Dazed and Metaconfused

On 03/24/2020 at 09:55 PM by KnightDriver

I feel like I don’t actually play any particular game anymore, just metagames. I jump from game to game, gathering achievements and reward points, maybe trophies too, and only hang around if the game really grabs me. I guess this is the way of modern video gaming. What else can you do when you are looking at hundreds of games every time you sit down to play. So here’s another list of games I visited across two systems today.

Pixeljunk Monsters 2 (PS4)

I need rainbows to open the next area. You get rainbows for finishing a level with no losses, i.e., perfect. I did level one, but I couldn’t get level 2. I was always ending with one lost villager. I tried all sorts of tower configurations, but something would always get through. Ah, even on “fun” difficulty, this game halts my progress. How annoying.

EDF 4.1 (PS4)

Again failing levels on “hard” and “hardest”. What to do . . .

Grand Kingdom (PS4)

Played the demo for this RPG. It’s a bit like a board game and also an action time battler. I liked it but when it came to outfitting my custom team, I’d had enough. I can’t bear these deep menus right now. I was up for customizing my cartoony JRPG characters’ looks though. Simple enough choices but interesting ones that included voice styles. I’ll have to return to it to see what they sound like in action. Most of the demo I played was with a preset team.

Lego Star Wars II (XBO)

I have it in my mind to complete every Lego game available on XBO. So I’m starting with the oldest one on XBO, that being Lego Star Wars II. This covers the first three movies. I’ve played everything in this before within The Complete Saga, but never on its own. It’s a new set of achievements. I noticed the older graphics, but it plays exactly like the most recent Lego games. Nothing has changed much over fifteen years or more of these games.

Sea of Thieves (XBO)

I installed this again for some Rewards Points. I’m supposed to find a birthday party and take part. Where that is in the game is anybody’s guess, so I just did the “maiden voyage” mission which introduces you to the game and its mechanics. This wasn’t there when I played it a year or more ago. I liked it a lot, but once I fixed my ship and took off, the quest guide stopped and I’m left with a whole ocean and nowhere to go. Maybe I have to try another mode or something, I’m not sure. I may try and figure it out because I didn’t get the rewards points.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/24/2020 at 10:29 PM

I bought Grand Kingdom for the vita. It's cool, but I couldn't really get into it.

KnightDriver

03/24/2020 at 11:35 PM

I liked the actiony, turn-based battles. I had fun making all my characters have names and looks that suggested they were sick. Morbid, I know. Made me laugh, though.

avidacridjam

03/25/2020 at 01:29 AM

That's a relatable concern. I often have trouble gauging what I'm in the mood for and I won't know until I start playing the game for a little bit. Sometimes what's familiar trumps something I keep neglecting. First world problems, but still.

03/25/2020 at 11:26 PM

I've jumped around from game to game so much lately, I have to look at the Xbox app to remember what I played earlier in the day.

goaztecs

03/25/2020 at 07:55 PM

Yeah having the abiliy of having a ton of games right at your fingetips can be overwhelming and at times I just end up doing something else. I have a special place in my heart for the original Lego video games but one thing I wasn't a fan of was having to get True Jedi in both story and free play. I think I only need to play the newest Lego games and I've played through them all.

03/25/2020 at 11:39 PM

I've played through many lego games but not all, for sure, especially not the very recent ones. I usually pick them up when on sale or in bargain bins. Remember bargain bins? It's been a while since I looked in those.

PixlBit