Games Played: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (X360), SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS (DS), Saints Row (X360), Lots of Pinball (Pinball!)
Games Bought: .Hack //GU: Rebirth Special Edition (PS2) [$39.99], SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS (DS) [$29.99]
MUA's additional content just released. It doesn't fundamentally change the game but it makes it fun to play again. The Hulk is ridiculous. If you add his "boost" power with Cyclops skill up team boost (might work with Thor's too) he becomes so fast the whole game just becomes punch, punch, punch for the win. Hawkeye is pretty rad too with his piercing arrows and Cyclops has an awesome optic beam attack which turns your screen into a laser show. Might even slow it down if you're blowing up some stuff at the same time. Venom is blah. Nightcrawler is pretty awful. Doom has got some neat stuff like a eye beam. Magneto is ok too with a metal shard you can shoot out just like Cap's shield throw.
Worth $10? Maybe, maybe not, but the new characters are, mostly, a lot of fun.
SNK vs. Capcom is one of the biggest letdowns. The game play is pretty broken but you can muster some fun out of it. The big problem is the game is ACTUALLY broken. Apparently one of the NPCs will lock up your game if you talk to him twice. The problem is that you have to talk to him twice to beat the game on New Game+. We'll see how Playmore responds... The card art is pretty great though!
We went to the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown this weekend in Golden, Colorado. It was a little dissapointing. There were about 50 pinballs there, give or take, with several Twilight Zones, Black Nights, and Terminators. There were no Theater of Magics, no newer machines like Sopranos, Simpsons, Railroad Tycoon, Monopoly. There were a couple of Pirates though. I did get a chance to play some pretty good games though. The ones I played were The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Street Fighter II, Terminator 2, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dirty Harry, Twilight Zone, and Funhouse. Twilight Zone is still pretty darn amazing.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
April 24th, 2007
Games Played: Saints Row (X360), Orbital (GBA), Robotron 2084 (arcade)
Games Bought: Used 360 Wireless Racing Wheel in Box w/ Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360) [$60.00]
Steal on that wheel. Awesome being in the right place at the right time.
Pre-ordered SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters for the DS. I'm excited but tempered given all the reviews from the Japanese version. I have heard nothing if they fixed some of the play balance issues.
Orbital is brilliant. Totally f'n brilliant. It's part of the bit Generation games that came out in Japan for the GBA. You're a little planetoid who has to navigate oddly spaced "solar systems". You have two abilities: attract gravitational field and repel gravitational field. The rest is inertia. You use your gravity fields to whip around planets or to pull yourself in to where you are in planetary orbit. The physics come from balancing using your fields (or not using them) to get on a proper intercept course to your goals...
And your goals, similiar to Katamari Damacy, are to absorb smaller planetoids in the system to become larger so you can absorb more planetoids. You do this by running over the smaller ones. Alternatively, if you are of a sufficient size to absorb a planetoid, you can buzz by it and pick it up in your orbit. This will significantly add to your score and give you additional "lives" on the next stage. You beat the stage by putting a glowing "sun" planetoid in your orbit.
The graphics, like in the whole bit Generation series, are definately minimal. They are, however, beautiful. And the music is absolutely stunning despite the NES style five channel sound. The levels have a base music theme and when you add a planetoid to your orbit the theme changes. As you add more planetoids the music gets slightly more layered with additional sounds.
There are 30 stages and the replay value comes from beating all the stages by picking up "moon" planetoids that become active after you've grown in size big enough to pick up the "sun" planetoid in your orbit. Getting the "moon" can be very tricky on some levels since it's normally placed outside of a clean orbital path. I assume something unlocks once you have picked up the "moon" on each level. I haven't done it yet so I can't confirm.
And after beating the 30 stages a "special" solar system unlocks with 5 stages that are BRUTALLY hard. I haven't beaten one yet.
I can't recommend this game high enough. Get it from Play-Asia.
Games Bought: Used 360 Wireless Racing Wheel in Box w/ Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360) [$60.00]
Steal on that wheel. Awesome being in the right place at the right time.
Pre-ordered SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters for the DS. I'm excited but tempered given all the reviews from the Japanese version. I have heard nothing if they fixed some of the play balance issues.
Orbital is brilliant. Totally f'n brilliant. It's part of the bit Generation games that came out in Japan for the GBA. You're a little planetoid who has to navigate oddly spaced "solar systems". You have two abilities: attract gravitational field and repel gravitational field. The rest is inertia. You use your gravity fields to whip around planets or to pull yourself in to where you are in planetary orbit. The physics come from balancing using your fields (or not using them) to get on a proper intercept course to your goals...
And your goals, similiar to Katamari Damacy, are to absorb smaller planetoids in the system to become larger so you can absorb more planetoids. You do this by running over the smaller ones. Alternatively, if you are of a sufficient size to absorb a planetoid, you can buzz by it and pick it up in your orbit. This will significantly add to your score and give you additional "lives" on the next stage. You beat the stage by putting a glowing "sun" planetoid in your orbit.
The graphics, like in the whole bit Generation series, are definately minimal. They are, however, beautiful. And the music is absolutely stunning despite the NES style five channel sound. The levels have a base music theme and when you add a planetoid to your orbit the theme changes. As you add more planetoids the music gets slightly more layered with additional sounds.
There are 30 stages and the replay value comes from beating all the stages by picking up "moon" planetoids that become active after you've grown in size big enough to pick up the "sun" planetoid in your orbit. Getting the "moon" can be very tricky on some levels since it's normally placed outside of a clean orbital path. I assume something unlocks once you have picked up the "moon" on each level. I haven't done it yet so I can't confirm.
And after beating the 30 stages a "special" solar system unlocks with 5 stages that are BRUTALLY hard. I haven't beaten one yet.
I can't recommend this game high enough. Get it from Play-Asia.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Catch up time!
Games Played: Saints Row (X360), Gears of War (X360), Gyruss (XBLA), 3D Mini Golf (XBLA), Puzzle Quest (DS), Puzzle Quest (PSP), Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Xbox)
Games Bought: Trigger Heart Excelia (DC) [$59.99], Chromehounds (X360) [$20.00], Center Ring Boxing (Saturn) [$5.00], WWF In Your House (Saturn) [$5.00]
Been pretty lazy recently so here's a big catchup post.
Been playing a lot of Saints Row, it's like an even more buggy Grand Theft Auto but it still pretty good. Lots of side missions and some decent comedy (not so much satire).
Played some Gears last night with a friend on co-op.
Gyruss is GARBAGE on Live. They changed the graphics to make them more "effecty" and it ruins gameplay. And the famous score (Toccata & Fuge in D Minor) was remixed and techno-ey. No option for playing the undoctored original. You're way better off waiting for it on the Virtual Console. What a failure.
Games Bought: Trigger Heart Excelia (DC) [$59.99], Chromehounds (X360) [$20.00], Center Ring Boxing (Saturn) [$5.00], WWF In Your House (Saturn) [$5.00]
Been pretty lazy recently so here's a big catchup post.
Been playing a lot of Saints Row, it's like an even more buggy Grand Theft Auto but it still pretty good. Lots of side missions and some decent comedy (not so much satire).
Played some Gears last night with a friend on co-op.
Gyruss is GARBAGE on Live. They changed the graphics to make them more "effecty" and it ruins gameplay. And the famous score (Toccata & Fuge in D Minor) was remixed and techno-ey. No option for playing the undoctored original. You're way better off waiting for it on the Virtual Console. What a failure.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Weekend of April 13th, 2007
Games Played: Boom Boom Rocket (XBLA), Puzzle Quest (PSP), Saints Row (X360), NBA Street: Homecourt (X360)
Movies Watched: Babel, Pursuit of Happiness
Babel was pretty solid, having seen 21 Grams, I think that it's very derivative of that, but it was a good work on its own. I don't see any Oscar nominations in it though.
Pursuit of Happiness was what I expected; you feel pretty good and lucky after watching it. Even jaded bastards like me have to be impacted on some level. Will Smith's kid wasn't nearly as obnoxious as I thought he'd be.
Saints Row is a mixed bag for me. I may work through it. It's got a large and pretty fun world to interact in; but the AI and controls are a total toss up. Sometimes it works great. Sometimes you want to throw the controller in fustration.
Puzzle Quest is as addictive as ever.
Movies Watched: Babel, Pursuit of Happiness
Babel was pretty solid, having seen 21 Grams, I think that it's very derivative of that, but it was a good work on its own. I don't see any Oscar nominations in it though.
Pursuit of Happiness was what I expected; you feel pretty good and lucky after watching it. Even jaded bastards like me have to be impacted on some level. Will Smith's kid wasn't nearly as obnoxious as I thought he'd be.
Saints Row is a mixed bag for me. I may work through it. It's got a large and pretty fun world to interact in; but the AI and controls are a total toss up. Sometimes it works great. Sometimes you want to throw the controller in fustration.
Puzzle Quest is as addictive as ever.
Side Note!
Mentioning a video game related podcast I've been picking up. Press Start is part of the alt.npr series of podcasts. Check it out and let me know what you think:
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510066
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510066
April 12th, 2007
Games Played: Boom Boom Rocket! (XBLA)
I may have played something else, but I don't really remember. BBR is awesome, awesome. It's just another rhythm game really, but the presentation is just amazing. You set off fireworks in tune to remixed classical music (1812 Overture, Ride of the Valkyries, et all) over a city skyline. How close you get to the beat the bigger the firework explosions. You can also unlock special "fireworks" that pop in the image of various things (hearts, ufos, cherries) that mix up the scenery. It's done by the same people who did the now famous Geometry Wars and the presentation really shows. It also has a visualizer mode where you can watch the fireworks to your MP3s or CDs. Well worth the $10 it costs.
I may have played something else, but I don't really remember. BBR is awesome, awesome. It's just another rhythm game really, but the presentation is just amazing. You set off fireworks in tune to remixed classical music (1812 Overture, Ride of the Valkyries, et all) over a city skyline. How close you get to the beat the bigger the firework explosions. You can also unlock special "fireworks" that pop in the image of various things (hearts, ufos, cherries) that mix up the scenery. It's done by the same people who did the now famous Geometry Wars and the presentation really shows. It also has a visualizer mode where you can watch the fireworks to your MP3s or CDs. Well worth the $10 it costs.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Side Note!
Interesting Article: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070223a/barton_01.shtml
It is an article series that covers Computer RPG history from Dark Ages (Pre 1979) through today, more or less. It does leave off a few favorites of mine such as Fountain of Dreams by EA (very similiar to Wasteland but with some twists) but it seems to be pretty darn comprehensive!
I've got a weakness for classic CRPGs as I cut my teeth on a few of them. Pools of Radiance and Hillsfar namely. I still play Roguelikes from time to time (ADOM is one of my favorites). And Quest for Glory I & II rank as two of my favorite games of all time.
I can admit, however, to never having played Fallout. I don't know how it (didn't) happen but it's something I still seek to remedy. It's probably the most shameful thing on my gaming legacy.
It is an article series that covers Computer RPG history from Dark Ages (Pre 1979) through today, more or less. It does leave off a few favorites of mine such as Fountain of Dreams by EA (very similiar to Wasteland but with some twists) but it seems to be pretty darn comprehensive!
I've got a weakness for classic CRPGs as I cut my teeth on a few of them. Pools of Radiance and Hillsfar namely. I still play Roguelikes from time to time (ADOM is one of my favorites). And Quest for Glory I & II rank as two of my favorite games of all time.
I can admit, however, to never having played Fallout. I don't know how it (didn't) happen but it's something I still seek to remedy. It's probably the most shameful thing on my gaming legacy.
April 11th, 2007
Games Played: Tetris Evolution (X360), NBA Street: Homecourt (X360)
Games Bought: bit Generations: Digidrive (GBA) [$13.90], bit Generations: Orbital (GBA) [$24.90], bit Generations: Dialhex (GBA) [$13.90], bit Generations: Boundish (GBA) $14.90, Mansion of Hidden Souls (Saturn) [$2.90]
Got nearly all of the Tetris achievements last night, missing just one. It'll be a hard one that takes more luck than skill.
NBA Street: Homecourt is brilliant. NBA Jam on speed with plastic surgery. I haven't played a street game since Vol. 2 and none of the fun has worn off. I'm working through single player but I may take it online to see how my skills are.
Games Bought: bit Generations: Digidrive (GBA) [$13.90], bit Generations: Orbital (GBA) [$24.90], bit Generations: Dialhex (GBA) [$13.90], bit Generations: Boundish (GBA) $14.90, Mansion of Hidden Souls (Saturn) [$2.90]
Got nearly all of the Tetris achievements last night, missing just one. It'll be a hard one that takes more luck than skill.
NBA Street: Homecourt is brilliant. NBA Jam on speed with plastic surgery. I haven't played a street game since Vol. 2 and none of the fun has worn off. I'm working through single player but I may take it online to see how my skills are.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
April 10th, 2007
Games Played: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (X360), Puzzle Quest (PSP)
Games Bought: Tony Hawk Project 8 (X360) [$11.00], NBA Street: Homecourt (X360) [$23.00], Ar Tonelico (PS2) [$49.99], Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS) [$27.00]
MUA is now officially a pain in my balls. I missed a simulator disc in the first part of Murderworld and there's no way to go back and get it. Thus my save game is now impossible to unlock Silver Surfer with or get the Golden Age of Comics achievement. I MAY play this again with the new characters but I'm starting to doubt it. I was hoping to play through hard with them...
Puzzle Quest on PSP is just like the DS version but the PSP looks a lot better. Easier to see the gems. And has some great on screen tooltips to help learn mechanics that the DS lacks. Wouldn't have thought I'd say this, but the PSP version is a lot more friendly to newer players.
Games Bought: Tony Hawk Project 8 (X360) [$11.00], NBA Street: Homecourt (X360) [$23.00], Ar Tonelico (PS2) [$49.99], Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS) [$27.00]
MUA is now officially a pain in my balls. I missed a simulator disc in the first part of Murderworld and there's no way to go back and get it. Thus my save game is now impossible to unlock Silver Surfer with or get the Golden Age of Comics achievement. I MAY play this again with the new characters but I'm starting to doubt it. I was hoping to play through hard with them...
Puzzle Quest on PSP is just like the DS version but the PSP looks a lot better. Easier to see the gems. And has some great on screen tooltips to help learn mechanics that the DS lacks. Wouldn't have thought I'd say this, but the PSP version is a lot more friendly to newer players.
April 9th, 2007
Games Played: Puzzle Quest (DS), Tetris Evolution (X360)
Games Bought: Tetris Evolution (X360) [24.99], Puzzle Quest (DS) [24.99], Capcom Mini Mix (GBA) [9.99]
I'm really enjoying PQ and I'm getting it on PSP tomorrow but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to "level" my character. It seems like if you don't grind it out, you have a lot harder time in fights. More on this game to come.
Tetris Evolution is more Tetris with achievements. I knocked out about a third of them on my first playthroughs last night. I'll work out the rest as the week goes on. Tetris is obviously a lot of fun and this version is no different. I'd love to see a Q? (Mizuguchi) take on Tetris. It'd be brilliant.
Games Bought: Tetris Evolution (X360) [24.99], Puzzle Quest (DS) [24.99], Capcom Mini Mix (GBA) [9.99]
I'm really enjoying PQ and I'm getting it on PSP tomorrow but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to "level" my character. It seems like if you don't grind it out, you have a lot harder time in fights. More on this game to come.
Tetris Evolution is more Tetris with achievements. I knocked out about a third of them on my first playthroughs last night. I'll work out the rest as the week goes on. Tetris is obviously a lot of fun and this version is no different. I'd love to see a Q? (Mizuguchi) take on Tetris. It'd be brilliant.
Weekend of April 6th, 2007
Games Played: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (X360), Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (X360), bit Generations: Dotstream (GBA)
Movies Watched: The Good Shepard, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (TV on DVD)
Worked towards achievements in MUA and DOAX2. I gave up on DOAX2 really fast. Man it takes awhile.
Dotstream is pretty amazing. Its a racing game from an overhead perspective that uses simple lines and blocks to create the action. The sound and music is quite good, capturing the best of the gameboy/NES days. It is also VERY hard.
The Good Shepard was quite long but a solid effort and served as an entertaining thriller but an excellent character study. The ending plot elements were a bit contrived and unnecessary but I guess most audiences need that kind of conflict to enjoy a movie.
Brisco is a huge amount of fun. The limited budget of the show is pretty evident in most scenes but the strength of the characters more than bears the weight of the show. They don't make TV like this anymore.
Movies Watched: The Good Shepard, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (TV on DVD)
Worked towards achievements in MUA and DOAX2. I gave up on DOAX2 really fast. Man it takes awhile.
Dotstream is pretty amazing. Its a racing game from an overhead perspective that uses simple lines and blocks to create the action. The sound and music is quite good, capturing the best of the gameboy/NES days. It is also VERY hard.
The Good Shepard was quite long but a solid effort and served as an entertaining thriller but an excellent character study. The ending plot elements were a bit contrived and unnecessary but I guess most audiences need that kind of conflict to enjoy a movie.
Brisco is a huge amount of fun. The limited budget of the show is pretty evident in most scenes but the strength of the characters more than bears the weight of the show. They don't make TV like this anymore.
Friday, April 6, 2007
April 5th, 2007
Games Played: Gunpey (PSP), Star Control II [The Ur-Quan Masters] (PC), Marvel Ultimate Alliance (X360)
Movies Watched: Spellbound
Beat SCII. Next time I'll do it without a FAQ.
Worked on achievements in MUA. I didn't feel very well so I didn't play GHII. Didn't want to stand up and rawk out.
Gunpey is very, very hard. The game seems broken actually. Way too much reliance on luck of the draw on what puzzle pieces you'll get when. As far as I know, no one has actually unlocked all of the skins. The farthest save file only has 29 of them unlocked.
Side Note: Don't type your post directly into the compose screen. It seems to be randomly deleting posts after using page down/page up without the ability to recover. Pretty lame. I already lost about 10 minutes of work...
Movies Watched: Spellbound
Beat SCII. Next time I'll do it without a FAQ.
Worked on achievements in MUA. I didn't feel very well so I didn't play GHII. Didn't want to stand up and rawk out.
Gunpey is very, very hard. The game seems broken actually. Way too much reliance on luck of the draw on what puzzle pieces you'll get when. As far as I know, no one has actually unlocked all of the skins. The farthest save file only has 29 of them unlocked.
Side Note: Don't type your post directly into the compose screen. It seems to be randomly deleting posts after using page down/page up without the ability to recover. Pretty lame. I already lost about 10 minutes of work...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
April 4th, 2007
Games Played: Guitar Hero 2 (X360)
It's amazing how much fun it is to re-play games with achievement points. Played 43 songs on normal. 3 perfects, 41 5 stars on first try, 295k on Freebird. Damn that 300k achievement. I'll get it next time. I did get my 500 note streak in Less Talk More Rawk. I was #165 on that song leaderboard.
My wrist hurts...
It's amazing how much fun it is to re-play games with achievement points. Played 43 songs on normal. 3 perfects, 41 5 stars on first try, 295k on Freebird. Damn that 300k achievement. I'll get it next time. I did get my 500 note streak in Less Talk More Rawk. I was #165 on that song leaderboard.
My wrist hurts...
April 3rd, 2007
Games Played: Classic Gaming Night! Street Fighter Alpha 3 (arcade), Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbe (arcade), Guardian Heroes (Saturn), Twinkle Star Sprites (Saturn), Ice Hockey (NES via Virtual Console), Kid Icarus (NES via Virtual Console), Wii Sports (Wii)
Games Bought: Guitar Hero 2 (X360) - $89.99 w/ free 1600 MS point card
Games Bought: Guitar Hero 2 (X360) - $89.99 w/ free 1600 MS point card
April 2nd, 2007
Games Played: Star Control II [The Ur-Quan Masters] (PC)
You can get a free (and legal) copy of Star Control II from http://sc2.sourceforge.net. It is not an adaptation or remake, it's the actual code ported from the 3DO version! You can even download the speech and music packs from the 3DO.
Everyone should play this game. I think it's the most brilliant game ever made.
You can get a free (and legal) copy of Star Control II from http://sc2.sourceforge.net. It is not an adaptation or remake, it's the actual code ported from the 3DO version! You can even download the speech and music packs from the 3DO.
Everyone should play this game. I think it's the most brilliant game ever made.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Weekend of March 30st, 2007
Games Played: Phantasy Star Universe (X360), Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360), Jetpack: Refueled (XBLA), Gunpey (PSP), Star Control II [a.k.a. The Ur-Quan Masters] (PC)
Movies Watched: Children of Men, This Film is Not Yet Rated
Books Read: 100 Bullets Vol. 9, 100 Bullets Vol. 10
I finished up Phantasy Star Universe story mode. It was fun to play with all the content that was locked out of the network mode. The story fell pretty flat (though no one had high expectations for it) and the game suffered from huge design and AI control problems but the game is better than the sum of its parts. Enjoyable combat and lots of cool toys (weapons) to play with made it a great dungeon crawler. Maybe someday I'll go back to the network mode.
Oblivion was picked back up so I could work on some achievements. I made my way through some of the fighter's guild content. I finished up the Defense of Bruma quest line, but it seems to have died and I can't move the main story along. I need to do some more research to figure out what I'm missing. Also, the Thieves Guild questline seems dead too. I should be kicking it off after meeting with an NPC and two others. One of those two never shows up and eventually the other NPCs just leave. Hopefully that's not permanently bugged otherwise Shivering Isles may get left behind...
Gunpey on PSP is fantastic in its presentation but horrible in its control. You simply need to move faster than the dpad can let you do. Or I'm not that good at it yet. The DS version has a horrible presentation but its control is very precise. It's obviously geared towards the touch screen even though this first came out on the WonderSwan. Regardless, Gunpey is more Lumines in presentation than Lumines II is and will appeal to that gamer sentimentality.
Jetpack: Refueled is pretty awesome. Enough for me to buy it after playing the demo anyway. It has action that scratches that twitch itch. The achievements are pretty well designed with some that will be pretty hard to get. As of Sunday I think I was #257 on the high score list but for some reason I can't stay alive through the first 10 levels to get that achievement. The retro mode seems really hard too.
I can't say enough good things about Star Control II. I play it probably once a year. I'll maybe post more about it as time goes on.
Children of Men was pretty fantastic; particularly with the art direction. Very subversive, but clearly stated, in its political commentary. However, it didn't quite have the meaty sci-fi core that it seemed to have been billed with so that might put people off. And the main plot didn't really seem to drive the movie so much as the fantastic "sets" and action sequences did. I don't quite understand why the movie made the top of so many critical lists (especially in light of some of the other unbelievable movies of last year), but I can't help but recommend it.
With 100 Bullets, I skipped ahead from Vol. 5. Interestingly enough, I'm not lost at all. The story seems to be unraveling at a snail's pace. But, the art and the "post-crime noir" storytelling comes off as solidly as it had in previous volumes. I will probably finish this series.
Movies Watched: Children of Men, This Film is Not Yet Rated
Books Read: 100 Bullets Vol. 9, 100 Bullets Vol. 10
I finished up Phantasy Star Universe story mode. It was fun to play with all the content that was locked out of the network mode. The story fell pretty flat (though no one had high expectations for it) and the game suffered from huge design and AI control problems but the game is better than the sum of its parts. Enjoyable combat and lots of cool toys (weapons) to play with made it a great dungeon crawler. Maybe someday I'll go back to the network mode.
Oblivion was picked back up so I could work on some achievements. I made my way through some of the fighter's guild content. I finished up the Defense of Bruma quest line, but it seems to have died and I can't move the main story along. I need to do some more research to figure out what I'm missing. Also, the Thieves Guild questline seems dead too. I should be kicking it off after meeting with an NPC and two others. One of those two never shows up and eventually the other NPCs just leave. Hopefully that's not permanently bugged otherwise Shivering Isles may get left behind...
Gunpey on PSP is fantastic in its presentation but horrible in its control. You simply need to move faster than the dpad can let you do. Or I'm not that good at it yet. The DS version has a horrible presentation but its control is very precise. It's obviously geared towards the touch screen even though this first came out on the WonderSwan. Regardless, Gunpey is more Lumines in presentation than Lumines II is and will appeal to that gamer sentimentality.
Jetpack: Refueled is pretty awesome. Enough for me to buy it after playing the demo anyway. It has action that scratches that twitch itch. The achievements are pretty well designed with some that will be pretty hard to get. As of Sunday I think I was #257 on the high score list but for some reason I can't stay alive through the first 10 levels to get that achievement. The retro mode seems really hard too.
I can't say enough good things about Star Control II. I play it probably once a year. I'll maybe post more about it as time goes on.
Children of Men was pretty fantastic; particularly with the art direction. Very subversive, but clearly stated, in its political commentary. However, it didn't quite have the meaty sci-fi core that it seemed to have been billed with so that might put people off. And the main plot didn't really seem to drive the movie so much as the fantastic "sets" and action sequences did. I don't quite understand why the movie made the top of so many critical lists (especially in light of some of the other unbelievable movies of last year), but I can't help but recommend it.
With 100 Bullets, I skipped ahead from Vol. 5. Interestingly enough, I'm not lost at all. The story seems to be unraveling at a snail's pace. But, the art and the "post-crime noir" storytelling comes off as solidly as it had in previous volumes. I will probably finish this series.
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