January Complete: The Final Push

Finishing Dragon Age turned out to be a chore. I talked about it a little bit before, the game overall is good. It's a Bioware game in every way, compelling characters that you want to know everything about, interesting story that gives you meaningful choices, and some rough technical edges. I played the PC version and found it to be far superior to the Xbox 360 version, which I spent a little bit of time with. Even with the higher end graphics the game still looks like ass at many points, it doesn't look like a game that should come out in 2009.

Regardless of the hate, the characters and story got a hold on me pretty quickly. I really had to push myself to finish the game, given my compulsion to do everything. I found the Dwarven area to be the biggest offender of taking too much time. I greatly enjoyed the end sequence landsmeet and the choices you can make there. I think I reloaded and tried over four times to see all the things that could be done. Anyway if you have lots of time and love getting to know bisexual elves, self-serving mages, and hot rogues this game might be for you!

Surprisingly the highpoint of January's gaming was the RE5 professional run with Razorburn. I was expecting our 5th run-through to be a trudging grind for an achievement. Something about RE5's story is like watching Friday or Venture Brothers for me, it gets better every time. Things that are awkward or dumb transform into endearing moments.

I gave Razonburn a ton of crap for wanting to use infinite ammo cheats because I like to roll alpha... I must concede that killing major bosses with a few rockets before they can even really finish their intro was pretty awesome. Some how we were able to push though in two awesome nights.

I'm really excited for the Gold Edition/DLC, I can't wait to play as Josh during the story and as Excela in Mercs mode, should be goodtimes.

So Febuaray is here... My goal is a simple one, to finish two games in one short month. I am going to finish Bayonetta, and probably Brutal Legend or Assassin's Creed II.

Our goal is going to be to hit some ModernWarfare 2 coop, which I am really looking forward to.

Free at last! Free at last!

So I finished Dragon Age this weekend. This was a momentous event for me, and I am no stranger to finishing hefty games.

The thing about finishing Dragon Age that gave me such elation is that I can walk away from it. I started playing Dragon Age on November 27th 2009, I finished January 23rd 2010. My final save clocked in at 107 hours 58 minutes. Now I know that I played this longer than the vast majority of people who have finished and enjoyed it, but I skew towards completionism in my gaming.

I really enjoyed this game, especially the end sequence (more on that to come). Games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 have helped break me of my completion compulsion to some degree. For some reason though as large as Dragon Age is, it is sliced up in a way that my compulsion took over. These are the thoughts that went through my head hundreds of times.

Why shouldn't I clear this map before loading to the next area?
Who knows what could happen if you talk to this person?
I know you haven't had a good loot drop in days, but killing this guy will be different.

I came away feeling relieved to be finished with Dragon Age because I really started resenting the hold it had on me, and it was starting to sour me to it. My 'pile of shame' (games that I have but haven't touched yet) has grown out of control. I would think about all these other games that I could, and should, be playing and it would bother me. Now in retrospect I think about how many of those games I could have finished in the 108 hours Dragon Age took from me. I seriously wonder if it was worth it, regardless of how much I enjoyed the game.



The real dilemma of all this is that Mass Effect 2 is coming out this Tuesday. Another huge Bioware RPG... I have been really excited about it, despite my issues with the first one. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'll pass for a good long while on it. I feel like a man who has just broken himself out of shackles and chains. I just can't allow myself to be strapped into a new set, even if they are made from stylish moon rocks... Maker give me strength!

No way DOA

As much as I have an soft spot for DOA games, there is no honor, only deep shame in getting DOAX2 achievements. I am ready to call it, that game has the worst conceived achievements of all time.

My gaming goal for 2010 is to finally get all the achievements in Dead Rising, the polar opposite of DOAX2 as it has some of the the best achievements ever made.

Anyway, back to real stuff. I am starting to hate Dragon Age... Because it is keeping from playing anything else. I want to play Assassins Creed 2, Demon's Souls, and Torchlight. Not to mention Bayonetta that comes out tomorrow, but I just have to look at all of them like I'm a little kid and say "sorry, I can't play I've got chores..." Somehow I got the completionist bug for Dragon Age, it is unhealthy and I'm trying to kick it, but I will finish the game this month come dragons or ages.