’Twas Brillig*

I haven’t mentioned what I’m playing recently, mainly because it’s all been a bit too obsessive. The main obsession is More Brain Training, but Civ fever has also reasserted itself.

I know I’m doing it wrong, but on the brain training front I’ve been switching on and doing a training task just to play Germ Buster (a stylus controlled version of Dr Mario). I’ve basically finished germ buster on hard - a point is reached where the pills are coming down so fast it seems pointless trying to control them. Now that’s over with I may get back to playing it more normally. The new training games in this version are pretty good, but I wish someone had thought about supplying different high score tables/graphs for the different modes with easy and hard modes - my graph for missing symbols looks ridiculous.

Civ is an odd experience, I love playing the game and can lose hours to it, but I am rubbish. I’ve yet to win a game, consistently coming second and being rated as having the leadership ability of Dan Quayle.

In the last few days I’ve started playing Stranger’s Wrath, a game that’s been in the “to play” pile for nearly two years. Gameplay wise it seems quite good, but I’m not convinced it will hold my attention for too long. What I really want is a good RPG.

Pokémon Diamond is going to be the game of choice on holiday; the eldest two are very excited about this, but I’ve never played any pokémon before - I helped one of them through parts of mystery dungeon, but that’s not the same. I’ve read some good reviews and this may provide my RPG fix - what I really would like is a DS equivalent of Baldur’s Gate, but I haven’t seen anything that fits the bill.

I haven’t written that much recently. So just what is the current state of play? The lure of overtime temporarily KO’d a lot of my gaming activities, but I’ve been playing Civ IV, Dancing Stage Mario Mix (what curtains were invented for!), Resident Evil 4 and I’ve just picked up a copy of More Brain Training (apparently my Brain Age is a disappointing 42 ). Plus the perennial Wario ware and Mario Party sessions with the kids.

I started another game on a smaller map, this one is definitely taking longer - less diplomacy and more open warfare. The map basically has two continents, one continent is currently Persian and the other is Indian (me) and Egyptian (if you can call one city a civilization).

I bought Civ IV on release, but haven’t really played it much. The family PC is only just capable of playing it - if I played more PC games and less console games it would be worth upgrading the graphics card but as it is I think I’ll survive. I played a game this evening and just about finished by midnight - I’m glad to see it still has that “just one more turn” feel. I chose all the random settings and ended up with a large map playing as the Egyptians. The game was played without conflict which was kind of boring, but I just wanted to reaquaint myself with the tech tree and wonders.

Manifesto games has launched and I think Mudcraft might be my first purchase.

I went back into the mortuary and through a portal to the Fortess of Regrets. All my party disappeared, I spoke to Deionarra, entered the fortress proper and I had to run around avoiding lost of Great Shadows whilst unlocking a portal and having visions of my party dying (except Ignus who turned traitor). Through the portal and a brief fight with Ignus, examined a crystal and I was transported to another room. I met three of my other incarnations (Good, Paranoid and Practical); I merged with the three incarnations - first attempt I merged with practical to early and got a bad game ending (boo!); I then spoke again with Deionarra who took my to where my fallen comrades bodies lay. I spoke to the Transcendent One and eventually persuaded him that I would kill myself with the Blade of the Immortal unless he merged with me. We merged I cast raise dead on my fallen comrades, we said our goodbyes. THE END‼

Postscript: what I have really loved about this game is the lack of big battles. There seems to be a law nowadays requiring bosses at regular intervals and Planescape has very few encounters you can’t talk your way out of; even the ending was a case of brain not brawn.

Busy evening, I went to somewhere in the outlands, on to the Pillar of Skulls found out that I needed to go back to Curst to see Trias the devas, went back to Curst and found Trias had caused it to move to Carceri, made the town less chaotic, found Trias in the administration buildings and after a short test of strength persuaded him to give me information and to go back to Cori Celesti and try to put things right. I am now back in Sigil - there can’t be much left now I suppose. However, Sigil is more interesting than Curst - a pity since I’m left feeling that disc 4 was kind of wasted.

I spent the evening exploring Curst, obtaining the five parts of a key to get to the devas was the easy bit, getting through Curst prison was a nightmare especially since I didn’t realise for a long time that a hermit I had passed could provide healing so for a while I was the only living party member. Anyway, we’re through the prison and just about to step through a portal.

I eventually got the key to the portable portal to Ravel’s Maze, I found the hag and after lots of talk (and experience) killed her and ran away to the Outlands. Not much detail, but it took the best part of three hours getting this far tonight. I meant to retrain as a fighter and complete some Godsmen quests, but I forgot.

Collected the legacy from the advocate and along with a new eye(!) I got a receipt allowing me to enter the foundry which I am currently exploring. I think I am going to have to join a different faction.