Backlog battle - Episode 10 - House Move
By kalmis 2 Comments
We just recently moved house. From one bedroom flat to a two bedroom flat. Thanks to the fuckup with my ISP on this move I was without internet for few weeks. Virgin Media lost a customer and they didn't even notice. Morons. Was able to get online with neighbours Wifi and 3G.
The biggest change in the new flat is of course the extra room. Meaning I get to have my retro room. Or a study as she calls it. It still needs some work, but I'll get to finally use/display all my retro consoles. Also will be getting rid of some of these since I got better overview which I have/use/want. NES was first to go. Always been a Sega man. Anyway, enough rambling. On with the recent games I've played. Good share of indie games again.
Final Fantasy V
Right, back on track with this. Playing through the GBA version. They've expanded the job system significantly from the 4th game which adds even more depth. Got to the second world just few hours back. Been doing some grinding so the clock says that I've got 20h spend on this. Need to finish this before I can start anything new.
Metro 2033
Managed to finish this during one weekend. At one point had to put the difficulty down to easy which might have made this shorter. Hate when I have to put the difficulty to easy, but there were couple of really frustrating parts. The air filter and ammunition gathering part makes the game really interesting. I didn't have lot's of trouble with these, but few times almost got screwed being stuck on outside level and no air filter. Can see how this could get annoying or even become a show-stopper. Or maybe they've hidden enough of filters just to get by, which is kind of what I experienced. Playing most of the game through the gas mask really sets a mood perfectly. Also having the voices in the original language makes this stand out from the average FPS's. I checked Dave's review after finishing the game and must say I agree with the complaints he had with this. The weapons really could have used more kick. As mentioned I didn't have problem with ammo, other than since it was used as currency as well I never had any money (to spare). Still a nice idea and further conveys the apocalyptic world. Had enough shotgun shells for most of time but strangely this was not the strongest weapon. Although didn't realize this before I got the sub-machine gun with a silencer near near end of the game. It killed the Librarians with few headshots. Also must have done something wrong since I did not manage to do a single stealth kill. This is not a perfect game, but still better than the average shooter of the day. Also after more though there is actually something funny going on with story as well. The end when there is a suddenly something that can save everything. At least the final descent is epic. Shame that the end battle not and it doesn't make sense. It was never fully explained what was the deal with those dreams. Got some similar vibes to the last chapter of Ender's Game, which I just recently (for the first time) finished.
Red Dead Redemption
Having not played RDR through with Xbox yet decided to go back for this great game. And get those achievements of course. For some reason I bought this for PS3 when it came out. Wanted to do some multiplayer gaming back then I suppose. Things have changed since that and I've got years Xbox live subscribtion now. And also brother is on XBLA so there is no question which is my main console. I must admit i experienced more bugs on the Xbox version, even though the game has been patched multiple times since that. Need to also admit that I am really enjoying the ambient challenges, again. The two new additional outfits are somewhat challenging. Anyway Red Dead Redemption is very good game. The story doesn't move me anymore but the sheer world and hunting/goofing around is amazing.
RDR Undead Nightmares
Got this from a sale while back and blasted through it in few days. It is good value for the money, but I didn't really like it. Zombies are cheap fun and the ammunition collection is bit of an bore. Interestingly played throught both of these such so that I could do some more of the ambient quests, but have not touched either since finishing them.
Bad Company 2
Few first games after almost two months break were brutal. Will be probably playing this on/off until BF3 is out.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Wanted to start this for a long time but I know how good the co-op is so waited for my brother to join. In the end I ended up gifting MS points for him so that we can play together. And damn, this is really awesome. Especially on co-op. The puzzles are brilliantly done always requiring some coopering and planning. Awesome stuff. We should be done with this soon. Let's see if he is into playing it through on hard or getting more cheevos.
Galcon Fusion
Some game from earlier Steam Indie bundle. The Steam Summer Sale made me install it and get the achievement. Before writing it off and never playing it again I thought I used bit more time on this. Purpose of the game is to conquer various number of planets. This is done by directing your troops/ships from one planet to another. Number of troops regenerate based on the planet size. The larger the planet the faster the regeneration is. Troops are moved by dragging lines between planets. And that's the game in nutshell, or at least 90% of it. There are multiple modes which all follow the same formula where troops are moved between the planets. Up to six? players can be play these modes online as well. As with most indie multiplayer games there isn't so much people playing outside campaigns/sales. I wouldn't necessary say that this is a shame because I don't think that Galcon Fusion is very good game. Gameplay is very simple, even too simple. There are more complex Flash games out there than this. If you want to play good/competetive/challenging indie multiplayer try Altitude.
Nimbus
Another game from Steam Summer Sale bonanza. Got "the" achievement for this as well but wanted to use more time on this as well. Well, play the game to completion that is. Nimbus works perfectly with Xbox 360 controller which made this so much better. This game is really hard to categorize since the gameplay is pretty unique. Only game that I can think to compare this with would be the excellent GripShift, a game which not many have played. Unfortunately. Both of these games can be called well puzzle racer games. Which is a strange combination to begin with. GripShift is of course 3D and has got even more things going (platforming to mention one). Nimbus is perfectly example of indie game with the unique idea. Game is split into 50+ levels where goal is simple to navigate the ship player is controlling to a goal. Gravity plays big role here since the ship doesn't actually have a trust. Difficulty growing little by little where the first level are simple vertical levels where player just need to navigate downwards. Different kind of pads and keys are required to be unlocked to progress within later levels. Gravity starts to player bigger role about half way through the game when player needs to turn this around. Couple of tad frustrating levels but all and all I enjoyed this a lot. Only complaint here I would have is the boss fight in the end which seemed absolutely pointless.
Knytt Stories - Within a Deep Forest
Beeing from a Nordic country moving house involves usually trip or two to Ikea. For many (nordic ppl) Ikea is more of an institution, not just furniture outlet. They are known for their cheap, stylish and functional furniture, but also promoting the Nordic design and food culture. These two game are from a Swedish indie developer and might as well be promoted by Ikea. And not necessary in good sense, such as with Ikea. These just don't last. Also if you have to visit there often, such as I had to when refurbishing our previous flat and getting kitchen from them. You will notice that while the design is nice and Nordic looking it is mostly the same. Same as with these two games. The levels across these two games and stories are very alike. Within a Deep Forest the latter game of these two is clearly to more polished, also less fun. Comparing to Knytt Stories which is platformer here you are controlling a ball through the platform environment. Except for the awesome Wizball I can not ever remember playing a ball and though it was fun. OK maybe in some puzzle games, but generally the bouncing is too random and just not fun. Both of these are freeware and as with my realization about Ikea. It is sometimes better to opt-in for the more expensive model. Thinking of something very difficult and retro looking from last years top 10. Yeah I know it is not fair to compare these, but still I'd rather play SMB than these two again.
Another observation about Ikea. They have stopped to sell the Swedish beer's there. Yeah I know the Swedish beer isn't really best you can get. Pripps. Mentioning this because wife is more leniant for me buying beer from Ikea than Tesco.
Random Youtube song of the week/month/blog is more Rush. Yes, Rush again. Been listening to them pretty much night and day for several weeks now. Within last week I've bought 4 Rush albums and one their t-shirts. This is the first (of two) concept songs from their third album Caress of Steel. Just listen to tha ending the amazing guitar riff about half way through.
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