Strategy Guide Reviews

A Strategy Guide for your Strategy Guides

Monday Gaming Diary: Happy Memorial Day!

By 4 Comments

teen-titans-go-03
I hope everyone in the US is having a great Memorial Day holiday! Memorial Day is the day where we remember those soldiers who fell in battle. It’s not to be confused with Veterans’ Day, which honors those who served in a war. Veterans aren’t dead. My husband is a veteran. We get a little testy when people honor him on Memorial Day because he obviously isn’t dead.

But while that may be the purpose behind the day, it’s a national holiday where most people are off work. Schools are closed, every federal building is closed, and most people plan for rather big barbecues and outdoor grilling sessions. My family traveled to our locale to help us celebrate the oldest child’s 7th birthday. We grilled lots of steak, fish, broccoli, and corn on the cob. And yes, there was cake. I’m going to have to go running for a week to wear off these calories.

Great weekend, but zero gaming was had outside of my iPad. My parents always stay in my office, so no Witcher 3. My son was very disappointed we couldn’t play Diablo 3 together. In hindsight, I could have played with my 3DS and tried to finish Bravely Default, or at least get further, but I was content zoning out on the couch with a book, playing the Mortal Kombat X Kard Game, or watching my Dad argue about politics. Plus, we might have drunk so much wine during the day, I crashed before 10 every night.

This week I plan to get into a lot of The Witcher 3. I’m going to Atlanta to attend Momocon with one of my best friends, and I’ve already decided that I’m going to pay to check a bag so I can haul my PlayStation 4 with me. Seriously, that GAEMS case is one of the best gaming investments I have ever made.

I probably should also attempt to play Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn since the Heavensward expansion releases next month and I’m supposed to review it for work. I’m really looking forward to this break in game releases this summer. I’m looking forward to it even more now that I have cut down on my Stack of Shame. Best. Decision. Ever. (Next to the GAEMS case.)

Monday Gaming Diary: Cleared out the Stack of Shame

By 1 Comment

Unamused+vault+boy_7b71a7_5150636I fell for a particular bit of clickbait last week and read (or skimmed) through an article about how to become a happier gamer. Most of the suggestions I laughed at and rolled my eyes, but one really stuck out at me, and it was to buy fewer games. In my case, as a game reviewer, this one isn’t that possible. Technically, I rarely buy games, but that’s not the point of the recommendation; it’s about cutting down the need to play so many games. After reading this one tip, I looked over at my own stack of shame and felt that stressed out sensation creep up the back of my neck and head. As much as I would love to play and finish every single one of the games in my stack of shame, I know it’s not possible. Maybe if I didn’t review games and guides it would be possible, but I don’t think even then it would be since I want to play the newest hot items on the market.

I’ll hear friends recommend things, or I’ll see the Interwebs praise one game I hadn’t heard of, and I’ll get interested and buy them. Which means either that gets added to the stack or something else I was playing gets added.

This weekend was high time I actually cleaned up my office (it’s not just because my parents are coming in town either), and as I was picking up all of the games, guides, and random scraps of paper that were littered across my floor, I forced myself to take a long, hard look at my stack of shame. Sure, I want to play all of those games eventually. Maybe. Well, it would be nice if I could. But so many are monster RPGs. Others are LEGO games that will command hours from me because I’ll “have” to try to get that Platinum trophy in them. And others just never hit my radar that I need to play them when I actually get some free time.

It’s time to re-prioritize.

Most of my stack was removed and put back on the shelves. Since they’re PS3 and Xbox 360 games, there’s little to no point in even trying to sell them, although there are a few I should sell as I know I’ll never try them or finish them: Batman Arkham Asylum and Batman Arkham City. Dragon’s Dogma seemed so amazing, but ugh, I know I’ll never get around to it with all of the RPGs I really really want to play, including those I know I want to play again. coughDragonAgeOriginscough

Most of the LEGO games were also removed at this time. Only LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO Batman 3 made the cut. These are more important, and if I get around to it, I’ll try to Platinum in the rest, but I’m not going to worry about it anymore. LEGO Jurassic World will release in June, and well, yeah I’ll try to Platinum in that one too. I’ll most likely be reviewing it for work and the strategy guide.

Fallout 3 and The God of War Saga also got shelved. I don’t even think I’ve removed the games from their wrappers. I feel doubly guilty about that because they were gifts.

So what remained?

I have the following games in my official stack of shame/pursuit of Platinum:

  • Dragon Age Inquisition
  • Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
  • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
  • LEGO Batman 3
  • Resistance 3
  • Assassin’s Creed Rogue
  • Diablo III
  • Diablo III: the Ultimate Evil Edition

I can’t explain why Resistance 3 made the cut other than I loved the first two games a lot and I want to see where the story goes. Assassin’s Creed Rogue is there because I love AC games and I heard this was one of the best from the last generation of consoles. And the original D3 is in there because I only need 2.3 million gold to go to Platinum in it. Mmmmm I can just taste it.

In Honor of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate…

By Leave a Comment

In case you missed the big announcement yesterday, Ubisoft confirmed that yes, there will be another full Assassin’s Creed game this year (like there was any doubt). Called Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, it will take place during the Industrial Revolution in London, the year 1868, and the order of Assassins lives on in the street gangs of the slums. As they slowly rise up to take over London and overthrow the Templar overlords, you get to stab people from ziplines. No seriously, they showed it. Jacob Frye gets to be like a Batman who murders people. And yes, I cannot wait.

As a slight honor to this announcement, I gathered all of my Assassin’s Creed strategy guides and assembled them in a way to celebrate both Syndicate and its forthcoming strategy guide. I mean, there will be a guide, right? THERE HAS TO BE A STRATEGY GUIDE!

In celebration of new Assassin’s Creed game announcement and impending strategy guide…

A photo posted by StrategyGuideReviews.com (@strategyguidereviews) on

Bonus points if you can figure out which Assassin’s Creed guide and game I do not have. Seriously debating on rectifying that situation with all of the spare time I have.

Monday Gaming Diary: Procrastinashun

By Leave a Comment

cakebuttI had work to do this weekend, but I decided to procrastinate completely and play games I’ve already played. More specifically, I played Broken Age on the Vita. I know, I know, I played it on the PC, but the allure of Trophies was too much for me. I already know what I’m doing this time, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to speed through the game, right?

And that was true; I finished the game in less than two days. When you know how to solve the puzzles, you can do it in a very efficient manner, which greatly cuts down on the backtracking. I had hoped that the photos I took of the Hexipal puzzle solutions would provide the exact same solutions, but the solutions either change with every playthrough or with different platforms. All of the notes I had made the first time around were nearly useless, but at least I was prepared.

And really, I think that’s the only way to play Broken Age, at least in the last half. Although, I have to admit, after playing it again from start to finish, Tim Schaefer was 100% dead on with his recommendation to replaying the first act before diving into the second. There are an obscene number of hints for act 2 puzzle solutions in the first act. Maybe I only noticed them because I knew of the solutions, but I think having them in the forefront of my mind would have helped immensely.

I didn’t get the Platinum Trophy, but with the Trophies in the list, it will take at least two playthroughs to get them all. Not sure if I even want to try, as I have no idea how to finish the whole game in less than an hour, but there are so many hidden Trophies I’m very curious about.

Yes, I have a Trophy problem, I admit it. I am going to MomoCon at the end of this month, so maybe that will be a good time to play it over and over. Or maybe I’ll finish Bravely Default. I kind of want to finish that sometime this year (with everything else, I admit). I think conventions and airplane time will be the best opportunities to get a move on with that one. I think I’m nearly done; or that could be a Square Enix trick right before they open up 40 more hours of gameplay. Wouldn’t surprise me.

In other non-procrastinating news, we got a review copy of the Bloodborne strategy guide! I am dropping that in the mail to Chris today so he can get to work on that as soon as he can. I’ve pretty much given up on trying to find time for Pillars of Eternity because I’m a horrible person, but I will not drop the ball for The Witcher 3. It helps that I’m not reviewing that game for work.

And speaking of reviewing games for work, I need to get on that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. I hear it has a Grammar Nazi! DLC of the Year, right there.

Top Posts & Pages