The amount of games that have been released these last several months have been absolutely insane. That much is well known to all gamers and I've been going out of my mind trying to sort out what is actually worth getting and what isn't.Latest game to join this list? Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, whose review seems to be a source of rumors and what not. But that isn't what I am writing about today.So I originally wanted to at least try and rent the game, but due to (another) mix up at Blockbuster, I managed to get the PS3 version. Yeah, I bet you can imagine how well that played on my XBox.Now my attempt at renting the bastard failed, I was getting a little crazy and almost bought the game. But I got second thoughts and to make a long and dull story short, I just didn't go through it.And then I read the review and I am certainly glad I didn't throw the money at it. I think I am sticking to trying to rent it, which I wish I did for a number of games over the years. Here are a few examples...Beautiful Katamari: This one I knew would be pretty much more of the same, but what I played felt like something that was losing it's touch. For me, being a fan of the previous 2 games, was sadden because it definitely had a style of it's own. Def Jam Icon: Besides the upgrade in graphics, this one felt like a let down and it really was in my opinion. The modes weren't much fun and the ability to use the music to cause damage to your opponent just wasn't that interesting in the end. I enjoyed Def Jam: Fight for NY, no doubt about it.Ninety Nine Nights: Anyone that tries to compair this game with any Dynasty Warriors game is insulting DW. I was expecting something like DW and was met with something that assaulted my brains unlike much of anything ever before. And the voice acting made my ears bleed. Naruto: Rise of the Ninja: I had some high expectations for this game when I read about it over the course of a couple of months. How did it stack up? The cutscenes were horrible and the voice acting made me want to cry. The gameplay itself is OK, but the overall story is dull and the fighting portion of the game is outright terrible. The bottom line: It does indeed have a number of good ideas in play, but collectively it just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Another game I am glad I didn't buy.Halo 3: OMG!! Game of the year!!! Ok, so now that that is out of the way (no, I don't think it really is the game of the year), it was pretty much more of the same here. Yes, there is some new weapons and enemies, but really it is the same game overall. And the ending sucked (in my opinion). If nothing else, I think this game's best asset is it's online play. I've been there, it is fun!Changing gears, one game and series that I've enjoyed and have yet to finish is the Dot Hack//G.U. series. I've gotten as far as the point in the third game where Haseo gains his Xth form and from there I think the game went down hill. It should have ended with Ovan!! And wake up Alkaid (pictured above)!!!And I am done because my shoulders are murdering me and it is a bit stuffy over here tonight. Never a good combination for thinking and writing. On an unrelated note to video games: I'm not a huge or even much of a fan of football, but a big congrats to the UH Warriors tonight on their win against Washington and also for earning their way to a big bowl game. Thanks to my girlfriend leaving the radio on, I listened through the entire game and it sounded (for a time) that the Warriors weren't going to make it. Again though, congratulations!
With the lack of options for the PSP, I have to say that I was excited to learn that Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is being released soon! Like at the end of the month kind of soon! And I'm broke! Surprised am I? Nope! No surprise here, that's for damn sure.But even with my rampage of game purchases, which includes:- Blue Dragon- Halo 3- Eternal Sonata- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam- Warriors Orochi- Daxter- Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions- Dot Hack//G.U. Volume 3And of that list, I think I've finished off 2 of those games (and DW: Gundam will be made into store credit in the very near future). At first I thought maybe it was because of the fact that I work and usually don't feel up for gaming when I get home. But no, I can to realize that I just don't really give a damn about the vast majority of the games I've picked up.Yes, I can say 'incredible waste of money.'Maybe I should stray away from sequels for a while, just to get into something new and different. I was considering on getting games like Beautiful Katamari and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. But at this point, I'm looking (and thinking) it'll just end up being a further waste of money.Speaking of which, I've not logged back into Final Fantasy XI since my one night of sheep killing. I guess that is to say that my interests in the game haven't returned to me?
On the topic of Final Fantasy, I am enjoying my return visit to Final Fantasy Tactics in small doses. I don't want to kill the interest and I am enjoying myself maybe 2-3 battles a day. I can't wait till the day I finally get my small army in full swing. Enemy soldiers beware!And now for something a little different or unusual for me at least. A few days ago, I picked up an American comic. Not Japanese or Korean or whatever other Asian-based manga as I have done for the past many years. But American. The Verdict? I actually enjoyed it. The comic in question was the collected story of Planet Hulk, which (obviously) centers around the Hulk. You see, Hulk was/is mad. Hulk smashes. Earth heroes were afraid of this and tricked the Hulk and sent him away into space.Hulk got angrier.But then something unexpected happened and Hulk's ship gets pulled into a black hole and lands on an entirely different world. He is forced to become a gladiator, he becomes a hero, he gets smarter, makes friends and even gets married among other things. But something bad happens and... and the collection ends there. I love/hate cliffhanger endings.Wow, those are things I never thought I'd ever associate with the Hulk (Smarter, married, having friends, etc). And despite my terrible attempt at summing up the basic plot, it is a pretty good story in my humble opinion and I can't wait until Marvel releases World War Hulk in a collection someday (soon hopefully). What is World War Hulk? When Hulk goes back to Earth with his new friends with but one thing on his mind: Revenge.And now I'm going to go do something productive or at least something that will keep me busy for a while. Maybe I'll play a game or two, which will hopefully work out. Or maybe I'll sit here and write more about nothing in particular as I've noticed myself doing more often to before. Either way, I shall return.....
So I'll be honest here and say there are a shit load of games that are coming in the next few months that has me drooling. Blue Dragon, ladies and gents, is just the tip of the ice burg for me! Wow, I think I hear my wallet crying right now. Check back with me after the Holidays and see if I'm joining in on the water works too (which I just might be after all of these games are released).Yes, there is Halo 3 (need I say more?) on the way next month, which I think it is fair to say it has developed a decent amount of hype...Another game worth mentioning, especially since RPGs are so few on the 360, is Eternal Sonata. Music + RPG = Uncertainty, at least in my own mind anyway. I played an RPG on PS2 some years ago that was centered around music. Needless to say, I don't remember putting much more then an hour or 2 into it, because that sucker hurt my poor little brain. It didn't even trade-in for much credit either! Argh...But that isn't everything folks, no, no, no...There are 2 Dysnasty Warriors games that I'd like to get my hands on, one of which is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, and also Warriors Orochi, which is a mash up of both Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. While these are both pretty much mindless hack and slashers, what can I say? Sometimes simple is good!Oh and dare I forget to mention Beautiful Katamari, which I guess you could say is another simple game. But again, I was pretty hooked with the previous 2 games of Katamari and the thought of it coming to XBox 360 leaves me with dreams of rolling up even more Japanese people and everything in between...And of course there is Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, which looks to be a lot of fun (even more so now that I am familiar with the story). I mean the promise of open environments and the story will cover episodes 1-80 should make for a pretty good game in my book. On the other hand, however, it would be pretty disappointing if the game is dragged out in the way the anime is. If the story is paced more as it was with the Manga, then that should be a fairly well paced story/game (which is what I am hoping for).I shall even mention Guitar Hero 3, though any further thought into this and I'm afraid my hands will fall off. How people can play this game so well is clearly beyond me, the king of easy mode... lol....
OK, so I am a terrible player when it came down to Guitar Hero, but it is still fun no less! So what if my mind can keep up with the various colored buttons on the screen, but my hands cannot?This next game I am about to mention is the nightmare of my girlfriend...WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. She hates these games with a passion, to put things out here lightly. She despises these games to the point that the mere mentioning of it will cause her eyes to roll and irritation levels to rise beyond anything Mother Nature can cause. Why does she hate this series so?Err... well, I did play SD vs Raw 2006 for well over a year and the same can be said for WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes The Pain. I even dodged the newer ones just to keep playing the same old games. Maybe that did it?Wrestling games themselves isn't what draws and keeps me playing, it is the create-a-wrestler feature that does it for me. I have literally spent years just creating and changing my very own army of wrestlers, to the point where I have regulars that I've made in each game that I've played.One gripe with wrestling games these days though, is it seems as though as the create-a-wrestler feature is getting shallow. By that I mean the options to which is available to a player looks to be thinning out, which is unfortunate. I can only hope SD vs. Raw 08 actually improves, rather then takes 3 steps back.Well this post is pretty short and it even is beginning to sound like a Christmas list (hint, hint!) to no one in particular, unless you live with me.... Nah, I'm just kidding. Sort of. But really, I feel myself losing a lot of weight in the coming months and keeping it off, considering the amount of cash that will be dropped to pick up these games. What? Outside world? What ever in the world might that be?Then again, I'll likely dodge a game or three from what was listed above. I mean, they all can't be that great. Can they? Anyway, I'll hopefully sort my brains out in the coming months to pick which of these are actually worth picking up and which aren't. With my luck, I'm sure to pick up at least one stinker that will flat out suck.Yay... *sigh*
The amount of games that have been released these last several months have been absolutely insane. That much is well known to all gamers and I've been going out of my mind trying to sort out what is actually worth getting and what isn't.
