Gaming Addict

…and I could see myself buying an Xbox 360 Arcade pack. Up until now I’ve been holding out for the Premium. … And now that I’ve given it some more thought, I’m jumping back onto the Premium bandwagon. Having a hard drive, headset, and better games bundled inside I think are worth the extra cash and I see the hard drive and headset as almost necessary.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I really don’t know what to write about. I’m really just doing this for the sake of posting something before I forget that this place even exists. So I guess I’ll do the usual and mention what I’ve been up to and then rant and rave in an angry rage about something I don’t particularly like. On that note, let’s get rolling.

Let’s see… what was big? Galaxy? Yeah, I’d say Super Mario Galaxy was a big purchase. I was early for work one day and decided to kill time at the Future Shop that wasn’t even a minute away. After playing the Guitar Hero II (you read that right. Guitar Hero II. I guess they’re aware that a new Guitar Hero is out but just don’t want to put it on the demo consoles?) for a good 20 minutes, I grabbed the game on my way out and that was all there was to it. No standing there thinking “Should I, or shouldn’t I?”. Just grab, pay, leave. In what little time I’ve had to play it in the past week I’ve had lots of fun and hit 75 stars. I’m thinking that I’ll probably make it to 90 stars before it starts getting really challenging to find all the hidden and special ones.

I also got quite a bit of time with Call of Duty 4 and the game didn’t make me feel any better for not owning a 360. But as much as I really want one of those now I know it isn’t going to happen. For money, and personal reasons. My grade 12 year is moving faster than I’d like and university is just around the corner, and my parents paid for my Wii so asking for the 360 as a Christmas present is out of the question since they’ll just laugh at me. Of course, you could always give me a hand. And just so that we’re clear, I’m not expecting anything out of that and I just made that when I was really bored one day. But enough 360 talk. I want to get my mind off of that.

So then, PS3? What’s there to say? Assassin’s Creed? Not as great as I thought and on 360 either way. Army of Two? Multiplatform as well. Devil May Cry 4? 360. F.E.A.R.? On the Xbox too. Final Fantasy? I could care less. God of War III? Semi-interested. Grand Theft Auto? Don’t care at all, but it’s still a little more than for Final Fantasy. Haze? The one and only PS3 exclusive I’m really looking forward to. Let’s just hope the game doesn’t pull a Lair and flop because I really hopeful for Lair (but I was also hopeful for Red Steel [see last post]). So before this becomes yet another long winded list like my last post I’m going to stop right there and say, there are nearly no PS3 exclusives that appeal to me in the least. Come on Sony, get a few more exclusives in there so that I start to at least second guess my 360 purchase. “But what about Ratchet and Clank and Resistance?” you say? I’ve never been a fan of Ratchet and Clank, while Resistance was nothing more than a great launch title but average shooter. There are far better games out there.

I don’t want to talk 360, nothing to say about the PS3, and I’m always blabbing about Wii too much. DS then? I got my DS repaired (or rather, Nintendo just sent me a new one) and my touchscreen is no longer bulgy and there’s no dead pixel. Hooray! So maybe now I’ll finish Dementium and Call of Duty 4 at some point on it. That would be easy to do if I wasn’t distracted by Puzzle Quest and Super Mario Galaxy. Damn, I’m talking Wii again. I guess it was inevitable. It’s the only console I own and there isn’t much to talk about in the DS vein.

Funny thing happened to me as I went downstairs to get in some Galaxy time today. I didn’t play it (right away). Instead I put in Wii Sports to get used to boxing again for the Wii Sports tournament I entered in at my school which is tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes. And the strangest part of it all was that in my one match of boxing and tennis I was having fun. A game that had bored me so easily after reaching Pro in every sport was actually entertaining me once again. And I made the smart decision to quit while I was ahead and move onto Galaxy before I got bored again.

After Galaxy I really felt like getting some Metroid in and thought I’d start my Hypermode file since I just got the game back from a friend. The problem? I never saved after I’d beaten Dark Samus last time so I had to go through it all again. By the time I was done it was getting kind of late and I didn’t want to start a new game and now find myself in bed writing this just so I have something to do.

Speaking of bed, I’m getting kind of tired. So I guess that means no angry rant this time. I owe you one angry rant. Feel free to quote me on that.

It’s been a year of Wii and the first thing that came to mine (being the cheapskate that I am) were marked down old Wii games that I didn’t buy. What I wouldn’t give to get back the $60 I wasted on Red Steel so that I would’ve been able to ridicule it in this post. Unfortunately I bought it and it sits in my room, untouched for the past few months. That doesn’t mean I can’t still make fun of it though. Red Steel sucks!! Never buy it!. I feel slightly better now… Honestly, if you want a shooter get Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 instead. A game that’s currently at the top of my wishlist, second only to Guitar Hero. And if you’re cheap and don’t want to pay full price for a new game, find Call of Duty 3 somewhere. Not as good but I guess if you can find it a good price it wouldn’t be bad.

And a word of warning. I’m about to get into a long list of games I may or may not want. If you don’t care to read it just go ahead and scroll down to the meat and less shopping list like part of the post. Instead of wasting everybody’s time, I’ll just make a second post.

Starting from launch there were a few games I was really excited about. Why? Simply because it was launch and what was there was all I could get and I wanted to get anything that looked decent (see Red Steel purchase mentioned above).

Call of Duty 3 was high on that list and if I had bought it, I wouldn’t have regretted it. That being said, I don’t think I’d go out and buy it now, even if it only cost $25. With Metroid showing me what real first person Wii controls felt like and Medal of Honor supposedly surpassing that I feel that it would be best if the potential money I’d be spending on Call of Duty went towards that game instead. But don’t get yourself mixed up. Heroes 2 is the good one. Medal of Honor: Vanguard is the crappy game. So as it stands, Call of Duty 3 has faded into nothingness. Replaced by Heroes and greatly surpassed by Call of Duty 4.

There was also Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2. It wasn’t high on my list but was there none the less. I had fun with the original on the PS2 but was really confused by the controls in the Wii version. The remote and nunchuk combo is supposed to bring simplicity to games. Instead, DBZ:BT2 succeeds in confusing the shit out of you so that you no longer know what’s up or down, what a kick, what’s a punch, and what crazy motions you need to do for your big combo. Because of that I didn’t really follow much of the development of the latest sequel but assume it’ll be better and that Spike and Atari have learned from their mistakes. So because of the third installment Tenkaichi 2 is all but forgotten and isn’t even considered as a rent. 3 on the other hand would be a sure rent but not a purchase.

Ah, Elebits. The game I really knew nothing about, heard good things but was never inclined to buy. It’s been a year and I’m still unsure about this game. The concept is very original and should be applauded but again it was a launch game and I’m sure that the same game released around this time would’ve been much improved. I’ll add it to my rental list because I’m still intrigued and if I like it, I’ll try and find it for cheap and used at EB Games or something. I might as well make use of that Edge card I got.

Excite Truck is the first game here that I’d consider to be a buy. I played the game numerous times at the EB Games demo station and enjoyed every minute of it. I did get the feeling that it’s lasting value was limited to about a week or two max and then only when playing with friends which makes me kind of glad that I didn’t get it at launch for full price. If I find this for around $25 I’m getting it right away. The single player alone would be worth that price and the multiplayer just adds on to that. And there’s really nothing I can compare it to because despite being a launch game with simplistic controls most other racing games on Wii have failed miserably, so it still stands as perhaps the best racing experience for the console.

I planned on getting Marvel Ultimate Alliance and probably would’ve bought it if a friend of mine hadn’t done that before me. Once I heard that he had the game my brain instantly shifted from “buy” to “borrow”. It’s been a year now and I still haven’t gotten around to borrowing the game but just knowing that I wouldn’t need to pay any money to play and complete the game is keeping me from renting or purchasing this game. In hindsight, I’m kind of glad I never bought the game. Based on what I’ve heard it’s just an average game that at the moment I’d only consider renting if I wasn’t incredibly cheap and holding out on the borrowing.

Rayman Raving Rabbids: This would’ve been another sure buy for me had some game called Zelda not occupied most of my time back in the day. With Raving Rabbids 2 now out and being pretty much the same thing I’d probably only rent this one. Since apparently the sequel adds nothing new to the series I guess that it wouldn’t matter which one I play and me being me, I’d go for the cheaper one. So this one hangs on the edge of rent and buy and it could go either way. If I find it for a really low price I think I’d buy it.

Red Steel: Garbage. I really wish I’d passed on this one.
Let’s speed things up a bit.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz: Played the game a bit. Meh as far as I’m concerned. I could care less either way so it’s a no for rentals and a purchase.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent: Played and finished the game when borrowing from a friend. Sucked almost as much ass as Red Steel. Just a crappy PS2 port with a bad shooting system.

Tony Hawk Downhill Jam: Undecided on this one. Since I usually prefer the traditional Hawk games and Excite Truck would probably take my racing spot I’d say no to this one.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion: A resounding yes, if only to complete it. I borrowed it from a friend who decided to sell his Wii and games while I was only part way through this one.

Other games that weren’t really launch window type things.
Battalion Wars II - Would have to play the original first to make up my mind.
Cooking Mama - Thought about it for around half a second and then laughed at my own stupidity.
FIFA 08 - Wasn’t really impressed by the controls. Here’s hoping that EA lets us use a GameCube controller for the 09 lineup of games (besides Madden. The Madden controls are great).
Heatseeker - I had hopes for this game when I’d first heard of it. Then again, I had hopes for Red Steel as well. Still, something’s pulling me towards a rental.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - I don’t care what reviewers say, I’m not paying $60 for yet another party game.
Manhunt 2 - I was hoping this would be the first Rockstar game I’d like but reviews have been meh and I’m expecting it to pretty much just be Manhunt 1 presented differently. A rental.
Mario Party 8 - No. I’ve had enough of this party shit.
Mario Strikers - It may surprise you, but no, I don’t want this game. Yes it’s fun and yes it has online but 1) I’m positive the fun will wear off quickly like it did with the original game and 2) Medal of Honor probably has better online.
Sonic and the Secret Rings - Wait, I forgot that I own this game. My friend’s just had it for months. It was ok.
And that should just about do it.

It’s not like I can get to sleep anyway so I might as well write a blog post. So let’s see. What’s happened between now and a month ago…? The only new game to speak of is Dementium: The Ward on DS. It accomplishes something no developer could beforehand on the handheld and that’s atmosphere. You actually feel creeped out by a few things and on a couple occasions I actually got scared. Believe it. It’s a FPS survival horror that has great graphics, controls (think Metroid Prime Hunters), and story to boot. Unfortunately I was only a few chapters in when I sent my DS to Nintendo for repairs. It could’ve waited but the messed up touch screen was really starting to piss me off. So no DS for a couple weeks.

Probably a good thing since Super Mario Galaxy is coming out tomorow today but I doubt I’ll have it until the weekend. I also want Guitar Hero III. Badly. I’ve been getting my rhythm fix from Elite Beat Agents and Band Bros. recently but with the DS gone that doesn’t leave me many options and I don’t feel like playing Frets on Fire. I honestly wasn’t too hype up about SMG until the middle of last week. Nothing like I was for Metroid. Speaking of hype, Nintendo release it’s TV ads for SMG. Another one of those casual aimed commercials. And while I’m understanding that Nintendo wants to show the game off to the casual crowd, and that the hardcore audience already knows about the game and could care less about the commercials, doesn’t mean that I still can’t dislike them. Who the hell would willingly play a video game with their mother?! With a smile on their face no less.

Passed that I see Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl at some point in the future. Both because I desperately need some kind of online game on my Wii, and Heroes because I need a good shooter. Especially if its controls are said to surpass those of Corruption. So that would all set me back… a hell of a lot of money. More than my parents would want me spending on games. Add that to the fact that I still want a 360 and that Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 just came out and you’ve got a lot of money that wants to leave my bank account. As awesome as these passed couple month have been from a gaming standpoint they’re going to put a big hurt on people’s wallets. These publishers need to learn to spread their games out more because aside from a couple gems the summer was pretty much begging for a great game to be released.

Now, I wouldn’t have mentioned Call of Duty 4 back there if I hadn’t played it since the previous CoD failed to really impress me. But CoD 4 is a great game which is leaps and bounds above its predecessors. And it seems that they’ve finally accepted that WWII actually ended at some point. The modernized effect feels like a cross between the CoD WWII formula and Rainbow Six. A great mix. This game is dying for some great Wii IR controls however.The only thing that could have made it any better than it already is.

And the fact that there isn’t a Wii version of CoD 4 troubles me. It seems that developers just aren’t willing to put out a Wii port of a game if there isn’t a PS2 or PSP game for them to port from. Don’t get me wrong, Heroes 2 looks great and I’m going to love Okami, but couldn’t you have just made a slightly uglier looking Wii version? I would’ve bought it right away. So what does this mean for Wii? Is it doomed to ride the PS2’s waves forever only receiving unorthodox exclusives from third parties like Zack & Wiki (another great game) and never getting the big name games like CoD, Splinter Cell, and a real Resident Evil? Probably the only reason why I’m not looking forward to Umbrella Chronicles may be simply because it won’t be the traditional RE sequel that RE5 will be. A shame considering RE4 sold quite well on Wii. I guess us Wii owners just need to keep hoping that the PS2 is able to stick around as long as possible so that we can at least get something that’s on other platforms every once in a while. So support Wii third party titles by getting a PS2! Wait, that can’t be right…

In this passed month I’ve also stumbled upon a hilarious series of video gaming reviews by one Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw. Once you get used to his incredibly speedy speaking habits you’ll find these videos just as funny as I do. New videos go up Wednesdays so you can expect to hear me talking about him again in the future. At the end of the post I’ve put the first review he did for The Escapist and it was for the Heavenly Sword demo and a little RE5 thrown in for good measure.

And finally, some Zelda talk. morph ball from over at WiiLoaded posted his concept for the next Zelda game and gave it a kick ass title, being The Legend of Zelda: Serenity’s Edge. Some of his ideas are really solid and he’s looking for help so check the links section on the right (or wherever it may be since it could get moved in the future) and head over to his blog to try and help out if you want. That seemed to also put me in the mood for Zelda. I went back and started a new game in Twilight Princess and it almost feels like I’m playing again for the first time, which is a good thing. I forgot how fun it was playing that game even with the retartedly easy bosses. The next true Zelda game can’t come soon enough. See you in hell Link’s Crossbow Training.

Well I couldn’t embed so here’s a link to the videos. And now Im out of here before my laptop’s battery craps out on me.

It’ll come some time this week. Once I get passed my big chem test. A few things I feel like writing about. Probably the fact that I played Dementium and loved it until I sent my DS to Nintendo for repairs. The Zero Punctuation reviews I discovered on the net which are always a riot. And the project morph ball from WiiLoadd is trying to start. It’s LoZ: SE and it’s in the links section over to your right. Those and other things, one of these days. I can’t let LMX’s blog get the better of me.

The developer of the DS game “Dementium” that everyone seems to be amped about, is hiring for a certified Wii Developer!

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