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Jenny LeClue: The Journal of Professor Zazer

I just found out about the upcoming Jenny LeClue adventure game today (through this article), and when I saw there was a free playable teaser available, I quickly gave it a try during my lunch break. This is a decent length demo (about 30-45 minutes), and I really liked what I experienced, from the art direction and sounds, to the story bits and exploration. Definitely a game I want to play once the full release is out.

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Marco Polo (Season 1)

I watched the first episode of this Netflix series quite a while ago, around the time it came out, and remember thinking it was alright, and I was planning on watching more, but never got around to it. Following my recent HK film viewing spree, I was reminded of this series, and so dived back in (from episode 2), and I find myself really liking it (I’ve watched 3 more episodes). It’s a lot of stuff I love – big armies, kung-fu, asian culture – and so it’s a wonder I didn’t really get caught up into it earlier. I’m looking forward to watching both seasons now, and a bit sad that Netflix has already announced that they won’t be producing any more seasons (I guess it hasn’t been the hit they were hoping – or required to justify what must be huge production costs).

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Les vieux fourneaux

This is a French graphic novel that came out a couple of years ago that I was noticing in lots of year-end “best of” lists, and kept wanting to read. I was lucky enough to get it as a present in a gift exchange we did at work, and really quite enjoyed it. Lovely art and a fun tale of a bunch of geezers who come together in an unexpected way. I see now that there are two other books out in the series, and I really want to read them as well.

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Dragon Quest II

So yeah, after playing through the first Dragon Quest game, I couldn’t wait to play II, and so that’s what I’m doing. So far (a couple of hours in), I’m enjoying it as much as I did the first, and it’s nice to be building up a party (although I didn’t mind at all playing solo in the first game). I’m also playing it on my iPhone, which I really feel is a great way to play these. Grinding certainly feels like less of a grind when it’s something you’re doing during your commute. 

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Dragon Quest

Even though I have a big amount of respect for the series, I don’t actually have that much experience with Dragon Quest games – the first one I played was DQ8 on PS2, and then I played a bit of DQ9 on DS, but didn’t get super far in it. This year I played a bunch of Dragon Quest Heroes, and liked it for what it was (Dynasty Warriors-like with more RPG elements and pretty graphics), and then played the Dragon Quest Builders demo. So after all of this, it was a couple of days ago when I watched a recent documentary from NHK about the series (in celebration of its 30th anniversary) that I just got in the mood to go and play the very first game, which I had bought for iOS a while back, but hadn’t really played much. I started the game again, and 2-3 hours later I was still playing. Two days later, I’ve reached the final castle, and am just in need of a bit more grinding before I’m ready to face the final boss. And yes, I’ve already bought Dragon Quest 2 (the DQ games on iOS are currently on sale). As for the quality of the iOS version, I’m not crazy about using a virtual pad to move around, but I do find it convenient to play (I’m playing on iPhone this time), and I’ve gotten used to it.

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Unravel

The last of the 5 games I bought this past week during the PSN sale is Unravel, and it’s another fantastic experience I had to add to my year’s list of favorite games (as an honorable mention). I’m indeed a sucker for a good 2D platformer, and not only does this bring in the fun yarn string mechanic to deal with (for climbing, swinging, etc.) but it’s also beautifully presented in an idyllic setting. Loving it.

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Inside

So yet another game I just played this week and had to add to my top 5 of the year (along with Virginia, and so taking out Rise of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs 2). I knew this was something I’d enjoy, as I was a huge fan of Limbo. It did not disappoint, and although I’m just halfway through (played one session, will finish it in another session), I was constantly enchanted by the admittedly dark visuals and fun puzzles. 

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Virginia

I played this in one sitting yesterday, and I have to say, I think I can safely say it’s my favorite gaming experience of the year (and so I had to update my top 5 list). I was completely and utterly mesmerized by the oddly constructed narrative, beautiful score, and lovely aesthetic. As soon as I was finished I went online to read up on what people thought was the meaning of the ending (this Polygon article is pretty good), which is something not a lot of games make me do. Can’t recommend it enough, even though I think it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. 

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Tharsis

I just started playing it a bit last night, and so I’m still in the process of wrapping my head around how best to deal with stuff, but so far I’m already digging the dice mechanics (you roll dice to accomplish various things in the game, from dealing with events, to dealing with your crew by reducing stress, researching projects, etc.) I’m of course partial to games with dice, but I think there’s a lot to like here, including the presentation – although the text can be a bit tough for me to read on my “small” 32″ TV (I’m playing it on PS4, it’s maybe more suited for PC screens).

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Abzu

Played this in one sitting last night, and wow, what a stunningly beautiful experience. Definitely in the Flower/Journey vein, but still a lovely experience in its own way, and those undersea environments are just jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Lovely score too, to accompany the visuals. It’s currently on sale on PSN, and so a great time to grab it.