TrickyBuddha Studios

As a member of the Quality Assurance team at BioWare, we were encouraged to play competitors’ games (study them, break them down, etc.).

Most of us didn’t need encouragement to play games. Typically, people who are really into gaming are the ones who apply to a job with a company like BioWare - especially so in QA. So most of us would just play whatever because it was there to be played. I was a bit of an exception. Unlike with movies, where I’ll generally watch anything that’s on, I’ll really only play certain specific games. I’m not trying to imply I don’t like to play videogames; it’s just that I’m really mostly into RPGs (role-playing games). Besides, the last few years at BioWare I’d always felt so behind and tired and busy that I never really had time to game as much as I wanted.

I can remember being in a QA meeting where one of the guys raised the question as to what everyone was playing. Around the room we went, with people differentiating games by system - i.e. on the gamecube I’m playing blah, and on the Xbox blah and blah, and on the Playstation blah, etc. When it came my turn to talk, I mentioned one game. One. That was the entirety. And, being honest, I wasn’t even really playing it. It was a game I had played maybe a month earlier. Oops.

I mention this because, as referenced in yesterday’s post, I’m rested and have free time. It also has to do with Candice; she enjoys gaming, and that encourages me to lose myself in gaming, too.

So what have I been playing?

On the Xbox 360 I’d been playing Crackdown and Blitz: The League - at least, I was playing those games until my 360 died. Stupid red ring of death. But I mailed it back a week ago and hopefully it’ll be back to me soon. I was at the final boss in Crackdown, too!

I’m also playing a little bit on the Nintendo Wii. Every day for the past few days I’ve been taking (and making Candice take) the fitness test in Wii sports. I’ve hit 25 years old twice, but haven’t gotten better than that (your performance in the test determines your age - with the lower your age, the better your results. 20 is the perfect score.). I also play a little Wii Tennis every day. It’s so much fun! Also on the Wii, I have Super Paper Mario, but I haven’t been playing it. I really want to, but I’m a little busy at the moment with other games. I think I’ll be making time for it soon, though.

Then there’s my PC, where I started playing Neverwinter Nights 2 - and last night had my first prolonged session with the title. I haven’t gotten too far yet (my ranger is traveling to the city of Neverwinter - if you’ve played the game and are wondering), but the game is bringing back fond memories of the original BioWare title. And if any of my old co-workers are reading this post, they’re probably going to say that they know I’ve gone crazy if I’m referencing “fond memories” and Neverwinter in direction relation. What can you say? A nice month of time off cures all stresses.

I started playing Harvest Moon on the Nintendo DS for a few hours, but that’s more Candice’s kind of game - even though she complains about how much she hates it every time she sneaks the DS out to play. I might pick it up again after she finishes it or when I finish off some of the other games I’m playing.

I can’t say that I’m playing it, but I did start up a game of Katamari on the Playstation 2. I was always curious about it, and Candice loves the series. It’s fun but I’m too much OCD to play it any more, I think. And by that I mean that I’d rather just collect everything in the various levels than compete to get a percentage of the stuff in a certain amount of time. Hahaha.

I’ll end this post with a quick reference to the future, because I have to admit to a great deal of excitement for a few upcoming titles: Mass Effect (obviously), GTA IV, and Assassin’s Creed. I’ve also been keeping an eye out for Mario Party 8 on the Wii - which is already out but I’d rather pick it up used and save the money.
What about you? What are you playing? What’s got you excited? Any suggestions?

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