Portal 2 - PS3
I got married early last year so for the first few months of 2011 I was pretty much out of commission, gaming-wise. Things quieted down just in time for the April release of Portal 2, and I made sure to pick up my copy on release day. It's not too often that I feel compelled to purchase a game on the day it hits the shelves (it happens maybe once or twice a year, if that) but for me this was one of those times. I absolutely loved the original, and I was eager for more of the series' brand of twisted wit and mind-bending puzzles. Portal 2 did not disappoint. In fact, it's better that the original in virtually every measurable way. The fantastic sci-fi story (featuring memorable 'performances' by the (still alive) GLaDOS, the hapless personality unit Wheatley, and the twisted genius Cave Johnson) delivers heavy doses of fan service while expanding the scope of the series' fiction. Still, some aspects of the game left me wondering if the developers might not have played it a little too safe with their sequel. Yes, it's longer than the original (though not by much), but the challenge level is about the same (if not a little easier), and the new concepts (gels, light bridges, launchers) are nowhere near as interesting as your standard 'weapon' the portal gun. Nitpicking aside, I have to say that I still had A LOT of fun with this game and I wasn't at all surprised to see it on so many people's 'best of...' lists for 2011.
Final Fantasy 13 - PS3
After finishing with Portal 2, I finally broke down and picked up Final Fantasy 13. I have been a fan of the series in the past, but I haven't found the last few entries in the series to be all that fun or interesting. This being the first entry in the series to appear in the current console generation, I thought I should at least give it a look. Much has been written elsewhere about the evolution of the Final Fantasy series (with many long time fans decrying the series' move away from its JRPG roots), but I think that Square-Enix might be on to something here. The whole RPG experience has been streamlined and the game has a brisk pace that grabbed me right away. Unfortunately, I only got about 15 hours in before the magic wore off and I moved on to something else. What happened? Well, for one thing, the story is a total fuckin' mess. It's really really strange and convoluted, and you have to read a lot of it through the menus. I couldn't keep up and I didn't give a shit. It's also really linear. The game holds your hand from sequence to sequence and there's little sense of exploration. Finally, I didn't experience a whole lot of variety in the gameplay. The battle system for this game is REALLY FUN and fast paced, but there's not much else to do except fight. I just got bored. I'm going to rent its sequel when it comes out later this year and see if they can bring the fantastic battle system into a larger, more engaging world and maybe toss in a story that doesn't want to make me claw my eyes out in confusion.
Okami - Wii
After Final Fantasy came Okami for the Wii. Like a lot of others, my Wii didn't get a whole lot of attention in 2011, but this sweet little game had me dusting off my nunchuck. Pedigree, Positive reviews, and a good price lead me to Okami, and I'm so glad they did. At its heart, this game is essentially a Capcom developed Zelda ripoff set in mythical Japan. Players take control of a white wolf who runs through the countryside and conquers dungeons in an effort to defeat evil and bring peace to the land. Gorgeous visuals and music combine with solid gameplay in this charming and stylish adventure. It was maybe a little longer than it needed to be, but it was still quite fun. If you have a Wii and you're looking for a great game at a good price, see if you can track this one down.
Nintendo 3DS
It was mid-August when I purchased the Nintendo 3DS. I wrote about my early impressions of the system here, and I've written a bit about a few of its games here. I have also since received all of the free games that were promised to the members of the Ambassador Program. I spoke earlier about my impressions of the free NES games that 'ambassadors' received, so let me now offer some thoughts on the free Game Boy Advance games that arrived in early December. First off, really solid selection. A lot of these games are far more substantive than the NES games I received back in September. Yoshi's Island, Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem, and Zelda: Minish Cap alone could keep me going for 2 months or so. There's Mario Kart and F-Zero for the racing fans...though seriously, does anyone actually LIKE F-Zero? Mario vs. Donkey Kong and WarioWare Inc. provide a puzzle fix, and Kirby and Wario Land 4 round out the list with some solid platforming. Good stuff! Thanks for the free games Nintendo, they DO help take the sting out of the fact that your console doesn't have a second analog stick.
And speaking of which, the Circle Pad Pro clip-on analog stick for the 3DS will hit US stores in about a month. Sure, it looks a bit ungainly, but who knows? Maybe it'll feel really comfortable? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either...Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - Nintendo 3DS
Sweet game, Capcom. Everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE me some Resident Evil Mercenaries, and my hat's off to Capcom for bringing the taut, thrilling gameplay found in the home console versions to the handheld arena. Even without a second analog stick, they've managed to deliver! I could quibble about its somewhat obtuse and uninspired menus, its boring and mostly pointless introductory missions, and its needlessly complicated mission and character selection segments, but the point is that this game is still bitchin' and well worth a play. Oh, and it has online multiplayer that works just as well as RE5.
Cave Story 3D - Nintendo 3DS
Alright, here's the deal: if you like Metroid-Vania style platform/adventures, then you REALLY SHOULD PLAY THIS GAME! I first came upon this title in 2010 when it was released for download on WiiWare, but it actually began its life in 2004 as a freeware game available for PC (thank you Wikipedia). The WiiWare version that I played was actually an expanded port of the PC original. It featured the original PC version, as well as an enhanced version that featured updated graphics and music, and some additional play modes. It was really fun, and very bitchin'. So now in 2011 THIS version comes along. I should stress here that with all of these versions, we're still talking about the same game that was originally released in 2004. So with all of these different trips through the same adventure, which is the one to go with? Well unless you are a superfan I'd have to recommend the WiiWare version. Why? Well, while the 3DS version may have the snappy 3D graphics, it doesn't contain any of the additional modes that made the WiiWare version such a good value. It's just the basic story... no boss rush, no Curly Brace, no Wind Fortress. Trust me fool, you want that shit.
Heavy Rain - PS3
While everyone else was playing L.A. Noire, I was playing 2010's brooding detective story Heavy Rain. I told you before, I'm always late to the party! I didn't really dig this one too much. It was more of an 'interactive story' than an actual game. I picked this up so that my non-gamer wife and I might have something to play together, but I was so bored with it that I didn't even show it to her. This is one of those games that has a decent story (and I really wanted to solve the mystery), but it just takes so long for things to happen that I kept losing interest. Did I miss out?
No comments:
Post a Comment