PixlBit

here we go!

- I usually get this blog up before the end of Friday night, but i had to make some last minute changes to the content.  I write this blog throughout the week and make revisions before I publish.  My entire first paragraph was written about Xillia when I was about halfway through it; but then I sacked up and charged through the last part of the game in a day and a half, and neglected to reflect the change in the blog.  Ah well.  That, added with the fact that Xander and I were having a ton of fun playingthe Jurassic Park Telltale Game.  Not sure why that game didn't score higher marks...it is definitely an on-rails experience, but I don't think it detracts from the shock and fear that sets in when you come face to face with a fucking Dilophosaurus.

- I bought Front Mission 3 off PSN and spent a little over an hour getting my feet wet with the game this past Saturday night.  I enjoyed what I've played thus far.  I like the presentation style of the story between battles; the menu-style interface reminds me of Persona 3 Portable, which in turn leads me to believe that people who play this on Vita or PSP are in for a delightful turn-based mech experience.  Sure, it looks aged and a bit muddled when played on any high-def monitor, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying this gem.  The promise of looking and playing great on a handheld further reinforces my desire for a Vita, which will get plenty of play while I await my ol lady to pick me up from work....when I get back to work, that is.

- Speaking of PSOne classics and the Vita, I've been slowly building up my PSOne classics collection over time in anticipation of when I'll be purchasing said handheld.  Just today I added another highly-regarded yet often overlooked classic, Saiyuki: Journey West.  It's an SRPG that looks much like FF Tactics in presentation but is simpler to play and control.  I'm excited to see how it looks and plays for myself, but this one may justwait until I actually have a Vita.

- Been reading Masters Of Doom, the story of John Romero and John Carmack and iD Software.  So far it's a good read, and is providing me with wonderful insight as to what the industry was like for developers in the early days of video game production.  I'm enjoying it thus far, at about 50 pages in.  I'm excited to get out to the thrift stores this weekend and maybe add a few discount treasures to my growing book collection.

- I downloaded and started playing Tetris Blitz on my phone.  Its fun thus far, and I dig the way the game presents you with possible drop spots and rotations; all you have to do is hit the rotate button to switch between possibilities.  At two minutes per round its short enough to sneak a game in any time.  I may be playing this one a while! I played quite a bit of Tetris when I was younger, like around 7 and 8.  I first recieved it as a bday present from my mother for my Gameboy (yes, the big brick style inaugural Gameboy, the original) and became engrossed in it.  It was much easier to get good at than the ridiculously hard Super Mario Land game that came out for Gameboy.  Tetris has strong universal appeal, which I learned quickly, as my mother tried the game one night and got hooked on it herself.  My ol' lady gave the game a whirl in the car the other day and declared that she'd have to spend a bit more time with it to decide whether she liked it or not.  I'm assuming she didn't spend much time with the original Tetris, but then again I don't really know.

- In the wake of finishing up Tales Of Xillia I'm bouncing around a few different games, deciding what I'm going to devote the bulk of my attention toward.  Thus far it's been Persona 4 (PS2 Classic via PSN) that has the strongest chances; I start the game up every time only intending to put in an hour, but I find myself playing 3 and 4 times longer.  The dungeon crawling feels good, the battle system's good too.  Alongside Persona 4 (but to a lesser extent) I've been playing Dark Souls 2.  I stumbled upon The Pursuer the other night and was killed after a brief 3 minute attempt at taking him down.  I'll remember the location of that ladder and actively tell myself not to climb up there until I'm better equipped and up to the task.

- Also been playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and enjoying the cutesy story mixed in with good srpg gameplay.  my only gripe is i can't rotate the battlefield or have yet to figure out how to.