Pre-Celebratory Jitters

Sorry for the lack of posts, but the anniversary celebrations will officially start tomorrow, since August 27 is the official start of Gameritis. In the meantime, I need to get the ball rolling...

PS3 purchase...justified!

I've finally placed the order for Disgaea 3 and its strategy guide over the weekend, thus justifying the main reason why I have a PlayStation 3 now. In doing so, I've set an unprecedented goal for myself: to finish Disgaea 1 and 2 before I receive the third game.

Yes, I've never finished either game completely yet.

I have mentioned in the past my progress in Disgaea since its PSP release, freeing myself from the shackles of television-constrained play sessions, but even the liberation of portable gaming on the go has only taken me so far. How did I ever get myself into this mess?

Strategy RPGs are an entirely different breed, one that I will someday tackle. Thankfully, there's not so much emphasis for story continuity in these titles, so I probably won't ruin anything in playing these games concurrently.

Nearing the One-Year Anniversary Mark...

I can't believe that it's been almost a year since I started Gameritis, and since then I've been glad to have shared with you my views and excitement on everything video game related. This blog has been a goal to myself to voice my opinions for all to view, and, while my reader following ranges from low to nil, I still grind away making post after post, just for my own sake. I just wanted to be the star of my own blog, committed to making at least one post per weekday on anything at all. Sure, there are some weeks where I fell short, due to personal events and issues, but my major concern overall is to bring you my perspective on video games.

Since then, I've tried to add pictures to posts when possible, created a "finished" stamp for any games I've finished (which began with Zelda DS, by the way), and established "Lazy Wednesdays" all centered around the Zero Punctuation reviews, to name a few. In the coming months, I hope to introduce more intriguing sections into the mix.

But rest assured, next week will be a week focused on Gameritis as well as the regular gaming news.

Zero Punctuation review: Soul Calibur 4

Let's start this "Lazy Wednesday" with Yahtzee's review of Soul Calibur 4, the latest fighter in the series.

Personally, I never was really into the games, though I did play up to the second installment before I thought, "man, which ending is the right ending?" I mean, you have individual endings for every single character, and yet they only focus on one of them for each new game that comes out. Which begs the non-rhetorical question "why?"

Now, if they chained fighter games through whatever character and path you took via save files throughout the series, then there's a justified reason why they made the plot a "Choose Your Own Adventure" route.

Anyways, Yahtzee's NSFW (because of tits) below.

Strong Bad's first day at Telltale Games

You can tell that Telltale Games have a lot of love in what they do, and it shows in everything they touch. Like the interactive online comics that they had for Sam and Max, Telltale Games now started their little videos showcasing Strong Bad and his visit to Telltale Games about starring in his own game. Hilarity ensues!

Hey, that game is still unopened!!

I'm sure other gamers can relate when I say that at one time or another, you've overloaded your gaming queue. Maybe you took on too many games at once and not finish any of them, or purchased games on sale that you haven't touched...but it has probably happened to you at least once in your game-playing lives. But the industry has only been pumping out more and more as the years roll by, giving us gamers less and less time to actually enjoy their 60+ hour games. (That's another rant for another day...)

The problem is, during these moments, I take on more games faster than I can play them. The result? Games that aren't even opened.

In reality, I don't have much time to play games as long as I wish to. Sure, in the past couple of months, I've finished a number of games, but all of them are short relative to completion times. 12 hours? 21 hours? We're talking about almost a complete day's worth of gaming, stretched out in the span of 2 months. You do the math.

So a game that's still in its plastic casing, sitting on the counter collecting dust is not gaming negligence; it's merely in hibernation until there's an open slot in my schedule. My ideal, ultimately, is that if I open a game, I'll make sure I have the right amount of time to give it my full attention. I may or may not finish the game, but I want to be able to give it my all before I give up.

I'll save you the "treat it like a lady" bullshit. If you're coming on to your games, you have more pressing issues to deal with.

Zero Punctuation review: Prince of Persia Perspective

This week's "Lazy Wednesday" starts off with Yahtzee's perspective over the Prince of Persia Trilogy. In one of probably rare moods of video game affection, he goes through the good and bad of what he believes to be the components of his "ideal" game.

In all the Prince of Persia games, I've only completed the first one, Sands of Time. I thought the game purely rocked, and the story was stellar. But somehow I feel that the next two games might usher in a wave of crap that I wouldn't be able to wash off. I just hope Warrior Within is not like the Matrix Reloaded, putting me off so much that I don't want to endure through the third installment.

SBCG4AP Season 1 begins now!

Today's WiiWare update brings one of the few anticipated titles I've been looking forward to this year, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, brought to you by the folks at TellTale Games. While I've yet to check out the highly popular Sam and Max seasons, I'm really excited to playing a game centered around a flash cartoon that I've practically grew up.

If you haven't checked out HomeStar Runner yet, you're missing out on a really odd and quirky web phenomenon that has a very cultish following. While the site centers around the lovably dumb HomeStar Runner, its true star is Strong Bad, the rebellious "odd couple" to HomeStar. I highly recommend checking out the Strong Bad email section, where he takes actual emails to him and answers them in flash cartoon style.

In fact, it's probably good to check out a few of those "emails" before checking out the game, so that you're familiar with the characters and humor that you will most certainly stratch your head over without doing so. That being said, this game will cater to longtime followers - but with the reputation of TellTale Games behind it, SBCG4AP is looking to please new gamers as well.

FF CC: Ring of Fates...finished!

This week has been a good week for completing games. At a little over 12 hours, I've just completed the DS game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. What began as a simple game review turned out to be a game I just couldn't put down. Basically, if you enjoy the simple action/adventure game, you will enjoy Ring of Fates.

To be quite honest, this game is probably the first DS game I've ever played where I did not mind using my fingers to interface the touch screen. And that's extremely uncommon for me, since I almost always use a stylus for most other games. It's all thanks to the game's very intuitive control scheme, making all commands and controls within thumbs reach.

While the game is fairly short and most gameplay elements aren't used enough, the story is classic SquareEnix and is well told. If there should be any drive to play a game, it's for the story.

Metal Gear Solid 3...finished!

After 21 long hours, I can finally put Metal Gear Solid 3 behind me. Out of the three games, this one offered the most challenge thus far, with smarter enemy AI and more intriguing food and camouflage system. Not to mention the endless cut scenes...thankfully, the 4th installment remedies this with a much-needed pause feature for cut scenes.

Speaking of which, I've already begun my romp through Metal Gear Solid 4, and the controls are kicking my ass. Everything's all screwy, but I think I'll have to play it a few more times to manage. In the meantime, I'll add an extra "finished" stamp over the entire collection, just to cement the deal.

Zero Punctuation review: Ninja Gaiden II

And, while we're on the Zero Punctuation bandwagon, here's this week's Zero Punctuation review on Ninja Gaiden II. I'm labeling this as really NSFW simply because of one word: titties. That is all. Enjoy the review!

Zero Punctuation review: The E3 Trailer Park

Today's "Lazy Wednesday" is anything but. Since I missed out on last week's Zero Punctuation, I'll be making two posts. Here's last week's, all based on the entire E3 hoopla that everyone's been bitching and moaning about. Make no mistake...Yahtzee cuts no corners when he's delivering his final verdict over this year's travesty. NSFW, of course, but highly recommended viewing. Enjoy!

Drill Dozer...finished!

There have been many games that have escaped my radar, and for a long while Drill Dozer was one of them. This gem of a game didn't receive much notice in the gaming world, but for those that have played the game, it is one that offers the fun and challenge that most current-gen games lack.

While the main game itself isn't too long compared to today's video game standards, the real meat behind the title comes from its replay value. You have the option to purchase hidden levels within the game which cater to the extremely hardcore player. Combine that aspect to one of the most innovative gameplay elements in controlling a motorized drill, and you have the makings of the most challenging and pleasantly frustrating game to make you forget that there are other DS titles to play. Definitely worth the time and money, and highly recommended.

Taking the week off...

Hey guys.

If you're just wondering why there wasn't any post yesterday, it's because I'm pretty busy this week. So, I'm taking a short week off from posting to collect my thoughts, my articles, and my mind. Be back next week!

That car chase scene? Yeah, that was all me.

Until I've finished the first three Metal Gear Solid games (more than halfway through the third installment), free demos have been the only other source of quick entertainment on my PS3. I just love how something that is clearly only a small portion of the actual game can create hours of enjoyment, without any of the guilt that you actually paid for it. One of these was Stuntman Ignition.

I've never played any of the previous installments, but often heard of how they were constricted mini-games of following commands and nailing tricks and jumps to a T, as well as all the negative press about all the trial-and-error and repetition that goes into each game. There's much truth in this, as I experienced first hand last night when struggling to hitting all the tricks in one "scene" without striking out on too many missed attempts. In that half hour, I must have restarted the game 25-30 times before I got a complete run out of it, all the while slightly frustrated and peeved at every missed turn or jump.

But in the end, the real payoff is when you select that "instant replay" option. From there, you get to see a movie-like clip of yourself literally doing your own stunts. Thing that sounded asinine when the director tells you to perform them, like the small "hit the jeep" call while you're turning suddenly becomes wicked cool when you see it as a movie. "Holy crap, that car just knicked that jeep and knocked the guy off while he was turning! Awesome!!"

I couldn't help but play that replay 4-5 times after that. After all, it's a demo, so no record of this was being saved to my system anyways.And just recently, I saw the game in the bargain bin. To be the star of your own movies at a cheap price is something I'd pay for!

I understand that most people don't like the constant trial-and-error method that this game constantly pushes onto its players, but to have a final output comprised entirely of your own control gives you a satisfaction knowing that you did all that, without the risk of losing life and limb.

Zero Punctuation review: The Age of Conan

Today's "Lazy Wednesday" has Yahtzee reviewing the Age of Conan PC game. Like Yahtzee, I don't know enough about the Conan story to really relate to the game, nor justify a purchase to check it out. So what does Yahtzee do? He reviews it anyway! Enjoy the NSFW below!

Maintaining game focus and not being lost in the sea of monotony

With the variety of games that come out every week, it's no surprise that people never finish these games at all. So to really commit oneself to see a game through to the end means you have to sacrifice playing many other games in your library or on release. Some may shrug the challenge off with blind courage and boast that they can multi-task many games at once, but more often than naught will only half-ass all attempted games. I was once one of these people, but not anymore.

I dunno...maybe it's the short attention span people tend to exhibit when a ton of great games comes out, or maybe it's the relatively short jolt of excitement one aspect of a game's gameplay gives us that makes us wonder whether or not we'll enjoy doing this for another 20-30 hours.

Or maybe the games are becoming more and more bland that we've become numb to anything that appears to be remotely similar to each other in every possible way.

Chalk it up to me becoming an older and wiser gamer, but for my leisure time I've only got room for a couple of games at once. If that's the case, might as well finish them while I'm focused...right?

Zero Punctuation review: Alone in the Dark

Chalk this up to the even more lazy "Lazy Wednesdays," but here's this week's Zero Punctuation reviewing the latest Alone in the Dark game.

I was one of the few who played the earlier incarnations of the game before it became all dark and "Uwe Boll"-like, in particular Alone in the Dark 3. Personally, that was a good game with a fair amount of puzzle solving and action only when appropriate. You know what killed the series, right? They forgot the lantern.

These are games, not daytime soap operas...

"Loyalty" is too strong a word to use among gamers. Way too strong. Sure, people have their followings and groups where they can discuss their favorite all-time games, or discuss new tactics to bring to the online front for the next big FPS game...but being "loyal" to games or gamers? That's just pushing it to a dangerously-dedicated level.

Let's take Mega Man 9 from Capcom, for example. This is a game that seems to have mixed receptions on not only what platforms it is being released at (last I reported, it was WiiWare exclusive, but in fact it's for all three console platforms - don't feel like making a third post about incorrect news), but on its use of retro graphics for a completely new game. First of all, you have the console "loyalists" who believe that the game should have been for all consoles from the start (when it was initially announced for WiiWare only), deeming it unfair to others who do not have a Wii. Secondly, you have people crying about its graphics, feeling that it should look all nice and shiny if it's a completely new game.

Then, more recently, SquareEnix announces that Final Fantasy XIII will now be released on the XBox 360 as well. Again, console "loyalists" cried foul, saying that it should be exclusive to just one system instead of going multi-platform. Others felt that SquareEnix "betrayed" (yet another strong word) their fans by "selling out" to Microsoft and their monopolistic demands. Some fanboys (normally a term I want to dissolve, but in this case highly appropriate) have openly expressed their frustration and hatred toward this bit of news, up to the extent of boycotting their products.

But...won't you guys be still playing these games when they come out?

In my quest to become an ideal gamer, becoming unbiased towards any console system is a constant exercise in self-discipline. Way back in August 2007 when I started this blog, I didn't own a PS3 or XBox 360, but I never said I absolutely abhorred them; I just never saw any games I was intensely interested to warrant a purchase. Recently, I purchased a PS3 because I wanted to acquire Disgaea 3, which would come out later this year, as well as dive into Metal Gear Solid 4. I didn't get the system so I could watch Blu-Rays, or play my MP3s on it - I got it for the games, and I think that reason got lost somewhere in this generation of video game consoles.

I admit, most of my posts over the months have been on Wii titles, but that's only because I found most of their games highly entertaining - as should any gamer would agree. Over the months, my queue has increased towards more DS and PSP games, and now the PS3 - all of which have been game-driven. If I were a "console-whore," I would've wasted money on all systems, with no games to really justify my empty wallet - and no games would not make me a happy gamer. There's a reason why I called my blog Gameritis, y'know...

To those complaining about Mega Man 9: Capcom distinctly said the retro style was for its fans. If you don't like it, then you're obviously not in that category, so don't get the game.

To those complaining about FF XIII being released on XBox 350 as well: The game is still coming out on PS3. It shouldn't matter to you that they're also releasing on another console. I'd be more angry if the game actually moved from PS3 to 360. Then I'd be pissed. And to everyone that keeps saying "What if Zelda were on the 360?" - SquareEnix is not a console system developer, so that argument has no pull.

To people from both arguing parties: You can't deny the fact that by catering to a larger audience, company profits are more likely to increase. In other words, Capcom and SquareEnix like money. Don't you?

If you guys play the games regardless of all the video game politics, isn't that all that matters? There is no "loyalty," no "betrayal," and even no "hardcore" among players. Just a lot of gamers who enjoy playing games.

And if you don't like it? Well, you can always turn off your console.

Metal Gear Solid 2...finished!

In my quest to finish all things Metal Gear Solid before popping open my own copy of Metal Gear Solid 4, here's a late "finished" stamp for Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. I actually finished the game a week ago, but am finally reporting it now. Needless to say, there's a remarkable improvement in graphics and gameplay, and the intro is one to put into the books. While I didn't go shoot-everything-off-the-shelves nuts over the back-then-revolutionary interaction with inanimate objects, the different weapons and modes of play made playing the game all the more pleasant to progress through the story.

Since then, I've begun my third quest before the fourth installment, and already I've taken a couple of things for granted. For one, there's no cone of vision, leaving me to only rely on my own two eyes. Second, the camera's now free-roaming and not the fixed overhead view. This not only makes my view spin 360 degrees, but turns my stomach as well.

I believe Metal Gear Solid 3 will be my most challenging endeavor yet, but at the same time is the final hump to roll over before I'm fully up to date.