Were you using the inverted song of time to slow the passage of time? With that in place, there's usually more than enough time to finish a dungeon in 1 cycle, and I think I've even squeezed in two dungeons a couple of times.

I actually really like the stay concealed ability, but squad size is a huge issue with it. (It also starts the unit concealed on EVERY mission, including ones where the rest of your team is revealed at the start.) I think it's mostly counterproductive when you have 4 units, iffy when you have 5, and super handy with…

One quasi-spoiler: as part of the final mission, you can use Intel during mission setup to get bonuses that apply to your entire squad. One of them gives your squad members individual concealment, which is a real mixed bag. If you don't buy it, you won't be concealed at all. If you do buy it, your squad members will…

This Christmas, I bought myself Clean Up Your Backlog Before You Buy More Games, Numbnuts! It's a game about self-control, and I think this is the first time I've made it to the main menu.

I foolishly neglected to buy any, dooming him to a life on the streets again :(

The Keyboard Geniuses Leaderboard is just 1 day from retirement! [Link]

The Metroidvania comparison is also an interesting one to me because it speaks to how character growth interacts with other game systems. In that style of game, combing every nook and cranny of the world generally nets you a specific, measurable improvement. In Super Metroid, that might be an extra health bar, a…

I've seen a lot of comments to that extent - Balthier and Fran mostly stand around doing their own thing (insofar as Fran does anything), Penelo and Vaan are mostly trapped in their own plotline, and Basch and Ashe are mostly stuck in their own plotline. A lot of FFs rely on "We're bros now and I have nothing better…

I know I've pushed this before, but Backloggery is a really nifty tool, and it has the upside of not being a spreadsheet.

Hahaha, Infinity Engine-y real time with pause might be my least favorite system in all of gaming, hence letting BG sit for so long. Though I do wonder if its age will actually be a point in its favor for me.

I said my (entirely too long) piece on XCOM 2 yesterday, so as a bit of a personal review…

You want your hot takes, head over to Tom Chick's site.

Reigns is truly a forehead-slappingly brilliant game, and one that consistently makes me giggle on the daily commute. My sole, tiny quibble with it is that "winning" seems to involve taking one or two very short physical notes, which is just not compatible with the gameplay itself or with playing it on the subway. :P

It's stuff like this that makes me really appreciate Dishonored as something that's less "cliche" than it is "arch." The first game, at least, is not anything you could call deep. The cast largely bleeds together as a bunch of shortsighted rich assholes, and the fate of Dunwall is basically incidental to your quest,…

I liked XCOM 2 because it went big. Games, like comedy films, tend to take a light touch towards sequels: Mega Man defeats 8 new robot masters, a new Belmont whips Dracula, the Saints take over a new city, a new bunch of lords acquire a new Fire Emblem to defeat a new evil empire, and so on. This isn't by any means a…

It was not by my hand that I am once again given flllesh. I was called here by hyyyyyuumans who wish to pay me tribute!

Admittedly I am a crank when it comes to Bethesda, but I don't get how the Skyrim re-release netted most welcome. Wasn't it essentially just a texture pack that broke mod support and introduced a bunch of performance issues? Likewise for Bioshock - I most recall hearing that well-known bugs from the original games…

The AVC gave it a B-, and the Community Grade has it at a B. Ergo, WRONG, apparently.

I'm pretty sure this is the plot of Beast Wars, but it's been a long time. Also, to my knowledge, neither Pratt nor Lawrence can transform into a tyrannosaurus.

Even the deception isn't something she starts intentionally - a nurse hears her mutter "I'm gonna marry that man" (which, to be fair, is super weird) then drags her into the ER and introduces her to the family as the fiancee. It's tremendously awkward, and I can totally see someone flubbing the dismount on that…