The NEW Game Journal

[Starmongoose]

Made a kick-ass city in Zues: Master of Olympus. Then BAM! Windows update. -.-

[Monsoon]

Made a kick-ass city in Zues: Master of Olympus. Then BAM! Windows update. -.-

That game is so baller.  I replay the Athens through the Ages and Trojan War scenarios over and over and it never gets old.  Ever.  Expansion is okay, but not as strong as the base game.  One of the best city-building games of all time for just checking out how crazy and alive a built-up city is. 

[Starmongoose]

You are totally right. The game has a lot of personality to it, which really makes it feel alive.

I saw it when I was flicking through GOG last weekend and I was hit with the nostalgia train, cause I spent a lot of time messing with this game as a kid. Seriously fuck the combat system though, it's a dark stain on an almost perfect game.

[MeshGearFox]

I only played Pharaoh but I heard it was pretty much the same thing. Really liked it a lot.

--- edit ---

Play The Sea Will Claim Everything briefly. Reminds me of MOTAS, for some reason. MOTAS meets Jaaru Tenk,

Also wrt Stramoongoos' comment below, I never played AoM, but I was under the impression it was a generally better /game/ than AoE (and I liked both AoE games when I was younger but their focus is rather limited, now).

--- edit ---

Oh my. I think The Sea Will Claim Everything is going to be OSTENSIBLY very silly but will end up being one of those gutpunching games.

[Starmongoose]

Yep, they are both pretty darn similar. I was always more drawn to Zues though for the stronger focus on mythology, it's the same reasons why I liked Age of Mythology over Age of Empires.

[Monsoon]

Zeus has more appealing cities and is more about the interconnected domestic networks.  Age of Mythology is about combat.  Seriously, Zeus's combat is so bad that 90% of the time it's easier just to pay off invading armies and it's a blessing that you only need to defend your city instead of invade others. 

[(Tunnels)]

On my last route of Hakuouki (Hijikata) and it happens to be the longest. It's dragging so much at this point and I believe it to be the fault of the main character and her utter lack of a personality. She pretty much exists at this point to be saved. She has so little agency in most of the routes, it is so frustrating. Really the only route I felt she had any sort of power in was Toudou's route. Maybe it'll improve later in Hijikata's route, but I doubt it. I still really like the game, the rest of the characters are a great, but I'm just anxious to finish it.

Kazama's route was okay, but it was too short and felt a little tacked-on. The route had so much potential too, but by the time it begins to capitalize on it--BAM credit roll. Updated route preference is: Harada > Okita > Kazama > Toudou > Saito

[Akanbe-]

My pocket Makoto is getting decent I think but not sure why I'd need a pocket anybody when Yun is godlike.  Can't really do her SA2 ToD combo very well.  Pretty sure the timing is different depending on the character.  Comboing SA1/Seichusen off her hayate is becoming easier.  Wish more people played this locally.
 

[Monsoon]

Cicero has a commanding lead in the Most Annoying Character in Skyrim Sweepstakes.  It'll take something drastic for him to surrender it.  Like Endarie taking up yodeling. 

[Lard]

Started Binary Domain.

It's generic gameplay, but it's got some interesting ideas and it's a little goofy, which I like.

[MeshGearFox]

The Sea Will Claim... - Go the boat. Started visiting the other islands.

Anyway, gonna game binge till 7 or so. Putting up a list of what I plan on playing. Will update with progress laer [sic]:

Dawn of Ys - Beat the first boss, heading into the forest.
The Sea Will Claim - Found Niamh.
Chrono Cross
Azure Dreams
OFF - Reminds me of a space funeral but the random battles are really slow cause the ATB bar takes forever to fill.
Chrono Trigger Level 0 - Beat Flea. CT is a lot slower than I remember..

--- edit ---

Oh goddammit The Sea Will Claim Everything is really fucking cool. I just did the stuff with Logos. And explaining WHAT the game just did would be a /really massive spoiler/ but... Man it's like 10 bucks. Get it!

[Haven]

 I got a Vita awhile ago and decided to play some classics. First order of business is to get a new save in Final Fantasy 6 at the start of the second act. I also got Persona 4 Golden to keep my trophy hunting addiction sated.

 I only played Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 prior to this, and DDS blew my mind. This game does not disappoint. Are the Persona remakes for PSP as good?

[Aeolus]

Just hauled a Dreamcast + 6 games + 4 controllers + and a Web Browser 2.0 back from a garage sale for $20.

The games are:
Crazy Taxi
Dead or Alive 2
Soul Calibur
Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram
Virtua Tennis
Sega Bass Fishing
And two demo disks

Unfortunately, I need to repair the controller ports but otherwise I have my haul to beat for the year.

Edit: Annnnd fixed. Now to indulge in my video games like its 1999 again.

[Esper_Crusader]

Got System Shock 2 off Steam for $6 yesterday so that was great. Also checked out Plumbers Don't Wear Ties on a friends 3DO....mere words can't describe it..

[MeshGearFox]

Got System Shock 2 off Steam for $6 yesterday so that was great. Also checked out Plumbers Don't Wear Ties on a friends 3DO....mere words can't describe it..

Esper, http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=25.0 <- Check this out. Iw ouldn't necessarily recommend ay of the other gameplay mods for a first playthough, if this is your first playthrough, but ADAOB just balances stuff without doing anything radical.

Also don't play Bioshock and SS2 back to back, the similarities get a bit oppressive.

Dawn of Ys - Got to the forest village. This game's battle music is CATCHY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1EPegIzD2M

Chrono Cross - Just through dragon valley. Picked up Poshul and Leena instead of Kid,

OFF - Purified the barn in Zone 1. edit: Up to the office in the smoke mines. I need to go back to the farming area though there were some unexplored things there.

Chrono Trigger: Beat Slash during the Magus' Castle bit. Involved having frog and crono do x-strike every turn while Lucca healed. Fun. I really wish I still liked this game. I really wish I still had a shortish, nostalgic game from my early teenage years that I could blow through in a weekend or two -- something to make this place feel like HOME again.

The Sea Will Claim Everything - Explored the Isle of the Sun. Got all the ingredients for the main alchemy machine. Got all the tokens.