By the time the nineties rolled around, cartoon makers were really scraping the bottom of the barrel for toy/cartoon crossover lines. The best animals and objects had already been anthropomorhized, and even though bipedal sharks that breathed oxygen didn’t make much sense, it was all Mattel had left. Hence,Street Sharkswas born.
Speaking of bipedal sharks that breathe oxygen, we played some videogames this week. Hit the jump to find out what these videogames could have been, and be ready to kick some serious fin.
North:Personahas aged well. Atlus spruced it up for the PSP, and I’m digging it just as much as I did back in the day on the PS1.
Razak:I tried1 vs. 100for the first time this week and it was a blast. That’s mostly because I played with my fiancee. I don’t see it being as much fun without another person around. Still, very cool stuff. Otherwise it was pretty muchAssassin’s Creed. Oh, andMinesweeper. Does that count as a videogame? Because I was stuck waiting in line and played a lot of that.
Bennett:Got into some good old NES games yesterday, spending a lot of time withRiver City RansomandDouble Dragon II. What a blast. Nintendo is never any less fun when it comes to the classics, and it made me miss being a kid. Otherwise, I’ve been working on what I hope will be a max social link playthrough ofPersona 3and squeezing in a bit ofDJ Maxon the side for my PSP.
Sterling:I’ve spent two days in the company ofDragon Age: Origins. Contracts forbid me from talking about the details, probably so that more wealthy Web sites get to talk about them first, but let me just say that Jim Sterling has plenty of good things to say about a BioWare game. You don’t see that every day. A preview is coming early next month, so stay tuned for that.
Otherwise, I’ve not had much time, what with traveling to Canada and dealing with delayed flights. I’ve found the occasional time to play moreOrder of Ecclesia, but its difficulty scale is pathetic when compared to the last few DSCastlevanias. The last two games were tough, but fair. They didn’t just throw a whole bunch of shit at you, clap its hands and say “Duh, we’re hardcore yaaay!”Ecclesiahas a childish approach to difficulty.
I want to playDragon Age. 🙁
Cantler:I spent most of the day yesterday at an arcade collector’s shindiggy, in a room overflowing with beautiful Japanese cabinets. While there, I got to playIkarugaon its native Naomi hardware, in a Capcom Impress cab with a brand-new monitor. That was certainly an experience. The rest of my time there was spent onGuwange, Pro Gear, Capcom Vs SNK 2, Blazing Star, Espgaluda 2, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, andWaku Waku Seven. At home it’s been the usualMvC2, Project Justice, Puzzle Fighter, etc. Though I did finally get around to playing theArkham Asylumdemo, which I actually quite liked.
Holmes:If by “childish approach to difficulty” you mean “requires that you learn how beat bosses instead of make them totally wussies that you can kill on the first try,” I couldn’t agree more, my dear Jim.
Sorry if that sounds hostile. That could be my jealousy of Topher talking. Did they haveWarZardthere, Topher? If you tell me that they did, I shall shit with envy.And call you a “gopher.”
Oh yeah, videogames — I’m playingNyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, and it’s pretty cool. If you like obstacle course-style 2D puzzle platformers, you should buy it for sure. Beyond that, just did my dailyGame Center CX 2andAnimal Crossing: City Folkroutines. I’m just one week away from having a perfect town for 15 days, which will score me a golden watering can and an immeasurable sense of videogame pride.
Sterling:I don’t even have a problem with the bosses. The bosses so far have been aggravating, but logical. I’m talking a few sections where they have just thrown enemies at you, willy nilly, with no real sense of pattern or fairness.
Holmes:I don’t remember those parts at all. The only times I remember dying or having a any sense of real challenge in the game was against bosses — particularly the giant horse boss, whom I totally love to hate.
I bow to your recent experience with the game, as I haven’t played it for months, and trust that there are stupid parts that I just don’t remember.
Concelmo:I have been travelling all week, so haven’t had much time for videogames at all. I did play some DS on the plane, though:Contra 4, Metroid Prime Pinball,Dragon Quest: Rocket Slime,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. All of my favorites.
Cantler:Um … I’ll say “no.”
Holmes:ARGH!
GOPHER GOPHER GOPHER!!!
Cantler:If that becomes a meme, Jack Thompson wins. Just remember that. Also that I will probably strike you with something. It’s no more original or clever now than it was on the playground in 1984.
Sterling:And really, Jack should have said “Cuntler.”
Cuntler:Yes, that would have at least been kind of funny. He probably could have worked in a more clever joke about crawling into a hole as well.
Chester:Been playing throughShadow Complexfor the second time on my retail Xbox 360, and seeing stuff I hadn’t my first time through. Not sure if that’s because the preview build I played was incomplete or what (it was a preview build, after all), but it was a pleasant surprise. Look forward to a review of that tomorrow.
I also headed to Gearbox to play some four-player cooperativeBorderlandson the Xbox 360… and I can’t say much else until September. But let it be known that it continues to stay on the top of my “do want” list.
Less exciting, I decided I wanted to get some achievements inGuitar Hero: Metallica, so I started playing the bass career until the batteries in my guitar died.
Sterling:Oh shit! I just remembered I have that review code forShadow Complex, too!
brb, playingShadow Complex!
Villasenor:I played a few more levels inResistance: Fall of Man, but then sort of dropped it when I started upValkyria Chronicles. That game is is super-fun! And once I finally got home yesterday, and once again had access to my computer, I gaveSins of a Solar Empirea try. And although I’ve only played a few matches so far, I can tell that this strategy game is going to have me hooked for a while. Can anyone in the comments recommend any good mods or maps for it?
Grim:Trials HD, which is amazing yet frustrating because I’m not very good, andHoly Invasion of Privacy, Badman!, which is also amazing yet frustrating because I’m not very good.
Sarkar:At home, I’ve been playingnothingbutMadden NFL 10(for first impressions from me ad Brad Nicholson, gohere). The full Destructo review (with video!) will be up tomorrow, but suffice it to say that this is the bestMaddengame yet on current-generation consoles; everything comes together to create a fantastic experience that I can recommend to any football fan. So if you’re thinking of writing somethingcleverlike “meh, yet another roster update” in the comments, you’re able to go fuck off.
I went to a Konami event on Wednesday, where I checked out stuff likePro Evolution Soccer 2010,Karaoke Revolution, andZombie Apocalypse. That last game is an upcoming PSN/XBLA title, and while it’s simple, it’s actually pretty fun — you pick one of four characters and go through levels killing waves of zombies.
Finally, I checked out theBatman: Arkham AsylumPSN demo last Monday. After playing it, I am scrambling to scrape together $60 for the full game, because the demo was pretty sweet.
Zimmerman:Samit’s e-mail needs to remain exactly as it is with no editing.
Sarkar:Except for the typo where it should say “meandBrad Nicholson” instead of “me ad Brad Nicholson.”
Nicholson:I believe you mean “The fullDestrutoidreview,” Samit.
I’m sorry, I always wanted to do that!
Also, I’ve been playingMadden 10, Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2, andWarhammer Online: Age of Reckoningfor the Macintosh.
Zimmerman:Actually, he meant, “the full Destructoid review.”
Sarkar:Oh. Yeah. Weird…this was the one time I didn’t re-read the email before the “Undo Send” timer ran out. Ugh.
Sarkar:Crawling into a hole in 3…2…1…
