I got a new dog. Her name is Flipsy and I adopted her from a rescue. I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to have a dog. I’d almost forgotten what my previous dog even looked like. Saya was afraid of cameras; Flipsy doesn’t mind them. I only hope I don’t get tired of taking pictures.

I’ve been playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I wrote a story about the multiplayer. I keep forgetting single player’s even there. I default to the Engineer kit because I like the M2 Carl Gustav recoilless rifle. I can’t hit helicopters with it yet, but it has a larger blast radius and less regard for gravity than other launchers. This makes it good against infantry and lightly armored vehicles. Players say Carl is overpowered. I think they’re forgetting the 40mm grenade launcher, the M60 light machine gun, and the mortar strike. Rock, paper, shrapnel — every kit has its gimmick.

I only wish DICE would fix auto-team balance. Many games are ruined when a team loses and half its players quit, leaving the remainder overwhelmed. And then the server’s dead. It happens every day and it’s terrible. But I love this game.

I played Final Fantasy 13 much more in March’s first half than I did in its second. My schedule has been disrupted both by Flipsy and my growing love of Bad Company 2, and I prefer to only play RPGs when I know I have at least two hours before I plan to do something else. I plan things that way.

But I like this game. I like Sazh and the baby chocobo he keeps in his ‘fro. I like that new mechanics were introduced across multiple sub-plots until 25 hours into the game. I’m 32 hours in now, on Chapter 11, and I still don’t feel I’ve mastered the combat system. I haven’t read any reviews yet; do other people like it too? I think Final Fantasy 13′s design was a bold thing. I only wish either that preemptive strikes were easier to achieve, or that they felt less essential.

I’ve been playing King’s Bounty: Armored Princess as well. It’s a more convenient game than its predecessor now that it has fast travel and few quests require turn-ins to complete. It’s also a more balanced game now that Rage is useful from the start and it’s harder to specialize in multiple skill trees. Class choice has come to matter. I may replay it if a third game isn’t out by the time I finish a first time.

I’m not as scatterbrained as I was in February. Three games has been enough. A Dragon Age expansion came out and I barely noticed. I’ve heard it’s good; I’m waiting for it to go on sale. Sam & Max Season 3 (I’m calling it that even though TellTale isn’t) and the Skate 3 demo release on April 15. I’ll probably work on finishing Final Fantasy 13 by then.