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Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius (Android)
Little to report. I woke Exdeath and leveled him up decently. Right now, I'm working on waking White Witch Fina. I'm short holy and sacred crystals, though, and farming them has been a pain in the rump. The best method I've found is to access the Chamber of Creation and play the pro level, which costs a steep 20 stamina. I'm currently at 33 stamina, so I only get one play per full meter.
Pokemon Go (Android)
130 caught, 305 Magikarp candies. I had a slightly eventful week. A nest migration took place last Wednesday, and Squirtles became more common in Spokane as a result. By Friday, I captured enough of them to garner 100 candies and evolve Wartortle into Blastoise. That's the first starter I've fully evolved. I haven't been as fortune in regards to gaining Charmander candies, but I did manage to hatch two Bulbasaurs in a row, putting me near 50 candies there.
The only other progress I made was catching an Omanyte recently. Finally!
Currently, I'd like to focus on catching Poliwags, since they're a rarity in these parts. Your best bet is to hit rivers, creeks and ponds. Ironically, I've been having a hell of a time getting near the Spokane River, despite the fact that it runs pretty much through the middle of town and into Spokane Valley. However, the waterfall at Mirabeau Park and Latah Creek have been good aquatic Pokemon hunting spots. I've also noticed quite a few Poliwags in random places around Spokane Valley, mostly side streets. I only need two more for a Poliwrath, so I think it's only a matter of time.
Bulu Monster (Android)
I wanted a freemium Pokemon clone to play while stuck at home, and this one fits the bill. I'm on the second level right now, Forest South. I caught all of the bulus in the first area and most of them in the second, but I keep getting spanked by the monsters there. If there's one problem I have with this game, other than a few lame monsters (there's one called Sheepskins that's basically an alpaca, adorned only by a female symbol on its butt), it's the grindiness. I spent ages trying to reach the second area's recommended level, and even then I'm getting destroyed by some of the bulus there. Froggie is the worst, as not one of my monsters can crack its defenses. Granted, I have defeated a few Froggies and caught one, but it usually knocks two or three of my bulus out in the process.
Alone in the Dark 2 (PC)
I started this one, since I finished the other a couple of months ago. If this game was considered a classic (which it is, from what I gathered), it really hasn't aged well. The combat system is flat out bad, and unlike the first game there's a lot of ranged fighting. It's difficult to tell if your aim is spot on when firing a gun, and that can cost you dearly. I've found the best way to win is to be as cheap as possible. If an enemy has a long reach, get in close and they'll basically fire their gun over your shoulder. If one's giving you trouble, run out a door and wait for them to try to creep through it. I beat the undead chef T-Bone that way, by grabbing a frying pan and waiting just outside the kitchen for him. As he tried to exit, I repeatedly swung at the air until I managed to hit him enough to vanquish him.
Right now, I'm on the second floor. I just popped a couple of tokens into an old jukebox and received a doubloon, a tommy gun (with ammo) and a kevlar vest.
The Ball (PC)
I've wanted to play this since EmP reviewed it on this site some years ago. I dragged my feet on buying it, but eventually did during a sale. It's enjoyable so far. Structurally, it reminds me of Portal, where each new challenge is like a test chamber. You have a gun of sorts that summons a massive ball, but also pushes it into switches and various other stimuli, allowing you to solve puzzles. Or you could take pleasure in crushing monkeys all day, listening to their little bones snap under the ball's weight. I have to admit, it's a little disturbing killing them, but kind of cathartic.
I'm only a few "test chambers" in, so it's not tremendous progress.
Anima: Ark of Sinners (Wii)
Defeated the first boss, which was an anticlimax. Honestly, much of this game has been an anticlimax. It feels like its devs had an idea for a solid platformer with a sleek combat system, but didn't quite know how to execute it. As a result, it plays more like an average platformer with stilted Devil May Cry-ish combat. Also, there's no incentive to execute complicated maneuvers like there is in other DMC-likes. Your combat isn't rated, you don't collect any kind of experience and there are no maneuvers to level up or learn, from what I've gathered. As this is a WiiWare game, I'm betting it's pretty short, so I shouldn't have too much more to go. There's a single YouTube walkthrough that totals about three hours, and I think I've put just under an hour.
If you recall from my last post, I said that the game was based on a tabletop RPG, and that this game should've been an RPG instead of a side-scroller. As it turns out, there is an Anima RPG on Steam, entitled Anima: Gate of Memories. If it's cheap during the winter sale, I may pick it up and review it. Of course, it'll be a while before the review is even out.
Non-Game Stuff
Finding Dory (2016)- A pretty well done sequel to a cute movie. I think I still like the first one better, but this one does a pretty good job of being both a thrill ride and a family film.
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honestgamer - December 22, 2016 (02:14 PM) The Pokemon migration meant that my wife and I suddenly were swimming in Charmanders. We started on a walk on our usual trail, and every 20 steps or so, another one popped up to capture. That happened two days in a row, so now we're both at around 120 Charmander candy, after starting with something like 8 or 10. I'm also one Magikarp catch away from hitting 400, so that'll hopefully happen soon. They're no longer as common around here as they once were, but since I live right by the ocean and walk semi-frequently along the local bay front, I still do find them often enough that Gyrados will soon be mine. Finally... |
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