2011 Games of the Year

Well, it's the last day of 2011!  What a fantastic year for games!  And, since everyone loves lists, here comes the Games of the Year list!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 30

Day 30 - Favorite Game of All Time


This is it!  The last one.  The game to end all games!  The one that sits on a throne make from the cracked jewel-cases and tattered manuals of it's enemies.  The king of all games!

Well, I guess so anyway.

I won't bore you with a long post on this.  This game has come up already so many times, it's really no surprise.  My favorite game of all time is:

Yep, big shock, I'm sure.  This is, by far, the game I love to play the most.  The depth and enjoyment I get out of each playthrough is amazing.  I love that every time I pick it up, I learn something new about it.  I love that I can switch things up and it becomes a new experience.  And I love that no matter how many times I pop it in, I always walk away fulfilled.  Having done end game only once isn't a slight to the game.  I just have so much fun on the way to the end.  I love tweaking teams and trying new classes or combinations.  I love messing about to make teams either challenges to play, or overpowered beasts that storm maps with Judge Dredd prejudice.  This is a game that I've owned since launch (or a month afterwards) and still find new things to love every time I play.  It is, in my opinion, one of the best games created.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 29

Day 29 - A Game You Have Played Over Five Times


Nearly done!  Today (and, spoiler, tomorrow) we talk about games that are the tip-top of the gaming mountain.  The games that get played multiple times.  The games that, no matter what, are always enjoyable.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 28

Day 28 - A Sequel That Disappointed You


I could cop out on this and go with Final Fantasy XIII.  I mean, I loved the story, the characters, the graphics, the Paradigm system, and the voice acting.  But, the battle system, the upgrading, and the overall "watch long cut-scene, play for a few minutes, watch another cut-scene" really turned me off.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 27

Day 27 - A Game I Thought I Would Hate, But Ended Up Loving


Today is all about the big surprises that sometimes land in our laps.  You know the ones: they are the games that come out without any fan-fare, cost little and have silly titles like Katamari Damacy or Gungrave: Overdose!  These little gems sneak up on you and just brighten your day when you try it.

The creature designs were really creepy, and the descriptions are delightful

Probably the one that stands out the most to me is Shadow Hearts.  I love JRPGs, but this one seemed a little too silly when I started out.  The hero was half-Japanese, half-Russian and spent the opening minutes being aloof and "hardcore-badass!"  I was, admittedly turned off.  But then battles started, and I was hooked.  Here I thought I was playing a generic JRPG with forced "attitude" and a lame, cliched story.  Instead, I got a game that wormed it's way into my heart.  The characters grew/developed (except the whiny kid), the story took all sorts of twists and turns, and, in the end, the game surprised me with a touching ending.

I love nearly everything about this game.  The battles that force you to rhythmically tap a button to hit, the side quests for more powerful weapons were fun and the writing, while it started off slow and is still corny, got much better.  I cannot recommend this game and the first sequel enough.  If you are a PS2 JRPG fan, look for this game!  It may surprise you like it did me.

News Roundup: 25 December 2011

A day late from the holidays, but here are a few news stories that caught my eye over the week of Christmas.  See you all next week for the Game of the Year list!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 26

Day 26 - Game with the Best Voice Acting


Yay!  More dead-horse beatings today!  Voice acting is a relatively new addition to gaming.  Before it was all shiny cut-scenes with silent actors.  Much like the debut of "talkie" movies, voice acting changed gaming in a big way.  No longer were actors hired to grunt, growl or "exert effort."  Now studios had to hire folks who could impart emotion.  Now actors on film could work in games (and give publishers a bullet point for the box: "Starring Samuel L. Jackson!" and by "starring" we mean "he has a role").  Now people expect voices for all their characters, and it can make or break a game.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 25

Day 25 - Game with the Best Gameplay


Since this is falling on Christmas, it's going up on the 24th just so I don't have to remember to upload it tomorrow.

Best gameplay is the theme of the day.  Horrid gameplay can ruin any experience.  Hell, I will put up with some wonky mechanics if everything else captures my attention (I'm looking at you, Kane & Lynch 2), but if the gameplay is tight, I'm going to love it.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 24

Day 24 - Game with the Best Art Style


I've got a few for this one.  Art direction can really make or break a game.  Look at Darksiders which has a very World of Warcraft style to the characters, but the backgrounds are the ubiquitous "browns, browns and more browns" in a lot of places.  It creates an interesting dichotomy of colorful, overlarge characters that pop off the screen while the backdrop is dingy.  So, now that I've rambled a bit, let's get to my favorite art styles!

Review: ilomilo

ilomilo

XBLA

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Southend Studios

Release Date: 5 January 2011

Best friends do everything together. Play-dates in the park, fishing, trips to the fair. All these things make memories that should last forever. But what happens when memories are fading and best friends begin to forget. Taking these surprising themes and mixing it with cutesy art and mind-bending puzzles, ilomilo is fun little DLG (downloadable game) for XBLA.

The strange world of ilomilo

30 Days of Gaming: Day 23

Day 23 - Game with the Best Cutscenes


This one was surprisingly easy.  It has to go to Final Fantasy XIII.  I dislike the game, personally.  I don't like playing it, but I gave it the old college try anyhow.  And I was rewarded with some amazingly beautiful scenes, interesting characters and a well-defined world.  Cocoon and Pulse are great locations and have many vistas and sites that are meticulously rendered in fine detail.  The scenes are made using the in-game engine, so everything looks the same between the gameplay and the cinemas.  I loved what I saw and my jaw was on the floor often with how pretty it all was.  Take a look at some of the videos below to get an idea of how gorgeous this game is.  These videos might be SPOILERS if you haven't played yet.

The opening movie

Lake Bresha, right after it all hits the fan

Snow's fireworks scene with Serah

As you can see, it's pretty.  So very pretty.

And, to beat a dead horse (doing that a lot over the next few entries), I love the new cinemas in the PSP Final Fantasy: Tactics - War of the Lions.  These add a lot, though they assume you left the main character's name as Ramza.  I love hearing the voices and the style is superb!  Also, sorta SPOILERS for the early stuff.

The opening cinema

The first cinema, after the tutorial battle

30 Days of Gaming: Day 22

Day 22 - Game with the Best Story


I'm going to sound like I'm beating a dead horse here.  I'll try to keep the synopses spoiler-free, but some small ones may sneak through.  Be warned, there may be SMALL SPOILERS ahead.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 21

Day 21 - Guilty Pleasure Games

This one is pretty easy.  UniSon: Rebels of Rhythm and Dance on the PS2.  I'm a sucker for music games in general (DDR, Beatmania, Pop'n Music, the Pinky Street music game tie-in from Japan), but my heart belongs to UniSon.  It's anime with gameplay.  It's silly, weird and downright gorgeous.  

The girls at a performance

You play one of three girls (who determines the difficulty) who are chosen by Dr Dance, a man with an afro and disco suit that scream wacky.  He teaches you dance moves to famous songs like "YMCA" and "Barbie Girl."  After enough practice, you perform the song and gain fans.  The underlying story is one of a town were singing is the only entertainment allowed because dancing is outlawed by Emperor Ducker.  The girls fight his oppressive regime with their funky steps and bring music (with song AND dance) to the masses.  It is as silly as it sounds, but the production values are top-notch and the gameplay is unique (you use the twin sticks to mimic hand/foot motions for dancing).  All in all, a hilarious game that's fun, too!

Dr Dance and robotic pal Friday

Dancing to Aqua's "Barbie Girl"

The villain, Emperor Ducker (he rides a giant rubber duckie, no joke)

30 Days of Gaming: Day 20

Day 20 - Under-Rated Games

This one is a toss up.  I'd have to say that I really feel that Alice: Madness Returns, Alpha Protocol and Dark Void all fall into this category.  I know they are all current-gen games, but really, they got shafted when they came out and are not nearly as bad as people seem to think.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 19

Day 19 - A Game Everyone Should Play

Wow...ummm, well?  I can always recommend Mass Effect, Borderlands, the Uncharted series and the Final Fantasy series.  Those are classics in their own rights and deserve to be enjoyed by almost everyone who plays games.  These either have amazing stories (Mass Effect) or superb gameplay (Borderlands) or a combination of the two (Uncharted and Final Fantasy).  

You can fight like a Krogan, run like a leopard...

The intrepid Vault Hunters of Borderlands

These are the games that anyone who enjoys video games should at least try.  I've not met many that dislike the rich fiction and amazing universe created by Mass Effect.  I know many people that lost hours to hunting loot on Pandora with friends in Borderlands.  Hell, even folks that don't like FPS games enjoyed Borderlands.  Then you have the summer blockbuster movies of Uncharted that allow you to play the explosive scenes and adventure about the globe.  And lastly, you have the deep mechanics, stellar stories and great worlds of Final Fantasy that keep even jaded gamers coming back.  All of these are brought up whenever I am comparing titles or looking to find a new game to run through.

Nathan Drake gets into so much trouble in Uncharted 3

Oh, Final Fantasy X, how I love you

Though, I think one that everyone needs to experience, not play, experience, is L.A. Noire. The story, the mental challenge of the investigations and the brilliant use of facial motion capturing lends itself to an experience like none other. L.A. Noire is, frankly, the next step for facial graphics and character interaction. It should be enjoyed by everyone at least once, if only to see the amazing tech and the story telling.  I know people get fidgety about the noir themes of the story, but the fact that it is such a great tale makes it one that everyone should buy into at some point.

Hero Cole Phelps of L.A. Noire

And last, but certainly not least, is that benchmark for all things Super Mario Bros. 3.  This game was the high water mark for the NES days.  Everyone I know that grew up playing NES loved this game.  It's still super fun, and it still has some of the best (if not the best) mechanics and gameplay of any 2D platformer.  I know that my daughter will play this gem (providing she's into games) because it is something that all gamers should play.

The amazing Giant World from Super Mario Bros 3

News Roundup: 18 December 2011

Last news update before Christmas!  And with that comes one last plea for those of you who can to donate to Child's Play!  A few stories after the jump.  It's mostly quiet as we head into the Holiday Week, but come January, it all picks back up!  Have a great week, everyone!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 18

Day 18 - A Game You Plan on Playing


Oh dear.  There are so many...  Welp, we'll just throw out a few (with trailers) and call it good!

Rayman: Origins
I'm super stoked about this one.  The art, animation and tight platforming sold me through the demo.  We got this as a Christmas present, so I have to wait till the 25th to enjoy it.  :-/

It's so pretty!

Syndicate
I know.  Lots of folks are upset that their isometric tactical action game is being remade as an FPS.  Oh, the tragedy!  Oh the humanity!  Oh the...no, you know what?  This looks awesome!  It looks interesting to play, it has some neat ideas with the on-the-fly hacking and it looks fun as hell!  I'm also excited for 4 player co-op that takes missions from the original game and remakes them.  So, you don't like the new direction?  Replay the original!

Agent Kilo, thank you for your service

Corporate raiding with friends looks awesome!

Mass Effect 3
Nothing really needs to be said about this.  This trilogy was amazing, I'm super excited to finish it out and see where all my choices will lead.  And Shepard is one of my favorite characters, after all.

Reaper VS Thresher Maw?  Yes!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 17

Day 17 - A Game You are Currently Playing


Ohhh, boy!  Getting closer to the end!  Pretty short post today as it's really just a few screens and all.

Really, I've got a few games that have been in rotation.  These are games that I've had for a while, but I haven't finished for one reason or another.  That reason is usually, "Meh, it's fun, but it's not what I want to play right now."  This, inevitably, leads to the game getting shelved for a while.  After that "while" passes, I pick it back up, forgetting where I was, and usually have to start over.  These are the first games in a long while where I have picked them up after months (or over a year) and have just rolled with it.

First up is the one that I'm heavily into, and that's Darksiders.  It's a super-fun action/adventure game set during and after the apocalypse.  Playing as War, one of the Four Horsemen, you travel the destroyed world trying to unravel a conspiracy that laid the blame for said apocalypse at your feet.  It's a game that cribs most of it's ideas from other games.  The dungeons are filled with Zelda-like puzzles, while the combat is pure God of War.  I loved what I played, but I got tired of it for some reason.  Honestly, I picked it up yesterday and wondered why I walked away in the first place.  Strange.

War is such a badass!

Comic great Joe Madureira does the art/character design

I'm also dabbling in El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.  This is another God of War-like game.  The combat is based around three weapons, and instead of having a deeply confusing set of moves, each one has combos that build based on timing.  This means that you "feel" more than "think" about combat.  It's really great once you get the "feeling" down.  The game itself is a totally nutty idea: it's the story of the heretical book of Enoch as seen by the Japanese.  You play Enoch, the only living man allowed into Heaven.  God sends you to rein in some rebellious angels that have run away from Heaven and have bred with Humans.  This leads to the birth of Nephilim, hybrid beings that will eventually consume each other and the world.  If you fail, God will flood the Earth and start anew.  What's crazy about this game is that you are aided by Lucifel.  He transcends time and dresses well.  He gives you the best armor, including a pair of designer jeans and acts as your save/checkpoints where he talks to God via cell phone.  Honestly, just look at the screens below.  It's a gorgeous game, but really messed up.  Each level in the Tower of Babel (where the angels have hidden themselves and their followers) is different.  Some look like children's drawings, others appear to be straight out of Tron!  I wanted to review it before the end of the year because I feel it should be in Game of the Year discussions, but I cannot seem to make headway.  It's so fun, but there is something keeping me from finishing it.

Enoch fights a follower of the renegade angels

Lucifel (game art).  He's pretty and talks to God on a mobile a lot

This is what one of the levels looks like

30 Days of Gaming: Day 16

Day 16 - A Video Game Setting You Wish You Lived In


Ahh, life on good ol' Earth.  It's not bad, all things considered.  But, what if we could go to someplace more fantastic?  Someplace that has different day-to-day challenges?  Someplace that's so different from our own that our lives would be completely different?  This is what video games do (or should do): they offer a chance to live another life in a fantastical setting.  No spoilers today (that I know of)!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 15

Day 15 - Saddest Game Scene

There are very few scenes that drive me to tears.  Games stir emotion regularly in me, but true sadness has only come twice for me.  These really are MASSIVE, GAME RUINING SPOILERS ahead.  The games (Final Fantasy X and Valkyria Chronicles) have big moments ruined if you haven't played them.  So grab your kleenex and read on if you'd like...

30 Days of Gaming: Day 14

Day 14 - Most Epic Game Scene


We all love those set-piece moments in gaming.  The moments where Hollywood-style action meets our controller and we are in for a roller coaster ride.  Those moments where we just have to shout out loud.  Those moments where adrenaline surges and our pulse quickens.  I'm talking about those epic moments of epic epicness!  There will be SPOILERS here, as I have to describe scenes, so read on if you'd like!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 13

Day 13 - Favorite Antagonist


Oh, villains are always fun.  Most are usually so cartoonishly evil and have ridiculous plans to blow up the world or end all life or remake the world in their image.  They are the people that you love to hate (and sometimes love to love).  I enjoy a well thought out villain.  As per the last few posts, SPOILERS PRESENT so please be careful.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 12

Day 12 - Favorite Protagonist


Oh, dear.  Another tough call.  As has been the case with the last few, this will have POTENTIALLY MASSIVE SPOILERS.  You've been warned.

News Roundup: 11 December 2011

The weekly news roundup is here!  A few interesting stories and the VGA winners after the jump.  I'm also including the reveal trailers from the VGAs.  Some interesting stuff there, especially a Bioware Command and Conquer, Alan Wake: American Nightmare and The Last of Us by Naughty Dog.  Some cool stuff.  Also, if you can, donate to Child's Play!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 11

Day 11 - Favorite Gaming Couple

Oh, so hard to choose!  Here are a few since I cannot make up my mind. Like the last couple, there are MASSIVE SPOILERS ahead, just in case.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 10

Day 10 - Character You Feel You are Most Like (Or Wish You Were)


Hmmm.  I've been stuck on this one for a long time.  Honestly, one of the things I like about game characters is that they are able to be more.  Whether that's more athletic, resilient, fearless, evil, good, whatever.  Game characters can just be so much "more" than possible.  Also, there will be minor SPOILERS in some descriptions for Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, and Final Fantasy XIII.  You've been warned.

Review: Bastion

Bastion

XBLA (reviewed), PC, Chrome Browser

Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Supergiant Games

Release Date: 20 July 2011

What would you do if you woke up and found that your entire world was in ruin? Floating above a destroyed world, all you know is that the world is gone, and moving forward is the only way to set things right. Thus begins Bastion, Supergiant Games' first entry and a show piece of Microsoft's “Summer of Arcade” promotion. The crowded XBLA scene has plenty of fun games, so what does Bastion do to stand out? Only everything.

Welcome to the end of the world

30 Days of Gaming: Day 9

Day 9 - Most Annoying Character

There are a couple of gimmes in this category.  Everyone knows about Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Her constantly popping up with a shout of "Hey!" and annoying you with "Hey!  Listen!"  and then saying something obvious gets on a lot of gamers' nerves.  I mean, check out this awesome 10 hour video of her greatest hits.  On the other hand, she was super useful for some things.

Yep....I'd go nuts, too.

A recent one, too, is Hope Estheim from Final Fantasy XIII.  Oh, Hope.  Not only is he the best caster in the game, but he gets the supremely awesome Alexander summon.  This would make him top shelf in my opinion except for one tiny little problem.  He's a whiny bitch.  Not just a little, a lot.  He constantly cries about his now dead mother and how he hates his dad.  It's not weird for teens to be this way.  It is super annoying listening to it over and over and over again.  He gets better, I'll admit that.  But damn... Oh, how I hated Hope.

This is an awful video (with some spoilers).  Fits this **** perfectly.

However, the cream of this crappy crop is Bentley from the Sly Cooper series.  Side-kicks are usually annoying in some form (Daxter, for example), but Bentley takes it to a new level.  First off, he sounds like a stuffed-up, sickly Jewish stereotype.  Second, he brags about how smart he is and talks down to Sly whenever Sly cannot fathom what Bentley is blathering on about.   But what really pushes him into the ranks of reviled characters is the fact that you have to play as him.  Starting in Sly 2, Bentley becomes a playable character.  So, not only do I have to listen to him whine and act like a bitch, but now I have to play as him? And he's terrible compared to Sly?  ...dammit, Sucker Punch! Why?!?!  The first time you play as him, he is slow, terrible and has a crossbow.  Then, you get to play as him in a wheelchair for Sly 3!  Oh, we're PC!  We've got a strong handicapped chap!  Great...if he wasn't a stereotype otherwise, you might win.  I hate this obnoxious waste...

I cannot even find an annoying video of this annoying jerk

30 Days of Gaming: Day 8

Day 8 - Favorite Character

Oh, this one is super difficult. Well written characters are one of the driving reasons I buy video games. If there isn't a strong character, I usually lose interest rather quickly. I suppose I'll just throw out a few and give reasons as to “why” because I cannot just pick one. There may be spoilers to game plots in my elaborations, so be forewarned. They are in no particular order other than train-of-thought.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 7

Day 7 - Favorite Game Soundtrack

The boss theme from FF XII

The main theme from FF XII

Theme of the Empire from FF XII

I have to go with Final Fantasy XII on this one. There are plenty of great games with outstanding soundtracks: any of the Nobuo Uemitsu scored Final Fantasies, the music games I play (DDR and Beatmania), Mario games and countless others that you cannot help but to hum along with when you hear those first few notes. But, Hitoshi Sakamoto created something wonderful when he made the music for XII. It's drum heavy, the music swells and fades appropriately and really sets the tone well. It's a region at war, and the music all has a war-chant like bent to it. There are blissful highs and staggering lows. There are slow builds and fast drops. It's everything needed in a game soundtrack, and it's all done to drive home ideas and feelings. Hands down, one of my favourite collections of music to listen to at home.

A close second would be the soundtrack to Chrono Cross.  Composer Yasunori Mitsuda created some of the most amazing soundscapes during the PSX era.  Though not as well known as Nobuo Uemitsu, Mitsuda deserves recognition for making such great music.  There really isn't anything more to say on this one, just listen and enjoy! 

Time's Scar from Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross's Magical Dreamers

Review: L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire

PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, PC

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Team Bondi

Release Date: 17 May 2011

Can you read people? Can you, with only a glance, tell if someone is lying? What hides behind furtive glances and not-quite-meeting-your-eye looks? Great detectives and policemen do this routine every day. They work with witnesses and interrogate suspects to piece together what happened. Searching crime scenes for clues and confronting someone with facts that counter their lies is compelling stuff. It's an exciting battle of wits; where thoroughness in your preparation wins the day. This cerebral cat-and-mouse game is the basis for Team Bondi's and Rockstar's L.A. Noire. More detective drama than game it nonetheless takes players on an amazing interactive journey through the gritty and rough streets of a faithfully recreated 1940s Los Angeles.

This time, you are the law

30 Days of Gaming: Day 6

Day 6 - Favorite Genre


I had a bit of a pause with this one.  RPGs of nearly any flavor I enjoy.  Recently, I have sampled the delights of Western RPGs (WRPGs).  I began Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the first time earlier this week.  Heck, I even had a bit of fun with Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, bugs and all.  But most of these seem more like Action games than RPGs, and the big ones (Fallout, Elder Scolls) are really difficult for me to enjoy because I get caught up in exploring the world and not doing quests.  Then I die.  I die a lot.  And it's usually after I've not saved for over an hour or two.  WRPGs are fun, but not my favorites.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 5

Day 5 - Favorite Developer


This one is actually pretty tough.  I think I have to give it to two development houses that have brought me a ton of joy over the years.  Honestly, these two could do no wrong in their own rights, and I eagerly await what comes next from the latter.

First off, the studio that dominated my teen years and made me appreciate deep stories and amazing worlds.  Pretty much every Squaresoft game that came out, I enjoyed.  I rented Chrono Trigger from Blockbuster a few times as a kid, and I loved it!  I didn't understand the Squaresoft magic entirely yet, that came later.  That time, when the core Final Fantasy games were purchased Day One, came after I discovered the joys of Final Fantasy VII.  The PSX era (and my collection) is/was dominated by these wonderful games.  I sunk hours into Final Fantasy VIII, Vagrant Story, Front Mission 3 and even lesser titles like Threads of Fate.  All of these games had stellar stories, well written characters (though some translations hurt to read now) and offered worlds to get lost in that I'd only seen in books.  But, despite how lovely all those games are, I have the most affection for Final Fantasy: Tactics.  This single game I've purchased multiple times (PSX, PSN, PSP) and I love it every time I boot it up.  Squaresoft could do no wrong in my eyes, and the joys of FF:T are a large reason why I purchased their games without question.

When this came on screen, joy soon followed

As Squaresoft started to tank in Japan (thank you, Spirits Within...), they were snapped up by Enix.  Enix didn't have the same hold on me.  While I certainly enjoyed Star Ocean: The Second Story, I hadn't played a Dragon Quest game to completion since the first one.  I was worried that my beloved games would be changed or corrupted by the new parent company.  Sadly, I was mostly right.  But, the core FF games again shined, and included one of my favorites with Final Fantasy XII, and my number one favorite Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy X.  To see this development house go downhill since the PS2 era is sad.  They more publish now and the last FF game was, to me, disappointing.  I'll always love the Squaresoft days, and the mixed bag of the SquarEnix days may yet turn around.

So awesome!

Now, a new development house has taken over.  These folks first caught my eye back on the PS2 with a platformer that was the natural step up from Mario 64.  An open world that held many secrets and offered me the chance to go where I wanted and explore to my heart's content.  That game was Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.  The team at Naughty Dog had pushed what Mario started in amazing new directions.  Instead of hubs, everything was part of the world.  I climbed a mountain, swam a lake and explored jungles and swamps, all without having to jump into paintings or pipes.  This blew my mind at the time.  Their animation style rivaled Disney and the colorful world came alive.  I fell in love.

The new favorite developer

I wouldn't have them up here if they only had the one good game.  Though I never played the other Jak titles (something I plan to rectify with the HD collection) because I had other distractions.  No, Naughty Dog finally got my attention with a little game called Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.  I had loved the Tomb Raider series for years, but Lara had gotten stale and her adventures were no longer fun to me.  Then came this wise-ass Nathan Drake and his gorgeous game world that just begged to be explored.  Then came the amazing action sequences, the superb dialog and the industry-defining animations.  I was hooked.  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is honestly one of my favorite games off all time, and the amount of hype I had for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was unbearable.  This series has cemented my love for the Dogs, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Where do we go from here?

News Roundup: 4 December 2011

The weekly news stories that caught my eye for the week ending 4 December.  Getting down to the wire on the year.  Stories, as always, after the jump with article links in the headlines!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 4

Day 4 - Favorite Gaming System

I used to say, "Anything by Nintendo!" and that was that.  It had all of the classics that shaped my gaming loves: Super Mario Bros, Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest) and Bionic Commando soaked up hours of my life (after homework, of course) as I explored these worlds.  When the SNES came out, I got it as soon as possible and enjoyed the heck out of games like U.N. Squadron and Super Mario World.  Lastly, the N64 showed me that Mario could run around in 3D and still be amazing!  I also was introduced to other platformers and even FPSs thanks to Goldeneye.  

Super Mario Bros 3 and I made some fond memories with friends

Then came the watershed moment that changed everything.  Most people around my age remember watching the TV adverts for Final Fantasy VII.  I remember seeing it and my jaw thudding to the floor.  I had always enjoyed the JRPGs from Nintendo, so this was a natural move.  While the N64 had platformers, the PSX had Lara Croft and Cloud Strief.  These were more mature characters with more mature stories to tell.  I wasn't a kid anymore, and playing "kiddie" games wasn't cool (I'm sure you all remember those teenage years).  As such, Sony swiftly replaced Nintendo in my heart.  I haven't looked back since.  

This blew my mind

While I was getting the PS2 a few months after launch, I never owned a GameCube.  I picked up my workhorse PS3 about 4 months after launch, and it still gets turned on almost daily.  My Wii was an afterthought, and mostly for Wii Fit (until Skyward Sword and now Xenoblade Chronicles).  I still play kid games on occasion because they can be fun, and having a little one of my own means that I'll be dusting off the old NES as she gets older and introducing her to my old flame.

These adverts were what sold me on the PSX

I do have all the systems (yay for not having to take sides!), but my Sony consoles are the ones that get the most use.  They showed how technology advancements would shape the hobby I love and while Nintendo owned my childhood, Playstation owns my adult life.

Hello, my love.

Review: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Wii

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release Date: 20 November 2011

Nintendo has made a fortune over the years between Mario and Zelda. The franchises newest entries are always eagerly awaited and fans flock to stores to buy them at launch. Zelda enters it's 25^th year with an entry built from the ground up for the Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Since this will be the swan song of the Wii, I figured it was as good of time as any to finally experience a Zelda title. So, having no nostalgia-driven memories of saving Hyrule, nor a deep seeded loathing of Gannon to spur me onward, I delved into Skyward Sword and the world of Zelda for the first time. The experience turned out to be one of the best I've ever played.

Link and Zelda, the beginning of the legend

30 Days of Gaming: Day 3

Day 3 - Favorite Classic Game


Hmm.  What would be considered a "classic" game?  I suppose I should go with something from my childhood.  And, one that springs to mind fastest is Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego.  I had this gem on the Commador 64 and I used to play it for hours!  Loaded with questions based on history, Carmen Sandiego games were fun challenges.  I had always loved history stuff (thanks again to my father), but this really drove it home.  When questions that I'd previously answered would come up again, I was always happy because I knew the answer.  Little kid me used to be so proud that I could solve the cases (really, just answer all the questions) without just guessing until I got it right.  It didn't matter that the game was educational, it was fun to play and I honestly learned from it.

Chasing the red-clad villainess through history!

The series as a whole was pretty cool, too.  They had typing tutors, grammar lessons, spelling lessons and geography.  My parents had purchased the adventure in Time and I loved it so much that we got Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego soon after.  That one taught contemporary geography and I played it to death.  I remember sitting downstairs at the computer trying to solve a quick case before walking to school and rushing down after finishing homework to do another.  That was the draw: it was so fun that I didn't care that I had just done school work and was doing more.  Plus, I always aced Geography and History tests.  Maybe this series is why.

Searching the world for stolen monuments!

I still enjoy the series, and I wish we saw more of them.  I would love to see that red trench and fedora more today.  Plus, it would be an excuse to revive the TV quiz show that had the amazing theme song!

I know some of you know this by heart!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 2

Day 2 - Very First Video Game

Oh, man, where it all began!   I suppose my first video game was either Tank Combat (inside the multi-game cart, Combat) or Outlaw on the Atari 2600.  My father and I used to play Combat for hours together.  The fun of the multiple maps and the silly sounds the tanks made when they exploded brought joy to my face.  My father, smartly, used both games to show me how Math could be used to make shots.  The concepts of angles and ricochets were well beyond my little 5 year-old mind, but I'll be damned if it didn't spark something somewhere in my brain.  I started to “see” the shots before taking them.  Both games required timing and forethought to win, and my father helped me to understand that patience can be as rewarding as “guns blazing.”

The awesome Tank Combat!

My skills with the paddle/joystick and the understanding of simple angles improved swiftly.  This also translated well to my love of Billiards, which my father also taught me.  Sadly, I'm still rubbish at it, but I enjoy playing on occasion.  Having a “real-world” application of gaming is something that has stuck with me to this day.

Outlaw provided hours of enjoyment, too!

All of the studies showing improved hand-eye coordination in relation to games played is something I embody.  I improved my skills by playing Tank Wars and Outlaw and both gave me a love for video games that hasn't left, and hopefully never will.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 1

Kicking off 30 Days of Gaming with a picture post.

Day 1 – Current (or Most Recent) Gaming Wallpaper

 Warhammer 40K (Space Marine)

 New California Republic Ranger (Fallout: New Vegas)

New California Republic Flag (Fallout: New Vegas)

Final Fantasy: Tactics - War of the Lions Cover

Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)

Vanille (Final Fantasy XIII)

Pokemon

The 3rd Birthday Cover

Portal Pony (Portal)

Robotic Unicorn (Robotic Unicorn Attack)

Since I have my background set to rotate, these are the ones that pop up.  Personally, I love the Portal Pony as it mixes two of my favorite things: Portal and "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."

(These images were found on 4Walled and are property of their respective artists)

The 30 Days of Gaming

The end of an eventful 2011 draws near.  To celebrate, I'm going to do the 30 Days of Gaming (found via Facebook, I have the outline after the jump) for the month of December, and then do a Games of the Year post on New Years Eve.  That should send everything off in style, and give everyone a bit more to read in the meantime.  Feel free to chime in with your own answers to the 30 Days prompts!  Let's enjoy the season and gaming!

News Roundup: 27 November 2011

Kind of a slow week, mostly due to Turkey Ingestion overdoses and nothing new coming out.  As is every year, now we enter the "long, dark tea-time of the soul," or the doldrums until mid-January when news is more about new games coming out than shopping deals.  Hopefully everyone had a great week, now on to some news items!

News Roundup: 20 November 2011

Happy Thanksgiving (Americans)!  The end of the Holiday Rush of Great Games (tm) is finally here!  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword came out today, and with that, the march to Black Friday begins.  A few interesting stories after the jump!

Review: Sanctum

Sanctum

PC (Steam Version)

Publisher: Coffee Stain Studios

Developer: Coffee Stain Studios

Release Date: 15 April 2011

Tower defense games are an old genre, but one that's seen a resurgence of late. Thanks to simple controls and ideas, nearly anyone can pick up and play one of these games. As such, the field is getting crowded and titles have to do a bit more to stand out from the pack. One way of doing just that is mash up two game styles and make a new one. Sanctum mixes up the tower defense with FPS action. But, is it a solid mix?

Protect your home from alien invaders