I am pleased as punch (see what I'm doing here) to announce that as part of Getting Back to the PG my first complimentary game played to the point of satiety (Good LORD, you expect me to finish all these PS+/Games w/Gold titles? Please) and therefore has been deleted from my PS3 hard drive is KickBeat! (Applause)

Far as I could tell, KickBeat combines the far-eastern fighting game aesthetic with the old-tyme rhythm game, with Guitar Hero-like art design and animation to boot. I slogged through the tutorial and tried to do the first song but in three attempts couldn't go the full length without failing so I blurted out "FUCK THIS" and deleted the game. Now on to the next victim...

Edit: The next PS+ game I picked off of my PS3 hard drive was a little ditty called Kung Fu Rabbit, which continues this martial artsy motif with a cutesy little puzzle-platformer. So far it's enough to hold my attention, so I won't make a whole other blog post just for that.

So the GOYC marches on and I decided to add a more specific wrinkle. This wrinkle I have dubbed BACK TO THE PG, and in this case, PG stands for PLUS/GOLD. That is, I decided to pay particular emphasis on the multitude of games that litter all four of my consoles' hard drives after being made available free of (additional) charge by their respective online services.

To start, I decided to dust off the PS3 and go for Spec Ops: The Line, a game whose story I was wanting to experience for some time. Unfortunately, in order to play this game I have had to endure an update to the system and right now, thanks to reacting to the expiration of Toy Story 3, I'm waiting for the console's PS Store to update. Oh you, Sony.

So yeah, that's the plan going into E3. Really doing my best here to watch just everyone else board all the hype trains while remaining steadfastly on the platform, as it were.

I hope this isn't too out of place, being only tangentially related to video games, but I'm willing to bet that there are enough people who, like Mr. Drew Scanlon, appreciate history that this would be of some interest.

Almost exactly 50 years prior to my mother finding this program, she and her father were in Boston where they walked the Freedom Trail which Bethesda incorporated into Fallout 4. (Side note, it must have been bone-chillingly freezing that day.) I thought it would be cool to share the scans I took of this to show how that part of history was portrayed in the mid-1960s. The resemblance the Fallout version bears to what actually existed back then is uncanny. I especially liked the fact the city map still included Scollay Square, which was razed and built over soon thereafter. From what my father said, it was very much deserving of such treatment. I guess it makes sense, given that circa 1965 is close enough to the point at which the Fallout timeline diverged from our own that it would look a lot like this.

So yeah, hopefully someone in Bombland might appreciate this. Click on the image to view in greater detail. Enjoy!

Sorry for the delay, I finished Part 1 and, having looked at the clock, realized I needed to get off my ass in order that I may wash up, get dressed, and meet some co-workers for an evening of Cards Against Humanity with special guest Jack and Coke Zero. Hilarity ensued, and I sobered up enough to drive across town to work, which is where I'm finishing this special diptych.

So yeah, the GOY Challenge...it's something I came up with in lieu of doing another "year of shame" challenge, at which I sucked big-time the past two years. In 2014 I got complacent, while last year Bethesda's leviathan surfaced to make Fallout 4 known to the world, ergo my commitment to not buying games went out the window.

Going into this year I realized that while I can hold my own in the "not buying games" department, there's a second aspect to these challenges at which I have done a piss-poor job: reducing one's pile of unplayed games, be they physical or digital. In fact, in 2014 I found that not only was I not tearing into my pile, I was wasting the money I saved from not buying games on movies, music and other non-game frivolities.

So the plan was for this year not to take a hard stance against purchases (though I'm still not gung ho about going crazy with game-buying) in exchange for a greater commitment to playing out the games I have accumulated.

So games...after AC:B I thought I'd slog a bit more through LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean and might have popped an achievement or two before realizing I had no clue how to do all the things in full play mode, or however it's called.

Next I fired up Fallout 4 for the Xbox after playing it a TON on the PS4, having gotten all the trophy-based endings and a bunch of other trophies along the way...not to mention the 12 foot-high KISS logo I made with lightboxes. Don't laugh, it motivated me enough to keep advancing the game, if just to accumulate enough caps and scraps to generate enough copper for all those electronic parts. And don't get me started on the power generator daisy-chain sitting behind the makeshift stage.

And suddenly, as if on a whim, I switched gears after a fit of Gamestop retail therapy, where I bought a bunch of the yellow-bindle 360/PS3 games on the cheap, as well as Wolfenstein The New Order for the Xbox used for $15. This was another one I played a bunch on the PS4 a while back, so a lot of the gameplay was incredibly easy and as such, gameplay achievements were dropping like flies. The FPS gameplay was a nice change of pace, but as happens with me as a gamer, at some point the light went off and I reverted to the 360 to handle my sudden compulsion to play Fallout New Vegas after being dormant for nearly a year. This one is worth a mention insofar as, as is the objective of the GOY, I FINALLY FINISHED A GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Yeah, I finished the Mr. House questline, and on Hardcore mode to boot, so it reaped a big amount of (admittedly meaningless) Gamerscore. I then reverted to the save and betrayed House and finished the game for Yes Man. At current, I went back and started over with the intent on soaking up the remaining achievements from gameplay, the Legion/NCR questlines as well as the DLC. Knowing me, I'll probably abandon that for some completely different game which strikes my fancy.

So there's the GOY update for the time being. Not exactly fruitful in terms of completing games, but at least I'm working with what I got. Of course, E3 is around the corner and it may well put an upcoming game (or possibly GAMES) on my buying radar. Until next time.

It's been two months since the last update and I promise I've been keeping up on the Games Of Yesteryear (or GOY) Challenge since then. Hell, I've even finished a game or two. But more on that later.

Games-wise, it's been quite the Xbox-centric couple of months since I last reported in with Assassin's Creed Part Deux, which I started up...well, resumed on a whim while perusing my Xbox One games list for the next GOY target. While I realize the idea is to wipe previously-untouched games off the list, for some reason I felt compelled to go back to this. I wonder if I was feeling the influence of all the recent talk about how the series has limped along in this current generation after performing so well back in the 360/PS3 heyday. Anecdotal case in point: It was with this game I achieved (as it were) my first PSN Platinum trophy. I mean, yeah, naturally, that deserves a parade in which I saunter down the street inquiring if people want to touch me while maintaining no intention of letting any filthy plebian do such a thing, but still.

After finishing that (including yet another fist-fight with the fucking POPE) I then dabbled briefly in the followup game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, despite not popping any achievements the way I did with Part Deux.

At one point I envisioned myself whittling down my so-called pile of shame by rotating around all four of my consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PS4) and playing through one game on each before moving on to the next.

Um...yeah, right. My attention span says FUCK THAT. Me choosing any game to play through to the end is putting the cart before the proverbial horse.

As it has happened, since my last entry I have progressed, to varying extents, in one game each on those consoles. And yes, the GOY Challenge is still ongoing. I suppose I would be applying myself to it with greater vigor if I didn't care how much running up against the time to get ready for work would piss me off. For example, that level in Mass Effect 3 where you're going up levels around a room in order to save Legion? I was desperate to complete that before I absolutely had to turn off the console and get ready for work and each setback was boiling my blood each time. I've since decided I'm too old to dabble in that much anger, which means on work nights, I'll play videos or music in the few hours I have before prior commitments rear their ugly heads, rather than let a game turn me into someone my cat doesn't like.

So, the games of note? Starting with Fallout 4 on the PS4 for a brief-ass moment. I was still on the new variant of my old character (now named Bucky Fuckface) trying to reach level 15, but is currently stuck at The Castle at level 14.

From there I meandered over to the Bone to dabble in South Park: The Stick of Truth long enough to get out of the sewers and advance the main story a little more, specifically past the point where Randy Marsh is teaching you a new form of fart in the lavatory. No cheevos were popped but after looking at the list I've come to realize that I don't really care if I get them all, as so many are so situational that multiple playthroughs are inevitable.

Next, after watching a favorite streamer on Twitch play this, I set the way, WAY back machine to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on the 360. Even though I had finished the main story last summer and it therefore shouldn't be GOY-eligible, I had only barely started the Thieves' Guild missions and the Dark Brotherhood and Somerset Isle missions had yet to be started. I promptly took care of the Dark Brotherhood in an inspired weekend from work, and advanced the Thieves' Guild to the point where I'm slinking through an underground tunnel patrolled by blind monks or some shit. I got killed late in that run, put the game down and haven't gone back since. Maybe in a few more months, I guess. I mean, the game's ten years old, what's a few more months at this point?

Finally, today I thought I was going to the PSN store on my PS3 but wound up going back to my current run as Taswell Shepard in Mass Effect. When last I played it, I had just picked up Liara and had the two main quests still ahead of me. However, as I intended to advance this game in ME2 and ME3 at some point, I needed to finish side missions, so I went to X57 and discovered those turrets encased in shower curtains outside the prefab housing where the thrusters are housed can be a bitch at insane level difficulty. Ergo, it may take a while to complete this...not my best choice,

And with that, I need to get ready for work pronto. Laters.

As in, what is it.

So let me think...Feb 3 I flew out to Seattle (not entirely by choice), where I spent the better part of a week with relatives on the Washington coast before getting back and fulfilling one more bucket list item: to watch alongside my father as Denver wins a Super Bowl. As much as I enjoyed the first two wins, it always bugged me that I was still in Casper and he was in Portland. The astounding part was, it was so easy as the trip was scheduled long before Denver had even punched their ticket to Santa Clara.

What you gotta understand was my old man and I spent a LOT of time watching football together over the years, usually on TV but we've managed to see four Broncos games in the last 30 years, including the 1986 season opener against the then-L.A. Raiders. If you've ever seen the highlight of John Elway catching a touchdown pass, it was that game. We've also been to a number of Wyoming games, as well as his one and only time seeing Notre Dame play at Washington back in 2008. So hopefully you can see that football for us is like what Daniel Stern talked about in City Slickers regarding baseball and his own father.

So yeah, then I get back home, at which point I promptly catch some super-bug that was going around. It must have been strong for me to get it. Unfortunately, we roll with a skeleton crew at work, and the other gal who works overnights in my stead was promised that weekend off, so I basically had to show up and zone out for most of the night before sacking up and getting done the bare minimum. That took another two or three weeks and therefore cost me the rest of February.

So where I'm going with this is: Between being out of town and being physically affected, I hardly got any video games played since the last update, choosing instead to zone out to videos from Twitch, YouTube or this fine-ass website. Lately I've been making mad progress with Fallout 4, particularly in response to the big DLC announcement, the morning of which I promptly marched into my friendly neighborhood GameStop (not kidding, they do kinda buck that stereotype) and bought both season passes (one for each console) because I had finally gotten some word from Bethesda as to what they actually planned on releasing. I had had the money for weeks and was just waiting for that. The fact they gave a grace period on the original $30 price point was merely a bonus.

As for progress, I finished the main story with the Institute, and am currently back doing the Molecular Level quest with the Brotherhood to shore up those two trophies, after which repeating the process with the Railroad. After that...who knows. I found a road map by which I can end the game with the Minutemen in a way that doesn't incite the BoS or RR to shoot at anything that moves, but to achieve that I'd have to revert to the hard save I made just before leaving Vault 111 just after the game launched. Much as I would LOVE to go into DLC after doing that ending, I'm not sure I want to put that much work into the set.

At least I have incentive to play this game again. As much as I mark out to these Bethesda games, I must agree with Gerstmann's criticisms of the studio in general and this game in particular. This game doesn't grab me like Fallout 3 did, which is one reason why I feel factioning was a mistake that was better left behind in the bastard step-child Fallout game made by pretenders to the true Todd, i.e. New Vegas. Same with cazadores...to paraphrase Ice-T in that one Body Count song, FUCK. A. CAZADORE.

Anyway, don't get me started about that game and how it's the basic byproduct of the wrath of sour grapes. Hey, if Interplay was so great they would have managed their money better in order not to need to be acquired by Zenimax in the first place, I say.

Yes, it's been a while. No, things haven't gone as originally planned, which was either to stick with Fez or move on to Blood Dragon.

Instead, I let Metal Gear Scanlon get to my head and decided to fart around with MGS2 on the Vita. Got a few trophies in the process.

After that, and following a shit-ton of videos during a period wherein I lacked the motivation to subject myself to the rigors of the interactive experience, I returned to the PS3 and went back to my Mass Effect platinum run, one which I had started soon after downloading it back in the last part of 2012. I still have the notepad of how I was going to achieve the platinum in as few playthroughs as possible.

First, Bradley Shepard was a Soldier, raised as a spacer with a ruthless disposition, He sent Kaidan to his death and wound up banging Chief Williams in between segments of 60 Minutes. (Because in 2183 THAT'S still a thing.) He was a renegade to the core, to the point that he jumped at the chance to eliminate the Council then told a shocked Udina that was his plan all along, Cold. Blooded.

Next we have the Engineer known as Vincenzo Shepard. Born on Earth his disposition was a bit more agreeable after proving his mettle time and again on his way to being known as a War Hero. He also sent Kaidan to his untimely demise but waited for the body to cool before going after Williams.

Most recently (as in, yesterday) I completed the first playthrough of Taswell Shepard, an Adept Colonist who survived the onslaught on Akuze and therefore was known as a pretty big asshole to most people, especially his superiors, with the not infrequent exception of his own crew. In this first go-round, he mainlined the story as quickly as possible, to the point where he lacked the Charm/Intimidate points to save Wrex (first time I ever saw that play out), as well as not getting a little pre-boss nookie. But that's alright, because I still got the trophy for completing a mission on Hardcore difficulty.

Which leaves, going into this new game plus, the trophies for level 60, using Stasis 75 times, having Kaiden and Tali'Zorah as allies (guess who's staying alive this time), the Insanity trophy and, of course, the elusive platinum.

So yeah, Mass Effect. Possibly for the last time. At the rate I'm on, I might finish this in a few years. I'm almost ready to stop trying to fool myself into believing I can chart my own course through these GOY Challenge waters, as I tend to move from game to game to game and stay only long enough to enjoy my time playing before moving on. I think there are psychotropic medications out now which might help me with this.

Have no fear, dear non-existent reader, the GOY challenge is alive and well, it just tends to slow down during my work week, which thankfully ends tonight and doesn't resume until Friday evening. As such, over the last five nights I have gone back to Fez, if just to noodle about the world and pick up more cublets and secrets and warp gates and shit, and even an achievement, but no discernible progress toward the end game.

Considering shelving it in favor of the next item on the list. I suppose I was being a bit deluded for thinking I would finish every one of these remnant games on my proverbial pile, that it's enough to try them long enough to know if I like playing them. The good Lord only knows I have more than enough games on both the shelves and HDDs to keep this going for a while.

So before I go on, I guess I should say:

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game - Tried it (again); SUCKED AT IT (again), moved on (again)

With Fez, I might table it for later just so playing games doesn't devolve into feeling like work. Especially since I'm thinking of following this up with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which sounds more up my action/adventure/self-aware/shooter alley than a brawler or puzzler.

Meantime, time to go end my work week.

Just to prove I intend to make progress with the GOY Challenge and not just a buncha words on this obscure weblog, today I finally delved into my first game, i.e. Fez. Got three more achievements for a total of four, had to start anew as it's been two or three years since I last played this, and needed some strong-ass coffee just to handle the stultifying soundtrack music.

That's not a put-down, BTW...that music which plays at the outset in the village is now officially competition for music I'd like to hear on my deathbed, the only other contender being the menu screen to Mass Effect. If it still existed, the evening version of the old PS3 Folding at Home music would also be on the list, complete with the wind gusts in between tracks.

Anyway, I started Fez and I intend to finish it, though as jumbled as my results are currently this might take some time. I never promised I was going to bang these remnant games out in short order.