December 2016 and beyond YouTube plans

I figured I should probably share my plans for the month here so you know what to expect on my YouTube channel.  Hopefully you're reading this and will go over there and check out some of my videos.

My plan for December is mostly finish up a couple of games I'm playing or at least get further along in them.  First up is Far Cry Classic.  I started that in November but got stuck part way through and was having a really hard time in the game.  I ended up playing Call of Duty Classic more so that game got finished but I'm still working on Far Cry Classic.  Since I've figured out the swapping guns issue and brightness (or lack thereof) issue I'm sure I can finish up the game this month.

I've also go some videos for dlc missions for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  I've got those filmed already so I've just got to edit them and get them posted.  I'd also like to make more progress in Lego Harry Potter (yrs. 1-4) even thought I know I won't finish it this month.

I don't know if I can finish this game, but I'd like to get a few more videos from Halo: Combat Evolved up on my channel.  We'll have to see.  Maybe even some more Rayman Origins if I've feeling particular psychotic.

My plan is to finish or get more videos posted for as many Xbox (360 and One) as I can because I have a plan for 2017 which is just around the corner.  It will be here before you know it.  It doesn't help that I've been extremely sick the last couple of days and haven't had the chance to post anything.  I'm feeling better so maybe I can make up for lost time.

My plan for 2017 is to make it "The Year of the PlayStation".  Even though I will continue to play Xbox games, I think I want to focus on playing more PlayStation games.  They may be old.  They may be new.  They may be whatever.  I figure I have a PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now membership (or whatever it's called) so I might as well use it.  I haven't logged in to my PlayStation account for months so this should be interesting.

Some of the current PlayStation games I'm already in the midst of will continue and hopefully finish sometime next year.  Those games are Psychonauts, Dark Cloud, and Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits.  I've already started recording a couple other PlayStation games and hopefully I'll be able to get those started and finished next year.  I don't want to tell you what those are as I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

There are a couple of Xbox games that I will be playing as well next year.  I told you I wouldn't stop playing those games.  A friend of mine suggested 3 different games and I've committed to playing them all.  Those will come up periodically throughout the year so keep on eye on what they are.  I've already started playing one of them and I guess if you're nosey you could check my achievements.  Unfortunately I don't think I've picked up any achievements in that game yet.  Almost though.

If you know of any PlayStation games (I, II, or III) that you'd like me to play, let me know in the comments.  I'm open to suggestions and if I don't have the game I just might have to go out and do some bargain hunting for a copy.  I love shopping for video games.

1,000 Gamer score challenge completed

I did it!

I took a week off from work and went on vacation July 24th through the 31st and all I did (pretty much) was sit in the hotel room and play video games.  It was great.  I got 3 weeks worth of videos recorded in that week and I made my goal of 1,000 gamer score.

I'm not exactly sure which day I got the achievement that pushed me over the edge.  It was either Wednesday the 27th or Thursday the 28th.  Either way that is a month to get 1,000 gamer score.  If I hadn't have gone on vacation I probably wouldn't have done as well as I did.  I picked up 570 points just in that week alone.  I only needed 140 before I left and I got it.

During that time I played some games just for fun in addition to the ones I've been playing for my YouTube channel.  Below is a list of the games that I played while going for that goal and a list of games that I played while on vacation.

I would love to do that again.  Get away from the house that needs cleaning, the dog that needs to be taken care of and a roommate that is annoying and just play video games.  I've got another week vacation in September but I'm not planning on going anywhere so I'll just have to play games at home.

Even though I played a lot of games (or at least played them for a lot of hours) it really got me excited to play more.  And do other things I love to do.  Like read.  It's been a struggle sometimes to find time to read and I haven't been that in to the books that I was reading.  I don't know if it's a combination of the books I've read lately or this new energy to spend time doing the things I love (the bathroom can wait another day before I clean it right?) but I love reading again.  I've recently read The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan and The Scorch Trails by James Dashner.  I'm alternating back and forth between those two series (currently reading The Novice) and once I"m done I think I'll read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and start that series.  Now I've just got to find the time to do everything.

Games played to meet goal:
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Xbox One)
Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One)
Peggle 2 (Xbox One)
Plants vs. Zombies (Xbox One)
Rayman Legend (Xbox One)
Ancients of Ooga (Xbox Arcade)
Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Xbox One)
Gems of War (Xbox One)
Assault Heroes (Xbox Arcade)
Costume Quest 2 (Xbox Arcade)

Additional Games Played While on Vacation:
Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360)
Rayman Origins (Xbox 360)


I played Assault Heroes because I was in the mood to play a racing game as I was searching through my games and stumbled upon that one.  I know it's not a racing game, but it is a driving game and it would do (I was too lazy to look through the rest of my games and they are alphabetically).  I was very surprised to get an achievement in that game.

Gems of War is my new Jewel Quest or Puzzle Quest addiction.  They're just games that I play and chill out to.  They don't stress me out and it's easy to get in a match or two before doing other things.  I was playing it on vacation while I was waiting for videos to process and render.  It fit the time perfectly.

I play Rayman Legend when I want to remember how fun playing Rayman Origins used to be.  I haven't been having a lot of fun in that game for awhile.  I'll still make videos in it and finish it, but I can only play a level or two before I start to get really frustrated and want to chuck my controller through the TV.

Ancients of Ooga is a game that I had the trail version for a long time before I bought the full game.  I had tried playing it several times but just wasn't getting what I was suppose to do.  I still liked the game even if I found it frustrating.  I started playing it again for this challenge and for some reason things just clicked this time.  I figured things out and I was able to get through a bunch of level . . . and then I got stuck so I moved on to something else.

I keep trying to play Plants vs Zombies with friends but it never seems to work out.  They're getting offline just when I get online.  I usually end up just messing around in the Backyard stuff before moving on to something else.  I would really like to play some PvZ games with my friends.

Now that I'm pretty far ahead with my videos I have some time to really sink my teeth in to a meaty game.  I think I'm going to play Red Dead Redemption.  I've debated about if I will film the play through or not and I still haven't decided.  If I do it will be very light on the commentary because I just want to play the game and enjoy it.

Have you played any of those games?  How long would it take you to get 1,000 in gamer score?  It took me a month.  I think that's pretty good.  If I do the same time of thing for trophies on my Playstation 3 what do you think my goal should be?  Let me know in the comments.

1,000 gamer score challenge

So I was watching Brownman's stream the other day with him streaming for 24 hours trying to get 20,000 gamer score in that time frame (spoiler: he got it with hours to spare) and I thought "could I do that?".  Short answer: NO.  Long answer: No way in hell.  But it got me thinking.

Could I set myself a goal to get a set amount of gamer score in a set amount of time?  If so, what amount and how long to get it?  Would it be possible?  What would be a stretch but also doable for me knowing that I have a full time job and other responsibilities that might interfere with my plans?  So I thought of a slightly modified plan. 

What if I just tried to see how long it would take me to earn 1,000 gamer score?  Could I do it in a week?  Probably not.  A month?  Maybe.  How long would it take me?  Maybe if I knew that, I could devise a better, more specific challenge next time.

So starting today (because Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakes just came out) I'm going to see how long it takes me to earn 1,000 gamer score on Xbox Live.  I'm sure it will be a mix of Xbox 360 and Xbox One games.  Starting with Lego Star Wars.  Currently my gamer score is 34,517 as of this exact moment.  So that means I would need to get to 35,517 to finish this goal.

I know I can get a big chunk of that from Lego Star Wars: TFA but I'm sure I'll play other games.  Some new; some old.  How long do you think it will take me to get 1,000 gamer score.  Is there any games you'd like to see me play?  Ones I've started that maybe I need to finish?  Ones that I haven't started yet?  Let me know.  Maybe we can place bets.  What do you think my over/under would be?  Maybe you'd like to join me.  How long will it take for you to get 1,000 gamer score?  Let me know all of these things in the comments.

New Year - New Gaming Goals?

I'm not specifically setting "New Years Resolutions" as I've mentioned before but this time of year has made me look at what some of my Gaming Goals are . . . I mean were. Since the burglary 5 out of my 10 Gaming Goals are now unobtainable. Isn't that nice.

Those goals were 1) finish Final Fantasy VII, 2) All achievements in both Lego Star Wars games, 3) Finish Lost Odyssey, 4) Finish Insane mode with Evil Ric on Gears of War (he sold his game back - how rude) and 5) play Final Fantasy X-2 along with metallicorphan (is he even playing it?). I can't do anything about working on those goals because I don't have the games or systems to play them on. And who knows when that problem will be fixed.

One of those goals on my list was achieved and replaced by a similar goal. I achieved a gamer score of 11,111 and replaced that goal with a new goal to achieve a gamer score of 12,345. Unfortunately I got to a point where I needed an achievement ending in either a 3 or an 8 to get my number just right. The only achievement I had available to me to do that was the "Dupliclone Dash" in Cloning Clyde. It is worth 18 points. The achievement is to finish levels 1-24 and 10 challenge levels under the goal time. Yeah right.

While I think that game is hilarious and fun to play there is no way I was going to be able to get that achievement without going over the goal of 12,345 while playing other games. I have problems with sheep. They're not meant to be ridden. And you're not meant to turn into one. Maybe, eventually, I'll figure out how to play those levels but I realized, with 48 more points to go, that getting my gamer score to exactly 12,345 wasn't going to happen. I put that in my rear view mirror and played on. You live and learn.

There was one goal on my list that I achieved thanks to Kralon. It was to get one of your bankrolls up to $100,000 in Texas Hold 'em. I was almost there a long time ago before they reset the leaderboards and thus your multiplayer bankrolls. I think I was somewhere around $80-90,000. So close and yet so far. When I got that goal I totally forgot it was on my list so I never got around to crossing it off and replacing it was something else.

Some goals are still currently obtainable. And those that are currently on "hiatus" I'm going to have to think long and hard about putting them back on the list when I get my insurance claim straightened out. Games like the two Lego Star Wars. In order for me to get all the achievements I'm going to have to go back and replay all story levels, free play levels, and most of the challenge levels (I was up to RotJ ewok level minus all flight levels). In addition to unlocking all characters, ships, extras and hints. And then I could finish the challenge levels I hadn't done the first time and those special extra levels for each movie and the Lego City and battle arenas. I was so close to finishing the game that I'm not sure I want to put all that time and effort into it again just to get to where I was before I lost my game save.

And then there was Lost Odyssey. If you ever hear me talking about "the one that got away" it will be this game. I've lamented in the past about how many times I've restarted games even when I didn't have to. Lost Odyssey would have been the first game (of any genre) that I started AND finished all in one play through. No restarting for this one. Until the burglary. I was on disk 4 when I lost the game. All areas were open to me and I think I only had one more door/magic seal for Tolten to touch to restore his royal heritage or whatever. After making it through the temple (with your party split in two) I was spending my time going back through older areas to finish side quests and find missing dreams. I had just over 100 hours in that game. Now it is all gone. Do I really want to play those 100 hours all over again just to get to where I left off? Is it worth it when there are so many other new games out there that I would love to try out? I just don't know any more.

I will keep my Gaming Goal to finish Final Fantasy VII. I kind of have to even though I don't have the game anymore. I have a pact with dain about that one (not that I think he's working on his game at the moment). But Evil no longer owns Gears of War and we were half way through the game on insane, do we really want to replay all those earlier levels just to get back to where we left off (even if he is willing to rent it one weekend to play with me)? And I haven't checked in with mettalicorphan on his progress in FF X-2. I just don't see the point any more.

And that's what I hate most about the burglary.

It's not the smashed door. That was fixed. Or the lost items. Those will be replaced . . . eventually. It's all those game saves I lost. All that time and effort for nothing. It wasn't wasted at the time, but now it seems like it was. I have glorious memories of finally beating a tough boss in a fight after trying 6 or 7 times. Or a touching moment in a game when something critical was reveal and a piece of the puzzle fell into place. Game save gone. Memory useless.

If I replay those battles or moments in the story it just won't be the same. I want to pick up where I left off not have to drudge through battles and cut scenes I've already seen or played. And I had so many games that I was in the middle of playing that there was never going to be enough time to play what I already had, let alone work on the games I owned that I hadn't yet played. Especially with great new games coming out.

Maybe when/if I ever get things settled with the insurance company I'll take a week off of work and do nothing but play video games. Will I be caught up then? Not a chance. And that's no even addressing the decision of which game do I start playing first. Right now I want to play them all. At the same time. I miss my games.

Until I know what is happening with my claim I don't think I'll be making any more new Gaming Goals, even to replace the ones I've already finished. But there is one I can keep working on no matter how many (or how few) systems and games I actually own and/or play. That is to post a new blog entry three times a week. I'll really work on that one going forward. Even if I don't have any games to talk about. After all it is "Life of a Gamer Girl" and there's more to life than video games.

Ha Ha!

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Gaming Goals

I've decided I'm going to set goals when it comes to my gaming, but I'm not going to call them New Year Resolutions. Why? Partly because I haven't been very good at setting them at the beginning of the year (and finishing them in the year as well). And partly because setting a resolution sounds like you're trying to make yourself do something that's painful or distasteful . . . like a diet. I've decided to call my goals "Gaming Goals" and I can set them any time I like. A "goal" sounds much more pleasant than a "resolution". And it means you're working towards something, not forcing yourself to do something. But maybe that's just me.

For now here are the Gaming Goals I've sent for myself. Their deadline is open-ended unless otherwise stated.

1. Finish Final Fantasy VII (I think this one has made the list for the last three years in a row) by June 15th
2. All achievements in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2), Lego Star Wars II (9), Catan (2), Puzzle Quest (3), and Spyglass Board Games (1)
3. $100,000 bankroll achievement in Texas Hold 'em
4. Get my gamerscore to 11,111 exactly
5. Post on my blog at least 3 times a week (feel free to rag on me about this one if I don't keep it up)
6. Finish Lost Odyssey story
7. Get that pesky achievement in Soltrio Solitaire for winning at all classic games (not including expansion packs) (I forget what the achievement is called)
8. Finish Insane mode with Evil Ric in Gears of War (the first one)
9. Finish that last @#$%! level in Feeding Frenzy
10. Find my Star Wars The Force Unleashed disk (I still have boxes to unpack)

So what do you think? What are your Gaming Goals?

The NEW New Year Resolutions

Okay, with it being this far into the year can these really be called New Year Resolutions? Anyhoo! These are the next batch of Resolutions or goals or whatever you want to call them, that I hope to accomplish this year, or this quarter, this month, or whenever. Feel free to offer support or attempts to discourage me, whatever your personality dictates.

1. Finish Final Fantasy VII
2. Finish Lego Star Wars II
3. Finish Lego Star Wars: The Complete Sage
4. Finish BioShock
5. Break 10,000 point barrier with my gamer score

#1-4 should be easily doable (except for the undefeated flight missions in Lego Star Wars II). #5 on the other hand could take some doing. If I get close (and desperate) maybe I'll have to resort to Avatar: The Burning Earth. Here's hoping I don't have to. Cheers!

Top 10 signs you play Lego Star Wars too much

Okay, I'm bummed. At work a lot of the big name "gaming" sites are blocked. Now they've blocked some of the other smaller sites and forums that I liked to hang out in on my breaks. So how do I get my gaming fix in while at work? I make up stupid lists like this:

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU'RE PLAYING TOO MUCH LEGO STAR WARS

#10 You see the glowing lights from a neon sign and try to use the Force to move it.

#9 You refuse to take the stairs. Instead you try to use your grappling gun.

#8 When you go to the zoo you jump into the elephant's compound so you can ride a bantha.

#7 You find yourself throwing things at shiny metal objects hoping they stick . . . and blow it up.

#6 When you're sick you start attacking someone in the hopes that they'll drop a red heart so you can pick it up and feel better.

#5 Instead of just looking under the couch cushions for loose change you destroy the thing because you'll get more studs out of it . . . preferably blue ones.

#4 You go to the local bar and start a brawl just for the fun of it.

#3 You try to change yourself into an astromech droid so you can push the elevator button.

#2 You think if your car doesn't work you can just smash it up, put it back together again and it will work perfectly.

#1 If someone makes you mad you howl like a Wookie and try to rip their arms off.


Okay, how bad was that? Let me know, or maybe not. What other games do you want a "Top 10" list for?

Thanks Harlster!

Okay being sick got me a little behind on my posting here so I've got some catching up to do. I'm going to post everything I've been keeping notes on from the last two weeks in separate posts so be sure to read them all.

This post if for a special thanks to Harlster. I was working on the bounty Hunter Missions in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and I had two missions I just couldn't seem to complete. Sometime I hate asking for help online because invariably there is going to be someone who makes you look like an idiot for not being able to figure it out on your own in the first place.

But I had done everything I could think of and I still couldn't find the guys I was after. I started a thread on Xbox.com's forums and Harlster provided the necessary information. And yes, after I learned where those people were I did feel a little stupid for not being able to figure it out on my own. But Harlster didn't make me feel that way . . . I did.

Thanks for the help Harlster!

Some things shouldn't be overlooked

Yes, this is a big week in gaming. Call of Duty 4 comes out . . . well . . . today. But something better comes out tomorrow and it shouldn't be overlooked.

Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga comes out on Tuesday, November 6th 2007. Call of Duty 4 will get all the press. But is it really a better game all around? I don't know since I haven't played it (demo or otherwise) but let me tell you why I'll always like Lego Star Wars Complete Saga over Call of Duty 4 any day.

1) Anyone can play this game. It doesn't matter how old (or how young) you'll be able to move around and do all that the game asks you to do. I have a friend whose 4 year old son plays Lego Star Wars II The Original Trilogy game on his Xbox 360. He loves it. Granted he's not the best player and he doesn't really finish levels like a more experienced player, but he plays the game for fun. He laughs at almost everything, but especially when the Wookie gets to rip someone's arms off. Entertainment value, pure and simple, and isn't that what games are suppose to be about?

2) You get two games in one. Yes, there was already a release of Lego Star Wars games (one for each trilogy) so what's the big deal? Instead of buying those games separately you now get them as one big package. The game for the prequel trilogy was never made available for the Xbox 360. Now you've got the chance to earn achievements for the prequels just like the original movies. So why didn't they just remake the prequel game and release just that? What's wrong with having both movie trilogy games on one disk? You can easily swap and use characters from one movie set to another. If you want to race speeder bikes on Endor you don't have to use Luke or Leia; you could use Jar Jar or Chancelor Palpatine. Or if roaming the streets of Mos Eisley as Luke and Ben Kenobi just isn't your thing you could roll around as a driodekas or Young Anakin. Think of the possibilities.

3) It's Star Wars, stupid. No matter how much you might not like a Star Wars game or movie or book or whatever you have to admit there's something special about Star Wars. A whole generation of children have no grown up with their world defined by the good and evil of the original Star Wars trilogy. It's mythic. It's phenomenal. It's Star Wars. It doesn't matter how real or life like Call of Duty 4 appears. Will it forever alter a whole generation of children's minds? No. In a couple of years it will be a footnote to gaming and looked back fondly by hard core gamers. But there will be something else to take its place. You can't say THAT about Star Wars.

So when you go out to buy Call of Duty 4 why not pick up Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga as well. When you get bored of playing yet another realistic first person shooter just put in The Complete Saga and play something satisfying and entertaining. I'm sure I'll eventually buy and play Call of Duty 4, but I see more entertainment value in The Complete Saga right now. Don't let this game get overlooked.

May the Force be with you!

My Favorite Games - Playstation 2

One thing I love about the Playstation 2 was that when it came out it was backwards combatable. There was no need for system updates, or downloading files in order to get your old Playstation games on a new system. It just worked. I’m sure that’s one reason why Sony led the video game industry for so long. I don’t even think Nintendo even heard of the words “backwards combatable.” At least when it comes to their consoles. Here’s my list of favorite games for the Playstation 2:

#1 Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2
I played. I cried. Then I played some more. The story for this installment of the Final Fantasy series is wide in scope and breadth but intimate and tender at the same time. It’s been said that die hard fan boys cried in Final Fantasy VII when Aeries died but I wouldn’t blame them if they did the same sometime during this game. And who can forget Blitzball. If this sport could actually happen I’d love to go and watch it. I wish I could play, but I can’t hold my breath long enough.

#2 SSX Tricky
“I am King of the mountain!” Who hasn’t wanted to shout this just before gliding down the mountain turning Uber Tricks left and right? Nailing all those different Uber Tricks in one run can be tedious or a riot of laughter. Who wouldn’t want the laws of physics that govern this game to apply at the next Winter Olympics? I still haven’t mastered every mountain and every type of run but they’re all unlocked and they’ve given me many hours or elation and despair. That's why I keep coming back for more.

#3 TimeSplitters (all of them)
This was my first adventure into the shooting genre of game play. I was hooked right away . . . and dead. I can still remember when I finally started to get the upper hand in matches with my brother. I was no longer the perpetual respawner because of all the times he killed me. Now I could roam around and pop him off a time or two before having to spawn again. The characters are hilarious to look at and their behavior in the selection screen under the spotlight is just another chance to laugh before getting into the game. Just remember the zombies only die if you shoot their heads off.

#4 Dark Cloud
Who knew that being the only member of the Village Planning Committee could be so demanding? You fight through a dungeon in order to save a part of your village and when you go to restore that person you’re met with thanks and then a request to make their life better . . . and subsequently yours. Pretty soon you have a laundry list of things the villagers want and getting all the pieces in the right place takes a lot of trial and error. Is it worth it? Yes. And fun too. You’ll find yourself going back to past dungeons over and over again in order to get more treasured jewels to attach to your weapon to make it stronger. And have I mentioned you have to figure out how to keep fish from rotting so you can do more things in the game? Ice, ice, baby.

#5 Lego Star Wars I & II
So that’s what it looks like when a Wookie rips the arms off of someone . . . if you’re a block constructed action figure. Use the power of the Force to move something or your blaster to blow it away. It’s action packed and demands replay just so you can go back to areas that you couldn’t access before. But be prepared to laugh. Try walking down the hallways in Bespin City when Lando keeps grabbing Leia’s hand to kiss it. “The Force will be with you . . . always.”

#6 Racer Revenge (Star Wars)
Finally, a game that shows the true power and speed of pod racing. And just how making repairs mid-race really affects things. The landscape will zip by you when all you want to do is stop and admire the scenery. But don’t do it. Sebula will win and you’ll be labeled Bantha Poodoo. You don’t want to happen now do you. The only down side is it only supports 2 players in multiplayer game play. I would love to see this game support 12-16 humans players in a real race.

Honorable Mentions:
Balder’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 & 2, Champions of Norrath 1 & 2, Ever Grace, Jak & Daxter/Ratchet and Clank, Maximo: Ghost to Glory, Super Bust a Move, Xenosaga I, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, and Muppets Part Cruise