Archive for the Best / Worst Category

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Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor – GotY?

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Tolkien on October 12, 2014 by slateman

Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™_20141011222550With this year’s Album of the Year likely coming out this month (Exodus or At The Gates), it’s fitting that the year’s potential Game of the Year is an autumn release as well! As my first purchase for the PS4, (Well, I sold Killzone) I didn’t know what to expect. At more than 24 hours into this title, I’m sold. This game is the shit.

And, rather than go through all its pros, I’ll just give one example. I’ve just begun a one-on-twenty battle with a Warchief, the game’s premiere enemy. This guy is tough and I’m beating down orcs left-and-right as I struggle with this guy. What happens next? Another Uruk Captain emerges, then a second. My fight is now against three big-time enemies and I’ve been brought to the brink of death. A life-saving effort keeps the fight going and then…? A THIRD Captain arrives. My hands are sweating and I notice, for the first time in what seems like years, my heart is racing. It’s pounding so hard as I try to attack, parry, vault and put death finishers on the lesser orcs. One captain dies, another flees and the third succumbs with his head severed. I watch it float in slow-motion, a haunting mess of blood and glory. The Warchief weakens and I’m on my last legs. Perfection is required. He attacks, I parry, and another floating head is my trophy, alongside an epic rune.

The dust settles and I realize just how intense that was. It was friggin’ hard! How many games have gotten you in a panic in recent years? It was spectacular and I was convinced – this is one of the best games I’ve played in years! Now to 100% that bastard! Might actually go for a platinum on this one…it’s that good.

New Cubes: Order #1 – Rex Cube & Face-Turning Octahedron

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing on July 11, 2014 by slateman

rex-octahedronTwo new additions to the ever-growing and rather-large Cube Collection. Today we have the Flower Rex Cube by LanLan and the same brand’s Face-Turning Octahedron. The weirdest thing about these two is how they share the same core. Due to this, their solution isn’t far removed from one another. That’s a good and a bad thing. Good for ease, bad for diversity. This is particularly true because I don’t find them overly fun to solve. It’s more of a chore (so far. I haven’t solved the Octahedron yet) and not as much of a challenge as it is a task. However, I don’t care…they were both cheap (~$12 each) and they’re great additions! Now, order #2 is coming and I’m psyched about this one! It’s Calvin’s 2x4x6 – an ultimate shape-shifter! This should be cool! More soon!

Oh, solutions might help – if and when I forget how to solve these guys!

Mushihimesama Futari Black Label

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, DoDon Pachi on June 27, 2014 by slateman

mushihimesama-futari-blI haven’t written much, but now that summer is here, perhaps that might change. After re-launching BeeStorm, I’ve been on a Cave kick and I finally opted to grab Mushihimesama Futari: Black Label. I never quite understood the passion for this title. So many people seem to love it and while I liked it, I never felt the same devotion. However, after getting back into it, it’s so much fun! Now with Black Label, we have three totally separate games (1.5/Arrange/BL) and each plays so differently (particularly when you account for Regular/Maniac/Ultra & God modes). I’ve always loved the art of the game and the music has grown on me, even if it has nothing as magical as Like A Night Of Falling Stars. In any event, I’ve also been playing DDP:DFK BL and version 1.5 which is pretty friggin’ awesome.

New Cubes On The Way!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing on March 7, 2014 by slateman

crazy3x3x2Even though I haven’t been updating much; I have been adding to my cubing collection. The biggest & best is the 4x4x6 cuboid. I feared this would be too similar to my 3x4x5 but it’s better in almost every regard. It’s a lot more fun to solve and since it shape-shifts on all faces; it’s a more interesting puzzle. In addition it’s much more durable than that 3x4x5. Anyways, that’s the old…I’ve got a pair of new cubes on the way. The first is a crazy 3x3x2. I’m curious; I think this should be a unique puzzle. The other is a silly and cheap addition to the collection. This will be a 3x3x1 mirror cube. This one is just filler; it will look good on the shelf though!

Since I haven’t updated in a bit, I’ll toss this new stuff on the cube collection page.

Dragon’s Crown: Old School & Fun!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews with tags on March 2, 2014 by slateman

Dragon's_Crown_LogoI’ve waited for this game to come down in price and it finally has. While full retail was a bit too steep for me, $17 was perfect and I caved and got the PS3 game this past week. Now, I still fully expect this to be free on PS+ some time in the next year; so I’m hoping that’s the Vita version. However, after a few hours of play, $17 is nothing when compared to the fun that this game is!

In recent years, I’ve enjoyed some new/retro beat-em-ups. However, most don’t have a great balance of old (the action game) and new (well…anything else). The newest Double Dragon is pretty bad and Final Fight Double Impact is really only great because of Magic Sword. Dragon’s Crown on the other hand, is an impeccably-animated romp in a wonderful setting. Swords & magic & loot…what more do you need? Oh…a dragon, clearly. See the title.

In any event, I hope to get some good hours in on this in the coming weeks and while it won’t be a platinum trophy title, I’m going to enjoy the heck out of it while it lasts!

Games I’ve Beaten: 2013 Edition (Through August)

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Borderlands, Games on August 26, 2013 by slateman

I wrote about the same thing just last year but since it’s now almost 2/3 of the way through 2013 (madness), I thought I’d look back. Unlike last year, I had a lapse in my GameFly subscription for a while, but since I’m not touching my 360 nowadays, my PS3 trophy list should shed light on everything I’ve played! This is a general list:

  1. Aliens: Colonial Marines
  2. Army Of Two: The Devil’s Cartel
  3. Army Of Two: The 40th Day
  4. Borderlands 2 DLC
  5. Darksiders II (just started)
  6. DuckTales: Remastered
  7. Dead Space 3
  8. Guacamelee! (Platinum)
  9. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
  10. Heavy Rain
  11. Ibb & Obb
  12. Just Cause 2
  13. Labyrinth Legends
  14. The Last Of Us
  15. Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean (Platinum)
  16. Ratchet & Clank
  17. Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal
  18. Resident Evil 6
  19. Saints Row: The Third
  20. Tomb Raider
  21. Velocity Ultra
  22. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward

tr-reboot2Now, there were others, like Sleeping Dogs and Demon’s Souls, but I never dedicated enough time to even count those.
As for fighting games, I went back to Super Street Fighter IV, played Tekken Revolution and Darkstalkers Resurrection. I would’ve beaten The Cave if the stupid patch didn’t delete my save game. :) I couldn’t get through RE6…it just dragged on and on and on…Saints Row 3 was actually a blast. I’ve never finished a GTA game, but this one was just so fun and unique, I loved it.

However, among that list, I’ve completed 14 titles…however, that’s deceiving. I’d beaten Heavy Rain before (but this time with a different ending.) Both R&C games were just HD re-releases. Army Of Two was my 2nd time playing (but 1st time on the PS3 – I’ll beat part 3 in the next few weeks.) Zero Escape was ‘beaten’ but I keep getting bad endings!

My tally would stand at 8:Guacamelee!, Ghost Recon, Just Cause 2, The Last Of Us, Lego Pirates, SR3, Tomb Raider and Velocity Ultra. Among them are two A+ titles in The Last Of Us and Tomb Raider. And while Naughty Dog’s masterpiece was among the most innovative and memorable games in recent memory, I’m thinking TR was the game of the year just due to how fun it was. Both games had you upgrading weapons and each wove an interesting and unique tale. However, when TLOU was done, I wanted nothing to do with it. It was an exhausting, emotional tale that took something out of me. TR was just a blast to play, to collect items, to go back and to complete. I’m certainly looking forward to a sequel and I sincerely hope The Last Of Us never gets one. :)

So, there you go. In the coming months, I look forward to GTA5 and finishing The Devil’s Cartel w/ my buddy online. I don’t know what else is on the horizon but I don’t see myself getting a PS4 or XB1 any time this year.

New Cubes: Thoughts (Camouflage 3x3x4 & FF 3x3x5)

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing on August 16, 2013 by slateman

c4u-ff3x3x5I sold The Last Of Us (remarkable game) and got myself a pair of cubes for less than $2. I was psyched to add to the collection, like always, but this first one is more of a replacement/upgrade. After my surgery and hospital visit, I returned to work to find my Cube4U 3x3x5 gone. I haven’t located it in the seven months prior so I figured why not get a fully-functional 3x3x5 this time. The cube is identical in solving methods; it just adds a shape-shifting element to its first step. However, I find it just to be OK. The cube is great, though a little lube wouldn’t hurt, but I guess after a 3x3x5 and 3x3x7, the simple method of solving isn’t so exciting. There’s nothing wrong w/ the cube…and it’s certainly worth the money. It’s just not my favorite.

camouflage3x3x4
Now to a completely different puzzle. The WitEden Camouflage 3x3x4. This holds a special place in the collection because I have absolutely no clue how to solve it. It baffles me and even comprehending its existence proves elusive. I just mean that it’s an entirely different beast. Turning on the axis that it does gives it an element I’ve never seen before (unlike the familiarity of the FF 3x3x5 and I suspect once I figure out WTF is going on, it could be fun. However, for now, it’s in a solved state and may remain that way for a while. This is the first cube to completely beat me (tho the 3x4x5 had me going for a good week). I suppose that’s a good thing…but I can’t say I like it!!!

Kidrobot x Street Fighter: The Odds

Posted in Best / Worst, Games, Street Fighter on August 14, 2013 by slateman

kidrobotThis is the type of spur-of-the-moment purchase I never make. Seeing this type of thing online almost never ends up being a purchase. However, yesterday, it was my treat. I allowed Aiden to pick a box (they’re all blind) and off we went to pay. I looked at the box (pic to the left) and pondered…Blanka, Chun, Guile…OK. I like Honda nowadays. Balrog (U.S. Vega) would be sweet. Ryu, Ken, OK. Sagat, Zangief or Dhalsim would be cool. The only one I wasn’t into was M. Bison (U.S. Balrog). His design (well, Mike Tyson), was never my favorite. I prefer Dudley as my boxer anyways. And you know it, the 1/40 chance (2.5%) came true to find an M. Bison. Ah well. He’s kinda cool and fits well with the small collection of SF toys I have. Most are still in boxes, but I’ve got some stuff on the shelf now. Ryu from the SFIV collector’s edition. Reko from Mushihimesama, Barrett from Final Fantasy VII and a handful of other SF chars. Oh, a Lego stormtrooper and a chocobo, too! Anyways, I’d love to go back and get another…I guess that’s how this stuff hooks you. That 1/80 is Vega (U.S. M. Bison). That would be cool too. Those Comic-Con ones are sweet too! Evil Ryu & Shin Gouki in particular.

DuckTales Remastered

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games on August 14, 2013 by slateman

DuckTales-Remastered
With but one update in all of the month of July, I’m going to try anew to keep this site updated with the latest and greatest of my life. How great it all may be is up for debate, but I’ve had ideas of what to write…just not the inspiration to write any of it. Today, however, I downloaded DuckTales Remastered and thought I’d share some quick thoughts. First off, it’s all nostalgia-based. While I played the original back in the day, I don’t have those strong, fond memories of the theme song. I do, however, remember games playing like this one did and for that reason alone it’s a fun romp. Upon seeing Gamespot give it a 4.5/10, I was a bit shocked. Listen, this game really can’t be compared to anything but its ilk. You don’t review Scary Movie 5 compared to Gone With The Wind! You compare it to…Scary Movie 4 and The Naked Gun 33 1/3.

I had some fun going through the stages and memorizing the patterns. Let’s face it, that’s how games were and this remaster is just a visual overhaul. It’s not meant to be more. So, it looks pretty, it’s just like I remember and it’s kinda fun. It’s somewhat difficult but after a few runs through both the Amazon and Transylvania, I managed to come out alive.

There are so many complaints about these types of games but I never understand why. If it’s not for you, don’t buy it! With PS+, I got it for a discount (and with Ibb & Obb, got $3 back). The demand is there because our generation grew up on these things and now as 30 and 40-somethings, we pump the money back in. Nothing wrong w/ that. OK. That’s it for my 2nd update in two months. Pathetic. More soon?

The Last Of Us

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, The Walking Dead with tags on June 19, 2013 by slateman

The_Last_of_Us_logo_RGB_whiteSo far, I’m not entirely sure what to think of this game. The basics are obvious. It’s gorgeous. The voice-acting is spectacular. It’s grueling and intense and conveys the most evident of facts: I want nothing to do with the undead…or whatever these infected are. The gameplay truly is intense and I’d much rather avoid combat entirely if at all possible. I don’t have enough bullets and it’s tiring fighting these guys. The downside of all of this is that for the first few hours, the game almost didn’t seem…fun. I want to go back to it because of all the polish, but the fun-factor is…strange. I’m scared to death of running around clickers. I don’t particularly want to go into that room! Scavenging materials is so essential; I’m thoroughly excited finding a few scraps of metal and half a pair of scissors. It’s insane!

But I am compelled to continue. I can’t wait to get a chance to sit down and play more. The audio is brilliant, with clear, crisp sounds coming from corners and every dialogue worthy of attention. I’m loving the relationship between Joel and Ellie and can feel the weight of the world. This is unlike any game I’ve played before, with the exception of The Walking Dead: The Game. It’s scary to think how vested we’re becoming with gaming characters; this is the true leap in gaming this generation IMO.

So…I’ve still got a long way to go…and I don’t see it getting any prettier as it goes along! That’s not to say it’s not worth it.

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