When it comes to RPG’s I’m what you would call a hoarder. My character’s house in Skyrim is filled with old armor, weapons, potions that I’ll never use, and gem I will never sell. In traditional RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger or Mario RPG, I never use the best items, even as they…
Category: General Commentary
Games That Inspire Adult Tantrums
Several posts ago, I wrote about how many video games seem to be getting easier now than in the past. This made me think of games on the other side of the spectrum. Not really difficult games, though, as you’d expect. Difficult games can be good for those who like a challenge. But, what I…
Gaming And Me – My Identity As An Intermediate Gamer
Many of you may not be familiar with me or my blog over at simpleek. If you visit my blog, you may notice how I call myself the “intermediate gamer.” Ever since I started blogging over a year ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about my experiences and my identity as a gamer. I consider…
Being the Controller
By now, nearly everyone with an internet connection has heard something about the Xbox One reveal. Most of my next-gen predictions were proven correct as I read several round-ups on the matter: Usual banter about hyper-speed processing and superior graphics, Check. Profile-specific purchases and the supposed downfall of the used games market, Check. Baffling denial…
When You Know It’s Right
I’ve been playing Dragon Age II (very slowly) for a couple weeks now and I think, finally, we’ve clicked. How do I know? Because the gameplay and my characters from the game pop into my thoughts when I’m not playing. And when that happens, distracting as it may be, I starting thinking about where I’m…
100 Theme Challenge No. 6: Break Away
(The Duck currently has a bunch of posts started but incomplete. My brain is feeling lethargic today. So I am posting below a recent post from my own blog until I get these posts done. I have been writing different topics from the 100 theme challenge, and this is #6. Behold!) Okay, today’s 100 theme…
Getting Ready to Rumble
It is so strange to think that over time; nearly all innovations become commonplace fixtures. Whenever new technology comes along to shake things up for the better, the whole world marvels at the novelty, eager to own a fresh gadget (or condemn it as witchcraft). But over time, what seemed so brilliant and beneficial becomes…
Can games be too open world?
[This article was originally posted on CheeeseToastieandVideoGames 22nd April 2013] Note: I’m using ‘open world’ in a very broad sense and discuss games that are not really open world at all (like Mass Effect and LA Noire) and are merely non-linear or offer a degree of exploration. The reason for this is that my main focus here is to look at…
Premium Content in Games
Day 1 DLC, online access codes, the “PSN Pass”, each of these a different version of “premium” content meant to encourage buying new. Premium content is a tough issue to take a stance on, since there is a valid argument for each side. On one hand we have the developer/ publisher essentially offering a more…
The Duck’s Personal Trials and Joys of Multiplayer Gaming
I am a solitary gamer. I hardly ever do any multiplayer, and I have never done any online multiplayer gaming (except PC gaming once playing “Runescape” on an old computer that froze every two seconds). Just never wanted to, plus no way am I paying to use XBox Live. You raise the price of each…
VIRTUAL BASTION 