Games I played last week 6/22-6/29

I want to start posting a short weekly blog just noting down some thoughts on games I played the last week. Sometimes, I don't play new games every week, so some games may get repeated. However, I should have something new to say about them, even if it is just where I'm at in the game. :)

Also, I keep track of all games I complete on HowLongToBeat. However, I think the lists here at Giant Bomb look nicer and are easier to read through. Therefore, I'm going to keep adding to this list as I complete games.

Just for clarity, by "complete," I mean that I finish the main narrative or single-player campaign. I likely won't put games here that don't have a campaign, i.e. racing games.

My Week in Gaming 6/22-6/29

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

My wife still plays Animal Crossing almost daily. I have almost completely dropped it. I probably would never play it again, except my wife keeps our town up so well that I still feel the desire to check in every couple weeks or so. When I do jump in, though, I tend to just dig up a few fossils, buy an item or two, and quit fifteen minutes later. I still haven't been to the island. I had fun for at least a couple months, and that is fine with me. :)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I haven't played a single-player campaign in any Battlefield game. However, I can definitely say Bad Company 2 is my favorite Battlefield game just comparing multiplayer. I enjoy the smaller levels and the slightly slower pace. I also love being a dedicated medic. Battlefield 3 left such a bad taste in my mouth that I have no interest in 4. I played the Hardline beta and liked it, but I still like Bad Company 2 more.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

I have to admit that I was pretty much done with this game as soon as I got to the dark world. I know that's not even halfway through the game, but that's just how I feel. I really like the concept of Zelda games, but I just get tired of them partway through. I will finish Link to the Past, but I am completing a dungeon every two to three weeks, so it may be a while.

I played and completed the Swamp Palace last week. I got really annoyed repeating the dungeon several times over again, because I had no fairies and would die at the boss and have to run through the dungeon all over to get back to the boss. I should have played a ROM of this game on my PC for the save states... Also, I have thought about buying a Wii U just to transfer my Link to the Past save over and play the game on the gamepad. :P

Pushmo

I really love this game, but I feel it is a bit too long. I get into stretches where I play it every day, but I then get tired of it for a while. I have two more sets of levels left. I really want to complete it so I can take a break and then try out Crashmo. I'm a big fan of puzzle games like this series, which leads me to...

Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake

This is a newly released game that I supported on Kickstarter. The Steam version comes out 7/1, but the iPad version is great. It is a fun puzzle game with a lot of charm. I highly recommend checking it out if you're a puzzle fan. I'd try to explain what the game is about, but just check out a trailer to see for yourself! ...And I'm pretty sure it's impossible to beat Powder Peaks 2-5 in 25 seconds... ;)

Transistor

My first instinct was to say, "I'm disappointed in Transistor," but I really don't want to say that. The art is absolutely beautiful. As a Klimt fan, I adore so much of the art in Transistor. I'm not sure how the story will end up, but I'm enjoying the mystery and discovering the story through the relationships and dialogue. I just really don't like the gameplay... I feel like I'm slogging through the battles and not having any fun with that part of the game. Also, I hate how easy it is to select something in the environment and be pushed along to the next area, even if I haven't looked at everything else. I'd appreciate more clear communication as to what is going to cause me to permanently leave an area. I will finish this game, and I really hope I like the ending! P.S. I wish this was on Mac, so I could play it on my Macbook this weekend while I'm at my in-laws... I guess I will just install a Windows partition on my Macbook. I've been thinking of doing that anyway...

Crysis: Warhead

I really liked the change of pace in Warhead, compared to the original Crysis. Warhead is definitely more directed and linear, but I like how often the levels change with many different types of settings and gameplay. I wish it had some scenes from the original game show exactly where Warhead falls in the timeline. I got what I wanted to know from Wikis online, but it was still a little hard to piece together. Also, the cutscenes in Warhead were so awkward. They went on for way too long and got really boring on several occasions. I honestly think it's the first time I felt that way when watching a cutscene in a story-based game. I'm looking forward to playing Crysis 2, though I probably won't get to it until later this fall.

I really like the concept of Zelda games, but I just get tired of them partway through.

Really? That feels so alien to me, Zelda games tend top fly by for me. Just curious do your what it is about those games that eventually lose you?

For me ,probably due to the completionist way I play games, I tend to be grossly overpowered most of the time in Zelda (well as overpowered as you can be with found heart containers) so I usually breeze through it.

@slag: Honestly, I think a lot of it is just that I grew up on PC games, especially CRPG's. So, games like Zelda are fun, but there are parts that really bother me. For example, not having save states in the dungeons. ...I'd even prefer more skills that could level up so overworld enemies weren't such a pain constantly through the entire game. I get tired of dealing with them by the time I am on my way to the third dungeon.

I just find so much of the games tedious after a while. For example, I did not enjoy running the same dungeon over and over again just because there were no fairies (that I found) in the Swamp Palace, and I kept dying at the final dungeon boss and had to go back to the very beginning of the dungeon. I feel like there is so much trial and error as well as some luck.

And I'll be honest, I may just not be great at these games. I definitely don't have a ton of patience with many of the boss fights, and I get frustrated if I can't beat them on the second try.

It took me about two years to complete Wind Waker. I put it down for months at a time, as I just got tired of traveling to the dungeons and going through what I considered a lot of tedium in the dungeons.

Short answer: Zelda games are probably just not a perfect match for my gaming preferences. :D :D :D

You should really play the single player in Bad Company 2. It has some of the trappings of a modern-military FPS campaign, but the characters are great. Has a real sense of style.

@sunbrozak: Thanks for the comment! I do plan on playing the single-player campaign, but I'd like to play the first Bad Company, first. I just haven't gotten around to it, yet. :)

Thanks for the response man, that makes total sense to me now that you've explained it!

I'm in the exact opposite boat, Nintendo systems is what I had growing up , Zelda games are very easy for me (not intended as a brag just as contrast to your feelins, fwiw I am absolute garbage at FPS games and really anything using WASD controls) and I don't mind it one bit if it takes me a dozen tries or more to beat a boss as long as I don't have backtrack hours to get there.

btw sorry if I missed some of your blogs. Notifications seem near totally busted around here.

@slag: Dude, no need to apologize. I know what it's like to be busy. I don't get enough time to read all I want. Part of me doing this blog is to finally try and get more involved in the community, but I have stretches of days where I don't get a chance to get on the site.

P.S. One reason I'm afraid to play the Souls games, is because I'm afraid I won't have the patience to keep retrying an area. I want to give it a go, though. :)