I’d been saving for this one for a long while and last Friday was the awesome day. The PS4’s arrival! Now, it’s still an Xmas gift, so it has to be under the tree. That means for the next month I’ll be boxing/unboxing to keep the secret going. It’s all good though. The menus are blazing fast, the hardware is sexy as shit and the games are…well, launch games…but I’m quite enjoying Resogun. Still can’t believe we’re at the fourth iteration of the Playstation brand. Now, for them to add DNLA. Excluding that’s ridiculous IMO. Digging this purchase definitely. \m/
Archive for the Games Category
Did Someone Say PS4?
Posted in Blog, Games, Hardware on November 22, 2013 by slatemanCastlevania: Mirror of Fate HD
Posted in Blog, Castlevania, Games, Reviews with tags Castlevania on November 22, 2013 by slateman
This $15 title was about perfect…for $15. Had I paid full price on the NDS, I may have been upset. However, the quick jaunt through the title was fun, and appropriately priced.
The Good
The music was pretty cool. It was moody, we didn’t get any Vampire Killer tunes and that’s OK. It was different. The story was a bit strange, and at first, I couldn’t figure out WTF happened at the end. However, SPOILERS! Trevor turning out to be Alucard was a pretty awesome take on this non-canon side-story.
The So-So
The game’s combat was pretty weak. I actually preferred exploring the castle over actually fighting. Some of the platforming was ok at best.
Overall, it wasn’t the best Castlevania, nowhere near it. In actuality, it may have been one of the worst but I’m still glad I played it. It’s made me interested in Lords of Shadow 2 and made me wish I never lost my first LoS save game. After getting 100% w/ Simon, Alucard & Trevor though; I’ll likely never touch this game again. :) That’s OK. It was fun while it lasted.
Army Of Two: The Devil’s Cartel – A Fun Game!
Posted in Blog, Games, Reviews on September 2, 2013 by slateman
Army Of Two: The 40th Day was the first game I played through entirely co-op and it was a blast. In the 3 1/2 years since, I’ve played a lot of games. But going back to this series was an exciting prospect. Then the reviews came out. 4/10 some deemed it. A 4/10??? I’m trying to think of games I’ve played that might be that bad. Aliens: Colonial Marines? Perhaps. In all seriousness, the 3rd Ao2 game was fun. Playing online with a friend, our connection was better than most recent games (a testimony to its poor sales?) but we busted through the whole game over the course of several sessions and loved it. Destroying everything in Overkill mode was a blast. The driving sequences were fun. The game sounded incredible. Sure it wasn’t the most inspired game ever. However it achieved the purpose set forth by its design: A great-playing co-op game. This was a ton of fun, screw the naysayers.
Games I’ve Beaten: 2013 Edition (Through August)
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Borderlands, Games on August 26, 2013 by slatemanI 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:
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Army Of Two: The Devil’s Cartel
- Army Of Two: The 40th Day
- Borderlands 2 DLC
- Darksiders II (just started)
- DuckTales: Remastered
- Dead Space 3
- Guacamelee! (Platinum)
- Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- Heavy Rain
- Ibb & Obb
- Just Cause 2
- Labyrinth Legends
- The Last Of Us
- Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean (Platinum)
- Ratchet & Clank
- Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal
- Resident Evil 6
- Saints Row: The Third
- Tomb Raider
- Velocity Ultra
- Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
Now, 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.
Shooters I’m Lacking…
Posted in Blog, DoDon Pachi, Games on August 25, 2013 by slatemanNow isn’t the time of my life to ‘waste’ on expensive videogames. It it were 10 years ago, I would have imported these games by now and this post wouldn’t even exist. However, it’s just not going to happen and I was thinking about how much I’d like to try these out. Of course, saving up cash for a PS4 (which will eventually happen) doesn’t help…
Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets
Cave released a budget version of this game and it can now be picked up for under $35. That’s not a bad deal for two full games. Now, I haven’t even touched MMP but people say it’s a fun title with pretty cool visuals. On the other hand, I played the first Ibara game and this ‘sequel’ looks like sheer nonsense. I guess that’s the point…and for $35, this will be part of my collection at some point. Yes, it’s the cheapest, but it’s also the lowest on the priority ladder.
ESP Galuda II
I loved ESPRa.De. and its sequel ESP Galuda was one of my favorite shooters on the PS2. While there are iOS ports of the game, I want the full title with an actual controller. The only problem lies with the fact that I can’t dedicate the time to really master these games. This game appears to be cheaper, also released as a budget title, but it seems to be out of print, so perhaps tracking down the region-free release will prove troublesome. Should’ve bought it years ago.
DoDonPachi: Saidaioujou
Ah, this is the reason this list even exists. I love me some DDP and the fourth entry into the series DoDonPachi: Dai-Ou-Jou made my favorite games ever list. While I enjoyed DFK, SDOJ is the developer’s swansong and it must be experienced! I’ve written FAQs for both DOJ and DFK and it’s my favorite shooter series. While this one is still expensive, it’s still easy to find. Despite the price, this is a priority. I will get this game…eventually.
Shooters have been among my favorites since the old arcade and Turbo-Grafx 16 days. While I may not have the time to play these as much nowadays, I’m still a huge fan and love Cave games. The rumors of Ketsui coming to the PS3 only adds to the allure. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to keep up more actively on these types of games.
Kidrobot x Street Fighter: The Odds
Posted in Best / Worst, Games, Street Fighter on August 14, 2013 by slateman
This 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
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 The Last Of Us on June 19, 2013 by slateman
So 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.
New Super Mario U: Done!!!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments with tags Mario on April 21, 2013 by slateman
I went through the superstar road and got all the coins for a fourth star. That swimming level sucked. I used a P-Wing to get the last coin on the running stage for the last coin! This revealed the 9th superstar road stage. I was prepared for a nightmare.
Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult; it was just interesting…and cool. So, after beating that, I was pretty psyched but got nothing. This morning I went back and caught every Nabbit but still didn’t get the fifth star…Then I noticed I was missing one hidden exit (#94).
After zipping through and getting that, I was greeted with the above message – and have now completed the whole game!!! Sadly, I’ve had enough Super Mario Bros. U for a little while. That’s sad mostly because I have little reason to return to the Wii U. I’m looking forward to the new firmware upgrade coming shortly, however. Once again, I’m also excited for the DLC to return to Mario. 100%! Nice!!!
Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia Art
Posted in Artwork, Best / Worst, Blog, Castlevania, Game Art, Games with tags Castlevania on April 21, 2013 by slatemanI can’t say I even remember playing this. After completing Portrait Of Ruin twice, I vaguely recall something afterwards. If anything, it didn’t leave a lasting memory other than ‘Oh, maybe I played that…wasn’t as good as Portrait.’ In any event, I’m trying to go through some hard drive stuff and these two artworks are pretty sweet…so while the game may not have been so spectacular, the art here is. Enjoy!
