I’ve not posted a lot here in a while. It’s mainly because I’ve been glued to Shadow Complex. Having completed 100% a few days ago, I started again on Hardcore mode, and today completed it 100% again. And I’m going to go straight back in and start it on Insane next.
Yes, it really is that good.
Here’s me at the top of my friends leaderboard:
Yes, I am best.
Going for the big 100%, but have run into a few rooms I can’t reach, and some now can’t be reached unless I restart. There’s a room that seems to need to foam gun to blast open too, but the gun doesn’t do anything so I think it’s bugged. Bah.
What a great game! It’s just like Metroid or Castlevania in structure, only in a near-future setting and in 2.5D.
It took me just over 6 hours to complete, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Part of the appeal of these sorts of game comes from starting off weak and useless but building your powers and stats up to become unstoppable – defeating with ease the baddies that previously seemed indestructible. Another thing I like is the OCDness of it – collect everything, visit everywhere. Get 100% on your skills and stats. I’ve completed the game, but I’m not there yet so there’s still plenty to be done!
Two of my most favourite games serieseses ever: Castlevania and Metroid. Why do I mention them? Because Shadow Complex is just like them!
OK, so it’s more modern day, and there are no aliens or vampires (yet, at least), but it’s the same mazey, upgradey, shooty platformy aceness! Hurrah!!
It’s Kikstart II! Only new! And shiny!
Absolutely loved this tonight. Managed all Golds so far, and I’m one level from finishing Easy Mode. Addicted already.
I powered up my 360 for the first time in what seems like forever just to download and play this yesterday. I didn’t play for very long, but then today I completed it.
Already.
Not that I really expected any less, though. I mean, it’s a pretty short game. I just didn’t expect it to be quite so easy, that’s all. Inly the final boss was any sort of challenge, and even he wasn’t too difficult.
But it looks amazing, and it plays great too. Like a slicker, quicker, prettier version of the arcade game. Which, of course, is what it is. Well worth the 800 points, I thought.
Yes, I know I already own this seventygillion times. And yes – Megadrive Ultimate Collection, which contains this game, was even in my 360′s drive at the time. But still I bought it from XBLA, and of course – I completed it.
With all the emeralds (got the last one in Marble Garden 1, if you care) too. And no Tails. He’s rubbish and needs hot metal things rammed through his face.
I’ve not had time to update this week, but, unusually, I’ve managed to play a fair amount.
Apollo Justice (DS)
Still plowing through the second case. I’ve started cross-examining the accused’s girlfriend. I think I know what the story is, and who did it, and why. Hurrah!
Animal Crossing (Wii)
Same as it ever is, really. Played for about 20 minutes each day, just pottering round Cheese; a bit of fishing, some fossil collecting, weeding, chatting to the other residents, and that sort of thing. Also had a visit from The Rev on Friday night, and he left me some fruit. Thanks much!
Swords and Soldiers (Wii)
Stuck. On the third (I think?) mission of the Chinese campaign. Bah.
Bionic Commando: Rearmed (360)
With my 360 back, I bought this as it was on offer this week at 400 points instead of the usual 800. It’s pretty good, actually, although I have started several levels I’ve been unable to progress in as I keep hitting dead ends. And it’s hard.
Assorted Xbox Live Arcade Games (360)
On the ugvm group, there’s a competition running to find who is the bestest of the best at a range of 360 games. I had a go at getting up the leaderboards on Frogger, Geometry Wars 2, Marble Blast Ultra, Pac-Man CE and Track and Field. I didn’t do well. Boo!
I actually bought this when it came out a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t mentioned it here for some reason. So far, I’ve got most of the jiggies in the first world, and two in the second. And opened the third.
Not really enjoying it as much as the original. There’s too much back-tracking and jumping in and out of worlds. I know there was a bit of this in the first one, but, like the collecting, it’s taken to new depths of rubbishness in the sequel. It isn’t rubbish – just not as good.
It turned out I didn’t have a lot left to do in the game. I wiped out the last of the evil mimes with invisible items, then killed the last of the, uh, robots, fully upgraded my weapons, and then set off after the end of game boss.
Who was actually pretty easy to beat. He took a fair while to take down, but I had so many items that even when he got a few full unblocked attacks in I didn’t suffer much.
And then the achievements just rolled in. It’s odd, that you get two achievements in the first 10 minutes of the game, then 6 or 7 in the last 10 minutes of the game. And none in the middle (well, unless you’d read them first and realised you had to defeat baddies in certain ways).
Overall, a funny but actually quite clever and original game with an unusual battle system. It’s a bit repetitive, but it wasn’t too long a game so it was over before that grated. Well recommended, and with hindsight, 1600 points probably wouldn’t have been too much to pay for it. I’m happy to pay that much for Episode 2 now, at least.
Look, I didn’t buy this, OK? I got a free copy of Connect 4 with something I ordered from SoftUK, and then today I won a competition to win Yahtzee, Battleship and another (great!) copy of Connect 4. Joy!
What do I think? I think it’s… alright? Stupidly expensive if you fork out 800 points each for the games, and the real-life versions of the games are more, well, usable (and don’t have Mr Potato Head prancing around all the time slowing the game down), but there’s online play and a few extra game modes to make up for that. A bit.
Thrashed the pants off someone online on Connect 4. That was pretty good. I played the other two games offline, and they were, well, exactly what I expected them to be.
Oh, and a bizarre thing happened. I created a game lobby, then someone joined. I chose to play Connect 4, but the other player didn’t have it, so the game awarded me an achievement for Yahtzee. What?
I bought this a couple of weeks ago when it was on offer, but it’s only at the weekend that I had a chance to play it. I had enjoyed the demo previously, but 1600 points was a bit too much to pay for one episode of a game when I had loads of other games to play. 800 points, though, is a bargain.
The story so far: is nuts. I didn’t really expect anything else, though. I’ve already cleared out Desperation Road, killed all the hobos in Hobo Alley, and killed the golden-haired boss of the robot factory. Next I need to sort out Pelican Bay…
Well, I did say that online was the main bit of Outrun, didn’t I?
“Completed”, in case you’re wondering, entailed this: completing every Goal from A-E, and the 15 Stage mode, all on Normal difficulty. Yeah, a bit short, but never mind.
I did try some time trials, but there’s no way on earth I’ll ever manage to get the achievements for them. 4:30 to reach a goal? My fastest time, with no mess-ups, crashes, and very little off-roading, was done in 4:56. Rubbish.
It’s Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast! Only not quite! For 800 points on Xbox Live Arcade!
What is ace: It’s FUN. Like the older versions. It’s also SHINY. What is not ace: There’s less there in the previous games. It has Arcade mode and Heat Attack mode, but no mission mode or anything.
What is a real killer: online mode, the main point of the game, is broken. It’s all too easy to get the BSOD – where the track vanishes and you can’t see the road, essentially making you lose. Not only that, but the leaderboards are arranged so as to be pointless – you can’t use the leaderboard of friends, as the friends leaderboard is arranged alphabetically rather than by time. Rubbish!
But… it’s Outrun and fantastic. So all is well.
The last 5 levels were far, far harder than I recall them being on the iPod version, you know. I ended up fluking two of them!
Anyway, completed now. Yay!
Even though I already have this for the iPod, and I’ve completed it, and this is the same game, and it’s more expensive, and it’s less portable, and it’s the same game, and I said I wasn’t going to buy it…
I bought Peggle on XBLA.
And? It’s the same game as the iPod one. It even has the same level layouts. But that doesn’t matter, because it’s Peggle and Peggle is aces. So far I’ve only completed the first three “worlds”, though. Not because it’s hard, just because I didn’t get much time to play.
Played this a lot yesterday and today, culminating in a 100% completion this afternoon. Although I’ve played it a few times before (on the N64), I never, ever, managed to defeat the final boss. Today, however, I did – and after only 4 or 5 attempts!
She was still hard, but for some reason I found it very easy on my successful attempt, losing hardly any life at all (and none until the final Jinjonator bit). So, complete!
I still have two jiggys left that I don’t know what to do with, and also need to finish Bottles’ puzzles. I eventually found the jigsaw puzzles – but have only done two, since the hand moves by itself making picking up and dropping pieces difficult.
I also went hunting for items – the ice key for one – but can’t get to them yet. In the original game, it was a planned “Stop and Swop” feature for linking the game with the sequel, but that didn’t happen. No idea what you’re supposed to do here, but the end sequence mentions Nuts & Bolts, which is crap and I probably won’t be buying, so the Stop and Swop won’t be happening.
Clanker’s Cavern finished 100%! Gloop Gloop Swamp finished 100%! Freez-eazy Peak finished 90%! Two more Lair jiggys GET!
Um. And that’s it. It is very good, but I’m sure it feels much smaller than it did first time through. The levels are actually tiny.
Unlocked, found, started, played and completed all of Clanker’s Cavern today. That took the best part of an hour! I also found another jiggy in Gruntilda’s Lair, and then made a start (and an almost-finish) of the swamp level – finding 9 of the 10 jiggies. I think I know where the 10th is too, so that shouldn’t take long.
It’s a good job this awful, awful game was free, as it took me just 20 minutes to complete both game modes and rack up all 200 gamerpoints.
Stupid.
Since Fallout 3 and A Kingdom for Keflings, I’ve not really made a proper start on any other games. I’ve downloaded a played a fair few demos this week, however:
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
Apparently not, as I failed at £25,000. Even though my 5th Grader helper didn’t get the answer either, so therefore she was as thick as me. The question was about baseball, so it isn’t surprising I didn’t know what the answer was. And what is a 5th Grader anyway? Round these parts, it could be considered a 7 year old.
That Stupid Dog Music Community Game
Dear god, no. This is the worst game ever made ever.
The Tower Assault Community Game
Actually pretty good. It’s just a shame the trial is only 4 minutes, as it takes almost that long to get the game into full flow.
Meteos Wars
I loved Meteos on the DS, and this is the same. Only there’s no stylus control, so instead of being fast, fluid and fun, it’s awkward, fiddly and crap.
Power Up Forever
Yet another twin-stick top-down shooter. And not especially good either, truth be told.
Well, there’s no ending as such, but you get a message saying you’ve built a castle and now all that remains is to customise your kingdom. Since customising it doesn’t achieve anything, and I’ve now got all the single-player (and one of the multiplayer) achievements, I can call this “done”.
Seven and a half hours of stress-free, dangerless gaming. Yay!
I played a demo of this a couple of weeks ago, and quite enjoyed it. I didn’t bother buying it though, as Fallout 3 was the only game in existence at the time.
Today, I stumped up the points for it and spend about 4 or 5 hours on it. It’s lovely!
It’s a bit like Settlers, and a bit like Doshin the Giant. Sort of. You (or in this case, me – it uses the 360′s Miis) order villagers around, make them mine and chop trees, before using the resources to build other buildings that, in turn, increase the number villagers, allow access to other resources, improve your skills, and so on.
The aim would appear to be getting your appointed Mayor to become King, by eventually building a castle. But you need to build lots of other things on the way.
I’ve played far enough to get to the point where I can build the first part of the castle, but there’s still quite a way to go yet, I think!
Hey, Rare! You can keep your Nuts & Bolts rubbish. THIS is what you need to be doing. Proper, decent, fun platformers. Not confused drivey/flyey/jumpy/mini-gamey RUBBISH.
Using the Super Secret Link to Xbox.com, I managed to buy this in advance of the real release date (the Wednesday after next, I think), and played it today.
What is good: It’s the N64 game all over again. Only with slightly better graphics, no fogging, and a few nice Xbox 360 features like achievements and stuff.
What isn’t good: It hasn’t aged quite as well as say, Mario 64 has. It’s not bad by any means, but where Mario 64 now plays like a great game that looks a bit old, Banjo plays like an old game that looks a bit newer. It’s difficult to describe.
I’ve so far 100%ed the first world, and got about 60% of all the stuff on the second.
Been a while since I last played this, but the Street Fighter II table for it was released recently and, in an attempt to break free from the evil clutches of Fallout 3, I gave it a go.
It’s a pretty good table, actually. Better than most of the others in Pinball FX, anyway. It’s difficult to light the lights above the top-left bumpers as they’re hidden, but aside from that it’s very nice. Except Trousers is already above me on the scoretable, beating my score of about 5 million with one approaching 9 million. Boo!!
