Well, I chronicled my significant GAMING VENTURES throughout the last year, so... since that was such an exciting idea, why not do it this year too?
Alright! I'm the only person currently present, and I hear no objections, so here we go!
Also, can totally add line breaks in the new site. Hot damn!
[DECEMBER 2012 - JANUARY]
Starting off with some more spill-over from last year, ya-yuh! I got pretty close to the end in late December, but there were sidequests for miles, and that kinda slowed me down! But, I finally took the final step into the last battle and tied this sucker up! Man, that final sequence was... completely contrived. Also, completely amazing.
[LATE DECEMBER 2012 - JANUARY]
I guess technically this is from last year too, but it was a Christmas present, so not by much. Anyway, this game is really something special. It has a grand, epic scale, orchestral music abounds, yet it doesn't take itself too seriously. In fact, it's largely laughing at itself. But it loves what it is. I feel like a lot of passion went into this project, and the end result is a game bursting with hella heart, and good times. I'm just sorry I didn't try to get at this sooner... would've been GOTY material, for sure!!
[NOVEMBER 2012 - JANUARY]
I actually kept forgetting to jot this one down. Since my 3DS is still too shiny and new for me to feel comfortable lugging it around in my pocket, my old DS remains my COMMUTE DEVICE. And Kirby was the game in it these past couple'a months. I liked it, even if it didn't ignite a particular PASSION within me. It's just simple fun. And that ain't a bad thing.
[JANUARY - FEBRUARY (incomplete)]
And then there was this! It's kind of a shame, particularly since (or perhaps BECAUSE) it's a series I adore... but this game's a bit of a bummer. It definitely doesn't live up to its name. There's a lot of delightful content herein, like fun visuals, great music, entertaining dialogue... but then, actually playing this game is an exercise in tedium. They made some bad decisions in the gameplay department (mostly the battle system), and it BUMS ME OUT that I can't get past it. Still, I got through quite a bit of it, but I took so long that I'm now FORCED to set it aside for Fire Emblem. I'll try to pick it up again later.
[FEBRUARY - MARCH]
Guys, this game is pretty much the best thing ever. Fire Emblem at its finest, as far as I'm concerned. I appreciated all the new additions and tweaks, and that Hard Mode was, in fact, legitimately hard. I'm already itching for another playthrough...
[FEBRUARY - APRIL]
This was a bad idea.
[FEBRUARY]
Alright, already! I did it! It's done!
Sure was purdy.
[MARCH - MAY] (and on, and on...)
While the plot continues to take about every dumb turn it can (and not even in the "good" sense), the actual game of this game keeps getting better. I appreciate nearly all of the balance changes they've made, and the new units have been fun additions. And the mission design of the campaign, if nothing else, is done incredibly well. This is fun stuff! Even after finishing the Campaign, I found myself compelled to get all achievements. Which normally I don't give a crap about, but they were fun to go after. And of course, I've been playing at least some multiplayer every weekend...
[MARCH]
I just can't turn down a fighting game. Especially one that can just sit on my hard drive for INSTANT WHIMSICAL ACCESS. I actually never played Darkstalkers before, but I find myself pleasantly surprised with how much I like it. I like the feel of the action. And it definitely has a cast of characters unlike every other fighting game, which is a fun change of pace. I honestly probably won't play a lot of this, but I'm on board for that new game everyone's pining for.
[MARCH - JUNE]
Continuing the grand tradition of Etrian Odysseys getting incrementally better with each title. They've found ways to streamline the gameplay in smart ways, without it feeling like they just dumbed it down. They kept with the formula, for sure, but played with it in interesting ways that I appreciated. Took me a lot longer than it should've, but I finally finished it! Now, for more difficult matter of the post-game...
[APRIL]
I came for a hokey superhero tale fraught with dimensional shenanigans, and I did not leave disappointed. I only wish it had been a bit longer -- I feel like it didn't come close to the length of MK's story, not that I know for certain. Ah well. More importantly, it's a fun game with solid fighting. I continue to have a big long list of games I want to play (and replay), so I'm not sure how long I'll stick with this, but I want to dig into the STARS mode, and... maaaaybe dip into the online if I'm feeling spunky.
[MAY]
Two reasons: I really felt like playing it again, and my little sisters had never seen it. So, I dug out my cartridge, and whenever we all had a moment, I gave 'em a tour! This is one of, if not my absolute favorite, of the Final Fantasy games. I could go on and on about the things I think it does right, but I also attributed a lot of this love to nostalgia and its rose-tinted glasses.
So, I was surprised that my sisters, who were both born after this game's release and had never so much as laid eyes upon it, absolutely loved watching the playthrough of it. It was a good affirmation that the story it tells still holds up, and its charm remains in full effect.
GAME'S STILL TOTALLY RAD, YOU GUYS!!
[MAY]
I had a two-day weekend thanks to Memorial Day, so I did the only natural thing to do with my time and marathoned Bioshock in like two sittings. Which was fun in itself, because I hadn't done anything like that in a long while. But I digress.
I don't think anyone needs to hear me say this, but this game is pretty much all the way awesome. You don't often see a fictional world as well-realized as the one in this game. Consistent and believable, despite also being over-the-top and fantastic. Feels like every detail was scrutinized or gone over with a fine-ass comb. And then there's the story itself, of which keeps itself intriguing the whole way through, and manages to have a satisfying conclusion. Nothing about the game overstays its welcome. In fact, it left me wanting more. But that's not a bad thing.
[MAY - JULY]
Okay, so I gave in and decided to give this game a second playthrough, partly because my sisters wanted to see it, and partly because I was curious to see how it holds up after a reassessment.
My conclusion: it's still kinda iffy. There are things I definitely appreciate about the game, but there are so many missteps that make the act of playing it a tedious affair.
Almost all my gripes about the game, however, would be cured or diminished if the overall length of the game were cut down. I came to the realization that this would be an AMAZING game if only it were more concise. Instead, nearly every asset overstays its welcome, and it really brings the experience down.
Grumble, grumble. I'm still glad I gave it another go. Now that I'm up to speed again, I'll try and take the fight to XII-2.
[MAY - (on hold)]
why didn't I play this game sooner
[MAY - PRESENT - AND PROBABLY FOREVER]
Guys I just found the best thing IN THE UNIVERSE.
[JUNE]
Hell, it's about time I played this. And SPOILERS ALERT: it was pretty damn rad! Batman's my favorite comic hero (controversial, I know), and it's fun to play a game that does him justice. So glad this exists, and I'm glad I finally played it!
Also, I got all the Riddler Trophies. Yayuh!
IT'S WORTH MENTIONING THAT I'M STILL PLAYING TERRARIA
SUPERKENON'S 2011 GAME OF THE YEAR
[JUNE - okay let's be realistic here]
And here I am, diving again into the world of Animal Crossing, and finding myself in love with it once again. And I still don't know why. It's a game of relaxing, good-feels. Helps that my sisters are playing it too, so it's another fun thing we can talk about. Or mess with each other's towns.
[JUNE]
Alright. So my brother and I decided we're going to take a tour of the series. To date, I've only played through MGS1, and only peripherally know what's going on past that. My brother's barely had any exposure to the series at all. I've been looking for an excuse to play the rest, and he was similarly curious. So we made a mission out of it.
The descent has begun.
[JUNE - JULY]
We took the next step. It got weird.
But amazing.
[JULY]
I've actually had this game for awhile. Probably got it when it was still pretty new, but for one reason or another I never finished it. I think because I was holding out to co-op it with someone, but it never happened. Ah well. I randomly decided to break it out again this month, started a new file, and quickly completed it. A short game, all in all, but it was some good fun. The game does a pretty good job mixing it up, even if a couple of "boss" procedures got repeated perhaps too often. The biggest knock I have against the game is that the balance doesn't seem to change for solo play, so you're stuck trying to manage a two-players-worth of jobs often. Certain parts got real tedious and exhausting... though, in a way, even that was fun. I 'unno.
This game's cool. Overlooked, I'd say. I think I'll check out Trauma Team at some point.
Also, hot anime nonsense.
[JULY - OCTOBER]
Well, that took awhile. Kept distracting myself with a bunch of other games, chiefly old Zelda games and Tales of Xillia. It probably wasn't until September that I really got serious about this'un.
Anyway! I enjoyed it immensely. It's a healthy 50 hour adventure, and it felt brimming with substance all the while. Just about anything sounds like a spoiler, so I'll just say I plan on playing it again.
[JULY]
I'll admit. I never played the Oracle games. They came out in this sweet spot where I wasn't buying many games, and especially not handheld ones. By the time I wanted to get at them, they were hard to find. That's why I was happy to see Nintendo put the Oracles up on the eShop. Time to see what I was missing!
As it turns out, I was missing a really fun, solid, top-down Zelda. I'd call it a must-play for anyone who loved Link to the Past or especially Link's Awakening. It's uncharacteristic for me to just focus on one game and gobble it down, but I finished this one in a hurry. Just couldn't stop playing it.
Lucky for me, I've still got another whole game.
[JULY - PRESENT]
And here we go, more hesitantly.
It's now late October, and I still haven't finished it. This game really tries hard to make me hate it, but I still want to get through it. Maybe.
Maybe?
[JULY - AUGUST]
Yeah. This was great, you guys.
[AUGUST]
Oh yeah, I played through this again.
Still rad.
[JULY - SEPTEMBER]
And lo', late in the month of July, I embarked upon the next. Then got severely distracted by Xillia and didn't finish until early September. See above: I like what's here.
[AUGUST]
Done and dusted! Tales just might be the JRPG equivalent of junk food, but I love it unconditionally. This one was another fun romp with enjoyable characters (perhaps one of the better Tales casts of recent memory, at that), and I'm quite happy with it.
[SEPTEMBER - PRESENT] (off and on)
Fresh offa Xillia, I was still itching for Tales. So I finally snapped and ordered the PS3 version. My Japanese is pretty rough, but I'm making do so far. Since I never had a 360, this game eluded me. It's a damn good one, so I'm happy to finally play it. Still, I'm taking my time with it. If I keep distracting myself with glorious Tales, I'll never get through SMTIV...!
[SEPTEMBER - PRESENT] (off and on)
Another 'off and on' game. Need to just sit down and plow through it, but... haven't yet. Hey, it's cool.
(kinda started in september)
Well, technically I started this, though I have no intention of really getting into it until I've cleared like the million of other things on my plate first. Also SR4.
[OCTOBER - NOVEMBER]
Pokemon X! Here I am, playing another Pokemon game for like the third year in a row... oh well.
It made the jump to 3D a lot better than I imagined it would. The models and animations all look incredibly nice, and once again it's mind-boggling to consider that they've prepared assets for EVERY SINGLE pokemon... again, again. I appreciate their new efforts to eliminate the 'grindier' aspects of these games, opting instead to just keep you movin'.
I think I liked Black more overall, but this one was totes a fine ride.
TERRARIA THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
[OCTOBER]
Got it, done it. I'll always have an itch for the gameplay this series provides, but man, I hope this game isn't an indication of the direction they're heading. It's a half-game, and it doesn't try very hard to hide it. I know a lot of it has to do with Nippon Ichi's budget these days, but it's nonetheless unfortunate.
I enjoyed it anyway. Like I said, the formula's good, so I'll always be down for more Disgaea.
Even if the "story" surrounding it is only getting dumber.
[OCTOBER]
Yeah, I wasted no time in picking this up. And then completing it. I'm very pleased with how this one came out. Much like Pokemon, I was worried about the transition to polygonal graphics, especially in this case as I loved the old sprites so much, but they turned out amazingly. Happy to say, Ace Attorney is still as good as ever!
Hope its sales go well, because I definitely want them making more like this.
What, there's DLC cases?!
[OCTOBER - DECEMBER]
This one took us a bit longer on account of our schedules, but we stuck to it and finished the fight!
Man, you guys. Man. What the hell did we even play. Does consuming this much Metal Gear in half a year have any negative effects on one's body? 'Cause I think I'm feeling it.
I'd do it again though.
Been playing a lot of this again, by the way. The then-impending Persona announcements stirred something within me, and I got back into it deep... and decided it's actually my favorite fighting game now.
I'm so on board for the next one.
[NOVEMBER - DECEMBER]
It's an unassuming little package, but these damn games boast some of the best gameplay-design around. A long, content-ridden adventure with absolutely zero bullshit/filler -- this game wastes your time never, and lets you do everything at a blinding pace. And it's great at everything it does, from combat, to crafting/farming, to goofy social interactions.
Yup. I'm gushing. This game deserves it.
The credits rolled for me at about 60 hours in, but there's still plenty to do.
[NOVEMBER - DECEMBER]
Speaking of gushing... holy shit, this game. I want to hug this forever and ne'er let go.
It was short but sweet, and I think I now know what love is, you guys!
[NOVEMBER - DECEMBER]
A bit late on this one, sure, and I'm happy to have finally played through it. What a dang gorgeous game. Was with a friend for the whole adventure, and had hella fun, and then it was off to the DLC...!
I appreciate this game's sandboxy approach to puzzles. There's no one answer to every problem, leaving you free to solve every hurdle with any combination of the characters you want (at least, as far as we've seen). The goofy physics have led us to some highly-questionable/probably-breaking-the-game solutions as well, but those are their own kind of fun.
