Reviews and impressions of games

• 8Dec 09

  Finding something to play

  Well, over the last few weeks I have been trying to find something, anything to hold my interest. I started out, again, with Tales of Symphonia for the GC, but every time I look at it, I don't want to put it back in. I haven't played it in two weeks.
  
  This week saw me gloss over a few more games in an attempt to find something interesting to play.
  
  

  1. New Super Mario Bros.

  
  
  I am trying to play this one again. It is just so tedious... I mean, how many times have I gone to the sand world, the grass lands, fought the same turtles and 'shrooms... I'm trying to get all the big coins, warp worlds, save toads, etc. I end up playing the same levels a few times and earning even more guys than I'm losing as I try things out.
  
  Even if I had a 'lives problem', I have already found a few levels that I can just run through and score myself 10+ lives per play through (I got most of these lives the first time I went through it for crying out loud).
  
  I should like this game more than I do, but I find it tedious. Mario platformers = tedious. I think that is all it really boils down to. I am trying to play this little by little. Getting to one castle, saving, and calling it a day. The hardest part of this game is continuing it.
  
  

  2. Trauma Center

  
  
  I put this in again. It is one of my favorite Wii games. I like to try and beat the game without losing a single mission. I don't care the score really I get on it, just that I finish it without failing once.
  
  I played up to chapter 4 or so, but every time I want to play it, my kids are running around the room and they always decide to run in front of the TV at the wrong times. I like the pointer of the Wiimote, but I hate playing the game when my kids are awake...
  
  I'm so out of practice though that it takes me a while to sow stuff up. Remembering the good times when I 'XS'ed the X missions... I might have conquered this one a little to much for my own good. Playing it again just makes me feel like I lost my gaming reflexes. I feel old playing it...
  
  

  3. Devil May Cry 4

  
  
  ... But, once they go to bed, I would rather play something else. Like this game. I finally got myself to play through Chapter 11 - then they switched my character and are forcing me to play with Dante. I didn't really like that. I went from doing really good combos, to starting over and learning all new stuff again. Annoying.
  
  But I'm playing this again... I don't know how long I'll last.
  
  

  4. Panzer General: Allied Assault (XLive Demo)

  
  
  Turn based and somewhat fun. The problem... it is one huge guessing game. At any given time you get 3 or so opportunities to really mess with the outcome of every battle... sometimes you can play a card and it will be over kill, other times, they will play something and you barely touch them. To top it off, you roll a die after all the card mangling that could give you +3 or -3 to the overall battle...
  
  This game is a huge random try to out guess the opponent game. A game of sheer randomness, shrouded in the smog of thinking you are 'strategizing'... And the AI was dumb as rocks, go figure.
  
  It would make an interesting board game though where the real purpose of the game is to talk with other people and mess with them. It has made me want to revisit Shattered Union (Xbox) though.
  
  

  5. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XLive Demo)

  
  
  I figured I would try this out too. Why not I have been meaning to do it. First off, I really like the fact it starts with the ending sequence of a different game. At first I thought they gave us a weird demo segment... then I found out it was ending of another game and the opening of this one. Cool.
  
  Then I show up all bad ass as my Dracula spelled backwards Alucard character. I run through killing all sorts of stuff. Then I lose it all and surely get the chance to get it all back... I like the fact I was finding items every where I went. Some even better versions of something I already had like clothes and weapons.
  
  Then the limit hit - "thanks for playing - buy me if you want to keep playing" - I probably will actually. Just not right now. I don't really like the 'hazy' blur effect they put on the character the whole time though.
  
  I can see why it earns praises though. Even without the Nostalgia factor I enjoyed it.
  
  

  6. Contra 3 (Wii VC)

  
  
  I got a cla$sic controller this week. Why? I finally broke down and realized I hate the button mappings for the GC edition of this game... but I really like this game. So I got a new controller and played this through a few times. I had to use a few continues on normal difficulty and I am a bit rusty. I really like this games pace and different elements it throws in though.
  
  

  7. LoZ LttP (Wii VC)

  
  
  Seeming I had a new controller, I figured I would play a few more games from my VC list with it. I have played this game through countless times. I quickly picked it up and played the opening dungeon and started collecting things... I might come back to it again, but I really have played this to death... I mean there is nothing I haven't done in this game 100's of times. My kids enjoyed watching it though...
  
  
  
  Anyhow, I think the real problem is I'm looking for something to engage me again. Maybe I should just open my Dragon Age Christmas gift early and play it... nah, I want something to open at Christmas.
  • Posted Dec 8, 2009 1:48 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 2Dec 09

  Questing...

  Questing in games is a staple. Some people like it, in fact, most people like it. Quests can turn an 8 hour game into a 40+ hour 'joy' to play.
  
  After a while though, time catches up with us and we realize there is so much to play and so little time, yet quests remain and we feel guilty at not completing everything like we use to...
  
  However, how much is lost when putting questing into games...
  
  Personally this video says it all for me. It is no wonder people don't like stories to get in the way of their games it makes the 'golden games' (like OoT) look like crap in the grand scheme of things when you think about it this way.
  • Posted Dec 2, 2009 5:37 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 29Nov 09

  Back from the weekend... (EDIT)

  Well, I haven't been online since mid-Wednesday. Have to be honest, didn't miss it much. In fact I enjoyed not having to read the 'news' or other stuff I read just to waste time. But once I got home I did decide to pull this up and see if I missed anything.
  
  Besides two people and their blogs I really liked reading 'giving up' or giving me the banned message I figure I must have missed a fun weekend...
  
  I did pick up a few games on the Thanksgiving day sales. I got Dragon Age for $30, and Civ IV for $5. Civ IV was a complete impulse buy, and Dragon Age was only to be bought once it hit $30... lucky me. I also picked up a bass guitar replica for my RB experience. I like it a lot more...
  
  I spent the weekend 'babysitting' by playing games with groups of people. Lego Rock Band and a lot of New Super Mario Wii... you know something, playing games with people that aren't very good at games sucks... hard. I can take it for an hour or so, but after a while I just suffered through it. It was painful.
  
  I have come to the conclusion that I hate playing games with people, even in a local setting. I still like it more than playing online, but still, I would take a good single player experience before any multiplayer trash any day.
  
  Well, I'm not sure how much I'll be on. I got a lot of work to do this week and month. I also would rather play games than worry about what game is coming out next and who said it was good and who didn't. I enjoyed games more when I felt I was playing them for me and not to 'learn more about the industry' and junk like that. I will never be part of the industry, so I should probably quit wasting so much time learning about it or following it like it has feelings or something.
  
  Anyhow, cheers and see you around.
  
  EDIT: Oh I also failed to mention I got a free copy of LRB from Old Navy's sales. I took it back to Walmart using the receipt I already had for buying it earlier in the month and got all my money back. Awesome... I like free games.
  • Posted Nov 29, 2009 7:38 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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