Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

Date played: May 30th

Deal

Platform: 3DS
Time played: 45 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I played two missions of Ghost Recon since I sucked so bad at Call of Duty.  The first mission was really cool because it was set in an airport.  I had to rescue hostages, disable alarms and shoot lots of bad guys!  The mission was fun because I decided to split my team up into three mini squads.  It was risky but it paid off.

The second mission was a defense mission.  A large number of troops was attacking my position and I just had to hold out.  I only had four ghosts so I went with my gunner, engineer, healer and assault.  It actually went better than expected since I positioned my gunner and turret at a spot where enemies would get shot at by both if they attacked any of my units.  This is easily the deepest game on 3DS right now and almost makes the whole machine worth it, even if it could have been done on lesser hardware.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: May 30th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 2/10

I sucked big time in domination today.  I quickly decided that this wasn't the right game for today so I turned it off because I was just getting frustrated for nothing.  I was just a little slow I guess.

Dirt 3

Date played: May 28th, 29th and 30th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 100 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Fuck I love this series.  Ever since Colin McRae on PS1, Codemasters has been one of my favorite racing game makers.  I spent a lot of time with Colin McRae 4 on Xbox and when Dirt came out, I played a shit load of it.  I actually completed the whole campaign mode, something I usually don't do for racing games.

My favorite racing series!

Dirt was flawed but still awesome.  Then came Dirt 2.  The handling was better, the graphics were flashier and it had real multiplayer.  This was a big step forward.  Of course, when I heard about Dirt 3 I got very excited.

I am not disappointed so far.  The game is solid, no question.  Again, the handling is more fun, the events are cool and the graphics are even better.  I played the first three event hubs which was about 15 races.  I am very happy with the game so far, the new weather effects in particular.  I've actually spent a good amount of time just watching replays to see the nice snow and rain effects.

The only thing that really pisses me off is that the game comes with a VIP pass which enables online play, Youtube uploads and a few extra cars.  The PSN store being still down, I couldn't enable that.  Soon enough I guess.

L.A. Noire

Date played: May 29th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played:  130 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

One of the suspects.  He has a scarf.  Lol.

This case was about a vagrant, alcoholic woman who died in a train yard.  The case followed the same formula as the others before it.  Get clues, investigate other areas, interrogate witnesses then charge a suspect.

In this one, there was a guy who was a friend of the victim who had terrific voice acting and animation.  He really stood out when compared to some of the other characters.  I think it was his voice that did it.  Either way, I had a tougher time when questioning people this time around and only scored 3 stars.

Then I started the next phase of the homicide desk which is chasing after the dude who's actually been killing these women, the serial killer.  He's been sending letters to the police station and I set off after him when I got a good clue.  Then set in a long goose chase of finding a location, finding a clue there and guessing where the next location is.  It's a bit boring but it's the first time I get to visit the L.A. landmarks for a good reason.  I also collected some hidden cars and finally saw some of Hollywood!  Soon, I will catch the killer.

Afro Samurai

Date played: May 29th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Well, I got this for 5$.  I like Afro Samurai, I like action games, I had 5$.  What can I say?

Anyway, this is an action game where Afro, played by Samuel L Jackson, must kill a bunch of dudes by slicing them up.  I only played a few minutes to see the intro but it seems like a quality game, if not amazing.  The combat is cool with light, hard and kick attacks.  There is also a focus mechanic that lets Afro do a one swipe kill.

Badass motherfucker indeed

It's bloody and gory, it's got cool music by The RZA and it's got a nice vibe.  So far, m only complaint is that it's really traditional in terms of gameplay and that the camera is wonky.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Flag B is usually right there in the middle

Date played: May 29th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

Finally, I have a good day in Black Ops.  I think part of it was that I was playing with my brother again and that I was playing Domination instead of Team Deathmatch.  Smoke grenades work very well in Domination it seems.

We had some fun matches on Array, Summit and Stadium.  It turns out Stadium is a great map for Domination.  The flags are in good spots and there is a lot of action.  My sentry guns were very useful in defending our flags.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Slow and steady

Date played: May 28th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 120 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

Since one of my brothers was online playing Black Ops, I joined him for a couple of games and kept playing when he had to leave.  At first, I sucked.  I am really having a hard time getting back into my groove since the PSN came back up.  I think Crysis 2's offense oriented gameplay threw off my regular "cautious yet not a camper playstyle.

After a few matches, I convinced myself to slow down and crouch a bit more and was much more successful.  I just have to keep it up even when I am frustrated by rushers.

L.A. Noire

Oh, I forgot to add, there was also a dry cleaning shop involved

Date played: May 28th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 75 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I completed another case, The White Shoe Slaying.  Another day, another dead woman.  Thankfully, she wasn't naked this time!  As usual, I checked out the husband (and his two young girls) and there were signs that he was the murderer.  This one also involved a douchebag, a horny sailor, a funny cab driver, ballroom dancing, a bus schedule, driving around a bus route to find said bus and a disfigured hobo. VARIETY GALORE!

Since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll just say that I solved it with four stars.  The husband was a tough one to question.  I also did a few side missions and started the next case but I've only really seen the crime scene so far.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Date played: May 28th
Platform: DS
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

My girlfriend bought this today and I was interested to see what it's about.  It turns out it's really an old school adventure game with brain teasing puzzles.  The animation is amazing, there is a lot of voice work and the puzzles so far were interesting but easy.

I don't know if I will play more of it but it gives a good first impression.

Layton games have fantastic art

Ridge Racer 3D

Maybe I'll turn on the stupid icons after all

Date played: May 28th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

It's odd, I keep coming back to Ridge Racer 3D but it's really not that special.  However, it is a very solid, reliable game that can be played in short bursts.  It's almost like filler gaming but every time I play it, I have fun and that's all that really counts.

I played through one more GP and while the game is getting a little bit tougher, I have yet to lose a race.  Although today I did finish a race while blocking an opponent from passing me.  When I got the game, I turned off the icons on top of other racers because I thought it was distracting but now I'm starting to think I may have to turn them back on soon so that I can block others more easily.  I could also play in first person but I'm not sure I could adjust to that quickly.  I'll reconsider once I start losing.

L.A. Noire

Date played: May 25th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 70 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I completed another case in the homicide desk.  Another day, another dead naked woman with writing on her body.  Weird I know.

Ewww.... another dead woman

The episode was called The Silk Stocking Murder because of course, the lady had been strangled to death with a silk stocking.  There was a dangerous husband (again), an old gossipy hag and a weird grocer who smuggles alcohol.  This was my first case where I got five stars, finally!

The killer left a strange tail of evidence near the crime scene that led up to the top of some buildings.  I don't want to spoil more but let's say I'm eager to see more of the story.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: May 25th and 26th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 80 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Smoke grenades work well for me

Nothing special today.  I did pretty well though and I've been using smoke grenades a bit more than usual.  I like to use them to distract enemies and as cover for me to go through crowded areas.  It also helps me gain distance from SMG and AR users.

I had some fun games on Jungle, again. No surprises here.

I love this game but I'm not sure if I will buy the new maps.  My friends aren't playing as much anymore and there are a lot of other games to play.  Actually, I'm really itching to play Dirt 3 but I know I should finish at least one game before buying it.  I have enough as it is.

Ridge Racer 3D

The second screen is almost useless in RR3D

Date played: May 24th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

This game does exactly what it is supposed to do.  It's an easy to get into, quick to start, short burst game.  It's simple, fast, fun and satisfying.  I played through a few Category 3 GP's and I've been mainly using standard cars, not dynamic or mild.  I'm actually getting better at drifting, not that I was bad but now it's a bit more refined  than when I first started.  I was playing this during commercials and intermissions of the NHL playoff game between Vancouver and San Jose.

The one thing that would have made this game much better is online play.  Seriously, in this day and age, a racing game should have online play, regardless of platform.  So far, the 3DS kind of reminds me of the Dreamcast with lots of arcade games and fighting games.  I'm sure this will change with time though.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: May 24th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I tried out a couple of new things today, just for fun.  I played one match on Nuketown with the Stakeout.  I was pretty satisfying and I had a decent score.  The Stakeout really has a better range than you would expect from a shotgun.  The downside is that is only stores four rounds and shoots pretty slowly.  I also tried out two combinations of dual wield SMG's.  I NEVER use SMG's so I thought I might give it a shot.

Dual wielding these is a blast!

The first attempt was pretty lame.  I had two Skorpions on Summit and it just didn't feel right.  I did manage to keep a positive K/D ratio but it was rough.  I realized that I had to be extremely close to opponents to even have a chance of hitting them, let alone killing them.  The next attempt was much better.  I used two Spectre's on Grid and tore shit up real good!  I was the top player in the match.  I only had to be a bit more defensive and stay inside or close to corners to avoid Assault rifle and LMG fire from long range.  I think if I had a pistol as well, I would do even better.

Then I reverted back to my trusty old M60 and had below average performance.  I think I was distracted and I was just a little bit slower than usual.  It was still fun but I cursed at my TV more than once.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Another year, another CoD game.

Date played: May 23rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 70 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Finally, I'm doing better.  I seem to have gotten back into the groove a bit.  I played a nice 19-4 Team Deathmatch on Jungle and another good game on Firing Range.  I haven't had a negative K/D ratio tonight, a good sign.

On a related note, I saw the new trailer for Modern Warfare 3.  It looked pretty nice but I've got Battlefield 3 on my mind right now.  Guess I'll know more at E3.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Date played: May 23rd
Platform: Wii
Time played: 150 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

I love this game so much!  I wanted to play something with a happier tone than L.A. Noire so I popped in Donkey Kong.  I beat the world 4 boss who is a mole on a giant mine cart.  Then I played through the entirety of the fifth world, a forest.  The normal levels were fun but overall, not very difficult compared to some others.  Vines, spiders and carnivorous plants were a common sight.  There was also a LOT of barrel shooting, some of it over very long distances.  It looked really cool.

There was a very memorable level where a very large ant colony chases me through the entire level.  Then, shit hit the fan.  The bonus level, 5-K, was extremely difficult for me.  I must have lost over 50 lives trying to get things right.  There were a lot of barrels with difficult timing.  There were also a few difficult jumping parts where I had to bounce on rubber tires and such.  As much as I was frustrated, I loved every second of it.  It works because the game is not cheap.  Just like Super Meat Boy, when I die, I know why and that's rewarding.

KONG! RUN! FUCKING RUN!!!!!

Once I got through that (like an hour later), I beat the boss who was a breeze compared to what I had just endured.  The boss was some kind of electric flying caterpillar.  Enough said.

L.A. Noire

Date played: May 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 200 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I solved two more cases this time and spent a whole lot of time doing radio dispatches (side missions) and finding the hidden cars I had unlocked.  While the side missions are varied and fun, the car collecting is quite boring.  I drove most of the time just because I wanted to get to know the city a little better and it served it's purpose.  The hidden cars look really cool but they are mostly useless since they don't have a police siren or a radio.

That's the cop from Heroes, he can hear my thoughts!!!

The first real case on the homicide desk was The Red Lipstick Murder.  It was a really cool case with interesting characters and some good interviews.  A lady was found dead and naked in a remote area.  I got a three star rating.  Again.  Also, FRONT FRONTAL FEMALE NUDITY hahah!  This doesn't really happen much in video games so it is worth noting,

The next case was even better.  It was called The Golden Butterfly.  It was another naked dead woman case.  I had an interview with a teenager, a bar manager, a pedophile creeper and the victim's husband.  For the first time, I found all the clues and got all the questions correct.  However, I STILL got a three star rating because I think I accused the wrong guy.

I felt a little bit cheated but the rating really doesn't matter much so I'm glad I went with my judgement.  Too bad Team Bondi had a different view of things.

L.A. Noire

Date played: May 21st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I solved an interesting case where a famous actress and her young apprentice are found in a car that drove over a cliff.  I won't spoil the details but the case was really cool.  I had to interview the movie star (who is a cougar!), the apprentice who was in a hospital bed, a prop company manager and the suspect's wife.

The scene of the crime.

There was a lot of variety including tailing a car, a foot chase, two shootouts and a car chase.  I also met my next boss who is a complete dick.  After solving the case, I got promoted to homicide detective.

The game is actually really difficult in the interview parts, it's extremely difficult to pick the right answer and show the right evidence 100% of the time.  I got a three star rating out of five...

L.A. Noire

Date played: May 18th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 160 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Facial animations in video games have just made a generational leap.

I traded in Crysis 2 for L.A. Noire (only paid 14.50$ after trade in woohoo!) and boy, does this game make a good first impression!  This is a detective game in an open world.  Most of the gameplay consists of examining crime scenes similar to those found in Heavy Rain and interrogations with suspects and witnesses. There are also some car chases, foot chases, light puzzles and a few shootouts.

This is a game that will leave a legacy, even if it's just for it's facial animation tech.

Really though, what stood out to me was the facial animation and voice acting.  Simply put, this is a game that will leave it's mark even if it's just for the animation.  I've played Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, Uncharted 1&2 and Heavy Rain, all of which have great facial animation but this is something else.  Team Bondi has created a tool that simply MUST be adopted/bought by other companies.  This is a giant leap forward in technology.

It's also not just for show, you actually have to look at people's faces to help decide if they are lying or not during an interrogation.  I won't spoil the cases but I will say that so far, I am very impressed with the game.  The only thing I'm not a big fan of is that there doesn't seem to be a way to really fail an interrogation as eventually, protagonist Cole Phelps will solve the case either way.  We'll see if this holds true for the rest of the game.

Oh yeah and there are a bunch of real actors in this game including Aaron Staton, the actor who plays Ken Cosgrove in TV series Mad Men.  He is simply fantastic in his role for L.A. Noire and his performance adds a lot to the experience.  SELL YOUR TECH TEAM BONDI!

Metroid Other M

At least this fight was fun...

Date played: May 18th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 35 minutes
Session fun rating: 1/10

Fuck it, I'm lost.  I must have missed something obvious but I just kind of ran around all the areas I had access to and all I found was a lousy missile upgrade and I fought two giant worms, which was a cool fight.  The point it though, the map isn't helping, all the areas that seem like they would lead to my next objective are blocked off by various devices, many of them Super Missile doors which I don't have yet.

I guess I'll have to look up a FAQ or something but I just felt like I wasted my time.

Call of Duty Black Ops

IT'S ALIVE!!!

Date played: May 15th, 16th and 17th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 120 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

PSN IS BACK BABY!

Finally.  I get to play online again.  The first order of business?  Black Ops.

I completely sucked though, I think it was all the Crysis 2 that fucked up my skills but after a few matches, I was more comfortable if still not very good.

I'll get back to form though, it's just a matter of time.

Ridge Racer 3D

The last RR game I've really played

Date played: May 14th and 15th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

Nothing special here. I just did about eight races in Grand Prix mode.  The races are getting a little bit closer than in the first speed class which makes thing more interesting.  I also saw some cool looking new tracks.  A lot of the complaints about this version of the game is that is has a lot of reused tracks but since I haven't played Ridge Racer since R4 in 1999, most of the tracks are new to me or long forgotten.

I still like this game but it gets a little dull sometimes.  I wish there was an online mode, that would have made things interesting for real.

F.E.A.R 2

Date played: May 14th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 5/10

Meh.  The second level started off with my character sitting on an operating table receiving some kind of procedure while hallucinating at the same time.  Then when he woke up, most people in the building seem to be dead, doors are barricaded and a team of soldiers is going through the building to destroy any "evidence" of the Project Origin (Alma) research.  It seems that this includes people.

Either way, the level was mostly normal shooting dudes.  I picked up a shotgun which seemed a bit underpowered.  I also have slow motion as an ability now.  It's cool, it works well and I'm sure that as the game progresses, it will become a necessity.  One thing I don't really like is that when I use it, the enemies begin to glow blue.  It's useful because I can see the enemies better but it sucks because it's ugly as shit.

Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

One other thing that doesn't make sense is that I can slide pieces of cover and flip tables over to provide cover but it seems like the most useless thing in the world.  It takes a good amount of time to go through the animation and by the time it's done, I would have killed the enemies already.  Also, I seem to remember the AI to be smarter in the first game but maybe it's just old I guess.

I completed the second level, weird shit happened (Alma on a swing!) but I'm still shooting guys.  I also started the third level and really, there was nothing of note there yet, just men to shoot at.

Oh yeah, this game is gory too.  Sometimes shooting a guy the right way will obliterate their body.  Cool.

Blur

Date played: May 14th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

More multiplayer couch gaming!  Blur's mix of real car racing and Mario Kart/Wipeout weapon pick ups is great for multiplayer matches.  Again, me and two of my brothers went at it.  We even had a sister in law jump in for a race!

We had a lot of fun and everyone stood a chance to win.  I did dominate one of the races by grabbing first place early and building up a good lead so that I wasn't in range of most weapons but most of the time, we were fighting it out in the pack.

I fucking love split-screen racing games

It really is a shame that Bizarre Creations, the developer, is no longer in business.  These guys know how to make a good racing game and Blur could have been something big if it had been given the chance.  It's also impressive that split-screen runs really smooth and the graphics don't seem to take much of a hit.  More developers should include split-screen as much as humanly possible.  I'm looking at you Need for Speed Hot Pursuit.

Soul Calibur IV

Date played: May 14th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

My favorite character, Astaroth

I played Soul Calibur IV with two of my brothers for a little while.  This game is always lots of fun when playing with people.  I have never played any parts of the singe player game actually.

Again, one of my bros and I had the same fight we always do, Nightmare VS Astaroth.  We are pretty close in terms of skill level so we traded wins constantly.  Winner keeps playing, loser passes the controller to the next player.  We also played a few matches with other characters like Lizardman, Cervantes and Cassandra.  We even did a few rounds of random characters.  I got Ivy and she is a little tough to play.

There is a lot more depth to this game if I were to take the time to learn but I think that my skill level is great for playing with people on the couch.  I don't want to get too good and scare players away right?

F.E.A.R 2

Date played: May 12th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 25 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I got this through Goozex and while I am not expecting much, I truly enjoyed the first FEAR on PC when it came out in 2005.  I now realize that 2005 was quite different than it is now in the FPS genre.  Modern Warfare, Crysis and Resistance didn't even exist!

Creepy little bitch

FEAR 2 is newer but is still two years old at this point.  It feels old after playing Crysis 2 but it is still doing interesting things in the first mission.  It actually takes place during the last few minutes of the first game where a separate team of soldiers try to rescue a lady called Genevieve.  The aiming feels fine but not as smooth or easy to use as Crysis 2 or the Call of Duty games.  The graphics are decent but pretty standard looking at this point.

I shot some men through windows, furniture and doors.  It's pretty standard fare for an FPS so far.  The only thing that really pissed me off is that iron sights are set to L2 and firing is set to R2.  I cannot change this, I hate this, it bugs me every time I shoot a guy.  There are also cool hallucination segments where Alma, the scary little poster girl for the series, appears and fucks with my character's mind.  While it's not a great game so far, it is enjoyable and I plan on playing some more.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Pretty boring so far

Date played: May 11th
Platform: PC
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating:  2/10

This is not the game I was expecting.  It seems antiquated and cheaply made.  I'm not even sure what the game is about yet but I can forgive that usually.  This is a first person horror game (I think) and I only played thirty minutes but I was really impressed.  While the graphics were great and it was pretty creepy, it was just boring as hell.

The mechanics seem to be based on exploration, items and limited ressources.  The only ressource I found so far was tinder and oil, both used to create light sources.  When the character is in the dark, he starts going insane and has hallucinations.  Maybe I need to play more but I have better things to do with my time.  It simply wasn't exciting or interesting.

Crysis 2

Date played: May 10th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 35 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I finished Crysis 2!  I was very close to the end when I stopped playing the last time.  I only had to go through three more fights before finishing the game.  They were pretty tough but it was nothing like fighting a Pinger.  There were four new enemies at the end that I could consider a final boss I guess.  They were cloaked and had a lot of health but it was nothing I couldn't take care of with my trusty Grendel and a few grenades.

The ending was pretty cool with Alcatraz crawling Solid Snake-style through a spore tentacle thing.  The result was a giant shockwave that destroyed all Ceph in New York City.  There was also a cool flashback from Prophet that explained that the Ceph have been on Earth for a very long time and are located all over the world, opening the door to another sequel.

Crysis 2 is a fantastic game.

This was honestly one of the best single player shooters I've ever played.  The pacing was good, the graphics were amazing and most importantly, the firefights were fun.  Many FPS games seem to forget that what is important is fun action and good controls.  Like Bungie always said, get that 30 seconds of fun right then duplicate it throughout the game.  Crysis 2 does this.

The only thing that I could complain about is the hard to follow story and the occasional frame rate problems, mostly during cut-scenes.  Since PSN is still down, I think I'll just skip the multiplayer and trade this in when I get L.A. Noire next week.

If you like first person shooters, play Crysis 2.

Crazy Taxi 2

Mimes need transportation too!

Date played: May 10th
Platform: Dreamcast
Time played: 10 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I was just chilling in my basement waiting for something to print (my printer is in the basement) and felt like playing a Dreamcast game for some reason.  I popped in Crazy Taxi 2 and just played two timed events.  I haven't actually played this game too often so I don't really know the map like I do for Crazy Taxi 1.

This game is still fun, still looks good and still plays well.  That's kind of amazing for an 11 year old system.  I wasn't very good but since this is an arcade game, it doesn't really matter.  It's weird too, this game has a jump button.  For a car.  Not to mention I picked up four mimes who did backflips and shit as they gave me tips.

The Dreamcast died prematurely.  It was a good system that could have easily competed with Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube if given the chance. Also, I love that controller.

Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

Date played: May 9th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 70 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I was watching the hockey game between Vancouver and Nashville (good job Canucks on winning the series) and was playing Ghost Recon on and off during breaks and whistles.  The 3DS is getting a lot of playtime in situations like these and Ghost Recon in particular works well because it is turn based.

I played two missions, one where I was defending two gas pumps and one where I had to defend two flags in the middle of a residential area.  The first mission was pretty long but not too hard.  I had all six ghosts available which always makes things easier.  I first had to reach each of the two gas pumps within five turns to disable explosives.  It wasn't too hard but I had to split my team into two and I couldn't afford to fuck around.

After that, I had to go and turn off a valve that was protected by two snipers on ledges.  In situations like these, I always try to move my ghosts in groups so that they can easily return fire when one of them gets shot.  After turning off the valve, I thought the mission would be over but I was surprised to see reinforcements appear near the gas pumps.  They set up more explosives on the pumps and I had to rush back to defuse them again while fighting even more enemies.  I was successful but it was really close.

The 3D kind of makes the game look like a board game

The second mission was simpler but I failed it the first time.  This time, I had only four ghosts so I initially benched the sniper because he can't return fire.  I also benched the engineer because I thought this would be more of an offensive mission and he is best when defending.  I was wrong.

This was a defensive mission that had me capture two flags and defend them.  The first time through, I got overwhelmed by enemies and my gunner died.  The enemies in this mission were mostly hidden in buildings so it was difficult to assess how many I had to defeat at first.

My second attempt was successful but I knew what to expect now.  I swapped out my assault dude for the engineer and that proved a wise decision.  I had my stealth lady stay relatively close to the other ghosts so she could return fire and still stab baddies in the back.  My medic followed my gunner and they moved from building to building to take advantage of cover and my engineer set up a turret near the flags to repel enemies as they approached while he repaired it when required.  This was a really fun mission.

I also noticed that there are going to be a LOT of upgrades for my guys.  This game will be longer than I expected.  The 3D is also very comfortable in this game and I just kind of expect it now.

Crysis 2

Date played: May 8th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 75 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

That's Central Park up there in the air!

I went through a bit more traversal and some basic areas filled with enemies.  There was nothing special really.  Then I actually reached Central Park.  It turns out, the whole damn park was lifted up a kilometer in the air by some giant Ceph tentacles and shit.

I started going through the park (I was dropped in by a helicopter) and it really feels like it's the end of the game.  The game is shoving all the toughest enemies at me at once in large open environments.  Now though, I know how to deal with anything they toss at me.  I find stealth to be very valuable to thin out the grunts before taking on the tougher guys.

I've also been using different weapons.  There's a three round burst rifle that is strong and accurate.  The SCAR's and Scarab's are just not cutting it anymore.  There is also a nice weapon that shoots microwaves and fries the Ceph from the inside out.  It looks cool, works well and even gives out a PSN trophy!

Crysis 2

Date played: May 6th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 240 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I played a shit load of Crysis 2 today, I must have played through half the game or something.  I got really hooked as soon as I reached Grand Central Station where I fought another Pinger, the giant robotic alien badasses.  I also went to Times Square which looked amazing.  I basically had to go and blow up a building to block the alien's from shooting artillery at a civilian evacuation zone.  I also fought another Pinger here.

Grand Central Station gets destroyed.

Then I jumped off a flying plane to go and rescue Hargreave, the shady looking guy who was helping me on Roosevelt island.  I had to infiltrate a giant compound full of human soldiers who wanted to kill me.  At one point, there was a cool cut-scene where my character, Alcatraz, grabs a dude by the throat and throws him out a window in slow motion.  Needless to say, it was cool.

It turns out that Hargreave was tricking me the whole time.  He wanted to get me out of the suit to put it on himself.  I discovered that he had been frozen years ago to preserve his body and now wanted the suit to revive himself and destroy the Ceph.  I got out of there though.

Now I'm heading to Central Park in what feels like the end of the game.  Some dude told me that the authorities were planning on nuking the town to avoid further casualties outside NYC so I have one last chance to fix things.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do but it doesn't really matter, it's fun as hell.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

Dhalsim's secondary ultra looks awesome!

Date played: May 6th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 2/10

Lag, lag, lag.  I played against about three people and two of these were plagued with lag, making it impossible to play properly.  I did play a nice match against an Akuma player which I beat but it was really close.  I think I should try using Dhalsim's second Ultra as it is launched from the air but the timing is really tricky.  It does a lot of damage and is unblockable though.

Metroid Other M

Date played: May 5th and 6th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 115 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

I got this from Goozex today.  I didn't want to buy it full price since the reviews and general impressions were pretty negative but I do like Metroid and I've enjoyed other games from Team Ninja so I still wanted to play it.

Samus is such a badass

I've only played a bit so far, it's interesting but there are problems.  For one, the voice acting sucks.  Also, the game has been really dark so far and there is no brightness setting. Samus also doesn't really feel like the Samus I know from Metroid Prime.  I loved that Prime was a solitary experience, it felt like Samus was a real, independant warrior.

The game mechanics are pretty cool though.  It's basically a third person action game with auto-aim.  You can also change to a first person perspective at any time but cannot move, you can only shoot.  Also, it's worth noting that the FMV looks really good, something that doesn't happen a lot on Wii.

I beat a giant one eyed purple boss by shooting it with missiles and stuff.  There's also some really cool animations when taking down some enemies.  There was a great scene in an elevator shaft where I dropped it on an enemy.  The morph ball sections are also interesting but so far, haven't been as good as in the Prime games.  I'm interested to see where the game goes from here.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

Date played: May 5th

Holy shit! 

Platform: 3DS
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

This was a good day to play SFIV it seems.  I won more than I lost is what I mean.  I destroyed an Akuma, humiliated a Ryu and beat a Juri by a close margin.  I also lost to a very good Ken and a decent Ryu.

The good Ryu and the good Ken would punish me like crazy when I got too close.  I think this is because I rely on my teleport a little too much against those guys.  If I just keep my distance I should do better.  The Ryu player was using the Shoryuken Ultra instead of the Hadoken and I think that worked really well against Dhalsim.

Mass Effect 2 demo

Iconic

Date played: May 5th
Platform: PC
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 4/10

Ok, this is going to be a short one.  I've played Mass Effect 2 on 360 when it came out last year and I loved it.   I was just curious to see how well it ran on my PC, which is about the same as on 360 honestly.  I had to run it in 720p or else it was choppy and the effects looked about the same as what I played on 360.

I'm not going to buy it again obviously and I don't think I'll play it again, it was just a tech demo for me in this case.  My laptop ran it well although it did stutter a few times but mostly I think my PC is just overheating a bit.  Such is the plight of gaming laptops I guess.  I can't wait for Mass Effect 3.

Crysis 2

Date played: May 5th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played:  100 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I played through a few levels of Crysis 2 this morning.  This game is only getting better and better as it progresses.  I survived a gigantic tsunami-like wave and met up with some dude who seemed to know me.  Then we tried to reach Hargreave's (the shady guy that's been helping me) facility for some reason.  Again, I'm still not exactly following the story but the action is so good that I don't give a shit.

There was a great scene in the facility that involves an underwater lobby, some soldiers and a giant ceph flooding the place.  I also picked up two new weapons that I like a lot.  The first is just a big fucking machine gun, just like I love them.  The second is a kind of electricity rifle that kills humans in one or two shots.  I ditched my regular assault rifle for once.

I also walked by Statue of Liberty's head and torch in two separate locations.  The graphics are still very impressive at all times.  There was a great fight that reminded me of Halo again in the park where drop ships would come in and swarm us with alien enemies.

That's great and all but the best section I played today was a fight against an AT-ST looking mech called a Pinger.  At first, I died but that was because I didn't understand that it had a weak point in the back.  The second time around, I launched four rockets against it and I had to finish it off with C4.  The machine also had a sort of sonic boom ability that drained all my suit energy so I couldn't just cloak the whole time.  This was one of the best fights in a single player shooter I've played in a while.

A Pinger, the best fight in the game yet.

Now, I'm off to Central Station.

Call of Duty World at War

Date played: May 4th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 1/10

Ok I admit, I caved.  I bought World at War for 20$ on Xbox because I really wanted to play some CoD and PSN is still down, preventing me from playing Black Ops.  This, my friends, was an enormous mistake.

First, it's important to know that I have not bought any map packs for World at War.  To my surprise, it took about 10 minutes before I actually found a match I could play because Treyarch were fucking stupid in the way they released their DLC.  It seems that all maps, that's three map packs at 10$ each, are in the regular playlist rotation.  This means that whenever I join a lobby, there's a good chance I will not have the map that we are supposed to play on.  Then, to add insult to injury, the game boots me out of the lobby and opens up the Xbox Live Marketplace so I can BUY them!  What insolence!  That wouldn't have bothered me that much but this is only the beginning of my problems with this game.

This nun knows what's up with World At War

Cheating.

Cheating was cool when it was in single player games.  Who cares what you do with your game right?  However, cheating in online games is never fun, at least not to me.  I'm talking real cheating here and RAMPANT!  Every match I've played there was at least one cheater.  One of the games only had one non-cheater on the other team.  This game is now broken.

The cheats seemed to involve two things.  Invincibility and no-clip.  One guy, I stuck with a sticky grenade, knifed AND shot about twelve times with the powerful DP-28 and he was still standing.  He then casually shot me to death with his pistol while standing still.  The no clip stuff is also ridiculous as players fly around the level and hide beneath the level geometry.

I feel robbed.  Fuck cheaters.  Oh yeah, I also spent some time sending offensive messages to some of them and I got a few replies, all of them wanting to show me how to cheat myself.  Don't you get it idiots? I don't find cheating fun in an online game like this.

The worst part is, the few times I had some real firefights with others, it was really fun.  This game still plays great and is still my second favorite Call of Duty game after Black Ops.  Such a shame.

Halo Reach

Date played: May 4th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 3/10

You know, I love Halo but I hate playing with strangers.  People are selfish and don't communicate when playing this game.  I played three matches, the first being 4v4 capture the flag on Hemorrhage that was actually pretty fun but only two of us were even trying to get the flag.  The others were messing around with snipers and just killing dudes instead of defending or capturing.

Assault is the best game mode

The next match was even worse.  It was territories and the other team made a rush for the sniper rifle in our base every single time.  They basically boxed us in while they were capturing flags or they would just farm kills.  I can't blame them really, they won easily.  However, I can blame my team for refusing to get in a warthog or do any kind of teamwork at all.

The last match was a lot of fun as it was neutral assault on a small map (I forget it's name).  Our team wasn't talking but we were definitely cooperating.  I think the smaller maps really help encourage team play.  I kind of wish the playlists were built a little differently.  For example, if I could, I would play only capture the flag and assault but I can't do that right now.  Also, I wish I had some friends playing this game but everyone plays CoD now.

Modnation Racers

Date played: May 3rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Split screen should be mandatory for all racing games

Well, it turns out that there is more than 1GB of patches AND an lengthy installation to play this game.  My brother and I just wanted to play a few split screen races and it took about an 45 minutes for everything to be completed.  I had to do this because I haven't played this game since my PS3 broke and I had to reformat my hard drive.

Once we actually got to play, we had fun though.  It sucks that since PSN is down, none of the created tracks are available.  The 12 default tracks are good but I am definitely bored of them by now.  I won all races except one I lost to my bro.  I'm not a big fan of the handling but everything else is pretty cool.  The weapons are creative and the shield/boost system is a good addition.  I think I might like Mario Kart more but  I haven't played the Wii version yet.

Also, the loading times are way too long.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: May 3rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

The ballistic knife is hard to use but fun

PSN is still down but this time, I had someone to play with in split screen.  My brother and I decided to play a few matches of free-for-all against bots. The twist is that we had made our own custom rules.  What we did most was play with ballistic knife, tomahawk and regular knife only.  It was actually a lot of fun and made me much better at using these weapons.  We also played a pistol only match (I had dual pythons, he had a regular pistol), a shotgun match and a crossbow + uzi match.

We enjoyed ourselves, mostly because we actually stood a chance against the "regular" difficulty bots.  And let me tell you, these AI are stupid.  Really fucking stupid.  They stand there for a second before shooting, they don't usually hear me coming up behind them, they ignore others when they are engaged in combat and they use routes that normal humans would never use.

Overall, this was a nice distraction while I wait for PSN to come back online.

Super Meat Boy

What I think Meat Boy looks like in real life

Date played: May 3rd
Platform: PC
Time played: 10 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

One of my brothers was visiting and while we were waiting for Mod Nation Racers to finish patching, I showed him Super Meat Boy.  I only played two levels and he played after that.

I replayed the last two levels of the first world, just to show him what the game is about.  To my surprise, I beat the boss on the first try, a level that took me over 50 attempts the first time through.  My brother was pretty good himself, getting through the first world (except the boss) in about 15 minutes without dying too much.

Crysis 2

Date played: May 3rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 120 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

What a great campaign!  I reached a nanosuit "dock" thing so that Gould could examine the suit but we got busted by the two Cell officers that were after me the whole game.  They dragged me out of the building against my will.  Then we got attacked by aliens and all hell broke loose.  Buildings blowing up, skyscrapers falling down and giant tentacle things coming out of the ground.

These guys are a lot of fun to fight

Then I got in contact with another guy who seemed to be trying to help me.  I got away and started making my way towards an alien nest or something.  Now I'm not fighting humans, I'm only fighting the Ceph.  I fought some giant tank-like enemies that reminded me of the Hunters in Halo.  It takes a LOT of firepower to take them down with rocket launchers being the best choice so far.

I'm really enjoying the campaign in Crysis 2.  Firefights are fun, the suit is useful and unique and the cut-scenes look very impressive and cinematic.

Halo Reach

My lady Spartan.

Date played: May 2nd
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 3/10

Sometimes I hate this game.  I had the itch to play an online shooter again today and since PSN is down, I couldn't just play a few rounds of Black Ops.  No, I had to settle for Halo Reach.  Now don't get me wrong, I usually love playing Halo but there are some significant problems here.

For one, the first two matches I played were Elite Slayer.  While this might be enjoyable to some players, to me, the Elite weapons are simply not as much fun to use.  The only ones I really enjoy is the plasma pistol (amazing!) and the gun that launches a bunch of plasma grenades.  The needle rifle is ok but it always seems to take longer to kill someone with it than with the DMR.  The Needler is cool but runs out of ammo too quickly.  Also, playing on big maps without Warthogs just feels wrong.

After that, I played one match of Territories on Hemorrhage which was actually kind of fun.  We lost horribly because my team did not seem to understand that we need more than one person to take a capture point when it's being guarded by a Warthog and a sniper.

I want to love this game but I often end up not enjoying myself.  Come on PSN, get back up.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

Date played: May 2nd
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 5/10

While I won a bunch of matches today, I didn't really enjoy myself as there was a lot of lag for some reason. I beat two Akuma players in a row, mainly because I can avoid many of Akuma's attacks by using Dhalsim's teleport.  I was beat by a good Ryu who was focus cancelling and throwing a lot.  Then I beat the same guy when he used Cody, the prisoner.

Those chains don't seem to be doing their job...

I think I'm starting to really hit my stride with Dhalsim and feel that I can compete against most players I encounter.  When I lose, I usually know why (unless it's fucking Guile).

Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

Date played: May 2nd
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 80 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

This game is really starting to shine.  I played two missions today.  The first was pretty simple yet challenging.  I only had four ghosts available so I picked stealth, heals, gunner and assault as it seemed like a versatile combo.  This worked out pretty well but I failed the first time because I pushed my gunner a little too far into enemy territory.

The mission had me capturing two command flags then killing off the remaining enemies.  The twist is that if I didn't capture the command flags fast enough, the enemy could summon as many as four opponents per turn.

The second mission was more interesting as I had my full squad and was infiltrating a giant base.  In this case, there were actually two paths and my team was split in two.  I had to be careful on how I approached enemy groups as one of my squads did not have a healer.  One thing that kind of annoys me in this game is that the missions can be quite long.  I'm not sure if I can save in the middle of a fight though.  This mission took me almost an hour.

Banshee, the stealthy lady with a big knife

Also, I've discovered that my favorite character is the stealth lady as she can fire without receiving return fire and more importantly, she has a knife.  The knife is extremely strong (at least for now) as it kills most enemies in one shot.  If the enemy is too strong, I even have the option of using Rapid Strike, a move that allows my ghost to attack twice in one turn and I can combine this with the command power that allows me to play another turn with a character.  Basically, three attacks in one turn.

I have now completed chapter 2 and I believe there are seven chapters.  This will be a long game.  It really is the deepest 3DS game out there.

Ridge Racer 3D

Date played: May 1st
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

Nice graphics are promising for other 3DS games

More of the same.  At least the category three cars are more fun to drive.  I was using Standard cars for most of the game so far but with the faster speeds, I seem to favor Dynamic cars.  While they are are certainly more prone to major spin outs, they do offer more control when power sliding.

Also, some of these circuits have pretty impressive visuals.  One track in particular stood out to me, one that had me rushing past lush green hills and grass.  I keep thinking of how good the 3DS could make an RPG or action game look.  I cannot wait to see more of Super Mario 3DS.

Crysis 2

Date played: May 1st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Gould.  He's a weirdo who studies cephalopods.

Well, I reached the guy I was supposed to reach and he found out I wasn't who he thought I was.  It didn't seem to matter too much as he still wanted my help.  There was a cool scene that had me battling a bad guy in mid-air (awesome!) and landing violently on the ground.

Next I had to set up a distraction near wall street so that my friend Gould could infiltrate the building.  I'm really not too clear on the story still but I'm enjoying the fighting and the action.  The nanosuit makes things much more interesting than the average shooter.

I wonder if I'm the only one having this problem but the 5.1 sound mix seems a little off balance.  The sounds from the rear speakers are too loud but they are fine with other games and with movies.  Meh.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Date played: May 1st
Platform: Wii
Time played: 80 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

This game is always a lot of fun, if only it was in HD....  I got about 8 or 9 stars today.  I think I'm up to about 102 or something.  There were some difficult levels, some funny levels and some clever levels.  There was also a water level but I'll keep this one for last.

Giant flaming dragon?  No problem.

There was one level where I had to collect some purple coins in a short period of time on a difficult level.  I think it's called Clockwork something.  It was tough but I actually got it on my first try.  I feel like this is one star that a lot of people could get frustrated by because it's very easy to misjudge a jump and die.

There was also a level that was lit for only a moment every five or six seconds.  That was pretty cool, I think it was called Flash Black Galaxy.  Then I killed a giant flaming dragon on a small planet and went back once more to Throwback Galaxy to collect five silver stars while respecting a time limit.  It was all well and good.  Except for ONE thing.

A water level.  In every single game, I always hate water levels.  The one exception is Donkey Kong Country and that's because the controls were actually responsive.  In every other game, it seems like the designers just want to make the level boring, hard to control and slow.  Fuck off water levels, I hate you.