Super Mario Kart

Date played: August 30th
Platform: SNES
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Holy fuck, this game still holds up today.  My brother and I played five or six races against each other in various tracks.  He used Toad a lot and I used Bowser, Peach, Yoshi and Mario.  I was most comfortable with Peach and Yoshi.

Mario Kart has never gone back to this great art style

It's easy to see why this game spawned a seven game franchise and created a whole genre.  The items behave a bit differently than I remember.  For example, the red shells cannot be fired backwards but if you are in first place, the shell will attempt to turn around and hit the person behind you.  There is also the infamous leaf item which has been missing in action since Mario Kart 64.  That thing lets you jump over obstacles, gaps and can even create massive shortcuts.  It would fit in the newer MK games I think.

Interestingly, my SNES cart still has the time trial data in it.  There are some times in there that I did over 15 years ago that I still cannot beat today.  It's amazing how fast me and my second brother were back in the day.  I hope it's just a lack of practice and not my skills that are deteriorating with age.

Chime Super Deluxe

These guys are good

Date played: August 30th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 10 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

More multiplayer fun!  We were bored of Wipeout and my brother saw Chime in my list of games and found that it looked cool so we played one level together in co-op.  It didn't take him much time to "get it".  We even managed to clear the grid once before time ran out.

Chime is such a relaxing little game, it's too bad that Zoe Mode, the game's developer, has only done Singstar pretty much.  They also did Crush, which is coming out on 3DS soon so maybe I'll try that when it comes out.

Wipeout HD/Fury

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

My brother found his sea legs in the Mirage

My youngest brother came over to visit last night and he wanted to play some Wipeout HD so we played half a dozen split screen races.  At first, we were using horizontal split but when we changed it to vertical, it felt much better so we stuck with that.  He's not an expert Wipeout player by any means but he's played the series before and has a good understanding of the basics so it didn't take him too long to get the hang of piloting the craft.

I won most of the races and I was waiting for him a few times in the first races but after about three races, he really started to put the heat on.  He seemed to find his groove when he picked the Mirage craft. The second half of our play time was filled with close races, crazy overtakes and photo finishes.  There was one race where I placed 0.03 seconds behind my sibling, it was quite exciting.

We also took two or three cool photos, something I can't do when playing online.  Unfortunately, I forgot to move them from my PS3 to my other devices.  Showing them off will have to wait!

Infamous 2

Da Beast!

Date played: August 30th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Oh shit ladies, the Beast is here in New Marais!  Cole and Zeke came up with a crazy plan to slow it down since there are still two blast cores to gather.  When all else fails, fucking nuke them.

I had to protect Zeke who was driving a truck with a nuclear missile on it.  Then we launched it and hit the beast and sure enough, it slowed him down but he's not out yet.  I also restored power to the last section of the city so I think I'm really starting to hit the end of the game now.  Bertrand made me an offer to join forces but Cole wouldn't have it.  I played a few side quests, gathered a few blast cores and dead drops then stopped playing.

Halo Reach

I wish I was better at this game

Date played: August 29th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 3/10

I played two online Big Team Battle matches and again, I was rusty.  I was pretty horrible actually.  I'm sure I had a K/D ratio of 0.25 or something...  I did get one nice little kill streak manning a Warthog turret but that was about it.

I also noticed there are some new Forge maps in the playlist rotation which was refreshing and fun.  One of the maps was similar to Blood Gulch but bigger, with more geometry and even man cannons.  That map was really fun.

Blur

Activision should not have closed down these guys

Date played: August 29th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 25 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I think I need my online fix.  Someone in my family destroyed my Black Ops disc unfortunately so I will have to be content with other games for now.  I decided to go back to Blur for a few races.  It was actually quite sad that the little counter in the multiplayer menu indicated there were only 194 players online.  This game is dead and that's a fucking shame.

Either way, I did manage to get into a nice big 18 player race.  I was rusty as hell though and didn't do very well except one race where I placed second.  I played about four or five races and had a good time, I just wish Bizarre Creations was still around to make a sequel.

NHL 11

GO SENS GO!

Date played: August 28th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 5/10

I don't really know why but I felt like playing some NHL 11 last night so I jumped online and played two matches against random opponents.  As usual, I picked Ottawa and just like the real team, I lost a lot.  The first game I lost to the Blackhawks 3-1.  The second game I lost 4-1 to the Stars.

I was kind of rusty but I was beaten fair and square.  I'm not really sure if I'm going to get NHL 12.  There are a lot of great games coming out this fall and there are no really big changes as far as I know.  Maybe I'll skip 12 and jump back in for 13.

Infamous 2

Date played: August 27th and 28th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 240 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I played a shit load of Infamous 2 this weekend and I think I must be in the last third of the game.  I've done so much cool stuff, I don't even know where to start!  I fought a gargantuan monster, pulverized some monsters by shining UV lights on them, chased some ice men, explored flood town, grabbed some blast shards, took some compromising photographs and completed a bunch of side quests.

This was a really cool fight!

I also started to really expose what Bertrand, the game's antagonist, is really up to.  It's some dirty Island of Dr. Moreau shit he's got going there.  Freaky.  I got a bunch of new powers too, including ROCKETS motherfucker!  I feel like I'm going through this game pretty quickly while still doing all the side quests.  This is a great game that is simply fun to play, even if the story is not very deep or even if the characters are mostly stupid.

Mario Kart Wii

Date played: August 27th and 28th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 80 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Double Dash is the Mario Kart game I played the most

My four brothers and their girlfriends/fiances came over for a visit and one of my bros asked to play the new Mario Kart so I obliged.  We played half a dozen races or so, passing the controllers around.  We played two player online and did pretty well overall but never placed on the podium.

I also played two GP's to finish the 50cc cups.  I unlocked Rosalina, the chick from Super Mario Galaxy and I was happy to see that she is a large character so I can use her and it feels right.  I also unlocked Diddy Kong, some karts and bikes in 50cc.

I also played some online races with my girlfriend the next day and she still has trouble with drifting but she is doing better now that she knows the tracks.

If there is one thing I miss from previous MK games it's the special attacks per character.  That was one of the cooler things in Double Dash.

Deus Ex Human Revolution

This game is gold lol...

Date played: August 26th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 70 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I didn't know what to expect from Deus Ex as I never played the two previous games in the series.  I was greeted by a game that smells of Alpha Protocol with a hint of Mass Effect.

I didn't see much of the game yet but I can tell you that the main character is near death at the start of the game and must be receive cybernetic implants to survive.  I've glanced at the menus and powers and it seems to be a very deep game so I won't play it yet, I'll finish Infamous 2 first.  That way I can give the game the attention it deserves.  For now, it will sit in it's box.

Infamous 2

Date played: August 25th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I played a big story mission where I had to choose between Kuo and Nix, the ice and fire ladies.  Being a hero, I went with Kuo.  I had to activate more power generators and I rode and defended an ambulance.  That mission was really cool as there were a lot of enemies attacking at once.  At the end, there was another huge monster that was lots of fun to fight.

The story is kind of ridiculous so far but I don't really care, all I really want is to jump, hover and bolt my way around New Marais.

Ice ice baby

Picking Kuo opened up a lot of new powers based on ice.  I now have an ice blast, ice grenade and a super powerful ice based Ionic power.  That one is interesting because it hurts enemies in front of Cole but does not hurt civilians.  I also played a few side missions and am getting really close to completely owning the first island.

Infamous 2

I decided to call them Penguin-Crab-Zombies

Date played: August 24th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 35 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I did two story missions and a few side missions today.  The story missions were standard stuff but I gained some nice new powers and watched some cool comic book style cut scenes.  I think I gained two new powers. One of them gives Cole the ability to jump off cars and use their battery power to gain a bit of extra height off the jump.  It's actually been pretty useful as the jump is high enough to reach the tram cables.  It also makes it easier to move around the city faster.

The second power is fucking awesome!  It improves Cole's hovering ability so that it is stronger, faster and better than ever before.  Sucker Punch even went as far as making the next mission a chase where I could play with my new powers.  It was one of the better missions so far actually.  I chased a penguin-crab-zombie dude for a while at very high speeds until I reached the enemy base.  It's pretty amazing how much faster and smoother traversal has become after the hovering upgrade.

Ridge Racer 3D

I feel like this guy when I play RR3D

Date played: August 23rd
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 5 minutes
Session fun rating: 3/10

I only had a few minutes to spare and had my 3DS close by so I only played a quick race.  The faster speed class is still messing me up a bit but I still had a big lead at the end of it.  This game is pretty shallow.  I mean, it's fun and all but it's just a time waster IMO.  It's easy to get in, do a race and get out.

Forgettable yet enjoyable, as always.

Infamous 2

Date played: August 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

This is all a blur.  I played a variety of missions and side missions but I can't seem to really recall any of them.  I do know I had a lot of fun and that I found a new blast core but the details escape me.  Actually, I remember playing the first part of the demo which was pretty boring since I had already played it.  I battled some pretty big monsters, so that was cool.

Kuo is an ice cold bitch!

I also had a few missions with Kuo who now has ice powers.  She can fly and she can generate icy clouds that turn enemies to ice when I shoot the cloud with electricity.  It's nice but it wasn't that useful.  Also, I am almost done with the first island I think as I now control about 90% of it.  I can't wait to see the new area.

Mario Kart Wii

I fucking love SNES Mario Kart

Date played: August 22nd
Platform: Wii
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

My girlfriend and I spent some time playing Mario Kart together but today, we decided to mix it up and go online.  I wasn't expecting much, this IS Nintendo after all, they haven't exactly been known for their quality online experience.  I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised.

It's not perfect by any means though.  It takes a good amount of time to get into a lobby, there is a lengthy presentation of the players in the lobby and we got disconnected from a match once but aside from that, it was pretty good.  I didn't notice any lag, we had big rooms with many players and it was just plain fun.

My girlfriend was pretty much always in the bottom tier but she never actually placed last, she was pretty happy with her performance.  I, on the other hand, have had much success, mostly finishing in the top three.  I am sticking to Bowser now, I like being able to push around the smaller karts.

Wipeout HD/Fury

Photo finish!

Date played: August 22nd and 23rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 90 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I did some more online racing today and the lobbies were a bit busier than the last time.  I had no difficulty finding a nice Flash lobby.  I actually won quite a few times in this lobby, 2nd place being my worst performance.  I had it.  I was zen, I was in the zone and I even had a few perfect laps!

I left the lobby after a bit because the host didn't seem to know how to change maps.  I then played a few more races in another lobby and did pretty good there too but had one 6th place finish.  There was one race where I placed 2nd but I was trailing the other guy by only 0.04 seconds.  That was quite the photo finish!

I played a few more online races the next day where I performed pretty well.  It really gives me a great feeling when I'm taking corners perfectly and avoiding obstacles by an inch.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Date played: August 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

The dots!  They are drugs!

I did a few puzzles I hadn't played yet, two 10 minute score attacks and some time trials.  It was pretty uneventful honestly, I just ate some fucking dots for half an hour.

Wipeout HD/Fury

Date played: August 21st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

It's weird how I decided to play this...  I was listening to some Deadmau5 and some of the sounds in his songs remind me of Wipeout.  Then I thought, why not add Deadmau5 to my Wipeout HD music playlist.  The natural next step was to just go in and play the game, which I did!

This album fits in very well with Wipeout

I played online and it's clear that the mass influx of players that was generated by the PSN Welcome Back program is dwindling quickly.  There were less than a dozen rooms open but I still managed to find two good lobbies.  The first was Flash class with pretty skilled players.  I didn't make the podium once in about six races but I did finish fourth quite a few times.  I was rusty at first but I was still outclassed by better players.

I then played a few races in a Venom lobby.  I did better there as players were clearly not as good as the previous lobby.  I placed second and third a few times, missing the podium only once and never grabbing first place.

Deadmau5 was a real motivator for me, the music fit very well with the action.  More games need to offer custom soundtracks on PS3.  Xbox has it for all games but it's not affected by gameplay like it is in Wipeout.  In Wipeout HD, when you take a jump, the music mutes for a bit.  When you activate a shield, the sounds are muffled.  This is something that more studios need to get working, it's easily one of my favorite things about this game.

Pixel Junk Eden

Date played: August 19th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 15 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I didn't know what to play so I booted up Eden for the first time in a year or so.  I lost my progress because of my PS3 failing.  I only had time to complete the first objective of the first two levels.  It was very easy but I remember the game becoming much harder very quickly.

I still love the concept, as crazy as it is.  Control a little humanoid character through a sort of 2D garden.  Jump to gather "spores" which will fill "spore containers" on the playing field.  Then touch the container to sprout plants that will act as platforms for your little guy to move higher and higher through the level to reach the elusive objective.

Eden has a very interesting visual style

It's crazy.  Another important mechanic is the swinging.  The little guy can swing off plants in a circular fashion to collect more spores than usual.  The kicker is that there is a strict time limit that can be extended by touching power ups on the field.  Regardless, it's a fun, mindless kind of game that lets me relax within a short period of time, maybe I'll jump back in and play some more, who knows?

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Pong is another "pure"  gaming experience

Date played: August 18th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

30 minutes/6 games of 5 minute Championship II is all I needed to fill my gaming needs!  I don't know what got into me but I just wanted to beat my old high score which was about 1 150 000.  At first, I couldn't crack the million mark but after about three games, I broke it again.  Then on the fifth game, I broke my record by a few hundred points.  It seems like I have to either use a new strategy or that I need to be faster and better.

This is the kind of game that I would want to have access to forever.  Things like this, Geometry Wars 2, Everyday Shooter, Tetris, etc.  These simple, arcade styled games always appeal to me and they don't need a story, fancy graphics or compelling characters.  All they need is are good mechanics.

Gaming at it's purest if you ask me.

Infamous 2

Date played: August 17th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I completed the mission I had failed the last time in a few seconds by using the powerful Ionic storm.  I just lined it up with the three trucks and went to town!  I then played a couple of side missions and one big story mission.

Look at all those red dots on the map!

This was the first mission where I had to restore power to a section of the city, on the eastern side of the first island.  I seem to remember this was a bigger deal in the first game but it's been a while since I played it.  The mission was pretty interesting, I had to reach a generator and then guide a flying Tesla Missile from the first generator to the next generator.  Then I had to run over to the second generator and stand close to charge it for a couple of minutes.  The kicker is that the location gets assaulted by a bunch of enemies, more than I had to deal with in any previous mission.  I was saved again more than once by the Ionic storm.  Then I had to repeat the process two or three more times.  I died a few times but I eventually got through and now power is back in that section.

I then spent some time gathering dead drops and blast shards in the new area.  The missions are still pretty varied which makes it fun to just keep playing.

Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

Fucking batteries...

Date played: August 17th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I was sick yesterday and spent a lot of time in bed.  I mostly slept but I also had time for a quick mission in Ghost Recon.  It was the first time that I could only bring three ghosts to the battle so I had a lot of trouble picking out my team members.  I ended up with my gunner, healer and assault characters and it worked out pretty well.

The mission was a simple offensive mission with a 30 turn limit.  I just took my time and took out enemies one by one while slowly progressing towards the mobile missile launcher I had to disable.  I would have played more but the 3DS's shitty battery stopped me from playing further.

Infamous 2

Date played: August 16th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I played a little bit of Infamous 2 today but I couldn't really get much done.  I did a couple of side quests which unlocked a new melee finisher.  It's pretty powerful and seems like it will be useful against the zombie type enemies.  I also unlocked Ionic Storm.  Now THAT, my friends, is a real super power.  Cole winds up for a second and unleashes a giant lightning vortex in front of him that destroys everything in it's path.  It's insanely satisfying and very useful.  The only drawback is that is uses a special type of "ammo" which is dropped by defeated enemies.

I fucking love Ionic Storm!

I also attempted a story mission where I had to free some cops from a convoy.  I died and failed because I underestimated the number of bad guys that were hiding in the trucks.  I did enjoy blowing up a helicopter by throwing a car at it though, that's always fun!

Mario Kart Wii

Date played: August 16th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I replayed two of the 50cc cups to get a star rating because I saw that getting star ratings would unlock characters and stuff.  Those two cups were pretty uneventful.  Then I played two more cups in 50cc and saw some new tracks.

BOO!

Two of the tracks stood out to me.  One is Koopa Cove which has racers go through an underwater pipe.  There is also a lot of water on the track and going in the same direction as the current makes your kart much faster.  The other track was set on tree tops but I forget the name of it.  It was just visually interesting compared to the rest of the tracks.  After completing these cups, I unlocked Boo as a racer and a new kart.

I also tried out the online play which was surprisingly smooth and fun.  I was put into a 12 person race and placed second using Bowser.  The end of the race was pretty funny, the guy in first got hit by a blue shell about two feet from the finish line and was passed by a Mario player and me.  It must have been frustrating for him!  :-)

Infamous 2

Date played: August 13th and 14th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 200 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I've been hooked.  I loved the first Infamous and have been wanting to play the sequel since it came out in early June but didn't get to it until this weekend.  Boy, this game is a lot of fun already.  I played through a good chunk of the game already and it's clear that it is much improved over the first game.

The graphics are prettier, the engine runs better, the city is more interesting in it's design and the controls still feel just as good as before.  The missions are also more varied and interesting, at least so far.  The only part I don't like is Cole's new voice.  It just doesn't feel right because they changed the voice actor.

The graphics are much better than in the first game

I met some new characters too in Kuo and Nix.  They seem shallow and boring but I don't care, the reason I love this game is to shoot some electricity out of my hands, climb buildings and explore the city to find blast shards and dead drops.

Mario Kart Wii

Peach's voice is the worst part of this game so far

Date played: August 13th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 75 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I finally caved and bought Mario Kart on Wii.  I have been on the fence about this game since it came out in 2008 because it didn't look that great.  I decided to give it a chance and it was something I could easily play with my girlfriend.

We started off with her using the included plastic wheel and me using a classic controller.  She struggled a lot at first and I won all the races so we decided to switch controls for the next race.  She definitely did better with the controller but I still won using the wheel.  I think what she was having problems with was taking tight corners because she wasn't able to drift very well.  After some practice, she was better and won her first race.

We then decided to play some single player to unlock some tracks.  We basically did one race each and passed the controller to each other.  It went well, we won the first four available cups in 50cc.  We unlocked eight more tracks but didn't try them yet.  I also am interested in trying the online play but I'm not expecting much from Nintendo and online play.

Killzone 3

Date played: August 12th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 90 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I finished Killzone 3!  What a fucking crazy ride this was...  This game really feels like a roller coaster throughout.  I spent time killing Higgs in various areas like a kind of scrap yard, a space ship and while manning various mounted weapons.  I also destroyed a gigantic mechanized weapon called the MAWLR.

The MAWLR fight was truly epic and a highlight of the game.  I mean, this is how you do a boss fight in a first person shooter.  Instead of shooting a man with more bullets than you need to bring down a herd of elephants, you get to shoot a huge machine and see it's different parts fall off as the fight progresses.

Now THIS is how you do a boss fight!

The last little bit of the game is a mounted gun sequence but this time, it's in a space fighter.  It's a nice change of scenery and it works in the context of the story.  Speaking of story, it was actually pretty good and the ending is quite interesting.  I will be selling this game though, I won't replay the campaign and I didn't get hooked by the multiplayer.

Overall, I am glad I played this game and recommend it to FPS fans and graphics whores!

Bastion

Kid chilling out

Date played: August 12th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I played about three levels of Bastion today.  The last time, I had not been able to beat the repeater challenge so I decided to wait for an upgrade before doing it.  I played through one level with my trusty machete and unlocked the trip mine.  These are very powerful explosives that use up black ink bottles.  I really like it right now, it's a nice panic button.  I was also lucky enough to find some materials to upgrade the repeater.

I upgraded the reload speed and the challenge was a piece of cake.  I also played one more level and built the Forge in the Bastion.  This is a very fun game that really lets you customize your play style, I can't wait to keep going.

From Dust demo

Date played: August 12th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 15 minutes
Session fun rating: 4/10

I was excited for this but it was a bit too frustrating to me.  This is a God game where you get to control the elements (Fire, Water, Earth) to make pathways and protect a group of tribal humans.  The game looks amazing and has a good concept.  I often messed up my bridges and dams though, I think it's because the game is so reliant on physics that....well, dams break due to water pressure and bridges are overrun by waterways.

WATERBALL = D, DR, R, HK

I was very tired when I played so maybe I should give it another chance.  There are some really cool elements like connecting land so that vegetation spreads and attracts animals.  It makes things pretty interesting but I was frustrated by my constructions not holding together.

Driver San Francisco demo

Date played: August 12th
Platform: Xbox 360
Time played: 15 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Will this be the next Driver or the next Driv3r?

I was expecting the worst when I started up this demo but I was surprised to see that Driver SF is not a total piece of shit.  The graphics look a little too clean for a game like this but it runs at a very nice framerate and has nice car models and effects.

I played three short missions.  The first was a tutorial on the shifting mechanic.  This is a weird thing, Tanner can basically shift into any car at any time.  I'm not sure why or how he does this but it seems like a pretty cool game mechanic.

The second mission was a two vs two race where I had to use the shift mechanic to keep both cars on my team ahead of the other team.

The last mission was more traditional Driver.  Grab a car, run away from the cops.  This was the most fun in the demo.  The game feels pretty good right now but it's tough to say from a 15 minute demo.  I will keep an eye on reviews for this one that's for sure.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Date played: August 11th
Platform: 3DS

Kakariko village holds many boring secrets

Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

I did some boring bullshit in this game today.  I herded half a dozen chickens, I've explored a graveyard and Kakariko village, I've borrowed and sold a mask, I've collected milk from a cow and I brought a dog back to it's owner.

I pretty much only did side quests today and it's actually quite boring so I think next time I'll just move on to a dungeon, the best part of Zelda games.  I also still hate the fact that whenever I start the game, I start at my house.  Such a long trek for no good reason.

Just Cause 2

Date played: August 11th
Platform: PC
Time played: 70 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

The game ran much better this time around, it must have been those pesky Windows Updates that screwed everything up the last time.  I spent most of my time just fucking around today.  I think that this is this game's purpose.  Grab some ammo, grab some weapons and grapple hook your way to destruction!

Passenger jets make great stunt planes

This actually feels like a reverse Spider-Man game.  Rico can sort of web swing with his grappling hook and parachute.  Basically, I just grapple the ground, open my parachute and coast by periodically grabbing the ground again to give myself momentum.  It sounds crazy but it plays like Spider-Man 2 in a lot of ways.

Oh yeah and I flew a giant passenger jet and parachuted out to watch the spectacular explosion when it hit the ground.  This game is crazy.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The original giant Bowser

Date played: August 11th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I've rescued Princess Peach and "finished" SMG 2.  While there are still plenty of stars to get (including a whole new Special world), I've played the bulk of this game and ended with around 107 stars I believe.  I might go back and get a star or two when I am bored but for all intents and purposes, I am done with this game.

The last few levels were interesting enough and the last boss was pretty cool.  Bowser is gigantic and I had to defeat him by ground pounding some floating spherical objects into his face.  There was also a really cool sequence at the very end where both Mario and Bowser are free falling while fighting.

Overall, this was a great game but it had some frustrating moments.  I'm glad I played it and it will surely keep a spot in my collection.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Date played: August 10th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 90 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

I finished DKCR.  What an amazing game in every way.  I've really enjoyed playing this, it was hard but fair. I didn't really have to worry about the collectibles except for the KONG letters which open up all the bonus levels. The controls are tight and responsive.  The music is good enough.  The art is fantastic.  I cannot praise this game enough!

Jump Diddy!

The last few levels were actually pretty hard.  I must have lost 40 lives on one of them.  I still love to play because it always feels like you're making progress, similar to Super Meat Boy.  The last boss was pretty easy but I still died a few times.  I also unlocked a very difficult mirror mode which I will never play.

SPOILER I also should mention that the last level that is unlocked when all bonus levels are completed is stupid funny.  It's a flying fruit level.  That's right, DK jumps and slides his way across giant bananas, blueberries, strawberries, peaches and cherry bombs!  It's a really fun reward and it's not impossible to beat.

The coolest level in the game

GOOD WORK RETRO STUDIOS

This is one of the top games I've played this year, up there with Portal 2 and Dead Space  2.

Just Cause 2

Yeah Rico, raise that right foot!  Do it bro!

Date played: August 10th
Platform: PC
Time played: 45 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Just Cause 2 has been sitting in my Steam list for a while so I just booted it up and tried it.  I liked the first Just Cause but only to screw around in and do stunts, I didn't like it's story.  The sequel seems like a lot of the same but now with grappling hook.

This game is fucking crazy.  I like it.

However, my PC started having problems running it well after a while.  I don't know if I was overheating or if the large Windows Update that was going on was slowing things down but it became unplayable at around the 40 minute mark.  I'll have to try again later and see.

Killzone 3

Split screen gaming is great!

Date played: August 10th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 45 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

I played some campaign co-op with my youngest brother in split screen.  We wanted to play online but were disappointed to see we couldn't play together online.  Anyway, we kind of had fun with the co-op but the problem is that there isn't actually that much action in the first 20 minutes or so.  Most of it is tutorial stuff and is quite boring.

When we did some actual shooting though, we had a blast, shooting Helghast together and reviving each other a few times.  I stuck with the bigger weapons and my brother used the assault rifle all the time.

Ridge Racer 3D

RR3D is inside this bottle

Date played: August 7th
Platform: 3DS
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I was on a short trip, sleeping in a hotel room and my girlfriend and mother were watching a corny show on TV so I popped open my 3DS and played one GP, the first of the Category 2 races.

The cars are definitely much faster than before but the game is still the same.  I still had a good time but this game is not meant to be a big experience or anything, it's really meant as a decent racing time killer when better games aren't available.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Date played: August 6th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 90 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

This is such a great platforming game.  I keep being impressed with the level design actually.  I've played through World 7 and two levels of World 8 this time.  World 7 is factory themed so it's not really interesting compared to some of the other world but the level design is simply amazing.

There was a new silhouette level which very pretty but outside of that, it was pretty bland.  There was also a cool level with some barrel riding which was kind of difficult.  The boss was interesting (a chicken riding a giant mech?!?) but was way too easy for such a late level.  The bonus 7K level was also much easier than many of the others but it was still a lot of fun.

An ape, Mr Game and Watch and Limbo?  All that's missing is that Final Countdown song.

The first two levels of World 8 were pretty cool.  It seems to be lava world of some sort.  Again, another barrel riding sequence but this one was much more difficult because the KONG letters were tough to catch.  I'm almost done with this game and it's breaking my heart.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Patience.  It pays off.

Date played: August 3rd and 4th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 150 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I don't know what it is but I was very good in the last two days.  I had high K/D ratios all around, hovering around the 1.8 range or so.  I think that my success was due to me being more careful and more patient than usual.

I didn't camp but I didn't sprint all over the place.  I took my time when turning a corner and covered my ass better than usual.  Now to see if I can keep up that pace!

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Date played: August 1st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Seems we are not the first to do this....

This is a very special post.  I played my first video game with my 14 month old daughter!  She was pressing the triggers and the X button a lot so bombs were being set off left and right.  She didn't really get the directional keys and joysticks but she got enough to set off all the bombs, die a few times and eat a few pellets.

Playing with her was amazing!  It was clear she saw the correlation between her button presses, the vibrations from the controller and the images on the screen.  I can't wait to show her more video games!

Dirt 3

Rally X in Monaco?  Yes please.

Date played: August 1st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

More split screen fun, more random conversations with my brother.  He kind of sucked compared to usual, he must have been really concentrated on talking.  :-)

We played a few races of Rally X, buggies and Head 2 Head.  I mostly won but he won a few.  I am still loving that Peugeot 205, it handles well and is so fast.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Yay random things!

Date played: August 1st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes

Session fun rating: 7/10

I played with my brother in split screen online.  We weren't really paying attention as we were mostly talking about the most random things but we still had fun.

It's more difficult to play in split screen, not only because of the smaller screen size but mostly because we share the sounds.  I would always turn around thinking someone was following me but it turned out they were following my brother!  I used the M16 in one match and did better than usual.