I have embedded the new What I'm Playing/What I'm Paying spreadsheet for January below. The overall spreadsheet (includes previous months) can be found here.
Game of the Month
Mass Effect
Cost: $4.99 (Steam Holiday Sale)
Played: 5 hrs
3-words: Sucked, gets better.
My game of the month was Mass Effect; in honor of the release of Mass Effect 2
this month.Mass Effect is growing on me. At first I despised the combat and drawn out conversations. Mass Effect has one of the worst introductions to an RPG that I've ever played. There was nothing in the first four hours of the game that made me jump for joy.
However, I now have a feel for the game and have let the cards fall where they may. I'm picking up steam, rock hopping across the galaxy and sticking to the main storyline. I find the side quests easily and best avoided. I didn't log as many hours I had hoped this month, but I do still plan to finish Mass Effect.
March's GotM: Battlefield: Bad Company 2
/Played
In the /Played section, I cover other games I played during the month.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Beta
I love the Battlefield games. Bad Company 2 is the next great title in the series and I spent most of my gaming time with it this month. From my initial impressions post:
The first thing that struck me about Bad Company 2 (BC2) was it's destructive nature. As can be seen in the video, almost every wall and obstacle can be destroyed. This was something promised back in the days of Battlefield 2 and only partially realized in BC1. BC2 takes it to another level. No wall, box, barrel, or cement slab seems safe. Annoying sniper on the third floor three buildings down? Level the first two buildings and smoke that fucker out.The full version goes live March 2nd and I am dedicating most of March to this great game!
Allods Online Open Beta
Its been an up and down month for Allods Online and its open beta. I put a few hours in and have Healer and Scout leveling slowly, but surely. Regardless of how the cash shop debacle turns out, I have to admit that Allods is a fun game to play in its free version. That's why its so disheartening that the upcoming game changes could kill the fun.
Also, my Allods Online guide is coming along nicely.
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2
, like most of Valve's games never gets old. I hooked up and rocked out for some great VS. matches on The Parish campaign. The finale, bridge map for The Parish is one of my favorites./Paid
Total spent this Month: $49.99
My Value Rating: Average
Bad Company 2 was expensive at $49.99. I would have felt more comfortable at a $35 price point. However, I was fortunate enough to receive a $75 "points" card as a bonus from work. One of the few things it can be used on is a prepaid card usable on Steam games. That is the only reason I shelled out $49.99 for this game.
I have now used up $105.16 of my $180 gaming budget for 2010. Stay tuned each month to see if I can stay on track!
