Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Chapter 7 DONE! One of the bits was slightly annoying as you had to re-do a section a couple of times, but it was short and easy so I didn’t feel frustrated. I’ve got all the heroes together now too, and I’ve found the 8th Pure Heart, so I’m close to the end of the game now. I’m almost 17 hours in, so I’m betting I’ll be done by 20. That’s a lot of hours for what is, basically, a …

Sonic Rush Adventure (DS)

Let me just start with one statement: This is not as good as any of the Megadrive Sonic games, nor is it even on par with Sonic Rush. However, it isn’t bad. Strangely, it is both alarmingly fast (during actual levels) and painfully slow (the “adventure” chatty story bits) with some mid-speed boating inbetween. Yes, boating. So far, I’ve played the first two “zones”, beaten two bosses (a dinosaur, and a big robot with swing-ball set), and I have all …

MySims (Wii)

Time quota critical! Game bail! Game bail! Wii explosion imminent! Abandon console! I have hit the Giant Brick Wall of Too Many Games. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had Super Paper Mario, Bioshock, Sonic Rush Adventure, Mario Party 8, Phoenix Wright 3 and now MySims all arrive. None are especially short. I don’t have time! Gah! Especially since I can see MySims becoming the huge time drain that it’s spiritual ancestors The Sims, Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon …

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Chapter 6 went all strange! And then I ended up in the Underwhere (no, not Underwear), where game characters go when they run out of lives. Amazing! Anyway, I’ve managed to do all that, and now I’m onto 7-2, and am about 13 hours in. I think people have been saying 16 hours is about how long it takes to complete, so there’s not a lot of game left now, sadly. And I still don’t understand those people who say …

What’s in a name?

Well, aside from letters and usually a space or two. I came across a post on EduGeek today: [The] Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), today launched an online cyberbullying campaign, new guidance and a short film to help schools tackle bullies who use the internet or mobile phones to bully other children or abuse their teachers. And the Secretary of State for Children’s name? Ed Balls. It makes you wonder if he’s had any personal experience …

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Hmm. I’m a little worried about spoilers now. I realise my last post on this did contain some minor spoilers (mainly only spoiling dialogue rather than plot), so I’ll keep this brief. I’ve made it all the way up to Chapter 6-2 now. Chapter 4 was set in space (and had a bit of a false start – play it and you’ll understand) and had some side scrolling shooting sections. It was a bit of a dip after the genius …

Viva Pinata Party Animals (Demo) (360)

Downloaded this demo this morning and had a go. You know, I think the mini-game-tastic Wii has spoilt other mini-game titles somewhat. Just hammering buttons and stuff seems like a step back after the varied events in things like Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, Rayman Raving Rabbids and Mario Party 8. It isn’t bad, but there’s something just not there with it. Oh, and the animals seem to be voiced by sound-alikes rather than the original voice actors, which makes it …

Carcassonne (360)

My friend Ian came up for the weekend, mainly to help explode some concrete cluttering up my lounge, but this evening me, him and my wife played Carcassonne for a few games. Of course, he had no idea how to play, so the first few games were somewhat hand-holdy (uh, not in that way), but once he’d grasped it, he then wiped the floor with us. That’s the last time I explain all the rules to anyone. Bah.

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

OH. MY. LORD. Chapter 3-4 is amazing, and one of the funniest sections of any game I’ve played ever. Francis the Nerd Chameleon is great, and his Nerd Castle is full of RoboCat maids and guards who give a, uh, frightening insight into Francis’ personality. And the castle security system is a robot cat, who won’t allow you in to see Francis unless you’re a “hot babe” (that’ll be Peach then), and even then you have you agree with some …

Illegal download detected!

Apparently, I am a software pirate. You see, I’m looking for a vector version of the Chinese characters for “Welcome” for work. I know what they look like, but only have them as a tiny gif and need it blown up to hugebig proportions for a sign. So I searched the internet for something to do this, and typed “chinese symbol finder” as a Google search term. In the results, I see a link for “Chinese Symbol Studio”, so follow …

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

So, off into Chapter 3 (again having faffed around in town for ages, doing some cooking, exploring, talking to people, shopping, etc.) and again, it is ace. I mean, what’s not to like about a chameleon version of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons who eats your Pixl-friend Tippi the moment you meet him? Amazing! And the graphics on this level – everything is giant pixels! And! There’s a bit where a Koopa Trooper collects a star to make himself …

Assorted 360 Demos (360)

Wednesday is New Game On Xbox Live Arcade Day, and, in recent weeks, one of very few days when I actually turn my 360 on. I downloaded the trial version of today’s “gem” – Geon, and a few game demos and gave them a go. GeonIt’s Pac-Man with two mazes, one on the back of the other, two players, and goal each. And some power-ups. I played for half an hour, and reached a stalemate position three times (neither I …