So FF:CC:CB is as worthy a purchase as I had hoped? Excellent. I'll have to go out and grab it by week's end.

I've mostly been playing Pokemon Blue and Yellow and Grandia Xtreme since my brother glued himself to Dragon Age.

Pokemon is as good as ever. Grandia Xtreme is better than I used to give it credit for. It's easily the weakest in the story and writing departments, but the systems are all functional, even if things like dual-techs come off as an afterthought. The magic system is still worth using, which is more than can be said for Grandia 3. Titto is by far the best character in the roster due to getting in a third hit to his combos, but pathfinding is a bit wonky given he doesn't seem to wait to throw again (he uses throwing knives, which also gives him the bonus of range) while he's turning to the next enemy after he kills one and therefore hits the dead air in between. Or sometimes hapless enemies who happen to be in the way, since it's a true collision system. Also, they have the same annoying habit from Grandia 2 of getting stuck on each other and running out of movement points.

Still, that's not as bad as it sounds, and once you realize that you're SUPPOSED to be constantly dragging loot back into town instead of blazing through the levels, things are pretty well-set-up.

I've pretty much been playing a lot of Tekken 6 with a sprinkling of Brutal Legend and a little Jumping Flash. Finding some Tekken players near me has made me want to get somewhat competant at the game. So far my greatest achievement has been taking 3rd in a ranking battle in my area.

Hold on there, Loyal. The only thing the game does exceptionally is reward "Search every corner, climb every rock, spelunk every cave, wander every hall" gameplay. It even has a medal system with really cryptic hints to tell you, "Hey, you can get out there. Figure out how." So if you really like that, then it's a worthy purchase. However, the main "story," as in, what you do to beat the game, is "Go where your map points, watch a cut-scene, repeat." Mini-games and random battles happen between points A and B, but the game will lead you by the nose straight to the final boss really quickly if you let it. Then there's the graphics, which somehow make a pretty and interesting world using late-Gamecube textures and meshes and, occasionally, some bad pop-in from how the game handles loading objects when moving from zone to zone. And then there's Belle. She sucks.

Oh, and the combat is really easy if you don't bother with killing all the monsters in the time limit. If you do try to kill all the monsters in the time limit, it can get pretty hairy.

So, I think I'm enjoying the game for the same reason I enjoyed World of Bobcraft, in that, as soon as I got a mount there, I explored the entire Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, running like hell from way higher level monsters, because I wanted to see what was out there. That's what Crystal Bearers really has to offer; a world where, yeah, there is something down that cliff or in that hole or on that roof. Edit: And, the less obvious the hole, the more likely the something is to be not money, like new materials, mini-games, something weird, or more holes.

Another Edit: Another (really stupid) reason I dig this game so much just occurred to me, and that is I love watching the dumb-as-bricks NPC flail about and hurt each other. It's like I'm in a world full of special ed kids, which is simultaneously hilarious and makes Layle seem much more competent than he might otherwise. Except that he throws himself into geysers and harasses octopi, so maybe he fits in after all... Anyway, Square's failure to make decent NPC AI wrapped back around to successfully infusing the game with humor any time there are people around. Yeah! Go Selkie Woman! Kick the crap out of Lilty Noble! That'll show him to walk around dank alleys alone!

The game's intentionally funny at times, too, but that's maybe due to the story being full of lawls.

Maybe this is the Plan 9 from Outer Space of Final Fantasy... I do enjoy both...

On FF:CC:CB, there's a review for that on the escapist (not Yahtzee): http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...iew-Supplement

It's definitely worth watching.

I figured as much. Hell yeah.

OBJECTION !
This evidence clearly proves that I've been playing Phoenix Wright 2.

Man maybe I'm just getting too old for videogaming, but these days I'm considerably more excited about going onto Amazon.com and splurging a bit on classic, obscure titles I haven't played than...you know...paying equal amounts of money on the new stuff.

I just recently received a shipment that included Einhander and Planescape: Torment. Both games are going to be fucking amazing. I can just feel it. They're games I've heard talked up and hyped for more than a decade, but that I never had the extra cash to pay for. Literally, a year ago you'd go on Amazon and both titles would be considerably more expensive than a new release.

But with Planescape re-released at a dirt-cheap price, and with Einhander nabbed at a decent deal, I just...I feel like I'm in nirvana. The instructions to Einhander include references to Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics on the back! As if those titles were new! And Planescape: Torment looks like...actual...great...storylines in videogaming. It's exceptionally nostalgic moments like these that make me grateful that I'm always just an Amazon.com used purchase away from reliving a more glorious past, back in the old days of SNES cartridges and PS1 CDs, back when I was so much more optimistic about what gaming could be capable of.

The funny thing is when purchasing Einhander and Planescape I was like: "Wait a second. I could purchase Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2 or some other newfangled video game for the same price."
But it wasn't any contest.

I'm partying like it's '98!

I'm quickly rushing through Mass Effect again to compile a save game (and apparently bonuses) for Mass Effect 2. Then, you know.

Also still working through Dragon Age. Too much Bioware for my own good.

I just mostly completed AC2. I've done all the missions I could, including the Family Crypt that you can score with U-Play points & Shipwrecked level (thanks to buying the Best Buy version). I'd love to have access to the other Black Edition special missions (Best Buy only gave 1 of 3), but I don't know how.

I've got 83 of the 100 feathers, almost entirely due to a strategy guide. However, I apparently missed a few here & there... and thus made my life a living hell trying to find the rest.

Beyond that, I don't have any immediate plans. 'Cept to grab God of War 3 when it becomes available.