Currently Playing

Wow it's been a long time guys. Too long in fact. Thought I would come back with a new type of blog post called "Currently Playing". I'm sure you can guess what it's about, so let's jump right in.

Recently released Pixel Junk Shooter 2 is currently on the top of my list and would be the current disc in my PS3 if it wasn't a digital download. Like 2 suggests this is a sequel to the first, however I see it more as a continuation as the first only had 3 episodes with a cliff hanger ending. You begin right where you left off, in the belly of the last boss you fought. This game doesn't ease you into the game like most sequels. It's rather challenging with new suits and enemies. You do see reoccurring enemies and suits as well. I would say it's a perfect way to begin a sequel in all honesty. Instead of breaking off from the first and starting you at the beginning, you don't lose any powers, not that you can lose them as you must find a port to transform your ship. More sequels should function this way as just as in life you don't automatically start over.

But new suits and enemies aren't the only items being upgraded, the environment is as well.  Instead of just elements like fire, water and ice they have now added acid like substances in liquid and bubble form. But acid is not the only thing floating around, there are also gastric bubbles that make it impossible for you to maneuver through. Instead you bounce off the walls until you can latch onto something or come out of the bubbles. Both of these new elements add new ways to play and new challenges.

So far Pixel Junk Shooter 2 is a downloadable game to be reckon with.

 

The other game on my list is Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I thoroughly enjoy them including Wesker and Chris Redfield from Resident Evil, as that is one of my favorite games and Jill is on the way. However I don't find myself using them much. I do lead towards the Capcom side when choosing my characters and I tend to lead towards faster ones as well as I'm a complete button masher. 

I mainly like to play online with friends. I've been having a group going on online people I know and we have a good time. I even win some. I never said that fighters were my strong suit, but they are fun to play with friends. 

Some of the characters are too powerful like with most 2D fighting games. Sentinel is a beast and not much fun to play against as he has a very high life bar as well as a couple long ranged weapons that are easy to use. 

The one thing lacking in this game that really needs it is the ability to watch others fight while you are in a lobby with others. As it is now all you can see is which characters the fighters have chosen as well as their life bar. Oh and you can't forget the dancing player cards. Ya that will keep me focused while waiting for my turn...

But overall Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a solid 2D fighter especially if you are a fan of Marvel or Capcom characters.

Weekend Watch: E3 Edition

E3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo, is a trade show that predominately showcases what video game companies have to offer within the year or next year. Typically, big surprises get leaked before it begins, or it gets revealed during the big press conferences. The big show officially starts on Monday, June 14 and goes through Wednesday, 16.

Stay tuned for more updates next week!

Weekend Watch Part 2: Disgaea Infinite PSP

Originally Dan, the other reviewer was really excited about showcasing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for our Weekend Watch as it is a really big title that a lot of people will be interested in, but there is a lesser known title also coming out for the PSP as well that some people might be interested in. If you are a fan of tactical RPGs then you might be familiar with the Disgaea series. Well this Tuesday, June 8th a side project if you will of the series is Disgaea Infinite. It has characters from the first and third Disgaea in a visual novel type game. You are a Prinny out to solve a mystery as you can travel through time to find clues. No this game might not be for everyone, but fans of the series might just get a kick out of this one.

Weekend Watch: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is the next installment in the very successful Metal Gear series. Its touted to be a real successor in the Metal Gear franchise and not a spinoff title like the previous MGS PSP titles. It features the character Naked Snake, aka "Big Boss", as he leads his mercenary troupe against the Peace Sentinels. Included with the game is a co-op multiplayer experience unlike any in the series before, and is the first one to include a co-op mode. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker arrives in stores on Tuesday June 8th as a standalone game, a special edition, or as a game and PSP bundle.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Top Ten PS2 Games that Should be Re-Released for the PS3

A few months ago I got myself the God of War collection for the PS3, which for those of you who don't know that comes with God of War and God of War 2, which are both classic PS2 games. Releasing this collection before the release of the God of War 3 was a smart move on Sony's part, but this then begs the question: What other PS2 games should be re-released for the PS3? I wanted to do this Top Ten back when I first got the GOW Collection, but I have been busy. But with a recent article on Kotaku bringing this topic into the light of day, got me thinking what's a better time to post this Top Ten. Here is it is in no particular order:

Top Ten PS2 Games that Should be Re-Released for the PS3

Fatal Frame Trilogy
Who doesn't love a good scare? Well besides people who are afraid of ghost, don't believe in such supernatural beings or small children. But this is one game that isn't afraid to take a different approach to the horror game genre. Instead of guns, knives and hand grenades your only weapon is a camera. At first you might be like "Wtf am I supposed to do with this thing? Ask them to say cheese? They are grabbing me and throwing shit at me!", but you soon figure out that it comes in handy with the soul stealing.  Other than the weapon change, Fatal Frame still has all the elements of a classic survival horror: puzzles, minimal health items, creepy surroundings and even creepier foes.

Kingdom Hearts Collection
While we wait around for Square to stop releasing portable kingdom hearts games and just move on to the the third installment in this series, a PS3 collection would be nice. They can even release it a couple months before the third to hype it up in the same way the GOW collection did.  Whether they want to include Re: Chain of Memories would be up to available disc space left over.

Katamari Collection
Katamari is one of those kooky games made by our friends overseas in the country of the rising sun. It's a puzzle game of sorts that's cute and funny. Rolling around a large ball has never been so much fun. 6 games so far have been made on 5 systems: PS2, PS3, PSP, XBOX 360, and the iPhone. The two we are interested in here are Katamari Damacy (the first in the series) and We Love Katamari, which were released on the PS2. With updated graphics this could be a really beautiful and colorful addition to a PS3 collection deal. Maybe they could even throw in Beautiful Katamari, which was released only for the 360. Touching up some of the environments, which have been criticized could help and having a Katamari online game for the PlayStation audience would be nice as well.

Persona 3 and 4
A mix of role playing elements and simulation, Persona is about a group of teenagers who call on their personas to battle creatures called shadows. These games are full of mystery and monsters. One of the fun things about this game is that the role playing aspect of the games is that it's a slice of life story with supernatural elements tacked on. Sure it may be a niche game, but with so many sequels and portable versions why not have a PS3 port?

Final Fantasy X-XII
Ok so all these games might not fit into a collection, but having them re-released singularly wouldn't be a bad idea. The Final Fantasy franchise is probably the biggest RPG franchise whether you agree or not if the games are still well made. Even with the controversy around Final Fantasy XIII and whether it's even an RPG or not and people thinking that SquareEnix has lost their touch for making Final Fantasy games, FFXIII still sold over 5.5 million copies and has been said to be the fastest selling Final Fantasy game. So there is no doubt that these games would sell or that they don't deserve a PS3 upgrade. The only issue here I see is that FFXI is a MMO and additional fees would have to be charged and might not work in a compilation, but separating the games wouldn't be a bad idea.

Silent Hill 2-4
Again I'm not sure if all the games can fit on one Blu-Ray disc, but without even a compilation, anyone of those games deserves a re-release. In my opinion Silent Hill is one of the scariest franchises out there and many people agree. We have already seen a Remake of the First Silent Hill for the Wii and the PSP, so why not remaster these classic games?

Resident Evil 4, Outbreak, Code Veronica

Resident Evil 4 is the best selling Resident Evil game to date. Even though it is one of my least favorite in the series even I can't deny it's popularity, plus Nintendo already made a re-release for the Wii way back when it first came out. I'm sure there are many gamers who would love to see it on their HD screens. And if there is room on the disc throwing Code Veronica and Outbreak couldn't hurt.

Shadow of Colossus and ICO
Both games were developed by Team Ico and are lesser known games for the PS2 outside of the gaming community, but inside both are loved for their originality, gameplay, and artwork. ICO is an adventure game set in a 3D world filled with puzzles. Shadow of Colossus is quite the opposite as it plays out like a boss battle, one right after the other. Both games deserve to see the light of day once again.

Devil May Cry 1-3
Filled with hacking enemies and solving puzzles, what more could a gamer want? Ok so maybe just a gamer who likes hack and slash kind of games, but that's a good chunk of them. It's pretty much GOW only set in modern times with guns and without the greek mythology part and less gore. But who can go wrong with a game that was supposed to be a Resident Evil title? Even with it's past, the Devil May Cry series has come into it's own and has made one hell of a series. Not only is it fun, but it's challenging, with Devil May Cry 3 being called one of the toughest games ever.

Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3
As one of the best stealth game series out there high in popularity these two games are another example of what gamers want. Metal Gear Solid 2 was rated the 3 best game on the PS2 by ratings scores after all. The AI system is also ranked among the best in stealth games. And with the hype around Peace Walker, the upcoming PSP game coming out next week, we know that Metal Gear Solid games are still high in demand.

Lost Planet 2 PS3 Review

Lost Planet 2 is a third person shooter and sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. It has some good and low points, which I will give in the following review.

Story: The story starts off 10 years after the first game. The planet E.D.N. III has thawed out and reveals that the planet contains different environments such as lush jungles and arid deserts. It revolves around different factions fighting over Thermal Energy. Also, they are battling for control of the land from the monstrous Akrid, a species of insectoid aliens. The overall plot was quite a bit confusing since you never play as one faction only, as it switches every new episode.

5/10

Gameplay: Lost Planet 2 does shine in the gameplay department. The whole entire game can be played alone offline, with 2 player split screen co-op, or up to 4 player online co-op. As with games that have co-op, playing alone is a lot more difficult then with a couple buddies. The co-op AI is almost brain dead, often running into the line of fire and getting themselves killed. The only good side to this is the fact that they have no negative effect on your mission, which in turn ends up making them great cannon fodder. Also, if there is a specific objective to complete such as activating data posts, they'll do it. So the AI will be undoubtedly useful in some respects, but not others. Another problem I had is how easy it is to die sometimes. Sometimes, you'll be wondering how you got flung back 15 feet and land in a lake or get knocked off a cliff. Its extremely frustrating how often it happens. Otherwise, the core gameplay is quite solid with it's shooting mechanics and great use of the grappling anchor.

7/10

Graphics: As you can see on the cover of the box, Lost Planet 2 has some very big creatures. Its quite magnificent getting your ass handed to you by such large creatures. And the lush jungles are nothing to scoff at. It really feels like an alien world. And lets not forget the outrageous character designs. It feels like the more outlandish the faction, the more joy you get from playing as said faction.

8/10

Sound: As far as sound goes, its pretty average. The monster roaring is great, and the boss fight music is sorta epic, but its just ambient noise everywhere else. There's no jungle noises. I really miss that part of playing in a jungle environment. There's not even any female voices for the Femme Fatales faction. Its comical to hear a man's voice with a woman's body.

6/10

Overall, Lost Planet 2 is an average game at best. It does nothing out of the ordinary, and it just feels like Capcom could've done a lot better on the polish of the game. If you're looking for a co-op experience, the game would be a blast, but alone, its more of chore then a game.

Overall Score: 6/10

3D Dot Game Heroes PS3 Review

Trying to think of what makes this game original and fresh is very hard as it is basically a homage to 2D adventure games of the past. It's true if you are a Zelda fan you will see similarity after similarity while you are playing 3D Dot Game Heroes, but what makes it stand out as a great game today?

3D Dot Games Heroes is a 2D adventure game brought into a 3D world without losing it's core. There isn't much to the story here as it's the basic the world is in parallel from a dark lord trying to take over the kingdom and you being the decedent of a great hero from time before, must go on an epic journey to save the land and restore peace. After the basic background story there isn't much after that, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad or boring game even if the story is an overused one. The whole game is a satire of previous games, most closely related to the Legend of Zelda series. Much wit and jokes are placed into this game.

The game plays itself out again like 2D adventure games of the past.  You come across enemies pretty much everywhere except for towns where you will rest, restock on supplies and talk to the locals who will set you off on side quests or give you an important bit of information to help you on your way as well as a bit of humor. You will come across dungeons filled with enemies and puzzles as you work your way to treasures and eventually the boss guarding a powerful orb that will help you gain new magical powers and the strength to beat the main antagonist. The puzzles and exploration is where this game really shines. With a little know how and luck you can find just the right items to make a boss battle quick and painless. Exploration can also lead to an alternate ending and a different trophy if you find all the pieces.

The sound in this game really set you back to the 8 bit world of gaming. They did a wonderful job of creating new old pieces of music. The last dungeon piece is epic, while the world music reminds me of Zelda's theme while coming into it's own. The sound effects of monster getting destroyed and your character taking damage also seems very familiar, but instead of hurting the game for lack of originality it really helps set the mood that you are back in 1987.

The title pretty much sums up the graphics in this game. Most everything is built with dots (or blocks) to create a 3D world. The game does polish some of this off by adding reflective floors that almost look out of place with the rest of the world.

3D Dot Game Heroes also has great replay value short of you using a walkthrough, there is no way that you can find all this games hidden secrets in one go. After defeating the game you also get the option of playing in New Game + mode, which keeps some of the progress you made from your last save, such as small blocks used to trade towards new swords as well as all the monsters you have managed to categorize. With New Game + you also get the option of playing on a harder setting. As I've mentioned before getting the right equipment before a boss can make them quite easy to defeat so this will give you an added challenge.

This game also has a great character editor, which can have you playing around for hours or just a few minutes to make custom characters that you can use to play in your game. You can also upload them to your computer and share them with the online community to download themselves and use in their games. The editor is quite simple, but leaves room to really let your creativity fly. You build your character out of the small blocks that make up the this world. They do limit you to six colors, but you have a slightly larger color pallet to choose those colors from.

This may not be a Zelda title, but some have even gone so far as to saying that From Software knows how to make a better game then Nintendo does referring to Zelda games in recent years.

3D Dot Game Heroes gets a 9/10 from me for those of you who like to look at numbers. It really is a fun game full of explorations, dungeons and nostalgia. If you are a fan of 2D style Zelda games or a fan of adventure games, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a must have. Not only is the game only $40 and in some cases you can find it even cheaper, but it's a $40 game with more than 20 hours of gameplay. Well worth your money. For those who aren't fans of 2D style adventure games you will lose some of what makes this game so great, but there is still some humor to be found that anyone should get. And if you are looking for a good adventure game that gives you hours of gameplay for a great price this is your game.