This was the longest of very long months. We are now wrapping up our seventh week of stay-at-home, and it’s starting to feel like this is all we’ve ever done, so I guess we’re adjusting?
#Blapril2020
If my math is right (and it’s entirely possible my counting skills aren’t up to snuff), I’ve managed to earn myself a Rainbow Diamond Award! That’s not considering all the things I’m likely to post between now and the official end date of May 9th. I really didn’t think I was going to do much by way of participation, but just the idea of blogging at least most days gave me some structure I’d been lacking, so I’m very grateful for the event.
Community Game-A-Long – #CapcoMonth
Although Remember Me, my first choice of a game for #CapcoMonth didn’t go so well, I had a much better time, overall, with DMC: Devil May Cry. Although there were bouts of serious frustration, and many doubts about my ability to finish it and, oh yeah, a heap of crashes, I made my way through the main story.
This was good for two reasons: (a) it always feels good to get through a game I like but am struggling with and (b) it helped me figure out what type of gaming I should be looking to play next, because despite the rough patches, it held my attention all the way through.
Other PC Gaming
I dabbled in at least a bazllion games this month trying to find something that would hold my interest. Ok, it was closer to 25, but that’s still a lot, even for me. Because of this, I’m skipping The Nope List entirely because I’m sure every one of those games was just fine, it was only me that wasn’t having any of it. So what did I spend a fair amount of time with?
Cook, Serve, Delicious 2: Yet again, didn’t quite get to a point where I feel like it’s finished, but it managed to hold my attention for hours over a week or so when nothing else was working for me.
Majesty 2 Collection: I didn’t get very far, but I spent a few evenings working out the quirks of the sequel to one of my all-time favorite games. Technological advances has left this one with some odd glitches, so rather than try to mod and tweak it, I just moved on.
World of Warcraft: The Impressive Influence buff persuaded me to reactive my retail WoW account to grind out reps for Battle for Azeroth flying. I’m currently playing about 60-90 minutes a day, and making good progress. I’m hoping to keep playing for the duration of my sub, but even if I just manage to finish Pathfinder Part 2, I’ll be content.
Saints Row IV: Probably my favorite gaming time of the month, though, was spent on a full play through of Saint’s Row IV. Although I still love the third installment the most, there were a lot of things about this game that I really enjoyed. I thought getting super powers was going to ruin it. It most definitely did not.
Low Spend 2020
I may not be able to go places or see people, but goddamn it, I can still buy things. Which is to say, I’ve kind of tossed out a lot of my best intentions on this one for the time being, while still trying to stay on a budget. I’m also trying to focus my (limited) spending on independent developers because if my local businesses need extra financial love right now, I’m guessing indie devs do too.
So, what did I buy?
Pretty much exactly what I said I was going to.
I was tempted by many games featured in LudoNarraCon 2020, but since those sales run through Saturday, and a new Humble Monthly drops on Friday, I decided to hold out and make my purchases after I see what’s on offer there. My grand total, including sales tax, was $18.05, so I still have quite a bit of my budget left. I’m in no rush to spend it though because…
Ten Games to Tackle in 2020
… I’m finally making some small, tentative progress on my big goal list for the year. I’ve poked at Borderlands a couple of times, but the very beginning is so very very slow and I’ve been suffering from a pretty significant lack of attention span.
The last time I spent any serious time with it was long before the enhanced edition came out, so I haven’t had any “but it’s an old game now” issues. I’m still not 100% sold on the idea of a looter shooter, but I’m having a fairly good time with it.
I had a brief struggle where I thought I screwed up because I was so underleveled, and as it turns out, I did! I missed a handful of side-quests, and was all caught up after doing those. Apparently, side quests in Borderlands aren’t all that optional, no matter what the quest log says.
Good Reads Challenge (10/36)
I only read a couple of books this month, both titles I borrowed via Kindle Unlimited. I absolutely adored Dreamland, which is what led to me borrowing The Ghost of Madison Avenue, which I also liked, but not nearly as much.
At this point, I’m officially a couple of books behind, and I need to make it a point to spend more time reading in May before it gets overwhelming.
What I’ve Been Watching
I made a list of TV shows I’d like to catch up on while I’ve got nothing but time at home on my hands, and I started off by tackling Grimm. I’ve now watched about 2/3 of the way through the third season, which means I’m about a dozen episodes past what I’ve seen before.
I’d likely be further along, but I’ve also been keeping up with Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, watching a lot of cooking shows, and more or less keeping up with season 7 of the Smite Pro League on YouTube.
Nerd Girl Thoughts 