Lunar Shards

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!

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.

Macross Frontied BDRay

Originally uploaded by chiroKitsune

Went and picked up my package at the post office. Can’t wait to sit down and watch this This version also has the Macross PS3 game as well.

Uncharted 3 demo @ Best Buy

Originally uploaded by chiroKitsune

Got a Chanel to play the Uncharted 3 demo over at Best Buy. The game looks and feels amazing!

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.