Playing Today: Transformers, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I pushed through more of the Autobots portion of Transformers. The controls can be a bit frustrating but still much better than Spider-Man 3. I'm kind of curious to see if playing as the Decepticons will abandon the stereotypical mission style of the Autobots. Why would the bad guys need to follow... rules? (I found one pretty nasty glitch that let me slip into a wall and then I was stuck.)

Fantastic Four arrived yesterday and it was decent. The graphics are creepy - you should see their crotches. The voices are pretty bad so far and obviously not the real cast. However, the inclusion of co-op might make the experience a bit more bearable. This game might be better than the movie it was based on.

Playing Today: Transformers, Bomberman Live, Pac-Man Championship Edition, The Bigs

I took some time away from Transformers to finish up my first season of The Bigs. The playoffs were tougher than the regular season; however, I was still able to crack a ton of homers and pitch my first perfect game. I took down the Detroit Tigers for my first ring and hope to earn the same ring with an American League team in the future - maybe not too soon. Overall, this game lived up to my highest expectations and has only minor flaws (like mispronunciation) and a soundtrack that is light on music. I gladly give this game an A. I can't wait for next year!

Some more achievements were earned in Bomberman Live and Pac-Man Championship Edition. Both continue to stand out as the best XBLA games of the year and should be held up on a pedestal with Geometry Wars.

Finally, I spent some more quality time with Transformers. I love that that the environments are destructible. This was a feature I wasn't expecting to see and makes playing as a Transformer very cathartic. Too bad that the driving controls are atrocious. The driving portions feel identical to those in Full Auto. Is this the same engine? I'll have to do further investigating.

Playing This Week: Bomberman Live, The Bigs, WTF, Gauntlet, Transformers, Mega Man Powered Up, Blitz: The League

Wow. I have no excuse for missing a week's worth of blogs. I'll definitely try to fix that, don't you worry. I tried out Blitz: The League and was underwhelmed. It felt like one of those games that deserved more of my time - but The Bigs just kept sucking me back in. So, I sent Blitz back and am at the World Series of the The Bigs.

I also tried WTF (Work Time Fun) on my PSP. Again, this was an interesting game; however, not a game I could see myself owning or playing half as much as my other PSP games. After twenty minutes that found its way to the mailbox too.

Transformers showed up a few days back and I surprisingly enjoyed it. The environments are almost completely destructible and the narration is cool. My only issue so far (and I'm only one hour in) is the mission structure. The missions are video game cliches: race missions, protect missions, and fighting. That's cool for kids and quick playing but not likely to provide that great of an experience.

I finally defeated Mega Man Powered Up and was satisfied with that experience. I really hope that Capcom makes a sequel or takes this version to XBLA. Look for more Transformers commentary this weekend!

Playing Today: The Bigs, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Bomberman Live, Yie Ar Kung-Fu

Another day, another 33 run game. Holy crap, The Bigs was tons of fun to play. Scoring 33 runs, knocking out 8 triples, and 7 RBIs for my rookie was a blast. This helped me rack up three new Achievements in the same game! Despite that this game is relatively easy (on this difficulty) it is still fun because not every game is a blow out. I played the Cardinals and had several close calls. I can see myself investing many more hours in this game and enjoying a majority of them.

I tried out the new (classic) Bomberman game. I only played the demo and was intrigued, but not enough to drop $10. This looks like plenty of fun but the new additions and customizations are a bit obnoxious. Maybe after I buy the game I'll change my mind.

Played a ton of Pac-Man and really figured out Extra Mode 2. The more I play the more I can't stop playing. When the initial reviews compared this to Geometry Wars, I was skeptical. However, now I am a believer.

I tried the other new arcade game, Yie Ar Kung-Fu. I remember seeing this years ago... and I still have no interest.

Playing Today: DDR Universe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Mega Man Powered Up, Gears of War, Burnout Revenge

Sorry about the delay in blogging. Vacation took away from my overall gaming but I was still able to play some new (to me) games. I played DDR Universe and Sonic the Hedgehog (next gen). DDR was surprisingly fun. I didn't expect to hate it completely and that's what I got. It plays like Guitar Hero (duh) and the music was better than expected. I might invest more than 20 minutes in the future but only in the privacy of my home.

My time spent with Sonic the Hedgehog was less worthwhile. I played for about 5 minutes and quickly sent it back. I didn't like the excessive cut scene at the beginning (despite how beautiful it looked) and had no interest in 3D Sonic. Not sure why I even tried this.

I'm still playing Mega Man but I seem to have hit a wall on the final boss battle. The smaller bosses were all fun to battle and I quite enjoy the game's save point system. However, if I can't progress much in the next few weeks, I guess I'll retire it.

Playing Today: Bullet Witch, The Bigs, Sonic the Hedgehog

Bullet Witch came in the mail yesterday. I was surprised at how above average the game was. This is in no way the stinker that some reviews led me to believe. The premise is ridiculous, the enemies are laughable (walnut head?!), and the protagonist is a bit strange. However, the gameplay works just fine (for now) and the graphics are decent. And, although, the story is strange, I found myself intrigued by the campiness of it all. Hopefully, I'll get some more time with it before I go to the beach.

Sonic the Hedgehog just arrived on XBLA. The game looks exactly how I remembered and functions as it should. I like the inclusion of leaderboards but I'll never play it long enough to earn that high of a score. I only tried the demo but am seriously considering purchasing it this week or next. I didn't get to try Golden Axe.

As far as E3 goes, I might draft something after it is all over and done with. Might.

Playing Today: Mega Man Powered Up, Spider-Man 3

First impressions go a long way with me. Mega Man Powered Up left quite a first impression, filling the portable void that Loco Roco had claimed for several weeks. This game is really fun, playful, silly, and still very much Mega Man. Instead of grinding away at the same bosses over and over until I beat them, the difficulty system lets me explore the game without suffering from frustration I remember. The voicework is great for a portable title and the art style is way above average. I can see this stuck in my PSP for weeks to come.

Spider-Man 3 is still an exercise in frustration. The camera is still broken and the gameplay is not remotely entertaining. I can imagine that most gamers would have returned this by now...

Playing Today: Spider-Man 3, The Bigs

Oh boy is Spider-Man 3 turning into a mixed bag. I really am enjoying the size of NYC. I like how I can seemingly traverse incredible distances without any loading screens. All until you have a boss battle way underground in a box about 10 feet by 20. Kraven is obnoxious and hearing the same four lines of dialogue over and over is saddening. Why do game makers let this kind of stuff pass? Do they realize that this does nothing but make their games seem disposable and unloved? And just as annoying - I can't save the game where I want to. I fought Kraven for 30 minutes, finally beating him, but I could not save because I now have to fight Lizard. Seriously, the saving of games has existed for at least 20 years now - get with the times.

I tried playing The Bigs on medium difficultly and had quite a different experience. Gone are the 15-0 games. The ramped up difficulty I don't mind... for this game. Playing on easy difficulty is a fun option that lets me play through without hours of less fun gameplay. After a play through, if I really like the game, I'll play it on Medium. Quite a good game and well worth a purchase.

Playing Today: Spider-Man 3

Played several games today but all were repeats not worth delving into. The only "new" game I played today was Spider-Man 3. I played this game months ago and have picked it up again because I need a new review and this is all I have. The game took me a minute or two to get reaccustomed to. I forgot the controls and the combos. Nevertheless, with those memories back in place I began to remember why I stopping playing this game: awful camera, jumpy buttons, and horrible voice acting. I guess it is kind of fun playing as Spidey, but not in this game. They stole the sandbox game type from much better games and went completely half-assed on the work. This game is similar to Superman Returns in that you really want to like it because of the characters involved but you want to hate it because of the piss-poor job of the developers. I'd rather have a cell shaded side scroller (like Alien Hominid) than another GTA clone. Still, I'll keep on playing because I have to finish it up for review.

Playing Today: The Bigs, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Another day with The Bigs and plenty more fun. This game is great fun but I'm starting to worry that it will be short lived. If I beat the rookie challenge will it unlock a real season mode with stats? If not, why not?! And, this game really needs some downloadable content. How about a second pinball arena? This is a great game but not perfect.

I picked up Pirates (still on my PSP) again for about 10 minutes. I don't like that I can't just save anywhere, it is kind of annoying. Still, I haven't delved in deep enough to really feel challenged. This game kind of reminds me of 300. Kind of.

Spidey tomorrow? Maybe.

Playing Today: The Bigs, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Another day with The Bigs and plenty more fun. This game is great fun but I'm starting to worry that it will be short lived. If I beat the rookie challenge will it unlock a real season mode with stats? If not, why not?! And, this game really needs some downloadable content. How about a second pinball arena? This is a great game but not perfect.

I picked up Pirates (still on my PSP) again for about 10 minutes. I don't like that I can't just save anywhere, it is kind of annoying. Still, I haven't delved in deep enough to really feel challenged. This game kind of reminds me of 300. Kind of.

Spidey tomorrow? Maybe.

Playing Today: Loco Roco, The Bigs, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

It is about time, right? Two new games played today and one game finished. Finally, Loco Roco is complete and I can still say it is the best game I've played on the PSP. In fact, it is one of the best games I've played ever. This bizarre platform-style game is easy to play and fun to explore. It is reminiscent of Mario Brother but without that silly Bowser guy. Having completed the game I can officially grade it an A.

I picked up The Bigs today and it was a worthwhile purchase. Basically, this is the NFL Blitz version of baseball. Only a few of the big name players are missing and the baseball parks are incredibly well designed. Some of the fielding and base-running is frustrating but maybe I just need to give it more time. And that I will.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End arrived in the mail today for my PSP. This looks a lot like the Pirates game I played on the DS but the controls seem better. The voicework is above average and the actors are hard to differentiate from the real actors. This might wind up being an above average game.

Playing Today: Ratatouille, Cloning Clyde, Loco Roco

This past weekend was pretty quiet for gaming. Nothing new in the mail and I stuck with the regulars: Texas Hold 'Em, Guitar Hero II, Forza Motorsport 2, Alien Hominid HD, Wii Sports, and Loco Roco. I finally finished Guitar Hero II on Medium difficulty and survived some atrocious playing. Free Bird is pretty tough and gets harder as you get further into the game. I can't see playing that much further into the game unless I'm hanging out with a bunch of people. My final grade on Guitar Hero II is a B+.

Ratatouille appeared in the ol' mailbox yesterday. To say that this game is going to be frustrating is an understatement. The graphics are above average (and way better than Shrek the Third) but the control is already problematic. The animations are well made but the rat just doesn't respond as I would have hoped. And the tightrope walking isn't very much fun either. And these are my thoughts just on the first level.

Thanks to the new Play & Win contest I will be playing Cloning Clyde multiplayer for the next two weeks. I've already earned all of the achievements for Clyde so this will be just for the contest. The multiplayer is fun at a very simple level and shouldn't eat up too much of my time.

I smell the end of Loco Roco... any day now. :(