This game is addictive.

I just spent my entire Friday trying to be the best item shop owner I could ever be. I really almost ended up living in a cardboard box, with my last sale to Charme finally putting me only a few thousand pix into the green. That last payment was EVIL.

I’m sure there are others who probably don’t have the time, or would rather sink their efforts in to something more productive. Like earning real money. This seems to be my favorite thing to do in video games – earning my keep. I do this with the STALKER games; I end up trying to hoard as much as I can, with minimal ammo usage for an efficient playthrough without getting killed. And in the end, I cash it all in, and feel rewarded for bringing in such a haul. The game isn’t designed solely around it, but who can resist looting your foes when heightened skills mean free weapons and even more ammo? I’m such a loot whore. I tend to disagree with the simplified and icon-based inventory interfaces, but who am I to complain. Give me loot and money – I’ll be a happy camper.

So what do my current favorite games STALKER, EVE Online, and Recettear, all have in common? MONEY!

I like Killing Floor, too. But that’s only because it’s about killing zeds.

-maserbeam

Joining the party 10.5 months late, I now have Dragon Age: Origins (PC) and have plugged in my first 10 hours into the game. While the regular gameplay part is great, the cutscenes bother me simply because it’s the stiff animation. This is one reason why I forgive anyone using a simple portrait plus text of a speaking character. I would rather not experience such awkward and stiff movement because it disables my ability to suspend disbelief. Do I have the right to complain about this? Probably not. It’s something to think about however. More often than not, for gamers like me, it only takes a small irksome thing to make us cringe enough to sour our gameplay experience.

I’d ramble on about rage-inducing design choices for game production, but something like that is up for an entirely different post.

At least the combat makes it so that Dragon Age is the closest we’ll get to a modern version of BG2. Only without the pure lethality of BG2-style mages.

-maserbeam

If paying debts were like this, real life wouldn't be so bad.

By way of Animal Crossing, I learn that paying bills/debts is incredibly fun. Now there’s another fanciful game making it’s way to English speakers who can’t understand moonrunes.

Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale is a game made by EasyGameStation. This whimsical game gives me feel-good vibes while still having a fairy breathing down my neck about paying back a debt incurred by the main character’s (Recette’s) father. It’s a fun game that combines the concept of being an RPG item shop simulator and dungeon crawling. There’s even a bit of “buy low, sell high” gameplay for a rather simplified in-game market. Incredibly addictive if you like simple systems, deep inventories and item hoarding goodness.

Go visit the good guys at Carpe Fulgur and give them some love. From what I’ve read, the full game is aiming for an August release at around $20.

-maserbeam

Yay E3. My opinions in particular can be rather baseless, but they’re opinions and I’m not trying to persuade otherwise. This E3 was a joke. The only person who seemed comfortable with themselves on the stage was Cliff Bleszinski. Oh, and I almost forgot Mr. ‘Kevin Butler’, but he’s just silly. (In a good way.)

First off, I’m already miffed at Nintendo flaunting how much crap they’ve sold. You can watch the Nintendo conference anywhere – just google it or go ahead and visit your favorite site for gaming media. They’ve sold more? Good for them. I couldn’t care less if they sold 15 million more units than the PS3. But aside from that, the Nintendo conference had Reggie and his fellow corporate buddies speaking to me like I was an idiot. Sure – they have to speak to an audience with a wide range of journalists and just.. people. The way they spoke and delivered their wares seemed that there had to be some applause after everything they said. I felt annoyed after watching the Nintendo conference, uninterested with Microsoft, and angry at Sony. And the 3DS announcement was underwhelming; please get an English speaking person next time, Nintendo. Even then, I don’t think that would have improved it, so I’ll count my blessings for now.

The only thing that made me happy from the Sony conference was Portal 2, and Gabe’s few opening statements were pretty funny. And as much as I may be excited to see another Dead Space 2, I was hoping for a different game. It wasn’t in the conference, but I’m also on the lookout for FFXIV, since I’ve played FFXI and actually stuck with it for a while to realize it’s probably the best Final Fantasy game I’ve ever played.

And meh to Microsoft. Please enjoy the picture of Sakuya watching Ryuu getting his arse kicked.

-maserbeam

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) has come and gone, and with that the big three console makers – Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony – have given their piece on why they rock harder than the other guys in the video game world with a press conference. Did these mega companies impress the press and gamers alike? Well, that depends on who you’re talking about.

See what I mean here.

-TeaOfJay