miffy495

I dunno. Majesty 2 looked really cool a couple of months back when it was released. For $10, I got it.

IGN.com

What the shit? Are you serious? That's horrible.

Those are all excellent games. Why the sudden rash of departures? Are you selling your DS or something? GBA definitely didn't have region lock. I have Rhythm Tengoku myself, and it's amazing. Good job, whoever gets that one.

For the next 15 hours, Majesty 2 is $10 on Steam. I was interested in that, but not willing to spend $40, so I went for it. Also, if you don't already have it, KOTOR is $2.50. Seriously, you now have NO excuse.

Wasn't planning on it, but I'll definitely be checking out the 360 demo now.

Are you crying or is the horse bag? Important distinctions here. I believe the Japanese survival horror franchise Fatal Frame had you taking pictures of ghosts as a way of trapping them in a camera. You play the entire game as a little girl in a haunted town who has nothing to her name except said camera. Haven't played it myself, but from what I've gathered it's scary as shit. EDIT: Damn you, 'blix.

Wow, a month early! Your superiors will be delighted!

Excellent. Code is mine. Despite the fact that I still haven't played XII. I'll get around to taking the shrink wrap off sooner or later, I swear.

Hmmm... apparently Canadians get nothing. Woo!

I played it on PS3 myself, but if you have a PC capable of handling it I'd see no reason not to go for the cheaper one. The Joker maps are ok, but completely unnecessary. Play the story, it's excellent. The challenge stuff is fun but I got sick of it quickly. Also, the Joker has an odd gait that makes controlling him kinda awkward. A cool bonus, but I wouldn't pay an extra $45 for it (which is the difference between the PC version on the Steam sale and the PS3 version at full price in Canada). Thanks to that launch week bonus, I got $30 off. Otherwise, I'd have waited for PC and not missed out on much at all. Go for the Steam version! It's a rad game and that's a damn good price for it!

You won't be disappointed. I've only completed 3 actual missions and already the game has made itself worth it on sheer fucking-around-having-an-awesome-time merits.

I believe you're referring to a spreadsheet of Bioware game story cliches. It's not specific to Dragon Age. You can safely enjoy this game excel-free, as far as I'm aware.

Speaking of which, I actually really liked Electroplankton for dumb messing-around fun. I know they've released 10 different species of Electroplankton for $2 each to DSiware. The cartridge I have has 5 species on it. I thought that's all there was. If the other 5 are good, I'd pay $10 for the completion of the set. Has anyone tried the new stuff out?

Just spent almost an hour playing Osmos. Great game, despite the soundtrack that is pretty much a dude messing around with Electroplankton semi-competently.

For me it actually is encouraging. I hate feeling like I have to replay the game several times to see all the content. It's fine to have a ton of content that's not story related, or content that is harder to get to depending on what choices you make, but to make something completely inaccessible because you picked the wrong dialogue option irritates the hell out of me. If the game is more-or-less the same for each type of character (opening bit aside) I'm more likely to enjoy it. ...Also, just bought it from the Steam sale, so I'll be seeing what the fuss is about shortly.

Ah, poor design decision then. I'll probably try again over the coming school break. I'll be out of town with older relatives and a gaming capable laptop. Was planning on sinking a lot of time into Fallout 3, (finally got around to getting the DLC) but Far Cry will work as well.

Went in for Dragon Age. For that price, it'll work just fine.

Hey, I played up to the point where you have to meet a guy in a bar. Then the bar was locked. I waited around for an entire day/night cycle and it still wouldn't let me in. It was either a glitch or a poor design decision. I haven't gone back to it, though I do intend to.

Yeah. My game of the year always is really something from the previous year. By the time I get around to experiencing all of the "must play" games from a given year, it's already August of the next one. Hell, I'm still playing Fable 2 and have barely touched Far Cry 2. I fully expect my game of 2010 will be a 2009 release.

Damn straight. Mario Kart is probably the best example of that for me. Aside for the SNES graphics, (and the fact that Donkey Kong Jr exists) there is absolutely nothing dated about that game. I have a couple of PS1 Classics on PS3, and I've mostly bought ones that hold up pretty well. Metal Gear Solid is surprisingly still pretty playable, though the controls have gotten kind of clunky. Having to go into the PS3 (or PSP) menu system and change the control port that you use for the emulation is weird, and as a result if you don't know exactly what you're doing with Psycho Mantis, you're screwed. I have a shitload of Virtual Console games on my Wii. Hell, it's its primary function as far as I'm concerned. Super NES and Sega Genesis games probably hold up the best out of all of them. Any older and you get awkward imprecise controls because no one has figured out what to do yet. Any newer and you get awkward proto-3D that helps to soil the experience. Immediate examples of awesomeness from the VC are things like Super Castlevania IV (still stunning) and Streets of Rage (if you're into that genre). And of course the classics like Link to the Past, Super Mario World, the Donkey Kong Country series, Sonic 1 2 and 3, and Super Metroid. Basically what I'm saying is, if you're interested in incredible older games, get yourself a Wii. I have a ridiculous amount of VC games, but at $5 - $10 a pop, I've never felt ripped off. All it's really missing is Yoshi's Island and Earthbound. Get those two on there and I won't need another console.

It actually gets surprisingly intense in the later levels. It's only mellow and chill when you're working out how to play. Towards the end of the game, you're going insanely fast through tunnels and buildings, dodging all sorts of bad business. Stick with it. For reals.

I was planning on finishing a paper and then going to a friend's house for a night of board gamey fun tonight. Instead, I felt awful upon waking up and spent a fair amount of time vomiting. Still, a flu isn't that big a deal. Good luck to you, Wrestle. All of my probably ineffectual emotional support is behind you.

That is incredibly eloquently put. I have to say, I believe that's one of the more coherent and interesting views on the way in which a game should be able to impact you emotionally. It's the kind of thing I've thought for a while, but you said it far better than I would have. Well done, sir.

I was very excited this morning. After some blogs posting rumours that Mario Kart SNES would be released on Virtual Console today, I ran to my Wii as soon as I got up to see if I could buy it. Lo, I have completed all three cups on 50cc now, and it is every bit as good as I remember from when I was 5. Humming along with the music from every track, I was struck by (aside from mode 7 scrolling making me feel like my eyes are broken at times) just how goddamned well this game has aged. No snaking, no blue shells. 8 racers with signature items and not much else. Brilliantly designed tracks that allow you to complete a lap in under 20 seconds if you know the route. And I swear to god that music that plays when you start the final lap is exactly the same audio file they're still using on Mario Kart Wii to this day. If you like the idea of Mario Kart but recent games feel like they reward dumb luck too much, please, PLEASE get this game for your Wii. As long as mode 7 doesn't make you motion sick, it's probably still the best Mario Kart you can play. Also, amusing anecdote. I've gotten way too used to the Wii. When a Monty Mole jumped on me during a lap of Donut Plains 2, I started shaking my classic controller up and down to try to shake him off. I then realized that the SNES did not in fact have motion controls and started tapping R to make my kart jump. Whups.