Kid Icarus: Uprising

This game was actually one of the titles I was looking forward to the most ever since I bought the 3DS. Now that I finally got it, I played for a while and so far it’s really fun. It’s actually really entertaining to listen to the characters talk while you play but I think it’s actually sad that you can’t focus 100% on these dialogues since you have to keep your eyes on the upper screen while the rest is happening on the touch screen. If you don’t actually mind that, it’s alright but I would still have preferred playing the game and getting a real cutscene after beating a level. Then there are tons of unlockables, so the replay value to get everything is high. I don’t know how many levels or chapters there are but most of them are quite short so at least it’s worth playing through them a few times. You will have to fight a boss after each level but most of these aren’t too hard. You can also increase the difficulty or play under certain conditions at the beginning of each level. Something that really pleases me, not that it’s really important but I like the design of the game and the way everything looks. Everything is adorable, Pit’s expressions are lovely and it gives the game more personality. I still need to test the other features of the game since there is still more to discover but I have to say that I’m not disappointed of my purchase so far.

Journey

So Journey is the first new game I actually beat. Normal since it only lasted for two hours. But what two hours. It’s an unique experience you can share with another player who can join you anytime. Your ‘journey’ is really magical and leads you through different landscapes which look stunning. You don’t do much in the game except for wandering around and sometimes discover new places and collectibles but the game focuses more on the ‘journey’ itself and to experiment this with another player. The only thing that might keep people from buying it is the price since it’s still expensive for a two hour game. But still totally worth it. I’m actually replaying it to get the missing trophies.

PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond

I can’t resist a Pokémon game when I see one. Wonders Beyond is no exception there. I already played the first one and even if it was far from perfect, it remained fun. Most of the changes in this one are really an upgrade to the first game except for one thing I will explain later. The good things are that you can now play as Pikachu and the three starters of the black and white games. Which made me quite happy since I totally love Oshawott!! You can upgrade some of their abilities/attacks now separately which wasn’t the case in the first one. You still have to fight or chase Pokémon to befriend them but they also added a few other mini games. You can also use the different abilities of your 4 Pokémon to discover new areas or other items in the game which means that you can always go back in earlier sections of the game and discover something new. The not so good thing remains the controls. I would have preferred playing with the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. Playing with the Wii Remote alone is imprecise and sometimes even frustrating. The worst part is that now you can dash and attack by pressing the 1 button while in the previous game, you were attacking with A and dashing with 1 (if I remember right). This was made aiming much easier in the first game. If you dash with your Pokémon to go faster, it’s extremely annoying to run in a straight line so if you have to walk on a small plank for example, be ready to fall down more than once. These are small things and you will get used to it after playing for a while but it’s still sad that they changed it that way. All in all, if you are a Pokémon fan and need a little break from more brutal games, and you don’t mind the minor control problems, this is definitely worth a look.

Silent Hill Downpour

I was lucky to get the game earlier and actually got the US version which was compatible with my European Xbox. Since I’m constantly switching between games, I have a hard time to get really far in this one. But I actually also want to take my time since Silent Hill games still freak me out sometimes and I can’t play them for hours.  But as far as I’ve played, I really don’t get the whole negative points. Of course this isn’t like the old Silent Hill games, but it’s still a decent game. What I really like is the fact that you have tons of spaces to explore. You have to proceed strategically to not miss any important items and I really like that. From time to time, one or two enemies surprise you and they aren’t that scary and it’s pretty easy to run away from them. Believe me, you don’t always want to fight with that fighting system which could have really been reworked. Grabbing weapons is also something which needs patience because if you don’t keep attention, you lose your good weapon and you will have to fight with a stick or even worse a brick. The atmosphere still does it right and I already saw a few creepy moments which I was actually hoping to find in a game like this. I’m really excited to move on in the story and to know more about the main character. But as said before, I’m not that far in the game and so I can’t tell much more right now.

Hope you enjoyed these little thoughts on these four games. I guess I’m going to finish PokéPark 2 first since I’m nearly done with this game.

First, The Last Story, a Wii game pretty much everyone has been talking about lately. This of course for a good reason. Not sure why, but I wasn’t really interested in getting a new game for the Wii since I have been using my Xbox more lately and totally forgetting about this one. But once I saw that the price of the game dropped in a certain store, I had to buy it. Unfortunately, I haven’t started it yet, but once I can take a little break from Xbox games, I will for sure play this one.

The last purchase of last week was this Sheldon Bobble head. I started watching The Big Bang Theory a while ago and like many other people, I just love Sheldon. So I was surprised to be asked in my local comic book store if I wanted one. I immediately said yes. There are two versions of the Sheldon Bobble head: one with the Flash t-shirt and another with the Green Lantern one. Would have preferred the second one but still. It’s nice to have him!

Here a little collage of the many sides of bobble head Sheldon.

Ok, now that I’m done with this purchase article, I can already start the next one.

The first one is going to be I Am Alive, a game I have been looking forward to ever since it has been announced a few years ago. I was so excited to read more about this project but then again disappointed to hear that it wasn’t looking bright for the future of the game. Thankfully, they still decided to release it as an arcade title even if it also seems a lot more different from the original idea.

Finally, a new 3DS game I have been waiting to get for a long time, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D which is going to be released on the 8th March in Europe, same day as Mass Effect 3, which will obviously make my poor wallet bleed. I have to admit that I’m a bit new to the Metal Gear franchise, even if I’ve heard a few story elements from people and this is the best chance for me to play a Metal Gear game. I will also get the HD Collection for the PS3 later but I’m still going to wait for that one a bit longer after the new game releases have calmed down a bit.

The last and probably the biggest release is going to be Mass Effect 3. There is really not much to say about this game, just that it is going to be amazing, so I am simply leaving the official launch trailer here, in case some of you haven’t seen it yet.

I’m starting with the biggest and most obvious arrival, the PS Vita. I bought the pre-order pack a few months ago so I had to purchase it the day it came out. It was a very expensive purchase but still really worth my money. I’m enjoying the Vita so far even if in my opinion, more new games would have been better. I downloaded a few demos, got the game Frobisher Says! for free and bought Escape Plan but that’s about it. And of course the two games mentioned below. I will for sure make another article where I’m going to talk more about the Vita in the near future.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss was a must have for me so it was the first game I purchased for the Vita. I only found Touch my Katamari later last week and I have no idea why, but it was really hard for me to get my hands on it. It was sold out everywhere or stores did not even get it. Thankfully I still found it during my trip to France last Saturday. I preferred owning the boxed version because buying it on the store would also mean wasting so much space on the memory card again which I’m trying to avoid because believe me, these things are expensive. And I’m also waiting for Gravity Rush which will only be available on the store.

I’m still continuing with new games, this time with Asura’s Wrath and The Darnkess II. I’m playing Asura’s Wrath at the moment and I’m nearly done with it. Honestly, I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s not a game you play everyday and since it’s so story focused, I’m not sure if everyone will enjoy it. But while playing, I took a few notes and if this time I can pull myself together, I will for sure write a review about the game.  As for The Darkness II, I already finished the game a while ago but still wanted to share it here. I totally loved it. Jackie’s story was touching even if brutal and action packed and the fact that I play and really enjoy a shooter so much is also something new. I even started the game on new game+ which I still have to finish since Asura took its place now. But all in all, two games I am totally amazed and satisfied with and don’t regret buying.

Still staying in The Darkness universe, my best guy friend actually introduced me to the comics and I borrowed some of his comic books and since I’m the kind of person who still needs more, I decided to get this first volume in French but also Eva VS The Darkness since this one was also lying around in the store.  As said before, I’m totally new to The Darkness comics so I’m just starting here. But if they are as good as the games are, which should of course be the case, I’m pretty much sure that I discovered a new amazing series.

Finally, since I didn’t manage to see the movie in theaters, my mom surprised me with the Tintin Blu-Ray and DVD combination the other day. I was so happy, not just because I can finally see the movie, but it was also a nice steelbook and contains tons of bonus features for my viewing pleasure.

Really enjoyed doing this sort of article. Not sure if I can do it every week since I don’t always purchase so many new things but I will still try to write these as often as possible. Now to finishing Asura’s Wrath and write down my thoughts on the game. Expect more articles the next few days. And thanks for still staying here with me all that time to my fellow readers.

I’m starting with the games. Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 is the one I wanted for so long especially because of some of the new characters like Hawkeye, Frank West, Phoenix Wright, Vergil but also Nemesis. A friend asked if I could get the PS3 version so we would be able to play together even if I would have preferred having it on the 360 as the previous one. Then there is Sonic Generations which I started playing and really enjoyed. The game looks gorgeous and I like the idea of playing with the old and new blue hedgehogs. Finally, Rayman Origins which intrigued me a lot. It looks very special and after playing the demo I was still convinced even if some parts kind of frustrated me. I decided to give the game a try and the result is that I can’t stop playing it. I’m having way too much fun.

DVDs are something that I really like getting as well. Here I got Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the Stargate Universe box set. The Transformers blu-ray is packed in a really nice steelbook and fits perfectly with the rest of the collection. I just have a little rant to make about the discs themselves. I bought quite a few DVDs lately and all of them are simple grey DVDs with no sticker or something on them. It just looks plain and boring. If I already buy these, the least I want is that the whole packaging looks nice and not only the outside but also inside of the box. It’s a small thing, but I still think it’s annoying.
As for Stargate Universe, I never watched the show and even if I always hear bad things about it, I’m still ready to give it a try since I do like Stargate.

One of the presents I like the most is my new Sony camera. I have to admit that I never really had a new camera on my own since most the time I got the one that belonged to my dad because he bought a new one for himself  And since the batteries of the old ones were never lasting very long, it was about time that I got a shiny new one.

I was even more surprised to see that it was red, one of my favorite colors. It really looks beautiful and takes amazing pictures with its 14.1 megapixels. I won’t go into details because I have to admit that I’m really not a huge camera adept. But just so you know, I’ve taken most of these pictures with the new one except of course the picture above.

Finally, the best one I got from my grandpa is this iPad 2. I was already interested in buying one a few months ago and wanted to make sure I would really use it regularly. And look at that, I actually do. It’s a black 16GB one with wi-fi. Even if I would have preferred having 32GB, I think it’s still terribly expensive and I’m really glad with this one. By the wallpaper I used you can already guess how I called it: yes, exactly, GLaDOS.  I hope it won’t be too mean.

I’m actually using it for apps, especially games and apps like twitter or facebook but also to read comics thanks to the Marvel, DC Comics and Comics + apps. The games I recently got are Metal Gear Solid Touch, Infinity Blade I and not really a game but still related to one, Uncharted Drake’s Journal. I still have plenty of the amazing kairosoft games to play that I bought for my iPhone and some other ones so I won’t get bored.
It’s extremely comfortable to sit around the house and check things on the internet especially if you want to quickly look up something and don’t want to turn on your PC or laptop only for one thing. Also got this red/grey cover which is really helpful because I can bend it and do my research on the iPad without having to hold it myself. Perfect for lazy people like me. 

Also wanted to thank my friends for the amazing presents I got from them which I won’t present here because they are a bit more personal.  
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas time and that you will start 2012 in the best possible way. That was probably my last article for the year so see you next year!

It’s that time of the year again and honestly, it’s my favorite one. I’m taking a short break from dinner to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!! Hopefully everything is going as you’ve planned it and you are having a wonderful time! Maybe Santa brought me a new game or something I can write an article about later.   But I still have to be patient until then.

I hesitated for a while since I did not want to waste any more money but I am pretty sure that I’m going to buy the Playstation Vita at launch so why not get the pre-order pack? Of course, the money I paid for this will be reduced on the portable console when I’m going to buy it on the 22nd of February.

The pack contains limited edition blue Playstation Earphones and a pre-order code that will allow you to download a PS Vita Avatar, gain early access to a game called Frobisher Says!, a 5€ discount on games like Little Deviants, Super Stardust Delta, Hustle Kinds and Escape Plan that will be available in the PS Store and also PS Vita items for Playstation Home. Not the most useful things but I guess that the earphones and the discount can always be useful. 

I also pre-ordered Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the system which is my must have game. I’m not quite sure what game I will purchase on the Playstation Store with the 5€  discount but Escape Plan looks the most interesting right now but I’ll probably see that at launch. Other games I’m really looking forward to are Gravity Rush, Little Big Planet, Touch My Katamari and Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3.

Way too many games I would say and I hope that February won’t end up being like last November with gaming releases because that will be another expensive month again. 

It’s the German band Rammstein who are known around the world and not only in Germany for their metal music also known under the name of Neue Deutsche Härte. I was introduced to the band years ago, when I was still young and my dad used to listen to their music in the living room. He even saw them live but now it is my turn! Since then I’ve been listening to their songs regularly and they really help a lot especially if I’m not in the greatest mood. I know most of their songs by heart and I can really say that they are one of my favorite bands.

Rammstein visited us already a few years ago here in Luxembourg but the tickets were sold out in a few hours because people were already standing there during the early morning. It was insane.   During that time I was still in high school and had to pass my exams. So it was still a big disappointment knowing that they would be here in our small country but I couldn’t go there. But when a few months earlier they announced that Rammstein would come back here well I would have done anything to get a ticket. So I woke up early and was waiting in front of my computer screen when the sales started, since this time around, they were selling them online. And I was able to get 2 tickets!! Here again, it didn’t take much time to be sold out again, but well, I don’t care since I have mine.

All of this to show how excited I am to finally see them on stage!! So on December 2nd, I will go to the Rammstein Made in Germany concert here in Luxembourg where they will perform the best of their songs. Until then, I will try to get my hands on a shirt of the band and their new single Mein Land which will be released this month. 

The box is already impressive enough. It’s big, colorful and has the faces of different characters on it. This will for sure look good on my bookshelf.

Of course, the first thing that you take out of the box is the big Batman statue. Batman’s face normally looks better than represented here. I guess I really need a new camera to make better pictures.  But most importantly is that the statue is quite big for a collector’s edition like this one and really well done. How often have we been fooled with bad quality or tiny action figures when buying editions like these?  Ugh.

Under the statue is a little placement where they put the Batman Gotham Knight DVD. Nice little touch. Haven’t watched the DVD yet but I guess it’s always a nice content to get even more into the Batman mood.

Artbooks are always something I really appreciate being in a collector’s edition. Here again, we have representations of most of the characters, even Robin but also concept art which are always nice to have a look at.
The only thing I did not really like about it is that they actually used the artbook as the game box too. You can find the game at the very end of the book and it doesn’t have it’s own box which is rather sad.

Finally, the last thing I discovered were the many codes for the add-ons of the game. The amazing Catwoman add-on, a Iceberg lounge challenge map and the Dark Knight Returns skin. The last one honestly doesn’t look good so I’m not sure if I will use it.
Haven’t tried the Gotham City Impostors beta yet but it looks like a fun game to play after beating Arkham City. Will definitely have a look at it!
The Batman Arkham City The Album is only available as a download. This doesn’t make much sense if you see that they already added a DVD so why not another CD? But at least it works and the album isn’t bad at all.

Finally, the whole thing united. All in all, this is how a collector’s edition has to be in my eyes. A well balanced mixture of downloadable content, artbook, statue and DVD and all of this presented in a really beautiful box. Since the game seems to be amazing as well, it’s definitely not a waste of money.

I’m still waiting for the guide to arrive since most of the time I have to add these to my collection as well. But until then, I will try to play and beat the game as fast as possible to make place for the avalanche of games coming this November…

Starting with two Nintendo DS/3DS games: StarFox 64 and Ghost Trick. I’ve already played Ghost Trick before but since I absolutely loved the game and I found a copy for 20€, I knew that I needed my own copy. As for StarFox 64, I have to admit that I’ve never played a StarFox game before, so I thought that the 3DS game would be a nice start. I already beat it once and I absolutely loved it. Might even write a short review later on.

Note that the inside of the StarFox case is pretty awesome

I have to say that I went a bit crazy on PSP games. To start with, I saw the special edition of Resistance: Retribution for the psp for 20€ and it was even a new copy. So I didn’t hesitate at all. Then, I read a lot about Gods Eater Burst and also picked this one up for 29€. I only played for an hour but I already loved the way you could customize your character and how deep everything was. Finally, I got a call from my local games store telling me that my Persona 2: Innocent Sin copy had arrived, freshly imported from the US! As a big fan of the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei franchise or Atlus games in general and since I’m not sure at all if the game will ever see the light here in Europe, I had to get the US version just to be sure.

Let’s have a closer look at the content. The Resistance: Retribution collector’s edition not only has a glossy package, but also contains a code to download some content and 4 postcards. Even the inside of the cover looks great. Sorry about the blurry photo though. 

As already seen for the Persona 1 PSP game, the second one also includes a mini soundtrack of the game. That is pretty much it but is always a nice goodie to get.

I wanted to add that I bought a few games for my iPhone which were on sale. I found Resident Evil 4, Back Stab and Mirror’s Edge and the first two were 0,79€ each if I remember right. I already wanted RE4 for a while so for that price… there is not much to lose even if the game is not as great as the console version. Loving the art style of Mirror’s Edge on the console versions, I was surprised to see that the game was available for the iPhone since I had only heard about it being released for the iPad. Finally, I read about Back Stab in a magazine and since it feels like a pirates and Assassin’s Creed game, this was for sure something that would catch my attention.
I plan on getting a few games on the Nintendo and PSN store too like for example Go!Go! Kokopolo and Plants VS Zombies for the 3DS and a PS1 game called Vagrant Story for the PSP. But I’m still waiting because I already have more than enough to play right now.
Guess I’ll have to make another article about new Xbox and PS3 games because these are stacking really quickly as well.