God of War II (PS2)

Having to walk into the living room to use the PS2 has proved difficult over the last couple of weeks as I’m not much further in God of War II then when I last wrote about it. If I don’t get back to it soon I’m going to have to add it to the unfinished pile.

The Witcher (PC)

I’ve spent most of the month working my way through The Witcher. I had started playing a while back but, when I moved everything over to my new computer I had some issues with my save games. Which was kind of annoying but, I was able to catch back up to where I was in no time. The recently announced update brought the game to the front of my unfinished games list. This is one that I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze in enough time over the next week or so to finish it up. I’ve just begun chapter 3, out of a total of five, and am still really enjoying the game. I’m glad that I decided to get back into this – it’s a great game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)

Atlus US has just released it’s first Shin Megami Tensei game onto the DS. I’ve spent a little bit of time with it and so far it’s been pretty good. In the beginning it feels kind of like The World Ends With You but that passes pretty quickly once the game gets moving. I haven’t really played enough to pass judgment on it yet but, I can say I fused a Jack Frost yesterday. I have a feeling it’s going to turn into a major grind game but, I’m going to try and stick it out.

Parasite Eve (PSX)

It’s been such a long time since I’ve played this,  I can’t even remember if I ever beat it.  Anyway, thanks to an incredibly slow work week I managed to play up to Day 5: Liberation.  If this next week stays just as slow I’ll be able to finish it off.  Parasite Eve is a great RPG one you should go back and revisit if you have the means.  It’s such a massive departure from the Final Fantasy series, that’s probably what appeals to me the most.  I think I’ll pick up a copy of Hideaki Sena’s novel, which from what I understand is fantastic.  That reminds me I still have to pick up a copy of Birthday…

Company of Heros: Opposing Fronts (PC)

It’s been a while since I’ve played COH and I noticed this weekend that the expansion pack Opposing Fronts had finally dropped below $29.99 on Steam.  So, I picked it up and immediately rejoined the fight.  I really want to see Company Of Heros Online.  I’m not sure it will see a US release, for now it looks as if it is only being release in Korea and China as free to play.  Free to play and microtransaction games starting to gain a foot hold here in the US but, we still may not see a release here.  Even if we don’t see see the Online game it is possible we will be seeing another expansion soon.

Team Fortress 2 (PC)

Heavy!  Actually, I haven’t played Heavy since the update.  I started to play last night and then noticed the Opposing Fronts price drop.  But, I swear I’m devoting some time to it this afternoon.

Persona 3: FES (PS2)

I’ve only been able to squeeze in a little bit of time leveling since returning to work after my whole broken wrist saga.  I didn’t play enough of Persona or any of Persona 2 but, it appears that all of the games are not connected – one of these days I need to seek out a Persona wiki and read up on what the hell is going on.

Final Fantasy IV (NDS)

Not too much to say about this – it’s a updated release of a classic game.  I’m currently about half way through and not sure exactly when I’ll be finishing it since I don’t have to commute to work anymore.

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.

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.

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.

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!”

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

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