Blaugust

That… isn’t actually their tagline (old folks know that it was EverQuest’s), but it seems like what this social MMO is going for. An idyllic world where you can relax with friends. The trailer shows players building their own homes and communities, but is that all there is? Creek Because I enjoy tedious tasks for little reward, I found myself idly listing every MMORPG I could find on Steam last night. People called out all the MMOs I’d missed when I did the Google Trends experiment the other day, and I kept thinking of more, afterward. I’d missed Runescape!? I literally watch Runescape videos every day. I’m pretty sure that the Old School Runescape streamers are being punished in some sort of televised Hell, and I just want to make sure they’re okay and try to give them some hope for the future. ...

What brought the four Warriors of Light together? From where did they get the crystals of the four primal forces? Who were their families? Where’d they go to school? What foods did they like? Hell if I know. All I know is that they’re pretty good at killing fiends and running away. Mostly the running away. But we managed to finish the game and save the world, somehow. It’s been so many days since I blogged about my Final Fantasy 1 playthrough that I’ve lost track of where I was last time. ...

So, I listened to the DCUO livestream the other day, where they showed a preview of the House of Legends episode, packed to the rafters with quality-of-life changes and new content. I was listening, fascinated, until they mentioned that House of Legends was currently LIVE ON THE TEST SERVER. So, I, um, quit the livestream and installed the test version of DCUO and went to have a look for myself. Allies screen ...

I don’t play every MMO that comes out – not by a longshot. But, I follow a lot of gamers, streamers, and game developers, and between me and them, I see a lot of discussion about the new MMOs that come down the pike. Crowfall was released a couple of weeks ago. Suddenly, everyone was talking about it. And then, suddenly everyone was not. What did it all mean? I asked Google Trends to help me analyze searches for a dozen or so MMOs to help understand what all was going on with MMOs today. ...

Terraforming Mars, the big box game by FryxGames, is a long-time favorite board game at our kitchen table. As the name implies, it’s a game about making Mars habitable by humans. But, what if Terraforming Mars, but a fast-paced card game? That’s Ares Expedition. Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition shares a lot of elements with the board game. There’s a board representing Mars, divided into hexes. Players represent corporations building generation-long projects, which are cards in both games. Players have their own player boards, on which they track wealth and resources. What’s changed? ...

Having made our way to the town of Melmond, we were shocked to find a ruin. A vampire was draining all of their Earthpower? The High Lord’s Council is nowhere to be seen? Even Thomas Covenant has gone missing? Well, I guess maybe a few Warriors of Light could get the job done… As is often the case, even with the hints the townscritters give, I’m never quite sure where to go. I spent awhile sailing around the area, looking for a sage at a southern tip or anywhere to dock before I eventually had the bright idea to just walk down to the area, from Melmond. ...

I was just going to play Final Fantasy XIV long enough to get a picture with a dwarf to illustrate how Final Fantasy themes crop up again and again… and I did that… but then I started working on the main story quest again… and… well, maybe later. Right now, we have to deal with a certain evil critter named Astos. A witch walks into a bar. One of her eyes is shut tight, and a trickle of blood leaks from it. The other is red with rage. A broomstick follows her closely, trying to help, but she snarls at it until it puts itself into a corner. “What happened???” asks the barmaid. “Astos happened,” spits the witch. “He took my crystal eye, and now I cannot see!” The barmaid quickly mixes up a strong drink; fumes pour from the mug. The witch drinks it in one gulp and falls silent. ...

We defeated Garland and rescued Princess Sarah! Yay! A grateful king embarked on an impromptu “Infrastructure Week”, and built us a bridge because that was exactly the reward we were looking for. Sure, he could have given us gold or weapons, but instead the Cupertino Corps of Engineers lali-ho’d their way north and built a bridge. Not like he didn’t have loot to give. There were some vaults sealed with mystic keys below. We saved the king’s daughter, but we weren’t important enough for the good stuff. Garland, undefeated, now defeated by us, sure. The King of Constantine couldn’t get rid of us fast enough. ...

Welcome to Blaugust 2nd and the first day of our Final Fantasy 1 playthrough! Garland is the first boss the Warriors of Light meet in Final Fantasy 1. Once a hero, he has kidnapped Princess Sarah and taken her to the Chaos Shrine, there to do evil things. What happened to make him this way? Our Final Fantasy playthrough starts with our party meeting this fallen angel… (The featured image is Garland as he appears in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a mobile game with its own story that nonetheless pulls in visions of heroes and villains from other Final Fantasy games.) ...

It’s the first of Blaugust! The week where a lot of game bloggers come together and… blog… to show the world just how much fun typing can be :-) So, for this month, I’ll be playing the first Final Fantasy game. I never had a NES, so I never played it when it first came out. My first Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, which wasn’t even really a Final Fantasy game. ...