THE TAPUFACE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN.
We played videogames this week at Destructoid. Hard to imagine, I realize. Read on to find out what games made the cut this week.
Chester:A bunch of stuff, most of which I can’t say too much about:Time Crisis: Razing Stormfor PlayStation 3;Enslavedon Xbox 360;Halo: Reachon Wii (jokes people);Def Jam Rapstarfor 360 (I’m working on my flow); andHeroes Del Ringfor 360. Games! I play them!
Aziz:Halo: Reach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
H. Bennett:Thanks to the copious amounts of flying I’ve done recently,Pokémonhas completely occupied my time. Myself and Daniel Carneiro were racing to level up on the flight, He called his pokémon ‘The Clamps’, whenever we got drunk at PAX we would run around screaming ‘THE CLAAAAAMPS’.
Toletino:PlayingAmnesia: Dark Descentfor review. After the shakes subside, I relax withValkyria Chronicles II.
Ross:I just bought a PSP this week, so I’ve been spending a lot of time withValkyria Chronicles 2,Patapon 2, andStreet Fighter Alpha 3 Max. Also my normalStreet Fighter IVing.
The surprise of this week wasRecettear. I really thought I would hate it, but it’s actually turned out to be quite enjoyable.
C. Bennett:Working through hard difficulty onScott Pilgrimnow that my stats are maxed out!
Perlee:Ooooh, I forgot there was a hard mode inScott Pilgrim. I need to get going on that maxing out characters.
As for me, it’s been a somewhat lackluster week in games. Played a bit of theDead Space 2multiplayer, which you’ll all hear about on Monday, as well as someWarriors of Rock. Nothing amazing.
But I have an admission to make: I’ve picked up PC gaming. Yeah, sure, it’s for the beta ofLEGO Universe, but damn if that game is not fun. It’s super simple, and my friends playing it says it’s a lot like WoW, which is good to hear for that game. There’s a whole lot of polish in that title, and I love how it seems to run better than Firefox. Also, it’s infinitely playable without a mouse, meaning there is one less thing to deal with that game. Love it.
Carey:Been digging onCase Zero, great little slice of gaming and story for five bucks. Got a taste ofCivilization Vmulti-player (preview coming). Also been playing a ridiculous brawler for iPhone calledCorporate Fury— it’s as silly as it sounds.
Concelmo:Every since I got back from PAX I have been playing nothing butMetroid: Other M.
I feel a feature coming on about my numerous thoughts on the game, but here are some quick feelings:
At the beginning, I was not a fan, which is surprising for me since theMetroidseries may be my favorite videogame series of all time. But, as I got farther in the game, it started growing on me. Looking past the game’s numerous flaws, there is something rather special about it. I don’t know. It obviously has a COMPLETELY different vibe than otherMetroidgames, but I am nearing the end and feeling pretty satisfied.
Who knows? Maybe I am cutting it some slack because it is aMetroidgame. Whatever the reason, I like it much more than I did in the first few hours, which is definitely not a bad thing.
I look forward to finishing it.
Morris:I am still playing the shit out ofDragon Quest IX, especially now that I have millions of maps from canvassing at PAX.
Devore:Yoshi’s Island,Super Mario Land(for the first time ever [I know, right?]),Plants vs. ZombiesXBLA, andMonaco.
Zimmerman:I’ve been playingPlants vs. ZombiesXBLA for review. I’ve also been playingRecettear, which has wound up being an unexpected surprise in that it has managed to capture my interest for more than 10 hours of gameplay.
Sterling:I played someHalo: Reachwhich … well, let’s just say that, while I don’t think Halo games are particularly bad, I don’t think I am going to ever see in the series what so many others do. I just can’t see what it is this series is doing, outside of a huge marketing budget, that makes everyone so excited about the franchise. No disrespect to those who love Halo, I just don’t understand it.
What I do understand, however, isFallout 3. Having given the originalFallouta try, I was able to “get”Fallout 3a lot more. Hence, I have been kicking absolute ass at that game and having loads of fun. It’s still stupidly glitchy and I’m getting a little tired of wandering the wastes in search of new quests, but it’s a fantastic experience and I’m really excited to see what Obsidian can bring with New Vegas. I would never have predicted a few weeks ago that I’d suddenly turn into such a bigFalloutfan, but there you go!
Also, I’ve been playingIvy The Kiwi?which is a pretty fun little game. That’s about it!
Razak:Metroid: Other M. Like Chad, I find it flawed, but also immensely interesting. It could just be the Metroid love I have, but I don’t that that is it. In fact once I got use to it I liked the switching controller stuff and found it very interesting and one of those things that raised the tension a lot. I’m glad Nintendo tried to go a different direction once again with the series it just didn’t turn out as well as the Primes did, but hating on them for trying something different is a bit hypocritical, I just hope they have all the kinks worked out for the next one. I really think the biggest flaw is the simple fact that they made a world that didn’t feel like it was open or non-linear. All the games in the series are actually entirely linear, but they fake it so well andOther Mjust stunk at faking it.
Holmes:Just tried theRecetteardemo. It’s likeRune Factory Frontiercrossed withTingles Freshly Picked Rosy Rupeeland. Not bad, but with so many other more original games out right now, it’s hard to prioritize it.
Speaking of which, other than all the games I played at PAX, I’ve been primarly focused onIvy the Kiwi?andMetroid: Other M. It’s amazing how much my sentiments towards the game mirror those of my fellow Dtoid editors. Nick, Chad, and Matt all seemed initially disappointed with the game, but could appreciate the fact that it tries to be different. I feel the same way.
Still, it would have been so much better if they ditched the auto-aim for I.R. pointing. Due to auto-aim, I often feel totally uninvolved with the combat. I can just stand in one place, and shoot. If they had infused the game with a bit ofSin and Punishment 2style bullet dodging and manual targeting, the game could have been a 10/10.
Speaking of 10/10, I loveIvy The Kiwi?. Haven’t finished yet, but for a $30 budget title ($20 on the DS), I’m not sure what else you could ask for.
