Currently Playing

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (PS3)

ESRB Rating: E10+

This is a LOT of fun! It takes scenes from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and turns them into action scenes to play in the game. Basically, this game retells the movies LEGO style and comes with the music score from the movies.

It’s easy to play (perfect for relaxing!) and often quite funny. The puzzles are varied and logical (so far, at least) + there are secrets to discover, lots of goodies to attain and lots of characters to play.

Here’s a trailer:

As the trailer says, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures are similar to LEGO Star Wars, which I liked a lot, too.

At the moment, I’m much more likely to play LEGO Indiana Jones than Final Fantasy XIII. I can’t get into FF XIII. Or maybe it’s not the game, it’s my age and I’m just too old for investing a lot of time playing games.

* * * ~ * * *

I recently read Sarah Mayberry’s Hot Island Nights and liked it a lot, especially the heroine’s character. I didn’t expect it, but it’s now one of my favorite novels by Mayberry.

Currently Playing: “Final Fantasy XIII”

I’m just a few hours in so I can’t say much about the game. So far, I’m actually a bit confused about what’s going on because all kinds of strange terms are used – l’Cie,” “fal’Cie,” “Cie’th,” or “Gran Pulse” and I find it damn hard to remember what they mean.

Here’s what I think I know: the game is set in a world called Cocoon. It’s a gigantic sphere and outside its shell is some kind of netherworld known as Gran Pulse. Fal’Cie are otherworldly beings and there are two kinds: the Fal’Cie and the Pulse Fal’Cie. Pulse Fal’Cie are considered dangerous and people who come into contact with one are viewed as infected and called l’Cie. The game starts when government troops take care of a whole village whose people are suspected to be infected by a Pulse Fal’Cie. Some civilians resist because they suspect they face more than just an evacuation. That’s the grand scale.

Then there are the individual characters who make up your party and most of them have a more specific reason why they fight the government troops. For example, one of the l’Cie is the fiancée of one character and the sister of another and they try to save her.

First impressions: Final Fantasy XIII reminds me a bit of Final Fantasy VII (the design of the city, fighting against the government) and Final Fantasy X (the characters’ looks, personality). There’s a bit of romance. But the female character (the one that got infected) looks rather child-like when she’s standing beside her boyfriend, so I can’t bring myself to really care about them. Actually, all female characters so far look a bit on the anorexic side, IMO. The game also seems very linear so far. No exploring, just following the path the developers want you to take. Oh, and the battle system is fast and I think my best option is to just press one button. (Or maybe I just need to get the hang of it.)

In short: great graphics; a slightly confusing story and battle system (but both with potential); I miss the magic of some of the previous games a bit.

Here’s a trailer:

July, 29, 2010

Currently Playing

It’s nearly a month now that I quit playing Runes of Magic. A few days ago I read that they improved the account system. It seems it’s now possible to use different passwords for all the accounts you create by signing up for the game + the number of failed logins is restricted now. I don’t miss the game so I won’t go back. Besides, I still have other, equally serious, issues with it so no.

Anyway, I’m playing something else at the moment: Torchlight. It’s a Hack&Slay and looks and feels like the Diablo games but I don’t mind, I love those games. To be able to play an updated version is fun.

Here’s the trailer on youtube:

New Books

Last week I was tempted into buying books because I had a 11%-off coupon available. I wanted to buy much more books actually (for ~ 60€) but I managed to tame my “me-want!” side down to books for 30€. Phew!

Here are the books I bought:

Demon Blood by Meljean Brook

My favorite paranormal series.

Period.

There’s nothing more to say.

Academ’s Fury by Jim Butcher

I really liked Furies of Calderon, the first book in the Codex Alera series. So much that I wanted to read the next one right away. Of course I couldn’t because I never (well, at least I can’t think of an example) order several books of a series before I’ve read at least one book in it. But I was very tempted to order all the remaining books in this series together with Academ’s Fury.

The Lawman’s Redemption by Pam Crooks

I like to read Western romances now and then and this sounded interesting: the hero is “as wild as the fierce Montana landscape he roams”* while the heroine is described as “all fine city clothes and polite manners.”* Plus, I like to try new-to-me authors from time to time.

*from Harlequin’s website

One Unashamed Night by Sophia James

Again, a new-to-me author. What made me take notice of the book is that the hero is described as slowly losing his eyesight. I also liked the excerpt = buy.

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas**

I like Kleypas’s contemporary voice and so it was only a question of when I would buy this book. I bought it this time because it was the only book I wanted that was in stock. I have to wait around three weeks for the others to arrive in my “me-want!” hands.

**already read

October, 24, 2009

When I went grocery shopping this morning, I saw several young fathers with their kids (age 3-6) in tow. They all were in the entrance area of the grocery store. The fathers carried grocery bags and talked while their kids were running around between them. Totally cute.

Currently Playing

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

Because I forgot the first time I mentioned this game, here are two videos.

Trailer:

The US opening: