The last time I updated this blog I had left off trying to decide what I would play next — Grandia II? Dragon Quest VIII? Would I jump back into 13 Sentinels?
The silence was deafening. Leaving all my non-existent readers in suspense, the question remained and the follow-up post never arrived. (Well, I updated my podcast not long after with a few episodes, but that takes away from my shtick here so let’s pretend that didn’t happen shall we?)
Here’s the list of games I played and have finished since that last post:
10. Grandia II – 31 hours⭐️
11. Panzer Dragoon Remake – 1.5 hours
12. Crysis Remastered – 6.5 hours
13. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – 26:05 hours
14. Radiata Stories – 31:20 hours⭐️
15. Mass Effect 2 – 37:45 hours⭐️
16. Muv-luv Extra – ??? hours
17. Muv-luv Unlimited – ??? hours
18. Team Sonic Racing – ??? hours
*The games with the star next to them are contenders for my top 10 favorite games played in 2022.
I did play Grandia II, if you didn’t notice, and I loved it. The pacing was some of the best I’ve seen in a JRPG, the characters and their interactions (reminiscent of Persona bonding events and Tales of skits) were thoroughly enjoyable and endeared me to the main cast, and the combat… my goodness the combat was easily some of the best and most fun turn-based combat I’ve ever experienced.
Radiata Stories was a surprise pick-up and play through this year. One moment I’m listening to a video from the Revive Radiata YouTube page and the next I’m ordering and then subsequently playing a physical copy on my PS2 — and I couldn’t be happier that I did. Jack Russell was one of the funniest protagonists I’ve ever played as and I absolutely loved his plucky leader Ganz Rothschild and his romantic interest Ridley Silverlake. While the combat was fairly average, the soundtrack, art style, environments, story and world, and dead-pan comedy and, at times, surprisingly poignant, heartfelt moments throughout were all top notch. Why this game has not received a modern port or remaster already I will never know.
As for Mass Effect 2 (and 3)… oh baby. I enjoyed Mass Effect 1, but I didn’t love it. I found myself mostly skipping side content and main-lining the story after the opening hours. The gameplay felt slow and clunky, load times frequent and long, and traversal a bit tedious. Fast forward to my play through of Mass Effect 2 (and 3) and you couldn’t have a more contrasting experience, however. Mass Effect 2 blew me away — it improved in nearly every way over its predecessor and then skyrocketed into the stratosphere and beyond. I found myself enraptured by the story and the characters with their specific, in depth side quests; the shooting and combat sections were a blast to play through (pun intended); the exploration felt vast; movement and traversal was snappy; the graphics and scenes overhauled; the soundtrack… well, as good as before; and the role playing aspects, while downplayed a bit, streamlined and all for the better. I FELT like Shepard now. And the carry over of my previous choices and consequences from Mass Effect to the sequel felt impactful. And man… that last mission, the suicide mission, was one of the most epic and downright exhilarating missions I’ve ever experienced in a video game. The world of Mass Effect truly felt alive and I fell in love. Not long after completing the sequel, I found myself starting a play through of the third entry. While the opening hours made me question the quality and changes, my doubts quickly faded into the stars and I found myself immediately re-captured and re-invested in the world, story, and characters of this fantastic trilogy. While I haven’t yet managed to finish the third title up just yet (having a second child born this year made playing games… difficult), I am hopeful that I’ll be able to wrap it up within the next several weeks. One thing is for certain though, I don’t want to rush the closing hours of this game. Mass Effect 2 and 3 have easily become some of my favorite Western RPGs of all time. There’s a certain melancholy to knowing I won’t ever quite get the same experience again as I did this year in playing each title for the first time. The Mass Effect universe is hands down my favorite sci-fi, space opera setting — easily besting the likes of Star Wars or Star Trek — and while I know Andromeda is there to provide… something more? I know for a fact that there will never be another game where I’ll get get to have Shepard hang out with Garris or Tali, run around the Normandy, explore the Galaxy, go on various missions, bond with lovable, endearing companions, and make impactful choices that will ripple through a huge cohesive narrative. I’m going to savor every last minute of this game and I guarantee, controversial ending or not, that I’ll never forget my time spent in this world and with these fantastic characters and stories.
In other news, I purchased a TON of games (mostly physical), received my Steam Deck (love it but haven’t had much time to play it), bought Stephen King’s The Dark Tower novels and finished the first book, The Gunslinger (it was really good and I’m committed to reading the rest… eventually), and even helped Aidan Moher, author of the newly released Fight, Magic, Items, promote his book by connecting him to one of my favorite podcasts, The Thirsty Mage, to be a guest on the show — while I regret not being able to review the Advanced Review Copy he sent my way, the podcast appearance more than made up for it (I even got a shout out, so that was cool).
There’s so many other games I want to play. So many pick-ups and additions to the collection I want to share about. Upcoming releases, big and small, I want to talk about. But for now, I think I’ve said enough. Until next time!
The Gaming Journal 