Back in the beginning of September I had a chance to finally sit down and play some of the Aion open beta. I had been kind of following the development and wanted to get in and play. Once the open beta started I set aside a few hours to see what the buzz was about. Overall, I wasn’t super impressed. Sure, the game looked nice but, it didn’t really grab me. Honestly, I already knew I wasn’t going to be buying the game since I don’t play MMO’s with monthly fees. It just wouldn’t make any sense when I already seem to struggle to find the time to play. Anyway, I managed to work my character up to level 12 or 13. During my play session I mostly saw the same old MMO-ish stuff “kill x of y” and “fetch” quests. Another thing that kind of disappointed me was the large wall of text at the opening of some of the quests, most people probably won’t even read it, other quests had a brief cut scene that didn’t seem all that great to me. I did have a fun time playing it just wasn’t enough to convince me to pay for the game and then the monthly fee. Maybe I’ll give it another shot once it goes free to play.

Scribblenauts (DS)

Scribblenuats has done something no other DS game has managed to do so far – convince Kris to pick it up and turn it on. I showed her the game one night and the next day she’s wandered into my office asking where the DS is. For me the game got old really fast, I probably won’t ever pick it up again, and Kris has since moved on to Peggle DS. So is Scribblenauts her gateway to gaming? Probably not, I think it just shows what a good concept the game was too bad it’s so boring. Oh, and Kris just unlocked Peggle Nights.

Plants vs Zombies (PC)
A friend of mine has been playing Plants vs. Zombies for quite a while now. Well, not as much playing now as tending to his Zen Garden. For some reason I had resisted picking it up from Steam. I’m not sure why, I just never bought it. Browsing through my RSS feeds while on a conference call the other day I read that PopCap had released a Flash version of the game. It was then that I realized this is the perfect work companion so, I immediately bought it through Steam. I finished my first run through adventure mode a few minutes ago.

The Witcher (PC)
Seeing the leaked video of The Witcher 2 made me want to jump back in and continue working my way through the game. It’s such a good action RPG, I really need to finish it up. I spent a couple of hours working my way through a few quests I had open. I’ve still got a way to go in the game but I’m working on it.

Persona 3 FES (PS2/PC)
The day before picking up Plants vs Zombies I found myself with some downtime at work and really wanted to play some Persona. However, I didn’t feel like dragging out the spare TV and setting it up in the office. I knew I should have bought that TV tuner card. So, I made an ISO out of my Persona 3 FES disc and started playing with the latest build of PCSX2. I didn’t even play too far in since I really wanted to continue the game I have already started but still too lazy to drag the TV into the office. Now I’ve got too saves and still have 100+ hours of RPG to go through…

Dominion (Tabletop)

I’ve been hearing about Dominion and never really knew what to think about it after all, the descriptions I heard were pretty odd. Well, I finally had a chance to sit down and play a couple of games and it was pretty fun. Fun enough in fact that we may even play it again.

God of War II (PS2)

Having to walk into the living room to use the PS2 has proved difficult over the last couple of weeks as I’m not much further in God of War II then when I last wrote about it. If I don’t get back to it soon I’m going to have to add it to the unfinished pile.

The Witcher (PC)

I’ve spent most of the month working my way through The Witcher. I had started playing a while back but, when I moved everything over to my new computer I had some issues with my save games. Which was kind of annoying but, I was able to catch back up to where I was in no time. The recently announced update brought the game to the front of my unfinished games list. This is one that I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze in enough time over the next week or so to finish it up. I’ve just begun chapter 3, out of a total of five, and am still really enjoying the game. I’m glad that I decided to get back into this – it’s a great game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)

Atlus US has just released it’s first Shin Megami Tensei game onto the DS. I’ve spent a little bit of time with it and so far it’s been pretty good. In the beginning it feels kind of like The World Ends With You but that passes pretty quickly once the game gets moving. I haven’t really played enough to pass judgment on it yet but, I can say I fused a Jack Frost yesterday. I have a feeling it’s going to turn into a major grind game but, I’m going to try and stick it out.

According to Steam I currently own 76 games. Out of those games there are 22 titles that have a clear start and an end, which I have yet to finish. There are a couple I do want to get back to like, Beyond Good and Evil, Indigo Prophecy and definitely The Witcher. The others I want to finish at some point I’m just not in a rush to get back to them. On the PS2 side of things I really need to finish up ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, as well as Killzone. Then there are games I doubt I’ll ever actually finish, like Persona 3 (not to mention FES), Persona 4 and Devil Summoner 2. I just don’t have the time to give Atlus titles what they deserve. I feel a bit better about not working on Persona 4 that much more since I’ve caught a few random episodes of Giant Bomb’s Endurance Run.

I need to check out the Xbox 360 back catalog and see if there are some console exclusives that I want to go back and play. I say console exclusives because lately due to Steam, and buying a new computer, I’ve finally swung back around to being more of a PC gamer. Not that I ever stopped playing games on the PC it’s just that I find myself turning on my 360 less and less. Also, I have to figure by the time I pick up a PS3 it will probably have a OK library of exclusives as well. I’m thinking maybe I’ll do a full catalog of games I haven’t finished and start forcing my way through.

Oh, and I did pick up Mirror’s Edge… so the Steam game count is up to 77.

I picked up God of War a while back when the hype train for the third iteration was building. It took a little while for me to beat it since I would play in short bursts, maybe one or two save points, whenever I could fit it in. Released way back in 2005 there isn’t much new to add to the discussion about it. I had a great time playing it and recommend it to anyone looking for an action game fix. Once it was over I really wanted more…

God of War II (PS2)

The PS2 didn’t even have time to cool down before I put in God of War II, I booted it immediately after the credits of the first came to a close. That being said I’m not very far in it yet since I’m still playing with the schedule that I used with the original. It’s great to be able to see the improvements made over the first game without having to wait through the actual development cycle. So far everything feels pretty epic. It’s probably going to be at least a month or so before I work my way all the way through.

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II (PC)

Speaking of finishing games. I bought Dawn of War II on Steam and much to my surprise finished the campaign mode. I have to say I really enjoy breaking away from the normal RTS staple of base building. My favorite part of the game is the length of the missions. Most of the missions can be finished in fifteen minutes or so, some much faster if you push it. As usual though I haven’t had too much time to play multiplayer. I did get in a few games though and it was pretty fun. Once I’ve finished off some of these other games maybe I’ll dedicate more time to that.

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (PC)

I was real excited for Tales of Valor to come out. I bought it on release day and waited through crap download speeds from Steam to get it. To be honest, I wish I had waited. It wasn’t until I reached the end of the first story arch, I was just getting into it starting to enjoy myself and just like that it was over. So, I started up the next chapter, I guess it could be called. I’m not sure how long it was but, before I know it, it was over. Ever since then I’ve been dreading going back to the game. There is one chapter left and I really just get it over with. Anyway, this one is a definite wait till the price drops release unless, your really into multiplayer CoH, which I’m not.

So far, I’ve only put a little time into Killzone, since I’m going to work through each title before starting the next. Killzone, came out back in 2004 right around the time Halo 2 came out, in fact I think it was the same week. Since, I didn’t own a PS2 back then I didn’t really pay much attention. I do remember a fair amount of hype surrounding the game, can’t remember what the hype was about but, I do remember that the game didn’t quite live up to it in some reviewers eyes.

I’m only around thirty minutes into the game so it’s not fair to start judging it yet so we’ll have to wait and see how it goes. Maybe I’ll post a follow up after I make it through a couple of chapters. For now though it’s time to get back and fight off the invading Helghast forces.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online (PC)

The day Siliconera ran, what was at the time a rumor, about Imagine coming to the US by way of Aeriagames I decided it was time I finally checked out Imagine Online.  After a bit of searching, I was able to track down a wiki page that had all the info needed to get up and running.  I haven’t put too much time into it since, it’s a bit difficult to play since I can’t read Japanese.  I could just use a walk through but whats the fun in that.  I probably will shelve this though and wait for the US release to come along.

Persona 3: FES (PS2)

I’m still working my way through the first part of Persona 3.  I’ve been slowly grinding through the levels and finally got around to fusing my frist demons to get Jack Frost.  I’m still really enjoying the game.  I still have mountains of work left to do in the game and even after that, I still have the FES portion to do.  Expect to see this here a few dozen more times.

Max Payne (PC)

All Rockstar games were on sale this weekend, over on Steam, so in a moment of weakness I decided to pick up the Max Payne collection.  After all, I need to be ready for when the movie comes out (hah).  I’m already on to into the second part of the story – although I can’t remember how many where in it total.  I figure with a couple of more sessions I’ll have this beat.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (360)

A friend of mine picked this up the week it came out, went home to play it and just moments before taking control of Darth Vader was treated instead to the “Red Ring of Death”.  That’s right I finally know someone who has encountered this problem.  So, I managed to get my hands on the the game since, I wasn’t about to actually buy it.  Like most people I really enjoyed the demo when it came out.  So, I was looking forward to the game.  I’ve only played a couple of levels – starting as Vader was pretty awesome.  There is nothing like force choking wookies and then throwing them off a bridge – I could have done that for hours.  Unfortunately, there are a couple of little things that just don’t feel right in the game.  I found myself fighting with the camera a bit more then I feel I should have and the enemy AI is a bit spotty at times.  My biggest gripe with the game – and it may be just a technical issue – but when Vader attacks a fern (or any number of objects) with a light saber that fern better take damage…

Parasite Eve (PSX)

It’s been such a long time since I’ve played this,  I can’t even remember if I ever beat it.  Anyway, thanks to an incredibly slow work week I managed to play up to Day 5: Liberation.  If this next week stays just as slow I’ll be able to finish it off.  Parasite Eve is a great RPG one you should go back and revisit if you have the means.  It’s such a massive departure from the Final Fantasy series, that’s probably what appeals to me the most.  I think I’ll pick up a copy of Hideaki Sena’s novel, which from what I understand is fantastic.  That reminds me I still have to pick up a copy of Birthday…

Company of Heros: Opposing Fronts (PC)

It’s been a while since I’ve played COH and I noticed this weekend that the expansion pack Opposing Fronts had finally dropped below $29.99 on Steam.  So, I picked it up and immediately rejoined the fight.  I really want to see Company Of Heros Online.  I’m not sure it will see a US release, for now it looks as if it is only being release in Korea and China as free to play.  Free to play and microtransaction games starting to gain a foot hold here in the US but, we still may not see a release here.  Even if we don’t see see the Online game it is possible we will be seeing another expansion soon.

Team Fortress 2 (PC)

Heavy!  Actually, I haven’t played Heavy since the update.  I started to play last night and then noticed the Opposing Fronts price drop.  But, I swear I’m devoting some time to it this afternoon.

Persona 3: FES (PS2)

I’ve only been able to squeeze in a little bit of time leveling since returning to work after my whole broken wrist saga.  I didn’t play enough of Persona or any of Persona 2 but, it appears that all of the games are not connected – one of these days I need to seek out a Persona wiki and read up on what the hell is going on.

Final Fantasy IV (NDS)

Not too much to say about this – it’s a updated release of a classic game.  I’m currently about half way through and not sure exactly when I’ll be finishing it since I don’t have to commute to work anymore.

On Sunday, I was able to knock Persona 3: FES off the list as well. I’ve managed to make it up to level 12 in the tower after only five and a half hours of game play. In game, I’ve also joined the kendo club and student council, heh. I’m not sure if I’ll beat this one considering the main story and the add-on clock in at over 100 hours of game play. Heck I’m not sure if or when I’ll beat any of them once I get back to my regular work schedule.

• Shadow of the Colossus
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
• Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection
  
• God of War
• Okami
• Devil May Cry
• Final Fantasy XII
• Ico
• Katamari Damacy

Again, if anyone has any suggestions on additions let me know.

Other then my time playing Space Invaders Extreme, I haven’t been gaming all that much.  While I have played to much I have picked up a couple of games on Steam.  With all the news of Beyond Good and Evil 2 from Ubidays I decided I should probably go back and finish the first one.  Since, I lost my copy for Xbox long ago Steam was the obvious place to get it.  Of course, I haven’t made it past the point Jade recieves the mission to take pictures yet.

I also picked up a copy of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One.  The longest video game name that I can think of is a pretty decent game.  It is a point and click adventure role playing game.  Which almost makes me wish there was a version on the DS as well, since I would love to play on the train.  I’m actually a bit glad I’m not just playing through in one sitting since, it seems to have fallen into the “kill x number of y” game play mechanic pretty early in the game – Steam reports that I’ve played for about 1.3 hours.  I have faith that it will break free of that as the time goes on – I hope.

Other games I’ve played for more then ten minutes include: Metal Gear Soild (ePSXe), Resident Evil 4 (Wii) and Shadow of the Colossus (PS2).

It’s been around for quite a while now, Sony’s PlayStation 2. Yet for some reason I never made room on my shelf for one – until now. Target has decided to celebrate my birthday by lowering the already low price of the PS2 to $99. That’s just the thing I said it would take for me to dive in and finally get the dying system. Now, that I’ve got the PS2 it’s time to start working on a PS2 pile of shame. I found a copy of Shadow of the Colossus on a nearby shelf so, I’ve got a good start I think. Unfortunately, Target was out of memory cards so a quick trip to eBay was in order. Hopefully, the card will be here tomorrow. I did, however, start the game and defeat the first Colossus. It’s a good start of what looks to be a great game. As if I don’t already have enough games that I need to find the time to play here is the start of my pile of shame list:

• Shadow of the Colossus
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
  
• God of War
• Okami
• Devil May Cry
• Final Fantasy XII
• Ico
• Katamari Damacy

Anyone out there have any other suggestions?

*edit* Added Katamari Damacy and updated Persona 3 to the recently announced Persona 3 FES.