What I've Played (February edition)

Overall: a pretty decent month of gaming for me.


I play a lot of games.  Before I journeyed to South Korea with my wife to teach ESL I worked for GameStop.  While working at GameStop I played a lot of games.  I also talked about games with a lot of people.  I was always interested to see the different types of people who enjoyed the many games out there.  Prior to working at GameStop I worked for Best Buy in the home theater department (not that it kept me from working in any other department in the store...).  While at Best Buy I once helped an 80-year-old couple pick out an HDTV for their PS3.  The woman informed me that she enjoyed Resident Evil 5 but that her husband just kept getting killed all the time.  So he would watch while she would play....  I immediately asked her how in love with her husband she truly was and if she had ever thought about meeting another man.

Sitting in South Korea (I'm still sitting in South Korea) I have all the time in the world* to play my favorite games and most of the newer AAA titles that release.  My biggest problem is that I just don't have people to talk with about my passion.  (Side note: while many Koreans play Starcraft, it's not as big as you would think... for example, in the year that I've been here I've met one Korean who plays regularly.)  My wife, God bless her, can be my soundboard at times, but I know that she cares about this as much as I care about what type of BB Cream she uses (that is to say, we both smile, nod, and tell each other to keep it under $100).

So here I am: I'm on the Internets!  In this monthly blog post I'm going to be taking a look at what I am playing and my random thoughts surrounding it all.  Please note the word "random" as I will be segueing into a myriad of topics seemingly unrelated at times, I'm sure.  Also, if you make it all the way to the bottom of this and your brain is still functioning, be sure to drop a comment about what you've been playing.  Sound off and let me know what you think!

*"all the time in the world"- I work Monday through Friday from 1:30-8:30.  Any time around there is my time....

February's playlist:

1.) Heavy Rain-  I was a day-one supporter of "interactive drama."  Right before the launch of Quantic Dream's impressive-looking Heavy Rain, I borrowed Indigo Prophecy.  I played through the game with not expectations and I loved it.  So when Heavy Rain finally released, I was all over it.  Both games are labeled "interactive dramas" by their creator and rightfully so.  The premise is to be able to subtly (or dramatically) influence a movie by performing actions throughout.  So, if a character gets into a fight, it plays out in a QTE (or "Quick-Time Event") where you press a sequence of buttons to allow them to win.  If you fail the QTE, the character will fail the fight and perhaps even perish.  It is entirely possible to watch a few main protagonists die in Heavy Rain and still complete the "game."  I had obviously completed the game (a few times actually) prior to this playthrough.  This time, however, I was going to achieve what only 3% of Heavy Rain players had: the platinum trophy.  After several playthroughs (you have to see all of the endings, of which there are many) I heard the magical sound of the last two trophies and promptly ejected the disk.  Similarly to my experience with Dragon Age II, trophy-hunting in Heavy Rain left my twitchy.

2.) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning-

Finally, I'd like to establish a little section here for what I'm not playing... I know, sounds weird, right?

1.) the PS Vita-  Well, folks, you can't have everything, and neither can I.  The launch of the PS Vita came at a time when I just could not bring myself to "investing" in a new console.

So that's it for January.  February looks terribly promising with my copies of Resident Evil: Revelations and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning arriving (hopefully) within the next week.  Both titles are receiving good to great reviews and both are extremely promising.  Also in February, Far Cry 2 will be free for all Playstation Plus members on Valentine's Day (February 14th for those of you with significant others...) and the Mass Effect 3 demo will be available to everyone that day as well.  Happy Valentine's Day indeed!