My RPG Summer 2023 run had officially come to an end on September 21, 2023.
It’s finally the Autumn season, and I’m going to be focusing on more “spooky season” games going forward.
But before I get to that point, I’ll be taking a brief break. I don’t really take breaks from gaming, but I want to cleanse my palate before jumping into the next big release.
My most anticipated game of the year launches in a couple of days.
I’ve been casually watching the anime on Crunchyroll as I patiently await the launch.
I think it’s a fantastic mini series based in the Dragon Quest universe. Even though it doesn’t match Toriyama’s art style 1:1, and the game will be an action RPG — I’m still very excited. It’s rare for me to get so invested in a spin-off, but the Adventure of Dai series is done incredibly well, and is faithful to the series.
There’s lots of easter eggs and other small things that will make fans happy.
I’ve been waiting so long for this game.
I’m just glad summer is over. I don’t mind the heat all too much, except for when I have to work in it. But things are starting to even out at work to where I’m not outside as much.
You’re probably thinking, “but don’t you work in a kitchen”?
The answer is yes, but I still find myself outdoors in the heat.
My job isn’t just chopping onions and washing dishes. I have to take out the garbage and recycling, spray equipment off outside with the hose, drive the company vehicle, load and offload food carts, and walk building to building.
It’s always go, go, go, and I get little time to breathe most days. When the days are hot out, I take notice. But as I said, things have started evening out more, and my positions have been more in-door oriented as of late.
I spent all of last week with Covid. I worked the day of the grand opening of our second building, which is where I’ll be spending most of my days now, sick as hell.
Even though we served a mere 65 employees, I was so fatigued and in pain, that I could barely stand.
Now I’m easily handling over 300 employees.
Just goes to show the difference between me at my peak versus me getting bodied by an illness.
I had gone to see my grandma and play Luigi’s Mansion 3, and had contracted Covid from my Papa who had it at the time unknowingly.
Good news is? We’re both back to normal.
I look forward to the summertime because it’s when my friend Dwayne and I start our mini backlog series called RPG Summer. It’s something we’ve been doing for two years now, where we focus on backlog RPG games from June 21 to September 21.
Anyone who wishes to play can!
I had a really good run; it could’ve been better, but I think three RPGs is relatively good for me, especially since I had beaten some before the summer event even started.
Here’s what I beat this summer:
Final Fantasy XVI
I managed to squeeze this game out a few days after RPG Summer began, and honestly, I think it was the perfect start to the summer.
Ifrit and the Phoenix were fiery hot and ignited my summer RPG list with a burning start.
I thought it was an excellent action RPG by Square Enix, and easily a GOTY contender.
If you haven’t played FFXVI, go ahead and do so.
Borderlands 2
Coming in hot at number 2 this summer was none other than Borderlands 2. I definitely count BL2 as an RPG-FPS hybrid, and it makes me feel better otherwise.
I’ve always wanted to play this game but finding the right time and person to play with took me awhile.
Luckily Davis was there, equipped with several runs of knowledge under his belt, to carry me through.
I put a bullet through Handsome Jack for the first time over the summer.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Lastly, for my … final … summer RPG, I beat Final Fantasy Tactics.
I thought this game would sit on my backlog for years and I’d never ever play it, but luckily for me, it’s my cousin Benjamin’s favorite game.
Being from the south, anyone who grew up in the Bible Belt country knows your cousins are like your best friends growing up.
I’m very fortunate that Ben and I are still so close as adults. All the years of sleep overs playing Dragon Ball Z, Smackdown VS Raw, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and eating ramen together will always be kept in my memory banks.
Ben and I made a deal that if he got the true-ending in NieR Automata, I’d play Tactics.
And so he did… and so I did.
I’m thankful I was able to beat it before summer’s end. It was a fantastic experience with great storytelling and sprite-work.
I’m glad I played it. I’m glad he was there to help me experience it despite its difficulty.
He now has me playing Shadow Hearts on PlayStation 2, a console I never had growing up.
It’s really good, even if the dialogue is a bit dated.
All-in-all, it was a solid RPG Summer. I couldn’t have asked for a better run.
I’m excited for more horror genre games these next two months. I like having the excuse of a theme during specific times of the year to play backlog games. It makes it more special!
I just recently finished Luigi’s Mansion 3. It was an excellent continuation of Nintendo’s IP series of Luigi spin-offs. The only thing I didn’t care for was backtracking for Polterkitty twice.
Some of the bosses in the game were frustrating, too. The hotel owner was exceptionally difficult to defeat while playing by myself, since the game is clearly catered towards 2-Player co-op play. One player can control both Luigi and Gooigi by switching between the two, but it became frustrating at times.
Ideally, it’s best to play LM3 with a partner, but if you’re like me and your selection of partners are people who don’t really play games and would rather watch, or a seven-year-old who just wants to shoot the plunger at your head and laugh, you’re better off finishing the game solo.
I’m hoping by the end of October, I’ll have either Resident Evil Director’s Cut or Silent Hill beaten, but between Abby’s birthday and our 11-year anniversary… and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, we’ll see if I have time to put the spook in spooky season.
I have something big cooking up in November that I’m excited for, but I won’t be saying anything about it yet. Stay tuned!
Anyway, that’s all from me for awhile.
I thought I’d catch you up on the latest Vohris lore until I go finish some more games.
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Until I write again!
