Well, I’m starting to get settled in the new apartment - Comcast was here today and installed my cable and internet.  So, things should be getting back to normal.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch up on the gaming during my commute to work using Portland’s public transportation system.  Thats one bus and then the MAX train - which should be perfect getting in some time with my DS.  I’ve been bringing it along but haven’t actually played any games since, I’ve been using it as an MP3 player.  I’ve got a few games to catch up on, including a fresh copy of Space Invaders Extreme from Play Asia.  We’ll see what the coming week brings though.

Finally, a free moment - moving across the USA is hard work it seems.  That’s right no more New York for me, I’m now in city of Portland in the state of Oregon.  It’s been a crazy time with the website going down just moments before I got on the plane.  I wasn’t in a position to get it fixed quickly so, down it stayed.  Of course, once that was fixed we released there were problems with all of the e-mail accounts…  Anyway, it’s all fixed up and hopefully that won’t happen again.

So, what does all this have to do with gaming?  Well, I may have been incredibly busy but I have managed to shoe horn in a bit of time playing.  I spent almost the entire plane ride playing The World Ends With You.  I’m currently on day 5 (out of 7).  Of course I haven’t played since I landed at PDX - I’m hoping to get back into it once I move into my place this weekend.  The game is strangely good.  One of the better RPGs I’ve played recently.  I’m (surprise) pressed for time so I won’t go into the entire story - check out Siliconera for that.

Aside from the DS, I’ve been lucky enough to clock some time in Steam playing a couple of games.  I even got to sit down and play Team Fortress 2 in the same room with a couple of people I know out here.  Working on the new achievements was tons of fun and Gold Rush is pretty fun.  Just remember kids drinking and gaming isn’t always a good idea.  My other Steam favorite has been Trackmania.  If you haven’t checked it out and like arcade style racers then get going…  Now, if only I can hold on until my main computer gets here - I’m dieing to play some Company of Heroes.

I keep finding excuses to get myself out of the house - maybe it’s because the weather is starting to get a bit nicer.  My play time has really suffered because of it.  It’s OK though, it really is - I have managed to squeeze in a bit of gaming time…

Rock Band (Xbox 360)

Mike and I finally sat down this past Friday (or was it Thursday?) and played through a bunch of Rock Band.  We hadn’t really played since St. Patrick’s day and I’m not sure you can really call that playing.  We had to start a new band because Mike, the drummer extraordinaire, managed to break one of the drum sticks.  We still have quite a way to go before finishing the Band World Tour so who knows if we’ll actually do it.  Don’t tell anyone from Activision but, Guitar Hero is terrible in comparison to Rock Band.  Especially, if Harmonix and MTV come through with the in-game music store.

Company of Heroes (PC)

I finally reinstalled CoH and started inching my way through the rest of the campaign mode.  Hopefully, by the time I finish it Opposing Fronts will be less then $29.95.  It’s a bit of a pain - only playing a few minutes at a time.  Although, I’m ending up with a ton of save games so if something goes wrong I’ve got a bunch of fall back points.

Prey (PC)

It was on sale for $4.95 through Steam last weekend and so far it’s a decent game.  The portals and gravity effects are pretty cool.  Nothing too special besides that though.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (NDS)

Dragon Sword is without a doubt my favorite DS game ever!  The graphics are fantastic, the controls are perfect and the story is spot on.  I’m about four and a half hours into it and hopefully will get around to finishing it some time soon.  I pretty sure that beating it unlocks hard difficulties which, for once, I’m looking forward to.

Persona (PS1)

I haven’t made it nearly as far as I wanted to but, I have been playing a little bit here and there.

It’s about time to pull myself out of the turkey coma.  During the holiday I was able to finish up the single player parts of The Orange Box.  Portal is an absolutely amazing game, as is Episode 2.  Episode 2 however, left me wishing Valve didn’t take so long with there episodic content.  I still need to put in some Team Fortress 2 time but the little bit that I did play was fun.

The rest of my vacation time consisted of playing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.  It was an odd choice since I’ve never played FFXII and had no idea who any of the characters where.  But, the game quickly grew on me and I’ve managed to get about 70% through the game so far.  Basically, the game is an RTS/RPG type thing but, either element overpowering the experience.  Battle are a bit simplistic, with victory being decided with how many melee combatants you summon.  However, there were a few battles where I did find that to not work and instead had to approach the situation with a more thought out attack plan.  Graphically, the game is very well done - the character sprites can become very pixelated in a few scenes however, the cut scenes are typical Square-Enix things of beauty.  I found the controls to be decent - I had no issues navigating menus, issuing commands or moving my characters.  The sound is again typical for a Square-Enix game, the sound track is great - so play with headphones.  Over all a great game - hopefully, I’ll be able to finish it some time soon.

Earlier today the word came down - I had, coming my way, a couple copies of Transformers DS (Autobots and Decepticons) and a pass to see a preview screening of the movie tomorrow night!

Hopefully, the wait in line is going to be worth it…

*update*

I don’t want to spoil the movie since it’s not out for a couple of days - if you like action films you should go give it a viewing. I will say however - when BumbleBee is introduced, pay attention to the air freshener hanging from his rear view. Also, keep an eye out for the line: “Opps, my bad!”

At work I am tasked with playing a DS for 8 hours a day so you’d think that the last thing I want to do is muck about with it after hours.  Well, you’d be wrong - Portrait Of Ruin is awesome!  However, I’m lagging a bit behind in it - since on New Years Day I received my R4 slot one cart and shortly after that I installed DevKitPro so I could jump on the homebrew bandwagon.  Having a good grasp of C and C++ it hasn’t been too hard to jump in and have simple things work.  Maybe once I’ve done one or two small programs I’ll put something together and bring it to one of the developers at work - maybe I’ll get to convert it for use with an actual Nintendo devkit.  I’m very interested in seeing the differences between the homebrew and developer set up.  That however will have to wait - Dracula is calling me…

• Introduction to Nintendo DS Programming
• Homebrew Nintendo DS Development
• Dev-Scene
• DrunkenCoders

Does any one remember the Biker Mice from Mars? For some reason I do, even though I’ve never actually seen the show. Well, apparently the series has been reborn in the UK with a new TV series and The Game Factory has announced a game for PS2 and DS.

Players will take control of one of the three Biker Mice (Vinnie, Throttle or Modo) and battle their way through 15 levels (well, on the PS2 anyway) looking for more powerful weapons and gadgets to aid in the fight. Battle your way from Chicago to Mars and help the Biker Mice save both planets!

PlayStation 2 features:

A ‘Bonus System’, which rewards players for achieving specific goals in each mission and encourages players to re-play missions

Four super-tough boss fights

The ability to take control of a wild ‘hog’ equipped with lasers, guns, rockets and gadgets

The chance to see the unique blend of action, comedy, and adventure which is seen in the popular cartoon series

Nintendo DS features:

Eight action packed racing and Melee combat missions

The ability to for players to ‘powerslide’ their way around high speed tracks to defeat enemies and bosses

Perform huge jumps across Chicago Freeways and Martian Plains

Pick up and use weapons and objects as you brawl Melee style

*Click For Full Size*

CDV has just e-mailed me some screens for, Panzer Tactics, their upcoming WWII turn-based strategy wargame for the Nintendo DS. Sounds kind of fun. Although, I am a bit sick of WWII as a setting - what would game designers do if it had not happened?

*Click Image for Full Size*

Key features:

Playable via DS Stylus, face buttons or a combination of both

Three unique campaigns (German, Russians and Western Allies) in 30 thrilling missions, including "commando" operations taking players behind enemy lines

Optional mission objectives to unlock bonus missions and other tactical enhancements

Over 20 different special attacks and 150 different land, sea and air units for all sides

Different battle animations for all units on any terrain and a wide range of special effects, explosions and weather effects

Nintendo Wi-Fi and multiplayer wireless mode with up to four players per game, along with hot-seat mode play for two-players on the same DS. A online ladder system keeps track of high scores.

10 multiplayer maps of various sizes played on 14 varied terrain types

A blast from the past!  Gamespot is reporting that System 3 has acquired the rights to Epyx's back catalog of games. I might be dating myself a bit but, I can tell you I spent many a night in front of the Commodore 64 trying to beat Impossible Mission when I was young.  According to the article we can expect to see, not only Impossible Mission, but also California Games and a compilation of The Last Ninja released in 2007 - for the DS, the PSP and even the Wii.

I may be just jaded but, do these classics really need to be updated? Maybe I'll just pull out the C64…

Via QJ::Gamespot

Ubisoft has just announced the first original Star Wars game for the PSP and NDS handheld systems will hit stores in December! The game takes place in the space between Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV A New Hope. Playing as Twi’lek Rianna Saren and her security droid Zeeo the heros are tasked with uncovering the Empire’s most deadly secret – the Death Star.

Key Features:

One-of-a-kind collaborative fighting: Combine the elite weaponry and acrobatic skills of Rianna with the multifunctional defensive and slicing support of Zeeo to create a formidable team. Only by working together can you complete perilous missions and ultimately steal the plans for the Death Star.

Epic gameplay and cinematic action: From the chaotic planet of Coruscant to the dusty, dangerous alleys of Mos Eisley, Rianna and Zeeo must use an arsenal of tricks to complete their mission. Set up holographic disguises to fool Imperial guards, commandeer gun turrets, master death-defying flying escapes and battle carnivorous beasts.

First original Star Wars game built exclusively for handhelds: Multiplayer modes enhance collaborative gameplay while taking advantage of the unique capabilities of both the PSP system and Nintendo DS.

Iconic environments and characters: Your mission takes you to classic destinations such as the Death Star and Tatooine, and allows you to discover never-before-seen locations on Despayre, Danuta and Alderaan. Each new environment offers encounters with unforgettable Star Wars characters and species, including Boba Fett, Kyle Katarn, Princess Leia Organa, Darth Vader, Imperial officers, Rodians, Quarren and stormtroopers.

Let's hope that they don't screw this up.  I'll try to get some screen shots up once Ubi has them posted to the press site.