We’re going to mix things up a little this month. I’ve decided that the Game Over section should get first billing, and then have a rundown of what I’m currently playing. I think that putting the focus on my “accomplishments” for the month is a little more interesting. And when I say more interesting, I mean that for myself when I look back on these, not for you reading it right now.
Originally the idea of this feature was to keep track of what I was playing and encourage me to leave fewer games sitting half-done. That hasn’t been the case at all, as you’ll see if you look back at how many Now Playing entries just vanished and never showed up in Game Over. I still just start games on a whim and let them wither and die when something new comes along.
~ Game Over ~
Shadow of the Colossus HD (PS3) – If you’d told me that I could like SotC even more than I already did, I’d have said it wasn’t possible. But then I played it in 3D and here we are. Possibly the best (only?) reason to own a 3D-enabled TV.
BOXBOY! (3DS) – A brilliant little puzzle-platformer by HAL Laboratory. Not surprising, since everything they do is wonderful. The gameplay is incredibly thoughtful and satisfying, and you can dress up the main character, Qbby, as a rapper or a bunny or even a girl. Hooray!
Life is Strange: Episode 2 – Out of Time (PC) – I really liked Episode 1, and Ep.2 might have been even better. I don’t much care for hot button social commentary in my video games, but I think the “Internet Bullying/Slut-Shaming is Bad” theme was handled fairly well. I find myself caring about what happens to these characters, so… Good work, Dontnod. Keep it up.
~ Now Playing ~
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS) – Duh. Of course.
Super Smash Bros 4 (WiiU/3DS) – Duh again. Notable is that this month I learned that Peach is an absolute beast. I’ll have to practice with her more. Also, Mewtwo finally arrived.
Pokémon Shuffle (3DS) – Oi. It’s just all the same stuff here every month, isn’t it?
Pokémon Rumble World (3DS) – Another freemium Pokémon game. This one is more action-oriented as opposed to the puzzliness of Shuffle, though. The play limits are also a lot more slack, and it increases your available play time as you progress, so that’s nice.
Wii Fit U (WiiU) – I’ll count it because I’ve been using it somewhat regularly these days. Trying to get myself less out-of-shape. To decrease the self-loathing, you see.
Ultimate NES Remix (3DS) – Obtained for the sweet, sweet price of FREE via Club Nintendo. It’s not like Oh My Glob amazing, but I’m happy to have it. And this one has Kirby, so yay!
3D Classics: Xevious (3DS) – Another free game from Club Nintendo. As it turns out, I am horrible at Xevious. But at least it looks really nice in 3D.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (3DS) – Whoops. No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Whatever, it’s an excellent game and was worth spending my Best Buy Dollars on. Not real dollars. That would have just been stupid.
Hack ‘n’ Slash (PC) – When I saw it was a Double Fine game, I knew it would be really interesting, well-written, and packed full of ideas (good and bad), but would probably be a chore to actually play. …Not too far off the mark, I’d say.
Mario Kart 8 (WiiU) – With the new DLC pack came some renewed interest in Mario Karting. Man, I wish I could buy the soundtrack just so I could listen to Big Blue over and over forever.
Super Mario 64 (N64) – Technically I’ve purchased this game four times now. I’m perfectly comfortable with that, because the fourth time only ran me $2, and being able to play with the Wii U Pro Controller is so nice. 101 stars.
Jazzpunk (PC) – I still don’t know what the heck this is, but I’m really enjoying it.