So it seems I have the inability to update regularly.  Rather than telling myself I’ll keep updating I’ll just deal with the fact that things will probably be irregular.   Have some concerts coming up and a lot to practice for, but still managing to find some gaming time.

Retro

So my wife has been playing a good deal of Patapon on the PSP so I’ve be relegated to playing the DS while she’s bogarting the PSP.  As a result, I’ve gotten back to playing some more old games.  I’m trying to pick back up some games from /v/’s Recommended Games Wiki.  I filled up the R4 with several games and will see how it goes.

-Battletoads

I’ve attempted before to finish this game.  Even with an emulator and use of save states I failed when I got to the Clinger Winger stage and gave up.  I tried again and much like my last attempt I nearly threw the DS while doing Rat Race even with a rewind function.  Eventually I had to find a trick to make it work (by headbutting the rat on long stretches to keep him even with me.  On Clinger Winger I actually had to pause at every turn to make it as efficient as possible.

The final stage, which I got to see in action for the first time is a technical marvel of the time… as is most of the game.  The brilliant way that a circular pedestal is emulated to be 3D just blows my mind.  It’s similar to a stage in Super Ghosts ‘n Ghouls, but that was done on the SNES and not nearly as well.  The game is so ahead of its time from a technological standpoint, but the difficulty is too much.

When I put it down I just thought, “Fuck this game.”  It’s so infuriatingly difficult.  The fact that even with an emulator it’s near impossible and requires constant, inhuman perfection just mars what could otherwise be one of the best games of all time.  The vast majority of gamers will never make it past the 3rd level (the one with the speeder bikes).

-Recca

I like shmups, but I suck at them.  This one is always hailed as the definitive shmup of the NES generation (and was Famicom only).  I really enjoyed it.  It seems very close to impossible, but is relatively short.  It seems a bit less impossible than games like The Guardian Legend due to the repetition of bits, but still is a mind blowing bullet-hell shooter.

This one is also a technical marvel.  There are no dropped frames or lag despite the game moving impossibly fast and having dozens of sprites on the screen at a single time.

-Darkwing Duck

This is pretty solid for a licensed game.  By itself it would be a decent platform shooter.  I think the Darkwing Duck property is just well suited for this type of game, which probably saved it from the curse of licensed game suckdom.  I haven’t finished it yet and actually made a mistake of losing some save progress, but I plan to finish it sometime soon.  I remembered playing it as a kid and making it to the last boss (but not being able to defeat him) on a rental.

It’s not too difficult, and that’s probably good and especially so considering the demographic (I remember Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers be far more difficult).  Overall though, the game feels largely bland and uninspired, but I will give some credit for the hanging mechanic that makes it more than a Mega Man clone.

God of War

So following my completion of GoW III I was still enjoying the gameplay.  I considered giving it a trophy run, but instead gaving GoW I a trophy run.  The game is dated, but still stands out for the time.  The trophy run was largely painless and fetched me my first platinum.

Grand Theft Auto IV

My wife and I grabbed this because the kids we work with mention it quite often.  It bothers me, of course, that kids far too young (some as young as 6) are playing any of these games, but at the least I can be a little more familiar with how bad it is.

The game itself is absolutely incredible.  The polish put on the game is stunning.  There are so many small details taken care of and such.  It’s so fun to play and even the stuff that’s repetitive is fun.  All actions fall on a spectrum between fun and holy-shit fun.

I’m really glad there are games out there like this that cater to the adult audience, but I wish parents would be aware enough to not let their kids have access to these games.

Patchwork Heroes

This was a cheap pick off of the Playstation Store.  I got tipped off by Destructoid about it and easily could’ve completely missed it.   The game is set in an odd world and has a very unique art style.  The gameplay involves sawing apart warships while on them until they go down.  Sounds a little odd, but the gameplay is addictive and the game makes you want to play perfectly to up your score and percentage.

Upcoming

Lot of games coming up that I’m pretty excited about.  Not sure when I’ll be grabbing them all.  I’ve already pre-ordered Mario Galaxy 2 because I got a great deal on it through Amazon.  I’m very interested in 3D Dot Game Heroes and fairly interested in Alan Wake as well.  May wait to see reviews on the latter and maybe even wait a few months for it.  I think I’ll probably order Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Ghouls for PSP sometime soon.  I’ve been itching to play it for a good while.