Game of the Year 2012

Well 2012 has just ended and what a blast it has been! so many games that just ate my hip pocket and a girlfriend that kept me from playing as many games as I usually do. haha.
I have played most of the major games of this year and still got a number of them I still need to play (ala Dishonoured, Call of Duty 9 and Hitman 5) but I should have a clear winner here :)

lets start:


10. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS3, 360, PC)
Developer: Criterion Games | Publisher: Electronic Arts

After the lackluster Need for Speed: The Run, I was really really looking forward to Criterion's next Need for Speed outing. Thanks to their 2010's amazing Hot Pursuit entry (i still played it at the start of the year), it looked like Need for Speed was back on track and I was sooo not wrong! Adding upgrading elements into the mix was something that Hot Pursuit fans really wanted and thats what they got and really added some strategy into the mix for some fast-paced action!

Autolog was very well implemented...maybe a little too well that everything you did; such as speed through traffic cameras to how long you were being chased by the cops for were all recorded and placed online for you and your friends to see. Sometimes I found it intrusive but was actually quite fun to beat my mates at especially the racing times! For some reason I could not connect with my friends to race though so lost some points there.

Hopefully this year's entry will be just as good or EA can just give Need for Speed a rest and work on their Burnout franchises since Most Wanted is close to perfection!




9. Nintendo Land (Nintendo Wii U)
Developer: Nintendo | Publisher: Nintendo

Yes I know this is just a launch title for the Wii U and is bundled with the Premium Set of the console but it really was a very good game to be played with friends and to show off what the Wii U GamePad can be used for!

It is also the only Wii U game I play especially when theres a drought and when my friends and relatives are over. Extrememly fun and competitve and just wishes there was DLC for the game to add more attractions (mini-games) and extras! And extra points for Nintendo to allowing the good'ol Wii Remotes (MotionPlus-enabled prefered) and Nunchukas to be used on the successor. This not only saved me money but also allowed for five player gaming goodness (four wiimotes and one gamepad)!

Being a dedicated Nintendo fan also helped me enjoy and immerse more into the attractions that includes The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero etc. and really gives you a hint of what these franchises have in-store in the future!




8. Resident Evil: Revelations (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Capcom | Publisher: Nintendo

Given that I am a Resident Evil fan and dying for deep console-like game to play on my 3DS, this was a welcoming and doesn't disappoint! Sadly it needed the Circle Pad Pro accessory to fully enjoy and that cost me an extra $22 >=[ Also with currently only seven compatible games for it, seems a little steep when Nintendo should've added it into the console itself.

Anyway this game I wholeheartedly enjoyed and actually drained my battery a few times when other 3DS games have never done that. Including full voice-acting with an option for Japanese voicing was a plus when I have never heard the Japanese voice counterparts for Chris and Jill! Heading back into spooky dark territories from pre-Resident Evil 5 is a welcome coupled with enchanced gameplay (I can shoot and walk at the same time now!) and a story that explains what happened inbetween 4 and 5 gives this a must play for all Resident Evil fans!

Also did I say the graphics and sound are the best on the portable console? Looks better than the 3D games of the PSP I must say!




7. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
Developer: Namco | Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Tekken! You guys definintely have your hits and misses. I always found the odd-numbered Tekkens are awesome while even-numbers are lacking. Tekken 6 while was a solid effort, just lacked polish and coupled with long load times was just annoying to play. And forcing you to play the awful story mode was just torture!

Tag has always been a favourite of mine since getting the first one on the PlayStation 2. While not a main-entry title, its more of a fanfare entry for all Tekken fans alike. Giving you up-to-4-player gaming fun, 59 characters and a young black-hair Heihachi, this is the biggest fighting game yet and everyone should play as its very easy to pick up and play!!!


6. Tales of Graces f (Sony PlayStation 3)
Developer: Namco | Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Waiting three years for a game to come to English territories is a long time but I guess it wasn't as long as Tales of the Abyss as that took five years to come to PAL countries! This is an enchanced HD port of the same title created for the Wii back in 2009. That never came out outside of Japan so we got the better version now!

The game starts off like any JRPG, I'm a little snooty-kid that thinks he can take on the entire world until reality sinks in and have to take life seriously. This game's story is one of the strong points of the game. It deals with growing up, being accepted and responsible for your actions. It really related to me as I was one of those annoying kids that would fight against my parents but now that I am a lot older, wiser and mature, I can see from an older person perspectives that Asbel (the protagonist) was parallel to my own growing ups and I'm sure to other gamers too!

Mix in an awesome soundtrack by series composer Motoi Sakuraba, slick cel-shaded graphics and damn good voice-acting, this is one JRPG everyone has to play!




5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
Developer: Square-Enix/tri-Ace | Publisher: Square-Enix

Everyone is saying that Square has lost the plot with Final Fantasy and that the series is doomed. While XIII-2 isn't as super awesome as back in their glory days, its still a very solid JRPG. Critics complain about JRPGs being linear but thats how JRPGs should be. JRPGs always places story first, helping you get immersed into the parties plight and how to overcome them to save the ones they love or the world.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 keeps that in-depth story-telling but mixes up the predecessors gameplay formula a lot with its crazy timelines and monster catching elements.You only have newcomer Noel and Lightning's sister Serah in the party and the third member is a monster that will help you take down Caicus from throwing the world's timeline into disarray!

Final Fantasy X and XIII's composter Masashi Hamauzu is back with his best and the graphics seems to have gotten a kick into overdrive. This game has so many things to do that I think i put in over 70 hours just to complete it satisfactory.



4. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Intelligent Systems | Publisher: Nintendo

What guys? another portable game makes it to the list? Why yes it does!

I have always been a fan of the Paper Mario series starting with The Thousand-Year Door on the Cube to backtracking to the original on Virtual Console. The artistic style of this game shows you that Nintendo is always innovating and knows how to draw in a crowd. I even showed this game to my girlfriend and she enjoyed playing it too (though she sucks at this game)

Thanks to the 3D imaging of the 3DS, the game looks like a pop-up book and is utterly amazing! Usually I will turn off 3D for most games but I found myself turning it on just to see Mario hammer a Goomba to the background and then having it bounce straight back into my face! Its quite a sight!

Just with any Mario RPG game, the humour is damn funny especially stuff that involves Bowser, Peach and Luigi and the music is very catchy with tunes that will have you humming the day 
away!




3. The Last Story (Nintendo Wii)
Developer: MistWalker | Publisher: Nintendo

This really is the last story for the Wii and totally lives up to its name as it was the last game I played on the Wii and what a game it was. The Last Story is the first game directed by Final Fantasy's creator Hironobu Sakaguchi since 1992's Final Fantasy V and shows he still has the stuff in town!

Graphic-wise it doesn't look as good as other RPGs on the more powerful consoles but it makes it up with a grand story, one of the most exciting battle systems ever, best English voice acting since Dragon Quest VIII and a score to die for by Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uemetsu.

Back to the battle system: most JRPGs have me dreading combat but this one was actually very engaging and so strategic that it had me coming back for more! You have to play it to believe me or see all the other reviewers that praised it for catching up tired-old turn-based battle systems and brings in something new and fresh but also fun!

I really wish MistWalker will make a sequel and not let The Last Story really be the last! 




2. Sleeping Dogs (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Developer: United Front Games | Publisher: Square-Enix

Another new IP and this one is from Square! Being a lover of all things Hong Kong action movies and Grand Theft Auto, a blend of the both was a real blessing to me! And I loved it enough to Platinum it and put it in my number two slot!

I have never been to Hong Kong but I really felt I was right in the thick of a Triad war in the middle of Hong Kong. Painstakingly recreated, Hong Kong is live and vivid and authentic with people shouting obscenities in Cantonese, illegal underground cockfighting down to how Westerners are treated in Hong Kong.

With so many things to do (karaoke anybody?) and a Hollywood voice cast (includes Lucy Liu, Tom Wilkinson, Kelly Chen, James Hong, Edison Chen and more!), United Front Games and Square has a winner on its hands and I hope for more in the future!



1. Assassin's Creed III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Publisher: Ubisoft

While the "present day" story never interested me in previous Assassin's Creed outings, this one actually made me sit up and pay attention. With the upcoming Mayan apocalyspe getting nearer with each entry and it being 2012 when I played it, it howed what would happen if Desmond didn't stop it by reliving his ancestor's life. 

You control Connor, a half white half red neck dude that goes a long assassinating political (Templars) people to bring order to the world. While this game was DAMN DAMN glitchy in every way possible (I heard most of the glitches are fixed now via patch) I still came back for more and more. I have never played so many minigames since The Wind Waker that I just had to play over and over again just to get 100% Sync.

The story starts out slow but once the action starts, BAM! Everything is out the window and you just feel you are in the American Revolution. My American history isn't very strong (I'm from Australia) and most of my history comes from movies but this take on the Civil War and how red necks are treated helped me learn and understand more. 

This game kept me coming back for more and I really didn't want to stop playing but had to to play other games. Its as big as the latest GTA game and oh those Naval Battles mini-games can have their own standalone game, I don't care! I want a giant wooden ship taking down pirates and finding treature to loot!

This is my Game of the Year guys!

Fission Mailed

Alright guys! 

I now have two platinum trophies and currently working on my third! those two are:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

they were quite easy to get but working on MGS2 is actually quite hard. If i put in suffcient time I should have it done by month's end.

also i finished Phoenix Wright again. damn its an awesome game! i really thought i could fly through it since i played it before but nup, took me almost a month to finish it (playing it only before sleeping) and the story is soooo EPIC :D

currently I am playing:

PS3: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
360: Halo Reach

Wii: Super Mario Galaxy 2

3DS: Rhythm Thief, Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater

of course most of my time is dedicated to MGS2 atm, i want that platinum trophy!

i will try to update this as much as I can however I am playing games less now

cya guys!

Back to the Blog

Well guys I think its time I did something here, been a while!

In the year or two I haven't blogged, I have finished many games and watched my movies but I don't think I can be stuffed typing about that now. So let's begin with the most recent entry:

Back to the Future: The Game

This game was quite highly anticipated by me since it was announced and as usual, I loved the movies! With Christopher Lloyd reprising the Doc, the original creator producing and Marty's voice actor sounding uncanningly the same; this was gonna be a BANG for the end of 2010!!
Sent from my BlackBerry® from Optus

Braving Vesperia

Well it has been a while since I've posted... sigh. Right now I am playing Tales of Vesperia on Xbox 360. Yes I know its coming to PS3 as a Director's Cut version but I just can't wait another year for it to come here like freaking Eternal Sonata. So what do I have to say about this game... it is DAMN GOOD! After finishing Final Fantasy XII, I took a break from playing a console RPG and eagering awaiting this game. While I haven't finided a Tales game before (sad I know), I was pumped for this seeing as its by Namco and anime-style!

I must admit that when I first turned it on, I was bummed that there was no Japanese dubbed option. But after playing it for a bit, I actually didn't mind the voices, it is a lot better than Tales of Symphonia I can tell you that! Now I'm hooked on the game with 40 hours in and playing it every chance I can :p

While I am pissed that the PS3 version was announced being the better edition like Eternal Sonata with all its super awesome editions, I will still buy it but when its cheaper but I know I won't play it. I don't usually go back and play an RPG that I have already completed (except Pokemon) cause mainly I just have waaaaaaaaay too many games to play, sigh.

After Tales of Vesperia, I am thinking of playing either one of these RPGs:
Tales of the Abyss
Tales of Symphonia
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Grandia III
Rogue Galaxy

Yes I know three of them are PS2 games but its hard to deny that the PlayStation 2 was the king of Japanese RPGs, yes sorry SNES fans. There were just so many and many of them were also localised to English officially! Thats a huge bonus :) The Nintendo DS and GBA are fair good when it comes to portable RPGs, I just can't stand the PSP's load times even though there are CG/Anime cutscenes but if I wanted to see them, I'll just play their PSone/PS2 counterparts :p

Well if I have time, I'll post up a review for Tales of Vesperia when I'm done with it. For now, toodles!

Almost There

Sigh, I really did drop the ball, only nine video games finished. Although I do have another four more days cause University doesn't start for me until Friday anyway, hehe. Working really hard as well, selling phones all day long and only thinking about phones and video games... not the best combination.

Just finished Gears of War and damn its so manly and i like it! All the jap action games make it kinda girly. Not so to US-made Epic Games' game where its all macho and no women at all (besides Anya that you never see)! Unless the Locust I killed in that level was a real female then I take it back. Well I'm like two-thirds through Dragon Quest IV so I should be able to finish it before Friday. Also I want to get Killzone 2 so that would be a good one to finish as well. Good luck to me!

Top 10 games of 2008

So 2008 is done and its been over a month for me to try out some games and all. So what did I find? 2008 has been one blast of a year for video games with major long-awaited titles being released such as Fallout 3, Fable II, Grand Theft Auto IV, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It really makes me wonder how 2009 will top this but we shall see!

So here are my top 10 of 2008. Yes I am missing quite a few games that should make it but I didn't have enough time to get around to playing them as now I work so my summer holidays was pretty much cut short.

10. Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit (Dimps/Atari | PS2, 360)

Ah Dragon Ball, you guys never fail at releasing minimum one game a year and as most of the other fighters, its a good one! However this game goes back to the good'ol Budokai days and throwing out the Tenkaichi fighting mechanics for the more traditional ways for its exclusive next-gen debut! Character roster is lacking but the ones that were included are animated so nicely and precise its like watching the anime in HD! The voice-actors from both the English and Japanese camps return to voice their characters and sounds surprisingly good no matter which language option you pick! The DBZ game for everyone! Much better than the PS2's crap DBZ swansong Infinite Worlds.

9. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Neversoft/Activision | Wii, PS2, PS3, 360)

So how do you get back at your former employees for joining a rival company? Show them that you don't need them and that you can do it better! So thats prety much the skinny on what happened when Harmonix jumped ship to EA to create Rock Band that adds drum and voice-play into the foray! Activision decided to copy and included those things as well but wasn't as successful huh. But I still enjoyed the guitar aspect of the game as it should be... its not called Guitar Hero for no reason -.-

8. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (Capcom/Nintendo | NDS)

A new chapter in the Ace Attorney series and it was a good one! While not as challenging as the previous three, it was still as fun to play and also to tie up some loose ends the original trilogy left behind. Not much I can say that won't ruin the story... this game was built from the ground up to ultilise the DS' features unlike the previous three (excluding the last episode of the first game) so now you know you paying top price for new game and not lazy ports so everyone please give it a go :)

7. Soulcalibur IV (Namco | PS3, 360)

While some of the costumes in this game scared me, this is a very good fighting game that totally kicks Soulcalibur III's arse. This time round the character customisations are done a lot better, no lag and online play! Theres also a way to penalise guard-happy players which is a nice touch from the first Soul Blade game. While the inclusions of some new characters scraches my head, its still a very decent game with heaps of replayability! I really wished that Hwang was back in this game -.-

6. Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- (Square-Enix/Ubisoft | PSP)

Pretty much PSP's only blockbuster game of 2008 and what a game it is. Finally we get to see who Zack Fair is after 11 years of waiting. This game was announced when the PSP was announced so it has been a long time coming. Theres problems with the battle system but everything else is pretty much flawless from the graphics to the beautiful music. Even though we know Zack dies, it was still a treat to follow Zack around Gaia seeing him mentor Cloud Strife meeting familiar faces (Yuffie and even Vincent!) and new ones (Cissnei!!!!) until his timely death. I will miss him and it was the only video game that made tears come to my eyes, even Aeris didn't do that for me.

5. Disaster: Day of Crisis (Monolithsoft/Nintendo | Wii)

The game that America never got is one hell of a game. Blue Ridge City is being contiously bombarded with natural disasters and terrorist and its up to one man to save the day: Ray. The former Internatinoal Rescue Team member must save the city from total destruction and at the same time save his best friend's sister from the terrorist. Sounds like a movie plot eh? Well it sure plays like a movie and I wouldn't have it any other way! From the cheesy dialogue to the different types of gameplay this game has, it is always kept fresh and never takes itself seriously. Also this is like the first Nintendo-made game wheres theres swearing... now thats a treat to all fans around the world (sorry America, blame Reggie)

4. Yakuza 2 (Amusement Vision/SEGA | PS2)

This is probably the most anticipated PS2 game of my life! i first got this game in Japanese at the end of 2007 but it had no subs and being such a story-driven game... it didn't work for me... So after two years of waiting, I finally got a copy in English!!! Man this is like the best original last game for the PlayStation 2, can't think of any others! Being a two-year-old game, it still makes my list! Everything was pretty much improved over the original from the graphics, music and even to the gameplay! The camera in the original really was annoying but they fixed it in this one and the leveling up system is made easier and more diverse! Oh and the cut-scenes are superbly shot just like the movies, very nice. If you are stuck in last-gen and love Japanese culture, give this a go guys,

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Sora/Nintendo | Wii)

Heres the next part in the every-nintendo-fans'-wetdream series. Having to endure many years of delay, Brawl has finally appeared on the Wii. With brand new characters, stages, customisations, online play, stage sharing and many more things, this game is a dream. Also included are Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog to fight against their Nintendo rivals. While everything seems cool, there are some flaws like some characters being WAY overpowered, some even became much weaker and the fact the game only plays well with a GameCube controller that are so hard to find outside of Japan and Nintendo Australia doesn't seem to want to fix it... idiots. All and all, brilliant game that I can see myself playing till the end of the Wii's lifespan.

2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo | Wii)

So why is this game on top of Super Smash Bros. Brawl? Quite simply cause this was way more fun for me. No other console game had me eating dinner with one hand and playing with the other thanks to the Wii Wheel :p This game also included the best online play I've ever played. There was virtually no lag and you could play co-op as well! Compared to other home online games with fast paced action, Mario Kart Wii takes the top, it was THAT good. So good that I bought four copies of it :)

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Kojima Productions/Konami| PS3)

Now while I had a way more fun experience with some of the other games in this list, this game here is technically flawless in everyway possible. The gameplay doesn't fight with you, the controller becomes like a part of ya hands as you move around in the beautiful environment and pulsing at every enemy so they don't spot you. What is flawed is the long as cut-scenes, while I still enjoyed but I can see why the majority of people disliked. Coming packaged with this final game is Metal Gear Online to allow players to verse eachother to see who is a better Foxhound so thats a pretty good deal there too. So after six canonical games, what does happen to Solid Snake? We all know he grows older but what is to become of him? Well the only way to find out is to catch this on a PS3 cause Konami and Kojima Productions has no plans at all to bring this elsewhere!


Now thats a lot of writing I did and I know some people won't agree with it or not at all. So I'll list some of the games that didn't make it but was still enjoyable for me:

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Prince of Persia
Mirror's Edge
Call of Duty: World at War
Red Alert 3
No More Heroes
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Lock's Quest
littleBIGplanet
Grand Theft Auto IV
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Having such a blast of a year, makes me wonder how 2009 will fair. It has however brought out the RPG classic Chrono Trigger and probably the most anticipated follow-up fighting game of all time Street Fighter IV is just around the corner so it shouldn't be too bad. I am looking forward to these following games:

Dragon Quest IX
Street Fighter IV
Tekken 6
Killzone 2
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
House of the Dead OVERKILL
Madworld
Tales of Vesperia
Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
DJ Max Fever
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Resident Evil 5
Resistance: Retribution
The Conduit
Bayonetta
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Have a good one guys and keep gaming :)

Too Many

Wow dudes, I've been getting way too many new games than I can handle and some aren't even opened yet! Still freshly sealed. People have been questioning me why I buy so many than I can play... well I can play them and will finish the interesting ones but they're all so cheap for new release games. I'm getting them at an average of $40 each when each of these console games RRP $100+.

So right now I have these games that are still sealed and waiting for me to play them:
Animal Crossing: Let's go to the City (Wii)
Call of Duty: World at War (PS3)
Enchanted Arms (PS3)
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
Mirror's Edge (PS3)
Prince of Persia (PS3)
Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)

Currently working on Resistance: Fall of Man, thats a hard game and I really want to get that game out of the way first then I'll probably move onto GTAIV, well letsee how I go eh.