Gaming Backlog Final Thoughts – Chrono Cross

How well does one of the all-time greatest RPGs hold up nearly two decades later?

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Adventuring through my backlog of games, one game at a time. 

Developer: Square
Publisher: Square Electronic Arts
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Played On: PSP

backlog gamingI have a somewhat complicated history with Chrono Cross. It’s one of my  all-time favorite RPGs, hell one of my all-time favorite games. I even named one our cats Lynx, and yeah, he’s kind of a jerk. But my secret shame is that I never actually beat the damn thing.

Now, almost two decades later, I finally did. Chrono Cross is still an amazing game whose early 3D graphics have aged better than most, but it’s not without some major design flaws that somewhat tarnished my teenage memories. Continue reading “Gaming Backlog Final Thoughts – Chrono Cross”

The 15 Games We Want on the PlayStation Classic [Pixelkin]

Read the full list on Pixelkin

When Sony announced the PlayStation Classic, they teased only five of the 20 included games: Final Fantasy 7, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, and Wild Arms.

The original PlayStation has plenty of great classics to get excited about, so we’re listing the 15 other games we’d like to see on the mini emulator. Some of these games face an uphill battle given licensing and company restrictions, so consider this our dream list representing multiple genres and gameplay styles.

The PlayStation Classic is launching December 3.

Read the full list on Pixelkin

DMs Guild Review – Storm King’s Barrows: Tombs and Crypts of the North

A massive collection of ten dungeons designed to slot into Storm King’s Thunder.

A review copy of “Storm King’s Barrows: Tombs and Crypts of the North” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel. Support my work via Patreon.

dms guild reviewArranged by: Christian Eichhorn

One-shot dungeon designs are some of my favorite content to consume on the DMs Guild, and “Storm King’s Barrows: Tombs and Crypts of the North” is one of the biggest dungeon packs I’ve seen.

Taking its cues from the far-reaching Storm King’s Thunder campaign from Wizards of the Coast, “Storm King’s Barrows” includes over 130 pages featuring 10 mini-dungeons from 4th to around 10th level that all share a theme of exploring the dangerous caverns and crypts of the frozen north.

Continue reading “DMs Guild Review – Storm King’s Barrows: Tombs and Crypts of the North”

Dragon Quest 11 First Impression [Pixelkin]

Read the full article at Pixelkin

I’m about a dozen hours into Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age and the smile has rarely left my face. Dragon Quest is one of the most resilient RPG franchises in video game history. The latest installment proves why it’s such a winning formula by embracing its classic roots while sprinkling in many welcoming improvements and features.

If you’re a newcomer to the series, Dragon Quest is a bit like Final Fantasy. It’s a classic 50+ hour Japanese RPG with each entry a standalone adventure (save DQ 10, which was an MMO).

Read the full article at Pixelkin

Goodreads Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard #2)

Book 2 of the Gentleman Bastard is a fun sequel that tries to do a bit too much.

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still enjoy Scott Lynch’s writing style and characters, but this follow-up to The Lies of Locke Lamora is a bit too bloated, resulting in some odd pacing issues.

We don’t get to the pirate stuff (as evidenced on the cover) until much later in the book; until then it’s a casino heist that only circles back around at the very, very end. The casino heist peters out but the entire pirate plot line is absolutely fantastic, with a rich cast of characters and some much deeper emotional stakes.

Red Seas Under Red Skies thus ends up too long and too grandiose for its own good. A few chapters early on even add an additional timeline of events that happened after LoLL but before this one. They’re not bad at all, and I continue to enjoy learning more about this relatable fantasy world, but it makes getting through the first half of the book much more of a slog than it should have been. Thankfully the ending climax ramps up very nicely – I devoured the last 100+ pages in about a day.

Overall a worthy sequel but I wish it had done a bit less and focused entirely on the pirate plot line of the latter half.

View all my reviews

Tomb of Annihilation Session 3 Recap

In the city we learn about the guides, obtain a racing dinosaur, visit the Temple of Savras, and save an innocent man from Executioner’s Run.

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Previously on Tomb of Annihilation

Starring:
Mannix, level 2 Human Rogue
Khaless, level 2 Half-Drow Rogue
Therin, level 2 Hill Dwarf Druid

As the only major city in the entire campaign, Port Nyanzaru has a lot to offer. Shopping, hiring guides, racing dinosaurs, and lots of interesting quest hooks. I’ve read and seen many reports of players getting out of Port Nyanzaru as fast as possible to begin their jungle excursion, but I was ready to relish this unique city by throwing several major events and quest chains for my PCs.

In this week’s session we learned about the various guides the PCs can hire, teased the upcoming dinosaur race, and visited the Temple of Savras, which lead to multiple quest chains – including a rather thrilling rescue mission around Executioner’s Run.
Continue reading “Tomb of Annihilation Session 3 Recap”