Waiting for the Nintendo E3 2014 show? Yeah, me too. So decided to jot down a few predictions and hopes for the show:
Safe Predictions
1) Mario Kart 8 DLC.... hopefully it won't be too costly.
2) Smash Bros 4 NFC won't be necessary to unlock all the characters in the game, but possibly extra costumes or maybe special 2nd Final Smashes. Be enticing without being mean to those who don't want to buy figures.
3) A Mario sports title for Wii U - probably soccer
4) Hyrule Warriors will excite people enough to admit they still like beat em ups.... cause you do, even if you don't want to admit it.
5) Mystery 3DS game will be a new IP from Miyamato, but will leave us as confused as excited. Miyamato is good for that.
6) The true new Zelda Wii U trailer will cause mostly joy, but some people will complain about the art direction, no matter what it is.
Crazy Predictions
1) The Mario Sports title is actually American football to fill the Maddenless void
2) Fire Emblem v SMT is actually really close to complete despite not hearing much about it.
3) X is the big holiday release to compete for hardcore gamers attention.
4) No big true Mario sequel. Yes this is crazy given how many Mario games we have gotten lately.
5) People actually get the Metriod 2d 3DS side scroller they've been begging for.
6) Cpacom and Nintendo are teaming up for some crazy collaboration of a game. They seem to be in good standing right now.
7) The WTF why Nintendo moment will be either Wii Music 2 or something like a nutritional diet app type thing for WiiU and 3DS for people to use to kick off their Quality of Life stuff.
Endless Hopes
1) A new Star Fox. Feels like it will never happen.
2) Sequel to Ice Climbers - eshop exclusive.
3) A full fledged Balloon Trip game with online leaderboards and online multiplayer - again eshop.
4) We get a Wii U RPG retail game. Any RPG at all. Seems like it will never happen.
A new Star Fox makes it the greatest E3 in a decade... at least to me. But I thin it will be a good show regardless.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
My favorite games beaten in 2012
It's 2013, and seeing as I tend to beat a lot of games each year, I like to
look back on them. I beat 60 games this year, a new personal record, between a
lot of different systems. I enjoy so many different genres of games, and like
playing old games, so my list is pretty diverse. First, here's a list of all
the games that I beat this year, and a score I gave them upon completion:
Games beaten (60)
Jan. 8 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit (3DSVC/GBA) 8/10
Jan. 11 - WarioWare: Mega Microgames (3DSVC/GBA) 6.5/10
Jan. 18 - MLB 2K11 (DS) 5/10
Jan. 19 - Big Kahuna Reef (PC) 6.5/10
Jan. 21 - Breath of Death VII (PC) 10/10
Jan. 21 - Castle Crashers (XBLA) 7/10
Jan. 22 - Dragon Warrior (NES) 7.5/10
Jan. 23 - Pro Wrestling (NES) 7/10
Feb. 10 - Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3) 6/10
Feb. 14 - R.C. Pro-Am (NES) 7/10
Feb. 19 - Dr. Mario Online Rx (WW) 7/10
Feb. 29 - Bomberman (NES) 7/10
March 5 - Pushmo (3DSDL) 9.5/10
March 11 - Mario Party DS (DS) 8/10
March 26 - Cthulu Saves the World (PC) 10/10
April 1 - Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
April 22 - Wario Land 4 (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
April 30 - Mario vs Donkey Kong (3DSVC/GBA) 8.5/10
May 9 - Wrecking Crew (3DSVC/NES) 7.5/10
May 10 - Nano Assault (3DS) 9/10
May 21 - Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) 9.5/10
May 28 - Tales of Monkey Island: Chap 5 (WiiWare) 6.5/10
June 10 - PixelJunk Monsters (PSN) 8/10
June 19 - Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi Island (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
June 30 - Metroid (3DSVC/NES) 7.5/10
July 4 - Pictobits (3DSDL) 7/10
July 10 - Mario Tennis Open (3DS) 8.5/10
July 22 - Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Anniversary Edition (3DSVC) 6.5/10
July 30 - Two Worlds (PC) 6.5/10
July 31 - Mario Bros. (NES) 7/10
Aug. 1 - Mario Kart 7 (3DS) 8/10
Aug. 5 - Disney Epic Mickey (Wii) 9/10
Aug. 11 - Image Fight (NES) 8/10
Aug. 12 - Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (Wii) 7.5/10
Aug. 16 - Kid Icarus Uprising (3DS) 9.5/10
Aug. 19 - PixelJunk Eden (PSN) 5/10
Aug. 21 - PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap (PSN) 7/10
Aug. 30 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC) 9/10
Aug. 31 - PixelJunk Shooter (PSN) 8/10
Sept. 5 - Shatter (PC) 8/10*
Sept. 5 - Nostalgia (DS) 8.5/10
Sept. 10 - Madden 12 (PS3) 7/10
Sept. 11 - Fluidity (WiiWare) 8.5/10
Sept. 20 - Nano Stray 2 (DS) 7.5/10
Sept. 23 - F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (3DSVC/GBA) 6.5/10
Oct. 5 - Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 9/10
Oct. 20 - Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii) 8.5/10
Oct. 24 - Donkey Kong JR (3DSVC/NES) 6/10*
Nov. 12 - Dream Trigger (3DS) 6.5/10
Nov. 16 - Retro Game Challenge (DS) 9/10
Nov. 18 - Donkey Kong '94 (3DSVC/GB) 8.5/10
Dec. 10 - The Last Story (Wii) 9.5/10
Dec. 13 - Polarium (DS) 7/10
Dec. 16 - MLB 12: The Show (PS3) 9.5/10
Dec. 19 - Donkey Konga 2 (GCN) 7.5/10
Dec. 22 - Duck Tales (NES) 8/10
Dec. 23 - Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All-Stars (Wii) 8.5/10
Dec. 26 - Little Big Planet 2 (PS3) 7/10
Dec. 31 - Nintendo Land (WiiU) 8.5/10
Dec. 31 - Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) 11/10
Quite the laundry list, I know. So, among all those games, here are some of my favorites. Maybe you'll consider going back and playing a game you never have before.
Coolest Retro-Style Game
The first award goes to games that are fairly new, but were designed to look like NES/SNES style. I couldn't pick between these two/three games, so they are both winning this category.
Winners:
Retro Game Challenge, DS (Year Released, 2009)
Retro Game Challenge has more variety than the other award winner, including in it two top down shooters, three Mega Man/Ninja Gaiden type games, a great RPG and a NES style racing game.Most of the games are a ton of fun and do great homage to the games they are trying to portray. The tasks in the game are clever and make playing through all these games besides the RPG a fairly quick endeavor. Game is hard to find now, but if you can do it, pick it up.
Chtulu Saves the World/Breath of Death VII, PC & XBLA (Year Released, 2010)
The combo pack of Cthulu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII are purely RPGs, but they are some of the best SNES style RPGS you'll find, and they are a total of $3 on Steam. Little grinding, funny characters and story telling, and even with crazy bonus modes if you want to play them multiple times. And since both take less than 10 hours to beat, playing them multiple times is an easy proposition.
Best Old School Game
I beat a lot of NES and GBA games for the first time this year. Lots of classics for sure. Problem is these games are hard to fairly compare to today's games (most of the time). Though I will certainly say some are clearly better than a number of the games I played this year. Duck Tales for NES and Mario vs DK for GBA are both noteworthy, but being an RPG tipped the scale for my winner.
Winner: Dragon Warrior, NES (Year Released, 1989)
The start of the now named Dragon Quest franchise, this was my third or fourth attempt at beating the game. Fun, actually pretty simple to figure out where to go (unlike the original Final Fantasy). Only one character in your party, so that makes things real tough. And a menu system with something left to be desired. Still, it is like the father to many great RPGs of today, and for that, deserves some love.
Lifetime Awesomeness Award
This is my all-time favorite game. Finally got the 3DS version on discount. I may love the game, and have beaten it more than 100 times easy, but I was not paying $40 for a remake, even if the 3D is pretty cool. So even though I beat this version of the game for the first time this year, it's not a new game beaten to be eligible for big award. But 1996? It ruled the roost. Glad I can play this on the go now. Oh, and DO A BARREL ROLL!!
Winner: Star Fox 64 3D
Worst Games of the Year
In order to have the best games of the year, you have to have some of the worst as well. I'm only going three deep here, since out of the games I beat these might be the only three I got little enjoyment out of. But don't you worry, COD: Black Ops shoddy story and Two Worlds disturbing glitches will not be forgotten any time soon.
The Losers:
3) F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, 3DSVC/GBA (Year Released - 2001)
This game came as a big disappointment because people recommended it as one of the better GBA ambassador games. Four cars to choose from, at least in the beginning, very basic, boring long tracks. The competitors at times just try to destroy you, even if it means they won't finish the race either. Great races went horrible just due to one mistake causing the ship to blow up. Glad you only had to finish top 3 to move on rather than always winning. I won't be venturing back to this raceway, but might check out the GCN title since it looks a heck of a lot prettier.
2) MLB 2K 11, DS (Year Released - 2011)
I have a serious problem with games that don't work all the time. In this game, you can have two strikes on you, the game will decide to drop frame rate on you, and before you know it, strike 3 just went passed and you're left thinking - what happened? But don't worry, you'll find a way to come back. First baseball game I've ever played that has a rubberband function. Case in point, I was trailing by 7 in the 8th inning. Suddenly, the game just throws me meatballs and I score 7 runs in the next two innings. After that, the CPU pitching fixed itself, and I didn't score again until the 15th. One time occurrence? Nope, a couple games later, I believe I trailed by 5 or 6 in the ninth inning before the game said, "I'm going to let you win." And I won the game that inning. I also could never hold a big lead against the CPU, if I got up by more than 4 or 5, the CPU found a way to score off me. Awful.
1) Pixeljunk Eden, PSN (Year Released - 2008)
OK what is this crap? So you are a little dude thing. You float around, flower to flower, collecting pollen, to go higher or left or right to make more flowers. To what purpose? NONE. Do the controls stink at times? YEP. Do you feel like you aren't accomplishing anything at any point? YEP. I really struggled with this game. Why do I have to get one Spectra, then go back into the level to get two Spectra, then go back again in the level to get 3 spectra, then 4, then 5? Why wouldn't you let me get all 5 at once? I have to get some Spectra 5 times over?! That's just stupid developer man. STUPID. Or give me the option to get a couple of spectra, then save and exit to come back later and the spectra I got before already be saved. What a crazy concept. Forced replay value. Boo-urns. Boo-urns I say. All of this complaining, and my total score ranks fairly high on the leaderboards. I'll attribute that to most people not having a desire to finish this piece of junk. No pun intended.
Best Games of the Year
Now, the main event. What were my 5 (OK six) favorite games of the year? It actually wasn't tough, in the sense before I even went through my list of 60 games, I pretty much knew off the top of my head 5 of the 6 games I enjoyed the most. The sixth one I thought I beat last year.... but that's what happens after 12 months. Anyways, I loved all of these games. Heck, I enjoyed most of the games I beat this year, but these stand above the rest.
Honorable Mention) Epic Mickey, Wii (Year Released, 2010)
This game had the #5 spot locked up until I realized I beat Pushmo this year. I was a fan of Disney growing up, but not like a super fan by any means. But I really enjoy nostalgic type things, and learning about the history of something. There are so many cool characters, and places that I'd never seen before that are part of the Disney universe. Having the option to choose between purifying/defeating enemies with the paint/thinner was a very cool new concept. I had a camera problem now and then, but never that bad. Really a fun game the entire way, maybe a bit too easy but I complain about that most of the time. Just wish the sequel wasn't getting such horrible reviews...
5) Pushmo, 3DS eshop (Year Released, 2011)
I am a huge puzzle genre fan. This puzzler was great. Got 5 minutes? Tackle a puzzle or two. Have a couple of hours to kill? Solve 20 or so puzzles. The 250 or so puzzles get harder at a nice rate, plus you have user created levels to download thanks to QR cards. And you get to toss a baby every time you finish a level! What is there not to love? I really don't have much bad at all to say about this game, besides that it ended, and maybe that the Bonus Pushmo levels were no longer 5 minute kill-time type challenges.
4) Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wii (Year Released, 2010)
I'll just go ahead and say it. Best Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. Doesn't top it, but is better than Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, both of which are good games as well. The Wii Motion Plus controls finally got to be showcased in this game. Good puzzles, better story than the last couple of games. I loved the concept of flying with the bird, just wish there would have been more discover - though still is better than the stupid boat in WW. Some repeat bosses, but as a whole a lot of clever bosses. And man did I struggle with the final boss. Might have just been me, but Ganon seemed way harder than anything else in that game. I didn't mind Fi, most of the crap that came out of her mouth was funny in a mechanical kind of way.
3) MLB 12 The Show, PS3 (Year Released, 2012)
Look at that. A game from a non-Nintendo system! Best baseball game I've ever played. Period. Physics of the game are great. I have been playing since March and still can't hit better than .320ish on the medium setting. Good controls in the field and baserunning. Franchise mode and Road to the Show are excellent. I've been able to go through 7 full 162 game seasons thanks to Road to the Show since I only have to do my create-a-player's at bats and fielding only. The Road to the Show is almost like an Action-RPG as you build up points to improve your stats. Solid announcing. Good updates, had Challenges of the Week during the MLB season which were fun to play. I still have modes in the game I have barely touched. If you like to play baseball games, you should own this on PS3 or Vita. Top notch.
2) Kid Icarus Uprising, 3DS (Year Released, 2012)
Almost got the top spot. This is basically this generation's Star Fox 64 in my mind. Fun levels, great dialogue. Good for quick plays or long sit downs. Online mode is great fun with both free for all and team play. Lots of things to collect and unlock like Smash Bros. About a million different types of weapons to discover, buy, trade, fuse, etc. Replay levels at a wide range of difficulty. Boss Battle mode. I don't mind the controls. Not ideal, but they work for what they need to do. I beat this in August and may go a week at most before I pick it up to higher my intensity on a level or play some online. Best game on the 3DS for sure.
1) The Last Story, Wii (Year Released, 2012)
I played a number of good RPGs this year. But this one was the best. Good story telling? Check. Diverse set of characters? Check. Next to no grinding? A surprising check. The game is an action-RPG, and I do prefer turn based, but I think this game was right to go the way it did. The side quests were actually fun, but not necessary if you didn't want to bother. Syrenne was basically worth it alone, just to hear her both talk like a constant drunk and her dual sword-weilding ability. It was a game that I attempted to play every day from the time I started it. I wasn't always able to, but the entire playthrough I was always thinking, "Man, do I have time to play the Last Story tonight? I sure hope so." It's no Final Fantasy VII, X, but it might be in my top 5 RPGs of all time. Though be aware Xenoblade looms to be beaten for 2013...
And there you have it! My favorites from 2012. You games you played this past year that you really loved?
Other fun stats because I like numbers:
Games beat: 60
New games beat: 58
Games bought/acquired: 40
Number of systems I beat at least 1 game on: 13 (GBA,DS,PC,XBLA, NES,PS3,WiiWare, 3DS eshop,Wii, 3DS, PSN,GCN,WiiU)
Most games beat on one system: 10 (NES)
Most games beaten in a month - 9 (August, December)
Games beaten (60)
Jan. 8 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit (3DSVC/GBA) 8/10
Jan. 11 - WarioWare: Mega Microgames (3DSVC/GBA) 6.5/10
Jan. 18 - MLB 2K11 (DS) 5/10
Jan. 19 - Big Kahuna Reef (PC) 6.5/10
Jan. 21 - Breath of Death VII (PC) 10/10
Jan. 21 - Castle Crashers (XBLA) 7/10
Jan. 22 - Dragon Warrior (NES) 7.5/10
Jan. 23 - Pro Wrestling (NES) 7/10
Feb. 10 - Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3) 6/10
Feb. 14 - R.C. Pro-Am (NES) 7/10
Feb. 19 - Dr. Mario Online Rx (WW) 7/10
Feb. 29 - Bomberman (NES) 7/10
March 5 - Pushmo (3DSDL) 9.5/10
March 11 - Mario Party DS (DS) 8/10
March 26 - Cthulu Saves the World (PC) 10/10
April 1 - Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
April 22 - Wario Land 4 (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
April 30 - Mario vs Donkey Kong (3DSVC/GBA) 8.5/10
May 9 - Wrecking Crew (3DSVC/NES) 7.5/10
May 10 - Nano Assault (3DS) 9/10
May 21 - Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) 9.5/10
May 28 - Tales of Monkey Island: Chap 5 (WiiWare) 6.5/10
June 10 - PixelJunk Monsters (PSN) 8/10
June 19 - Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi Island (3DSVC/GBA) 7.5/10
June 30 - Metroid (3DSVC/NES) 7.5/10
July 4 - Pictobits (3DSDL) 7/10
July 10 - Mario Tennis Open (3DS) 8.5/10
July 22 - Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Anniversary Edition (3DSVC) 6.5/10
July 30 - Two Worlds (PC) 6.5/10
July 31 - Mario Bros. (NES) 7/10
Aug. 1 - Mario Kart 7 (3DS) 8/10
Aug. 5 - Disney Epic Mickey (Wii) 9/10
Aug. 11 - Image Fight (NES) 8/10
Aug. 12 - Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (Wii) 7.5/10
Aug. 16 - Kid Icarus Uprising (3DS) 9.5/10
Aug. 19 - PixelJunk Eden (PSN) 5/10
Aug. 21 - PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap (PSN) 7/10
Aug. 30 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC) 9/10
Aug. 31 - PixelJunk Shooter (PSN) 8/10
Sept. 5 - Shatter (PC) 8/10*
Sept. 5 - Nostalgia (DS) 8.5/10
Sept. 10 - Madden 12 (PS3) 7/10
Sept. 11 - Fluidity (WiiWare) 8.5/10
Sept. 20 - Nano Stray 2 (DS) 7.5/10
Sept. 23 - F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (3DSVC/GBA) 6.5/10
Oct. 5 - Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 9/10
Oct. 20 - Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii) 8.5/10
Oct. 24 - Donkey Kong JR (3DSVC/NES) 6/10*
Nov. 12 - Dream Trigger (3DS) 6.5/10
Nov. 16 - Retro Game Challenge (DS) 9/10
Nov. 18 - Donkey Kong '94 (3DSVC/GB) 8.5/10
Dec. 10 - The Last Story (Wii) 9.5/10
Dec. 13 - Polarium (DS) 7/10
Dec. 16 - MLB 12: The Show (PS3) 9.5/10
Dec. 19 - Donkey Konga 2 (GCN) 7.5/10
Dec. 22 - Duck Tales (NES) 8/10
Dec. 23 - Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All-Stars (Wii) 8.5/10
Dec. 26 - Little Big Planet 2 (PS3) 7/10
Dec. 31 - Nintendo Land (WiiU) 8.5/10
Dec. 31 - Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) 11/10
Quite the laundry list, I know. So, among all those games, here are some of my favorites. Maybe you'll consider going back and playing a game you never have before.
Coolest Retro-Style Game
The first award goes to games that are fairly new, but were designed to look like NES/SNES style. I couldn't pick between these two/three games, so they are both winning this category.
Winners:
Retro Game Challenge, DS (Year Released, 2009)
Retro Game Challenge has more variety than the other award winner, including in it two top down shooters, three Mega Man/Ninja Gaiden type games, a great RPG and a NES style racing game.Most of the games are a ton of fun and do great homage to the games they are trying to portray. The tasks in the game are clever and make playing through all these games besides the RPG a fairly quick endeavor. Game is hard to find now, but if you can do it, pick it up.
Chtulu Saves the World/Breath of Death VII, PC & XBLA (Year Released, 2010)
The combo pack of Cthulu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII are purely RPGs, but they are some of the best SNES style RPGS you'll find, and they are a total of $3 on Steam. Little grinding, funny characters and story telling, and even with crazy bonus modes if you want to play them multiple times. And since both take less than 10 hours to beat, playing them multiple times is an easy proposition.
Best Old School Game
I beat a lot of NES and GBA games for the first time this year. Lots of classics for sure. Problem is these games are hard to fairly compare to today's games (most of the time). Though I will certainly say some are clearly better than a number of the games I played this year. Duck Tales for NES and Mario vs DK for GBA are both noteworthy, but being an RPG tipped the scale for my winner.
Winner: Dragon Warrior, NES (Year Released, 1989)
The start of the now named Dragon Quest franchise, this was my third or fourth attempt at beating the game. Fun, actually pretty simple to figure out where to go (unlike the original Final Fantasy). Only one character in your party, so that makes things real tough. And a menu system with something left to be desired. Still, it is like the father to many great RPGs of today, and for that, deserves some love.
Lifetime Awesomeness Award
This is my all-time favorite game. Finally got the 3DS version on discount. I may love the game, and have beaten it more than 100 times easy, but I was not paying $40 for a remake, even if the 3D is pretty cool. So even though I beat this version of the game for the first time this year, it's not a new game beaten to be eligible for big award. But 1996? It ruled the roost. Glad I can play this on the go now. Oh, and DO A BARREL ROLL!!
Winner: Star Fox 64 3D
Worst Games of the Year
In order to have the best games of the year, you have to have some of the worst as well. I'm only going three deep here, since out of the games I beat these might be the only three I got little enjoyment out of. But don't you worry, COD: Black Ops shoddy story and Two Worlds disturbing glitches will not be forgotten any time soon.
The Losers:
3) F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, 3DSVC/GBA (Year Released - 2001)
This game came as a big disappointment because people recommended it as one of the better GBA ambassador games. Four cars to choose from, at least in the beginning, very basic, boring long tracks. The competitors at times just try to destroy you, even if it means they won't finish the race either. Great races went horrible just due to one mistake causing the ship to blow up. Glad you only had to finish top 3 to move on rather than always winning. I won't be venturing back to this raceway, but might check out the GCN title since it looks a heck of a lot prettier.
2) MLB 2K 11, DS (Year Released - 2011)
I have a serious problem with games that don't work all the time. In this game, you can have two strikes on you, the game will decide to drop frame rate on you, and before you know it, strike 3 just went passed and you're left thinking - what happened? But don't worry, you'll find a way to come back. First baseball game I've ever played that has a rubberband function. Case in point, I was trailing by 7 in the 8th inning. Suddenly, the game just throws me meatballs and I score 7 runs in the next two innings. After that, the CPU pitching fixed itself, and I didn't score again until the 15th. One time occurrence? Nope, a couple games later, I believe I trailed by 5 or 6 in the ninth inning before the game said, "I'm going to let you win." And I won the game that inning. I also could never hold a big lead against the CPU, if I got up by more than 4 or 5, the CPU found a way to score off me. Awful.
1) Pixeljunk Eden, PSN (Year Released - 2008)
OK what is this crap? So you are a little dude thing. You float around, flower to flower, collecting pollen, to go higher or left or right to make more flowers. To what purpose? NONE. Do the controls stink at times? YEP. Do you feel like you aren't accomplishing anything at any point? YEP. I really struggled with this game. Why do I have to get one Spectra, then go back into the level to get two Spectra, then go back again in the level to get 3 spectra, then 4, then 5? Why wouldn't you let me get all 5 at once? I have to get some Spectra 5 times over?! That's just stupid developer man. STUPID. Or give me the option to get a couple of spectra, then save and exit to come back later and the spectra I got before already be saved. What a crazy concept. Forced replay value. Boo-urns. Boo-urns I say. All of this complaining, and my total score ranks fairly high on the leaderboards. I'll attribute that to most people not having a desire to finish this piece of junk. No pun intended.
Best Games of the Year
Now, the main event. What were my 5 (OK six) favorite games of the year? It actually wasn't tough, in the sense before I even went through my list of 60 games, I pretty much knew off the top of my head 5 of the 6 games I enjoyed the most. The sixth one I thought I beat last year.... but that's what happens after 12 months. Anyways, I loved all of these games. Heck, I enjoyed most of the games I beat this year, but these stand above the rest.
Honorable Mention) Epic Mickey, Wii (Year Released, 2010)
This game had the #5 spot locked up until I realized I beat Pushmo this year. I was a fan of Disney growing up, but not like a super fan by any means. But I really enjoy nostalgic type things, and learning about the history of something. There are so many cool characters, and places that I'd never seen before that are part of the Disney universe. Having the option to choose between purifying/defeating enemies with the paint/thinner was a very cool new concept. I had a camera problem now and then, but never that bad. Really a fun game the entire way, maybe a bit too easy but I complain about that most of the time. Just wish the sequel wasn't getting such horrible reviews...
5) Pushmo, 3DS eshop (Year Released, 2011)
I am a huge puzzle genre fan. This puzzler was great. Got 5 minutes? Tackle a puzzle or two. Have a couple of hours to kill? Solve 20 or so puzzles. The 250 or so puzzles get harder at a nice rate, plus you have user created levels to download thanks to QR cards. And you get to toss a baby every time you finish a level! What is there not to love? I really don't have much bad at all to say about this game, besides that it ended, and maybe that the Bonus Pushmo levels were no longer 5 minute kill-time type challenges.
4) Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wii (Year Released, 2010)
I'll just go ahead and say it. Best Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. Doesn't top it, but is better than Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, both of which are good games as well. The Wii Motion Plus controls finally got to be showcased in this game. Good puzzles, better story than the last couple of games. I loved the concept of flying with the bird, just wish there would have been more discover - though still is better than the stupid boat in WW. Some repeat bosses, but as a whole a lot of clever bosses. And man did I struggle with the final boss. Might have just been me, but Ganon seemed way harder than anything else in that game. I didn't mind Fi, most of the crap that came out of her mouth was funny in a mechanical kind of way.
3) MLB 12 The Show, PS3 (Year Released, 2012)
Look at that. A game from a non-Nintendo system! Best baseball game I've ever played. Period. Physics of the game are great. I have been playing since March and still can't hit better than .320ish on the medium setting. Good controls in the field and baserunning. Franchise mode and Road to the Show are excellent. I've been able to go through 7 full 162 game seasons thanks to Road to the Show since I only have to do my create-a-player's at bats and fielding only. The Road to the Show is almost like an Action-RPG as you build up points to improve your stats. Solid announcing. Good updates, had Challenges of the Week during the MLB season which were fun to play. I still have modes in the game I have barely touched. If you like to play baseball games, you should own this on PS3 or Vita. Top notch.
2) Kid Icarus Uprising, 3DS (Year Released, 2012)
Almost got the top spot. This is basically this generation's Star Fox 64 in my mind. Fun levels, great dialogue. Good for quick plays or long sit downs. Online mode is great fun with both free for all and team play. Lots of things to collect and unlock like Smash Bros. About a million different types of weapons to discover, buy, trade, fuse, etc. Replay levels at a wide range of difficulty. Boss Battle mode. I don't mind the controls. Not ideal, but they work for what they need to do. I beat this in August and may go a week at most before I pick it up to higher my intensity on a level or play some online. Best game on the 3DS for sure.
1) The Last Story, Wii (Year Released, 2012)
I played a number of good RPGs this year. But this one was the best. Good story telling? Check. Diverse set of characters? Check. Next to no grinding? A surprising check. The game is an action-RPG, and I do prefer turn based, but I think this game was right to go the way it did. The side quests were actually fun, but not necessary if you didn't want to bother. Syrenne was basically worth it alone, just to hear her both talk like a constant drunk and her dual sword-weilding ability. It was a game that I attempted to play every day from the time I started it. I wasn't always able to, but the entire playthrough I was always thinking, "Man, do I have time to play the Last Story tonight? I sure hope so." It's no Final Fantasy VII, X, but it might be in my top 5 RPGs of all time. Though be aware Xenoblade looms to be beaten for 2013...
And there you have it! My favorites from 2012. You games you played this past year that you really loved?
Other fun stats because I like numbers:
Games beat: 60
New games beat: 58
Games bought/acquired: 40
Number of systems I beat at least 1 game on: 13 (GBA,DS,PC,XBLA, NES,PS3,WiiWare, 3DS eshop,Wii, 3DS, PSN,GCN,WiiU)
Most games beat on one system: 10 (NES)
Most games beaten in a month - 9 (August, December)
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Co-Op Gaming, The Good and The Bad
This generation of gaming has an abundance of multi-player gaming. Just jump online with some friends and you can enjoy hours of Super Smash Bros, Call of Duty, Madden or Halo. They're all fun times, but sometimes you want to play the main story with a friend. That kind of co-op play is hard to come by these days.
I know, "I don't have any friends." Is a saying used all that often. Or maybe its, "All my friends have moved away." Though both of these might be true, there are still plenty of people that do have people come over to game with. So it's nice when you can find some quality games to play all in one living room.
I'm currently enjoying my new Wii U. Nintendo took the first plunge into the next generation of gaming. And they are one of the few companies left that try and provide a good multi-player in the same room experience. One prime example is Nintendo Land.
Nintendo Land comes with any deluxe black Wii U, and has 12 total mini-games for people from 1-5 people to enjoy. Most of these games just about anyone can pick up and learn how to play within a minute or two. The lone exceptions might be Metroid Blast and Donkey Kong Crash Course. One of the games, Pikmin Adventure, has become a surprisingly fun game to play with my wife. I didn't expect this to be the case, but the simple controls to use the Pikmin has her wanting to play it when we sit down and game. Just run around, smash things, pick up power ups, and use your new power to smash some more things. It's a bit more complicated than that, but not really. She wishes the game has more levels, and I'm just hoping Pikmin 3 has some elements like this so maybe she'll want to play that whenever it is released. We've only been waiting about five years after all.
The other co-op game we just finished was Little Big Planet 2 on the Playstation 3. The PS3 is not a robust system for co-op games, especially when you have casual people to play with. And despite this game receiving many patches through our play through, none of them have fixed the shoddy controls. I can live with bad controls. I might not like them - but I'll find a way to use them. When you're someone like my wife - a casual gamer - who wants things to just work, then crappy controls don't sit well. We managed to finish the game, but I had to do a lot of it with our final life because either the grapple hook was too hard to understand, the bunnies' inconsistent jumping drove her insane, or because the pastry you throw at the final boss takes a bit too much precision for someone who just wants to hit A. The worst part might have been the the second to last level took us one try. The final level took us two hours.
So game developers, either make your game easy or hard. This goes for co-op or single player experiences. Swift shifts in difficulty can drive anyone insane. And if you want your game to appeal to the masses, then at least do what New Super Mario Bros Wii and U did and provide a bubble-like feature.
Side note: 26 days between posts. Off to a great start I am... New Year's Resolution for sure to post more.
I know, "I don't have any friends." Is a saying used all that often. Or maybe its, "All my friends have moved away." Though both of these might be true, there are still plenty of people that do have people come over to game with. So it's nice when you can find some quality games to play all in one living room.
I'm currently enjoying my new Wii U. Nintendo took the first plunge into the next generation of gaming. And they are one of the few companies left that try and provide a good multi-player in the same room experience. One prime example is Nintendo Land.
Nintendo Land comes with any deluxe black Wii U, and has 12 total mini-games for people from 1-5 people to enjoy. Most of these games just about anyone can pick up and learn how to play within a minute or two. The lone exceptions might be Metroid Blast and Donkey Kong Crash Course. One of the games, Pikmin Adventure, has become a surprisingly fun game to play with my wife. I didn't expect this to be the case, but the simple controls to use the Pikmin has her wanting to play it when we sit down and game. Just run around, smash things, pick up power ups, and use your new power to smash some more things. It's a bit more complicated than that, but not really. She wishes the game has more levels, and I'm just hoping Pikmin 3 has some elements like this so maybe she'll want to play that whenever it is released. We've only been waiting about five years after all.
The other co-op game we just finished was Little Big Planet 2 on the Playstation 3. The PS3 is not a robust system for co-op games, especially when you have casual people to play with. And despite this game receiving many patches through our play through, none of them have fixed the shoddy controls. I can live with bad controls. I might not like them - but I'll find a way to use them. When you're someone like my wife - a casual gamer - who wants things to just work, then crappy controls don't sit well. We managed to finish the game, but I had to do a lot of it with our final life because either the grapple hook was too hard to understand, the bunnies' inconsistent jumping drove her insane, or because the pastry you throw at the final boss takes a bit too much precision for someone who just wants to hit A. The worst part might have been the the second to last level took us one try. The final level took us two hours.
So game developers, either make your game easy or hard. This goes for co-op or single player experiences. Swift shifts in difficulty can drive anyone insane. And if you want your game to appeal to the masses, then at least do what New Super Mario Bros Wii and U did and provide a bubble-like feature.
Side note: 26 days between posts. Off to a great start I am... New Year's Resolution for sure to post more.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Let's try this again
Over the years I've attempted to do a blog on gaming and sports on multiple occasions. Here's another attempt. As my new job doesn't require writing all that much, I don't feel burned out of typing at the end of the day anymore. And well, I don't want to completely let this skill go to waste. So here I again, I'm going to try and keep up a blog, mostly about video games.
Picked up a Wii U at a midnight launch a month or so ago, that added to my already mass collection. I also on a 3DS, PS3, Wii, Gamecube, Nintendo 64, NES, DS, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, Gameboy and a Game Gear. And there's the PS2 my brother now has with him. Oh and the gaming PC. All in all I have well over 400 games - documented on my backloggery.com account, XCWarrior there too.
I'll try and give my thoughts on what I'm playing semi-regularly. I'm usually playing about six or seven things at once, so if you don't like the game I'm talking about - come back the next time. Ten to one says I am playing something else on that given day.
Here's to trying to stay committed to this for once.
Picked up a Wii U at a midnight launch a month or so ago, that added to my already mass collection. I also on a 3DS, PS3, Wii, Gamecube, Nintendo 64, NES, DS, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, Gameboy and a Game Gear. And there's the PS2 my brother now has with him. Oh and the gaming PC. All in all I have well over 400 games - documented on my backloggery.com account, XCWarrior there too.
I'll try and give my thoughts on what I'm playing semi-regularly. I'm usually playing about six or seven things at once, so if you don't like the game I'm talking about - come back the next time. Ten to one says I am playing something else on that given day.
Here's to trying to stay committed to this for once.
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