Portable gaming = casual gaming

Let's face it - if you ask people what their favorite casual game they like to play is, most will answer some Facebook game. It's simple, it's fast, and it's only a separate window or tab away from instant 5-minute bursts of gameplay. But what about the other times when you're not smack-dab in front of a computer or laptop? Then you turn to a portable device.

Whether it's a DS, PSP, or even just the iPhone, portable gaming has been engrossing us for some time. And what better way to kill a few minutes on the go than just messing around in some mindless gameplay? But today, I'm not talking about the simple games that you can get away with for minutes at a time - I'm talking about whittling down full games.

You are either a gamer that can sit down for hours and play one game straight, or someone like me, who can only afford to play a game every few minutes. And what you can do in those few minutes, depending on the game, can be limiting. But it seems that many games (whether directly or indirectly) realize this, and portion their game to smaller, bite-sized pieces. They know that portable gamers will have to take out their system, boot/wake it up, get comfortable, and be patient long enough to sit through the intro to play a few minutes more of their games. Please note this - the longer you make gamers wait for the game to load, the higher the chance they'll just turn off the game completely.

Since my time is so scarce, there's only a couple of games I'm currently playing that can optimize what little time I have.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

I continue to play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days on the DS, spurred only by the thought that the game is canon to the story. Unlike the larger-scale games on the PS2, this DS addition is portioned out in a series of missions that I can choose whatever order to tackle them with. Most of the game has you in a central hub talking to other NPC characters and such, and the other half is embarking on missions that can be as short as 2 minutes - perfect for a quick break. It's these little bites at a time that I'm progressively making progress in the game in hope that I'll finish it soon so I can start up Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

Pokemon White

Pokemon is one of those games that cater to both hardcore and casual gamers. Hardcore players can (and will) sit for hours leveling up their pokemon to ridiculous levels and clear the game in a solid week. Casual gamers, like myself, will probably take the minutes that we have and engage in the short random battles you encounter in the wild, which can last seconds. So, in 5 minutes worth of time, you can polish off good 20 battles if you're powerful enough.

Pokemon: an unexpected ordeal

This past Sunday was host to the release of Pokemon Black and White on Nintendo DS, and normally I wouldn't care so much. The last time I played a Pokemon game was Pokemon Platinum, and even then I couldn't get into the game. Maybe it was all the micro-tasking, or the extra quests. So what would compel me to try it again this time around? Rare pokemon.

GameStop had a promotion where you could download Celebi, a rare pokemon, into a previous Pokemon DS game, and the last day for the promotion was this past Sunday - the same day as the launch of the new Pokemon Black and White. In a moment of hesitation, I bought a used Pokemon DS game Saturday to grab Celebi, with the intent of returning the game for a full refund within 7 days after I transfer it to the new game. I even placed a pre-order for the game at GameStop just in case, because my original intent was to pre-order the game from Amazon and get their $10 Gift Certificate.

Then things got complicated.

I thought the transfer of Celebi to the new game would be as easy as turning it on and sending it on its way. Turns out the method of travel would not be unlocked until I earn the first 2 badges. Second, Amazon's delivery of the game (even with 2-day shipping) was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. Given my already complex work schedule and the 7-day used-game return policy,
earning 2 badges before Saturday was gonna be a feat for me. I had no choice; I bought the pre-order from GameStop.

The way I see it, if I get a 2-day head start in earning the first 2 badges now, I can spread out my gameplay time. At the same time, when my Amazon order arrives, I'll simply use THAT game as my return to GameStop. Hopefully by then, I'll have achieved 2 badges by then, granting me access to the device that will finally allow me to transfer Celebi to the new game, and giving me the green light to get a full refund on the used Pokemon DS game I purchased just to get the free Celebi pokemon in the first place.

Easy, right?

LBP2 level finally published!

At long last, the second version of this level is complete! I'm trying my best not to monitor the level and just let it sit, but history marks me as an impatient man.

A musical level creation: before and after LBP2

While everyone out there created unique and personal levels when the first Little Big Planet game came out more than 2 years ago, I spent a solid 2 weeks composing my musical tribute to Chrono Trigger. The game's musical tools took a backseat to all the other creation tools established, giving players the "bare bones" in what they could utilize. Limited instrument selection, one-note emitters, and roughly about 2 octaves worth of notes caused many people like me a large amount of grief in composing our favorite melodies.

But what I thought to be a challenging and near-impossible task became one of my most proud achievements in the first game - to create a musical melody to the ending music of Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times. With only a few edits to the original song and a single different note to accommodate for the higher-octave note, I published my piano-only tribute to the LBP community.

The game's constraints, however, populated my level to such a degree that I could barely fit anything else in it. Decorations were practically non-existent, with the exception of a couple of stars and the earth, and I offered my pixel-rendition of one of the sprites used in the ending sequence as a prize bubble.

As if to answer the struggles of musical composers from the first game, Little Big Planet 2 gave players a midi sequencer, giving players a large group of instruments to use, all fully-scaled. Even better still, the midi-sequencer has its own limit, meaning that you can fully max out your midi sequencer without having to deal with space issues in your main level for creation.

Today, I'm adding the finishing touches to yet another 2 weeks worth of meticulous assembly and scrutinizing detail in my first published level in Little Big Planet 2, again for the same musical tribute. And the difference in construction vastly improved. To give you a sense of this, here's a quick list comparisons between both 2-week projects in LBP1 and LBP2

LBP1 level - (Entire level ETA 2.5 weeks; 2 weeks for song, half week for graphics and decorations)

• Only instrument used was piano, used sheet music and ear as reference.
• Scales were ranged to 2-3 octaves, hard to hit really high or low notes.
• One note per speaker, so chords were 3-4 times the work.
• Most of song made the cut, some parts were cut due to level constraints.
• Entire music components made with physical materials, which filled up the level fast.
• Had barely enough room left to add a pixel creation as a prize at the end.
• Decorations were sparse, and vehicle was a plain box to propel switch that triggered song.

LBP2 level - (Entire level ETA 2 weeks; 1 week for song, 1 week for graphics and camera work)

• Composed of 7 different instruments that closely matched the song.
• Full-scale octaves, so every high and low note was covered.
• Song was completed in its entirety - nothing was cut.
• Midi-sequencer had own capacity limit, completely separate from the main level capacity limit.
• Not only were all graphical components able to fit the level, but all necessary camera work and coordination were configured and setup in the sequencer.
• Entire level is a cut scene, requires no user interaction to enjoy.

Just from the pictures alone, you can see how much cleaner the format is. Everything is laid out and labeled accordingly, and it's so easy to manage. The final product, when it's done, will speak volumes.

Little Big Planet 2...story finished!!

If you're playing Little Big Planet 2 just as a game, you're missing out on the big picture. While the story mode itself is roughly about 7-8 hrs of gameplay, the levels themselves are so creative that you'll want to play them over and over again in awe. Just think...all the levels that were designed for the game were created with the very same tools at the players' disposal. In a very defiant way, Media Molecule just demonstrated their upgraded toolset with this sequel.

Earning more objects and stickers to use in your own imaginative levels are another incentive to replay the story levels again, especially when some of them require more than one player to achieve.

And even if you're the more reclusive type, there's plenty of levels online by other players that will last you quite some time.

Little Big Planet 2, multiplayer, and counting numbers

It's only been the second day since Little Big Planet 2 came out and there are already some issues with multiplayer. There's no doubt that Media Molecule must have expected a lot of people to not only hop online to play people's level creations, but to simply just play multiplayer. Connectivity issues were a small problem in the first one, so you'd expect some resolution in the sequel. Unfortunately, within the first two days of the game's launch, the LBP servers must be chugging along, trying to accommodate the high load.

My first attempt at allowing someone to join was cut short promptly with a message saying they left only a minute later. Okay, I thought...fair enough. The person probably wanted to play more of the single player mode first. No biggie.

The second attempt, I became the joinee, trying to join into a game. A loading screen appears, and a loading bar as well. Sure, it's gonna take some time, so I'm willing to wait. And wait. And wait. 30 minutes later, and I just restarted my PS3.

The third try (second attempt as joinee) actually went through...up until right before the level started. Then a message suddenly popped up, telling me the leader kicked me off. For a game built to allow random multiplayer, the majority of online players seem quite persistant to play solo.

The fourth attempt (where someone wanted to join me in my level) was probably the longest and most successful (out of these) attempts...but only because they took forever to get into my level. Possibly I passed one of those markers that didn't allow more sackboys in, but I tried to faithfully wait by one of the spawn points for them to arrive, but they never showed.

I want to play with multiple players so bad, Media Molecule! Why won't you let me??

And one more thing....I enjoy how they tell you how many people are currently playing the story mode levels. Progressing further and further to the later levels, you notice the numbers dropping more and more....as if to suggest that people play single player for only a little bit near the beginning. Take that as you will.

Little Big Planet 2 is here!!

It took Media Molecule 2 more months, but Little Big Planet 2 is finally here! Unable to resist a collector's edition, I placed this order back last July - that's how much I looked forward to this game. Let's crack this box open and see all the goods!

For an extra $20, it's not too shabby indeed!

Little Big Planet 2 book (or game) ends:

To be honest, I was slightly disappointed at the bookends, but only because I was expecting too much out of them. The picture made them look more sculpted than static, but I guess that's the quality of the image they used. So, to see them as just cardboard prop-ups made me sigh just a little. The shelf ends themselves, however, are pretty sturdy and are built strong enough to support the falling of any games to one side or the other, so I can't complain. Plus, at least there's some uniqueness in their appearance.

Little Big Planet Sackboy plushie:

This was more impressive than I thought. Maybe because the ones I saw in GameStop were slightly smaller than I remembered, but the plushie in this collector's edition is top-notched. With poseable arms and semi-poseable legs, it's not bad for an extra.

[UPDATE]: As quick as I brought this home, my wife kidnapped him and claimed dibs.

Little Big Planet 2 DLC:

This is where the collector's edition gets its stripes - ALL the DLC from all retailers. This is an extreme incentive over getting the game from one vendor than the other. Why separate all the cool DLC when you can just get all in one set?

And....mutliplayer?

Apparently the extra 2 months wasn't enough to catch the misspelling of the word "multiplayer" on the game itself. Though a character that looked like Mutley would be equally as awesome. How 'bout it, Media Molecule?

Little Big Planet 2 anticipation!

My imagination is bursting off its seams, awaiting the second installment of Little Big Planet! Since its delay from the initial November release date, it's been a long 2 extra months, but the wait will soon be well worth it, I'm sure.

Can't wait for more Stephen Fry voice overs, new tools and gadgets, and a wealth of new community levels just waiting to be created!

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow...finished!

Gonna start this new year right to get a bunch of posts out of the way, and what better way to start it on the right foot than declaring another finished game on the board.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a great culmination of what a good 3D Castlevania game can be - all the fast-paced whip action you can get, with the right amount of difficulty without making you pull your hair. Even with the collection-like quests to improve your stats and inventory and the extra trials on the side, all of that is still optional and you can finish the game just fine without trying to be a completionist.

For the record, I completed the game once on the Hard difficulty setting. Sure, I died quite a bit, but every death taught me something new, something I could use to my advantage against enemies.

While I'm certain I'm powerful enough to take on some of the earlier levels with ease, it'll probably be some time before I play this game again...at least until the new DLC is released.

Late on posts, just in time for Christmas Cheer!

For more than a month and a half, work has pretty much consumed most of my time, leaving practically no time for posts. And within those 90+ days, there have been new games added to my library and to my little spare time. I'll probably do some fast and quick posting, but my goal is to get all my posts done before Christmas.

Just so everyone knows what to expect, here's a short list of what posts will be coming in the next couple of days:

- at least 5+ new games
- one game completed
- a gift from Nintendo
- random posts for random rants

And before I probably will forget, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Two new Capcom DS games to occupy my portable time, plus the main course

Thanks to Amazon's Capcom deals, I binged on a couple of titles that will satisfy some portable itch. The first is Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, a spin-off of the much-popular courtroom drama. Instead of playing a defense attorney, you play as the prosecutioner Miles Edgeworth who, in parallel flair, also sports a female sidekick. In a change of pace, the crime scenes are now walkable rooms to explore and examine, instead of static images as the Phoenix Wright series have relied heavily on in previous installments. Me? I'm just looking for more great story-telling from the long-running series.

The second is Megaman Zero Collection, a collaboration of all 4 games and bonus content into one tiny cartridge. While it's not Megaman himself, the gameplay remains ever as hectic and challenging as any Megaman title to date. Plus, with a beautiful artistic aesthetic, unlocking artwork will be all the more sweeter as you progress through the games.

And finally, one of the most anticipated games I've been looking forward to all year...Rock Band 3, with keyboard. This needs no explanation. I mean, just look at it!

Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Event, San Francisco

The streets of San Francisco were alive with Giants fever as they were starting Game 2 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers in their home turf. Fans that were not in the stadium quickly populated nearby bars to catch all the action, including Taverna Avertine. Downstairs, however, there were people that were more than just Giants fans.

Nintendo celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. video game on the NES amidst the appropriately-themed brick-and-pipe-lined basement of the bar. Decorations of plush bricks and question mark blocks lay stacked by the bottom of the stairs as I made my descent, and the familiar theme music of World 1-1 and Mario jump flooded my ears. There were 3 TVs hooked up to 25th-anniversary red Wii consoles, all sporting the latest Wii-mote Plus controllers.

The event invited press in a friendly competition to see who could acquire the fastest speed run (best out of three) through World 1-1. It didn't take long for people to figure out the best path to take for the fastest time. However, once people did, everyone was calculating minute details on how to shave off seconds from the timer. Of course, this meant that people were playing WAY more than the "best of 3 runs," but no one seemed to mind the repetition, let alone playing a game that's 25 years old.

Pretty soon, friendly questions on which pipe leads to the underground section and how to tackle the stairs faded, and determination was set in the air. My official end time (after 3 tries) was at 365, or 35 seconds to complete World 1-1. Unofficially, however, my time was 3 seconds faster at 368, or 32 seconds. Andrew, the rep there taking down scores, playfully writes down the latter score, just for the "record."

During the evening, there were small quiz sections where winners received more Mario-themed prizes, but the top prize, a red Wii console, went out to the fastest official speed run for the evening, which turned out to be 366, or 34 seconds. Unofficially, someone eventually completed World 1-1 in 31 seconds, one whole second faster than my personal best! I commend him for his accomplishment, since he practically spent the rest of the evening perfecting his speed run to the most granular detail.

In the end, the event was a spectacular gathering of people who can't, nay refuse to forget a classic game such as Super Mario Bros. There was even a "confessional" chair set up for guests to reminisce and record on video about their first experiences and fondest memories of Mario in their lives. And despite the minor distraction of the Giants winning Game 2 of the series that night, the event made everyone feel like kids again, crowding around a game that reminded us how many of our gaming lives began.

More pictures from the event are below. Enjoy!

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow whips it good.

I don't know how Castlevania: Lords of Shadow slipped past my radar, but it's a game that I completely overlooked. No previews, no reviews, not even a small video of the game in action. That said, after putting in a few hours into the game, I can honestly say I'm absolutely hooked. And I never thought I'd say that about a 3D Castlevania game, too.

Seriously, though...the game is freaken gorgeous. Playing it through on Hard, and it's brutally good.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed...finished!

While the game was plagued with some of the most terrible bugs I've seen in years, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was still an enjoyable game. I probably did more force grabs than any other Force power available, but could anyone blame me? Yeah, I was a Jedi, I had a lightsaber - but I couldn't chuck it a hundred feet ahead of me, can I?

Despite the sometimes-button-mash gameplay, the story was an interesting one to play out. Being a rogue Jedi and able to take down anyone, whether Rebel or Empire, is liberating. If they're in your way, take 'em out. It's just that simple.

I think, in the end, I'm just glad I'm done with the game. Not for the buggy gameplay, not for the interesting storyline...but simply for the fact that I don't have to see those weird fish-like eyeballs of your main character. Seriously, those are some drug-induced eyes...

The Force Unleashed all over Borderlands

It's been a while since I binged out on some games, so I've decided to tackle two of some games released a while back.

Borderlands: Since no one I know is playing Uncharted 2 online, I've come to an agreement with my Borderlands friend and agreed to play with him co-op if he plays Uncharted 2 co-op with me later.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: The sequel has re-peaked my interest in the franchise again, and Guybrush Threepwood will be a playable character in the game as well! Now THAT'S some LucasArts love there!!

Both Borderlands and Force Unleashed were games I sampled and tried in the past, but just never really got into them. But, in dusting off some games to blow through and play, I thought "what the hell" and gave them another try. And I'm enjoying it!

I think for a while, I was aching for a FPS game to play...to the point of checking out any Modern Warfare or Medal of Honor game. With Borderlands, not only can I satisfy that need, but I can buddy up with my friend online and bust it out co-op!

With Force Unleashed, I think I underestimated the Force...so to speak. Force Pushing guards off cliffs and using it to hurl heavy objects to enemies far away is both intuitive and engrossingly fun! Sure, the fighting is sometimes mindless lightsaber action, but anything to hear the "whoosh" sound it makes as it cuts the air.

By the end of the month, both games will have received some sort of update treatment on retail shelves. Borderlands: GOTY edition has been already released, which contains all 4 DLC content in one game disc. The end of October will see the release of The Force Unleashed 2, so the first game will probably be pushed up the "finished" queue.

Little Big Planet PSP...finished!

While creating levels is possible in both the PS3 and PSP version, the PSP controls make things a little more complicated in the portable version of Little Big Planet. The game, like its big-brother version, has a decent story going on for it, with regular level progression and item collecting. But the placement of stickers was so painful - to have to hold the L2 trigger button while rotating AND scaling the sticker using only the analog stick? That is beyond annoying.

So this is why this game will only receive my playthrough attention. I'll leave the level creation to its PS3 counterpart, where it's easier to share levels anyways.

Flower...finished!

Sometimes it's just good to play a game just to purely kill time, and that's what Flower allowed me to do. There's no one to kill, no missions to complete, and no cluttered HUD to observe - just going with the flow and riding the wind.

And the game wasn't really begging to be finished. I just found myself idle between games, and thought that I haven't played it in a while. And before I knew it, it's finished.

Flower's calming atmosphere and music are enough for me to return to it again when I need a break from any big-name games. Or if I want some nice and pleasant background on my TV.

Something freaky at Rockband.com...

I'm all for Rock Band, and am completely looking forward to the third installment coming out October 26th. But right now, if you visit rockband.com, the splash image you see for Snoop Dogg Pack 01 before the video plays out is an oddly-disproportionate head on (what I think is) a drummer's body. Here, take a look for yourself:

Maybe it's just me, but don't you think it's just a bit "muppety"?

Open wide and say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

New Scott Pilgrim DLC coming in November

Just when I can't get enough of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, Ubisoft also decides to reveal that new DLC will be available in November, around the same time the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.

For just a mere $1.99 on PSN, or 160 Microsoft Points on XBLM, Ubisoft plans to add one more character into the roster - Knives Chau - as well as 2 new gameplay modes: Dodgeball mode, and Arena mode. Dodgeball mode, I can imagine, would probably match the stylings of Super Dodgeball of yesteryear. Arena mode, on the other hand, will be more just a simple brawler with weapons sprawled all over the place.

In addition to the DLC, a patch will also be released to resolve some difficulty balancing issues in the game, incorporate drop-in/drop-out co-op, and a slew of other issues.

I never expected any patch, let alone new DLC, to come to this already awesome comic and game. And with my November anticipation already dashed by the delay of Little Big Planet 2, I embrace this news with open arms.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World DVD/Blu-Ray is scheduled to release November 9th.

Beyond Good and Evil Re-Release in HD Next Year

It's been almost 7 years since Beyond Good and Evil was silently released and generated its own cult following despite poor marketing practices. If you were one of the few that missed out on a well-told game, you're in luck. Ubisoft has revealed that they will be re-releasing the game to the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network sometime in 2011. Not only will it be looking better in 1080p, but the game will sport new character models and textures, a re-mastered soundtrack, and Achievements/Trophies support.

While this is no sequel news, this most assuredly acknowledges the yearn for this game and its characters. I know I've been buzzing about the game's sequel for quite some time.

Tuesday Randomness: Chip

Drawing was a big hobby of mine when I was young. I drew things from still-life to anime to portraits to....this.

Normally I'm good at writing down the date on my drawings, too. But yeah...I forgot what inspired/compelled me to draw this video-game-console-influenced character. You can even see the erased areas where I made adjustments. And the "Chip" name above was all computer-fied. I'm guessing I was trying to make a friend out of my SNES.

Heck, I just noticed this, but I even included a scribble on it shadowing where the embossed "Nintendo" logo was on the actual system.

I know I wasn't drinking back then, so I'll chalk this up under "childhood boredom." Really, there is no other reason I could think of that would explain this.

Also, the black line on the top was some dust, not some weird antennae sticking from the top.

Enjoy this weird, random image!

WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase: Everything but the D.I.Y.

As you know, I just purchased WarioWare D.I.Y. last week for the DS, and it's a great little app to create some of your own WarioWare mini-game creations. Going through the tutorials alone has opened up my eyes to the games a person can create and share.

But, despite the emphasis of sharing games with friends, the sad reality is that not everyone may be invested to purchase the game AND become active in sharing creative content. Which is why I find WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase to be an ideal solution to show off your creations.

At 800 Wii points (or $8), you get a dedicated channel on your Wii purely to play WarioWare D.I.Y. games. The channel itself comes with its own set of game content that's different from the ones on the DS version. It appears they took a full list of WarioWare games and split it in half - one half going to the DS version, and the other going to the Wii. But while the channel has its own array of games, the heart of it lies in downloading new games to play, whether created by other players or Nintendo.

While new content only surfaces up on a weekly basis, it's still a kick to check out people's creative mini-games. And while there's a limited amount you can download from this mode, the channel really shines when you upload your own content to the channel. This allows you to really show off your creations without forcing your friends to huddle over a small screen to enjoy them.

There are a few setbacks with this WiiWare version of the game. For starters, without the DS game, you're not really getting enough bang for your buck. While there are games there you can play on its own, a large part of content relies on downloads of other people's games and uploads of your own. Another argument is the graphics. Now, knowing that the channel's an accompaniment to the DS game, the games are just blown-up games from the DS version, so there technically IS an inconsistency. However, people just getting the channel by itself will no doubt find the transitions from crisp cartoony graphics to fuzzy, blown-up DS graphics to be annoying. Also, remember that this WiiWare title has NONE of the game-creating elements as its DS version does, so don't purchase it with the intent of creating your own games.

Lastly, paying $8 for a limited amount of content would be considered a waste of cash if you don't have the DS game to pair it with.

Heh, I think I can probably sum up this review with a mini-game!

WarioWare D.I.Y. and creative content

The month of August for me was very slow indeed. For well over a month, I have left this blog barren and empty, devoid of interesting news or articles. Here are a list of things that can either stand alone or be combined to explain my absense:

-Tons of work
-Hot days of summer making me sleep more
-Lack of interesting games that came out (I'll pretend that Metroid: Other M never was released)
-New cat (5 months old)
-Being creative

That last one is of particular interest because I've re-invested my love for games that allow creative content. There's no feeling out there quite like the feeling you get when you see your own ideas come to life in a level you create from the ground up. And while I did get some gaming done during my month-long hiatus, a majority of the time spent was with Little Big Planet.

Remember when I mentioned a long, long time ago that Little Big Planet has lots of replay value, and that it never gets old as long as there are good ideas? Well, firing up the community servers in-game, I still find lots of people creating absolutely incredible levels - levels that just simply blow your mind! I mean, people are not only creating great levels to play, but adding their own community keys in the levels for a player to continue the adventure, because there is still more levels to tell the story! And there's so much talent out there that these levels are more impressive that the original game's levels!

It's because of this creative surge that I went ahead and got myself WarioWare D.I.Y., which gives players the ability to make short 3-second mini-game in the same vein as the popular WarioWare franchise. All you need is a background, some objects, background music, and some simple actions, and you have an instant game! As simple as that sounds, you'd be surprised how creative these "games" can get.

Let's see what I can make!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game...finished!!

I've read the comics, I've watched the movie, and now I've played the game, which is a small mix of both, with a bit of Paul Robertson weirdness thrown in. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is a visual blend of references pulled from everything in general and slapped into a "River-City Ransom"-esque game allowing 4-player co-op in the same room. And the game plays splendidly...when it works.

What probably bothered me the most was the game's inconsistent save feature. At times, I would progress a full 6 levels and then go back to the world map, then power out. When I returned to the game, that 6 levels of progression are wiped clean when I returned. After some OCD, I left my save demons to rest only after verifying through clean exit to the title screen before returning to the game. No game should exit without an exhaustive test of the save feature, and it's sad to see a game so awesome like this get neglected in that department.

Another annoying feature is the lag the game sometimes had when trying to access the pause menu at times, sometimes reaching as long as a full 3 seconds before anything would register. Add to that one game freeze so far, and the whole thing would've been a recipe for disaster if it was a game I didn't absolutely love.

The game is initially slow to get the ball rolling, and, if you have a short temper, can be quite frustrating to deal with. Your character starts with a simple jump and set of attacks, and all your stats are zero to begin with, so you will get beat up, and fast. It's not until you take advantage of all the stat-building items you can purchase before you can really enjoy the game for what it's worth - a really awesome street brawler with TONS of enemies. You have stats for your strength, defense, speed, and willpower, all of which can be leveled up (maximum 100 points) through items purchased throughout the game. But it takes more than increased stats to give you a fighting edge; you'll need extra moves, and those are acquired over time as you level up. From performing dash attacks to double-jumping, you will amass a vast array of attacks against any enemy.

And all the moves you learn are practical. Initially you only have a simple block and your attacks, so you have no choice but to go on the offensive. Later on, you develop stronger attacks, and even an evade and recovery ability to keep you in the fight longer. I went from being completely offensive to holding a defense first to performing evade tactics first before anything. Before I knew it, I took out large groups of enemies in no time.

Did I forget to add that a joystick makes the experience even more arcade-y? Like, say, a Street Fighter IV TE joystick? I've grown so accustomed to the stick that I fumble horribly on a regular controller now.

Finally, to those people that won't play/buy the game because of the lack of online co-op...GET OVER YOURSELF!! The game stands to be one of those great games you can play again and again by yourself, and is an absolute blast to play with 2 or more people IN THE SAME ROOM!! Who wants to deal with people that jump online to play a little bit, only to exit unexpectedly just to fuck you over? At least if everyone's in the same room, you can use something called a "pause" button and resume back into gameplay. But to deny a game because of its lacking online possibilities is very selfish of ANY gamer.

Overall, despite the games shortcomings, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is one that, for a measly $10, will give any gamer wonderful visual easter eggs, awesome 8-bit music, and plenty of replay value. You'd be denying yourself a stellar game if you didn't pick this up.

Paul Robertson + Anamanaguchi = Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game

That's the only thing I should say to people to convince them that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is awesome - both eye and ear candy! Oh, and there's 4-player simultaneous ass-kicking. C'mon!

Did I forget to mention that the game is only $10 on PSN now?

Oh, and don't let the "no online 4-player co-op" scare you away from this purchase. Why does a game absolutely need online for it to validate a purchase?? I mean:

1. It's Paul Robertson. He's been making made-up video-game videos for some time, it's about time one of them became real!
2. It's Anamanaguchi! Awesome 8-bit music and mixes. If you haven't listened to Dawn Metropolis, I urge you to check them out!

I've said my peace. Now I'm going to defeat some evil exes.

DeathSpank...finished!

I finally completed DeathSpank over the weekend, with 100% in trophies to boot. I think DeathSpank falls in a category of those people who are fans of the creator, much like how Brutal Legend was great for those that were fans of Tim Schafer and his works. Players who enjoyed Ron Gilbert’s Monkey Island series and humor will enjoy the wit that gets tossed around in DeathSpank.

As fun and enjoyable the game was, there were, however, large amounts of grinding and item gathering. And while the humor was great, they were nestled in small morsels mostly at the beginning and near the end, leaving the entire game in the middle almost devoid of any elaborate humor. I had an awesome time in the beginning and end with lengthy random conversations with the NPCs, but the people in-between had little or nothing to say to keep the humor mill running.

The gameplay was also a bit unbalanced overall. While there were plenty of weapons to equip and use, all you really need is a good melee weapon, one or two weapons with special powers, and a really good crossbow. Sadly, most of my battles were spent doing ranged attacks at a safe distance. And even if I received damage, the food system was so terribly broken that I never really found a need to use potions, except during boss battles when I don’t have 8 seconds to consume food.

The game does give you a variety of weapons to use, and tries to enforce level restrictions and elemental improvements for its usage. But the hero cards that allow you to use equipment 1-2 levels higher than your current level defeat the former, and any stronger melee damage defeats the latter. And the only indicator you have that any elemental weapon is NOT working is the word “resist” above the enemy only AFTER you attack. The game could have used some enemy log to keep track of weaknesses or something.

The special runes are probably the most underrated items used in the game. They grant players to combine the use of two special weapons used at the same time for a greater combined effect. But, with an inventory system largely focused on a visual format, the runes surprisingly come with text descriptions on what to use.

Don’t forget that this is a Ron Gilbert game, and nothing would be complete without any puzzle-solving elements. Sadly, this felt a little lacking – almost like a half-finished Monkey Island game. I had items in my inventory that I almost NEVER used, making me wonder if I had truly finished all of the side quests. And believe me, I completed a HEFTY amount of them.

Despite my gripes with the game, the battles were solid and fun, and who doesn’t like going around taking out swarms of enemies at once? For a $15 experience, I think it would’ve been a better value at $10. But, considering it has been about 15 days since I bought the game, it was worth the $1-per-day to enjoy the game for what it’s worth.

When I'm too busy to play games...

...I read. And when I'm too lazy to read, I read graphic novels. With the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie coming out shortly, I thought it would be interesting to read all 6 volumes of the graphic novel (the 6th volume just came out this past July 20th).

Even before the movie was announced, I had some small interest in Scott Pilgrim. It seemed to be a graphic novel that didn't take itself too seriously, with an interesting plot and distinct style. Add to that the short but concise volume set, and you have a quick winner in my book.

And after checking out the interactive trailer that was just released, the movie will have plenty of nods to Scott Pilgrim fans from minute details here and there to full comic-to-screen recreations. Now, would I recommend you to read the novels before watching the movie?

Personally, if you read the books before the movie, you'll have a greater appreciation on how the movie's executed to match as close as possible the events in the book. Heck, it would probably make you question less what's going on, giving you more time to just enjoy the movie for what it's worth. I wonder how many of the critics that gave poor reviews actually read the books.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World comes out in theaters August 13th. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game comes out August 10th on PSN, and August 25th on XBLA.