Monday, June 30, 2008

June '08 wrap-up rap

Well, as June draws to a close, I thought I'd babble a bit before the month of my 47th birthday starts.

I like the format I started this month and I think I'll continue with it (until I think of something else or just get bored of it). I don't know if it will accomplish its intended purpose of convincing me that I don't need an Xbox 360, however. July will be a tough month to hold out on. Between my b-day and a pretty good rumor that it will drop $50 the weekend just before, I may just fall victim to my own obsession. I mean, I already have 5 games for it! (Yes, I have games for a system I don't own. Sheesh!) But I think I'd rather have the TV upgrade before the game system. As this month has shown, I have so little time for real console gaming anymore unless John is in town. What would be the point?

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Gaming in June '08

Ok, new feature - a running (b)log of what I've played for a given month. This sprang from a need to get back to this blog with something about gaming again and a desire to justify my lack of a need for a new game system (in this case, a 360). Also, I just like "talking" about games. ;) So, here goes!

1 - GW session in the afternoon. Finally finished the first real dungeon in Zelda Phantom Hourglass (the fire one). Sucks that you always end up at the beginning of the dungeon when you die and at this point I only had 3 hearts! The drawing mechanic in the game is interesting, but if you can't hold the stylus steady you end up throwing the boomerang into walls a lot. I found using the full sized pen stylus easier.

2 - Mario Kart Wii with John. Got the Lego Indy demo working on the computer! Had to minimize and restore the program to get it to start (weird). I played it with the gamepad (only real way to do it) and it's a good game but I can't help thinking it got "content nerfed" to be more acceptable for today's PC market. I mean, doesn't Indy get to have a gun?

3 - Only got about 10 minutes on Hitman 2 for the Cube. Strange that the game looks better on it than the Xbox. I found the way out of the first mission and it looks like I must have killed just about everyone in the compound. Not very subtle lol.

4 - About 15 minutes of lunchtime play on Zelda Phantom Hourglass...and I actually got it in the game! GW session with John in the evening.

5 - Another lunchtime Zelda break (that countdown timer is going to take a little getting used to). Mario Kart Wii with John (it's always fun!). New thing seen: running over a goombah while giant sized! Downloaded demos for Pirates and Mummy, but only played a little Mummy so far. Interesting to see a demo so early before the movie is released.

6 - GW with John. Finished a really big mission for lots of points!

7 - GW with John, twice. Finished more missions.

8 - Ditto, but no missions done.

9 - The Mummy DS demo sucks; too many sudden death traps that have you right back at the start. Mario Kart Wii with John.

10 - Started playing Arkanoid DS demo. Hate that it "uses the middle", but not too bad. Can't get past the second screen. Tried stylus and pad controls; no clear winner.

11 - No gaming at all.

12 - None again, but was working on stuff for Sarah.

13 - Don't remember, but probably not much if any.

14 to 22 - Gaming vacation! With John out, we played lots of games, but not exactly the ones I expected. Biggest hits: Mario Party 8 for Wii, Pinball for Wii, Guitar Hero II and III for PS2. Tried and tossed: Raving Rabbids 2 for Wii, Excite Truck for Wii, Call of Duty 3 for Wii (looked at the Xbox version and it was MUCH better graphically, but harder to control), Mario Kart Wii (split screens were too small). Quick spins: Mario Party DS, Mario Kart DS. Missing In Action: Lego Indiana Jones (bought but not played), any games from the Xbox collection.

23 - Mario Kart Wii with John. Demoed Hulk DS game from download. Pretty much sucks.

24 - Only a little Zelda PH before bed. Got stuck in an area that was unusually hard for a Zelda game, I thought.

25 - Mario Kart Wii with John.

26 - A little Zelda PH at lunch. Worked on my games spreadsheet. According to latest figures, I have 400 games for various consoles that I've bought, but have never touched. Eeek!

27 - A little more Zelda PH at lunch and Mario Kart Wii with John. Looks like the 360 will drop $50 around the middle of July. B-day, maybe?

28 - A bit more Zelda PH (that new stylus John found works great!). Risk with John (after 2 failed attempts due to network game issues). And 9 holes of Tiger Wii with Ghost before bed. (and boy! Did I wake up with sore arms! Lots of fun, though.)

29 - Got GW Nightfall up and running with John. Pretty much the same as normal GW, but more of a dessert look. Best part is being able to share inventory and money with characters from Prophecies. What would take an ordinary character a week to get together, we had done in an hour!

30 - Well, end of the month and I only did about 10 minutes on a very old 007 game for the N64, The World is Not Enough. Man, by today's standards, did those games look bad! But it was the best they could do. Am I going to look back on PS2/Gamecube/Xbox games with the same level of "horror" when I start gaming in HD? I hope not.