Category Archives: Gaming

Sometimes I play video games

The last time I made a large Game Journal post, I was playing Sonic Generations, Ocarina of Time 3D, inFamous 2, and World of Warcraft. I was also thinking about starting Gears of War 3, Ivy the Kiwi?, Sonic Colors, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Epic Mickey, and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland.

* * * Playing * * *

World of Warcraft
Of course, I’m still playing World of Warcraft. I have a separate blog to talk about that, but we’re now 5/8 in Dragon Soul.
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart’s always been one of my favorite series, and 7 is no let down. As usual, there’s a Mirror mode unlocked after 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. I’m working on it now.
inFamous 2
I’m so close to that damn platinum trophy! I really need to put some more time in it!
LittleBigPlanet 2
I actually just started playing this today, but I bought it for gem for Christmas. We’re playing through the game in co-op! Unfortunately, after every play session, we have to login as the other person and start the game again to sync trophies to both accounts. So much work. Fun game though, and I’m glad she’s enjoying it!
Plants vs. Zomibes
More content was added to the iOS version, so I’m playing that off and on a bit as well as the PC version ocassionally.
Super Mario 3D Land
I stopped playing this because of Pilotwings and Mario Kart, but I’ll hopefully get back to it soon. It’s amazingly excellent. Great level design. Every element is there for a reason, and when I die, it’s my fault. Perfect. Wonderful use of 3D as well.
Game Dev Story
I started playing this again just a little bit. I’d like to get a perfectly reviewed game.

* * * Finished * * *

Pilotwings Resort
I played this a lot of while! Alex let me borrow it, and it’s pretty fun. I didn’t manage to get perfects on everything, which keeps me from unlocking some bonus missions, but I did beat the main game!
Sonic Generations
I finished this and loved it. Thankfully Sonic Team didn’t make it super long by adding too much worthless content.

* * * Gave Up * * *

Zeno Clash
Zeno Clash is a weird first-person fighting game with a really bizarre story. I got stuck for a little bit, put it down, and never came back. I might be done with it. Maybe I’ll just switch it to easy mode and plow through it.

* * * Thinking About Playing* * *

Grand Theft Auto
I don’t even know which one I’d like to play. I suppose I’d like to finish the first one, but it crashes when I alt-tab. I have the third on Android that I could play, but I’m not sure how much time I’d want to devote to an Android port. What if I get stuck later because I lack good controls? Of course, I have all the pre-4 games on Steam as well.
Co-op Platformers
Lots to choose from after we finsh LBP2. Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland come to mind.
More
Gears of War 3
Ivy the Kiwi?
Sonic Colors
Epic Mickey
The Binding of Isaac
Sequence
Cthulhu Saves the World
Psychonauts
The Old Republic…?

Curio

Curio for iOS | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Action/Horror, Platformer

When Brain Blast Games offered me a horror title, Curio, to review for the iPhone, I was intrigued. Horror? I don’t see that very often on the iOS. Then I tried it, and after less than a minute, I found myself mumbling, “what the heck?” Okay, it was a little more colorful than that. I think that question sums up the game, and I mean that in a good way! While I wouldn’t exactly say it’s scary in the sense that it would cause me to jump, it’s definitely horror-themed and creepy and would be sure to scare a younger audience. It’s odd, and more so, it’s unsettling. It’s a running title in which you go for a high score, and I like it!

Former Joystiq Writers Moving On

The Justin McElroy Institute

So here’s what’s next for yours truly: I, and a big team of talented folks, are going to be building the best video game site ever.

Recently a bunch of folks left Joystiq, including three of my favorites – Chris Grant, Griffin McElroy, and Justin McElroy. I was worried about what was happening but hopeful that they were all leaving together. It looks they were! I can’t wait to see what they build.
Ludwig Kietzmann, the new Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq, better kick it up a notch! (Luckily I love him too!)

Terra Noctis

Terra Noctis | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Platformer

Terra Noctis is a charm-filled platformer that’s a wonderful addition to the iOS’s lineup of games. Provided to me by publisher BulkyPix and developer Fire Fruit Forge, it immediately won me over with its graphics and music and continued to impress me with its gameplay. I should come clean and say I have a bit of a bias; I love platformers. Of course, that also means that I’ve played a lot of them, so take that for what you will. While not without a few small faults, Terra Noctis is an amazing game.

Funny Hell

Funny Hell | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Strategy

Recently Bulkypix provided me Funny Hell to review for all of you! It’s a light-hearted, simple strategy game featuring side-scrolling action. Your army marches right. The enemy army matches left. Where they meet, the armies clash! It’s simple to play with short levels and various types of goals. In addition, it’s definitely a different look at hell than normal!

WHOT! Free

WHOT! Free | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Card games

WHOT! Free is a card game available for free by nKanika! I played it on the iOS, but it’s also available for Android and Facebook. Before I go into any details, let me tell you a little about the game. First, it’s fun, and I like it. (Uh oh, I gave away the ending of the review!) It’s only single-player for now, but multiplayer is coming soon according to the press release. It’s very fun yet simple and has multiple difficulties for those looking for more of a challenge.