now. Just one of those games that have been under my radar for a while that I’m finally getting around to.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

This is a game that Kat was interested in playing, so we decided to go at this in co-op. I let her take the lead and adjust the camera when needed (to my frustration sometimes) and so far we have been having a fun time with it. I can see why some people wouldn’t mind a follow up to this game with more levels and mechanics that will really make you think.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

I have a friend from college that got me into this series. I have more experience playing Monkey Target than the regular game, but the main game provides good fun and challenge in the later stages. So far their hasn’t been a controller flung across the room yet.

Back 4 Blood

Another game that Kat was really looking forward to that I got to play along with her. It definitely hits all those Left 4 Dead vibes and provides new things to keep you on your toes. I still have no idea what to do with the card system since when I was first introduced to them I was half awake at that time…

Mario Party Superstars

I was originally on the fence if I was going to get this or not, but after looking at footage and reviews, I couldn’t help myself. Kat and I will have a good time playing this regardless, but as soon as my brother and our friend gets it, it will be fun to play with them online. Being in the same room and giving death stares will always be my preferred way of playing honestly.

Currently Playing

After getting the platinum trophy for Arise, I was left in a dead-zone period. I didn’t have anything lined up next, so I’m spending the time with just a free-for-all at the moment. Starting Friday, I know my days are going to get busy with a certain update coming out. As for now, Kat dared me to replay Kingdom Hearts: Re:chain of Memories since I like to boost that it is not a difficult game and people don’t like it because it requires them to think and not just mash. It has been a while since I played it so I am a bit rusty, but if you know what you are doing for the most part it is not difficult to play. It takes patience, but not as bad as people point out. Outside of that, I have been playing online multiplayer games with one of my friends out-of-state. We got into GTA 5 online after years of putting it off and found the experience to be more enjoying than we thought. Other than that, we play the occasional Warhammer rounds where I pretend to know what I’m doing.

Plans for Next Month

This month is going to be fun. This Friday the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update is coming out, so I will probably spend my entire Saturday unlocking the new things that you can do. I enjoyed the base game, but this update was long overdue and I’m looking forward to spending 300 hours of my life on this game again. That should keep me busy until Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl come out on November 19. Gen 4 may be at the bottom of my favorite generations, but it has some merits that I’m looking forward to revisiting. Other than that, I need to get back to The Legend of Heroes: Trials of Cold Steel 4 and get that done by the end of the year. Those are my current plan, but things can change depending on my mood.

50/50 Challenge Update

I have been bad about keeping a routine. Motivation quickly came when I went to the gym and weigh myself. I had gained one pound from where I originally began. If this didn’t motivate me like hell I don’t know what did. I am working my butt off now to the point I’ve lost 6 pounds (according to last weigh in). I’ve stopped drinking sugary drinks and slowly getting desserts out of my sight. I bought a resistance band that I use in my office when I’m at work. I am trying hard right now without pushing myself to limits that I need to rebuild myself to. Now I just can’t get lazy about it next month 🙂

As for gaming, I am mostly satisficed with my progress. I’m seven games in, so I need to pick up the pace a bit. I should have been over twelve games at this point, but life is life (and I can’t stay awake pass 10:30 pm). This month is going to be a challenge, but I hope to keep up the same pace like I did last month.

Challenge Statistics:

Weight loss: 6 pounds
Pounds to go: 44

Games Finished this Month: 5
Total Games Finished: 8/50

Okay. Back to sleep I go.

DanamesX

October 2020 Gaming Report

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This report may look different for several reason. The first reason, I really haven’t been able to do much this month. Despite my efforts of finding a good work, school, life balance, something will always show up to damper the mood. November is going to be rough since final projects will be due at the end of the month. I expect my gaming habits will change this month to short burst to get my mind off of things. I will be so happy when December gets here and I don’t have to worry about classes that I’m not that engaged in. I will be done with school forever next Summer, so I just need to endure just a little longer.

My second reason is that I’m still in the process of updating my mega spreadsheet. I have all of my entries in place, and I’m working on the final collection area; which is all of our PC games. Once that list has been completed, I want to experiment with linking other data to entries, and make the whole navigation of my data better (did I mention I really like working in spreadsheets and manipulating data?). I decided to retire my old Numbers format that is usually at the end of these post to create something better than just bullet points. I don’t expect anything revolutionary happening in my gaming life right now, so I don’t mind having it absent for the next few months.

Finally, the last reason I can’t seem to get anything done is the same reason as last year. After finishing one game that is currently sitting at my favorite game this year, I haven’t had the urge to play anything new as of late. I lost the urge to play any games that I had lined up, and I found myself playing a lot of games that I have already finished like Overwatch and Animal Crossing. I assume that I play these games for comfort, but when I need constant comfort I don’t get the urge to play any of the other (insert number here) games that I own. I don’t see a comfort game like Pokémon Sword coming out this month to save me, so I will deal with what I have currently. This should mean that I should stop buying games right now, but I am a weak individual who can’t say no to a good deal or a rare find.

Finished Games

I finished one game in October and it has become one of my favorite games. I didn’t know what to expect from Hades except that it was developed by Supergiant Games. Bastion is one of my favorite games of all time, so I went into Hades with high hopes. Now, I am torn between which game I like more. The combat and gameplay in Hades is amazing. The learning curve that it takes to learn enemy movements is paced well and feels great when you can pull of perfect runs.

What the game also does well is the replay value. Just because you know your way around doesn’t mean that you can mix things up. The game offers a lot of challenges that you can attempt and enough weapon variety to attempt different playstyles. The game is also accompany by an amazing score and character development that makes each character unique and interesting. For a short game, there is a lot the player can get from it.

New Additions

Most games that I got this month were ones that I found on sale. I found a copy of Dragon Quest Builders II for only $15 USD, which was hard for me to say no to. The same went with Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection. I have been holding off getting these games for when I could find a good deal and now was the perfect time. I picked up the first Professor Layton game from a secondhand store and am interested to see if I enjoy it like the Phoenix Wright games. I know they are two complete different genres, but they were popular around the same time to the point they collaborated with one another.

The biggest new addition was sent to me as a gift from one of my closet friend. He had been playing a lot of Total War: Warhammer II that he thought I would be interested in it. I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of Real Time Strategy games. I like to take my time during a strategy game and plan my moves out slowly. Having the skills to make quick decisions is one that I’m still working on, and unless it is in a game built around action, then I’m going to get bored quick. Warhammer II on the other hand kept me engaged when I was playing with my friend. I don’t know if it is because it is a mix between turn-based strategy and real-time, or if having him there explaining it to me helps. We are both mentally stressed out people, so we like to antidote this with dumb internet humor whenever we play games. I think controlling a lizaed/dinosaur army with ridiculous names like Soup’s On and Freddy Kroug ‘Ar helps from taking the game too serious. I don’t really see myself playing this game on my own, but I’m glad that it is another game in our repertoire to play.

Plans for Next Month

The same plan we try every month Pinky. Try to take over the world stay sane and play some video games!

As I mentioned before, the “Numbers” section will be absent until the beginning of the new year. I will look into somethings to fill this gap here. Until then, stay safe and drink plenty of water!

Thanks for reading,

DanamesX