Where I’ve been
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I have literally fallen off the grid the past couple of weeks, and the culprit is obvious: A little 360 game you might have heard of.
If you’ve been following my Twitter feed I’ve been playing a lot of it. I was also out of town this weekend and haven’t played for a few days, so now I’m jonesing again. As soon as the Cavs/Celtics game is over, I’ll be back in the comfortable confines of Liberty City.
I have a bunch to write up about the game, but I’d rather be playing it then blogging it. Sorry about that.
Comic Watch - GU Comics
If the integrity of mainstream video game reviews was in a coffin and all but one nail had been driven home, the reviews for GTA IV was a big mash hammer that drove the last nail in, but bent it totally out of shape before smashing it home, making it all but impossible to pull it out.
Stick a fork in ‘em.
In my hands
Impressions and Mario Kart friend code to be posted soon. Post yours so we can throw red shells at each other!
Update
Mario Kart Wii is that awesome. Here’s my friend code:
2750-1585-9944
…Nat cutting in. Here’s mine:
1762-3222-0503
back to Tony…
I’m throwing GTA IV in now that the kids are in bed, so I won’t be going back to Mario Kart for a bit.
Weekend Gaming, at last!
I have been swamped (SWAMPED!) at work the past couple of weeks on a project that has sucked up a large portion of my free time. When I finally to get a free moment, I’m so spent from my other duties that I haven’t had a desire to do much gaming. I’m finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel at work and my mood is already lifting. I’m ready to pick up the familiar controller and get back in the game.
In order to gear up for a great week of gaming when GTA IV and Mario Kart Wii are released, I figure I should knock out another game in my queue before everything gets pushed back to make room for the newcomers. I got very close to finishing Bioshock last year, so I figure now would be a good time to get back to that and finish it up. I really want to see how it ends.
I’m also making my way through Super Mario Galaxy, which I am still thoroughly enjoying. The kids love to watch me play it, so that’s our bonding game. I can’t get over how much fun platforming is again.
I’m also eying a couple DS games, but I’ll probably hold off on those until the real gaming lull hits this summer. I’ve got enough on my plate.
What are you guys playing? Planning on picking up either Mario Kart Wii or GTA IV?
Ikaruga Pleases Me
Quite possibly the greatest shooter of all time is being released tomorrow on Xbox Live for 800 points. I’m seriously considering taking my first ever personal day just for a video game. It is the only game I have played consistently for almost three years.
This game is not for the faint of heart. The person in the video above has played it a lot more than I have, a lot more.
What we’re playing (Weekend Edition)
It’s the weekend and it’s time to get geared up for a great weekend of gaming! It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these so I’ve got some catching up to do. I know Nat hasn’t been feeling well, so I’ll let him fill us in on what he’s been playing whenever he feels like it.
As for me, I’ve been pretty busy. After reading Nat’s (and everyone else’s) attempts to actually finish a few games, I took it to heart and placed a self-imposed rule that I had to finish something, anything, before I picked up a new game. I really wanted to get Burnout Paradise, so I gave it the college try and decided to wrap up some loose ends.
Even though you never really “finish” Pokemon Diamond, per se, there is an end to the game, which after consulting GameFAQs once or twice, I finally made it to. I found and finally finished off the last bad guys. It was fairly easy and quite anticlimatic. But it is the first Pokemon game I’ve “finished” so there’s that. I think my Pokedex was more than half full which flies in the face of the mantra of collect them all, but I’m only human. I’m not waiting around for a convenient Friday just to catch a pocket monster.
I also managed to finish the single player campaign in Halo 3 (On Heroic, mind you). I hated the sphincter level, but the last level was most enjoyable. A true homage to the Halo series. The ending was infinity times better than Halo 2’s ending.
Yes it was.
But now I’m done with those two games. Sure, I still play Halo 3 multiplayer like it’s my job, but I doubt I’ll be doing the single player much more except to find the skulls. Maybe I’ll do co-op with someone to get the achievements, but that’s about it.
So here’s what I’m playing:
Burnout Paradise: I’m a few months behind the curve on this one, but I am loving Burnout Paradise. Burnout’s trademark speed and pedal-to-the-metal is still there, with the added open world. I haven’t stopped grinning since I started playing this one. I haven’t played with anyone online yet, but I can definitely see that being a blast. I miss crash mode but showtime mode is a decent replacement.
Super Mario Galaxy and NSMB: Again, I’m a few months behind the curve with SMG, but I can’t get enough of this. A little while ago, my 3 year-old started watching me play NSMB on the DS and wanted to try it. He isn’t bad (for a 3 y/o) and he really likes the Mario character. My daughter loves Princess Peach (duh) so our new past time is to play Super Mario Galaxy. This is another one of those games that are just plain fun. The platforming has been taken to another level with the galaxy concept. I love it. Being able to have my daughter join in the fun with the other Wii-mote is perfect. I’ve gathered 22 stars so far and I don’t want to stop any time soon.
I’ve also been playing a handful of web-based flash games (a few I’m too ashamed to admit to playing, others I’m saving for future blog posts) all in the name of “research”. And of course I can’t go to bed until I get in a game of Spider Solitaire and Tetris.
This weekend I’ll be playing Burnout and SMG, and hopefully getting back to my Mass Effect save. Should be a busy weekend.
NAT: I’ve been playing the “stay hydrated and gain my weight back” game (PSA: wash your hands). Actually, two nights ago, I finally took the cellophane off my copy of Mass Effect. My initial impression is that it’s cinematic. Even though we purchased Brawl, we must be the only home in America that’s just not sucked in by it. We’ve played it a total of two nights. My son has been keeping me busy with a few racing games: Cars, Cars:Maternational, Forza 2, and a couple of the Burnouts. However, mostly, I’ve been playing Bully: Scholarship Edition. It’s been a hoot. Last night, I popped Geometry Wars Galaxies into the Wii and now I have an itch to play a lot of that. This may seem like a lot of titles, but for me, it’s only been 5-15 minutes at a time.
What are you playing?
Achievement Unlocked [Bully:Scholarship Edition]
I never, ever thought I would be embarrassed to get an achievement.
It was just one dude. Only one.
Don’t buy the Xbox 360.
Apple versus Microsoft. Support versus frustration. Two enter, one leaves.
Time to Purge (”The List”)
In light of all I’ve gone through and with giving up (actually, changing perspective) on “The List,” it’s now time for me to get rid of all the games I no longer want or need. What does that mean for you, oh, inquisitive reader? Simply put, you get first dibs.
Here’s how it works. I’m going to list all the game I want to get rid of. (All of them come in their cases). I could just take them in to Gamestop, but they are idiots (There’s a guy in our local store that deserves a plethora of posts. I feel sorry for uninformed customers.) and they would give me a pittance for the trade-in anyway. I will sell the game to you at half the price Gamestop sells it used (look it up on their site and email me the link). That way, you get a game cheaper than used list and I make more off it. Make sense? Let’s eliminate the used store middleman and save on their fees.
Just email me (agentgray at gmail) what you want and we can work all the other stuff. I’ll probably use Paypal and ship the mail via USPS (US or Canada) Here’s the games (with commentary):
Gamecube:
- Metroid Prime - It’s a little past it’s namesake, but an excellent game. Good for a single play through.
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - echoing what’s above
- SSX Tricky - I loved this game. One of the few I did everything with. Now? Meh.
- Pikmin - If you like telling flowers what to do, then this is for you.
- Mario Golf Toadstool Tour - I consider it to be the best sports game for the ‘cube.
- Super Monkey Ball - A party game before they were popular. You unlock the party game part.
- Prince of Persia The Sands of Time - I had a blast with this, the grandfather to Assassin’s Creed.
Xbox
- Lego Star Wars - I have the new version. No need here.
- Panzer Dragoon Orta - I guess this game may be rare? Good for a single play through.
- Psychonauts - Just a smidgen overrated, I think, but very funny. Might be a little rare in Xbox form.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - A classic. Might be the best Star Wars story since Episode V.
Nintendo DS
- Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime - a fun diversion that’s easy to play.
- Brain Age - my age dropped the more I tried to complete “The List”
- Contact - what a quirky game. Almost like a new Startropics.
- Hotel Dusk Room 215 - one of the best uses of the DS ever, an interactive book.
- Metroid Prime Hunters - cramp inducing? At least for this lefty.
- Meteos - From what I understand it may be rare now. A fun puzzle game.
- Electroplankton - I love this quirky off the cuff stuff. NOt really a game, but interesting. Rare.
Xbox 360
- PocketBike Racer - I will give this away. The King creeps me out.
- Lost Planet - the constant falling down lost me on this.
- Dead Rising - A frustrated love? The timer, the inmates (that keep coming back), the bad survivor AI, and weird save system. I need to move on.
Nintendo Wii
- Zack & Wiki - I had fun with this quirky adventure game. Hilarious unintended Wiimote motions too.
- MLB Power Pros - I wish I had the time. I really do, but this is the most interesting, time consuming baseball game on any console. Stat tracking is amazing.
There you go. There are some more titles I may add to this, but I am very close to completing them. Plus, I have some PC titles, but I need to make sure license keys and stuff are OK.
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you about my little renaissance I’ve had with Puzzle Quest. It is the only game I’ve really put some time into this last month while my family and I were (and are) under the weather. Well, it seems as if D3 Publishers of America has finally release information about their pseudo-sequel called Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. This person is excited. Puzzle Quest is the only game I have bought three times: DS, 360, and PC.
If you’ve never played it, get the PC demo. I guarantee, you’ll get it for something. (It’s available everywhere at budget pricing). Kotaku was able to score an interview with the developer and they were able to address some things and find out a little more about the gameplay.
The round pieces have changed to hexagonal ones and extra challenge has been added by the movement of the hexagons once you have matched up your three or more. Instead of dropping straight down, your columns slide diagonally, and depending on which piece you move, the columns will fill in either from the left or the right. Gravity will have a bearing on the various movements of the pieces as well making you have to think in several directions at once.
One of the things I asked about was whether the AI was going to be improved over the seemingly punishingly difficult AI of the original Puzzle Quest. I was told that the developers had heard players issues and it was something they were working on.
The game is set to be released later this year, and that’s just not soon enough.
Thanks to Kotaku for the pic. Be sure to head there for more info.
All Good Things…Part 2
Four months ago, I gave myself the herculean task of completing every videogame I own. It’s been many things: daunting, rewarding, and even downright boring in some parts. Most games started off great and some have just come to a complete stop. It’s painful completing some of them. My vow was to not get any new games until this list was complete and I broke it in the middle of January. It looks like I have five games to add to this list. However, I did want to share with you my progress since October. Now, realize that I started every game over from scratch. You can see my progress below. (Click on it for a larger image).
Awesome Halo 3 screenshots
BS Angel has posted some really cool Halo 3 screenshots. Halo 3 may not be the perfect game, but the additional things like the theater are so much fun. I need to be using them more often.
In [Nat's] Hands: Burnout Paradise
Love. Love. Love. Love.
Initial thoughts:
- Get the camera. I may have to. The reactions are priceless.
- Soundtrack is actually quite good. Paradise City by Guns ‘N Roses was a nice touch.
- 24th and 25th 2 car challenge are doozies. Use fast, light cars. Online is fun and seamless.
- Achievement point candy?
- Watching another player in showtime is kinda eerie, but funny.
- Marked man can die a slow death. Don’t ever, EVER stop driving or get stuck unless you like the black cars popping out of nowhere and slamming you.
- Forget the races, make them all road rages.
- It’s actually not taking as long as I thought to “know” the map.
I also acquired Rise of Legends (PC) and Endless Ocean for the Wii. (More on that later.)
Halo 3 Stats on the Go
Because I feel a need to link anything concerning Halo 3, statistics, and the getting of those statistics in divers ways, I must point to iHaloStats, an iPhone app to retrieve your Halo 3 stats at any moment.
Never have I wanted an iPhone as badly as I do right now. (via Aeropause)
Using a Laptop as a WiFi adapter for your 360
Connecting wirelessly to the internet is one of the greatest conveniences ever (up there with Micro Magic microwaveable French fries) and is usually pretty cheap. A wireless router now can be had for very little money and setup is a breeze. Connecting your Xbox 360 wirelessly, however, is still expensive due to an overpriced adapter. The adapter costs entirely too much to justify its convenience.
But, if you happen to already have a WiFi-enabled laptop, you may be in luck. Through a little trickeration, you can turn your laptop into a WiFi adapter. Instructables shows you how to do it.
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