What we're playing: week of January 31, 2014

Just to prove the folk behind Games in Asia are not actually robots, we’ve decided to share the games we’re playing each week! Also because we are all the same kind of nerdy gamers at heart, and just want to share what we’re in love with at the moment

Mary-Anne’s choice

Chrono Trigger (DS)

by Squaresoft, ported by Tose Co. Ltd I’ve always heard about Chrono Trigger (and Chrono Cross) but never got the chance to try it out. It’s an old-school pixel art RPG that has many artistic and gameplay parallels with my favourite RPG of all time, Final Fantasy IX, and the nostalgia factor is crazy. As JRPGs go Chrono Trigger pretty typical of its kind, but as you may have imagined, it involves loads of time travel and the story it tells is literally out of this world. It’s a great reminder of the days where games were more about gameplay and story than fancy-schmancy graphics and dog sidekicks.

Charlie’s choice

League of Legends (PC)

by Riot Games I started playing League of Legends not because I really wanted to, but because it’s the most popular game in Asia—maybe the world—and we didn’t have anyone on staff who really knew much about the game. But I’ll admit it: what started as a work obligation has developed into something of an obsession. Part of the reason is that it’s fun, of course, but part of the reason is that there’s something about the MOBA genre that just compels you to want to get better. I’ve gotten addicted to plenty of multiplayer games before, but none where I spent time online watching lectures to try to learn how to get better at the game. It’s not the easiest game to pick up (I still suck at it), but I now understand very well why people sink hundreds of hours (and hundreds of dollars) into this game.

Vincent’s choice

Civilization V: A Brave New World (PC)

by Firaxis Games I never really was a fan of the previous Civilization titles that’s why I didn’t think that I would get hooked with Civilization V. The game is more accessible than its predecessors and I actually was able to enjoy and understand the game more in this version. This was the only game that I actually paid for a collector’s edition because I loved playing it that much. The amount of civilizations and leaders you can play with is greater than the older versions, and the custom maps just prolong my time with it.

Chris’ choice

Final Fantasy X Remastered (PS Vita)