deKay's Gaming Diary

So… that’s pretty much it. I’ve completed the few remaining levels (all of which were Volcano Island “strange request” levels), and on every level I’ve managed a reasonable-or-better score, with many levels having a score of 100. I don’t really fancy playing it again for better scores, as each level was almost the same as the last, so I feel I’ve been playing the same level over and over and over already.

Besides, the 360 is easier to control, so I could just play that if I fancied a bit more rollyball “action”.

Completed in that I’ve done all the main levels and the end of game sequence and bonus game, at least. I think there are a few more animals to sort out on Volcano Island, although I’ve done most of them too.

It’s a shame that the levels are all the same and it’s too easy (I haven’t failed a single level), but it’s still rollyball fun like the others in the series – it just happens to be the weakest in that series.

Oh! And this would be my first completed PSP game! Hurrah!

I’ve been a bit busy this week so haven’t had time to fill in my diary. So here’s a brief rundown of what I’ve been playing:

Me and My Katamari (PSP)
It’s been this for most of the week. It is good and all, but I’m finding it a bit limiting. There are so few locations in the game (even fewer than the 360 version, in fact) that almost every level is a repeat of the last, with a different – or not – arrangement of objects. The controls are very fiddly too, with going straight and large turns being easy enough, but minor adjustments are difficult.

There’s also the dual problems of pop-up (so bad that you sometimes collect items before they’ve even been drawn on the screen) and slowdown, marring enjoyment somewhat. There’s another strange thing too – I actually kept running out of things to roll up. I’d reach the target size, and have so much time left over I could not only roll up every single remaining item, but also have another minute or more left in which there was nothing to do.

Thankfully, it’s still fun, and it’s still Katamari. I think if I’d played the other games after this one, perhaps I’d not be so bothered by the problems.

Sega Superstar Tennis (Wii)
This was £15 in Asda, and as it had had some reasonable reviews, I thought I’d get it. Even though common sense dictates that because it’s a Sega game, there’s a good chance it’ll be crap. But it isn’t! OK, so it isn’t fantastic, and the Wii swinging controls are a little unresponsive, but it’s more fun than Top Spin 2 on the 360. Some of the mini-games are pretty ace too – especially the House of the Dead one.

Wii Fit (Wii)
This arrived this week too, and it’s brilliant. I don’t go in for it being an actual tool for really actually getting you fit, but if it makes me more active at least, that’d be good. It’s also a great novelty too, using your entire body as a controller. And it’s worth the price for the skiing and ski jump games alone. Almost.

I won’t be posting my BMI and weight and stuff here, just my progress. Which so far, hasn’t happened. I’ve played most of the unlocked Yoga poses (one of which my body simply rejects), all the balance games, and a couple of aerobic exercises. I’m not planning on even touching the muscle exercises though. Press-ups? No.

Hurrah for new games arriving in the post! Boo that this should have arrived last Monday and my local post is crap. Hurrah for it being aces! Boo for it having really difficult controls (no dual analogue sticks). Hurrah for that not really mattering all that much.

And most important of all, hurrah for the King of all Cosmos: Swimsuit Edition! Amaze!

I’ve only completed two levels (and the training) so far, and it feels much more like the PS2 version than the 360 version. the mid-level loading is there (which is a shame, but not a deal-breaker), and the graphics do look a lot worse than on the 360 – something I didn’t think would be the case, as on the 360 they didn’t seem that much better than the PS2 version. None of this matters, as it’s Katamari! Yay!

Haven’t played this for just over a week or so, it seems, so I did get a little confused as to the rhythms for the commands. I need to take on a load of guard posts, but after three defeats (the first because one of the posts has a Patapon squishing device on it!) I decided to try something else instead, and went back to an earlier level for a bit of hunting.

After that, I returned to kill Dodonga (now on level 3), but almost there as well as he was much harder than I was expecting – I had just two archers left. I need to level-up my Patapons somehow, but can’t figure out how. the game suggests killing old bosses, but I can’t even do that without dying. There’s a cook somewhere that can make me potions, but where?

Amazing! I finally managed to finish level 2! And not just level 2 (the learn-to-drive one), but also level 3 (the fleamarket one). Level 3 was actually much, much easier for some reason.

Now, I have to bake a cake out of fish, and, after $hlmun attempts, I still can’t do it. It’s far too hard. Even though my rapping appears to be in time, it clearly isn’t.

Just four more levels (in World 3) to complete today. Lots of being eaten by the shape-changing owl (the programmers were on drugs, right?), and I found another friend – a red LocoRoco.

I also managed to lose almost all of my LocoRocos on one level, as they got sucked up a draught thing, leaving just two behind for me to control. Gah!

I didn’t realise you could find and unlock other LocoRoco blobs to play with/as. Until I unlocked two today – a pink one, and a blue one. And here’s the genius bit: they have their own voices that they sing along to the level music in! Fantastic! Even if the blue one has a really deep manly voice and sounds a bit creepy…

Today I completed all of the levels in World 2, all bar one completed with at least 15 blobs – the other was just 6. I had 18, but some spikes trapped me and I lost all bar 4. Which means, if I hadn’t hit the spikes, I’ve have collected all 20. Bah.

Just another couple of levels completed today. The ice one was ace – loads of sliding all over the place!

Having played all the demos I could find over the last wee or so, the full game finally arrived today. Only managed to get as far as completing the first two levels, though, and played about with the house, and the crane minigame.

It’s very cute, isn’t it?

Downloaded some more PSP demos today and had a play. Hurrah for free things!

Hot Shots Golf 2
Or Minna no Golf 2, or whatever the English name is. Lovely! Only three holes, and I had to guess the controls, but it’s cute and colourful and plays just like those other golf games that I like. You know the ones – ones that aren’t crap.

Ape Escape 2
Erm. Monkeys. And a terrible, awful, rubbish camera. And it uses the “analogue” nub, so is instantly rubbish. Tch, eh?

SOCOM Firezzzzzyawn
Guh. Can you aim without moving? Can you move without getting shot? Is it any good? The answers to these questions, and more, is “no”.

Thing With A Cat And A Frog And A Rabbit In
No idea. All in Japanese. Looks cute, haven’t a clue what to do. Lots of text. Amazing!

I totally OBLITERATED the Zigotons today, completely wiping the floor with their three attacks they attempted. One was a mission where I had to escort a cart being pulled by some horses, but even though the horses seemed to complain they were being attacked, I quite easily saw off the enemy.

I also have a few flame bows for my archers. Torching the enemy = fun!

I got a horse!

In fact, I got TWO horses! And more archer Patapons. And then went and fought a load of Zigotons. Then some more. And hunted a bit. Then! I found a Patapon with some spoons that smacks a mountain’s rock toes. No, really.

Amazing!

I have no idea how far I got playing this, or how much I scored, as I forgot to look. But I managed to get through at least six skins and was playing for about 40 minutes.

Hurrah! I completed the first level! Amazing!

And then completely failed to get past the second level. I did, however, manage to get the lyrics “check and turn the signal to the left/now turn to the left” wedged in my head.

With my new-found ability to download game demos to my PSP, I put a load on to play today.

Space Invaders Extreme
Excellent! It’s exactly what the title suggests – Space Invaders, only Extreme! It’s a lot like the DS Space Invaders game from a couple of years ago, but with more power-ups and a combo system. And bonus levels. Apparently there’s a DS version of this PSP title too, which is supposedly even better.

LocoRoco
Several demos, in fact. I really can’t wait for the full version to arrive, as it really is quite amazing.

Ridge Racer
Yawn. Ridge Racer is, and always has been, pretty dull. And this version is no exception. Give me Outrun 2006 any day.

Some strange Japanese thing
No idea what it’s called, but it’s a platformer where you are a boy with a grapple hook, and you grapple a fish and then have to grapple across a river and I couldn’t do it and drowned a lot. Hm.

Oh! Now I’ve got the “Don” drum too! That means I can summon rain, allowing me across the desert. Which I did! It was quite difficult, as you have to get Fever active to summon the rain, and the rain doesn’t last forever so you have to summon it often. And, if it’s not raining, your Patapons die as it’s too hot…

After that I went and killed (an improved and more powerful) Dodonga again, this time with more Patapons, so he was actually very easy. And I went hunting some more, and gave the trumpet man some stuff and got things from he dancing tree. Ace!

Oooh! Lots of excitement today! Not only did I figure out how to create more Patapons to use in my now-growing army, but I also found a tree-and-trumpet-man mini-game that gives me stuff, AND I can now Chaka-Chaka-Pata-Pon (defend)! Aces!

The Chaka thing was especially useful on Dodonga – the first proper “boss” I encountered in the game. Most of my army were defeated during the fight, but thankfully I collected their caps that they leave behind, so they were reborn after the mission.

I have the game on order, but no-one told me you could download demos for the PSP! So I did!

It’s great, as I expected, and possibly the most cute thing ever created. The way your blob sings along with the music is brilliant, and even better is when you split him up into several blobs, they all sing – some singing different parts of the song! OMFG!

But, uh, the game. It’s ACES! Although my sticky R button is a bit of an issue. And not knowing what the hell I needed to do didn’t help. But it’s rolly tilty cutey fun. Hurrah!

This game was the reason I finally decided to get a PSP. With it, there were enough titles available to warrant buying one, and I couldn’t resist Patapon having seen and read about it.

Anyway. I’ve played it a bit this evening, and I’m already hooked. It doesn’t touch the analogue nub (which is good), instead pretty much relying on just two (so far) face buttons. Square makes a “pata” noise, and circle is “pon”. When you press these in the sequence pata-pata-pata-pon, your little men advance. When you press pon-pon-pata-pon, they attack. Simple! Only you have to do it in a rhythm, and they repeat it back.

Frankly, the game is fantastic. Even if I have only done two missions.

Too! Hard! Gnngh!

I can’t even get past the first level unless I play it on Easy. Rubbish.