Gaming Dialog: Final Fantasy Tactics, SOTN, and Toilets

I'm still unsure of how I want this to proceed so experimentation with delivery and timing will be a must. At the request of a Mr. Bob (name has been changed for purposes of anonymity), I present you with another aspect of gaming through the eyes of the most important person in the world.....ME. (Ask any emergency responder...)

Tonight we start with a classic.....

Final Fantasy Tactics.

Interestingly enough, Bob (see what I did there? Dropped the formality because he's a friend. Although now that I think about it, Bob doesn't suit him at all. I'm going to change Bob to Pancho. Even though he's not hispanic providing diversity is always a good thing....) introduced me to the series back in 7th or 8th grade along with Castlevania Symphony of the Night.  Back in the day, I hated this game. During an era in which I had fallen in love with JRPG classics such as Chrono Trigger, the Final Fantasy series and Xenogears, Tactics was a complete change of pace as it entailed having a tutorial that involved what seemed like 200 pages of reading. With yesterday's post I ignored the tutorial for good reason; FFT had forever scarred me from tutorials that can be skipped. With Pancho's assistance I was able to get through the first few maps until Dorter (Read main story battle #3...I think).

This map destroyed me.

Only now, 13 years later was I able to dominate this map and all of the hellish minions that inhabit it. Courtesy of Beardface for being a walking encyclopedia of all things Tactics-related. What I didn't realize was that being a squire SUCKS. Certain skills are helpful in the beginning but they are sehr squishy. As it stands, I have a relatively limited attention span when it comes to just about anything and therefore dying is not something I'm going to stand for especially in a tactical based strategy game that I had no experience with before. But, now that I have overcome this 13 year barrier the maps are much more palatable and the game has become a 15 hour experience that I am enjoying. Just got to chapter 2 and have been grinding a little too much. Ramza has become a mighty Chemist that will help quench the thirst of his allies with potions and revive the fallen who have been slain from the knave's hand. Or pretty useless and going back to some monk w/ heavy armor action. ::shrugs:: Either way. But, the grinding is getting tedious.

Next up Legends of Grimrock

Second round of this. Learning more with every mouse click. This game has alot of potential and definitely screams old school. The auto map feature presents an easier time but still the exploratory aspect is interesting. Another snail, this time I have armor sort of...a loincloth and some sandals spread amongst the two warriors. Something I learned the battles are time based (waiting on cooldowns) while the enemy can spam attacks... not a great thing to underestimate. Also, I've learned that unlike many JRPGs.... apparently all my characters have had their eyes gouged out and have the upper body strength of a small hamster. Nothing says preparedness like doing zero damage to a giant oversized snail with teeth.

The more I continue through the depths of this subterranean castle I realize that whoever designed this thing to begin with (in lore) must have been very bitter. Cells, death traps and zero toilets. On the other hand, this is something that has always bothered me about games. Where are all of the bathrooms? Be it dracula's castle, or old school RPGs, the bathrooms were nowhere to be found. Also, the grocery stores had some very questionable sales practices. Weapons and armor and curative "potions" and "elixirs" available, but no basic necessities like toilet paper (again bathroom hygiene), food or water. This is necessary stuff people, and granted that may not be the most entertaining form of revenue for a video game at least pretending to have standard stuff can make the game potentially more immersive.

But, this digression has gone long enough.  That's it, what's your thoughts about this?