gaming

I haven't had a book to read for a bit, but I'm still getting some great story and characters - by way of a DS game. I've been playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I bought it a week ago and am already on episode 3 of 5. Lots of fun, and helps me with my observation and deductive skills. As a defense attorney, you get to investigate crime scenes, gather evidence, and cross-examine witnesses. The tough part is knowing when to press a witness and knowing what evidence to present when. If you get something wrong, you lose points with the judge. Lose too many points and it's game over. There's two sequels out now that continue the underlying story.

 

Another great story-based DS game is Hotel Dusk: Room 215. It plays like a detective story - the protagonist is a former cop and is searching for his old partner. He unravels the mysteries of the hotel's past to find the answers he's looking for.

 

Yesterday I bought a house! Well, the only one I could afford... a house in Lord of the Rings Online. Their most recent update included player housing. Hubby and I bought deluxe houses in the dwarf homestead near Thorin's Hall. Nice stone architecture, and great location. You can make or buy furniture for decoration. As a woodworker I was able to make some bookshelves and a table. The only decoration I bought for now is a nice purple rug. I spent most of my money on the house, so can't afford to fully furnish it right now. All that is decoration anyway, the best parts of owning one are the recall home and extra storage space.

 

Another involving game right now is Puzzle Quest. We have the X360 version. It's the same gameplay as the DS one, but is bigger and easier to navigate (fit more on one screen), and cost less. The puzzle part is similar to Bejeweled, but you use the colored gems to get mana and cast spells and attack your opponent. There's a purpose to all the puzzles - questing, capturing enemies to learn their skills, and train mounts. I've barely begun to explore the world. There's a big part of the map still inaccessible.

 

It may sound like this gaming gets in the way of my writing, but the last few days I've done more zoning out than anything else. I don't know why I've been so cold and tired; even on the warmer days like yesterday I still felt like burrowing under a blanket.