I have been wasting my time again with video games when I should be doing thesis research. The weather here in Ottawa this past weekend was vile. I saw that as a good reason to spend some quality time indoors. With God of War now in my mother-in-law's hands, I was left with no choice but to start X-men Legends. And then I got to the Sentinel flashback. After a few hours of frustration, I packed it in. There seems to be no way that you can beat that level.

Now I am sure that there is, but it isnt obvious to me, and the guides provide damn little insight. So saturday morning I pulled the disc from the PS2 in disgust and frustration and switched back to an old standby - Champions of Norrath. Although I have played it alot in the past, I really like the game and the variation that you get with the dungeons. The different playable characters also keep it interesting. It may not be the best RPG ever, but its not bad. I actually made it through 4 of the game's five acts in one day (keeping in mind that I now know where most of the traps and hangups are). I still really like the battle in Act 4 with the arena beast. It took me awhile to figure out a strategy to beat the damn thing, but I eventually got it. That little skeleton that the dark elf can summon is a huge advantage.

When I consider the two games, Champions and X-men Legends, I dont have to think very hard about which one I feel is better value. When a game crosses the line for me from entertaining fun to frustration, its hard for me to cross back over that line. What is really sad for me is that I have been an X-men fan since the seventies (the age thing jumps up and bites me on the ass again). And I payed 50 bucks for the damn game!!!

Oh well, I have a home, a good job, a good relationship, and a PS2 - Do I have any right to complain?