To Import or Not To Import

I have two new games to report on. One is newly purchased and the other one is newly finished.

First up is Devil’s Crush. As you know by now, I’m a big fan of Alien Crush and scored big with over 36.5 million points in early October. I now have downloaded Devil’s Crush off of the Virtual Console. It’s the bigger, better sequel, but it’ll take some time before I start setting a high score worthy of talking about. I did score 50.7 million points on the Genesis port called Dragon’s Fury, but it plays just so slightly different than the TG-16 original.

The game I newly finished for the first time since I did a speed run of it in 2006 is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (#37). As I said before, I only started up this game again to unlock the Macintosh version of the first PoP game. However, once I got that far (40% into the game) I decided to go the rest of the way. I wasn’t as quick as my best time from four years ago, but it still was a fun and respectable five hours.

This brings me to the topic of buying the Prince of Persia Trilogy. It was released as a retail product yesterday (11/19) only in Europe. All three games (The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones) are included with HD graphics, 3D TV support, and trophies. I’d have to import this and it wouldn’t be a problem with the PS3 being region free.

A sudden turn of events happened this last Tuesday. The Sands of Time HD was released on the PlayStation Network for North America. The two sequels are slated for sometime in December.

At first I thought about ignoring this news and still eventually importing the EU disc version. Then I looked up the prices and noticed the disc version is about $45 and since the three individual games on PSN are $15 a piece, both versions being the same price in the end.

I would normally go with the physical product, but I also thought about how I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Two Thrones and could do without it in HD. So my final decision is to simply download the HD versions of The Sands of Time and Warrior Within off of PSN. I’m sure they’d provide me with another set of platinum trophies!

New High Score

I thought I’d quickly mention that I played a bit more of the fantastic TG-16 pinball game Alien Crush over this last weekend and scored big. I topped my previous high score of 25,357,100 with this new score of:

36,570,300!

Sadly, though, this original scoreboard was somehow cleared soon after this achievement. At least I have this screenshot to remember it by.

Now Playing: August 2010

First off I’d like to start off this edition of Now Playing with my 28th game finished for 2010. It is Mortal Kombat for the Super Nintendo. I did it in a speed run on the Very Hard difficulty according to these rules on Twin Galaxies in 12 minutes and 26 seconds. Fighting games master Usagi704 and I played numerous vs. matches too. I think it was about 50+ matches.

I also improved my score on Alien Crush quite a bit. The last time I posted the scores my best was 17,204,600. That score isn’t on the board any longer. My top score is currently 25,257,100.

Another game I played awhile back, but forgot to say anything about was an actual arcade game of all things. It was released by Namco in 2001 and is called Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga: Class of 1981. This 20th anniversary arcade machine allowed for play of either Galaga or Ms. Pac-Man. I chose the former, but didn’t do all that well. It was still fun for the few minutes I lasted.

And finally I traded in a few games, a rarity for me, to get Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. It’s going to be the next game I start. The games I traded are the five listed below.

Daxter (PSP)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV (SNES)
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
Brain Age (DS)

I hope you’re enjoying the current games you’re playing and see you next time!

3 Games Finished

I haven’t done a gaming update in awhile so let’s get to it.

I finished three games recently. The first was Riot Zone. I was able to clear the game on one credit on Easy with a score of 473,270. One move which can make combat easier is always using the jump kick on the enemies. It works great on bosses too, but overall makes the game pretty boring. A fairly mediocre game on a system not know for beat-’em-ups.

Yesterday I completed Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars on the DS. For my first full experience with a point and click style of game it was great. The hint system helped out in some tough spots. The story was fantastic with a surprising turn of events for one of the characters right near the end. Definitely recommended if you’re into these types of games and maybe even if you’re not like I was.

Back during the first quarter of this year I was a bit burned out of the God of War games because I played the PS3 collection around that time. I had left God of War III unfinished until I decided to pick it back up and finally beat the game. I did so earlier today. The boss battle with Zeus was better in God of War II, but still good enough and certainly overall less frustrating.

Those three games bring my total of finished games for 2010 up to 27. The full list can be seen here.

I can’t get enough of the addicting pinball game Alien Crush. I’ve bested by top high score again with it now standing at just over 17.2 million!

Finally I’ll leave you with video footage of Pit-Fighter gameplay from the Genesis version.

Thanks for reading.

Now Playing: July 2010

Here’s a summary of what I’ve been playing for about the last month.

I put the breaks on continuing with Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 because it required more perfection than I think I have. When power went out for around 12 hours two weeks ago I started up Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars on DS. Point-and-click adventure games aren’t usually my thing, but this is definitely a good one. A risk that was well worth taking to try it out.

I bought, played, and finished Red Faction: Guerrilla. It comes recommended if you find it at a discount. In the same vain I also got Double Dragon II and beat it on one life on the Hard difficulty the very next day after receiving it in the mail.

When it comes to the nostalgic pinball game Alien Crush from the Virtual Console, I’ve still yet to better my top score of almost 8.7 million points.

Mirror’s Edge was the third and final game finished this time around. I’m currently still playing it, but doing so in the Time Trial mode. It’s exactly what I like about the game (the platforming) without the awful combat. I’m far from a genius in knowing the best route to take for the best times. I just enjoy trying to best DuncanR2N’s times. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t. It’s about 50/50. I normally get pretty close even if my run doesn’t work out. Five more trophies were obtained via this awesome mode!

I’m thinking of going back to one of two games I left unfinished back in the first quarter of this year. It’s either X-Men Origins: Wolverine or God of War III. I’m still not decided on which it’ll be. Maybe some of you fine folks can persuade me one way or the other.

And finally a game I went to eBay for was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue. I had this game around the time it came out, but I never played it all that much. The game’s level layout seems to be Metroid/Castlevania like (or as the cool kids like to call it today, “Metroidvania”).

eStarland has it going for around $15 cart only, but I was able to get it off of a first time seller for just $6. With this purchase done I only have five games left to get to for the Game Boy before I have all I want for the platform.

Ninja Gaiden’s Winter Trails

In just six days after I started, the nine chapters of Mirror’s Edge have been finished (#23 for 2010).

I still feel the same about the game as I did when I laid my feelings out in my previous blog post. I still have mixed thoughts about it all. Like I said the controls are great and work well with the platforming. I just really dislike the combat and I can’t see how it’d be possible to avoid taking out some of the gunmen in a few spots during the game. I did get more competent with the combat, but I’d still like to know how to avoid it altogether.

One thing I don’t buy is the combat not being great because of who Faith is. I’m not being a jerk when I say this. It’s really just a poor way to excuse something that could’ve been more polished. Maybe there wasn’t more Dice could’ve done to improve it. I’ll grant you that possibility. However, there’s only so much that should be modeled in a realistic sense in a video game before it’s no longer any fun.

Regardless of any of my complaints, I will be continuing to play the speed run portion of the game. As you all know from my past gaming experiences, I really like doing that in certain games.

WII SHOP GAMES
I downloaded three games recently on the Wii. First was Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth, but I haven’t started it yet. I also got two games that are very nostalgic for me. One is Alien Crush which I played a bunch of when my family got a Turbo Grafx-16 once it was heavily discounted. The other nostalgia title was the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. The only place I ever saw or played it at was Snow Trails when I was growing up. My memories of that ski lodge and that game will forever be intertwined.

RECENT GAMING STATS
Mirror’s Edge trophies: 18 / 51 (35%)
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars progress: 5h56m; 56%
Alien Crush top score: 8,693,100

Thanks for reading and make it a good one!

Holiday Update

Hey everybody! I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season. Here’s some of the things that have been going on since I last checked in with you all.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE MINISH CAP
I read up in an FAQ on the problem I was having with getting into the scholar’s home. I thought I could get all three of the library books and then return them at the same time. As it turns out I needed to return the first book before being allowed into the house.

Since then I’ve been looking around for some more people to fuse Kinstones with and finding other helpful items before moving on.

Outside of this game I haven’t been playing all that much.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Remember those games I got for my niece and nephew? Well the it seemed like she liked that she got Namco Museum 50th Anniversary.

He, on the other hand, claimed to already have Sonic Rush. My brother said that they aren’t sure what they have. I also tried to replace it with Brain Age, but I got only whining for my efforts. Later that night I noticed that the game was left behind. There was no pleasing him that was for sure.

I think next year a piece of coal is in order.

NEW GAMES
I was much more grateful for what I got. Usagi704 got me The Guardian Legend and my parents got me Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny.

Overall I’ve had a good time this year and I’m ready for a great New Year. Have a good one! :)

September ’08 Purchases

The following videos are of me showing off my purchases for September. Below the videos are still pictures of those games. Enjoy!

Sept. Purchases: Part 1 – Part 2

NES Max Controller

NBA Shootout 2000 – PS
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back – PS
Colony Wars – PS
TNA Impact – PS3
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames – PS3
Fatal Fury – GEN
Sega Classics Collection – PS2
WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It – PS2
Robo Aleste – SCD

Guerrilla War – NES
Mega Man 4 – NES
Kirby’s Adventure – NES
Castlevania – NES
Mega Man 2 – NES
Jackal – NES
WWF Super WrestleMania – GEN
NBA Give ‘N Go – SNES
Skyblazer – SNES
NBA Live ’95 – SNES
Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball – SNES

1990 Game of the Year

It’s been almost a month since I’ve done one of these columns so here’s how this is going to work if you’re new to it or just forgot (I know I kind of did).

I’ll list the nominees (up to 5) and then choose the game of the year and runner-up. The games chosen have to be games that I’ve played. They don’t have to have been played at the time, but they do have to have been released within the year noted in the title.

Note: You may very well disagree with some of my choices, but that’s why it’s a good list.

NOMINEES
Devil’s Crush (TG-16)
Mega Man 3 (NES)
Mercs (Arcade)
Smash TV (Arcade)
Super C (NES)

1990 Game of the Year: Super C
Runner-up: Mega Man 3

Of course, to nobody’s surprise, Super C would have to be my Game of the Year for 1990. It’s an improvement in almost every way over the original NES title. I say almost because the bosses eventually get easier as you progress through the game. The last two stage bosses are definitely a joke when compared to the very first two. Otherwise, the game has a good ramp up in difficultly and also the fireball weapon is much better.

The runner-up is good ol’ Mega Man 3. I remember mainly enjoying the game with the Game Genie because, well, I’m not very good at Mega Man games to begin with. The highlight of the game for me was the return of the eight Mega Man 2 bosses once you reached Dr. Wily’s castle. My favorite stages have to be Magnet Man and Gemini Man with the ones I liked the least being Snake Man and Hard Man. Those bees can be annoying on the latter stage.

What’s your favorite game of 1990? Also, what Mega Man 3 stages do you like and/or dislike?

Previous entries: 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

1988 Game of the Year

Note: You may very well disagree with some of my choices, but that’s why it’s a good list.

Here’s how this show works. I’ll list the nominees (up to 5) and then choose the game of the year and runner-up. The games chosen have to be games that I’ve played. They don’t have to have been played at the time, but they do have to be within the year noted in the title.

NOMINEES (All games are the arcade versions unless otherwise noted.)
Alien Crush (TG-16)
Altered Beast
Chase H.Q.
Contra (NES)
RoboCop

1988 Game of the Year: Contra
Runner-up: Chase H.Q.

Those that know me well enough or have simply read my blog for awhile will not be surprised to see Contra as my Game of the Year for 1988. I actually never owned it at the time, but I did get to play it when a friend of my brother left his copy at my place for several weeks. I remember being up all night playing this on the weekends.

You can probably tell by now that I was at the arcades a lot at the time with a number of the nominees being arcade games. Chase H.Q. was another one of those games. This one was basically doing what I love about the Burnout series way before Criterion Games was even a thought. The name of the game was to chase down a target car and then ram into them until you’ve won. Sounds like Burnout’s road rage mode to me. :D

Going back to that side note that I pointed out the last time. RoboCop was another arcade game that I liked that was available at my local Coliseum Roller Rink in the early ’90s.

Previous entries: 1985 | 1986 | 1987