Tag: Games

2018 challenges, Challenges

2018 Challenges: January Recap

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For January I’ve been focusing a lot on my personal goals for the year rather than too much related to the 2018 Challenges, so progress has got off to a slow start. Having said that, I am really pleased with the small amount of progress I’ve made (and a great start to my personal goals also!), so here’s what’s been going on.

Watch 30 ‘First Watch’ films

So I’ve actually equalled my total from 2017 on this front, but I’ve watched something on my First Watch list. Celebrations all round! A review is in the pipe-line (recurring theme), but I watched The Pianist. Hooray!

Watch all of Naruto

Perhaps my weakest area, I’ve only watched 2 episodes of Naruto. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like it, but I really do, so me being behind isn’t down to lack of enjoyment, it’s mostly just a lack of time and having to prioritise my free time to other areas.

Watch 30 anime series

So for January I haven’t actually managed to complete any anime series. I’ve started a lot of ongoing shows and something from my To Watch list from MAL. I’m hoping to really turn this one around come February.

Platinum 12 games

Well and truly on schedule for this one. I platinumed Telltale’s Batman after it came free on PS+. A platinum review is forthcoming!

Make 3 cosplays from scratch

I’m having a really hard time planning my cosplays this year. My next couple aren’t going to be entirely from scratch though a lot of the elements are. My main issues are that I’ve not got a lot of conventions lined up, so I’ve not really got anything to plan for which makes things a lot harder.

Watch 50 films in the cinema (and write a review for each film)

I think this challenge might potentially be the one I struggle with most this year. I’ve watched 9 films in the cinema so far but have only written reviews for two of them. I struggled enough to get those reviews out as I felt really out of practice writing a film review, it somehow feels like a totally different process to writing a game review, which I suppose it is in many ways. I do want to get them done and catch up with myself, so again, these 7 reviews are going to be hitting the site imminently.

 

As always, you can follow my progress on Twitter by following me or on #cs2018challenge.

Game Reviews, Games

Review: Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds

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Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is the latest game in the Hakuoki series, and is billed by developer Idea Factory as a “remastered telling of the beloved 2008 series”. Set in historic Japan, the game follows the protagonist as she’s taken in by a group of samurai while looking for her father who has gone missing. Being an otome game (literally translated as “maiden game”), the protagonist is, naturally, surrounded by attractive men – twelve of whom she is able to embark on romantic storylines with.

Read the rest of my review at Push Square.

30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 15

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Day 15: Post a screenshot from the game you’re playing right now

Much to my own surprise, I’m still playing Persona 5. I’ve been waiting for this game for five years, so I thought I’d breeze through it, but I’ve decided to be sensible (for once) and try and savour it as much as possible. Anyway! Here is probably the most boring screenshot of Persona 5 – I’m not about to break Atlus’ heart by getting my own, so have this one I found on Google.

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30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 13

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Day 13: A game you’ve played more than five times

There are actually only a handful of games I’ve played through more than once, and only two spring to mind that I’ve actually played more than five times. Both are connected in my life, so here’s a little anecdote.

When I was 11, the only gaming device or console I had was a PlayStation (violins, I’m sure, are playing), and my favourite ever game to play was Crash Bandicoot. I played it to death, and knew it off by heart. I’m interested to see if muscle memory kicks in and I still remember the levels as vividly when the remastered version comes out later this year.

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I completed it so many times, and as soon as I did, I would start again. Sometimes I would take a break to play Spyro The Dragon, but I’m not sure I ever completed that once, let alone as many times as I completed Crash. A friend who lived in my road had a brother who was as obsessed with Pokémon as I was with Crash, and I was fascinated by it (my exposure to handheld gaming was pretty minimal by this point). So, for my twelfth birthday, my aunt bought me a Gameboy Colour (in lime green, FYI). Imagine my devestation when I didn’t have any games for it. She thought it would come with a game built in, so didn’t pick one up for me.

Fast forward a couple of days and another boy in my village gave me his copy of Pokémon Yellow to borrow on a long-term loan (so long-term, that I actually still have the game some 16 years later). I was totally smitten with it, and played it constantly (luckily my dad had invested in some rechargable batteries), and completely ignored Crash. The only trouble – I completely sucked at it.

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Still to this day, I hate grinding in games. I’d much rather get from objective A to objective B and work my way through some tasks, earning experience points that way, so levelling up Pokémon by battling wild Pokémon was not something I enjoyed doing.

So, anyway. My friend’s brother proposed we help each other out. As good as he was at Pokémon, he completely sucked at Crash. A deal was made, and we’d help each other through bits we were stuck on, or give tips. His advice was so invaluable to me, that I ended up sticking with Pokémon for a really long time (Sun and Moon are the only additions to the franchise that I’ve not bought). At that time, little twelve year old me was far too impatient to go through and complete the Pokédex, so as soon as I’d defeat the Elite Four, I’d start again. And again, and again.

30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 12

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Day 12: A game everyone should play

I’m usually really bad with game recommendations, as I get so carried away with the games that I love, I forget what the other person’s interests are or what genre of games they like playing. This has lead to some disasters in the past, but my answer for this game is pretty simple.

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I think everyone should play The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s game is simply, a masterpiece, and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t enjoy playing it. Even if action adventure games aren’t your usual sort of thing, the story is so compelling and gripping that you simply must play it. It has so much going on, from the raw emotion of the storyline to some genuinely terrifying parts, and so much more.

The Last of Us multiplayer was also the first multiplayer that I delved into, and subsequently got completely addicted to, so there’s always that too.

30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 11

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Day 11: Gaming system of choice

Finally! An easy question!

I have been a Sony fangirl since the original PlayStation came out, so these days I do 99.9% of my gaming on my PS4 or PS Vita. I regularly say my PS Vita is the best thing I’ve ever bought, but honestly, I can’t choose between them.

A very brief answer, I know, but there’s not a lot to debate when it’s such a clear cut answer!

30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 10

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Day 10: Best gameplay

Honestly, I feel like these questions are getting tougher and tougher.

Really, which gameplay I prefer depends on my mood at the time. Visual novels or point-and-clicks are good if you just want to escape but are feeling a bit lazy or sluggish; there’s no worry about failing a QTE section, or missing an attack and dying.

That being said, one game I really did enjoy recently was Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom. As a huge fan of the anime, the game did a really good job of giving me just what I wanted; to be able to fly around on the 3DM gear and slay titans. It really puts you in the place of the playable characters, and sucks you in to be part of the ongoing battles. It’s also hugely unlike any game I’ve ever played and was a really exciting mechanic to try out.

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30 Days Of, 30 Days Of: Gaming

30 Days Of: Gaming, Day 9

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Day 9: Saddest game scene

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

If you had the misfortune of following me on Twitter in January, you would have seen me have meltdown over meltdown about the ending of Final Fantasy XV.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been so affected by a game in recent years, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve ever cried so much. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific scene which I would call “the saddest”, as I spent pretty much the last third of the game having just finished crying, actually crying, or just about to cry.

Pretty much everything after the game ends just destroyed me, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get the image of the four empty camping chairs around the campfire out of my head. I can no longer listen to any version of Stand By Me without welling up (or actually crying, in the case of during the Power Rangers movie).

2017 challenges, Challenges

2017 Challenges: The Beginning

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So, with 2016 out of the way (finally, amirite?), I’m now looking ahead to 2017. I’ve learnt a lot about myself over the course of the past year (mostly that I definitely can’t cram as much into a year as I thought I could), so with that in mind, and all the reflecting out of the way, it’s time to set some 2017 challenges!

Coming to you this year with a brand new hashtag (#cs2017challenge), how many of the films, TV shows and games can you name in the 2017 Challenge logo?

Make 10 new cosplays (including one entirely from scratch)
I did really well with cosplay last year (8!), and I got a sewing machine for Christmas. I’ve decided I want to majorly up my game, so I’m going for double figures and the condition that one has to be completely made from scratch. I also really want to make an awesome prop, but we’ll see how we go with that one!

Watch 30 anime series
I have a couple of series I need to finish off (Dream Festival and Kuroko no Basuke), and then it’s on with the new series. This year I’m refining my rules – mostly because there’s no way I’m watching all of Black Butler and it not counting because I’ve watched the first episode, so as long as I’ve watched three episodes or less of a series, then it counts towards this years total! I’m also hoping to write a quick review of each series as I go as review practice.

Platinum 12 games
Last years target of 24 games seems a bit optimistic now, especially considering all of the other challenges going on at the same time, so this year I’ve reduced the total to just one platinum a month. I will be writing platinum reviews for each game I manage!

Watch 30 new ‘old’ films
I have a few films which when I say I’ve never seen, people are always shocked (E.T and Die Hard to name a couple). In the next week or so I’ll be compiling a list of 30 of these films, and watching them over the course of the year. I’ll be writing up my impressions of these films in an as yet unnamed feature.

Watch 60 films at the cinema
Look, we all know I failed hard at this one in 2016, so I’m reducing my total by 20 to give myself a chance. I’ll be writing reviews where I can, and logging my progress on Twitter under the challenge hashtag.

Clear the gaming backlog
My gaming backlog is shameful, and growing by the month. My aim for the year is to finish every game I own, and try to catch up with the releases I’ve missed. I’ll update this post with a proper list of which games this entails when I get a chance!