Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2

I let the computer do some further racing on Forza Motorsport 2. I went and saw a movie. I bought Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. I will play it.

;) Best Post Ever!

Playing Today: Sonic the Hedgehog, Forza Motorsport 2, Bomberman Live

Finally, I have taken down Dr. Robotnik and won the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It only took me a couple games but I've finally mastered this final boss. Sonic hasn't aged perfectly but this game is still fun and challenging. Overall this game rates a B.

I picked up Forza Motorsport 2 and am aiming push forward until I have to send my XBOX back. I won my first race without hiring a drive in quite some time. I dropped all the way down to 8th place thanks to some crashing but still made my way back up.

Playing This Weekend: Alien Hominid HD, Forza Motorsport 2, Dead Rising, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Sonic the Hedgehog, Command & Conquer 3

Alien Hominid doesn't just have a great single player mode it has some excellent mini games. Somehow I have become obsessed with playing Super Soviet Missile Mastar. The achievement for this mini game is designed to be incredibly hard despite the mini game's utter simplicity. I'm merely 14km away from 5000km and I just can't seem to get it. How can such a simple game be so... insanely addictive?

I plugged away at Dead Rising, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Forza Motorsport 2, and Bomberman Live. Nothing new to report except that these games are still incredibly good.

I tried out Command & Conquer 3. It reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II - probably because both games are made by EA. I bet if I really wanted to invest the time into this game I'd enjoy it as much as I enjoyed LOTR. Too bad I see other games on my horizon and I just don't have 40 hours to re-invest for a RTS.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2, Wii Sports, 300

I keep forgetting to mention that I've been playing Wii Sports almost every day. Specifically, Wii Bowling has been on my daily dose. This is by far the best game available on the Wii and releasing it for free is one of the smartest thing that Nintendo has ever done. Nintendo knows how to build a brand from the ground up and by including a new product for free (Tetris, Mario, Duck Hunt), players a more likely to buy future iterations. Bowling is a perfect simulation and incredibly fun at the same time.

I played several hours worth of 300 and can see the end of the story on the horizon. The story is still great and the absurd decapitations of naked whores and midgets is so over the top, it is plain silly. Its as if the makers saw God of War and decided to blow the roof off.

Forza. Still great.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2, Guitar Hero II, 300, Prince of Persia Classic

Prince of Persia Classic made its way to XBLA this morning. I spent about five minutes with the demo and it was quite the classic. The control is really screwy (like the original) and might turn a lot of younger gamers off. The CGI cut scene at the beginning was a cool touch and the lack of voiceover is understandable. I might need to give this a more thorough look-see.

I turned my PSP back on and spent some time on 300 again. This game is not made for the casual gamer and the bosses get really hard near the halfway point. Some of your deaths are downright frustrating, a vibe that some gamers enjoy. However, if I can't get past this point soon, I'm just going to hang it up and spend my time with something else.

I'm still working on perfecting Possum Kingdom on Guitar Hero II. A day or two more and I should have what I want. I played Jessica for the first time and its tough, but not impossible. I think that I just need to learn the tune.

Yes, more Forza.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2, Ninety Nine Nights, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno

Ninety Nine Nights came in the mail today and I was completely sucked in. It is an okay distraction but nowhere near as good as the initial hype might have you believe. No wonder Microsoft was unable to gain traction in Japan with games like this. Instead of an original story or gameplay, you pretty much got more of the same. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it?

I also played my first game of Uno with the Kameo deck. I can see why Uno fans might enjoy playing with this deck and as premium content, it probably keeps the camera pervs away. I wouldn't pay for the deck but it was a worthwhile distraction.

Forza & Pac-Man demo continue to entertain.

Playing This Weekend: Forza Motorsport 2, Loco Roco, Shadow of the Colossus, Pac-Man Championship Edition

Not a lot of time for gaming this weekend, sorry. I played mostly Forza Motorsport 2. The game continues to entertain and suck away hours that should be better spent. Oh well. Same deal with Loco Roco. I've reached level three and the difficulty doesn't seem to have changed and the similarities to Super Mario continue to grow. This game is easily one of the most innovative 2D Platformers ever.

I spent about twenty minutes with Shadow of the Colossus. The into movie is really long and quiet, which is strange for a video game. Its almost as if they didn't make this game for 13 year olds. I haven't found a colossi, so giving a review just yet wouldn't be very fair.

And Pac-Man Championship Demo is still quite fun. Who knows, maybe I will buy it.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2, Guitar Hero II, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Loco Roco

Nothing new played today, although I wrapped up one game (hopefully) forever. The majority of my play time was with Fuzion Frenzy 2. After several hours of play, I have all of the achievements and I don't think I'll ever play it again. The game isn't extremely difficult and can be fun in groups, but playing alone or online is frustrating. As many other reviewers have said, the card system is completely screwed up and should be optional. If I want last second cards to completely screw me over, that should be my choice. Fuzion Frenzy 2 is likely the last game in this series (please!) and will disappear into history as an awful follow-up to a mediocre game. Fuzion Frenzy gets a D+.

My time spent with Forza Motorsport was a lot of experimentation with hiring drivers and tooling around in the Auction House. Now with Fuzion Frenzy done, I expect to spend more time racing around and leveling up.

Guitar Hero II continues to give me a case of tendinitis. I tried out the Lefty Flip and decided... I'm very much right handed (at least when playing a plastic guitar). I've mastered Possum Kingdom on Medium and I have no idea how much time Expert players have invested in this game. I'd rather play Open Season than listen to Cheap Trick hundreds of times.

And, finally, more Loco Roco before I went to bed.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2, Guitar Hero II, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Loco Roco, Grandia II, Pac-Man Championship Edition

A whole bunch of sequels have been in rotation this week. I finished up some achievements in Fuzion Frenzy 2 and I have one more left to go. This game is still absolutely redonkulous to play but once you've figured out some of the mini-games, the computer is pretty easy to beat. Soon enough I'll never have to play it again.

More time spent with Forza Motorsport 2. The graphics continue to amaze and staying on the track continues to frustrate. I was able to win a race with all of the assists of and while driving manual. Doing so took multiple tries but is fulfilling in the long run. Also, figuring out that you can hire a driver to win for you is a nice little bend-of-the-rules.

After a few days off, I picked up the axe and returned to Guitar Hero II. Possum Kingdom is like second nature now and I wasn't very far away from my first 100k performance. Too bad when I tried hard & expert I was annihilated. For now I'll stick with Easy & Medium.

I bought Grandia II used for the PlayStation 2. I loved this game on the Dreamcast but memories and video games tend to warp drastically. The dialogue is still corny and silly, but for some reason I remember the music being much better. Who knows if I will ever pick this game up again.

Loco Roco is still awesome and the new Pac-Man was better than expected. Although, I doubt I'll end up buying it.

Playing Today: Forza Motorsport 2

I've been hella busy moving into my new house. Fortunately I've had tons of games to keep me preoccupied while my cats carry in all of the furniture. While I've played Fuzion Frenzy 2, Guitar Hero II, Lumines II, Loco Roco, and Mad Tracks, Forza Motorsport is what has eaten up most of my time.

Forza is a stunning game. The cars are pretty, the menu interface is pristine, and the gameplay is near perfection. Even guys who don't like racing sims should give it a shot. The learning curve is not that bad and I enjoy this game a bit more than Project Gotham 3. I haven't played online yet and I'm sure it kicks ass too.