Lunar Shards

Decided to add a day to my list since this week is going to be hectic with a trip at the end.

Valkyria Chronicles 3
Platform: Playstation Portable (JP)
Started: Jan 31st, 2011
Status: Completed

So I finally cranked down on the final two story chapters. OMG does it get difficult Doesn’t help that I lost most of my ace drop weapons via the DLC content thanks to me transferring my game to another PSP. My PSP-2000 started to go on the fritz to the point where I couldn’t use the analog pad. Since the Vita comes out soon, I transferred the US account off the PSP-1000 which has been my US system for some time. For some reason something didn’t transfer right and all my DLC had to be re-downloaded and progress in them was all screwed up. Anyway the final boss was outright mean since you can’t actually kill him. I eventually figured it out though. I only have Imca’s ending which I like but probably need to redo the ending to see Reila’s. I’m still playing the game so I can unlock more characters. As if my team wasn’t jammed pack already.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Platform: Playstation 3
Started: Jan 31st, 2012
Status: Ongoing

Drove further into the game. Since I played the chapters a little out of order, it seems interesting that things have turned out a certain way. I also did a bit of trophy hunting and cleared some of the more annoying ones including the 100 preemptive strikes. Still don’t think I’m high enough to take on Lightning yet so I’m going to probably grid a bit more once I find a good place. Also need to find a place to level my Chocobo companion.

Valkyria Chronicles 3
Platform: Playstation Portable (JP)
Started: Jan 31st, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I just had to look at the DLC list… So apparently they had a bunch of characters hidden in DLC that I hadn’t gotten yet. Among them was members of Squad 7. Actually I think all the major figures of Squad 7 are now in my team including Edy’s Detachment. On top of that I have Selvaria and Maximilian, from Selvaria’s DLC which actually has you playing the sequence leading to the confrontation between her and Alicia. The most surprising DLC character was Jaegar. I wasn’t expecting to have him as a playable character but i like him. The crazy part is any character that exhibited Valkyrian powers in the series actually has that ability open to them to use. Nothing more threatening then having every single Valkyrian in the series charging down the center. Been tempted to assign them different classes to cover all the bases just for kicks. The game is surprisingly long just in the story section as I’ve long since gone past the number of missions I played in Valkyria 2 just to finish that game.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Platform: Playstation 3
Started: Jan 31st, 2012
Status: Ongoing

All I can say is wow… the music threw me for a loop but the game itself does another number on me. When they tried Cinematic for the XIII, I thought it was impressive. This just takes the cake and then some. The game has both a Final Fantasy feel to it as well as a Chrono Trigger feel. I wasn’t expecting that. There are moments where Lightning is channeling a bit of a Valkyrie from Valkyrie Profiles as well. The game design feels like Square Enix is trying to scratch multiple itches at once. The gameplay isn’t as restrictive as the FFXIII as it allows you to take on chapters out of order as I have seen. You can return to any chapter and supposedly even replay it in case you messed something up. The combat feels faster now since the Paradigm shift is quicker and is key to surviving certain combat. I still haven’t gotten use to the monster system yet. I’ll figure it out though.

Sonic CD
Platform: PC, PS3
Started: January 2012
Status: Ongoing

Really this is the first time I’m playing Sonic CD… I’m really bad at it too… I haven’t played this style sonic since the Genesis era. To top it off I’m really not sure what the correct path for the good ending is either. The Special stages are a bit difficult for me as well. I’m not use to them. It’s classic sonic alright! Normally I would speed past whatever I come across but it’s super important to get those gems!

Z.H.P.
Platform: Playstation Portable
Started: 2010
Status: Completed

A bit more goofing around in the game. I did unlock a few more of the Dengenki costumes including Celty. So far the hardest dungeon has been the Toradora one due to the fact enemies combine and when the last two levels combine, they get ugly fast. It’s enough that I blitz the last two floors and forget about leveling there. On a few occasions, I had lost all my gear I dragged through the dungeon because I forgot what floor I was on. The story missions themselves are now a joke considering I can just much my way through with nothing on with relative ease. Still haven’t unlocked all the shadowgrams for my second transformation but I’m working on it.

X3: Terran Conflict
Platform: PC
Started: 2012
Status: Ongoing… ish…

This game is freaking huge… I’ve already sunk a good 30 hours into it and I’m still not out of the starting systems. Sure I have several ships doing trade runs within said systems but damn it’s taking a bit to earn enough money for a ship capable of surviving the pirates and who knows what outside of there. The learning curve on this game is ridiculous… It’s enough that EVE Online looks easier to learn then this game. It probably is. Just about every key on the keyboard has a function or a shift function. Overall the game does look pretty and thank god for the time compression units. Without them, traversing from one end of the system to another would take forever.

Valkyria Chronicles 3
Platform: Playstation Portable (JP)
Started: Jan 31st
Status: Ongoing

Yup, picked this one back up. I really don’t know why I never finished it. The game is a lot of fun and considering I just activated Reila’s Valkyria abilities, it’s going to get more fun. Combined with Imca’s Open Fire ability, it can get pretty nasty on the battlefield. I think I finally got a handle on the Master Table function in the game. Since every character can change into any class, mastering certain classes together will unlock traits that only appear if you have them mastered. Still haven’t found the cannon of doom from the 2nd game. Though I probably shouldn’t otherwise no one will level.

Wow, so this month started off bad for me. Caught the flu so it’s wrecked quite a planning and play time.

Final Fantasy XIII
Platform: PS3
Started: 2010
Status: Complete

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

Overall this is one of the best Sonic games I’ve played since the Dreamcast. The final boss was a bit annoying but eventually got it. The music is amazing though I wish they would release it officially in the US.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International
Platform: Playstation 3
Started:
Status: Ongoing

Argh… I haven’t been able to concentrate on this. I think it’s the camera angle and feel of the game. It feels off for some reason.

Z.H.P.
Platform: Playstation Portable
Started: 2010
Status: Completed

Tongue in cheek style humor and insane combinations. Who ever came up with this game really went all out with the references and humor. Funny thing is I only came back to it after finding out several of my favorite anime character outfits were available in the US version. Right now I’m running around as Holo from Spice and Wolf.

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

I’m amazed I was able to play this game as far as I did. I was able to complete Marathon mode which requires you to clear every level’s target number of clears. At 15, the game moves so damn fast it was hard to keep up at times. Then again it’s not as bad as the radical mode i eventually unlocked… omg… that mode is nuts. The pieces start center, against the bottom of the screen and you only have a second or two to move it before it locks in place.

Games Finished

Games I played that have a finished status either on the save I have or at another point in time. In other words, I’ve personally made it to the end of the game. In other words, games I don’t have to go back to any time soon unless I’m trying for achievements or playing for nostalgia (which happens a lot :O)

• Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (Xbox 360)
• Ace Combat: Joint Assault (PSP)
• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360)
• Altered Beast (Sega Genesis)
• Armored Core: For Answer (Xbox 360)
• Atelier Annie ~ Alchemist of Sera Island ~ (Nintendo DS)
• Atelier Rorona (PS3)
• Atelier Totori (PS3)
• Battletech (Sega Genesis)
• Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance (Xbox 360)
• Dead Rising 2: Case West (Xbox 360 – XBLA)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC)
• Ghost Trick (Nintendo DS)
• Ghouls n’ Ghosts (Sega Genesis)
• Guardian Heroes (Sega CD)
• Halo Reach (Xbox 360)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia (PS3)
• Macross Trial Fruntier (PS3 – Import)
• Macross Triangle Frontier (PSP – Import)
• Mercs (Sega Genesis)
• Monster Hunter Tri (Nintendo Wii)
• Parasite Eve (PSOne/PSP)
• Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (PSP – Import)
• Portal 2 (PC/PS3)
• Project Diva 2: Hatsune Miku (PSP – Import)
• Solar 2 (PC)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PS3)
• Stacking (PS3)
• The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (PC)
• Tenchu Z (Xbox 360)
• Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (Xbox 360)
• The 3rd Birthday (PSP)
• Trace Memory (Nintendo DS)
• Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)
• X-Men (Xbox 360 – XBLA)

Games left Incomplete

Too many games to play not enough time after work to clear them all. These games were left unfinished at the end of the year unfortunately. These games make up the games I’ll eventually go back to and finish. Some have higher priority then others due to sequels coming up.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth (PC)

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)

Chantelise – A Tale of Two Sisters (PC)

Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP)

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)

Fate/Extra (PSP)

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Front Mission Evolved (PC)

God Eater Burst (PSP)

Hard Corps: Uprising (Xbox 360 – XBLA)

The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap (Nintendo 3DSWare – Gameboy Advance)

Metroid Fusion (Nintendo 3DSWare – Gameboy Advance)

Mighty Milky Way (Nintendo DSiware)

Monster Hunter Unite (PSP)

My World, My Way (Nintendo DS)

Pokemon: White (Nintendo DS)

Sonic Generations (PS3)

Recettear (PC)

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (PS3)

Samurai Warriors Chronicles (Nintendo 3DS)

Tactics Ogre: Lets Cling Together (PSP)

Toaru Majutsu no Index (PSP – Import)

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (PC)

Valkyria Chronicles 3 (PSP – Import)

Wipeout HD/Wipeout Fury (PS3)

The Witcher 2 (PC)

Games Abandoned

These games I started but have no interest in finishing. They are either TOO hard or the game just didn’t hold my interest and I have since sold them, traded them, put them away or sent back to Gamefly with little interest in getting it again.

• Alpha Squad (Xbox 360 – Indie Games)
• Excitebike 3D (Nintendo 3DSware)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 3DS)
• SOS (Super Nintendo)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3 – Genesis Vintage)

Fighting games

Fighting games really have no end though they do have some stories. Some games I finish till I see everyone’s story or I just finish the characters I like. There was a glut of fighters this year so I’m a little burned out on them… Sorta like how I’m burned out on shooters for a bit.

• Arcana Heart 3 (PS3)
• Blazblue Continuum Shift (PS3)
• Eternal Fighter Zero (PC)
• Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PS3)
• Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Ver B (PC)
• Soul Calibur IV (Xbox 360)
• Super Smash Brothers Melee (Nintendo Wii)
• Tekken 6 (PS3)

Blame Valve

Games I started but weren’t planning on playing just yet thanks to the recent Steam Achievements for the holidays.

• And Yet It Moves (PC)
• Bastion (PC)
• X3: Albion Prelude (PC)

Games with no end

I can’t justify I’ve beaten them nor is there an indicator of such unless you count kill screens which these games don’t have. They can be picked up and played with no connection to previous plays outside of high scores or achievements not earned. Some have stories but they’re pretty shallow.

• Audiosurf (PC)
• Catan (Xbox 360 – XBLA)
• Dungeon Defender (PC)
• MAG (PS3)
• Minecraft (PC)
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX (Xbox 360)
• Pinball FX (PS3)
• Rockband 3 (Xbox 360)
• Terreria (PC)
• Tetris (PS3)
• Tetris DS (Nintendo DS)
• Touhou Battle Gaiden (PC)

Games Demoed

Games I’ve played once or twice either full or demos are on a list to eventually get back to, buy, rent, etc.

• Bayonetta (Xbox 360)
• Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PSP)
• Robot Alchmic Drive (Playstation 2)
• House of the Dead Overkill (PS3)
• Samurai Warriors 2 (Xbox 360)
• Stargate (Sega Genesis)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Sega Genesis)

MMOs

I play a lot of MMOs so here’s the list I touched this year. Not saying which ones I’mstill in, that’s for me to know and well, and if I run into you in game… hi!

• CosmicBreak (PC)
• Final Fantasy XI (PC)
• Final Fantasy XIV (PC)
• Jade Dynasty (PC)
• Rusty Hearts (PC)
• Shin Megami Tensei Imagine (PC)
• Spiral Knights (PC)
• Star Trek Online (PC)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
• World of Warcraft (PC)

Beta Tested

These are games I beta tested this past year. I’m pretty sure there were more and a good number of them weren’t games so they can’t be included on the list. Also these games have NDAs lifted so don’t go throwing it around that I’m breaking one. I actually read them :O

• Battlefield 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Rusty Hearts (PC)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
• Uncharted 3 – Multiplayer(PS3)

Well this is going to be fun to fill out :O Thank Valve for this

Final Fantasy XIII
Platform: PS3
Started: 2010
Status: Ongoing

FINALLY! Beat that damn boss! So I pulled this out to see if I could get further into the game and possibly finish it before XIII-2 releases. I’m in the process of maxing out my characters… my usual shtick with the series… before I face the final boss. I have access to the double CP item however I can’t even put a dent in the boss. So I’ll need to do a bit of upgrading on my equipment. Sadly the FAQs are poor in terms of clean information so I’ll need to do some research tonight.

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

Pulled this out to play with friends. Wow does this game get broken the more players you add in. You can really draw enemy fire to sneak up behind them. Also doesn’t help that each of us have overpowered units to throw out there

Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Platform: PC
Started: Dec 19th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

The first of the Valve winter event. Anomaly I originally started months ago but I lost the safe file due to a demo/full patch snafu. The game is very unusual as you play the attacking side of a tower defense game. That means trying to setup your team to survive the onslaught of towers to get past. It’s a lot of fun and REALLY gets challenging. I wish there were more of these games out there.

Spiral Knights
Platform: PC
Started: Dec 20th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

Another Valve achievement. I originally played Spiral Knights with friends so I never got around to playing PvP. Overall the PvP isn’t bad but I didn’t have my controller setup so I was a bit overwhelmed.

Audiosurf
Platform: PC
Started: 2011
Status: N/A

Here’s another fun one. This is very much a music game and I played a lot of it back during the Portal 2 release. The holiday achievement wasn’t bad but required some very good reflexes to get right.

And Yet It Moves
Platform: PC
Started: Dec 24th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

My cousin got me this some time ago, but never got around to playing it. This is an interesting game as the goal of the game is to move your person to the exit but in order to make it, you need to spin the world which causes gravity to take affect. The Achievement was easy to pull off but dang is it a pain just to get there. Damn lizards…

X3: Albion Prelude
Platform: PC
Started: Dec 26th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I still haven’t gotten this achievement as this game is NOT easy. First thing I realized was I forgot all the damn keys for this game and every key does something. I’m going to have to research this one to see how best to get this achievement. The game does look beautiful though.

Bastion
Platform: PC
Started: Dec 26th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

Oh man… this game is gorgeous. I’m really surprised this was made by the former C&C4 team. The game and the narrator… oh man that narrator. I really need to sit down and play this.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Platform: PS3
Started: December 6th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

Go figure that the first request I took locked me up for a bit till I dropped it. Once I did the game opened up. Sure enough the way to actually grow stuff in this game is weird. At the moment I have a few monsters on hand but need to work on it. There really isn’t any girls in the game that I could send my character after that I would consider just yet. The more I play this the more I want to go back and replay Rune Factory 3… I might just do that!

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

Argh… the new area is giving me a headache. I’m spinning my wheels at the moment just trying to survive one battle even though I’m 4 levels over the area due to the rock/paper/scissor mechanics. Since I don’t know what they’ll throw unless I either memorize or right down the thing or do enough battles to actually expose their commands its like trying to stop a semi-truck with a sheet of paper. So at the moment no progress.

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

More building projects. This time It’s a tower spanning from the base of the world to the top of the sky! The tower is complete (as of this posting) and it’s looking good. I experimented with the idea of jumping from the top of the tower to the bottom and into a portal to The End but apparently momentum carries through the portal and I found myself dead as soon as I arrived there. I tried to compensate with water but apparently with 4 blocks high of water you can only survive from the floor just below the roof level. The roof level still has enough momentum to kill you. On top of that due to the freezing situation the surface begins to ice after a few minutes. As such a nixed that portal idea. I need to furnish the tower as well as build secondary entrances and exits at various floors.

Eh… This week isn’t that great for me but here are the logs…

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

What can I say, I’m ready for the next game… kinda… I ended up rushing the ending but I left most of my people fully equipped. I didn’t get any other ending but normal but the next play through I’m hoping to get the true ending. I’m taking a break from it for now before I dive back into it. Since I know where everything is now, it shouldn’t be too hard and I’ll be concentrating on getting everything possible this time.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Platform: PS3
Started: December 6th, 2011
Status: Ongoing

I’m really not sure about this game. I love the series but this is a pretty big departure from the normal formula. So far ALL i have done is adventure, i haven’t found out how to farm which is kinda odd to me. Where the hell is the farming? I only did a little bit so far but haven’t gotten much done since then. I’m beginning to wonder if this is even a decent game…

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

Finally free of that crazy ass clown! I’m not far from the end of the game. I’m beginning to regret not writing down all the attack combinations for enemies now. That’ll be a project for the future.

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

Did a bit more with this game and gotten some more buildings cleared out. I was able to re install the plugin system and have all my tools again and apparently the snow issue we’re having isn’t due to the plugin, we just have some buggy biomes. Well at least I named the world appropriately.

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!