This blog runs on the PS2’s EmotionEngine. Boggy is somewhere on the spectrum between Mitsuri’s boob window and Greg’s tea kettle.
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.
…Yuri Review: Adachi and Shimamura
Main Characters
Adachi to Shimamura
Backflap Summary
Shimamura’s not really into the social scene at school. So when she cuts class and heads to her usual spot in the gym, the last thing she wants to see is another girl there making herself at home. Somehow, though, the awkward, silent moments they share keep bringing them closer… But when Adachi starts wanting something more, Shimamura finds the line between friends and girlfriends getting thinner and thinner…
…Yuri Review: After Hours
Main Characters
Afutā Awāzu
Backflap Summary
Asahina Emi, an ordinary girl dragged along to a club by a friend, has a chance encounter with Kei, a savvy, fashionable, vinyl-collecting lesbian and what unfolds a heart-throbbing, shimmering tale of girl meets girl against the backdrop of Tokyo’s vibrant nightlife scene.
Volume 1 Review
Have you ever had a terrible night at a club? Where your friends don’t show up and a disgusting man tries to pick you up? What if a dreamy, confident woman stepped in to save you, took you by the hand and asked you to join her as you run amok in the city? Set in the nightlife of a city, After Hours follows the main character Emi as love interest Kei pushes her further and further out of her comfort zone. With each new experience, introverted Emi builds her aspirations and confidence, growing closer to Kei.
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