May 2009 Monthly Gaming Analysis

The results shown below are of course based on the combined data from the Daily Game Log which should provide a clear indication of a game's usage frequency. Bear in mind that even if a game is played twice or more during a particular day, it would still register as 1 in the Day Count column below. In a sense, "merits" are given based on how often a particular game can make me play it again throughout the entire period of the month on a daily basis. A game that makes a gamer play it over and over again or at least spend a lot of time with it... Isn't that what we mostly want from a great game? I don't think it's really fair to count all the way down to the number of hours played since some games only require a short amount of time to properly serve their purposes.

OVERALL BREAKDOWN:




Total Games Played: 63

It shouldn't be a surprise to see how the top tiers are filled for May 2009 - I was in a role playing game frenzy. There weren't any double-digit contenders like my old Culdcept Saga and Ikaruga days but that is probably because I was just a little too haphazard with which game I really wanted to focus my attention on. My most memorable time last month must be my rediscovery of Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom. Looking past the extreme level of repetition killing thousands of enemies per run-through, I was able to find the game's addictive weapon synthesis system that justify hours upon hours of grinding through the game. What discouraged me the first time I picked up this game last year was the lack of character armor customization. Though armor drops are abundant, you only see the difference in statistics instead of look. Still, this is a game about item stats and I finally understand that. It does help that your character does get to look pretty powerful when you get to higher levels.

I started playing Neverwinter Nights 2 again in anticipation of the expansion, Storm of Zehir that I eventually own by the end of the month. I am leveling up a human ranger and I am still playing through the original campaign. The latest expansion makes the game run better than it ever did before so there is no reason why I can't get back to it again soon.

I unlocked all of the Resident Evil 5 collectibles last month and conquered Professional mode with the help of a very unhelpful A.I. Sheva. The first half May's playtime, I was accompanied by a friend but I really didn't have the patience to wait 2 weeks in between the game for him to finish it together. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is an exceptional strategy game but I have intentionally stopped playing it near the end of the month because a friend expressed the intention to play through that game's campaign together with me: this didn't end well though, I'll tell you in the next monthly analysis.

Best New Game of the Month:
Raiden Fighters Aces (X-Box 360)

Unexpectedly Forgotten New Game of the Month:
Kingdom Hearts - Re:Chain of Memories (PlayStation 2)

I Missed You I Want You Game of the Month:
The Dark Eye: Drakensang (Personal Computer)