.....or how life has been a bit busier of late.
I couldn't let the month go by without putting in at least one blog entry. Unfortunately, the game (or games) that I'm currently playing are not quickies.
As you may have seen in passing, I have a section of my blog sidebar called "Chip's List of Required Games for Greater Edification." This list includes games that my best friend feels that I should play for a myriad of reasons. Perhaps the game is ground-breaking in design or conception. Perhaps it is one of the greatest games of its time. Whatever the case may be, it is considered my "homework" and so I usually try to do a review on it after completion (Symphony of the Night being an exception...didn't have a blog at the time).
So my latest Chip-required game is Dragon Quest 8. Initial impressions are very favorable as it seems to be a perfect blend of old-school hardness and new school graphics. Plus, in the tradition of older RPGs it takes a long time to complete. I've put in about 10 plus hours (at this time) and I'm still chewing my way through the opening areas.
Now were I just to focus my efforts on Dragon Quest 8, I might be able to finish it and review it soon. However I've also started up a game of Final Fantasy Tactics. Thankfully, the latter is a game I've played a few times already (and one that Chip has ultimate mastery of), so I don't feel as much pressure to play through in a hurried fashion.
And as if playing through two lengthy, time-involved games wasn't enough, Chip has convinced me that we should try the Lord of the Rings: Online - Mines of Moria.
As you may have gleaned from my World of Warcraft post, online gaming is an experience that I'm always coming back to and feel very nostalgic about it. As it turns out, Chip was beginning to wax nostalgic himself about the "good ol' days". While he was very happy playing through his current game (Final Fantasy XI), he missed "rolling with his homey."
So we put our heads together to look for a game that would be new to both of us and preferably one that was decently priced. Star Wars - the Old Republic won't be released for some time, and all the "free" games (Aeria, Perfect World, Ragnarok - free servers) had the same problem - they all boiled down to a basic "rinse and repeat" formula as Chip puts it. Novelty lasts only so long in those games as a result, which makes sense because you get what you pay for (or don't, in this case).
Lord of the Rings Online has a free trial period (10 days), allowing you to explore the land and do some quests before deciding if you want to continue with it. While I plan to give it a more indepth review later, I have to say that initial impressions are very favorable.
Gaming aside, my personal/work life has also been quite busy of late. My company is helping a group of adults with disabilities (that we provide services to) save and raise money for a trip to Disneyland. So my weekends and occasionally weeknights have been spent volunteering to help raise money. We've put on a basketball tournament, had several yard sales through out the summer, set up a benefit concert with local country stars, and next week we'll be doing a spaghetti feed/dance to raise more funds. It's been a busy few months, but it'll be worth it to spend a week in California taking this group to the various theme parks (I think we're even renting a van and driving to Sea World). For many of the adults we help, this will be their first and maybe only chance to do something like this. If it's successful though, we may try this again next year or the year after that.
The trip will be October 18th through the 24th. Wish me luck!
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