This month's entry is going to be a bit more forcefully punctual than normal, as I simply didn’t allot enough time to perform my normal due diligence. It always takes me hours to write these things up, at least to the point where I'm satisfied with them (I do a lot of proofreading and editing), and I unfortunately didn’t make ample time for writing this week between my busy school schedule and actually playing games. Apologies in advance if this comes off as a bit sloppy (I don’t feel it’s my best writing, that’s for sure), but I'm trying to roll with the punches.

Most of my gaming time in October was spent on short burst, pick-up-and-play games that I could treat as breaks between working. This made things feel pretty choppy, and I didn’t spend more than an hour or two on most of these games. In bullet form are the myriad of games I played in quick bursts, followed by a few more substantial items under the normal headers.

• I played through the stand-alone expansion/sequel to Electronic Super Joy, subtitled Groove City, in one sitting. It took less than an hour, but I had a blast with it. I probably enjoy that game more than I should, but I think it’s a fun, energetic platformer that controls well and provides a rewarding challenge. Also, that soundtrack is something to behold.
• I spent about an hour playing Vib-Ribbon, which I had never played before. It comes off as a bit dated, but I like it’s style, and really dig that soundtrack.
• I finally finished Velocity Ultra, which I had started months ago and only had a few missions left to polish off this month. It didn’t take long, but I’m glad I finished it. It’s a neat game, and I’d like to continue into Velocity 2X someday.
• I tried out Pix the Cat, courtesy of PlayStation Plus, and liked the little I played. I don’t know that it has the legs to hook me in the long run, but it’s a fun, simple arcade game that’s got style, and plays pretty well too.
• I also tried TxK via PlayStation Plus, and found it pretty dull. There’s not a lot going on that’s more interesting than what arcade games did in the 80s, and I don’t think it controls well either. I didn’t spend more than an hour on it, and doubt I will go back.
• I booted up Titanfall for an hour or two to check out the new Frontier Defense mode. The main thing that struck me was just remembering how smooth Titanfall is, and how much fun it is to move around and shoot stuff in that game. Frontier Defense seems like a cool new mode that allows for co-op play, and may even reward different loadouts than the normal PvP. I played with some friends, and we had a lot of fun, and it’s especially neat that each map seems to have different enemy compositions in each wave. I don’t need much of an excuse to go back and enjoy more Titanfall, but from the little I played, Frontier Defense seems like a solid one.
• The exception in this list, and the game I probably spent the most time on during the month, is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. It was my default game for 15-20 minute breaks all month long, which added up. I continue to enjoy that game a lot; there’s so much content, and so many good songs, that it could entertain me for quite a while. I don’t have anything else to add that I didn’t say last month though.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Yes, I’m a sucker and picked up the new Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, despite knowing that the likely superior Wii U version is around the corner. I like Smash, what can I say? And so far, the new one has been good. I’ve unlocked all the characters, and have played a handful of multiplayer matches with friends online, though not much more than that. I don’t particularly care for playing Super Smash Bros. on a handheld, and don’t find the circle pad to meet the requisite tightness for the game. I’ve also had lag issues online; some days are better than others, but once or twice is was borderline unplayable, which is a shame. As for the underlying game itself, it seems good. Based on my limited time with it so far, it feels like things are more balanced than in past games. At least to me there’s no obvious handful of characters that you have to play to be competitive, and most of the roster can hold their own if used well (Ganondorf still seems terrible though). I especially like the feel of the physics, and how it varies between characters. Some are fast and snappy, like in Melee, while other are floatier like in Brawl, and I think the characters’ strengths and weaknesses are more pronounced than before too. Fast and weak vs. slow and strong, ground vs.air, melee vs. projectiles, and so on. There are also a deluge of seemingly minor yet incredibly smart tweaks that help certain characters be more playable. For example, you can now jump out of Yoshi’s shield, and Bowser has “power armor” on his forward smash attack. The large roster runs the gamut, and everyone should be able to find a character that suits their style. I’m still trying to suss out what characters I do or don’t like the most, but I have some leads. I look forward to playing more Super Smash Bros. over the coming months, and plan to report back further after I have had more chances to play (including the Wii U version).

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

I thoroughly enjoyed this short and sweet adventure game, which I played through in its entirety in October. Valiant Hearts: The Great War looks and sounds fantastic, and somehow manages to implement a personable, almost cartoony tone on top of its decidedly dour subject matter, and does it well. It walks a fine line between showing the horrors of war, while also getting us to smile or cheer for the human elements that can triumph in such circumstances. It also has some fun along the way; who knew dodging bullets fired at you in time with classical music could be a jauntily fun activity? That’s not to say there aren’t sad moments, but it’s that slick presentation of its delicate subject matter that I liked most about Valiant Hearts, and I came away from it really appreciating the game’s story and characters. The puzzles themselves are also competent, and I felt they they struck a good balance between being too obvious and too obtuse. I also found it interesting how most of the puzzles were not focused on combat, despite the game taking place during World War I. Some of the most intense moments came from digging tunnels with a spoon, or bandaging up a wounded soldier. Not every puzzle was as strong as the last, but the overall mix was good, and I felt they did a fine job of guiding the game’s narrative flow. It may be a bit short and/or simple, but Valiant Hearts has a lot of heart to it (pun not intended), and I’m all for adventure games of this scope so long as they are executed as well as this. Also: best use of a dog in a game. Calling it.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth

I also managed to plow through one game (on the quick setting of course) of Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth in October… though if I’m being honest, most of that happened yesterday, November 1. Either way, it’s worth talking about my initial impressions now, while reserving the right to update them when I play more. At any rate, Beyond Earth is totally a Civ game, and dutifully exists in the Civilization V framework; Alpha Centauri this is not. The differences from Civ V are mostly cosmetic, and the actual gameplay differences are pretty minor. The one that stood out to me at first was the aliens you encounter. They are much more prominent than barbarians ever were, and battling them in the early game was a big focus for me as I expanded. I kind of enjoyed it though, as it gave me a reason to use those early game units. As the game went on, however, the aliens couldn’t keep up. On top of that, the AI seemed a lot more passive than they’ve ever been in Civ. As such, I did virtually no fighting in the second half of the game, and whenever I did I steamrolled whatever I fought. It should be mentioned that I played on the normal difficulty, and on that setting neither the aliens nor the AI pose a military threat at all. I’ll make sure to bump up the difficulty next time. That said, I kind of like the way units upgrade based on your progress in whichever affinity you align with. It gets rid of the tedium of upgrading each one manually, as well as gives bonuses based on your overall affinity. That affinity system seems pretty neat in general, and the way it works with the tech “web” appears to allow for more flexibility in how you grow your Civ. I’m not sure how many of those deviances make a difference in the long run though. By the end of the game I had way more of every currency and resource than I needed, and more useless buildings available to build than seemed reasonable. All of this might be solved by bumping up the difficulty, but as of now the progression and balance doesn’t feel quite right. I don’t know when it will happen, but I want to play more of Beyond Earth in the future, and will likely update my thoughts when I do.

Looking Ahead to November

Whew, October was a doozy, and things look to be just a busy at least until Thanksgiving. Between now and then I’ll continue to poke away at smaller games during work breaks, with Theatrhythm and/or Super Smash Bros. being the most likely candidates. I may or may not get to another game of Beyond Earth this month, and if possible I’d like to finally play Wolfenstein: The New Order. I just picked it up in a sale, as I’ve heard good things about it; maybe that will be a good Thanksgiving break game. As for November releases, the aforementioned Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. is the hot one, and I’m also really interested in what I’ve seen of Far Cry 4 so far. That one may have to join Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Bayonetta 2 on the sidelines for now, but those are all games I definitely want to check out when I have time.