Crazy Train of Thought

I have a number of games that are sitting around my apartment these days, which I haven't been playing for quite some time now. The list now includes such games as Spike's VGA Game of the Year, Red Dead Redemption, Best Adventure Game of the Year, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and I dare not forget Fallout New Vegas. Its a hell of a line up of games, there is absolutely no doubts about that right?

Red Dead Redemption, Spike's VGA Awards Game of the Year Winner.

So what is occupying my time right now? What game could I possibly be playing that would actually keep me away from finishing off any one of these awesome games? It isn't Game Dev Story. I got that sorted out and now my virtual game company made over $1 billion dollars (in its 20 years of existence) and sold so many games that I think I could have killed off the entire global education system. No, that game is done with, for the time being at least.

Bejeweled 3? Ugh, I don't even want to remember or think or anything related to that game right now. I think I've reached critical gem matching overexposure and I think the only cure for that madness would be to take several long years away from it to remove its presence from my brain...

With all of that out of the way, the game that I've been playing these past few days (and having a blast with) has actually been...

Toy Story 3... Whodathunkit?!

That's right, Toy Story 3...

Have I, at long last, lost my proverbial marbles? Has things in life gotten so bad that I now regress back to childhood in a futile attempt at hiding from my present day woes?

Like this game, I don't think the reasoning behind this is as complicated as it seems. And I also don't think I've gone that crazy yet, but maybe it is this game's genius in it's simple design. There are no political conspiracies, no plots of murder and revenge to be found here folks. Maybe, like with Bejeweled 3, I have had an overload in complicated. A lot of games these days are just crazy with details, that sometimes taking a step back and going simple makes all the difference in the world.

I have been playing a lot of the game's Toy Box mode, which is basically a open world game where you can just do all kinds of stuff. Racing, platforming, shooting... and customizations! My town looks like a psychedelic world in the middle of a desert.

But now that I think about it, maybe I have regressed ever so slightly back to my childhood years. I say this only because the next game I am wanting to pick up is this...

Red Dead

I've been playing Red Dead Redemption and you know what? I think it is a safe statement to say that I am loving it much more then I did any Grand Theft Auto game I ever played. With the music subtly playing in the background, it certainly sets an appropriate mood as if you are watching one of those old Western movies.

The gun combat is done well enough and the Dead Eye ability makes potential gunfights a breeze. That isn't to say that it makes everything easy, I mean I haven't been able to save everyone and I have died a time or two as it was. Dead Eye or no, it still couldn't save me from being shot off my horse when I happened to ride right into a stagecoach being held up by multiple gunmen.

Speaking of that damn horse, the controls for that aspect of the game is an absolute nightmare (or it was for me). To make things even more frustrating, there was nothing I despised more then having to go through one of the first missions (a horse race no less) many a times over. I'd turn wrong and my horse would end up on the top of a dirt hill and it would not go down or it would turn all over the place. I am glad that there was an option included that allows you to control the horse more in tuned with the camera controls. That does make life a little easier in the wild West.

Story wise, meh... it is a little jumpy at the get go and details behind the man called John Marston are few. Still it is somehow engaging and I am ready to get back into it, even at 4 AM.

Oh and I came across a game of horseshoes. I'll just say the closest I got my shoe to the stake in the ground was on the outer box. Can I use the Dead Eye ability on this one?

Red Dead

I have been spending some time looking up info for the upcoming Red Dead Redemption and I am feeling hooked. Maybe it was because I watched all of the promotional videos for the game and have fallen (again) for the hype. But these are the guys who made Grand Theft Auto! And they are taking that know how and applying it to the Wild West!

How can that possibly go wrong?!

I am remaining hopeful that the multiplayer function will somehow include split screen co-op play, but I am becoming more and more doubtful by the day. Is split screen co-op really a thing of the past?

Anyway, I am liking what I've been seeing of this game. So much to do! Shoot vultures! Save stolen stage coaches! Destroy the hideouts of wanted outlaws! Gamble! Lasso and break wild horses! Hunt! I am probably forgetting a few things, but still! So much to do in this game!

But I wonder also if I can even truly get into playing a game like this. I am hoping it isn't exactly like a GTA game, because let me be honest here; I never got into any of the GTA games all that much. I don't know what it was, but I would usually end up getting bored of the game and fast. Another wonder is if this game can live up to its own hype. That seems to be the big question these days, with games having increasingly better graphics and all that jazz.

At the end of the day, however, I am trying to remain hopeful and perhaps more importantly, open minded. This game interests me a whole lot more then any GTA thus far, so maybe this will be something I'll actually get into for a change?

Hopefully it'll keep my attention a lot better then Final Fantasy XIII....

What The Year Ahead Holds

I went ahead and dug through the listings of games that are coming out this year and made a little tiny list of titles that I think look interesting. And after going through the listings, I noticed that I came out with a lot of PS3 games on the list. I know I am definitely looking to get more games for my PS3, as it has been collecting dust as of late and I would rather find some other, more practical use for it then that. Besides that, I am trying to stray away from Xbox 360 games a bit, almost purely out of fear that I'll buy a good game and have the console red ring on me. I do not want to experience that...

I wish I could say that there are a great deal of games I want to get for the PSP, but that would be a lie. It would appear as though there is still a lack of good games for that expensive little piece of... gaming. I thought Sony promised better support for it's hand held? Where is that at?!

About the only game I want to get there is Persona 3 Portable, which I never got to play but it seems as though it is a great RPG. I'd like to find that out! And Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is more for my girlfriend, who has been obsessing over that series for years now. She still has not forgiven Square-Enix for not bringing Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix to the States...

Actually I don't even think all of these will make it out this year, but still. Interest! Yes! And those that have been bolded...ed... those are the games I am fairly set on buying this year. Or so I think. Is boldeded even a word?

Red Dead Redemption (PS3) - I wasn't into Western movies all that much as a kid (that was more my dad's thing), I still can't help but to be drawn to this game. I think I'd like to play as a gun toting outlaw...

UFC Undisputed 2010 (PS3) - I played through 2009 and generally liked what was there. I never got a hold of the submission system, but still managed to go through the brutal career mode by head kicking people to a state of unconsciousness.

ModNation Racers (PS3) - I like making stuff and this allows you to make racers, race tracks and who knows what else!

Alpha Protocol (PS3) - I admit that my interest in this game has been restored to a small degree. Still, I can't help but laugh when I saw a "solid" release date for this game. I'm not getting hyped at all over this, just gonna sit back and wait for that last minute "ALPHA PROTOCOL DELAYED... AGAIN" notice.

Final Fantasy XIV (PS3) - It looks kind of like Final Fantasy XI, but with better graphics and a lot of new things. I actually just want to start playing this at launch so I can mouth off to people with "Yeah, well, I was playing since NA release! That makes me UUUUUBERRRR!" I have issues...

Front Mission Evolved (PS3) - Like I said with ModNation Racers, I love to make stuff and this game gives players the chance to customize giant freaking, near Gundam-like robots! I tried a couple of games from this series in the past and... I never got that into it. So what am I thinking?! I'm a fool for punishment.

Star Wars The Force Unleashed II (PS3) - I still have a lot of questions about this game like is it based off of a new character? Or did StarKiller (the weird kid that turned on the Dark Side during the original game) some how survive his encounter with the Emperor? And are there going to be more ways to use the Force to launch Storm Troopers off of ledges, cliffs and all manner of structures?

Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) - I watched the recently released debut trailer for the game and I wasn't all that hyped up after it. It just wasn't that damn exciting! But I will reserve judgment until more info is released about this. In some ways, I feel like this is Halo 3 all over again. It doesn't look like the greatest game ever made, but I spent all that time to play the last 2. I guess I should finish the fight...?

Halo Reach (Xbox 360) - Speaking of finishing the fight, aren't we done yet?! How many aliens are there exactly? I am assuming these aliens breed like rabbits or else how can this even go on? Or is this a prequel? Ah ha... that explains things. Sort of.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier (Xbox 360) - Another shooter, but with fancy gadgets and spiffy on screen displays and such. I'm a sucker for things like that. Hopefully there will actually be a local, split screen co-op story and other modes this time around. 

Fable III (Xbox 360) - This should be an absolute and yet it is not. Why? Because I keep reading about all of these changes that are pushing this game to becoming more action rather then a RPG. Will this even be anything like Fable 2?! 

Ninety-Nine Nights 2 (Xbox 360) - The original Ninety-Nine Nights game was actually my very first purchase for my assumed new Xbox 360 back in the day. Everyone said this was just like Dynasty Warriors, but with a crap-ton more baddies to hack and slash! And after playing it then I said this: They all lied! This game sucks! So why the interest now? Well it has been a long while since that game and I am hoping against hope that it'll actually be better this time around.

Super Street Fighter 4 (Xbox 360) - After getting my ass handed to me over a dozen times by that damn Seth, I swore I was done with Street Fighter 4. But what is this?! SUPER Street Fighter 4!! Aw damn, sign me up!!? Seriously though, I don't know why I am even interested here. Maybe its the inner child in me wanting to seek revenge against M. Bison for all those times he kicked my ass back in the Street Fighter II days.

Scribblenauts 2 (DS) - More words! Better interaction! Better everything! Gahh!

Dragon Quest IX (DS) - Where is this game at? I don't even recall seeing this on the coming soon list that I was looking at. My first and only experience with this series was with Dragon Quest VIII and that was a lot of fun for me. So again... where is this game at?! 

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable (PSP) - Never played this, but always heard a lot of good things about it no less. And it's a RPG. How can I ignore this?

Disgaea Infinite (PSP) - I don't know all that much about this, but apparently it has something to do with a lot (more maybe all) of the Disgaea characters being thrown together into a single game. If I read this right, you can jump back and forth to the different Netherworlds and you're solving mysteries? Hmm...

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP) - What is Roxas doing there? Oh, what? That isn't Roxas you say? Why could Square-Enix at least come up with another original design? Why not just throw Cloud in there too and all him Sky instead? Never mind. Looked interesting from what little I've seen and read. Maybe this will lead to Kingdom Hearts 3 somehow??