AFK Arena, A Beautiful Waste of Time [AFK Arena]

So, I am a gaming addict.  Not just video games, games in general, and I spend almost all of my time in some sort of escapism.  Mobile games make this even worse by allowing me to feel like I'm gaming, even when I'm not.  Case-in-point is the mobile title AFK Arena.

     AFK is a beautiful looking spectacle with cool and cute characters that seemed intentionally designed for cosplayers, and it has a decent, if forgettable, sound track.  Gameplay is where the game is really lacking, but for AFK, that's kind of the point.

     Probably more technically correct as AFS (away from screen), this game is designed from top to bottom to facilitate your laziness.  You can set the battles to auto-combat, you can skip raid battles after your first one for the day and just collect the rewards, you can mass gold and equipment just by waiting, along with player EXP.  You don't actually have to do anything.

     The largest gripe I have with this game though, after having played for almost a year, is the grind.  There is a point not long after starting where the drop rate of characters become absolutely debilitating, and progressing further in the game just stops.  If you don't pay, you just mindlessly throw yourself against the same battle over and over until you want to pull your hair out, or you get luck on a character draw.  And this is only getting worse with the addition of new characters.

     Over all this is a beautiful game, but I can't condone the underhanded money grab it becomes in-game.  It shouldn't take months tok progress a minimal amount in any video game, regardless of it revenue system.  I'd have to give this one a 2 out of 5.

FFRK Holiday Backdrop 2019

Here is 2019's Holiday Backdrop image.  I really love that every year we now get something different for the Holiday Backdrop, though I will still miss the first one.

An All New Studio

I really like being the first one to make a fuss about something in my local area,  and it's even better when it's something cool a friend has done.

My good buddy Jon Kenworthy finally did what we had all be telling him to do a few years back and got himself a job in game design.  That's old news, but proper introductions.  So after getting a job working for Google and living in the greater Seattle area, he and some friends went ahead and started their own video game studio, Games Folder.

Now to my point, they made a game and published it on the Google play app store.  Now, it's not the end-all-be-all, but I have to support a developer from our own backyard, and I want to see them succeed.  If your interested in helping them out, here is the link to the game:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.GamesFolderLLC.Chinchiroll

Well, that's what I've got for now, check back again soon.

Happy Wasteland Explorations!

So, Bethesda software has been getting a lot of crap lately for the disaster that is Fallout 76.  So I thought I could toss them a bone and highlight a great game they released a few years back that hasn't gotten the attention I think it deserves.  That game is Fallout Shelter.

Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play, resource gathering sim with some exploration and story elements thrown in for flavor.  Simple, silly, and all around easy to get into, this game probably isn't for diehard fanatics of the fancier console fare, but if you like Fallout and need something to play on your mobile device, this game is actually quite good.

And despite there being micro-transactions in it, you never really feel like it's a forced element of the game.  You can happily chug along, growing the residency of your vault without ever feeling like you need to buy something just to progress.  Which is nice.

Seeing as how it's a free mobile game, it's nice that Bethesda gives you three different save files, one of which can be cloud saved.  Other technical features I've appreciated;  easy to use menu structure, and good tutorial.  To many mobile games just toss you in and let you flounder.  It's frustrating.  This title doesn't do that.  Shelter makes sure you're on a decent footing before letting you loose in the world.

Other than that, I can't say anything really negative about Fallout: Shelter.  It's a solid free-to-play title with lots of character, and easy to comprehend gameplay.  It's nice and refreshing to play a Bethesda title that just works.

New FFRK Backdrop

Changed Nov 14, 2018 this is the latest FFRK background image:

This change in background corresponded to the launch of the Cardia Isle Record Dungeon event.  Its sort of a Thanksgiving event, with a feast dungeon, Magic Jar event, and a storyline series of dungeons.

FFRK New Backdrop

Here is the new backdrop for Final Fantasy Record Keeper.  It debuted on October 24:

Along with the background change there were also many event Halloween themed events

Revisiting: Pokémon GO

So, it's been over two years since I first reviewed Pokémon GO after my time as a beta tester, so I felt it might be time to give it a second chance.  My first review wasn't positive, and I'll admit I went into this with a skeptic's bias.

But then my kids found out I was really playing Pokémon while we were taking our family walks.  And then my wife got involved, and started jumping up levels with expert skill.  And then I discovered what was fun about Pokémon GO, and it wasn't in game at all.  Its community.

As my family has caught Pokémon fever thanks to GO, we have met people from all over the state.  We have conversations with our mail lady now because she caught us chasing down an Onix, and she was cheering us on.  We now see members of our city parks and rec staff.  This game seems to have never really been about playing a game, but about using a game to better us as people.  And I love that about it.

So really, I don't care much about advanced game functions, battling opponents, or trading being in the game.  It could stay just the way it is, and as long as new Pokémon appear, I'd still play it.  If those functions do get added, that's cool too.  New ways to interact with other humans is great.  I have to say that maybe what was wrong with GO initially wasn't the game, but me.