Lunar Shards

Fate/Extra
Platform: PSP
Started: November 1st, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I’ve gotten even further into this game. I’m beginning to see a pattern in the way you play this game. Some enemies have a specific pattern or style of combat they use and some only use one attack. I know there are multiple paths in this story and I’m pretty sure I’m going down Rin’s path at the moment. It’s not bad but damn the current boss creeps me out… I’ll play again using Caster next but the next time I going to write down the combat information so that it should be eaier to go through again later.

Obilvion
Platform: PC
Started: 11/15/2011
Status: Ongoing

Yeah… i know this is an old game and I use to have it on disc but I ended up losing that disc somewhere. Luckily Steam put it on sale and I snatched it up. I haven’t gotten far because I was busy adding game addons such as custom races and new camera angles and high resolution textures. The game is my Skyrim for the time being until someone can mod out those things from Skyrim…

The Witcher 2
Platform: PC
Started: 11/13/2011
Status: Ongoing

I picked this up a few months ago from a steam sale but never got around to playing it. Well I really regret not popping this up sooner. This is a very solid game and very good voice acting. I’m still in Act I getting a handle on things but I had a lot of fun. I Want to read the series now that it is based on. Mixed with Oblivion I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish this anytime soon.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

I finally got that damn wall up. I don’t know what compelled me to do that but it’s done. At least the outer layer is done. I need to do the walkway and backwall and stairs up. Still debating if I want to do watch towers. The amount of work I’m doing is rather crazy considering the amount of materials I need to make the wall.

Sonic Generations
Platform: Playstation 3
Started: November 5, 2011
Status: Ongoing

Wow… I never expected this game to be this damn good! It’s Sonic in a way that he hasn’t been in years. The original Sonic feels like he should and the modern Sonic isn’t making me scream because of stupid issues like falling through the world. So Far I’ve beaten the first boss and unlocked the newer levels. I’m going to make it a point to complete all modern sonic levels first then go through them to rescue your friends using the original one for laughs.

Atelier Totori
Platform: PS3
Started: October 26, 2011
Status: Ongoing

The grind has changed a bit now since I’ve now unlocked the Adventurer’s License. I’ve gone ahead and downloaded all the DLC for the game including the music packs that were offered. The music packs give you the ability to change the music in both your workshop as well as Rorona’s using music from the entire series. When I mean entire series, I mean as far back as Atelier Marie as well as side games including Mana Khameia and Atelier Iris. The DLCs also give you new NPCs to play with. So far I’ve only taken Ceci along. I want to take Cory along too but that may not be available for a while.

Fate/Extra
Platform: PSP
Started: November 1st, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I’ve gotten further into the game, completing the first round of the battles. The game can be a bit unfair in terms of figuring out enemy attack patterns. I’m sure there are some, I just haven’t had time to write down all the permutations down. I’ve taken a liking to Saber Nero and I’m kinda regretting not adopting her when Volks USA had her up for pre-order. That being said the Saber Alter version they had also drew my attention. I’m probably going to aim for Rin’s route for my first play through. I like her design in this one plus she’s one of my favorite characters in the series.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

Did even more work in Minecraft. I’m going to be converting the dungeon under the town, tentatively named Hinamizawa… Yeah I know…, into a geofront. On top of that the excess cobblestone is being used to construct the wall around the entire town and the additional areas for surface expansion. My friends are working on their towns too. I’ve since cleaned up the tower walls to something other then cobblestone. The only thing I haven’t changed has been the floor of the stations which is on my list of things to do but I need more smooth stone. If you want to see what our map is like check out: http://www.lunarshards.com/minecraft/map/index.html.

That was my first reaction upon playing Sonic Generations. The last console based Sonic Game I played/owned was Sonic Adventures 2 for the Dreamcast. I dabbled with the DS ones via rental but didn’t exactly enjoy them that much. There hasn’t been much really entertain me since that period. Sure the was Episode 4 but it felt very sluggish compared to most sonic games. The weight of Sonic was too much in that one.

So when Sonic Generations came out, I was surprised by it. It marries the beloved 2D gameplay from the Genesis era with the 3D gameplay of the Sonic Adventures ones. Gone are the unnecessary side characters you had to play to unlock the rest of the game, no its all Sonic this time around. Not just one type, but two. The game starts out by playing through Green Hill Act 1 using Sonic from the Genesis era. The level itself I’m pretty damn sure is a 3D side scroll version of the original Act 1-1 from the Sega Genesis game. It was enough so that I knew where I was going and where a good deal of the hidden paths where. Then to play the world in its 3D behind the back mode was awesome!

The game plays on the tropes that made up the last several console releases on top of the originals. References to the various games are made during the cutscenes as well as poking fun at it’s worst ones. Sure enough Genesis era Sonic is a silent protagonist which makes it more amusing since everything is pantomimed.

The music for the game is by far one of the best I’ve heard for the series. It features both the original tunes from the Genesis era as well as remixed versions for use during the modern sonic acts. The sound even distorts when travelling at high speeds while as modern Sonic. If I find this soundtrack on iTunes, I’m soo getting it!

I originally got the Playstation 3 version of the game however I may consider getting the PC version of the game as well. The PS3 version is pretty good already but after seeing the graphics and frame rates of the PC version, I’ll consider it for a future steam sale purchase.

It’s been a long time since Sonic has had a good console game!

Ace Combat Assault Horizon
Platform: Xbox 360
Started: October 16th 2011
Status: Completed

Popped the game in and messed with the new ASF-X Shinden II which is one of the new DLC items. The plane is designed by Shōji Kawamori who does the mechanical designs for the Macross series. You can see it in this aircraft real easily. The way the wings morph based on your speed and the plane is highly maneuverable. That being said, Ace mode is freaking difficult! Damage seems to revert back to the Ace Combat style where damage doesn’t regenerate so that means you have to be extra careful not to bounce off things. The game by default allows for accidental collisions but if you do this in ace mode, you don’t get back your health. Almost beat the mission I was trying but I clipped a plane on the final leg of the mission.

Atelier Totori
Platform: PS3
Started: October 26, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I was expecting more of the same when I stepped into Totori after finishing Rorona. Oh man can I be more wrong. The game changes the way you play the game. For the first part, gathering now spends time along with doing battle. No more grinding an entire area just to level like in Rorona. I’ll have to balance this game out a bit more. I only got a little bit in before I had to do other stuff.

Fate/Extra
Platform: PSP
Started: November 1st, 2011
Status: Ongoing

After taking so long to download, my copy was finally installed on my PSP. Funny thing is I have the game in it’s JP format and never expected to get it here. The game is a sorta alternate story to the original Fate/Stay Night series featuring some recurring characters in the series and some new ones all with brand new designs. Combat is very rock/paper/scissor which isn’t bad. Hopefully I can get further. The game has a lot of bad ending situations and I was finding them a lot in the Japanese version because my Kanji skills are poor.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

Did a bit more track work. There are now tracks leading to the other towns we found. I need to either build my area up more or find another town.

Ace Combat Assault Horizon
Platform: Xbox 360
Started: October 16th 2011
Status: Completed

Two days seems like a short time for a game however I was really putting in the hours on Ace Combat. The game was really hard to put down and even though I died a lot, I continued to push on. I finally figured out the dog fighting system allowing me to do a lot more advanced tactics including heavy use of counters and such. I still haven’t played online but I am looking forward to it.

Atelier Rorona
Platform: PS3
Started: October 9th 2011
Status: Completed

FINALLY! I finally finished Atelier Rorona late last night. I only got one of the endings which is adventurer ending which required me to kill two bosses and get Cory and Rorona to 50. This wasn’t bad after I found the right equipment and the right spot to level. I’ll eventually do a replay of it getting the remaining thropies however I’m going to play Totori first!

Dungeon Defender
Platform: PC
Started: October 22nd 2011
Status: Ongoing

I tried this out over the weekend and am enjoying it. I went ahead with the more advanced character and was really doing decently for the first mission. I need to unlock more upgrades for the character to make her effective. I got the PC version since this gives me the most number of people to play with since its cross platform.

House of the Dead Overkill
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Started: October 17th 2011
Status: Demoed

Oh man… This game really does take that really bad voice acting and runs with it. That being said the Wii isn’t the best system to have this on since it chugs at points, especially when two players are mowing down the zombies mutants left and right. The game will be coming out for the PS3 and I’ll probably grab it when my funds clear up some. BTW, has anyone noticed that the mansion you first start seems to have the same layout as the original mansion from Resident Evil?

Ace Combat Assault Horizon
Platform: Xbox 360
Started: October 16th 2011
Status: Ongoing

What can I say, I caved. For one it’s an Ace Combat game… On the other it’s not a typical Ace Combat game. Assault Horizon changes the formula a bit for a more movie style air combat. This is a lot more then the originals were. With the new Dog Fight System, you can either go on the offensive or end up on the defensive with the option to constantly switch between the two during a dogfight depending on the maneuvers you are capable of pulling off. The system is similar to the one found in Skycrawlers which lets you center on the enemy for an easier kill. The defense isn’t that bad until get like 2 or 3 chasing you which is usually really bad. The story is okay for the series standards. We’re not talking Clancy stuff but its decent. The changes are the other type of missions you have including the AC-130 mission, the gunner missions and the missions where your flying around in an Apache helicopter. I think I’m halfway through the game but I’m enjoying it.

Atelier Rorona
Platform: PS3
Started: October 9th 2011
Status: Ongoing

I dug a bit further into the game over the weekend clearing more sections of the game and I’m about to hit year 3. Hopefully I can keep up the pace this time in game as I’m much higher in level and have access to most of the stuff. Utilizing Hom is important as she is able to gather large amounts of resources for you while your busy. My current problem is triggering all the necessary cut scenes that I want for Cory.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

More Minecraft… this game is getting too addicting. So far I’ve done a bit more work. The rail system is borked due to wonky engine stuff which results in my minecarts disappearing. The system I’m using stores the minecarts off track and pushes them onto them when needed however the end result isn’t pretty. I’m going to change this to a tracked version in hopes of keeping the carts safe. I’m probably going to build a rail station system redoing the the one underwater and such. I’ll need a lot more gold though. I almost burned down our town while working on the light house due to a lava accident. Luckily we were able to stop the flow but god damn that was scary. Funny enough is the house which stored the bed was really small and somehow everything but the bed, the door and the windows burned down. When we put out the fire, they were just sitting there like nothing happened. I’ve since combined the store house and the beds house into one building reinforced with stone instead of wood.

Holy cow that’s a long gap! Well there’s a reason. Mostly been very busy with work. I just moved into a new office as well as taking up a new hobby which has me outdoors most weekends… No seriously! I think I’ve seen more sun then I normally do :O So I’ve been too busy to write down my logs like a good blogger so I’m doing a sorta catch up post with everything I’ve played since the last update! Let’s see if I can remember it all! Oh these aren’t in any particular order since I’m just recalling them from the top of my head ^^;

Super Smash Brothers Melee
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

We pulled this out over at my friends house… wow I suck at this game Lost a good portion of the battles mostly because I couldn’t remember how to use the wiimote controls. I guess I’m too use to the Gamecube control setup. In any case It was a lot of fun!

Eternal Fighter Zero
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

This game makes me laugh when I think about it. It’s essentially a doujin fighter featuring members of Key (the Anime/Erogi makers). It has characters from Clanned, Air, Kannon and I think a few others. I’m not 100% up to date with their series but my favorite from them so far has been Angel Beats (why isn’t there a game for it yet!?) I think my favorite so far was randomly pulling out a car and beating my friend down with it as a finishing move

Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Ver B
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

I actually own the PS2 version of the original Act Cadenza release. I’m decent with the game but some of the moves are rough without a joystick to do them on. My thumbs were felling it after only 20 minutes. Doesn’t help we were using 360 controls with the really crappy D-pad.

Altered Beast
Platform: Sega Genesis
Started: N/A
Status: Completed

Old ass game which is means as hell! There’s nothing more frustrating then cheap enemies. This was design to eat your quarters and never got adjusted for home gamers so that means cheap tactics to kill the player including things you can’t possibly avoid unless you memorized monster spawns. We ended up beating the game but not before resorting to the continue code. That being said our play through of hard mode just utterly broke the game when we changed all the beast forms to the dragon

Battlefield 3 Beta
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Started: N/A
Status: Beta

Wow… this game is coming out in how many weeks!? I know its a beta but damn, I’ve played more betas then I want to admit to and its never been this buggy! There are weird animation bugs and holes in the world that make no sense. Also it’s difficult to submit responses when half the time your not sure where to send it in. I tried all 3 versions (i’m a masochist ^^;) and I can already say the PC version is by far the worst in terms of bugs. It’s bad when you somehow headshot yourself due to a bug…

Tetris
Platform: Playstation 3
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

We pulled this out to kill time while we waited for stuff to download. It was also the point my friends will probably refuse to battle me in Tetris now. I think i went for a good 15 minutes before I fell over at level 11 (or was it 12?) after a crazy run which is probably my best so far! I’m not a Tetris wizard like some but I can hold my own.

Touhou Battle Gaiden
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

After playing Tetris we pulled up a video showing off Tetris Battle Gaiden for the Super Famicom and joked that they probably did a Touhou one… a few days later I found it! It’s hilarious considering how it plays out including the ultra cute drawings of the Touhou girls. I still find it funny that Cirno actually kills her opponent as one of the battle attacks. We ended up trying this out while my friend was setting up Minecraft.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: N/A
Status: N/A

Speaking of Minecraft, we jumped back into Cirno (the world we play on) and I finally got a few new additions to my little underwater facility I’ve been working on. A Nether portal and a rail station. The Rail station is a full scale version of a test platform I have on the surface which automatically sends a cart back to the point of origin when a new one arrives if the queue is full. I still need to improve it such as call a cart is one is not available and a switch to add a 3rd station to the rail system. The above ground station needs to get buried (because I never do anything the easy way) and integrate it to our tower. I was also thinking of making a lighthouse not far from the subpen my friend is building. He’s nuts too, he’s doing it to scale of a Los Angeles attack sub.

Atelier Rorona
Platform: PS3
Started: October 9th 2011
Status: Ongoing

I ended up restarting the game because I’m sooo borked from my first attempt. The first game was so far into the bad ending it wasn’t funny anymore so I restarted with better knowledge of the world of Atelier and started making very good progress. I’m in the 2nd year at a good pace to hand the 3rd year the correct way now. I don’t think I’ll be able to get the ending for the master but at least I’m set for the true ending of the game. Good thing because Totori is on my desk unopened… along with Ace Combat and Rune Factory…

Atelier Rorona
Platform: PS3
Started: September 28, 2010
Status: Ongoing

I pulled this back out to see about finishing the game before Atelier Totori releases next week. The sad part is I may need to rush the game and then restart it. I think I’m on the bad ending track

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Platform: PC
Started: August 23rd, 2011
Status: Completed

I’ve made my way to the second hub of the game. I’m running things a bit different this time around. What I find surprising is you can complete certain objectives for the story without having the mission for them. It alters the story a bit when the cutscenes come up. For example a certain tower inside a gang territory can be turned off before you get the mission for it. The end result are different cutscenes and dialog which is what I wasn’t expecting.

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: August 2011
Status: N/A

My internet went out early Monday and didn’t return till just recently so I ended up dropping by a friend’s place and we played Minecraft for a bit via network at his place. We started a new world which is fine and we were able to put together an underwater base which is cool and all. I’m probably going to turn this into a subway station with rails that go from underwater to surface.

Samurai Warriors Chronicles
Platform: Nintnedo 3DS
Started: March 27th
Status: Ongoing

Played some more older levels to get all the weapons out of the network battles. Also spending time unlocking all of Oichi’s story events. I find that Nene’s weapon combined with the player character’s ability to increase damage can be devastating. That being said it’s absolutely necessary if you find yourself having to kill an officer while inside an area where the enemy is getting a defense boost :O

Valkyria Chronicles 2
Platform: Playstation Portable
Started: 2010
Status: Completed

Decided to play through some more levels during lunch breaks to see what I can do about my squad levels. Still not up to snuff compared to my JP game plus I would really REALLY like to unlock Juliana again. I can’t remember the mission i was using for leveling though. I just remember I need to reconfigure the tank to operate as an ice car again.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Platform: PC
Started: August 23rd, 2011
Status: Completed

I ended up rushing the final it of the game. It’s a very good game but the last level becomes very difficult if you don’ bring certain tools along with you. As a result I had to improvise how to deal with certain elements that they throw at you in the final part. I’m now replaying the game in the Deus Ex mode aka hard mode to see if I can complete it without actually killing anyone. Though I have to be careful, its easy to kill someone rather then knock them out since they don’t come back. The theme and message the game gives is a very powerful one when you consider it.

Samurai Warriors Chronicles
Platform: Nintnedo 3DS
Started: March 27th
Status: Ongoing

I still haven’t finished this game. I’m now replaying levels to level up relationships to access the weapons that each NPC can give you. It changes your own attack style. So far I’ve found that Nene is my favorite with her triple shadow ability which lets you deal even more damage to a enemy officer when combined with certain special abilities.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Platform: PC
Started: August 23rd, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I finally got a chance to play the game after I got back Tuesday and was able to rip through the rest of the Shanghai area. Most of my free time Monday disappeared while playing this game. For the first time I deployed stealth and the landing system… how the hell did I play the first part of the game without them!?

Pinball FX
Platform: Playstation 3
Started: September 2011
Status: N/A

I pulled this out testing out the headset I had picked up. Not the best choice for testing the audio. I should probably pull out Uncharted 2 or something.

The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
Platform: PC
Started: August 2011
Status: Bad ending

I beat the game but got the bad ending while in the hotel. You have to beat the game on one credit (no continues) in order to get the good ending. BLAH… I’ll beat you damn it! I’ve gotten this far!

Minecraft
Platform: PC
Started: August 2011
Status: N/A

A few setbacks, mostly in relation to lava… trying to get a trench of lava to flow towards my base but working with the stuff is a bit difficult. Maybe I should stuff the entrance till I can build it out properly.

Valkyria Chronicles 2
Platform: Playstation Portable
Started: 2010
Status: Completed

I ended up pulling this out during Dragon*Con to play with my friend using Co-Op. I had beaten the game but not unlocked everything. Funny thing is, I’ve beaten the game and had far more unlocks but this was in the JP version of the game. I’m probably going to grind out a bit to unlock more stuff so when we end up playing again, I can throw some new units on the field.