This blog runs on the PS2’s EmotionEngine. Boggy is somewhere on the spectrum between Mitsuri’s boob window and Greg’s tea kettle.
A Love Letter to Mass Effect 2
I rolled credits on Mass Effect 2 mere minutes ago. The final mission had my heart racing. Not only were the action elements intense and fast-paced, but the pressure placed on Shepard to save each crew member added to every emotion. Surprising myself, I had a bout of nostalgia wave over me as I was asked to pick my final squad to finish the fight.
I chose Tali and Garris.
…Game Selection Methodology
I think this is a deceptively easy question. Wouldn’t you just play what you have? Why not just pick a game from your Steam library at random? Isn’t there something you’ve been wanting to play? Shoot, you could even pull up a top games list and just start from there.
That may work for some people, but I have bad habits and a lot of psychological blocks to clearing my catalog.
…Lessons Learned from an XCOM First-Timer
When I look back at my gaming’s past, I don’t see many tactics games. While my earliest memories consist of sitting on a step-stool next to the family’s computer to watch my dad play Commandos on a CRT monitor, I was swept up into Maplestory and Halo and never turned back. At some point I began to associate tactics games, like XCOM, with a specific “type” of gamer. Those that reveled in the nitty-gritty of dice rolls and strict adherence to DnD protocol. It seemed to suck the fun out of turn-based combat. They also looked annoyingly difficult and niche. So, I poured another thousand hours into Diablo II. In late 2023 as I took on The Video Game Backlog (TM), I decided to boot-up XCOM: Enemy Unknown fully expecting to shut it off in frustration and move onto a more familiar genre.
…Boggy Does Not Recommend: Inmost
Release Year: 2019
Reading Year: FA2023
Developer/Publisher: Hidden Layer Games/Chucklefish
Time to Beat: ~3 Hours
Thoughts: A cinematic and atmospheric indie game with incredible pixel art and music/sound design! I found the ambiguity of the story and non-linear vignettes to be quite intriguing. Ending did not stick the landing for me.
…Boggy Recommends: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Release Year: 1996
Reading Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: Square/Nintendo
Time to Beat: 7 Hours
Thoughts: I am not a fan of Mario games, but this one won me over. Somehow Square Enix was able to take the dull and intentionally flat character of Mario and make him funny. I can’t get over how funny this game is. The way the characters use physical humor or impersonation to make their jokes with no dialogue. It feels reminiscent of Scooby-Doo. I was always so surprised each time I would have a long/important dialogue interaction because I would always be cracking up. I can’t overstate how strange, odd, and fun the characters and story are.
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