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.

Yoshi's New Island (3DS)

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.

Shovel Knight (3DS)

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.

Journey (PS4)

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.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

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.