Two years ago I started this blog. If you view this on desktop you can see from the sidebar that I'm 30% done with the game list (which doesn't necessarily mean 30% of the time the blog will take). Thanks to everyone who has been reading me, either the whole time or just starting recently.
A few new readers over at the PC Engine Bible forum commented that judging from my posts, it didn't seem like I was having much fun. There is some truth to this -- I have been disappointed in the quality of the games so far. Before I started the blog, I was thinking about the classic SNES RPGs I had enjoyed as a kid, and all the untranslated Super Famicom RPGs I had heard about that people liked.
Instead, too many of the games so far have basic, dull RPG systems, too many random encounters, poorly designed magic systems, and boring dungeons. It's sometimes difficult to find things to write about in the posts because once I've described the basic gameplay in one paragraph, that's pretty much how it goes for the whole game. You can see a real difference in interest and energy level if you look at the Dragon Quest V posts.
However, that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the experience. I do like the accomplishment of finishing the games and advancing in the list. I do expect the library to improve as I go on. There are still quite a few games that I've heard good things about but never played. My decision to do the Strategy RPG blog alongside this one was a good idea I think, because the RPGs feel fresher when I return to them.
Lastly, here are some of the games coming up in the next few months that I'm excited about:
Illusion of Gaia - I know this was released in English, but I haven't played it in many years and I loved it as a kid.
Dokapon kingdom - This is a mix of a board game and RPG; there will be several of these on the blog, but I'm interested to see how it plays.
Romancing Saga 2 - Will I like this better than RS1? Will I be able to beat it?
Shin Megami Tensei 2 - I've played 1, and the remake of the NES games.
Forward to year 3!
PS: Geocities Japanese is shutting down soon. This is the source of a lot of walkthroughs and info for older, more obscure games, so it's a big loss.
That's a bummer about geocities. I used to have a site on there. Good deal for 500 yen a month. Hope wayback snaps all those.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a good idea to look up a bunch of sites in advance for the games you'll be playing and saving those sites now so you'll have them later.
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ReplyDeleteHey Chris, I feel ya when it comes to writing about certain games. Since these 16-bit games are still really primitive, we kind of end up running out of stuff to say after talking about battle systems, leveling mechanics, and general dungeon/overworld gameplay.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, by principle, games should start opening up and offering more once you hit the mid '94 mark, as that's when the real big hitters start coming out!
Hope you can keep at it!