Date Purchased: December 15, 2016
Date Completed: December 24, 2016
Price: $12.99 (iTunes)
The long awaited mobile game from Nintendo. At first I was like "nah" then I was like, "well" and now I'm like "yeah!". I can tell you this is not a traditional Mario game, and it takes some getting used to. It's not the best Mario game ever by any means, and not even the best Mario game released this season, but for whatever reason I can't stop playing it ... yet I still have this lingering feeling ...
Date Purchased: December 9, 2016
Date Completed: December 14, 2016
Price: $30 (Amazon/Kijiji)
Needless to say, I love Super Mario Maker. When I'd heard about the disappointing lack of online sharing of this one, I was going to pass, but I ended up buying it ... twice. I know, it's crazy, but I got them for a good deal and both my son and I love Mario. This game is quite good for what it is. I remember reading on Reddit they should have called it "Super Mario Player" and if that's what you're going for, then it's just fine. It can access infinite levels created on the Wii U, and if you do want to create, you can exchange levels locally and via streetpass. I had a great time with the 100 included challenge stages, and after playing some "Super Mario Run", I can safely say this is the better game. If you can get past rando's not liking your created levels, then what have you got to lose? Recommend.
Date Purchased:
November 25, 2016
Date Completed: December 7, 2016
Price: $13.49 (Xbox Marketplace)
This time of year is always filled with game of the year
discussion, and a game that keeps coming up is “Inside”. It won the “Indy game of the year” at the
Game Awards last week, and is sure to be on many top 10 lists in the weeks to
come. Inside is a fantastic puzzle
platformer that has pacing completely nailed down. There was only one sequence that I found particularly
tedious, but that was due to an oversight of my part. The graphics are simple but very effective, the
sound is amazing, and the story, while still out for the jury, is interesting
to say the least. This game is from the
same studio that brought you Limbo, and while I enjoyed my time with it, I like this game
better. My greatest regret was hearing
about a giant “twist” on the Giant Bombcast and I kept waiting for it. No doubt it’s there, but it’s not as mind
blowing as I was expecting, I’m a victim of the hype on that
unfortunately. Go in with expectations
tempered and you’re sure to have an amazing time. Highest Recommendation.
Date Purchased: October 15, 2016 Date Completed: December 04, 2016 Price: $7.99 (PSN)
Tearaway is a cool game and by far the most innovative game I've played on Vita, or any console for that matter in a long long time. The game has so much promise, and creative types (which I would consider myself one) could get a lot of mileage out of this games decorating. To draw an item on screen, cut it out and decorate your world opens up a lot of customization, problem was, I didn't give a shit about any of it. Nobody else is going to see this, and really, who cares? I know, lots of people out there probably do and are tweeting out screenshots (or did when the game came out) but that's not me. The platforming is quite enjoyable though, the graphics and art style are well done, this is probably my favorite Media Molecule game to date, which really isn't saying much. The game sets it up for an amazing ending which left me a little unsatisfied. All the negatives aside, the platforming and the combat can be quite fun, enough that I'd give this game a recommend.
Date Purchased: June 1, 2016
Date Completed: November 29, 2016
Price: Free (PS+)
A quality free game in June that I took my time playing. This is a fantastic game, with amazing presentation, the gameplay is tight, and there's a lot to master. I prefer my basketball games a little more on the arcade side, but I still had a good run with this one.
Like I mentioned earlier, the presentation is great, pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, in game interviews with real players voices, it really is a great simulation of watching a game on TV. After a few games however, that gets really old, and while there are some options to turn some replays off, there just aren't enough is all you wanna do is break some ankles and throw some down.
Date Purchased N/A (Borrowed Nov. 06, 2016)
Date Completed: November 27, 2016
Price: Borrowed from a friend.
I've played a number of these games, but every time I come back I'm overwhelmed by the number of game mechanics they throw at you. It usually only takes a few sessions to get through, but man, they come fast and furious! AAA, then B. Double tab A to eject from the Batmobile, Hold R and press A when running off a ledge to go into a bat dive, here's a few button prompts for driving the Batmobile, here's a whole new set for when you're in tank mode. Press RT and A to do this stealth move, now press x, shift the camera, and press X again, now turn the camera and press X again. Got all that? Okay now upgrade your suit, Batmobile, and abilities to learn some new moves!
There there's the Batmobile tank. Man the tank missions suck. So repetitive. I celebrated when the Batmobile was destroyed only for it to come back like 2 minutes later. I didn't mind the driving, I quite liked ripping around Gotham, but the tank missions were so repetitive. The hand to hand combat gives you many ways to approach a situation, but the tank is the same thing over and over and over again.
Before I start to sound completely negative, I will say the story is fantastic and kept me intrigued. Perhaps the story was a little too good as it made the side missions feel incredibly mundane. Some of the side stories were good, and I did see them to completion, but many consisted of "beat up a group of bad guys" over and over and over again. This is where the biggest disappointment personally came for me. The ending. The game doesn't end unless you complete every side quest. I went back to try, but gave up after a couple hours seeing that this would take me far too long. Again, I have a pile of games here, this is not my lone purchase for 2016.
This review turned out to be pretty long for a game I'm going to ultimately say pass to.
Oh, and the button mashing gave me a flare up of carpal tunnel . SCREW YOU BATMAN! #oldman
Date Purchased: April 1, 2016
Date Completed: November 10, 2016
Price: Free (Games with Gold)
There are a few series I've heard a lot about, but never tried. Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed (until recently), Just Cause, and until now, Dead Space. Some, I can "just tell" they're not going to be for me, others, I just haven't had the time or money to play. So when Dead Space became free via Games with Gold, I decided it was time to give it a spin, I'm very glad I did.
Dead Space is awesome. It's the perfect game for me. The game took me just under 12 hours to finish, consisting of 12 chapters, so you can do the math. If you can't do math, each mission ran about 60 minutes, some a little shorter, some longer, but just about every moment satisfying. I really enjoyed the slow pace of the game, it was "relaxing" in a weird sense. The game depends on jump scares, but I can tell you I only had one jump to avoid spoilers I won't say when. I didn't find it particularly scary, but I don't typically find games/movies too scary ... that's just me.
The game holds up extremely well for a game made in 2008, the graphics are "fine" and the sound is really well done. I enjoyed it so much when I saw Dead Space 2 and 3 were on sale on PSN Halloween sale for $6 each I picked them up without hesitation. Absolutely recommend. Reddit post with comments.
Date Purchased: October 15
Date Completed: N/A
Price: $1.99
I like Downwell, so much so that I've purchased it twice, once on my phone, and now on PSN. The PSN version is much better simply due to the physical buttons and tactile controls. The game play is simple in concept, but difficult to master. The presentation is also very simple, but it has a good style and a lot of optional variants in terms of palettes etc. The game controls are very tight and you'll be finding yourself saying "one more game" many games later. I've yet to reach the bottom of the well (very few have, ultra rare trophy of only 3.1% completion), but have unlocked just about everything and am confident I'll get there one day. Recommend.
Date Purchased: October 1, 2016
Date Completed: October 25, 2016
Price: Free (PS+)
I'd heard mixed things about this game, but as a freebie, it was fantastic. I was a big Transformers fan as a kid, still can't believe my mom threw all my toys away, at least I'll always have them in my PlayStation account. The game is ultimately a hack and slash game with some light gun-play, but the graphics and sound are so pleasant and no reminiscent of the cartoon, I had a smile on my face for just about the full 6 hours. The game play does get a bit repetitive, but it tries to mix things up here and there. This is ultimately a fighting game where you drive between objectives. The upgrade system is overly complex and hardly seems worthwhile in some cases (I'm looking at you weapon upgrades) but those things didn't detract from the experience. Recommend, especially if you're familiar with the 80's cartoon.
Date Purchased: April 15, 2015
Date Deleted: October 20, 2016
Price: Free (Games with Gold)
Time Wasted: 6 hours
*DNF - "Did Not Finish"
I've always wanted to at least "try" an Assassins Creed game ... and now I have. I hated this game. I've been persistent and finished a lot of shitty games over the years, but 6 hours in with potentially 20 or more to go, I just couldn't go on with this one. From the unlikable protagonist, to the convoluted story, the janky controls, the billion meaningless tasks. Nope.
I hate having an unfinished game on here, but I'm the only one who reads this, so I'll just have to get over my OCD. This was a launch game, and in that case, probably filled that long drought between releases for many people, those people probably also like pirates and pirate movies. Me? I hate pirates (those Caribbean movies all suck) and I never have a drought. I must admit I did like the sailing and the shanties, but by all means, pass
Date Purchased: December 2013
Date Completed: October 17, 2016
Price: Free (PS+)
What a weird game. I remember briefly trying this when I got my Vita and quickly dismissing it, but with the talk of the sequel lately and reading that it's on Kotaku's "best of Vita" list I decided to give it another try. I remembered in no time why I put it down the first time, the game is really weird. The gameplay and concepts are cool (at first) but the Japanese Anime story is really, really strange. Nothing I'm accustomed to. The open world and ability to shift gravity is nifty, but tires quickly and becomes disorienting. The combat is just plain bad, and the enemy variety is very thin. I finished it in a coulple weeks primarily playing at work, but this one will be immediately deleted from my memory stick, and hopefully my personal memory as well. Pass.
Date Purchased: September 1, 2016
Date Completed: October 8, 2016
Price: Free (Games with Gold) I really enjoyed my time with Forza Horizon 2, so I was a little suspicious about going "backwards" and playing the original. I'd heard it was better than the second, so I knew it was worth a shot. It's great. It's amazing how well it holds up even by today's standards. The Xbox 360 era still looks good to me, and is far from "unplayable". I did find this game to a bit more "restrictive" than the Horizon 2 where you couldn't cut across fields to get to your destination, but the core of the game, the racing, is fantastic. I achieved first place in every race with only a handful of them giving me any real trouble on the default setting. The soundtrack was good, but I primarily played this while watching playoff baseball on a second screen. If you like racing games, this one is worthwhile and has me looking forward to picking up Horizon 3 on the cheap when I can find it on sale. Recommend.
Date Purchased: November 1, 2007 Date Completed: N/A - Replay Price: $59.99 (Future Shop)
I’ve been replaying some classics lately, and have been
meaning to play Galaxy again for some time. I’m glad I finally did. This game is nothing short of amazing, and
despite it being somewhat difficult to look at, the core gameplay holds up
amazingly well. The control in this game
is so precise, so perfect, it makes other games laughable. Having recently played through Uncharted 3, the
way Nathan drake magically jumps ledge to ledge, defying gravity, making it nearly
impossible to die, it was refreshing to play a game that would be considered “punishing”
in comparison. An absolute must
play. Recommend.
Date Purchased: September 6, 2016
Date Completed: September 20, 2016
Price: (Free PS+)
Flappy Bird meets Limbo? It's possible, and it's good. I started playing this on my PS4, and was surprised at how much I was enjoying it considering I've had it forever on my iPad. The controls are so much more responsive with physical buttons. I quickly switched to the Vita version as it's the perfect game to pick up and play in short bursts. The aesthetics are beautiful, and the game is generous with checkpoints which leads to many "glad I'll never have to do that again" moments. I really had a hard time putting it down. It's fantastic. Recommend.
Date Purchased: November 1, 2011
Date Completed: N/A Replay
Price: $59.99 (Future Shop)
There was some hot debate 5 years ago that Uncharted 3 was inferior to it's predecessor. I'd heard it talked about a lot leading up to the release of Uncharted 4. Maybe it was just the time in my life, but I knew I'd finished Uncharted 3, but remembered very little of it. I remembered a desert, and an airplane hanger, but otherwise...blank.
Replaying this game was almost like playing a new Uncharted game. It's crazy how much I'd forgotten. Some things came back to me like that dreaded ship graveyard level, oh how I hated it, but some of the most epic moments, like the cruise ship, galloping through the dessert, all gone. This game is great, and having played them all of the Uncharted games recently, this one may be the best in the series.
It starts a little slow and is heavy on puzzles in the first half, but the second half flew by with very few frustrating moments. Graphics still looks good today, and as is a staple with Uncharted games, the voice acting and sound is top notch. Absolutely recommend.
Date Purchased: August 19, 2016
Date Completed: September 15, 2016
Price ($3.75)
Bastion, a game I've heard about for 5 years, finally complete. It's is a relatively old game at this point, but it's art style, music and game play still hold up today. It reminds me of mini Destiny or Division. I'm fully willing to admit that my limited experience with RPG's would lead me to say this, had I played a plethora of RPG's growing up, maybe I'd feel like Bastion is just an expansion on some of these games mechanics. Anyways, Bastion offers many upgrade paths for your wide variety of weapons which require cash and XP to upgrade. I found however that I typically stuck with 2 or 3 weapons, and after having upgraded those, I felt no need to upgrade any others. Maybe the weapons get overpowered, but I felt the game was ridiculously easy. Did I play it wrong? I'm not sure. Regardless, I'm happy to have finally played it, it definitely got me through a couple night shifts and made the time pass very quickly. The art style is terrific, but the music and sound is what really sets this game apart. The narrator alone makes this game a recommend.
Loot shooters get the hooks in me like I never expected. It's always nice to find a genre of a game that comes by surprise. I remember when I discovered tower defense games with Plants vs. Zombies and that was all I played for months.
Anyways, the Division is a "loot shooter" which means there is a lot of upgrades, a lot of inventory management, and a lot of grinding. I typically play these games while watching the Tigers on a second screen or I'll throw on some YouTube videos if there's no game on. The game does have a narrative, but it's fairly simple and doesn't require much attention. Story is not why I played the Division.
I kept coming back because it was a simple distraction to a long baseball game. It was an easy escape from the stresses of daily life. The game required little thought, and the shooting was just good enough. It was my game of summer, and may just wind up my game of the year.
All said, I have about 50 hours into the Division, roughly the same as I put into Destiny. Compared Directly, I'd have to say Destiny is the better game, but I liked this one better in a few regards. The available matchmaking at any time really made the game much more enjoyable for someone like me with limited friends available to play with. Something Destiny severely lacked. Recommend.
Date Purchased: August 1, 2016
Date Completed: August 30, 2016
Price: (Free) PS+
I'm not sure why this game exists. I'm no n00b to twin stick shooters, I consider myself pretty good at them because I've played so many ... but this game does nothing special. The graphics are quite simple, the upgrades don't seem very beneficial, and the enemy projectiles can be hard to see with all the shooting happening on screen. I did manage to finish this one beating the 40 levels in a couple of night shifts, but had I been not getting paid, I'm not sure how much time I would have put into this one. Stick with the superior Geometry Wars or Pixel Junk Shooter. Pass.
Date Purchased : April 15, 2016
Date Completed: August 21, 2016
Price: Free (DLC)
Plague of Shadows in considered "Free DLC", I'd consider it more of a remix. It takes the regular levels of Shovel Knight and has you playing as Plague Knight in a more comical take on the story. Plague Knight controls so drastically different it really does feel like an entirely new game. I prefer the more straightforward controls of Shovel Knight, but it's impossible to not appreciate what the developer has done here. Oh, and hey, it's free if you buy the base game. Recommend.
Date Purchased: August 1, 2016
Date Completed: N/A
Price: Free (PS+)
Hey, this looks like a fun Tetris game! Except it's not! Not that it's not fun, it's not Tetris. This games mechanics focus primarily stacking familiar Tetris pieces, but then comes a giant piano. Sounds fun right? It actually is. I wish this game was on Vita as it would get some serious play from me on a portable. Fun game, recommend.
Date Purchased: Mar 21, 2016
Date Completed: N/A
Price: $13.49
After downloading and enjoying a demo of Mario Golf of 3DS, I was jonesing for a golf game. Mario Golf was still quite expensive, so I opted for HSG. I've played many games in this series over the years and have always enjoyed them. This one's no different.
This game was released early in the Vita's lifecycle, and some of the interface and controls are a bit gimmicky, but beneath that is a solid golf title. The game looks gorgeous and would be great with some peers.
Some of my fondest memories are playing this series with my college buddies drinking a few beers and getting ultra competitive. The single player was never the focus, but at this stage in my life, it's unfortunately not how I play games anymore.
As a single player game it plays fine, but can be quite frustrating when you have a great round but blow it on one hole. The game seems to be stacked against you, but that could just be my nerves.
Date Purchased: Mar 28, 2016
Date Completed: N/A
Price: $7.49 (Xbox Marketplace)
I came to a realization this summer, I have very little time to play games. Summer is always difficult, there are a lot more "gatherings", my kids and my wife are all home from school and are around all day, there's baseball on, and quite frankly "better" things to do. So when I sat in my garage on a lawn chair in the summer heat, repeatedly trying to beat one of the final tracks, sweating with frustration, I decided and said aloud "I'm done with this".
The Pile of Shame has allowed me to finish a lot of games, but this game broke me. It's exceptionally difficult and has changed the way I "review" games. I used to feel I had to finish every level to review a game. And while I feel that should still be the case with story driven games, puzzle games, or games with a singular mechanic that only evolves in difficulty should not require "beating every level" in order to review. Do I ensure I finish Uncharted on beast mode? Platinum every game? Get every achievement? Nope.
So, Trials. Holy crap this game is infuriating. I enjoyed my time with the early levels, and even found some fun in the more challenging stages, but when I thought I had the game beat and another tournament popped, I wanted to smash my Xbox. Some tracks took hours to "beat" and many times I just got lucky. This type of torture was my fetish when I had more time to play, but now? With 4 kids and a wife? No way.
Still I'd have to say I recommend Trials, because what it does, it does so well. It's called Trials for a reason, and it delivers on it's name.
Date Purchased: June 27, 2016 Date Completed: July 10, 2016 Price: Free (Son Cole bought it for $30)
I want to like Yoshi's Island, but something about it just rubs me wrong way. Maybe it's the art style, more likely it's the crying baby, but I'd never finished one of these ... until now. This game is incredibly easy, playing it wasn't a chore, just a bore. The original SNES game has received a lot of praise, I remember finding it too difficult, which is weird. I bet I could finish it now that I have more persistence. Regardless, this new game is very easy, the levels all have a very similar look, and the music is very repetitive. I've read the difficulty is found in trying to find all the hidden items, there's not point in collecting them however, no upgrades, no unlocks, so really, what's the point? Not much more to say really. Pass.
Date Purchased: April 15, 2016
Date Completed: July 9, 2016
Price: $9.99
Fantastic. I'd heard about Shovel Knight for some time, so when it went on sale for 33% off, I had to jump on. This game is worth $15. I remember when I reviewed ALBW saying I only played in short bursts to stretch it out, I felt the same about this game. Great aesthetic, music, characters and just a great package all around. It's modern-retro without the BS grinding so many games try to implement to stretch out their game. Highest recommendation.
Date Purchased: May 23, 2016 Date Completed: June 16, 2016 Price: $4.49
For years I've heard about Journey, I continue to hear about it whenever a game is considered "artsy" it immediately draws comparison to Journey. I've played another game from the developer "That Game Company", namely "Flower" and my feelings to that and Journey are similar. I appreciate them, but I don't get the same "feelings" that others experience. Perhaps it's the way I play games, that takes away from the whimsy. I'm very goal oriented, heck, I've made a game out of finishing games (this blog), so I'm not really one to stop and smell the flowers. Power through, that's what I do, and it's how I like to play. So, while I'm glad I finally played this one, I can't say I recommend it to a gamer like me. It's short, it was a unique experience and I don't regret my purchase, I just can't honestly say it's a "must play", much to the contrast of everyone else. Pass.
Date Purchased: October 13, 2009
Date Completed: N/A (Replay)
Price: $59.99
Uncharted 2 is widely regarded as the best in the series, even post Uncharted 4. Playing this game after Drake's Fortune, I can understand why. This is an amazing upgrade in every way, graphically, story, acting, set pieces, you name it. Uncharted 2 is one of the few games I've finished twice, I remember finishing it, then immediately playing it again on a harder difficulty back in '09. The game still holds up today, however now after playing 3 Uncharted games back to back to back, I'm starting to get a little fatigued, especially of the long firefights, which were typically my favorite part of the game before. I'll be taking a break but will get to Uncharted 3 soon. Recommend absolutely.
A couple adds and a couple subtractions. I don't know if I'll ever "finish" Trials, that game is brutally hard. Some decent freebies and I'm also playing through all the Uncharted's again.
Date Purchased: November 19, 2007 Date Completed: N/A - Replay Price: $60?
I've played through Uncharted: Drakes Fortune before. Way back when it launched on the PS3. I remembered zombies, and a few set pieces, but in reality, couldn't tell you a whole lot more about it. So after finishing Uncharted 4 I decided to go back and play it again. It was tough to go back initially, but before I knew it, I was traversing as normal and plucking off head shots. I've heard this is the "hardest" Uncharted game, none of them are that difficult, and the nice thing about these old games is that you can exploit the AI fairly easily. The story is pretty good, the voice acting not quite as polished as it's become in 2016, and the game still looks nice almost 10 years later. I enjoyed my time with it again. Recommend.
Date Purchased: May 9, 2016
Date Completed: May 19, 2016
Price: $59.99
I very rarely buy games on release day anymore unless it's a Nintendo property, but even then, I've shown patience more recently waiting for a price drop or for it to be gifted in some variety. I was lucky to get Uncharted 4 for 1/3rd off (can you believe $60 is at a discount still?) through an Amazon promotion, and was especially delighted to see it arrive a day early despite the fact that I had to go into work that night.
So the hype machine was running at full tilt for this game. I'd played fairly close attention, but tried not to spoil anything for myself. I read reviews very carefully, and watched very little gameplay videos. The game positioned itself to have some huge twists, Nate is older and wiser, his brother is back in his life (and you know those neck tattoos means he's been through some stuff), and heck, the title is "A thief's end". Someone's got to die right? Who is it? Nate? His Bro? I really thought Nate was going to die. But how? Was it going to be honorable? Would his lust for treasure be his ultimate demise? Is that skeleton in the cage at the games title screen Nate? Man, more than any other game, I was so excited for this story, perhaps a little too excited.
That excitement for the games story and how it would ultimately end did affect the way I played the game. I wouldn't say I "rushed" through it, but really, I kind of did. By the end I must say I was a little disappointed. It's great story telling, the fact that I'm this excited for a VIDEO GAME story, will tell you that it's something special.
Okay, story beats aside, this game looks and sounds amazing. I could go on and gush about it for a few paragraphs, but all you have to do is look at it to see. There are a million screen grabs out there, and I even spent a decent amount of time with the games photo mode, just because the game looks so good.
The game play will be familiar to anyone who's played a game in the series, I did find this one paced a little slower than previous games. There are some pretty long segments where you don't really do anything but explore the environments, but then there are moments like these (it's my own gameplay video, but I'm sure it plays the same for everyone):
Would I recommend this game? Most definitely. Play this game, especially if you've played the previous. While I was a little dissatisfied with the ending (I was expecting "Sixth Sense" or "Lost" like story telling where the wool's been pulled over our eyes all along) it's still a fantastic game and a really nice end to the series. I'll miss Uncharted, but not for a while, I've decided to replay all the previous games in the meantime.
Date Purchased: March 21, 2016
Date Completed: May 12, 2016
Price: $10.00 (nintendo.ca Refurbished)
This game never officially made it on the pile, I never expected to play it, and I can't say with confidence that I "finished" it. Do you finish these games? Regardless, I've been playing it with Cole and it's quite fun. It's a great second screen game to play while watching the ballgame. As a solo experience, I can see this being very painful, it's quite slow, but for parents? It's a perfect game to play with your kids, mildly competitive, but a lot of luck will aid your kids in winning for realsies. Recommend to parents of young children.
Date Purchased: April 20, 2016
Date Completed: May 3, 2016
Price: $29.99 (eShop)
I'm no stranger to Donkey Kong Country, I missed some of the SNES versions which I plan to catch up on on 3DS one day. I've already reviewed DKC Returns and the rather poor DKL III, this game is better than both of those.
Tropical Freeze is a beautiful game, when I hear people speak about how under powered the Wii U is, I always roll my eyes. This looks as good as anyone could ever want out of a Donkey Kong Country game to look like (I'll probably laugh at this statement in 10 years). Along with the amazing visuals is an incredible soundtrack. They brought back the original composer from the series glory days and it shows.
The gameplay is tight as every, "frustratingly fun" is how I'd label it. This game makes you want to throw your Wii U pad out the window, but then run right out and try again. It was a good length, and I enjoyed it more than DKC Returns as I found it "less" infuriating. It's worth the price I paid, but am glad I waited until it was $30 vs. $60. Recommend.
Date Purchased: April 2, 2016
Date Completed: May 09, 2016
Price: $5.99 (eShop)
I've never been a huge fan of this series, but I did quite enjoy Resident Evil 4 on the Wii a long time ago. If there's a lesson to be learned with the pile of shame, it's to not buy games simply because they're on sale. It's the only reason I picked up this and Resident Evil: Revelations, and I'm really hoping I enjoy Revelations more than I did Mercs.
This is a straight up arcade shooter, play through levels, get a lot of combos, get the highest score in the time allowed. The controls take a lot of getting used to, but I breezed through the game .... until the final level. Oh, final level. $&$# YOU!!! I finally beat that level tonight. I considered giving up many times, but persistence paid off. I had that level memorized, and now I have it mastered... you know what? I don't even want to write anymore about this game. It got far too much of my time and I hated most of it. Pass.
Here are a few games I feel like I should play or at least try, but just haven't had the time (or desire). I feel no obligation to finish these games, and they can be removed at any time.
A sale on Shovel Knight and an odd deal with my son Cole made a couple of additions to the pile. Both games added I've wanted for some time, I've heard so much about Shovel Knight that when it dipped to $10 I figured it was time to give it a try. I considered buying it on Vita/PS4 for cross play, but there's something I love about the 3DS, and from what I hear, it sold best there. I guess the game just looks and feels like a Nintendo game, so it's appropriate there.
Okay, so Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. I've wanted to pick this up since they introduced "Nintendo Selects", but when I was ready to make a purchase, I was persuaded to pick up Super Mario 3D World instead, it was March Break and my son really missed it. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic and I'm happy to have it again (our Wii U no longer reads dual layered discs) but I still wanted DK.
So a month or so has passed, and our 2 year old Eli is not eating any dinner. I said to Cole in jest "If Eli eat's his whole hamburger, I'll buy Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze". Well wouldn't you know it, everyone started cheering him on, and downed the thing! Okay, so not the bun, but he must be a gamer. I'm sure this game will get a lot of use over the years.
Otherwise I haven't been gaming a whole lot. The NHL playoffs and the start of baseball season has that effect on me every year. I started playing Destiny again. I love that game.
Date Purchased: March 21, 2016 Date Completed: April 20, 2016 Price: $1.49 (PSN)
Great game, great deal. On first firing it up I thought "this is exactly the same as Peggle 1" ... until I played Peggle 1 again. This game is much better, aesthetically, in level design, and especially in music. So glad I picked it up. We have had and will continue to have a lot of fun, and at $1.50, if you didn't pick it up, you really missed the peg...errr...boat. Recommend even up to $10.
Date Purhcased: April 20, 2013
Date Completed: April 16, 2016
Price: $14.99
I bought this game when I bought my 3DS XL way back in April of 2013. Man, I loved it, then I hated it, then I loved it again, then I hated it and put it away for a while. Then I picked it up again, then I thought, I'll just go to YouTube this ONE TIME. And the game was forever ruined after that. After cheating once, I couldn't help but do it again and again. It's a truly fantastic game, and there are sequels, but I now know I'm a dirty cheater and will have a hard time convincing myself to buy another knowing the lure of youtube. Regardless, this game is fantastic. Recommend, but DON'T CHEAT!
A couple new games on the pile, a couple off, and a couple potentially making the grade. I'm just adding Trials Evolution but have already played it quite a bit. Some interesting free games this month via Games with Gold and Instant Game Collection including Dead Space, Saints Row IV and Zombi. I'll have to give them a try before I decide if I want to finish them or not.
Date Purchased: March 22, 2016 Date Completed: April 2, 2016
Price: $9.99 (Amazon Digital)
I love Gears of War. I played Gears 3 and Judgement fairly recently and really enjoyed my time with both of them. Is it true you can never go back again? Going back to the original game, despite the graphic overhaul was a little difficult. The gameplay has been refined in the later versions, the story tightened up and the audio beefed up. Gears 3 is much better than this game, and despite this one running at 60fps, I didn't see much difference once I got "into it". I plowed through in 4 sittings or so, but ultimately this is $10 I didn't need to spend. If you've never played the series, start here and play them all. If you're into the multiplayer, you might get some more mileage out of this one. If you're like me and have already played this one when it first came out and are going to play the campaign and shelf it, pass.
Date Purchased: February 25, 2016
Date Completed: March 30, 2016 Price: $30 (Kijiji)
When it's all said and done, I think playing Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition right before this one was a mistake. I thought I was doing myself a service by familiarizing myself with Lara Croft, but it really wasn't necessary, and by the end of this one, I've had enough Tomb Raiding for a while.
I really enjoyed the level of freedom this game has. In a lot of ways it felt like an open world game. The upgrades are nice, but by the time I was half way through I felt like I had everything upgraded that I would particularly want. The crafting was a bit of a chore and would be my only gripe. I mentioned it in my Last of Us review that searching for items extended my playtime significantly, and I feel the same about this game.
Don't let the above paragraphs deter you from playing this game however. It's fantastic. Everything is better than the original game, story, graphics, acting. It's an amazing accomplishment. I really enjoyed my time with it, but would have enjoyed it more had I not just done a lot of similar activities, albeit on a less impressive scale. Recommend.
Well, it felt good to not have anything on the pile for a while, but at the same time, it feels good to be back. The back-catalog is not overwhelming, it's quite casual really. Pushmo I've owned for years but never put it on the pile as I never thought I'd finish it, but something clicked recently and I'm getting through puzzles much more quickly. The others I've picked up via a couple sales. Nothing to be stressed over. I found a great web based photo editor which I'm now using to generate images. Pixlr. It's very impressive.
Edit: Just picked up Gears for a 10 spot. w00t.
Edit (2): A rare sale on the eShop landed me a couple more 3DS games.
Date Purchased: September 5, 2012
Date Completed: March 16, 2016
Price: $12.50 (eBay)
As I looked up the purchase date of this game, I can't believe I've had my 3DS this long. Wow. Okay, Pilotwings, a launch game for the 3DS and 4 years later, obviously so. This game is pretty bare bones, and despite getting generally positive reviews, this game is pretty bad. I loved Pilotwings on the SNES, and even more so on the N64. It was the release of the SNES version on the 3DS eShop that convinced me to dig this out of storage and give it another shot.
What I enjoyed most about the predecessors was how relaxing these games were. They had great music, and a unique style. This version of the game imports Mii characters, which I've never been overly fond of. I never play as a my Mii in Mario Kart or Smash Bros. The Mii characters detracts from the atmosphere of the original games and makes them feel much more generic. The music is repetitive and the mission variety is lacking. I found some fun in the "open world" mode, but that mode only lets you play for 2 minutes or so.
So, unfortunately this game did not scratch the Pilotwings itch I was hoping it would, and I still find myself tempted to pick up the SNES version again. Must fight the urge. Pilotwings SNES? Recommend! 64? Absolutely! Resort? Pass.
Date Purchased: September 16, 2015
Date Completed: March 14, 2016
Price: Free (Games with Gold)
I completed the original version of this game just about 2 years ago. I picked up it's sequel "Rise of the Tomb Raider and felt compelled to play the first one again as it had been so long since I played it's "prequel". Knowing I had the "Definitive Edition" to try, I went ahead and played that version of it.
Graphically it looks quite a bit nicer, my original thoughts on the game haven't changed much, but I'd be apt to giving it a little more praise this time around. My reviews have evolved over the years. The game plays very well, the combat is fun, the sound is solid, and the story is pretty good too. There is a lot to upgrade/collect which was fun for a second playthrough. I find myself playing "Rise" in the same way, and it's a little distracting, but I'm hooked at finding things now.
The game took anywhere from 10-15 hours, and I enjoyed my second run through. If you've played it originally on older generation consoles, there's no need to go back, but on it's own, it's definitely worth a romp. Recommend.
Date Purchased: November 14, 2005/Summer 2013
Date Completed: March 6, 2016
Price: $20 (Pawn Shop)
I owned this game many years ago and played it extensively, unlocking all the karts, courses, modes. Gold medalling every circuit forward and mirrored. I then sold it somewhere along the line and repurchased it a few years ago when my son Cole was jealous of my Mario Kart 7. The other night we were watching a bunch of classic game room and watched Marks' review and we decided to dig it out of storage.
I've played quite a bit, Cole got a new Lego set and has put videogames on the backburner, which is okay, as the game can sit permanently in my new 3DS.
This is a great Mario Kart, one of my favorites. I feel the driving is some of the most "pure" in the series. The track design is great, the roster is big enough for my taste, and it holds that Mario Kart charm that's missing from Mario Kart 7 (more on that game in a future entry). In my most recent play through I got gold on all the 150cc tracks (which was harder than it should have been) and played some multi via download play. My fondest memories are playing the game at Rondeau, and competing for time trial times with my friend Ken. The game still holds up great despite the fact that the online has been taken down. I'm glad we have this game in our collection, 11 years after release it still looks and plays great. Recommend.
With no games on the pile I decided to go back and play some game from the archive. NFL Blitz I never really gave a fair shot when it was released. I went through a dark period of gaming, adjusting to having kids and the challenges which come with that. Somewhere in those days I bought NFL Blitz, played a handful of games but eventually let it collect virtual dust. I recently picked it back up and ... yup ... that's NFL Blitz.
Blitz is a great game, my brother and I have many many hours logged into the PS1 version of the game and had a pretty heated rivalry. That game was fantastic. The novelty of it wore off over the years, and even 14 years later, it was clear the love affair was over. This is a very good version of Blitz, but the couch rivalry is what made this game so much fun.
This particular version seems fine, the graphics look nice, it has team specific stadiums, the announcers are great, seems like a great package right? It probably is, but without the late hits, in the game or on the couch, this game is pretty dull. I tried finding some online opponents, but 4 years after release, I couldn't find a match.
If you have someone to play with regularly, you can probably have a great time with this game. If you're going to play the CPU, pass.
