Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Hurrah for Mondays when new games arrive! I knew this was more “action” based than Paper Mario 2, but I was still surprised to find it so different. Not in a bad way – just, well, different. And everything is so much flatter than in Paper Mario 2, especially when you flip into 3D. Yes, I realise that makes no sense. So I’ve completed all of the first chapter, taking just over an hour an a half. I have to …

Carcassonne (360)

Just the one go on this with my wife, as my eyes were starting to fail me (a combination of dust/soil/pollen/spider webs from today’s Big Gardening Adventure and Mario’s Super Picross). That doesn’t mean I didn’t win though, as I did. When is the next expansion pack out? We really need it now, I think.

Mario’s Super Picross (Wii)

Picross is ace. Mario is ace. So Mario’s Super Picross has to be acetwice, yes? Yes! And it is! Downloaded it for the Wii Virtual Console this afternoon (along with Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels) and completed all the puzzled on Level 1 and Level 2. Nothing hard yet. Also unlocked Wario’s Super Picross in the process, although I’m not sure how I managed that.

Call of Duty 4 Beta (Demo) (360)

I hate soldier games. Almost all of them. I didn’t like any of the other Call of Duty games, nor did I like any of the Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Battlefield or Medal of Honour games. And FPSes are not really my thing, generally, anyway. But, getting on a beta is a special thing, so when I got a code to join up, I thought I should at least do Ubisoft the service of giving it a go. Wish I …

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (360): COMPLETED! AGAIN!

Only this time with less emeralds (none, in fact – I didn’t even try) and more speed (achievements for completing Chemical Plant 1 and the whole game quickly – GET!). I then had a go playing online in VS mode. Oh dear. Whoever hosts, wins. This seems to be a common thing with these Sega XBLA games (see also Streets of Rage 2). If you’re not hosting, there’s a second delay between pressing a button and the action being carried …

Timeshift (Demo) (360)

Another day, another FPS with a “gimmick”. Timeshift‘s gimmick is, as the name suggests, the ability to shift time. A bit. You can slow time, stop time for a couple of seconds, or reverse time (which didn’t seem to do anything when I tried it). Aside from that, this just seems like a very generic shooter. It wasn’t awful: being able to blow up and shoot away walls was great, and there were a few puzzles where you have to …

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (360): COMPLETED!

Seeing as I’d left Sonic “parked” on Wing Fortress, I wasn’t surprised to finish this almost immediately after starting to play it today. Super Sonic made short work of the boss at the end of Wing Fortress, and Metal Sonic and Eggman proved to be no challenge at all. However, although I got the achievement for completing the game, I need to go back and do it again, only more quickly! There’s an achievement for doing Chemical Plant 1 in …

Assorted 360 Demos (360)

Yes, time again to catch up on some demos that I’ve downloaded recently… Cyberball 2072Rubbish. Hated it on the Megadrive, and although this is a conversion of the superior arcade original, it’s still rubbish. American Football games are all crap, and this one adds crap robots to double how crap it is. Amazing. Fatal Fury SpecialHmm. It’s not awful, but with Street Fighter II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 already available on XBLA, it isn’t really wanted. The Fatal Fury …

Carcassonne (360)

You know, I do play this a lot more often than I normally report on. It’s a regular “a couple of goes before bed” game. Anyway, played two rounds with my wife, and won both. I always seem to score badly through the game as she picks up huge castles and long roads, and then make a killing with carefully planned farms.