Sir, you have your 2 o'clock meeting with Disgaea 2 today...

There probably will be no solution to the over-saturation of games released on a weekly basis. And let's face it - unless you have no job, life, relationship, OR kids, you won't have enough time to squeeze out every ounce of gameplay from every game you keep purchasing. So what are the possible solutions to command this chaos?

Sure, there are sites like backloggery.com to let you chronicle your purchases and progress throughout each game, and there are the typical trophy/achievement systems that digitally date and mark how tolerant you are of your games. But despite all this, we gamers just get overwhelmed by "shiny and new" games every week enough to make our heads spin.

So you have X amount of games you've amassed - how will you tackle them?

Call me old-fashioned, but one tangible solution is just keeping a written list with you. And this is not the first time I've made this argument. But in addition to a list, why not set up a schedule to distribute your free time over your games?

Say you have three games you're playing concurrently. If you have 2 hours of free time a day, you can dedicated one hour to one game, and half-hour segments for the other two. Or, space out your time by dedicated 2 hours apiece to each game for 3 days a week.

Granted, there will be times when you just cannot leave a game to follow your schedule, whether it's trying to find that elusive save point, or you loaned your scheduled game to someone else. The best thing to do at these times is to exercise good judgment and self-control; mark the extra time spend, and redistribute your free time with your other games to compensate. And like any schedule set, you shouldn't overexert yourself and exceed scheduled time. That would just throw your planning out of whack.

But through careful time-management and creating a checkoff list, any game you own can and will be eventually cleared. Unless you just clock in a full 24-hour game-fest - then it's just a matter of sheer willpower.

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time...completed!

Among the constant struggles of trying to complete games amidst these recent game releases, I bring you another playing-through-the-game-in-hard-mode moments, complete with my first Platinum Trophy! The game this was accomplished in? Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time!

Though earning it wasn't easy, considering the glitches that thwared the trophy system. But after playing through the game once more in Challenge Mode and completing more of the side quests, getting that 100% was all the more sweeter. Now, that game joins Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as games I've completed through all difficulty levels.

In actuality, this was done back in January 14th, but I needed to get it off my chest and documented properly on this blog.

Plus, it'll make me feel better when I'll buy God of War III later.

Braid...finished?

With all the rave reviews going into a gorgeous and well-thought-of indie game like Braid, you'd think it would be as satisfying when you finish the game. Well, not too recently, I did just that, but it is not in the category of finished games where I am left even more confused as when I started playing.

I won't enter spoiler territory, but the game created more questions than answers. So much so that it has spurred discussions in forums about the game's story. In that sense, Braid is truly a game of art; it is gorgeous to look at, and, at the same time, is perceived differently from each person that interacts with it.

All abstractions aside, the game's puzzles are the most creative that I've seen in any game for some time. I think all but one eluded my grasp at a solution, but there were certainly a number of them that had my brain struggling for an answer. But each puzzle I solved only fueled my persistence to figure out the next unsolvable puzzle. The calming and somewhat therapeutic atmosphere of the game was almost zen-like, making me rationalize a path to the solution instead of throwing my controller down in frustration and storming away.

I think Braid would be a game a doctor would prescribe to a gaming patient who's given up games for their increasing difficulty and convoluted gameplay mechanics. On a higher plain, it's a game that allows you to appreciate other games.

Final Fantasy XIII hardcover strategy guide arrives, comes with childhood memories

I remember back when I bought Final Fantasy VII how I was really looking forward to getting the game and playing it for the first time. But I also remember how frustrated I was when the person in front of me bought the game AND strategy guide at the same time. I thought to myself, "Why would you want to buy the game and the guide at the same time? Wouldn't you want to enjoy the game first through self discovery before someone holds your hand through the entire game?"

But I was young and naive back then. And, if I recall, the person may have been older. Now that I, too, am older, I realize the reason wasn't because he was impatient to find everything - he just doesn't have the time to.

Now, at nearly double the iterations from that last memory, Final Fantasy XIII is released, as are the strategy guides that follow suit. And I ended up becoming that man from my youth, buying the strategy guide shortly after acquiring the game.

While this is not a dramatically changing point in my strategy-guide-buying life, it is the first time I've bought one for a Final Fantasy game relatively close to the game purchase. Like many older gamers, the time frame we have to enjoy games gets smaller and smaller, and frankly, there's really no other alternative if you want to keep playing games. I don't have the luxury to waste 4 hours in one sitting trying to find an item, when I could quickly find out that I increase my chances by equipping myself with a particular piece of armor.

But, in my defense, all my strategy guides have been for RPGs or Strategy RPGs. Those games are absolutely full of content that 80% of players would probably overlook by just playing the game once over and not come back for a second playthrough. Any other games like platformers or first-person shooters don't have as much depth as your typical multi-class, -weapon, and -quest RPG game. And there have only been a handful of games AT MOST that I've given extra attention to to get the most out of the gaming experience.

So, while I'll continue to enjoy my playing experience with XIII, the guide will serve to be my safety net, should I become stuck or desire to acquire more "bang for my buck."

Also, for the record, the hardcover edition of the Final Fantasy XIII guide is SUPER slick, on quality print, has minimal spoilers in the walkthrough, and is numbered (since only 210,000 are produced). Piggyback Interactive has quite the keen eye for quality.

Zero Punctuation review: Aliens vs Predator

"Lazy Wednesday" got so lazy that it has become "Lazy Thursday" as I post the latest video review from Yahtzee. This week's unfortunate game to befall this cocky reviewer's wit is Aliens Vs Predator. Though for once, I think the game benefits from being reviewed by Yahtzee, judging from all my friends' comments on the game and its piss-poor history.

As always, NSFW, so enjoy!

Final Fantasy XIII arrives

The game that initially herded people around the PS3 has now gathered XBOX 360 players into the mix as Final Fantasy XIII makes its ways to stores today. The last Final Fantasy game I played was X, and I skipped over XII, so this latest installment will be a return of sorts.

From what I hear, there are a lot of unfamiliar territory explored in this game - different victory music, different handling of battles, different summons. Hopefully there's no compromise in quality.

Maybe I can break my Final Fantasy game completion curse with this game.

Metal Slug 7 and Metal Slug XX blasts its way home

It's a Metal Slug portable binge as I grab myself Metal Slug 7 for the DS and Metal Slug XX for the PSP. If it's not apparent to you, I'm a pretty die-hard Metal Slug fan, with its arcade-style graphics, kill-anything-that-moves gameplay, and intense difficulty settings. To me, it's like a walking version of a SHMUP.

As long as the franchise maintains its difficulty streak and arcade look, I'll be looking forward to more installments in the future.

Zero Punctuation catch-up: Dante's Inferno and Bioshock 2

It's a bit of a stretch when a 14th-Century poem becomes the inspiration to a God-of-War-like game in Dante's Inferno, but I guess anything can happen in "twenty ten." And Yahtzee's video review of the game, at one point, compares its features to his right hand.

Next is his review of Bioshock 2, the sequel to the popular Bioshock game from 2007, complete with Big Daddy/Sister/Your Mom playability.

Both videos NSFW. Both videos below for you to enjoy.

Dante's Inferno


Bioshock 2

Megaman 10 comes busting into my Wii

It's Megaman 10. It's retro. It's on the Wii first. You KNOW I have to get it.

Sure, anyone following my blog will note that there's no "finished" stamp yet for Megaman 9. Trust me, I'm real close - REAL close - but I still haven't finished the game. Will need to get right on that.

But you know any megaman die-hard fan won't miss out on this.

If you're waiting for this to come out for the XBOX 360 or PS3, they'll come out March 11 and 31, respectively.

Heavy Rain review: Choose Your Own Adventure

Heavy Rain by Quantic Dream is not your typical game; there are no powerups, no extra lives, no high score. Nothing there to reassure you that you're doing something good, nothing there to stop you when you're doing something bad. You don't play Heavy Rain - Heavy Rain plays you. The sooner you realize this, the better you will savor this experience.

I'm sure you've already read reviews describing the storyline and the game, so I'll just tell you this - be prepared for a wild ride. Never in my life have I ever gripped the PS3 controller tighter than when I played Heavy Rain scene after scene.

Know how tense you get when you really get into the action sequences or dramatic moments in movies, sitting at the edge of your seat, clenching your fists and grinding your teeth until the moment's past? You're gonna get that sensation with a thriller like Heavy Rain - except you're smack in the middle of it, and the story won't stop.

Don't get the gameplay mixed with the QTE (quick-time events) of other games - Heavy Rain won't, for the most part, wait for you to enter the right input. All your actions bear consequences, whether immediate or not. And while the beginning of the game puts you in training wheels to get the hang of things, later events will require fast reflexes and quick thinking that won't stop until the scene is done.

The graphics and voice acting themselves serve adequately as a good delivery mechanism for the thriller's gritty atmosphere. The gray undertones are enough to convert the happiest man into a full-fledged emo, and the facial features are convincing enough to invest all your emotions into each scene. The voice acting, at times, can feel a bit off and out of place, but overall sets the mood just right - whether someone's angry at someone, or another person is tearfully crying about a memory.

Even though you're (for the most part) in complete control of your actions and choices, Heavy Rain doesn't give you all the time in the world to make them count. The events that occur in the game are happening on their own timeline, and you really don't have time to play the "what if" game to see all your options. This becomes very real in certain scenes when the dramatic tension demands all your focus on what's happening right before your eyes.

Sure, there is a pause button, and sure, you can replay certain scenes again and satisfy all your "what ifs." But doing so will break up the continuity of your current storyline, and who wants to ruin an already-playing movie anyways?

Besides, you're likely to blow through the game quickly once over, take a break, and start it all over again, just to see what other choices you can make that can alter the story.

Heavy Rain is probably the start of interactive games/movies done right, giving you multiple movies in one package and sitting you in the director's chair controlling all the action. Whatever fate you decide for the 4 playable characters in the game is up to you, and the story that you will create is yours alone to enjoy. In my book, that is the ultimate game customization.

Zero Punctuation review: Mass Effect 2

I give props to Mass Effect 2 for taking a save game file from the first game and taking its choice-driven story elements as markers for the new game's story-telling elements. It's pleasant and satisfying to see consistency, especially when it's of your own.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game doesn't meet up to Yahtzee's razor wit. The NSFW cutting is below, enjoy!

Zero Punctuation review: Borderlands

Seems like everyone's been nagging to Yahtzee to review Borderlands. Be careful what you wish for...

NSFW, as always. Enjoy!

Ghostbusters: The Video Game...ghostbusted! I mean, finished!

This is actually some late news, since I finished Ghostbusters: The Video Game earlier this year. Is is a game I recommend to everybody? No. Is it a game for fans? Yes. Will it fulfill the fantasies of controlling your own proton pack? Definitely.

In a way, I enjoyed how Harold Ramis continued the Gozer arc in the story, in addition to "returning to the watering hole" with a visit to the librarian ghost back from the first film. And all the voice acting from the original cast plus a few extra people was certainly a bonus. The collection of items in game after you finish it is sorta painful, considering that certain weapons become suddenly missing if you return to earlier points in the game and it forces you to repurchase your upgrades. But other than that, it was worth the ghostbusting trip back down memory lane.

Plus, it's another game I can put to rest.

Half-Minute Hero arrives, OCD kicks in

After a quick deal, I bit on a copy of Half-Minute Hero for the PSP. Luckily when I called my local GameStop, they had one more copy left. So I quickly went there, bought it, and left the store. As I left the store, I noticed the familiar vacuum-plastic-wrap around the box and should have realized it was their store copy.

A little peeved, I went back to confirm that it was, in fact, the display copy that sat on the shelves, constantly man-handled by many anonymous people before it was shrink-wrapped and in my hands. But he reassured me that the game was absolutely brand-new, so I couldn't really complain.

Sure enough, the pricing sticker had already left its mark, and the box felt a bit grimy and sticky after tearing through the shrink wrap. So, I swapped the box with one I wouldn't care about - DJ Max Fever - and now happily enjoy my "new" copy of Half-Minute Hero.

I just hate, though, how GameStop dupes people when they say the game is brand-new. There wasn't any lies told - the game was unplayed, therefore brand-new. As for the packaging, well...let's just say next time I'll be doing my 20-questions the next time someone tells me it's their last "new" copy left.

Zero Punctuation review: Dark Void

If there was ever an invention that's passed its time to shine, it's the jet pack. What's the last time anyone remember one? Rocketeer? Well, Capcom remembers those fond times in their latest game and Yahtzee's latest target, Dark Void. A game where you get to fly around in a jet pack. I guess a jet pack would be second to my first "pack" love - a proton pack.

But anyways, away to Yahtzee's chopping block it goes! NSFW, so enjoy!

DLC binge: Braid and Bit Trip Beat

This year, the goal is to be more frugal with my wallet, and, being a gamer, saving money is not so easy. Thankfully, there are games like Braid and Bit Trip Beat that deliver quality gameplay at cheap, if not reasonable prices - something I've advocated in the past.

If you like a soothing soundtrack and gorgeous artwork, Braid is a game that you need to try out. With its tranquil atmosphere, the game almost doesn't feel like a game as you use time-altering techniques to pass the unique blend of puzzles. Add to that a lot of subtle references to popular game franchises, and you have a great package.

Bit Trip Beat's main focus, on the other hand, is to keep both graphics and music as simplistic as possible, driving purely on easy-to-grasp-but-hard-to-master gamplay. And as a reward for your persistance, you're treated to plenty of eye-candy in the form of updated graphics as your score improves. Do poorly during gameplay, and your interface gets downgraded graphically and musically to as low as a simple black-and-white pong-inspired setting. Think of it like a retro-bit version of Rez.

Both games together only cost me only $13.50 in the end, and both games are great to play and gorgeous to look at in their own right. So if you're a true gamer at heart, then you shouldn't mind paying only $6-$7 for something that you'd expect to pay full price on.

Zero Punctuation catch-up: Darksiders and Bayonetta

In an attempt to catch-up from last Wednesday, I've stuffed both this and last week's reviews into one post. God of War Darksiders and Devil May Cry Bayonetta are next in line for Yahtzee's wit and banter, and boy does he let it loose.

Oh, and I've done minor changes to the blog to accommodate the heftier Zero Punctuation video sizes, which actually makes my blog look more roomier! Probably for the best. NSFW videos below, so enjoy!

Darksiders


Bayonetta

Wii week: No More Heroes 2 and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom arrive

This week's releases sorta snuck up on me as No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom both come out the same week for the Wii.

The first No More Heroes left quite the lasting impression with all its blood, language, violence, and unique visual style. While not many people found the game to be great, it still had a dedicated following - enough to push it past the Wii console and branch out into the 360 and PS3 as No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise. However, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (for now) is only on the Wii, back to the control scheme that makes you feel like a Jedi badass, except with more red. I'll definitely post some impressions of the game soon.

The other game, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, came at a slightly different afterthought. While I left the E3 floor last year with mixed impressions, it wasn't until I developed better skill at Street Fighter IV that I decided to give this a shot. So far, it's definitely like the Vs. series before, with over-the-top super moves and tons of aerial combos, but with a nice glossy finish and all the Japanese voice acting left intact. While there were some aesthetic changes done to the ending screens, and one character omitted late in the game, it's still not a bad fighting game in the end. For those that want a less button-mashing approach, I suggest using the classic controller or an old GameCube controller; the Wii-mote control scheme simplifies the gameplay to an almost no-brainer style of play.

The pre-order bonus for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was this pack of 8 lenticular cards, which was both snazzy and shady. The cards themselves are very nice, and the pack is only through pre-order. The "shady" part of it is that there are 13 cards in the entire collection, and you can only get the rest through trading with someone else. In a way, I think this is Capcom's devious way of getting TvC players to meet with each other and get some different rivalries going on.

What surprised me was when I leafed through the instruction manual (mind you, just to look a pictures - I'm a "play first, read later" gamer). Pages started to slide right out!

Turns out that someone forgot to staple my instruction manual! The pages look meant to be read as a book, so I doubt it was intentional. Oh well, I'll probably be too busy playing the game to care.

Cleaning house: Making your games used games

I suppose you can classify me as a "hoarder" by general definition, but in my defense, I only buy games that I'm interested in playing over and over again. But even that standard isn't infallible, as the picture above proves. That stack, my friends, is the stack I've officially decided to "dispose" of.

I ran out of time. I have no time. I lost interest. The game was nothing I expected. Whatever the reason, there they were - neglected video games collecting dust. Realistically, the rate of games being released is much higher than the rate at which I can complete them, and their poor traits only increased their shelf life. In the end, these games only had a matter of time before they were out of my life for good.

Unlike a lot of people, I can't just finish a game and part ways with it on a dime to the next game. If the game had an outstanding value to it, keeping possession of it is like putting up a trophy on the mantle; something to tell the gaming world "yes, I've survived to the end boss and kicked his sorry little ass," or "I have yet to finish this game, but it's so good that the ending will surely be great," or "challenge me with this game and you will meet an unfortunate demise."

I've used the analogy before, but a good game is like a good book, and like all good books, only the well-worn ones show signs of quality in a game. All my games that I've kept have been well-worn, and even if I don't actively play them I've lent them to many friends so that they, too, may experience what I had the first time I played that game.

As for the games I part with? I don't dispose of them because I really want to, but out of necessity. And possibly to dissolve my status of "hoarder" among my comrades. And certainly, some of the games you see here may actually be your own favorites. They just didn't fit either my style of games I usually play, they couldn't find a spot among the other games I frequently turn to, or they were simply the victim of their own success (i.e. later game in series, collection of games).

Oh, by the way...GameStop wouldn't accept my Guitar Hero guitar. It just won't go away...

How do you deal with games that have outlived their usefulness in your house?

Lego Rock Band...finished!

I have to be honest, when I heard about this game, the "kiddie" songs come to mind, or that the songs are all pop-ish and commonly played on the radio. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you want more people to play any Rock Band title.

With Lego Rock Band, it's much easier to get people to participate, because the song list doesn't alienate people with their heavy metal, indie, or obscure songs. And if you have existing downloads, most of the family-friendly ones will be playable through the game. Thankfully, all my Foo Fighters songs made the transition.

Now after completing this, I've been treating my Rock Band games much like pre-set radio stations. If I want some alternative with some heavy rock, I stick with Rock Band 2. If I feel like some classic Beatles songs, I pop in Beatles Rock Band. And if I feel like some overplayed-but-popish songs, I pop in Lego Rock Band. Wonder what the next radio station will be? I'll probably skip the Green Day Rock Band game, though...