"30 Days of Gaming" (6-10)

          I decided to split my list into increments of five entries, mostly because I didn't anticipate myself going on for paragraphs about video games in a fluffy, over-abundance of context. Which is not to say that I'm not satisfied with my over-saturated responses to these very simple questions, I'm having fun with it, I just think it'll be more accessible this way and feel less like an endless scrolling nightmare of words and pictures. And for reference, here's the link to the questions I'm going off of.


Day 06 (June 28) - Most annoying character

          This is one of the few questions where I find myself struggling to settle on one answer. I'm just going to bend the question a bit and say that the most annoying characters I've ever seen in games are every single JRPG character ever. I want to strangle the life out of all of them, without exception. I sort of can't stand most of the tropes that Japan uses, the personalities they recycle, the anime hand gestures they make, their silly stiff hair, their awful outfits, the overstuffed inventory, the turn-based menu combat, all of it. If you ever want to torture me, play a JRPG in front of me. I promise I will attempt suicide at the first opportunity.

           Just for fun though, I'll give a sample of honorable mentions:

• Aria T'Loak (Mass Effect)
• Morrigan (Dragon Age)
• Duncan (Dragon Age) 
• Flemmeth (Dragon Age)
• Isabella (Dragon Age)
• Anders (Dragon Age)
• The entire Qunari race, especially the Arishok (Dragon Age)
• Scooter (Borderlands)
• Alex Mercer (Prototype)
• Theresa (Fable) 
• Zeke (InFamous)

Day 07 (June 29) - Favorite game couple

          I get the idea this question is referring to immovable, preset game couples that are part of a linear experience (Link & Zelda, Mario & Peach, The Prince & Farrah). While I don't really hate any of those subplots, I'm also not typically impressed by them. I did really like Chloe and Nate in Uncharted 2, I didn't mind how it ended either, it was more than a fling but she couldn't stack up to the one that got away. And even if she's not canon, I liked Chloe for Nate because she worked as a moral foil, without being too self-interested. You could tell she cared for him but she was still her own woman.

         Aside from that one example, I'm usually more interested in game romances when I'm getting some choice in the matter. Here are some of the romances I've chosen in games that allow it:

• Alistair (Dragon Age Origins) - Well written character, probably my favorite in the series.
• Merrill (Dragon Age 2) - Despite the occasional lazy writing for a punchline, she was a very charming character. Fell in love with her and Varric almost immediately.
• Fenris (Dragon Age 2) - Didn't care for him at first but he grew on me. Did a rivalry romance as a blood mage, which made a somewhat compelling story.
• Liara (Mass Effect 1 & 2) - I enjoyed the reunion scene in ME2, even if the character was written completely differently for most of the game.
• Tali'Zorah (Mass Effect 2) - ME2 romance plots were a little undercooked, but I liked the ending of hers.
• Anette (Rune Factory Frontier) - Energetic, short blonde with goggles that makes jet engine sounds. It felt a little creepy, but I was playing an unapologetically Japanese game, so that's to be expected.

Day 08 (June 30) - Best Soundtrack

           I really wouldn't know where to start on deciding what the "best" soundtrack is. Even with no illusion of objectivity, it'd still be too much work to think it all through. Instead I'm just going to go with the soundtracks that were the most iconic to me personally. I'm not going to earn any obscurity points for my top choice on this one. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's been almost a decade since I last played and months since I last heard a remix, but I could still tell you how 90% of the music in this game goes. It's ingrained in my memory and rightfully so, it's a pretty perfect score. Honorable mentions follow in no particular order:

• Zombies Ate My Neighbors - The game is a perfect love letter to the B-horror sub-genre with a silly-spooky soundtrack to match.
• Donkey Kong Country - One of my favorite SNES games growing up, pretty good use of the system's graphics capabilities, and a very memorable soundtrack too.
• Katamari Damacy - This is just the best song ever.

Day 09 (July 1) - Saddest game scene

           I've put a lot of thought into it, but I'm having a really hard time coming up with anything sad from a video game. Most of the cliche girlfriend deaths just kind of leave me rolling my eyes. It's weird since I'll get misty-eyed in movies and TV shows if something exceptionally emotional is happening, and on a rare occasion I will shed one stoic tear. But never with video games. If I had to choose something, I guess I'd go with the scenes with Ethan in Heavy Rain and the last quarter of Silent Hill 2.


Day 10 (July 2) - Best gameplay

          [I'll put words here when I get around to it]
Uncharted 2 - great experience, interesting multiplayer
InFamous 2 - flowing combat
Splinter Cell - great stealth mechanics

Click here to continue to Day 11