Being a college student and having a job makes it difficult to make time for gaming. During the week I’m busy with school and work but I always try to fit in an hour of gaming when I can. However, once Friday comes around I get serious. I sit down on my couch with a controller in my hand and a cup of Grounds for Thought coffee at my side. You see, when I play games I prefer to play them in large chunks of time. On any given Friday afternoon I game for around four to five hours, sometimes longer. When I finally make time for gaming, I make that time count! So, what have I been playing?

For the past two months I have been playing Level 5’s space opera Rogue Galaxy for the PS2. I was a fan of Dragon Quest 8 (another Level 5 title) so I thought I’d give this game a try. The graphics are bright, colorful and cel-shaded; I describe the look of the game to my friends as an interactive anime. In RG the player takes on the role of Jaster Rogue, a young man with a desire to travel the galaxy. His dreams come true and he joins a band of pirates and sets off on a quest to discover a lost planet. The story is decent, nothing spectacular, but it’s fun.

There are eight playable characters, tons of mini games, side quests, a plethora of costumes and more. This game is for the completionist gamer, maybe that’s why I like it so much. The battles take place in real time but the enemies don’t appear on screen… boo! I have clocked in about 44 hours with this game and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

I have also been playing Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Gamecube. I am a huge fan of Super Mario RPG (SNES) and Paper Mario (N64), so it’s no surprise that I like this game. The graphical style is phenomenal; imagine an interactive storybook and you have Paper Mario. Paper Mario: TYD is a pseudo 3D role playing game. I would recommend this game to younger kids who are interested in role playing games but are turned off by the complexity of some of the contemporary RPG titles. Also, parents may appreciate its non-threatening game play and story. But don’t mistake me; this game is not just for kids. Quite the contrary, there are tons of throwbacks to past Mario games, the game play while simple, has a lot of depth and, well… it’s just plain fun!

So I don’t have an XBOX 360… I want one, but I am waiting for a price drop. I was over at Tim’s the other day and we were playing Gears of War. WOW! This game is incredible. Graphics, music, game play, atmosphere, Gears has it all. Tim and I were playing co-op and it was a blast! I love the art direction of the game, imagine GI Joes on steroids and you have Gears of War. When I finally buy an XBOX 360, I will definitely be picking up this game.

Well, there you have it. Tune in next week for another edition of My Week in Gaming. Until then, game on!