Days 182 and 183: This is it. The final one.

So...the 6-Month Gaming Challenge is coming to an end.  As I write this, there are only three hours until 2013 ends.  This has been a great six months.  I started it having only finished one game since 2013 began, and now I have finished 50 games this year.  I really think that if I hadn't started this blog, I wouldn't have been able to do half that amount.

I think I was too confident when I started.  I claimed I would finish every game in my collection in six months.  That right there would only have been possible if I were to finish two games per day on average.  And considering most of the games I have are RPGs, it was pretty much a sure thing that I was going to fail.  I didn't see that six months ago.

I had so much fun playing all of these games and writing about the journeys I took in the games.  And the opportunities I have been given since starting it are like the icing on the cake.  I don't think I would have been given the chance to write for a gaming website had I not had this blog as a writing example.  And I probably would not have had the chance to get new games and play them when I did.  I know I would not have gotten a copy of Grand Theft Auto V when I did and be able to write about its gameplay.

Anyway, before I end this final blog entry, I will tell you about the 51st game I finished.  Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  Today I was determined to finish the game, especially after seeing how close I was to the final battle.  It was really easy once I got started.  And I had online maps nearby so I could figure out the mazes quickly.  The mini-bosses in Doom Castle were similar to those I fought throughout the game.  And the final battle didn't take as much time as I had thought it would.  I wasn't expecting the different forms at all.  I spammed Flare attacks against the Dark King, while I had Phoebe on Auto.

The ending was so nice.  I liked how every person who played a big part in the game came to meet my character at the end to see him off.  It was a really great way for a game to end.  It only left one question in my mind when I saw "The End" at the bottom of the screen, and that was "What's next?"  I wanted to go on the journey with my character (who I named Michael), and see where he goes on the ship.  I think he and Tristam would definitely find some great treasure and cause a fair amount of mischief along the way.

Anyway, I finished it just in time.  I wouldn't have wanted to not finish it before midnight.  Because normally on New Year's Eve, I go through and delete all of the save files of all of the games I own.  It's the only tradition I have done consistently for years.  It allows me to start fresh with the journeys; and in a way, play as if I've never played the games before.  It's also something I do that tends to cause me pain.  That's because I almost always have a game that I really want to continue playing, but I follow the tradition strictly.  This year was no different.  I wanted to continue playing Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, but it was deleted with the rest of them.  Anyway, after I delete everything, I make a list of all the games I own; then let a random number generator choose what game I play first at the beginning of the year.  I can never choose.

Well, that's all for this final blog entry.  Before I type the final catchphrase, I want to say that I will have another blog for 2014 and beyond.  I will be writing what I'm playing, as well as detailed reviews, some gaming news, and other little gaming tidbits.  I will do my best to keep it updated with some consistency, but I know that I won't be able to do it daily.  With how my schedule is at the moment, updating daily makes me so exhausted.  So, be sure to check out the new blog

3³ Gaming

I am calling it 3³ Gaming because I will be turning 27 this Friday.  And since 3³ equals 27, it fits perfectly.

So, that's everything I have to say.  For the coming day, and every day after that, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Days 180 & 181: Almost done.

Today I played Ni No Kuni for the majority of the day.  I reached the point of the game I stopped playing, and passed that point during the session.  So, now the party is on a boat in the ocean.  That's where I last saved the game.  Anyway, I am trying to stick the same familiars, and the best ones for the party members.  I am also only using the preferred treats for the familiars as well.

And actually, that's about it for this entry.  I only played on Saturday, because Friday I slept from when I came home to 3am Saturday morning.  I was really tired.

That's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Days 178 and 179: End in Sight.

So, I know I have only been updating every other day lately.  I just haven't been playing enough to post about any of it.  I have been working too much with what I do to set aside time for gaming.  In a way, I am somewhat glad that the blog is ending in a few days.  But with how things are currently, I can't be playing all day.  Though that is what I would love to do on these cold winter days.

I am at Mount Gale in Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  I was going to continue with it and try to finish that section, but I didn't want to deal with the puzzles.  But I have been told that I am almost finished, so that's good.

I started playing Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core today.  I have just been working on the side quests in order to level up Zack and the materia I have.  I am not sure about the story anymore.

And I have saved the brokenhearted Esther in No No Kuni.  Now, she, her father, Mr. Drippy, and Oliver are on their way to the Great Sage to perform the Trials.

So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 177: Christmas Eve gaming.

I worked some more on Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest today.  I managed to finish the Giant Tree area.  I can't believe I am nearly finished with the game.  I stopped after finishing that one area, because it took me a long time to finish it.  I will continue tomorrow.

I also played more Ni No Kuni today.  I saved the Cat King, and even went through the Golden Grove.  Now I am one step closer to Al Mamoom and my meeting with a Sage.

Well, I hope that Santa brings you what you desire, and that the games you play tomorrow are fun!  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Days 175 and 176: Closing in on the End

This time next week, I will be making my final entry in this blog.  My how the time does fly by.

Anyway, for a couple days now, I have been playing Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.  A friend I talk to said that she hasn't played it, and that made me want to try and finish it.  But since I had deleted the save file a long time ago, I started a new one.

Right now in the game, I am trying to save the Cat King.

In other games, I haven't made much progress.  That's normal for me, really.  And after six months, you all should be used to that.

However, in Mystic Quest, I am finally in the fourth region of the planet.  Currently, I am in a giant tree trying to rid it of the monsters inside.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 174: Either way...

Today I played a lot of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  I believe I am almost to where the third crystal is, though I am not completely sure.  Either way, I think I will at least get it tomorrow.  I am getting help on the game as well.  That's good because I don't want to be fumbling around when there are only ten days left in the challenge.  I want to finish as many games as possible, and I can't do that if I'm stuck in some volcano.

I also managed to get out of the cave I was in in Star Ocean: First Departure.  I think I may have met a new character that will join the party, but again, I am not sure.  Either way, I am glad to be out of that cave.  Now, I think the group of Roddick, Elia, and Cyuss will be going to Astral.  And I don't know about the girl that thinks she's a bird, who acts a lot like a cat.  She may join later on, she may not.

Well, that's all for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Days 172 & 173: It's a Mystic(al) Quest

The game I spent the most time playing today was Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  I am finally finished with saving the second crystal.  I thought I would never get out of the Ice Pyramid.  Anyway, I did, and I am finally on my way to the next area.

I have also spent a little time with Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded.  And by little, I mean little.  I play until I get to the next save point, then stop.  The Agrabah level is hard to finish.  The enemies are very difficult to defeat.

And in Star Ocean: First Departure, I am also going from Save Point to Save Point.  I came to a cave ill-prepared, and I am paying for it.  After every battle, one party member is either poisoned or dead.  And I have no items to change that.  And it's because of my own greed I guess, because I have all this money and I haven't spent any of it.

Well, that's all for now.  I wrote an article today over at http://www.enixorigin.com so be sure to check it and all of my other articles there out!  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Days 170 & 171: Final Fantasy turns 26

Yay! Final Fantasy turns 26 today!  And what did I do to celebrate?  Not play Final Fantasy games, that's for sure.  And really, that sucks!  A lot!  But the good thing, if you call it that, is that for the next 16 days, I and my favorite video game series are the same age!  So, Yay!

No, I didn't play anything yesterday, and I didn't much of anything today.  I was just really busy yesterday, and never got around to it.  And then today I cut my finger really bad, and playing video games didn't ease the pain.  I did watch the kid my brother was taking care of play some Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012).  Other than that, I didn't play anything.

Well, unfortunately, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 169: Winding Down

I didn't actually play much today.  I made some progress in Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest and Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded.  That's about it.

I guess this entry is going for a gloomy tone.  As you know the end of this month is fast approaching, and that also means that the end of this 6-Month gaming challenge is coming to an end.  I guess I am rambling on about what will happen in a couple weeks.  As much as I want to make December go on for a few more months so I can finish more games in that time, I know I can't.

The thought has crossed my mind to just change the title and extend the blog, but that goes against my nature.  If I am going to fail, I don't want to make it so it isn't a failure.  I want to own up to it and fail.  And I thought that maybe I'll just start a new blog.  It is high on my list to do that, but I don't think I will make it a daily update blog.  Some days I just don't do much gaming.  And then the thought has also crossed my mind to just stick to writing articles for EnixOrigin.

No matter what I do, I will be sure to tell you all beforehand.  Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 168: Spreadsheets

Today I began what I am calling "my research into who the best players are in osu!" game.  I played some osu!mania online matches, and recorded how well my opponents did compared my performances.  Of the 37 players I went up against in 18 matches, only 13 ended up with a result that was better than mine.  My average result in the matches was second place.

What I did was use myself as the base, or zero.  If I received third place in a song, the player that received second place would get 1 point, the winner would get 2 points.  The player in 4th Place would get -1 point, 5th would get -2, and so on.  Then, I averaged the result of all the songs for each player I went up against.  Only 13 ended up with a positive score.

I am trying to find out if I will be good enough to compete in an osu!mania tournament. It is the one mode of the game that I am really good at, so I just want to be sure I am ready.  I don't want what happened yesterday to happen at the one mode that I actually rank a respectable place at.

I also have been playing Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest today.  I am almost to where the Water Crystal is in the game.  I like the game so far.  I think the only thing I don't like right now is that the enemies don't leave a lot of GP behind when I defeat them.  I like to have plenty of items, and I can't get them when I only receive 18 GP per battle.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 167: 2nd Place

I woke up at 9:20am this morning. It's a good thing too, because I went to check on any updates for the Osu! Challengers Tournament and found out that I read the time wrong for my match. I thought it said 3pm my time, especially since the tournament organizer is in the same timezone as I am. But it was 3pm UTC, which is 10am Eastern Standard Time. So I didn't get to practice at all for the tournament, because I had to report in the tournament room. It was then that I was told that my training partner had pulled out of the competition, thus giving me a 25% chance of winning. As the time kept ticking, only one other player in my level arrived. The two Argentinian players that had also signed up never showed up. So, now I had a 50% chance to win.

But I lost. I only scored 42 of the 49 points maximum for the maps. The other player was just better than I was. I didn't practice nearly enough. My problem was that I had trouble transition from the spins to the lines. I couldn't find where the cursor was located after the spin, and then I would miss a note and thus break the combo. I came close to winning a couple of the maps, but I couldn't pull through.

Oh well. I am not an osu!standard player anyway. I entered just to see how well I could do. I came in second place in an originally 6-player tournament. One player switched to a different level, and three didn't show up. So, though I don't have any tangible proof of my 2nd place finish, I know that I was able to come in 2nd Place in a tournament.

For details on the songs chosen and my performance, click here.

Most of this evening I spent playing Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  It's a nice game so far.  I have already recovered one of the four crystals.  I think I will play it some more after I post this.

Also, I had no idea that there were Sailor Moon video games on the Super Nintendo.  This was news to me!

Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 166: Pre-game jitters!

So, tomorrow is the Osu! Challengers Tournament.  This time tomorrow I will either be a winner, or someone who should stick to osu!mania mode.  I am getting nervous.  I didn't practice as much as I wanted to.  My plan is to practice some tomorrow morning before the tournament.  I am hoping that the songs that are chosen to be played are ones that I am better at than the ones I am not as good at playing.  Here's the song list.

Acchi Kocchi (Acchi Kocchi Cast) – Acchi de Kocchi de (TV Size) [Baka~!]
Touhou (Amane) – Melt in the sky [Easy]
Newgrounds (Blackhole) – Lagomorphic [Easy]
BMS (Cres) – End Time [Beginner]
DECO*27 feat. Marina – Aimai Elegy [Easy]
REFLEC BEAT limelight (DJ YOSHITAKA) – VALLIS-NERIA [Basic]*
Vocaloid (dokiro feat. Hatsune Miku) – Paradise Cage [Impossiblexu’s Easy]
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas – Jump Around [Easy]
Vocaloid (GUMI) – PANDA HERO [Easy]
Deco*27 (Hatsune Miku) – Ai Kotoba
Bibuko (Hatsune Miku) – Ohigan FuzzyClap [Easy]
Kurousa-P (Hatsune Miku) – Senbonzakura (Short Ver.) [Easy]
Touhou (IOSYS) – Cirno’s Perfect Math Class [Easy]
Lindsey Stirling – Electric Daisy Violin [Easy]
Peter Lambert – osu! Tutorial [Rookie Gameplay]

I have spent the most time with the first four and the last two, and have been pretty consistent with my scores.  So I should be fine as long those songs are chosen.  But it is a random draw, so there's a chance that the only songs chosen are ones I am not as proficient with.

Anyway, that is the main thing on my gaming plate right now.  As for Star Ocean: First Departure and Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded, I didn't play them much after the last entry.  I do now have 12 of the 16 inklings in Wonderland.  I just can't seem to find those last four inklings.

Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 165: Lots of Pain, but none in the game.

I am posting this entry in between sleeping sessions.  I hurt my back walking from where I work to my father's truck, and I have been sleeping away the pain.  That being said, I have done some gaming to keep my mind off of how much my back hurts right now.

First, in Star Ocean: First Departure, I did some level grinding.  I guess that would be the technical term for it, considering what I was actually doing was going to all of the towns I had been to previously to find out if I missed anything.  I learned that I think I'm supposed to be fighting some pirates.  Where this fight takes place, I don't know.  But that's the gist of it so far.

And in Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded, I have finished the first two worlds, Destiny Islands and Traverse Town.  Now, I am in Wonderland looking for Alice's memories, so she can tell me where the keyhole is.  I am getting proficient in the ability converting system (or whatever it's called).  And the stats system is very similar to that of Final Fantasy X, and I like it.

Anyway, I should end this here and go back to sleep.  If things are the same tomorrow pain-wise, I may spend the whole day playing video games.  That's something to look forward to.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 164: An Ocean of Stars

I am currently lost and have no idea what to do in my playthrough of Star Ocean: First Departure.  I have the feeling I have to get on a boat somewhere considering I am in Portmith, but I don't know where they are.  It's quite possible that I have to go through that Abandoned Mine in Mt. Metorx, however, I am not sure I am at all equipped to adventure in there.  I went in there once before, and was destroyed within 15 seconds.  I have gotten some better equipment since that first encounter with the mine, but the random battle encounters in this game are low.  There hasn't been many battles since then, so Roddick and party haven't gotten much stronger.

Anyway, this is going to be a short entry, because it was the only game I played today.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 163: Fallout, Fall down, Fall done!

I finally finished the main story of Fallout 3.  I managed to do it in only three tries.  The first try was when the game froze as Fawkes and I were heading back to the Citadel after leaving Vault 106.  The only reason we stopped there was because it was directly in our way as we were going back to the Citadel.  The second time I ended up dying, because I got so far ahead of the giant robot that it was only me, Fawkes, and Sentinel Lyons fighting the Enclave.  I knew something was really wrong when Lyons disappeared.  And it was then that I died.

But the third time, I managed to save the world.  Or rather, Fawkes saved the world, since it was he that risked his life to power the purifier.  As much as I want to say how I liked how the game ended, I didn't like how it made me look like the bad guy because I asked Fawkes to go in and turn on the purifier.  If Lyons or I had went in there, we would have died.  But if Fawkes went in, he would most likely live because of his immunity to radiation.  I wanted the most amount of people to live in this situation, and that would only happen if he went in.  Maybe, I don't know.

Anyway, if I were to ever do another big playthrough of this game, I think I'll just be a real mean person in the game.  Blow up Megaton, steal from wastelanders, poison the water, all the bad things.

The osu! tournament I entered is only five days away.  I am really glad that there are so few people competing in my match.  I don't think I'd like competing against all of the people that are in the Expert tournament.  There are so many of them, and they play osu! like all the time.

I have been playing Star Ocean: First Departure ever since finishing Fallout 3.  I am already at the part of the game when Cyuus joins the party.  I like the story so far.  I wish I knew more about it, but I am still at the beginning of the game, or that's what it feels like.  If the movie gallery is any indication, I am 4/7ths of the way finished in the game.  I really hope I am not nearly done with the game.  Though I wouldn't be surprised considering Birth By Sleep was also a short game.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 162: Playing in the cold.

It is really cold in my room, hence I have been playing more handheld games while sitting by the fire.  Games like Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and Star Ocean: First Departure have been in my hands a lot today.  But today, I got some blankets out and played Fallout 3 all bundled up while sitting on the floor.  I am almost finished with the main story.  I can almost taste those purified waters.

And really, that was the bulk of my day.  Sitting in a bunch of blankets while playing Fallout 3.  I am really considering moving my PS3 to another television in my house.  Since my room is on the other side of the house away from the fire, I don't spend as much time in there during the cold months.  I even sleep by the fire because it is too cold to sleep in my room.

Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 161: Unsettled Sleep

Shortly after settling down by the fire last night, I finished Birth By Sleep.  Here's the endgame stats I wrote down after finishing

Game Mode - Beginner
Report Completion - 58%
Enemies Defeated - 1725
Most Used Command - Curaga - 35x
Most Used Command Style - Critical Impact - 16x
Most Used D-Link - Aqua - 3x
Play Time - 12:57:01

It was a nice game.  I really liked it, despite it being shorter than other games.  I am going to count it complete for the challenge, bringing the total of complete games to 50 games!  That brings the completion percentage to 15.43%.  It's almost to where I predicted it would be at the beginning of the challenge (25%).  So, it's quite possible that I will get there before the year ends.

And one game that will be making it one step closer to that goal is Fallout 3.  I am now only four quests away from finishing the main story, and completing the game.  I will be so glad when I put Fallout 3 away for a while.  The father character is so annoying.

And finally tonight, in Final Fantasy VI, the party of Sabin and Shadow met up with Cyan and escaped from Doma Castle.  Now they are teamed up with ?????? (a ghost) on the Phantom Train in the woods.  I was told this evening that you can defeat the boss of this area by simply throwing a Phoenix Down at it.  I am definitely going to try that when I reach the Boss.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 160: Back in the Swing of things.

So, I am at the final battle in Birth By Sleep.  I was very surprised to actually get there, because I had only been playing the game for a total of eleven hours.  Most RPGs take me 40+ hours, so reaching the final battle so soon was a new experience for me.

I would probably be finished with the game if my PSP's battery didn't die on me.  I had one-half of one life bar left on Xehanort when it gave out.  I nearly cried because I was so close, and had the victory taken from me.  Oh well, I will just have to do it once the battery is done charging.

I also got some time in on Fallout 3.  I finally caught up to my character's father.  And just because I don't like him, I kept shooting him.  It wasn't fair, because I wanted him dead, but he came back to life seconds after he died.  Eventually, I stopped shooting and stopped playing the game.

And in Final Fantasy VI, the party has branched off into three parts.  I chose to go with Sabin first.  He met Shadow and has him as a party member now.  Currently, I am at the Empire's Camp in Doma.

Anyway, the plan for tomorrow is to finish Birth By Sleep.  After that, maybe Final Fantasy VI, maybe Fallout 3.  If I can finish the main story line of Fallout 3 tomorrow as well as Birth By Sleep, I will be so happy.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 159: No Reset this time.

Unfortunately, due to a death in our family, I will not be posting a gaming update this evening.  Regular updates will resume tomorrow.

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 158: Downpour

This will be a short update.

In Birth By Sleep, I am at Olympus Coliseum.  I don't know what will happen next.

In Final Fantasy VI, Edgar, Sabin, TERRA, and BANON are in a cave at the save point that the raft they were riding landed at.  Locke is on his way back to South Figaro to slow down the Empire's forces from reaching the Returners' hideout.

Now, I am going back to sleep.  Today was a good day, but turned into a bad day when a storm came up suddenly, and made working almost impossible.  I have already slept ten hours since I got back home, but I feel I could sleep ten or fifteen more.

So, that's all from me for now.   For the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 157: It feels like Springtime outside!

Today I played more Birth By Sleep.  Currently, I just finished the race against the Unversed and Captain Dark in DisneyTown.  It was a nice change of pace from the fighting and battles in the other worlds.  I especially like the Ice Cream Beat minigame.  The fruit one isn't bad either.

The day of the osu! Tournament is coming closer and closer.  The new news on my specific tournament is that there are only 5 players left.  One of them move to the Advanced level.  He chose to do it, so if wants to have less of a chance to win, then more power to him.  I don't play well enough to justify my current rank, so I am happy with being in the Beginner Tournament.  And anyway, I will probably stop playing osu!standard once the tournament is over.  It's way too hard for me to play exclusively.

I didn't play Final Fantasy VI at all today.  I meant to, but I didn't get around to it.  I will play after this entry is posted.

Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 156: I will not read the story! I will not spoil it!

The story of Birth By Sleep is starting to get really good.  I am tempted to scroll through the messages of a Skype group chat I am in to read what happens in the game.  Whenever the game and its story would come up, the others would be nice enough to ask me to not read the messages because it would spoil the game for me.  They like the game, and want my first time playing it to be great.  And it is great and I want to know what happens.  But I must resist.

Just like how I must resist watching the videos on YouTube of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.  The videos are taking over YouTube, what with the Japanese version being out and all.  I can resist the urge.

One way to do that is by actually playing the game more.  I am getting really proficient with the Ability Melding system.  I have several of the 2nd-tier magic spells, and quite a few elemental physical attacks.  I even have Curaga already.  And all of those have given me auto-abilities as well.

And then I can always continue playing Final Fantasy VI.  Locke, Edgar, and TERRA have finally met Sabin.  And now they are on their way to wherever it is they are going next.  I have gotten to the part of the game where they introduce Espers, but I don't remember much of it other than killing a city's residents by poisoning the water, and the weird train.  Anyway, I know that the party is about to split up.  That's about it.

I got a confirmation Email from Square Enix on the games I bought in their big Thanksgiving Sale.  They should arrive soon.  The last time I checked, everything was in Minnesota.  I think that's where they keep the stock though, since it's somewhat central for the U.S. and Canada (don't quote me, because I don't actually know).

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 155: A variety of games played to day!

I guess today was a nice day gaming-wise.  I played some Fallout 3 this morning, then Birth By Sleep in the afternoon, and Final Fantasy VI this evening.  And now I am writing about all of that, and I hope I can it mostly finished before it becomes tomorrow.

So, in Fallout 3 today, I got all the way to the GNR building, and then I died.  But luckily the autosave sent me really close to where I died, so I don't have a lot of back tracking to do.  I will just have to play it safer and not go in there wielding a Power Fist.  I got too happy with it and didn't notice I was running low on HP until I was dead.

In Birth By Sleep, I finally won a game on the Command Board.  I defeated Aqua and Ventus.  Now I am going to go up against Cinderella and hopefully win against her in the first try.  As for the story, I went and found all of the treasure chests at the place Yen Sid resides.  Now, I am not sure where to go.  I was so happy with winning on the command board that I was just clicking away when I should have been reading the text speak.

And finally in Final Fantasy VI, I ended up not completely starting over.  Rather, I kept TERRA as TERRA, and went with it.  Maybe there's an item somewhere in the game that allows me to change character names.  Here's hoping for a Namingway Card.  Anyway, I bought the items I wanted at the Figaro Palace, and now I am South Figaro.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 154: What to mention in a Gaming Blog.

First, I'd like to mention a few things that I have learned after having this gaming blog going for the last five months.  People really like it when you mention the following video games:

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto IV

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

There are others, but these three are the big games to get your gaming blog a lot of attention.  Also, it helps if you talk about newer games.  Yes, there will always be love for the PS1 generation of Final Fantasy games, but if you don't mention the newer ones once in a while, don't expect as many views.  Also, it is perfectly okay to take a day off from posting (especially if you advertise that it will be updated daily), though people like it more if they have advanced warning.  I have received messages asking if I was okay, if my Internet was fine, everything, just because I missed a day.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I hope if there is anyone interested in starting a gaming blog, that they enjoy everything about it.  And don't do it for the money.  It comes across in your entries, just like any other feeling.  If your sad when you post, your readers will know by the typing style.  I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to post your feelings.  I post aggravated a lot, especially when that aggravation is caused by a game I'm playing.  But your greed is probably the one "feeling" that I don't suggest you write with.

Now that that's done...

Today I started a game file for Final Fantasy VI.  And I have already done it completely wrong.  First off, I have Terra as TERRA.  This bugs me so much, because when I am reading text and a Pokémon or character do something, I will in my head say, "What are you doing, TERRA!" or "PIKACHU used THUNDER WAVE."  Like I am screaming at them or something. When I named Locke, Edgar, and Sabin, I named them Locke, Edgar, and Sabin.  But now it just looks out of place having Locke, Edgar, and TERRA in a battle against Leafers and Dark Winds.

Not only that, but I forgot to purchase the tools Edgar can use at the shop before the Desert Castle sunk under the sand.  Which while it is still manageable to win in battle, it's not as much variety, and not as much fun.  I am planning on starting over tomorrow.

I also continued the file of Birth By Sleep today.  I even completed the bit over at Snow White's world.  Now Terra is on his way back to wherever he came from to do whatever it is he needs to do.  You can really tell how much I am paying attention to the story.  I am just too hung up on how I still haven't won any of the Command Board games I have played.  I have access to two boards now, but I am determined to win at the first one with Ventus and Aqua before moving on to the one with Cinderella.

Well, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎

Day 153: A winner has been chosen.

I played a little Fallout 3 today.  Not much, because it was just a travelling game session.  I am on my way to the GNR building.  But then I took a detour in the metro tunnels and now I don't know where I am at.  All I know is that there were raiders shooting at me as soon as I exited the tunnels.  Now I am once again overencumbered and I have to decide what I should get rid of to lose the extra six pounds of weight I am carrying.

I carry my PSP around with me wherever I go, but lately all I do is use it as a flashlight while I walk through the house.  I just haven't had the motivation to continue Birth By Sleep.

I did some real life gaming this evening.  It doesn't really have much to do with the challenge and this blog, but it was important to me at the time.  I played billiards with my brother today.  And I didn't too bad.  I did lose overall, with a final score of 8-3.  Though the final results don't reflect how I play within each game, I managed to get to the final ball every time.  I play best at the beginning of a game.  I can almost clear the table, but then when it comes down to the last ball, I choke and become unable to play well.

However, I was very proud of how I did in the last game.  I was down to the 8-ball, and my brother had three balls left on the table.  I had one of my brother's balls between the cue ball and the 8-ball, but otherwise it would be a simple tap in order to get it in the pocket.  I had no choice but to jump over the obstacle.  And I managed to clear the jump, knock the 8-ball in and claim the win.  But in the end, I lost 8 of the 11 games we played.  It was still fun!

Well, tomorrow I am starting a playthrough of a Final Fantasy game.  I asked some Skype friends indirectly what I should play.  I had them choose a number between 1 and 13.  The result is that I will play Final Fantasy VI.  And between playing Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VI, I will try to find time to train for the tournament.  Anyway, that's all from me for now.  So, for the coming day, enjoy the games you play!

Michael, aka me3lingual, aka 情郎