In late 2012, I switched this blog to WordPress and a proper domain. I had a job now, so I decided to finance my hobby a bit more. In early 2013, I decided on a team and decided to at least try and stick to it. This has been working out so far.
In June of 2013, I decided to reduce the frequency of my postings and focus on quality. From now on, my regular updates will be on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. I might add a few extra posts between those days every now and then, but none of them will be the regular updates.
Of course, this year is still in progress, so this page will definitely get updated.
List of Games I’ve Played in 2013
- Babel Rising
- Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
- Dota 2
- Game Dev Story
- Gothic
- Grandia
- Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
- Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
- Path of Exile
- Pixel Dungeons
- Pokemon Crystal
- Pokemon Yellow
- Pokemon Platinum
- Pokemon Ruby
- Populous 3: The Beginning
- Tomba! AKA Tombi!
- Vagrant Story
- Warlords Battlecry 3
- The Witcher
Babel Rising
Babel Rising is a very strange physics puzzle game, which sort of reminds me of a tower defense game, but not really. I’ts very difficult for me to place it in a specific genre, but it wasn’t at all difficult for me to rate it. I did not like Babel Rising. It was a pretty game, but it wasn’t a fun game. I really can’t say I enjoyed it at all. That being said, I played through it because it was short and it was on my steam account, so I at least wanted to be able to tag it as “Completed”.
Also, I got it for free so, as Tim(xexyz) mentioned in the comments, I guess it was worth the price.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
I’ve completed Crash Bandicoot 2 in 2012, but I decided to go for 100% completion in early 2013. I even wrote some guides about how to do it.
- [2012] Crash Bandicoot 2 – Cortex Strikes Back
- [2012] Crash Bandicoot 2 – Cortex Strikes Back, Completed!
- Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back – 100% Completed
- Crash Bandicoot 2: Gem and Secret Level Guide
Dota 2
I had a brief return to Dota 2 in 2013, but I soon realized this game does the same thing to me that World of Warcraft did – it sucks way too much of my time with very little to show for it. Because of that, I promptly uninstalled it, just to stop myself from going back to the game.
Game Dev Story
Game Dev Story is the second “proper” Android game I’ve played through, though I’m not sure if I should call Hill Climb Racing proper. It’s a fun, though very simple and shallow simulation game where you run a game development studio. I actually went all hardcore on it, tried to write down as much data as I could for future progeny and made it all available here. It’s not of GameFAQs quality, but it’s pretty decent, I think.
- Game Dev Story [1] – The Hype Got Me!
- Game Dev Story [2] – Game Over for Sunny Studios
- Game Dev Story [3] – New Game Plus
- Game Dev Story [4] – Good Combos, Bad Combos
- Game Dev Story [5] – Character Data
Gothic
GOG.com has been striking me hard this year, it seems. Gothic was another game I pirated back in the day, never really played through, but absolutely loved. When it was on sale on GOG.com, I needed to have it. It’s a lengthy game, so it took me a few postings to finish it, but I did it and I enjoyed it a lot.
The game has issues on Windows 8, which I’ve mostly managed to fix thanks to some research, so if you’re playing it on that OS, be sure to check out my first posting, where I wrote a guide on how to fix it.
- Gothic [0] – Making the Game Work on Windows 8
- Gothic [1] – Intro and the Old Camp
- Gothic [2] – Hunting, Smithing and the Swamp Camp
- Gothic [3] – Questing and the New Camp
- Gothic [4] – Monster Slaying
- Gothic [5] – Impressing the Brotherhood and the Old Camp
- Gothic [6] – The Old Mine and the Shadows
- Gothic [7] – More Monster Slaying and Y’Berion
- Gothic [8] – The Minecrawler Queen
- Gothic [9] – The Goblin Cave and the Orc Cemetery
- Gothic [10] – Helping the New Camp
- Gothic [11] – The Last Two Focus Stones
- Gothic [12] – Finding Xardas
- Gothic [13] – The Plot Thickens
- Gothic [14] – The Plot Resolves?
- Gothic [15] – Not Quite There Yet
- Gothic [16] – Back Outside
- Gothic [17] – Uriziel, Ore Armor and a Finished Game
Grandia
Grandia is one of my childhood favorite JRPGs. I decided to go back to it to enjoy it for one more time and to refresh my memory, before possibly moving on to the sequels. It took ma a while, but I’ve completed it through sporadic play on the PSP and, a few times, on a PC emulator.
- Grandia [1] – Finally
- Grandia [2] – A ghost ship and then from New Parm to the village of Luc
- Grandia [3] – Over the End of the World
- Grandia [4] – Saving Gumbo Village
- Grandia [5] – To the PC and Back Again (The Twin Towers Freeze)
- Grandia [6] – Pirate’s Island and the Virgin Forest
- Grandia [7] – The Tower of Doom
- Grandia [8] – Soldier’s Graveyard
- Grandia [9] – Castle of Dreams, Zil Padon and Laine
- Grandia [10] – Lower Laine Village
- Grandia [11] – The Shrine of Zil Padon
- Grandia [12] – Grandeur, Laine and the Rainbow Mountains
- Grandia [13] – Luzet Mountains and J Base
- Grandia [14] – The Tower of Temptation (with Maps)
- Grandia [15] – Gaia [COMPLETED]
- Late Review: Grandia, Years Later
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver is a game I had some very minor experience with as a kid on the PlayStation, but never really played, because I didn’t like even remotely scare games back then. I returned to the series through Defiance when I started this blog, but that ended badly as well. I did enjoy the atmosphere, though, so I decided to give it another shot when the game was discounted on GOG.com. I did not regret it. This game is absolutely great!
- Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver [1] – GOG.com Wins Again
- Soul Reaver [2] – The Sanctuary, Kain and the Cathedral
- Soul Reaver [3] – Killing Zephon and Going Further
- Soul Reaver [4] – Tomb of the Serafan and Morlock
- Soul Reaver [5] – The Drowned Abbey and Rahab
- Soul Reaver [6] – Exploration, The Ash Village, a Bug and Dumah
- Soul Reaver [7] – Oracle Caves and Kain [COMPLETED]
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Link’s Awakening was the first Legend of Zelda game that I actually played when it was current, thank’s to a friend who somehow owned a GameBoy. I never finished it back then and I didn’t quite understand it, but at least some nostalgia was involved when I played through it in 2013. It’s the third game of my Legend of Zelda challenge and I greatly enjoyed playing through it.
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening [0] – A Story
- Link’s Awakening [1] – Tail Cave
- Link’s Awakening [2] – The Bottle Grotto
- Link’s Awakening [3] – Getting ready for the Key Cavern
- Link’s Awakening [4] – The Key Cavern
- Link’s Awakening [5] – Finding the Angler’s Key
- Link’s Awakening [6] – The Angler’s Tunnel
- Link’s Awakening [7] – Preparing for the Catfish’s Maw
- Link’s Awakening [8] – The Catfish’s Maw
- Link’s Awakening [9] – Exploring With the Hook Shot
- Link’s Awakening [10] – The Face Shrine
- Link’s Awakening [11] – Towards and Through the Eagle’s Tower
- Link’s Awakening [12] – Turtle Rock
- Link’s Awakening [13] – The Wind Fish Egg [COMPLETED]
Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
This one is still in progress.
It’s a 1986 game, which means it’s as old as I am. The interface is clunky, the controls suck, but the amount of depth and fun this game offers amazes me. I’m not sure how long it will take me to complete it, but I fully intend to do it. It’s just pure fun.
Be sure to check out the first post to see how to make the GOG versions of the first six games portable and playable from a flash drive.
- Might and Magic Book One [0] – The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
- Might and Magic Book One [1] – Dying in Sorpigal
- Might and Magic Book One [2] – The Dungeon below Sorpigal
- Might and Magic Book One [3] – Dying in Sorpigal Wilderness
- Might and Magic Book One [4] – The Cave Near Sorpigal, Take 1
- Might and Magic Book One [5] – The Cave Near Sorpigal, Take 2
- Might and Magic Book One [6] – Portsmith
- Might and Magic Book One [7] – Orc Town Below Portsmith and Some Thoughts
- Might and Magic Book One [8] – Portsmith Wilderness (B-3)
- Might and Magic Book One [9] – Portsmith Wilderness and Cave (B-3)
- Might and Magic Book One [10] – Erliquin
- Might and Magic Book One [11] – B-1 Area Around Erliquin
- Might and Magic Book One [12] – Castles Blackridge
- Might and Magic Book One [13] – Raven’s Lair and Korin Bluffs
- Might and Magic Book One [14] – Eastward, to Dusk
- Might and Magic Book One [15] – Science Fiction
- Might and Magic Book One [16] – Sex Change and Ruby Whistles
- More to come…
Path of Exile
Diablo 3 was out, so everyone was saying how much Path of Exile was better and more like Diablo 2. I wasn’t jumping on the bandwagon, but I decided to give both games a fair chance. The verdict? Both games are good games which approach things differently. The problem is, it looks like I grew out of the basic premise. Neither Path of Exile, nor Diablo 3 sucked me in as much as Diablo 2 did. At this point, I’m not sure Diablo 2 could do it anymore.
Pixel Dungeon
This one will probably always be in progress.
Pixel Dungeon is a roguelike made specifically for a touch screen, so it plays great on my phone. It’s also completely free with no strings attached, which is awesome. I’ve been playing it very sporadically, but there isn’t much to write about, so I’m gathering data for bigger postings.
- Pixel Dungeon [1] – First Impressions
- More to come…
Pokemon Crystal
Pokemon Crystal was my choice for the second generation game in my Ash Challenge. It was basically generation 2.5, with a lot of added stuff and some smoothing around the edges, compared to the first two games of the generation.
- Pokemon Crystal [0] – Preparation
- Pokemon Crystal [0.5] – Attack Plan
- Pokemon Crystal [1] – Finally!
- Pokemon Crystal [2] – Expanding the Team
- Pokemon Crystal [3] – Ecruteak City Gym
- Pokemon Crystal [4] – Olivine Lighthouse
- Pokemon Crystal [5] – Lake of Rage and Mahogany Gym
- Pokemon Crystal [6] – To the Pokemon League!
- Pokemon Crystal [7] – The League Won!
- Pokemon Crystal [8] – How to Get all the Pokemon Ash Caught in the Anime
Pokemon Platinum
With the fourth generation of my Ash Challenge, I went with Pokemon Platinum, mostly because it was the second edition game of the fourth generation, so I though it would be a more polished product.
- Pokemon Platinum [0] – How to Follow Ash – The Plan
- Pokemon Platinum [0.5] – How to Edit DeSmuME Saves and Add Pokemon
- Pokemon Platinum [1] – The Beginning, The First Gym and to Eterna City
- Pokemon Platinum [2] – From Eterna Gym to Hearthome City
- Pokemon Platnum [3] – Hearthome and Veilstone Gym
- Pokemon Platinum [4] – Pastoria Gym and Celestic Town
- Pokemon Platinum [5] – The Iron Island, Canalave and Snowpoint
- Pokemon Platinum [6] – The Sunyshore Gym and the Victory Road
- Pokemon Platinum [7] – The Sinnoh League [COMPLETED]
Pokemon Ruby
For the third generation of my Ash Challenge, I picked Pokemon Ruby, though I didn’t have a special reason for it, except that I played Emerald relatively recently and also watched a really good YouTube let’s play of it, so I didn’t go with that one.
- Pokemon Ruby [0] – The Plan
- Pokemon Ruby [0.5] – Generation III Save Editor
- Pokemon Ruby [1] – All the Way to Petalburg Gym, A Day Off
- Pokemon Ruby [2] – Getting to the Pokemon League
- Pokemon Ruby [3] – The GameBoy Advance Chapter Is Over
Pokemon Yellow
Pokemon Yellow was my choice for the first generation game in my Ash Challenge, for obvious reasons – Yellow was made to follow the anime more closely.
- Pokemon Yellow [1] – The First Part of the Challenge
- Pokemon Yellow [2] – Completing the Starter Set
- Pokemon Yellow [3] – I didn’t catch a Snorlax
- Pokemon Yellow [4] – Late Game Stuff
- Pokemon Yellow [5] – The League
- Pokemon Yellow [6] – The End
- Pokemon Yellow [7] – How to Get All the Pokemon Ash Caught
Populous 3: The Beginning
I started Populous: The Beginning in late 2012 and completed it in January 2013. I bought it on GOG when it was on a discount, so I simply had to play it. I loved it as a kid on my PlayStation, but I never completed it back then. This time, I rectified this mistake.
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [1]
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [2]
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [3]
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [4] – Levels 7 and 8
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [5] – Level 9
- [2012] Populous: The Beginning [6] – Levels ten and eleven
- Populous: The Beginning [7] – 12 and 13
- Populous: The Beginning [8] – 14 and 15
- Populous: The Beginning [9] – 16 and 17
- Populous: The Beginning [10] – Head Hunter [18] and Unlikely Allies [19]
- Populous: The Beginning [11] – Archipelago [20] and Fractured Earth [21]
- Populous: The Beginning [12] – Solo [22] and Inferno [23]
- Populous: The Beginning [13] – Completed!
Tomba! AKA Tombi!
Tomba!, the way the west knows it, or Tombi!, the way Europe knows it is a strange combination of a Platforming and an Adventure game. You play in a 2.5D world with different planes of depth and your goal is to jump around, kill enemies and solve puzzles by using items and talking to people. I had the demo as a kid, but never the full version. I’m not sure why I started playing it, but it was definitely an enjoyable experience.
- Tomba! [1] – A Challenger Appears!
- Tomba! [2] – I Can’t Remember a Thing!
- Tomba! [3] – Tying up Things
- Tomba! [4] – Phoenix Mountain, Herbs and Leaf Butterflies
- Tomba! [5] – The Evil Green Pig
- Tomba! [6] – The Evil Jungle Pig and More
- Tomba! [7] – The Hidden Village
- Tomba! [8] – The Snowball Effect
- Tomba! [9] – Two Evil Pigs Defeated
- Tomba! [10] – All Evil Pigs Defeated!
- Tomba! [11] – The Real Evil Pig, The Flower Tower and the GoGoCar
Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story is a very complicated, but also very interesting game. Because of that, it had some success, but not as much as it deserved. I own a physical copy which I played as a kid, but never got far in. This time, I aim to complete it, at least once.
Warlords Battlecry 3
I’ve owned both the first and the second Warlords Battlecry games, though in German. I never officially owned Warlords Battlecry 3, so when the game was on sale on GOG.com, I decided to go for it. Back in the day, I never got far in this game, but this time, I stuck to it and finished it.
- Warlords Battlecry 3 [1] – Another Good Old Game
- Warlords Battlecry 3 [2] – A Restart, An Assassin
- Warlords Battlecry 3 [3] – Gorgon and the Three Keys
- Warlords Battlecry 3 [4] – Gorgon Locked and Buried [COMPLETED]
The Witcher
The Witcher was the second game that I started in late 2012, but completed in early 2013. I’ve actually been restarting this game several times over the years, but this was the first time I’ve completed it.
- [2012] The Witcher [1] – A New, New Beginning
- [2012] The Witcher [2] – Outskirts of Vizima
- [2012] The Witcher [3] – Digging Deep
- [2012] The Witcher [4] – Digging Deeper
- [2012] The Witcher [5] – The Salamandra
- [2012] The Witcher [6] – It takes up too much of my time
- [2012] The Witcher [7] – Exploring the Area
- [2012] The Witcher [8] – Exploring the Area, For Real
- [2012] The Witcher [9] – Playing an RPG
- [2012] The Witcher [10] – Retracing Steps
- [2012] The Witcher [11] – Creature of the Night
- [2012] The Witcher [12] – New Places
- [2012] The Witcher [13] – The Swamp
- [2012] The Witcher [14] – Back in Town
- [2012] The Witcher [15] – All Over the Place
- [2012] The Witcher [16] – New Discoveries
- [2012] The Witcher [17] – Getting Close to the Next Chapter
- [2012] The Witcher [18] – Chapter III
- [2012] The Witcher [19] – Lots of Talking and Fighting
- [2012] The Witcher [20] – Chapter IV
- [2012] The Witcher [21] – Exploration
- [2012] The Witcher [22] – Still in Chapter IV
- The Witcher [23] – Wrapping Up Chapter IV
- The Witcher [24] – Completed
