No, nary a watch in sight!

Well hell yes! You know those awesome wristbands the nonary game participants wear in Virtue's Last Reward?

Well, ok, maybe they aren't so awesome because they kill you but let's forget that for a minute....

If this were my watch I'd send it back!

Awhile back it was revealed there would be replicas of these that worked as digital watches for anyone who preordered the game on Amazon. There was a bit of a debacle though as Amazon wasn't able to fulfill this promise to all customers. Amazon recommended cancelling and re-ordering, Aksys said you'd have a better chance if you kept your order in. Amazon said it was Aksys's fault, Aksys said it was Amazon's. Cats and dogs were living together. It was mass hysteria.

If you ask me, I'm more likely to think it was Amazon's fault, but then again I've made it very public that they have screwed me over in the past.

Needless to say many didn't get their watch. Two people who I know were among them. It was disappointing, but it wasn't the end of the world. I mean, at least they got the game itself just fine. The angry mob died down shortly and people realized how awesome the game is and all was right with the world. Lo and behold, a new hope appeared. Aksys games took whatever remaining stock they had on these watches and decided to sell them on their new online store.

My initial reaction was nearly one of rage "Aksys Games has brought back the Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward watches (while supplies last)..." Those fuc- "...in order to help raise money for relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy. By purchasing a Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward watch, you will be donating all $20.00 to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy fund and helping those affected by this devastating storm." Well played, Aksys, well played. Needless to say any rage I had abated rather quickly. Keep in mind I didn't even preorder the game, I had received a review copy from Aksys directly so it isn't even like I was directly involved. It's simply the fact you too often see companies do all the wrong things. I am very glad to know that didn't occur this time.

Anybunny need a watch?!

For those of you asking why Aksys didn't just try to distribute the watch to those people who preordered the game and didn't get one, can you imagine what kind of nightmare it would be to get order information from Amazon to confirm all those claiming to be owed a watch? Yikes. That's one trainwreck I don't blame Aksys for avoiding. Hell, whenever I call into Amazon I don't even get help on my issue until after I've yelled at the poor rep (I do feel bad for them, but they act like complete tools) enough. It's like they have an egg timer on their desk, and once you've yelled for its duration they finally offer to make it right.

On that note, companies: if you want your customer service reps to hang around instead of turning over every month, you need to instruct them to ACTUALLY HELP. Imagine that?

Anyways, the point here is Aksys is a pretty cool guy. He raises money for Sandy relief and doesn't afraid of anything. I can wear the watch I ordered with pride, knowing that if it injects me with Soporil β and Tubocurarine at least my $20 will have helped someone!

A big shoutout goes to Ben Bateman, Editor at Aksys Games, who heard my mad ravings on Twitter and helped fix the store, allowing me to buy one of these watches. His twitter account is @benspants. I think his body is made up of 70% puns. You should follow him then bask in his nonsense!

Oh my glob you guys, this collector's edition is so math!

In addition to Persona 4: Golden I also picked up Jet Set Radio on my Vita, and also Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! Enchiridion Collector's Edition for 3DS.

Yes that is the full title. Yes this is real life.

I kinda chickened out on an unboxing video for this one after I found out my laptop's crappy built in webcam makes me look like a muppet. In the interest of still showing you all how awesome it is though, I'll post some pictures I took.

The outside cover is really just a protector for the steelbook underneath. The whole thing is stylized to look like Finn's Enchiridion, the book that teaches would be heroes how to save princesses and apparently also how to kiss them. I love the tie-in to the game, but the paint they used on the steelbook seems weak. A couple spots have been scratched off by the cardboard cover that is supposed to be protecting it so be warned if you pick this up... keep it well protected.

What's inside you ask? Well here ya go. We have a Finn's gold sword replica stylus, the Book of Beasts strategy guide thingy, a map of Ooo and the game itself.

The map of Ooo looks like it only covers the areas in the game as the Fire Kingdom and Nightosphere don't seem to be anywhere on the map. It is also printed on normal paper, which bums me out. I know, it seems dumb for that to bother me, but well I love me some nice maps. The Gamestop preorder map for Skyrim was on some parchment-like paper which game it an awesome texture and feel, and I have several other maps (like for Lunar: SSS) that are cloth. Again, I know it's silly but I love me a nice map.

Then there's the Book of Beasts. This one is actually pretty functional. It seems to have a list of every monster in the game, divided by region, with their HPs listed. It's worth noting even boss enemies appear in here, and not that the name isn't already an indicator, but if you didn't want to spoil anything for yourself you might want to limit yourself to it page by page.

Not currently pictured in its entirety is Finn's gold sword stylus. This is probably the coolest thing next to the steelbook case. It's functional and actually really great as a stylus. It's far more substantial than the telescoping stylus that comes with the 3DS and it feels a lot nicer in your hands. It's pretty solid too, which is a huge plus. I don't feel like I'll break it at all, though just like with the steelbook, the black paint on the hilt and pommel of the sword feels like it might scratch off easily. So take your chances there. You don't really need a stylus so much for the game itself, but I do plan to use it when I play Theatrhythm or Kid Icarus since hand cramps can easily set in on those.

Well there you have it, all this glory for $40 is not bad if I do say so myself, even if the paint seems to be kind of cheap. Needless to say any fan of Adventure Time will take adequate care of it and it is really geared towards them anyways.

I'll let you guys know how the game is once I'm done being totally addicted to P4G!

Persona of the WildCard!

So Persona 4 came out.

Mother of God.

Yup, yup, I know what you're thinking. Oh man, WildCard's hooked on another JRPG. Oh that WildCard, when will he learn Japanese games are crap.

Sorry guys, newsflash. Japanese games are awesome. No, seriously. Why are you laughing? Well the whole NA vs JP arguement will have to wait for another time because after literally 30 hours of gameplay is less than a week (six days to be exact) I have so much to say about Persona 4: Golden.

First off this is part of Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei series, though it cut down on the nomenclature of sorts. It also originally came out on PS2 back in late '08 despite the PS3 already being established at the time. This is the reason I didn't pick it up originally. Everytime a game comes out on last generation's hardware when where is a current gen, it almost always gets 'ported. This goes mostly for bigger publishers, but Atlus seems to have this as a rule of thumb. So I skipped the PS2 version and regretted it for many years... until now. It took a little longer than I expected (4 years... really? REALLY!?) but that wait is over and man was it worth it.

From initial concept Persona 4: Golden is already an exemplary title in the JRPG library. You can take control of every character in your party which is so refreshing considering so many RPGs have gotten away from the turn based format for the action/RPG hybrid games I find so hit or miss personally. You can also let them control themselves with basic AI behaviors you can select. Combat is exciting with all the cutaways, battle animations, extra attacks, and all-out attacks that really make the game a feast for the eyes. The story is killer (no pun intended). The characters are surprisingly likable. Kanji Tatsumi in particular shocked me, as it's not every day the concept of a man being sexually confused in a Japanese video game makes it to print. It was a bold move, but one I truly admire as the issue of acceptance is his true desire, and one we can all relate to despite being straight, gay, or whatever. Social links are totally addicting as well. As you decide how best to spend your time afterschool or on Sunday, you'll begin to notice there are so many things and so little time. You can enhance your social links which strengthen the Personas you create, and even enhance your party members proficiency in battle as well. You can also do stuff like eat out, study, and train which will help you raise your social attributes, which in turn help you enhance your social links. You of course can also jump into the TV world to complete story missions, grind, or complete quests. It's all pretty daunting, but in a good way.

That is all really just in the main game itself. The "Golden" in Persona 4: Golden is really, well... golden. The Vita version has new features like the dungeon SOS, a "call for help" function what will allow people to send you small amounts of HP and SP between battles to help keep you on your feet. There is also the "Voice" feature that will display the choices of what players connected to the PSN while playing chose to do that day. It's actually handy to be able to see who has chosen to do what, and sometimes you can see choices you didn't know you even had. There is also more animated cutscenes and voice overs, both of which are awesome. There are new songs and new school events such as festivals and other things that would exist during a normal Japanese high schoolers life. There are new social links with Tohru Adachi and the new character Marie. There are also new Personas and new ways to spend your time such as gardening. Combine this with the already humongous amount of content in the original release... and the choices are staggering.

Yeah, I know it's getting a little obscene. Just trust me when I say I am literally addicted to this game. From the excitement of combat, to the addictiveness of enhancing social links, I cannot put this game down. Like, at all. It's so bad I've spent a total of 24 hours in my first five days playing. What?! Seriously, I may have a problem.

Either way if you own a Vita and have even the slightest patience for RPGs, you will need this game. Even if you don't know you need it yet, trust me, you do. There is a reason why this game was a much needed boost for the Vita overseas, and why this is one of the Japanese games actually making waves over here in the US. It is that good.

I'm almost sad to say I'm not reviewing this game, but Beatboxtaun is handling it so it should turn out to be a great review. Considering she is as addicted to this as I am I think I can safely say we probably would review this to a similar score anyways. That's right, I trust her!

(That's saying a lot!)

Anyways there you have it. Everything about this game seems pretty spectacular, and I haven't encountered a single thing that isn't. I always have something negative to say about a game, at least something. This time though, nothing. You know what to do Vita owners!

Knives a duex -or- When Conner met Ave

So the temptation was too strong! I had my money all ready to go for Halo 4, and I had an odd change of heart. I'm actually confident the game is fantastic, many reviewers I trust have had nothing but good things to say so far, but for a couple different reasons I decided against picking it up Tuesday.

Whatever will I do with all that money you ask? Well not one to be wasteful I found a new home for it!

Yup I got Assassin's Creed III. I knew I would be getting this game, but I didn't think I would so soon. As it turns out I was wrong. I even picked up the PS3 version for the bonus missions, and Liberation connectivity.

I didn't plan on using that connectivity with Liberation so soon, but I did know I would eventually get it, and when I did I'd want the PS3 version. Well...

I'm seriously the worlds biggest sucker. I don't even know what to say, when I want something I want it now and there is very little I or anyone else can do about that. I'm just damn glad the things I want most are usually video games!

So I'll give you guys a fine run down in the what I'm playing segment but until then ladies and gents I'll bid you all adieu!

Boogie on down! 8bitfix Review: Orgarhythm

Troll box art is successful!

Another one bite's the dust! This time it's XSEED's groovy RTS/Rhythm hybrid, Orgarhythm for PlayStation Vita. Not really one for rhythm games myself (though Theatrhythm may have changed that a little) I was pretty intrigued what this would play like. Would it be more RTS than rhythm, or vice versa? In the end, just like a two piece harmony, there was a perfect blending of the two. The only thing holding this title back from being that new refreshing Vita entry is the fact that most people won't stop to give a strange title like this a try. It's a shame, but I'm under no illusions about the mentality of the majority demographic of gamers today. Well it is what it is, but anyone daring enough to risk a try at this $30 PSN only Vita title just might be rewarded with something truly special :)

Anyways here's the link: 8bitfix review: Orgarhythm

Oh, and a snippet, as always!

"Orgarhythm is actually very simple to describe, but difficult to convey the true experience. Here I go anyways. The game is equal parts rhythm and equal parts strategy. In order to properly dispatch troops you need to tap the screen to the beat. One tap on the God of Light, another to select which elemental trooper to use, and a third to select which type of attack they will perform. Then all you have to do is tap the screen, or tap and drag to send a certain number to a specified location on the map. As you continue to successfully tap, the "voltage level" will rise, powering up your troops, and allowing you to have more of them. See not hard to describe at all, but the game sounds plain. I assure you it isn't. There is a sort of excitement to the game you can't really appreciate until you try it. Something about how the music amplifies your drive to attack, and attacking continues to build your combo and voltage level; it's a cyclical excitement that builds with the better you are doing. Not to mention there are no technical difficulties whatsoever with tapping. The game runs smooth, almost surprisingly so when you have 48 of your own troopers heading out amidst a sea of enemies equal in number! It is absolutely essential rhythm games always run smoothly, and for one that incorporates RTS elements this is doubly so."

Say it with me... "Colors, Colors!"

The odyssey begins, a Ragnarok Odyssey unboxing!

It's so secret I've been looking forward to this title. My incessant blabbering is probably bordering on unprofessional considering I'm reviewing the game, but welp, I don't care. I did pick up my personal copy of this game yesterday, the swanky Mercenary Edition no less.

Ooooh shiny! Let's have a look see at what's inside shall we?

First off here is the actual game. Less shiny but hey, it'll look good in my current collection of Vita games.

Next we have the game's soundtrack. There is 32 songs on it, all composed by Kumi Tanioka. I mentioned before she also composed many songs for Final Fantasy XI, which I played for nearly 9 years. I still do occasionally, but that's beside the point.

Now we have the mercenary guide. This this is actually pretty beefy at 96 pages. You could really consider it an "essentials" strategy guide. It has the 6 character classes with their combos detailed, a boss bestiary, a card catalog, area maps, and a great section on the combat and various elements to gameplay. It's nice and filled with a lot of pretty pictures as well so yay :)

And last but certainly not we have the cards! I would be lying through crooked teeth if I said the fact this game came with cards didn't influence my decision to buy this. There are 56 in total, each a replica of the cards you get in game to customize your equipment. There is even some info on the monster and what they drop on the back. You get 10 random ones in the Merc. Edition and I really have no idea on how to get more, but I sure as hell want to!

Well here is one last look at the whole shebang, hope you enjoyed!

Fenris Howls! Ragnarok Odyssey First Impressions

Giants and giants and giants, oh my!

So I've had the luck to be able to get a review copy of XSEED's Ragnarok Odyssey. You may remember me talking about this before, and even though I've already preordered the Mercenary Edition in full, I jumped at the chance to get my greedy hands on an advance copy of this game. First off I just want to say I'm actually really happy I did get my Mercenary Edition now, if nothing else for the soundtrack it will come it. The soundtrack is great and it reminds me so much of a lot of the music in Final Fantasy XI. That is probably because the composer actually did compose about 1/3 of the music for Final Fantasy XI. Yup, the game comes with a meaty soundtrack composed by Kumi Tanioka. That's such a win for me.

So anyways, there's no embargo date on this which is fancy lingo for I can talk about this all I want without getting in trouble, hurray! Because of that, you all get to read my first impressions. This game is an action adventure game, with a strange sense of RPG elements. You never "Level up" but your stats do increase whenever you've finished all of the missions in a chapter. Aside from that, any and all stat customizations are done by equipping weapons and cards. Fans of previous Ragnarok games will be familiar with the concept of cards, but for those of you that aren't its not difficult to explain. Cards literally represent the physical remnants of the soul of a monster you kill. When you attach this card to your armor it will lend attributes to you based on the monster. There are several cards that can drop for a particular monster species, some better than others. Basically, they're all essential to customizing the best character you possibly can.

Once you're satisfied with your weapon and equip you head to the quest counter and pick up a mission. This is where the game feels very much like Monster Hunter. Combat however, feels way more like .hack//G.U. (for the record I LOVE .hack). The attack animations are very over the top and indicative of the Japanese anime style that the graphics are based on as well. You can launch foes and preform combos on them in the air, without the risk of falling until you are done. You have several combos you can use made up of the two attack buttons and powered-up charge attacks as well. The game is very action packed and the combat looks and feels great. Considering there are only two attack buttons you will be totally surprised at all the various combos you can actually pull off both on the ground and in the air. There is further variety to combat as well depending on what class you choose. I wont get into too much detail, but there are six different classes to play: Sword Warrior, Hammersmith, Mage, Cleric, Assassin, and Hunter. So far I've tried Hammersmith, Assassin, and Hunter; Hunter being my favorite so far.

His name isn't William in case you couldn't Tell

While on missions I have noticed that the enemy AI seems noticeably dumb. I'll have attacked a monster as it's walking on occasion only to see it continue walking to the same path as if didn't just get shanked for a critical 130 points of damage. It doesn't seem limited to any particular enemy type, though I notice it happens with orcs more often then anything else. It's not a deal breaker by any means as it will more often than not help you kill monsters without taking damage, preserving your precious HP for larger battles. It doesn't even really happen that often but when it does you'll notice. Another downside is the occasionally unbalanced difficulty level. Right now the game has fairly difficult moments even in the single player. The dang Orc King boss at the end of the first chapter was finally bested on my fourth try (as Assassin). I haven't attempted the same fight yet with my Hunter or Hammersmith, but I can estimate the strategy I'll have to use will be different. As tough as this fight, and the first extra mission were, they certainly weren't impossible. Perhaps they seem harder only because you can't simply level up before fighting the boss if you fail the first time.

I wasn't able to check out the online co-op due to there being only review copies out at the moment, but I did familiarize myself with the menus, and they seem very easy to use. You can create an online lobby via the tavern and set the game to PSN friends only or anyone and even set a password if you feel so inclined. Any mission you have available to you can be selected. I don't know if you will or will not be able to enter a mission you don't yet have available to you, but I guess we'll see what the deal is there when the full game releases.

All in all I am having such a blast with this game. The graphics are great, the textures especially detailed, and the amount of character customization is another great point of interest. I've already been able to make my Hammersmith look like Freddie Mercury, and my Assassin look similar to Bayonetta (minus the hair monsters, of course). You can even dye or armor or headgear to further customize your character, though only four paint schemes exist for each piece. Not a serious drawback, but I did appreciate the ability to dye my clothing with more than four colors in games like Fable III and Assassin's Creed II. Hopefully this is something that may be included in a sequel, right GungHo?

Prince of the universe... and hammers-drills.

Either way I've been having a blast and I cannot wait for retail to hit to be able to start a new character and play online with friends. the Review is incoming, but I do want to get a good feel for that online before finishing as I feel like it is a huge component to the game. Well kids, that concludes my first impressions. If you feel like picking this up, you may even see me on; my PSN ID is WildCardCorsair!

What I'm playing this week! Oct 15 - Oct 21

Well it's that time again, I delayed this a bit because I wanted to cover a game that was embargoed. Now it isn't. If you're reading my blog you probably already know what it is...

Anyways, without further ado, here's what I'm playing!

Got paid and decided to pick up Retro City Rampage for PS3/Vita. It's sort of a combo pack, pay $15 and get both. What you need to know about this game is that it is the video game version of Not Another Teen Movie/Scary Movie/Kung Pow, etc. It's bursting at the seams with video game parody. Everything from classic games like Duck Hunt and Metal Gear is sent before the firing squad for your pleasure. It even has tons of movie and generally geeky references like the game's first mission and it's striking similarities to the opening heist scene from The Dark Knight. I hear the phrase "love letter to gaming culture" a lot but I HATE that phrase so instead I'm going to say: if you enjoy the older GTA games (1&2, London, etc), were born in the late seventies/early eighties, and played video games on NES, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Sega Master System, or MS Dos, you will get a riot out of this game. You'll probably laugh your ass off every few seconds. Now, if you said no to those critera above this game will make little sense, many of the (purposely) poor design choices will feel like glaring flaws. It's a total niche title, but I fall very proudly into that niche so I'm having myself a ruddy good time so far.

I was lucky enough to begin a review for the Vita version of Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward from Aksys Games and Chunsoft on Wednesday. It's always awesome to be able to play a game before it comes out and I simply love reviewing so it's the ultimate win-win situation. The game itself is not unique, but rare. There aren't many visual novel/puzzle games that exist outside of Japan (where they are all the rage). This one is a sequel to 999: 9 Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS. I can't imagine it is a direct sequel, but two of the characters from the first one appear in this as well. As far as gameplay goes its split up into "novel" and "escape" portions. Novels are just where all the talking happens and yes, there is quite a bit of reading. Escape is there you have to figure out how best to escape your current confines. Escape does have several challenges and if you go above and beyond you can wind up with additional gold files in addition to simply escaping. The story itself is downright shocking at times and it really keeps you on edge as the fate of these character literally depends on your choices. There is of course multiple endings, 24 in fact, and there are some terrible ones and some good ones... I'll not spoil any of them for you. Just know what this game really does visual novels proud. It adds new features that I hope will become the standard, no, that should become the standard for these games in the future.

Because I wasn't always able to play VLR (and because Jet Set Radio for Vita was delayed) I bought and played Tales From Space: About A Blob. It's from Drinkbox Studios so I was pretty sure I'd love it, and I do. It's similar to its Vita sequel Mutant Blobs Attack!!! but different at the same time. Since this one is on PS3, it feels differently in a few ways. The first and most obvious difference is you have to hold one of the L buttons down to eat things. This was automatic in MBA!!! and it isn't bad but requires more button inputs. One of the crowning achievements in MBA!!! was its simplicity of controls which emphasized execution. Here in About A Blob that feeling is minimized somewhat. Also different is the blob's ability to "regurgitate" things he's absorbed. I haven't come across puzzles yet that require its use, but I feel safe assuming that this ability was dropped in MBA!!! because of the ability to manipulate puzzles via the touchscreen. It feels the same in that the same humorous approach is seen here as well. I laugh all the time playing this game, and I'm not even that far in!

And that's it! VLR cut such a huge swath of time from my gaming this week as I really worked to get the review up by release day. While that's true it's also because I just freakin loved playing that game. I'm moving on to reviewing Orgarhythm from XSEED Games this week, so alas my VLR time will be cut down, but I plan to put more man hours into this game than the.. uh.. you know... that project from Pretty Woman with all the man hours.

I'm just going to stop talking (typing) now.

That nineth lion must have some serious heartburn!

Another day, another review. This time the lucky game is none other than the eclectic Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward. Yes, this is a visual novel which is a sort of sequel to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS. This one, is a total improvement all around which I love. It's totally engrossing just like the first, but with way more user friendly additions. It also looks spectacular on the Vita. Plus the 24 different endings are... mind boggling. Each playthrough is almost like this is an entirely different game, it's rather crazy. The Vita is finally starting to build up its library in earnest and I could not be happier that this title is part of that. It's pretty much a must for any fan of visual novels, but even if you aren't you should still give this a try. Anyone who loves a crazy story, murder mystery, or just the site of a constantly topless wannabe Egyptian queen is sure to hit it big here.

Anyways here it is. 8bitfix Review: Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward

Oh and if you wanted a taste... well here, have a taste:

"As you can imagine, logical thinking and problem solving are huge components of this game, but nothing is ever thrown at you unexpectedly. Compared to other visual novel/puzzle games this game is all inclusive. Whereas frustration had set in during my experiences with Layton games and their constant need for me to be a scholarly mathematician, this game does a great job of explaining anything you might need to know. This is definitely appreciated and oddly overlooked by other games in similar genres."

The Real World is really starting to cast funny nowadays.

Code of scantly clad women?

convenient logo placement...

Well it is done, Code of Princess review is nice and live. I felt I almost tripped over myself on this one. Let it be know, that I, WildCardCorsair may have rushed through this one a little. After a little quiet contemplation and otherwise general tomfoolery I was finally able to score this game. So that's why this took so long. Not that you guys were keeping track... were you? Anyways what we have here is a side scrolling brawl fest ala Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, etc but with a heavy RPG element to it. I'll explain it all in the review but for now just know that this is really a niche title. I mean you really have to think you'll like it or else you won't stand a chance.

Anyways here is the review: 8bitfix Review: Code of Princess

And if you wanted it... here's a tiny snippet:

"The story in Code of Princess is pretty laughable. It’s there, and time was spent on it, but it's cliché at best, and full of holes at worst. So many increasingly important facts are thrown at you out of left field, leaving you to wonder if the team at Agatsuma even expected people to pay attention. Even the characters are painfully clichéd, such as the scantily clad yet pious princess, the thief with the heart of gold, the soft spoken samurai looking for love, and the strong silent bruiser with a soft spot for cure animals. Yup you've seen everything here before but what makes this pill easier to swallow is that the game never takes itself too seriously. The characters and situations are tongue-in-cheek 4th-wall-breaking comedy gold at times. So if you were looking for some kind of deep introspective tale of epic proportions you won't find it here. If you don't mind humor in your Action-RPG/Brawler then you won't have any problems here."

not a zombie!!

The best shapes are Sound Shapes.

These trophies are tough D:

I am so damn impressed with Sound Shapes right now. Not only does the game allow for LittleBig Planet or Minecraft levels of customization, with so many uber talented people creating levels with amazing results, but the online community is excellent. I think I talked about Sound Shapes awhile ago in the way that it is half musically expressive, half challenging platformer something along the lines of an easier Super Meat Boy. All you do is collect coins that add notes to the music and run, jump, and stick to various surfaces. The Death Mode levels are ridiculous hard, and many of the user generated ones tend to be as well. The user generated ones... oh man. I have literally gone from seeing cool levels that pay homage to other games or songs to eventually these vastly intricate levels. Masterpieces  Jaw-dropping creativity. I played one recently that was a retelling of the story of little red riding hood, complete with comic book style panels. One look and you couldn't help but wonder, how the hell did a guy do this with stock level design tools? The song as you crawled your way to the end was not half bad either. It was amazing. Now the dudes at Queasy just dropped some sick knowledge on me. Not only can you browse user uploaded levels on their community site, if you log in with your PSN ID, you can queue them and play them later as well.

DAMN.

*Head explodes*

What I'm playing this week! Oct 7 - Oct 14

Welp, that's another week. Time to start talking about gaming! This last week was probably my most diverse yet as my anxiety after finishing three reviews sunk in and all I wanted to do was game for fun.



I started off with a couple titles on PlayStation Mobile. Since the Vita is compatible I run them off there. The huge plus is that they're super cheap and actually pretty good. This time around I'm messing with a the two PSM launch titles from Futurlab. The first is Beats Slider. First off I should mention I am horrible at slider puzzles. Seriously. I am damn #%&@ing horrible. What you have is a slider puzzle to music. When you put a square where it goes you get to hear it add to the music. The only problem is getting it there. You know, because I suck. THANKFULLY they added a sort of cheat function which is similar to the way I used to pop the squares out and put them back in order :/ The music is pretty cool though, so I keep playing it. Plus it was only 79 cents :D



Ok, so the other game is Fuel Tiracas, which may be obvious since I posted a link to my review. It's a pretty damn addicting game that is based around the idea of tapping buttons as they light up. It gets more complicated, and faster in the later levels, but this game is awesome. First off it's only 49 cents. Secondly it's so fun to blast through. Other bonuses are the music is great to hear and the game is totally smooth. In short: get it!



After PSM of course Pokemon Black Version 2 came out sunday which I picked it up. I'm like 12 or so hours in which is nothing, but I have mixed feelings. On one hand if you look at the game in terms of "third version" this game is better. It has an all new story and a new main character. There's also this whole "where are they now" factor that is pretty endearing. If you look at the game as a sequel though you can't ignore the fact it's the same region (with a couple new cities) and the same pokemon. Not counting Genesect, there are no new pokemon this time around.... what? So yeah, how you look at this game will have EVERYTHING to do with how you feel about it. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for anything that might turn this around into a wholly positive experience for me, because so far I'm just "meh".



Next on the list is Code of Princess. This is another game I have mixed feelings about. There is very little here to dislike. It's a fun side scrolling brawler with RPG elements, great character design, music, and local and online multiplayer. The only real downsides are the cliche plot and lag/slowdown when you have a lot of enemies on the screen. It can get pretty bad in the multiplayer but nothing that will ruin the game for you. For some odd reason though I can't help but feel so-so about the game. There's no real reason why I shouldn't love this game... but I don't. It's not bad at all and I don't feel like I wasted my money. Perhaps I just didn't want to play that game right now. Of course I did, to review it. Now I have a completed review for the game but no assigned score because I'm trying to figure out how to score it fairly in my funk. Oh well :/



So the weekend rolled around and I finished two reviews and really just wanted to play something for me. The first stop on my train to fun town was inFAMOUS 2. Also this may be obvious since I posted earlier in triumph as I completed the Platinum Trophy. I absolutely adore this game. As a super hero game it is so high up there for me. Second only to Arkham City in fact. Cole's powers are so cool, and the story is tip-top. I did already know these things but they become even more evident each time you play the game. When you beat the game on both evil and good you even get to use all powers your characters. This is a huge win! Sucker Punch, you guys are magic!



Lastly, I ended up playing something "new" after I was done with inFAMOUS 2. That's in quotations because the game is actually pretty old. The game is Killzone 3. As far as PlayStation goes, its first party brands are usually pretty strong but Resistance kind of turned me off. So Gusto being the amazing dude he is gave me an extra Helgast edition he had lying around. So now I have a creepy Helgast head hanging out in my sons room and a game I've never really played until yesterday. So far I really like this game. It kinda makes you wonder why anyone plays the Resistance games with this one on the scene. The only reason I can think of is Killzone 1 is on the PS2, so maybe PS3 buyers didn't want to jump into a story mid-way. Otherwise this game pretty much beats it out in every way. I still think other games are more solid, like Halo: Reach or Battlefield 3, but I consider this game to really be up there in terms of first person shooters. Of course I have no idea what's going on ever and the cover system is a little janky, but the hitboxes are spot on and there are some very cool weapons to choose from. Good job Guerilla Games!

Well that's it for this week. I'm sure I'll have more keen stories in my adventures in gaming for you next weekend kiddos. Take care!

Call me Zues!

Well I finally did it! My second playthrough on hard has netted me every trophy that my first didn't. That gets me a shiny new Platinum Trophy to show off to all my friends!

It really wasn't that hard, especially since I usually save the "infamous" playthrough for my second. Not having to worry about bystanders is actually a huge benefit to offsetting the hard difficulty.

I'm totally not going to ruin it for you guys but the evil ending is soooooo satisfying. I mean the hero ending was nice, but... Yeah. This one is better :)

It's raining fuel, hallelujah!

I finished my review for the PlayStation Mobile game Fuel Tiracas. In short this game is a must. It's simple yet  challenging. It's such a great buy too... at only 49 cents. Crazy, I know. Anyways here is the link to my review on 8bitfix and a small quote from it to wet your appetite.

8bitfix Review: Fuel Tiracas

"When you think of space, and colonizing space, it's hard not to imagine that an incredibly small number of planets are even habitable. Terraforming is a popular science fiction solution to adapting a planet to our needs, and this is your mission in Fuel Tiracas. The uninhabitable planet before you will change before your eyes as you power up the sites releasing that oh-so-specific cocktail of various elements into the air, growing an atmosphere. Aside from this basic premise there isn't much else to Fuel Tiracas except the addicting gameplay. Knowing that it was inspired in part by a certain android from Aliens really does begin to explain some of the design though. That scene, you know the one. Yeah, that one. It's like the guys at Futurlab said "Hey, this is awesome. Let's make a game like this!" and the rest is history. When people inject things they love into a game, it's easy to see that love in the final product. That's the real story behind Fuel Tiracas." - me, in my review.

Ready for the Ragnarok?

Man, oh man, am I excited for Ragnarok Odyssey now. XSEED Games finally gave us an official release date of Oct 30th. I already have the Mercenary Edition on preorder at Gamestop so now I'm really just counting down the days until my Vita will see another quality retail title. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of really stellar PSN titles for it, especially now that PlayStation Mobile launched (more on that later), but I haven't really made a purchase for the system since the MGS HD Collection came out back in June. Some four months later and there is finally something interesting enough to warrant some cash to leave my wallet.

RO is your basic 3D co-op hack 'n slash, similar to Monster Hunter or Phantasy Star Online, but set in the Ragnarok universe. I'm not going to lie, I've never even had the desire to play other Ragnarok games. No particular reason, I was just always playing something else really. Now this one is hitting the Vita, a system seriously starved for a decent release library, and I am not going to miss it.

Of course the Mercenary Edition helped that a bit. Regrettably I missed out on reserving the extremely limited Persona 4: The Golden Solid Gold Edition. That edition runs $80 and gives ya the game, Vita carrying case, protective case, and stickers. There's also a Vita skin and wallpaper set but those come with regular edition preorders. Honestly though, the Ragnarok Odyssey Mercenary Edition seems to be quite the awesome deal. For $50 you get the game, 96-page art book/multiplayer strategy guide, 32-song soundtrack CD, and a random assortment of 10 of the game's 50 monster cards. For $10 more than the cost of the game. Only $10 more.



I mean yeah it's not loads of Vita accesories like P4G's Solid Gold Edition, but you also pay $30 less. Not to mention the CD and art book are far more complete than the usual 20-page art book or 12-song sample CD soundtrack. These are meaty!

So yeah yeah, enough gushing. The game looks great and I'm pretty excited for the online 4-player co-op. I even have a few buds ready to build a party with me so we can go take some giants down a few pegs. I'm totally starting an Archer and naming him Clint Barton. Oh yeah.

GET-tastic Tuesday!

Boo yeah! Yesterday was a GET-tastic Tuesday if I do myself. Not even counting Pokemon Black 2 I picked up on Sunday, yesterday's fine acquisitions come in the form of Atlus's Code of Princess for 3DS and the Prometheus Blu-Ray.

And though they were free, I was also able to pick up my Commendation and Victory packs and the Retaliation multiplayer DLC for Mass Effect 3. VOLUS there's even VOLUS a couple Volus (VOLUS) characters to VOLUS unlock now! VOLUS! Ok, enough with the volus (VOLUS!) I promise. It is pretty epic though. I didn't get to play Mass Effect 3 at all yesterday but I'll try to get a couple games in on the weekend if I finish my review for Code of Princess.

Oh yeah I should do some sort of impressions on that shouldn't I?

Holy cosplay, Batman!

So I thought I'd give you all a bonus post. Vampy, a very well renowned and geeky cosplayer has made the ultimate Nightwing Rule 63 Cosplay.

Back in the (Rapidash) saddle again!

And the wait is finally over! I could make all kinds of pokemon master jokes at this point but they've all been done. I will suffice to say though this game is going to utterly dominate my life for the next 6 months easily.

So what's new? Well so far there are at least 4 new cities, two of which contain new gyms. There are also in game achievements called medals which are kinda neat, and there is a new pokedex function that will let you see what all is in certain routes.

Pokestar Studios is actually pretty hilarious and far less tedious than Pokemon Musical, pageants, etc.

Other than that the most noticeable difference is simply that the national 'dex is available from the start.

Oh, and my team? So far it's Pignite, Purrloin, Genesect, and Keldeo. Am I cheating? I'd prefer to think of it as doing it right :)

How to turn your $250 gaming device into an iPod!

Sometimes I laugh really hard when I think to myself just how much of a geek I am. I have Spotify Premium so I can stream music to my phone, but when I couldn't find "Invaders must die" from The Prodigy on it I pulled out my Vita, went to speed lap, and listened to the song as I merrily worked at my desk.

Guys I think I have a problem!

What I'm playing this week! Sept 30 - Oct 6

Well I thought I'd cover what I've been playing this week. With velociraptor Trent on the scene I rarely get prolonged game time but I do manage to carve out some decent time on the weekends. Let's have a look!



I've been playing TONS of Pokemon Black Version lately. I've long since beat White and Black but as I had completed the national Pokedex from Gen IV, I have begun to work on completing Gen V's as well. So far I've been tackling the easier stuff, leveling up certain Pokemon to evolve them and whatnot. With Black/White 2 days away (WHOOOO!) I just figured I might as well do as much as I can before then!



I also started to replay inFAMOUS 2. This is really a fantastic game and if you haven't played it and you have a PS3 you really ought to. Think bike messenger turned super hero (or villian) beats the shit out of angry militia people and monsters. Interested now? I decided I could (and should) Platinum this very awesome game. As of now I think I only need a handful more trophies, the hardest of which is to beat the game on hard. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to but I'll keep y'all posted!



I've also started playing Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention for PS Vita. There are soooooo few RPGs on the Vita right now which is really a shame since the PSP had so many great ones to choose from. Even so I didn't buy this one beause... well let's face it, Disgaea games are many things but one of those this is repetitive. So I borrowed the game from Gusto and well... sure enough, I'm a few missions in and the mechanics are exactly the same as Disgaea 1 and 2. There are still a bunch of stuff I can't access yet so I'm hoping this one mixes it up. I'll be reviewing it so when the verdict's out I'll link my blog to the 8bitfix review.



I haaaaad~ been playing Borderlands for PS3 but to be completely honest I'm gonna stop. There's just 0 interest in this game for me. I hate to say things like it is nowhere near as good as Fallout, but Borderlands' settings and quest system don't help it stand apart in the least. Sure BL has multiplayer and that was fun, but everytime I play it I wish it was Fallout 3 and everytime I am disappointed. I realize this is my problem and not 2K's but I feel like I've already "been there, done that" and frankly it was better the first time.

And there ya have it, my week in games pretty much. There have been others but I haven't played them long enough or had any major observations to really write in any length about them. Such games are, but not limited to, Treasure Park, Sound Shapes, Treasures of Montezuma Blitz, and Mortal Kombat for the Vita. If you guys want to tell me what you've been playing or even yell at me for my personal attack on YOUR FAVORITE GAME then feel free to leave me a comment! I promise to read them and cry on the inside and possibly indulge in some ice cream/cookie dough. Maybe even cookie dough ice cream if they are damaging enough to my self esteem (you have something to shoot for!).

Anyways that's it for this week in gaming! laters dudes and dudettes!