Ultraton (Vita)

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.

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (3DS)

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.

The Pile: 08/19/2016

Picked up Bastion on sale, still plugging away at the others. 

Tricky Towers (PS4)

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.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (Vita)

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.

Overall a great package.  Recommend.

Trials Evolution (Xbox 360)

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.