Going Over the Records

There is one thing that will always sell.  A good memory.  You remind somebody of a wonderful childhood experience, they will buy whatever you put in front of them.  Final Fantasy Record Keeper is a fine example of this principal.

The entire idea behind the game is good memories.  You are in a library holding the records of all the greatest tales of your world, and surprise, surprise, they are the final fantasy games! 

But something has gone wrong, and now you, a brave librarian, must enter the records and set them right.  Fear not, though, young adventurer, you are not alone in your quest.  You are joined by the spectres of the heroes from the tales you are saving.

So, this game is all the nostalgia of your favorite FF games, without all the grinding and bothersome world-walking.  Also, abilities work different then they ever have for a FF game, and you are limited to two special abilities, and the basic attack and defense.  So even your spells and specials have to be strategically planned before entering the fray.  Honestly, I've been addictive playing this game for almost two years, and it just keeps getting more good stuff.  Check it out, it's one of the best free titles on Google Play. 

Click Till You Drop

So, I started down the dark and terrible path of Clicker Heroes almost a year ago, as something highlighted on Steam.  I really wish I hadn't.

Clicker Heroes, as the title suggests, is an idle click game, and so, by extension, not really much of a game at all.  It takes everything about an RPG battle system, and reduces it to clicking madly on a picture of a monster, or leaving it to die by auto-generated damage per second.

The real trouble is, this game is addicting.  Your get sucked in to the simplicity, the adorable characters, and the need to accomplish the many achievements the game offers you.  You come back to the game again and again just to see if you can finish things, then get frustrated and leave.  Then you come back.  Its a vicious cycle.

Another complaint I have, just having watched the game change over the last year, is the amount of change.  The game is not exactly the same one I started playing and got sucked into.  One recent change that has bothered me was the removing of buffs gained from achievements.  They used to give you +5% DPS per achievement, helping you move along through the game.  Now they are just badges, providing no benefit at all.  The developers also recently modified the Ancients, (statues that you can collect to help you do more damage and collect more gold), making them more complicated to work with by adding weird leveling requirements and even removing some Ancients.  And more changes; they've added Clans, Mercenaries, Transcending, the Powerbloop, Relics, Forge Cores (which still have no in game use), and many more minor things that just get overwhelming to keep track of.

All in all, Clicker Heroes has been a total waste of my time that I can't get away from, and feels more like a game beta than an actual complete game.  I did read in an in-game ad that they are working on Clicker Heroes 2, so maybe there is some hope for the second game.

Gonna Catch'em All

So, not going to say too much on the subject, be cause I'm not sure about the legality of things yet, but I've been putting some wear on my shoes trying to catch some Pokemon.

Skylanders

So, I spent time today convincing a fan of the old Spyro games that the Skylanders games, while not truly part of the Spyro seri3s, were still worth the time and investment to play.  A whole lot of talk, explaining, and debating didn't get anywhere near as far, though, as just plugging in the game and handing him a controller.  After the first level, he was hooked

Another Good One

So, since playing the game Ittle Dew by Ludosity, I've been eagerly awaiting a new title from the self-started game company, and there newest title didn't disappoint.  They have come out with a TCG game that has the feel of Triple Triad from FF8 and the gameplay of Konami's Yu-Gi-Oh console titles.  And as to be expected from Ludosity, there is plenty of parody and tongue-in-cheek humor.  If you grew up loving the Yu-Gi-Oh series, this game will make you laugh and challenge your skills all at the same time.

I'll be writing a bit more about it in issue #2 of Linux Gamer Monthly, so if you want to learn more before buying it yourself, check it out there.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

So, for Christmas I finally decided to ask for an upgrade to my DS system and move to a 3DS.  The options that Ms. Clause (my wife), had were a special edition Dream Team 3DS, or the 2DS bundled with either Pokemon X or Y.

She wanted to know which I wanted, and as tempting as the new Pokemon has been, I went with the M&L Dream Team.  And I couldn't have made a better choice.

As one of the off-shoots of Super Mario RPG, the M&L series has grown with its odd sense of sometimes subtle humor, and it's unique cast among the Mario Bros. franchise.   I  found myself getting sucked in to the usually ridiculous storyline and caught up in ancient war of the Pi'llo  people.

I have to say that over all, I really enjoyed M&L Dream Team, but the end was rather weak.  The final area is huge, but there are few amenities, and the grind is exhausting.

I would have to give the game four out of five arbitrary and meaningless stars.

A New Direction

So, now that I've had almost a year to play with Steam for Linux, have lost myself, and finally found my way back, I have to report that my time will be split further.  I'm starting another blog, and with it, a publication.  I'm taking the time to write and edit Linux Gamer Monthly, Blogger blog here.

As I have enjoyed writing this column devoted to all things gaming, I felt that gaming on the Linux platform needed some more careful attention, as the average gamer doesn't even know there is anything decent on the platform.  And now, with steam up to almost 500 titles on Linux, and other publishers finally testing the water, I feel the time is ripe to devote time to the subject.

The magazine will not lean heavy on working or playing on a Linux system, but will focus on games that are available on Linux, kind of like the old Nintendo Power.  I plan to add cool things like level walk-throughs and promo art, and since the largest part of the Linux games are indie, I've found a lot of support and encouragement from the developers.

I hope all of you will take the time to stop by the new blog and check out our line-ups from issue to issue, and if you find yourself caught up in the awesome, pick up the digital download from Digital Fruit.

Till next time, I tip my hat to you.