deKay's Gaming Diary

This is the game I’ve played most this week. In fact, it’s pretty much the only thing bar Excitebike I’ve played. I’m getting into it now, and really enjoying it. It’s not perfect (the jerking graphics, the difficult to negotiate “bumpy” planets, the stupid lifts, the backtracking, the item and weapon management, etc.) but th story if gripping and the “just another ten minutes” factor is high.

I’m not sure I like having mission after mission thrown at me every 7 seconds, as it makes my journal look almost untouched the whole time and I feel I’m not actually getting anywhere.

I know this post sounds like a huge moan, but they’re all minor points really. It’s just the game isn’t as perfect as I seem to recall the reviews made it out to be.

I haven’t bought a Wii Ware game in a while, but something about Excitebike appealed to me – even though I never really liked the original NES game. I suspect I never really understood how to play it properly.

Seems I was right, since the tutorial in the Wii version revealed that you had an accelerator as well as a turbo, something I genuinely didn’t know – I’d obviously always played with just turbo, assuming the other button was brake. Explains a lot.

Now I know that, I might go back to the original after I’ve finished enjoying this remake. I’ve so far S-ranked all the Bronze tracks, and mostly S-ranked the Silver tracks. I also played online a bit (and was useless), and created a virtually impossibe track with the level editor.

All the excitement surrounding the recent release of Mass Effect 2 made me interested in picking up the original game. After all, I enjoyed Knights of the Old Republic, which is very similar (and by the same people), and it should be mere pennies to buy now.

In fact, it was even less than pennies, as somewhere along the line I’d already bought it. And promptly forgotten about it. It certainly made obtaining it to play much quicker, anyway!

I made a start on it tonight. So far, I’ve completed the first mission on Eden Prime, so am just over an hour in. It’s pretty good – even if the graphics jerk like they’re having a fit a lot of the time, and I got very confused over the seemingly three ways of deciding which weapons and armour your characters have equipped, when in fact only one of those ways actually equips them.

Yes, I could read the manual. But I’d left it on the other side of the room.

I think I’ve completed this today. But since I got no credits or end sequence, I can’t be certain.

I’ve completed all the levels on Earth, and can’t find any more to do, so am I done?

EDIT: It seems, according to GameFAQs, that yes – I’ve completed it. So I’m altering this post to reflect that

There are still lots of gigs to do, and I only have around half of the 1000 possible stars, but I completed the story today.

There’s not a lot else to say about it, really, apart from that the finale track was a bit poor compared to The Final Countdown (which could have the the finale, only they added a bit more game onto the end).

I’d also like to know why every single time I play a random setlist gig, I have to play that Counting Crows track. Every. Single. Time.

This is pretty much all I’ve played since it arrived on Friday. The first thing I’d like to point out is this: Lego Rock Band is 896896347286463 times better than Guitar Hero World Tour. The game’s Story Mode structure is great, it’s funny, and – most importantly – the track list is excellent. World Tour’s is just pants.

Of course, the tracks in Lego Rock Band are more “mainstream”, and not just obscure B-sides from 1970s dinosaurs.

Really enjoying it so far, and have just shy of 300 stars. I’ve mainly been playing guitar, but have done a few vocal tracks (two while trying to play guitar at the same time – it didn’t go well) and a few bass tracks.

Makes my left hand ache somewhat, though.

Turns out I only had a few levels left before the end boss, and they weren’t all that difficult. Neither was the end boss actually, as I defeated him without dying. I was surprised he only took one hit, but never mind.

Of course, it then turns out that he wasn’t the end boss. There were more levels. And a sad thing happens with Blob. Then! An AWESOME thing happens with Blob, and you get to “lay the smack down” (as the common yoof is want to say) on the black blobs. So I did!

And then it was the real end boss. He was a little harder (taking three hits, not one), but he was probably the easiest boss in the whole game.

After that, it was the end sequence. Which, tying in with the rest of the game, was stunningly beautiful. What an excellent game. Lets hope we don’t have to wait another 15 years for another sequel, yes?

I will have to admit, I looked up the numerals I needed on Mr Tinternet. It was either that or start the entire game again – simply because of what I assume is a bug. Which I wasn’t going to do.

After that puzzle (which was a pain anyway, even knowing the numerals you needed), there wasn’t much game left – a quick train ride to Scotland and a pretty simple set of puzzles upon arriving, and it was Game Over!

I last played this, albeit in its GBA guise, almost 5 years ago. Which is long enough ago for me to not remember everything about it, but at the same time it’s a bit familiar. The Wii version is slightly different, what with the FMV bits, the voice acting (especially Nico’s hilarious there-it-is, now-it’s-not French accent) and the Wii Remote activated puzzles. The latter of these seemed to crop up a lot at the start of the game, then there were very few, and no – at 90% complete – there are a load of them again.

One of which I’m actually very badly stuck on. I have a wheel within a wheel, and each wheel has roman numerals on them. According to the instructions, my diary has made a note of the order of the numerals, so I can complete the puzzle. Only it hasn’t.

I know where the numerals came up in the game (in the tomb in the church in Paris), but my dairy didn’t record them for me. And, since I can’t leave Spain (where I am currently) until I’ve passed this puzzle, I can’t go back and check them. So I’m totally stumped. How annoying that I’m almost at the end (and nearly 10 hours in – it’s pretty much the only game I’ve played in a week) and can’t progress. Rubbish.

I started this last week, but for some reason Professor Layton took over and I didn’t play it for a few days. I was pretty sure I was nearing the end, but it seems that there’s at least one more set of levels after Blobolonia…

But I’m a bit ahead of myself. As a fan of the original game, I pre-ordered the DS remake of the game the moment it was announced. Which was in 2004 or something. But it never came out. I was surprised, then, when a different remake (or rather, reimagining) of the game was announced for the Wii a while ago. Even more surprised was I when it actually came out!

It’s better than the original in so many ways. Firstly, it’s less frustratingly difficult, with unlimited lives, frequent checkpoints, autosave, unlimited jellybeans, and better controls. But the soul of the game is the same, and the aim also remains unchanged: feed Blob jellybeans, each flavour giving him a different ability, and use it to navigate the puzzle-filled levels.

It’s also a beautiful game. Nothing short of a Ghibli production, in fact, with smooth animation and cute, detailed-but-simple characters and enemies. The puzzles are clever, and although there can be a little too much hand-holding (lots of signs showing which abilities to use – and where), it’s a well crafted, fun game.

121 puzzles in, and I have just completed the story. There’s loads left to do, of course, but the main bit is done.

Since this is the first entry in my diary for this game, I should probably say I’ve only been playing it for a week or so. I got it for Christmas with $hlmun other games, so I didn’t play it right away.

It’s very much the same as the first game. There seem to be fewer puzzles of certain types (eg chess based, “one of these is a liar” and matchstick ones) and more solitaire based ones, but it’s not a vast departure. There’s a big improvement in the UI, in that there is now a menu function where you can write over the puzzle – very handy for maze based and maths puzzles.

I’m not sure I liked the big reveal near the end, where the mystery of the town was explained, but then, the same silliness was in the first game.

I’ll be picking off the remaining puzzles and tasks soon!

It’s the first game I’ve played of the year, and Its also the first game I’ve completed this year.

Admittedly, I’ve only completed it on 50CC so far (although will be returning to do the rest), but I did come first in every race.

I think this is the best console Mario Kart since the SNES version too. It’s not that I didn’t like the N64 and GC versions, it’s just the N64 tracks seemed big and empty, and the two character mechanic of the GC Mario Kart was a bit superfluous. This one, however, has great tracks and the new “stunt gimmick” is actually pretty good.

Of course, I’ve merely defeated the end of game boss. And I even accidentally found a warp from World 5 to World 8, so haven’t even done 6 and 7 yet. Or got all the gold coins so far. Or rescued all the Toads. But I do have 42 lives and haven’t seen the Super Guide or the Game Over screen yet, so that’s all good, yes?

And, of course, I will go back. In fact, I’m going back now to finish World 5

Immediately after completing Broken Steel, I downloaded and started playing Point Lookout. And oh, is it lovely. It’s the best DLC for the game I’ve played so far (and from what I’ve heard, The Pitt and Mothership Zeta, the two I’ve yet to try, aren’t as good) but it’s HUGE. I’ve done pretty much everything I can – all the achievements, all the quests and side quests, and all the incidental stuff I can find along the way. And it’s taken me over 20 hours. 20 hours! For what was about 6 quid! Bargain.

And excellent it was too. I won’t be getting into any of the other DLC for a little while yet, though, for two reasons: 1) there’s a rumour it’ll be getting a 50% price drop just after Christmas, and 2) I will almost certainly be getting other games for Christmas I’ll be wanting to play. So for now, it’s goodbye (again) to The Wasteland.

After around 12 hours play (yes, I got a bit distracted for a few missions, as usual), I completed Broken Steel. The level cap increase is great, and the addition of the new baddies have made the game hard again (only the Deathclaws ever gave me a challenge once I hit level 20 – and even then only in packs). The Feral Ghoul Reavers, though, are more than a bit hard, are they not?! Even with a weapon that does 100 damage, they take a good 15 or more headshots to take down!

I’m now on Level 24, I think, and have already lapsed back into the whole OCDness of The Wasteland. Every item, bar the very useless, but be picked up. As many weapons as possible – even those I’ll never use – must be carried at all times. And now I have a use for the cameras and sensor modules my inventory management has never been such a mammoth task. But yes, I love it.

I felt it was finally time to return to The Wasteland. So I did.

Part of the reason was that I wanted a game to fill the gap before Christmas, and a Fallout expansion fits the bill. Another reason was that I’ve really got into music from the 40s and Fallout is full of it. No, really – I have.

I bought and downloaded Broken Steel, and have so far completed the mission with the satellite linkup thing. Of course, I dragged things out a bit by doing some hunting, walking not warping, and detouring to a few places I’d not visited on the way. I’ve gained a level already too. It’s great to be back!

Just three years and 9 days after buying it, I finally completed Downhill Jam!

Turns out I was just being rubbish last time, as today I sailed through the final Tier will no problems at all.

Seems I was a bit wrong in my stats last time. I was 50% complete at 8 hours. However, I was pretty close to completing the story, with only a handful of missions available. Still, it took me over 12 hours in total before I completed it.

Thankfully, the ending mission was more lighthearted and less back-stabby than both Nico and Jonny’s plotlines. Even if it did turn out to be utterly ridiculous. Fun though.

And breathe! That has to be one of the longest game titles ever!

It was new on WiiWare last night, so I downloaded it. Played it a little then, but mostly today – and completed it. I was the shortest of the chapters so far, taking me just two and a half hours to complete. All the other chapters have taken between 5 and 6. However, this was the first one I’d not got stuck on at any point.

I can’t really say much about the story, as it would be full of spoilers, but I can say it was at least as enjoyable as the previous episodes. And Stan is ace.

I’d previously been playing Perfect Dark Zero on my 360, when, after about 6 levels I thought – “Why the hell am I playing this?”. It was rubbish. And I had a billion other better things to play, like this already downloaded ages ago DLC for GTA IV.

Whereas the main story was all over the place, but mainly involved Russians, and The Lost and Damned was all bikers and backstabbing, Gay Tony is overblown silliness involving nightclubs and helicopters and diamonds and helicopters and basejumping AND HELICOPTERS. Lots of helicopters. ENOUGH WITH THE HELICOPTERS ALREADY.

Seriously. 5 missions in a row were helicopter based.

Not that I dislike helicopters, but I don’t want half the game to take place in the sky.

Anyway. The silliness is funny. As always, the characters are great, the acting is amazing, and the story is gripping. If silly. And Yusef Amir is outstanding.

I think, according to the stats, I’m around 60% through now. Past experience says that the end is just around the corner (as 70%-ish complete is normally “story done” in GTA games). Which is a shame as it seems short. Mind you, TLaD only took about 8 hours to do, so it’s on par with that.

It seems that there’s another Tier after Tier 9. Yeah, Tier 10. Who knew?

And it’s very hard. In fact, I can only do the first event, and even that was a bronze (and I only just scraped through with that!). This must be the final Tier now though, I’m sure, as I no longer have a countdown to how many points I need before ranking up.

For reasons not entirely well known, I started playing this today. Well, started again. You see, I bought it with my launch Wii, but having only recently – at the time – hammered the “proper” Tony Hawk games (which I love) the different controls and mechanics just put me off. Odd, since they never bothered me in the DS version.

Anyway, I’m actually enjoying it. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun and surprisingly controllable. And so it came to pass that I’m already up to the final (I think) tier of events.

Over the last week I’ve been chipping away at two things – getting myself up to Level 50 (I’m not there yet, but I’m up to about 49.5) and to 100% the game on Insane Mode. Which I did today! Excellent!

It also puts me at 709th in the world

It seemed shorter and easier than the previous episode (particularly the walk-over of a final boss), but it was still great. There was less to-ing and fro-ing than last time, which was a big improvement. It seemed to come at the cost of loading times though – it takes TEN MINUTES to load the game, which is utterly ridiculous!

The level before the final boss was a real pain. Lots of sweeping lights, most of which need to be turned off as well as on, and many only just in reach (meaning a million accidental I-walked-too-far deaths). Needless to say, I was relieved when it was over.

And then the final boss. He was… reasonably easy. He’s the only boss where the entire fight requires pixel-perfect positioning and exact timing, all at speed. Thankfully, I realised you don’t have to go into over-the-shoulder view in order to throw cherry bombs – something which, if I’d known sooner, would have made a few other levels much easier.

Anyway, he only took about 10 attempts, and on the successful attempt, only about 20 seconds to kill. And game over!

I don’t think I got the “good” ending though, as I don’t remember answering the phone in every room there was a phone in. Oops.