FOR THOSE OF YOU KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR GAMES COMPLETED PLEASE CONTINUE TO USE YOUR SAME POST AT THE START OF THE THREAD.

1. January 8. Condemned: Criminal Origins for the 360.  I quite enjoyed this game, I'd say it took about 8-9 hours to beat on the default difficulty.  Good character development and motivation.  Levels were all just about the right length and the final level was satisfyingly different.  Good achievement distribution as well. 8.0

2. January 18. Sword of Hope II  for the Gameboy. Well, there is another franchise completed.  If I was between the ages of 8 and 17 in 1990 this game would have been my life for probably 8 months, and I would have enjoyed every minute of it.  But I'm no longer a young buck, and this is the 21st century. This is from a time when there were CRPG (Computer RPG), and that is exactly what this was.  Wrapping dungeons (you can go left or right forever), combined with random battels every step don't make for much fun.  That's the only challenge in the game, as you can't die, and you can pretty much teleport back to a homebase whenever you want.  In the 90's I'd give it an 8, these days I'd give it a 4.

3. January 25. Frontlines: Fuel of War for 360. FPS military shooter.  Set in 2025 you are taksed to fight the Chinese-Russian Alliance (over oil).  Nothing to complain about at all in this one.  There was one level that captured the feeling of Halo, many more that re-called Call of Duty.  8 Chapters with about 4-5 missions for each chapter.  Generous checkpointing and stingy achievements (for the off-line campaign at least.  I'd give it an 8/10.  Lenght? You could probably beat it in 6 hours on default difficulty if you are a proficient FPS player. 8.0

4. February 12. Enslaved for PS3. Had I played this game last year it would have been my runner-up for GOTY 2010 (for games released in 2010).  Ninja Theory applied the lessons they learned from Heavenly Sword (then learned even more by playing Uncharted 2).  This is essentially Uncharted 2 with slightly worse graphics and much better characters and story (it should be, it's based on the most popular work of Chinese fiction ever written).  Knocked off a half point for a few technical glitches. 9.5

5. February 26. Serious Sam II for XB. With all the talk about Bulletstorm and Duke Nukem Forever I began to think about why it was that Duke Nukem was popular in the first place.  When it was released it was popular, for the most part, because it was incredibly good looking.  Serious Sam also had the same thing going for it when it was released.  So I played Serious Sam 2 for the XB.  Very eastern-european is one descirption for it.  Dull and repetitive is another. 6.5.

6. March 3. Gun for XB. I didn't realize Neversoft had a game like this in them.  Too bad they'll likely never make a sequel, not that this story needed or could support one.  The story moved along nicely, the horse handled well, the dhooting was satisfying.  Not at all what I was expecting. 8.5.

7. March 3. Dragon Quest 5 for DS. Best JRPG I've ever played.  Story held together, enjoyable exploration, nice difficulty arc. 10.

8. April 1. Disaster Report for PS2.  I started playing this before the disaster in Japan, I swear it wasn't my fault.  This is an interesting game, and I mean exactly that, they present a lot of interesting styles of play that you won't have experienced elsewhere.  But it is flawed, and looked poor when it was released (almost a decade ago).  Short game (6 hours) but has plenty of replay for the completist. 7.5

9. April 2. Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing for PS3.  Best Kart Racer ever. Deep mechanics, fun, great music, graphics, fan-service. Fun as all hell, great multiplayer and single player.  LOTS to unlock. 10

10. April 11. Resident Evil 5 for PS3. Pretty much like RE4. Little too many bosses, and Ch.5 was lacking, but hte rest was excellent. 9

11. April 29. Killzone 2 for PS3. After some thought, I'm giving this one a 7.5.  It would have been an 8.5 or 9, but the pre-final boss was as cheap as I've seen anything in my years of gaming.  Once I got to the final boss I killed him almost immediately, but there is a fire fight that took me at least 4 hours to beat.  Did not try multiplayer. 7.5

12. May 12. Dark Sector for PS3. I had zero expectations for this game, but in the end found it mostly enjoyable.  This is RE4 with mediocre level design and a gimmick, which is this glaive (3-spoked razor boomerang).  There are some slight puzzle elements, but mostly this is a fairly challenging over-the-shoulder shooter.  There is a cover mechanism, but you'll never have need to use it.  Better than average sci-fi story, nice controls and graphics. 8.

13. May 22. Yakuza 4 for PS3. My favorite Yakuza yet, which is saying something.  So far it's my GOTY. 10.

14. May 30. Max Payne for PS2. For a ten-year old third-person-shooter this game held up tremendously well.  I think the PC version probably had "save anywhere" which certainly would have made this playthrough less frustrating.  The innovations in the game only just slightly outweighed the problems of this console port.  An important game, one worth playing, but I was glad to finish it. 7.

15. June 5. Dragon Quest 6 for DS. 46 hours.  I've beaten DQ 4,5 and 6 now.  I'd say I'd liked this one the least, even though it was the best made of the three.  7.5.

16. June 11. Brutal Legend for PS3. I really enjoyed this game. It was both sweet and funny in that animated movie kid of way. Top notch quality. 8.5.

17. July 9. The Godfather for XB. Top quality game. Thoroughly impressed with every aspect. 9.0

18. July 12. Nostalgia for DS. This is as about as modern of an implementation of a traditional JRPG I've ever seen. Nothing new, just insanely well designed. 8.0

19. July 13. The Warriors for XB. Another great game that captured the feeling of the film perfectly. A great brawler that keeps gameplay varied throughout. 8.5.

20. July 14. TimeSplitters 2 for XB. Holds up amazingly well for a game from 2002.  Some of thsi game is so much like Perfect Zero I wonder if some of the talent went back to Rare.  8.5.

21. July 31. Virtua Athlete 2000 for Dreamcast. 5.5.

22. August 23. Morrowind for XB. It freezes up, it takes forever to load, you beat most bosses by exploiting the environments (just like Oblivion) but what can you say other than "incredible"?  Docked a point for technical glitches. 9.0

• Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Just finished the real last boss and finished all the levels (including a Wii-only boss rush mode) perfectly. From the makers of Galaxy and Galaxy 2. Jungle Beat is an inventive fun platformer with great emphasis on high score attack mode. If you are a fan of perfecting your run by collecting bananas without touching the ground and doing all kinds of stunts, go buy this now!

• Donkey Kong Country Return

Completed the last level and collected all the puzzle pieces. Donkey Kong returns (pun intended) to a new side scrolling adventure. This time he has to retrieve his bana hoard from the evil Tiki's. The game is a 2D platformer, but updated for this gen. Having gorgeous graphics and awesome level design, with action taking place both in the fore and background. Giving this game a very lively feel, shit breaks, stuff collapse as you steer DK trough 8 world of action. The game is marred down somewhat by frustrating trial and error design. And there are too many rocket barrel and mine cart levels. But don't let this stop you, for overall Donkey Kong Country Returns is an excellent platformer.

• Fragile

Is this game good. That is quite tricky to answer. The crappy battle system, with weapons that break for no reason are bad. But the atmosphere, story, characters, music are great. If you want to walk around and slowly take everything in, you will have a good time. Trying to play the game for the level design, challenge, bosses or battles, and you will hate it. Read my desciption in my thread, if you read it and hate the way it sounds back of. People that actually played 'Heavy Rain' have no excuse not to play it. The story in Fragile is actually good, the characters are actually competent and there is actual gameplay.

• Super Scribblenauts

This game is awesome, no two ways about it. Sometimes the puzzles are easy, but you can summon a giant friendly purple singing Chthulu. That is all you need to know. One of the essential DS games. The puzzle challenges are quick and short, perfectly made for a portable system, it would not work on a console. Buy it.

• Order of Ecclesia

Awesome Metroid like game, that is bogged down by RPG elements, stupid loot system and poor explanation of the deeper mechanics. The level design and character controls never reach the height of Super Metroid or Zero Missions, but hey neither did Other M. Shame we only get these games on the handhelds and not consoles.

• Flower - Great easy-going game.  The chief critics complaint was that it was too short, but I'd argue it was almost too long. A few levels felt like rehashes of earlier ones and went a little too long. However, when the level design and scenery are on, they are perfect.
• Valkyria Chronicles - Holy crap, this was an excellent game! Possibly the best strategy game I've ever played. There's just enough action mixed in with the strategy to give it a really fresh feel. Plus there are some very original battles and levels in the game, particularly during the the first 2/3 of the game. That would also be my only complaint - as the game goes on, the originality lessens and is replaced by increased difficulty.
• Bulletstorm - Great shooter! Keeps things interesting by requiring the player to go after skill shots and be creative with how they kill, rather than just rely on headshots. Plus the characters are delighftully foul mouthed and vulgar. I can't remember the site but someone described it as "a juevenile game wrapped around a brilliant one, and that's pretty accurate. Plus the game's storyline is a good 12 hours long, ensuring a good meaty experience.
• WWE All Stars - Good fan service for 80's and 90's wrestling fans, and decent gameplay. But the game ultimately feels rushed and limited by the gameplay options. Good for a weekend rental and maybe direhard wrestling fans but not worth a full price purchase.
• Mortal Kombat - The series was never this good. Really I suppose that's not saying a whole lot, but this is by far and away the most fun I've ever had with an MK game, due in large part to story mode. The fighting is solid and the tower is an okay diversion, but the story mode gives this game a type of depth that no fighting game has ever had.
• Marvel v. Capcom 3 - After beating the game with half a dozen characters I'm calling this one "finished." This game is sort of a mixed bag. The fighting is as fast and frantic as ever, and there's a good selection of characters here. Some of the character models just look too plastic though and while the balance issues aren't as bad as its predecessor they still exist. Still it's a good fighter and very good fan service. Marvel fans will be happy. Fighting fans are probably better off with Tatsunoko v. Capcom though.
• Katamari Forever - Best Katamari game in years. They took the best of the old games and created some genuinally creative new ones. Gameplaywise there's nothing new here, but the levels are done well and the new graphic style works well. It's like seeing an old friend again tell a few new stories... and the same old ones he's been telling for years.
• Red Dead Redemption - Loved it. As someone who has stayed away from the GTA series since Vice City, this game felt totally fresh, though I can certainly see why a lot of people would refer to this as GTA with horses. It's a great story though. Gets a bit repetitious as times I'll admit, but the open world was done amazingly well. So much stuff to discover. Not quite deserving of the 10's it got, but I'd still say this is one of the better games of this generation.
• LA Noire - Great game, though I think a lot of critics are being very generous with their reviews. It's a mystery/adventure game that successfully incorporates some solid action features at a level never done before. The post-war streets of Los Angeles looks amazing and the mood is hit spot on. But an overly complex story coupled with some interview/interrogation sequences that require guessing at times hamper the core experience and keep the game from being an instance classic. The sequel (should it come along) however promises to be amazing.
• Limbo - Piece of shit pretentious artsy game. Nice idea and maybe had the limits of manpower not been an issue it could have been better. But as it is stay away from it.
• Costume Quest - Great little RPG. It's cut right out of the Mario RPG mold mixing elemments with action in the turn based battles, and then adds even more wit and a generous helping of sarcasm and bizareness. Kind of feels like a sequel to Earthbound or what you'd get if they mmade Calvin & Hobbes into a videogamme. At 6 hours it's a good length for what it is.
• The Saboteur - How it didn't get 9's across the board is a mystery to me. Excellent story and characters. Combat is okay, bt if you play the game as a stealth game as it was sort of intended it works very well. Big improvement overall from the regularl sandbox formula styled games. Tough as nails too. Some of the missions require a lot of planning. Only real flaw is the driving which is actually a pretty big focus of the game. Other than that, outstanding.
• RDR: Undead Nightmare - Fun twist on the whole sandbox genre. Switching up combat style to almost a Resident Evil style (original games of the series that is) really changes up the game. Plus it's John Marsten. Great character. Can't get too much of him.
• Dragon Quest Monsters:  Joker 2 - Fun DQM game and the best they've made since the original. Fixes all the problems of DQM: Joker and builds on it. Pacing is a bit of a problem, and the game is unquestionably easy, but overall it's a very good game.
• Shadows of the Damned - If you like Suda 51 games, then you know what you're getting here. The gameplay isn't bad, but it's pretty average.  Nothing special to speak of. However the story and characters and as delightfully twisted and fucked up as ever. That alone made it worth it for me.
• Shantae - Good Metroidvania-esque 2-D adventure game. Biggest complaint is that it's too short. A few small additions could have added an extra 2 hours I think. Not enough incentivie to really track down some of the extra hidden items and such. Still it was a lot of fun. Good music and animations, and no one quite does 2-D gameplay like WayForward.
• James Noir's Hollywood Crimes - Not as good of a puzzle collection as the Layton games, but good enough, and the overall story was actually very good full of some surprisingly good twists and turns.

1. 5th of January.

Killzone 2: Err, I got the last badge. Does that count as finishing online? No, I'm not going to play it for the six years to get 100,000 points.

2. 1st of February? Early February? Late January?

Klonoa: Insane story, hilarious voice acting. Slow start, decent middle, but excellent last couple of levels. And the extra level is as insane as the story!

3.: 17th of March

Killzone 3: The campagin that is. It was better than 2's campaign, but not all that great. Solid. Julian Assange/Hitler/Stalin/Lenin---what a cast!

4: 3rd of April

Crysis Warhead: How nice it is to play a first person shooter with actual FPS design! And with pacing too! Yes, it actually leads up to grandiose setpieces instead of trying to stick them anywhere so that they all end up being boring. The graphics are disappointing, the gameplay is surprisingly good. Nice surprise. Oh, and being a PC shooter you can actually have enemies above ground level---ones that move and fly around! And the on-rail sections are even fun. No on-rails sections with analogue sticks please. It's also funny that this EXPANSION pack is the same length as most modern FPS campaigns. Yeesh.

5: 17th of April.

Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure: It's Arkham Asylum all over again! Solid gameplay, shallow combat system, but absolutely top notch presentation. Of course being Arkham Asylum from last gen instead of there being annoying updates there's annoying controls and glitches. FFS dying, going back to a check point, getting back up to where you are only to fall through the fucking floor. Of a blimp.

6: 19th of May.

Yakuza:

The first one! It's Yakuza, go read that twitter review!

7: 16th of June.

Babel: King of Blocks:

It explains how pyramids were really built. No slaves or UFOs were involved.

8th: soon after the above.

The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus:

It's great and you all suck for not trying it.

9th: 23rd if July.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood:

It goes from great to boring and back and forth, but it ends on a sweet note.

10th: Sometime in July.

Worms:

Decent Worms game, but let down by slow down, loading and controls---oh, and a maximum of 4 worms per team. Wat.

11th: 31st of July.

Limbo:

Short but sweet.

12: 11th of August.

Swords & Soldiers:

Possibly the first RTS I have completed without cheats! Great stuff.

13 and 14: 23rd of August.

[01/07/11] Deadly Premonition -- I beat a Survival Horror game! Deadly Premonition is to Survival Horror as Red Dead Redemption is to Sand-Box Games. You think you know a genre well, but then something comes along that is so unique, so engaging and so... game changing. How can I possibly say this about a game IGN scored a 2/10? They simply did. not. get. it. It is MEANT to be quirky. It is meant to be cheesy. It is meant to be inappropriate. It is meant to be insanely twisted. It's all of these things and more! These flawed characters are flawed. These characters are characters. It's everything you'd expect from a small town folklore horror story, injected with humor and gore... sometimes at the same time. You'll start the game and say: "WTF? This sucks!" You'll end the game and say: "WTF? That was AWESOME!" You'll love some characters and their relationships. You'll be repelled by others and their depravity. Either way, you won't be able to look away 'til the credits roll! This was a budget title?! Priced for the Hobos, enjoyed by only the most Elite of gamers... You simply HAVE TO take a trip to Greenvale! Trust me on this one, you WON'T regret it!

[01/09/11] Enslaved: Odyssey to the West -- What an under-rated game! Part Uncharted. Part Heavenly Sword. Part Beyond Good and Evil. Part The Matrix. Part Prince of Persia. All good! Besides being HOT, the main character Monkey is even more fun than his animal counterparts! The way he climbs and his acrobatics are so much more animated than Drake or the Prince! The post-apocalyptic landscapes are as deserted as ever but --NEVER-- have they been THIS colorful! Ninja Theory excels at a few things: Bright and Beautiful color-schemes, Hauntingly REAL facial expressions and Stories that never fail to have VERY touching moments! Yes. The combat is simple. You CAN buy an Upgrade that color codes enemies, telegraphing what they are going to do, a-la Heavenly Sword. The combos are also very simple --BUT-- who you kill first, strategic "Take Downs" and using enemies weapons against them, all come into play too! I like the references to the classic Japanese Journey to the West, but its NOT shoved down your throat. A constant thrill-ride from beginning to end, this game will MAKE you want to press-forward 'til the very end! I played this game in two-days! I NEVER do that anymore! That should be a testament to how enjoyable it really is! My utter enjoyment of this game has gotten me extremely excited to see just what Ninja Theory can do with the Devil May Cry reboot! I've never been a huge fan of that series before; now I find I can hardly WAIT!

[01/11/11] Shadow Complex -- Wow! This game is almost BETTER than any retail game I've played in a while! It's true, I feel very guilty owning it and playing it, due to Orson Scott Card's contribution to it --BUT-- It's my video-game equivalent of Kryptonite. I have always had and will always HAVE a weakness for Metroid-Vania style games. More Metroid than even Other M, Shadow Complex has you gain skills slowly but steadily and has such upgrades as: A Backpack that gives you the ability to Climb, Grenades that Blow Up Certain doors (Morph Ball Bombs), A Thrust Pack (Double Jump Boots), Friction Dampers (Speed Boots), a Grappling Hook and Rockets... and the list goes on! One of the BEST innovations this game brings to this genre is the simple Flashlight; not only does it illuminate the dark --BUT-- if you shine it on certain objects, they will change color, indicating what weapon or gadget you need to get past that particular obstacle. TOTALLY INVALUABLE! As if the whole exploration aspect of the game wasn't addicting enough, there are also a bunch of REALLY fun achievements in the game, awarded for making enemies Scream, hitting them with headshots, using a melee attack, and on and on! The game gives you in-game updates when/if you beat your Live Friend's Achievements as you play! VERY COOL! I can TOTALLY see why many websites awarded this DOWNLOADABLE game, GOTY awards the year it came out! ...besides, the main character is voiced by Nolan North, that fact ALONE usually puts a game immediately into the running!

[01/23/11] Bayonetta -- What can be said about Bayonetta that hasn't been said before? Absolutely, positively one of the --BEST-- game experiences of this generation! Such creativity. Such --PERFECT-- controls. Sooo much to do; So much replayability! You've heard me say it a few times before, you'll hear me say it again: When a game is as well done as this one is, even if it is not the type of genre I normally take to, I just have to, HAVE TO respect it enough to finish it! First Shooters, then Sandbox Games, now I have a Stylish Action game under my belt! This game is just --THAT-- compelling! It certainly doesn't hurt that Bayonetta is the sexiest, sassiest character to come around in years and years and years! Gotta love the Capcom and Sega references and the classic gameplay segments interspersed throughout! I --LOVED-- this game, cannot wait to see more from Platinum Games and will wait as long as it takes to get my hands on the inevitable, sure to be incredible, Bayonetta 2!

[02/08/11] Fable III -- Really disappointed in Fable 3's ending. Half of the game is typical Fable, action-wise, MINUS a lot of the morality, game-changing factors. The second half is a TEDIOUS string of Quests and Kingdom Running Decisions, that has ONE HUGE, SERIOUS flaw: You are given ONE YEAR to amass enough money to defend an impending attack on Albion. Heaven help you if you've completed most of the side-quests by that point in the game, cause if you did, you'll find yourself running around aimlessly trying to pass time until your rent and profits from the homes and businesses you own give you cash. (You need to save $6,500,000.) As if the tedium isn't bad enough, THINGS GET WORSE: It's not entirely impossible or even that hard to make the money --BUT-- time passes in chunks. It goes from (something like) 292 days 'til the attack to 216 days 'til the attack... From 121 days 'til the attack to --FUCKIN'-- THE DAY OF THE ATTACK ! ! ! 121 days to THE. LAST. DAY. ? ! ? They don't give you a warning. They don't let you make preparations on that last day. If you have $6,400,000... TOO BAD! Game Saves. You're SCREWED. Thanks for playing for 20-odd hours...! WHAT. THE. FUCK? I think I am done with LionHead Games for a long while!

[02/27/11] CastleVania: Lords of Shadow -- So much more than a God of War clone, this game takes GoW3 and stomps it into the ground! It actually ties into the series a lot more than I ever thought it would, even after playing the first 20 hours of the game. I can't say how, as it would spoil a phenomenal ending, but it DOES fit into the whole mythos nicely and the Developers did a REALLY nice job wrapping it all up. Suffice to say, the Eclipse comes into play, the cataclysmic 1999 battle is referenced, there's a Slogra in there and the twist in the last few seconds of the ending, ENDING makes the ENTIRE experience worth while! Dramatic story-lines, a clever Snake reference, beautiful cut-scenes: Yeah, you could totally see Kojima's hand in there too! The actual developers are no slouch's either, as the painstakingly-detailed, incredibly diverse and totally organic environments are consistently JAW-DROPPING throughout! The puzzles are ingenious, the battles against the 2 (or more?) Colossi are truly EPIC and the whole fighting/combat/magic system is very well done, too. Could have been one of my top games of 2010 had I actually played it in 2010! As it is, I anxiously await the incoming DLC packs! The reboot of the CastleVania series for modern day consoles is a good as this series deserves!

[03/07/11] LIMBO -- I really shouldn't LOVE a game where you see a little boy dismembered, crushed, speared, drowned, electrocuted, disemboweled, shredded by a turret gun, etc, etc, etc... for all eternity, but I do! I loved the graphical style. I loved the mood. I loved the shock value. Play this game with someone who normally doesn't play video games... (Someone who is a well adjusted, non-desensitized member of society, that is!) ...and just watch them jump, squirm and wear a look of shock on his or her face the entire time you play. Probably the best puzzler I've played in years; not too easy, not too hard, tugs at your heart-strings while making you ponder your character's fate. One of the reasons I bought a 360 comes to a close! No regrets here!

[03/25/11] Mass Effect 2 -- Holy Crap! Where do I even begin?! I'll have to write this one later!

[04/05/11] Alan Wake -- Truly one of a kind. I don't think I've ever played a game on a console before that was this driven by the narrative -- Literally and Figuratively! Sure it plays like an over-the-shoulder, third-person shooter, but the game is only half of it. The way the story is delivered. The unbelievable lush, organic and realistic graphics, environment and physics. The brilliant use of light and the flashlight mechanic. The manuscript pages that not only flesh out what you may have seen already, but also foreshadow events yet to come. Everything just adds up to an unbelievable game. Sure, the enemies may not be terribly creative, being mostly miners, policemen, construction workers and such, but the poltergeist objects and the way you need to dispel the darkness before you can harm your foes: totally unique --AND-- literally, almost every battle you fight leaves you on the edge of your seat. Remedy really knows their stuff when it comes to convincing environments, gunplay and gameplay; even their trademark slow-mo effect is used JUST for dramatic effect here and doesn't overshadow everything else. Why don't they do more games? One of the most intriguing and unique experiences this generation. I'd write more, but immediately after finishing I jumped right into the DLC... which actually takes place after the ending, adds to the story and expands on some of the really great game mechanics introduced right at the end of the main game. DLC that's not just a cheap extension of the same exact gameplay recycled over again for a few bucks? NO?! Yes! ...and it's really, really good! Part game, part thriller novel. This novel thriller is absolutely one to experience!

[05/07/11] Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light -- I thoroughly enjoyed this game! Enix must be rubbing off on Square these days as this game comes across as almost a subtle melding of Dragon Quest and a classic Final Fantasy. It is lighthearted and meandering. It is pastel-y and almost has a story-book look to it. You have dozens of different Crowns that represent the FF or DQ style Job classes. Tiny bit of Altrades Abbey, smidgen of Final Fantasy Tactics when it comes to this crown system. You equip your characters with weapons, shields and armors, and --YES-- they are visually represented on the characters in-game. Loved it in DQIX, Loved it here! I've heard people complain about the inventory system, as magic is used by holding spell-books and you need to keep slots for your weapons and armor. You are limited to 15 slots per character. You REALLY need to choose a role for your character(s) and stick with it (until, at least, a better crown comes along)! You need to keep the spells and weapons that are appropriate to the job you are playing and think more strategically! In this respect the game almost has a puzzle-like feel to it; sometimes you REALLY need to consider some of the obscure crowns if you hope to survive certain quests, bosses and dungeons. The managing of you AP points (there are no MP in the game) also adds to this strategy/puzzle aspect. I think the game has a perfect difficulty level to it. It varies as it adds and takes away characters from your party. Some of the most challenging but FUN times were when ONE character had to go it alone! The End Boss (Chaos) and some of the events in the game almost make this seem like a reboot of the original game; I think the design, art-direction, gameplay-system and overall CHARM this game displays made it an over-all success in my eyes! Give it a try!

[06/17/11] Outland -- Wow! Easily one of the best down-loadable games ever! I would have paid for this game at retail, easily! Combining elements of Metroid, Prince of Persia and Ikaruga (You just have to play it to "get" it) combined with beautiful graphics and spot-on controls... This is one of those rare games that does almost NOTHING wrong and possesses your soul until you finish it! If I may make a suggestion, THIS should be the next "Game Club" game! The map is perfect, btw, and back-tracking was absolutely unnecessary, though it makes the game a little easier if you go back to find some of the hidden coin caches to purchase more life and magic upgrades! I don't think any other game in recent memory commanded more of my attention while playing and felt so rewarding to finish. It was challenging at times, for sure, but the whole switching colors on the fly, REALLY kept me on my toes and was BRILLIANTLY executed! Available now on both PSN and XBLA, no one has an excuse NOT to get it!

[06/25/11] Torchlight -- Ahhh! Loot! Love it, love it, love it! I find it amazing that a downloadable Diablo-style game is 100 times better than a retail one (Dungeon Siege III)...! The game is colorful, satisfying, fun to play and never-ending, if you want it to be! If it had online, it would almost be perfect, but I still appreciated it for what it was! I am DEFINITELY looking forward to what Runic is doing next and hope they add more of everything in Torchlight 2! I --WILL-- be first in line to get it, retail, online or whatever! Next up: Trenched: A Mechwarrior-style, Tower-defense meets LOOT game! Ahhh...!

[07/04/11] Shantae: Risky's Revenge -- You gotta love WayForward games! They are at the front lines in the fight to keep 2D pixel art alive! They are pretty well known for their franchise work such as Contra 4, or their Reboots, such as A Boy and His Blob, or even their cartoon conversions, as in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Shantae, however, was a labor of love and a creation all their own! The series started very late in the life cycle of the original GameBoy Color, but even then the animation was silky smooth, the colors were well-done and the gameplay was spot-on! If you are lucky enough to have that game, hold onto it! It's production run was minimal and it's collectability is high! You HAVE TO appreciate Virtual Console-like systems as they often give series like this a second chance at life! Easy to distribute and cheap to the point where they make their developers a TON of profit, smaller studios can feasibly make enough money to move on to larger projects with better production values. This is what I have heard is happening with the Shantae series! Being one of the most-beloved DSi-Ware titles out there, and finding new life on the 3DS, WayForward is supposedly now working on a full-blown 3DS game. Why should you care? When I recently described Shantae as "Metroid if Samus was a Genie and turned into a Monkey rather than a Morph Ball" I meant it in all seriousness! If there's no Metroid-Vania on the horizon for the 3DS, then a new entry in the Shantae series will MORE than make up for it I clocked 5:30 hours on the game's clock, but the Activity Log on the 3DS shows me playing it for nearly double that time. Not bad for a DL'able game, and yet ANOTHER DL game that I would have gladly paid full retail price for! This game was a steal and if you have the means, you REALLY should check it out!

[07/08/11] Monster Tale -- This is from a relatively new Development Team comprised, primarily, of the former Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure guys. Like I said before, it's bright, it's colorful, and just like Henry Hatsworth, it makes VERY clever use of BOTH screens at once. The Touch Screen is your Monster, Chomp's, Lair. You send him there to regain health, but also to activate many items you'll find throughout the game. Maybe he'll read a scroll to gain intelligence. Maybe he'll eat a Turkey to gain Strength. These aren't just random stats though! He'll morph into different forms depending on the stats you raise! These forms also have elemental affinities that will be either weak or strong against other monsters too. Want Chomp to be a slugger? Raise him that way! Want him to stick around you more and defend you? Feed him the right stuff. These forms have levels. Chomp also develops traits that IF you master them, they can then be transferred to his other forms. Likewise, he'll gain skills, like transforming into a Torpedo or a Spike that kills foes above and below him. Master these, you can apply them to differing forms too! You also get Offensive items you can throw down into Chomp's Lair. Catapults and Racing Cars that zip along the edges of the playing field. Soccer Balls that rebound off all of the walls, the list goes on and on! Sometimes enemies or Interactive objects will appear in Chomp's Lair too! Do you need him more on the top screen fighting along side of you, or do you send him home to heal or help solve a puzzle? Yup, it's all part of the game! It's mind-boggling the extra depth that's been thrown into an already great Metroidian-style adventure! I haven't even mentioned the Skills the girl Ellie learns as SHE goes thru the game, yet! Mega-Blasters, Upgradeable Melee attacks, Mega-Man-X-Like Wall Climbing... Energy for Long Range shots gained by DOING melee attacks...! It's NUTS, but works sooo WELL! Throughout the course of the game, Ellie gets such a super-huge list of moves, it's enough to make a certain intergalactic Bounty Hunter blush with envy! Looking at the screenshots I wouldn't fault you for thinking this is a kid's game... FAR from it. This is just a great, great game in itself and one of the last TRULY GREAT games for the Legendary DS. With SUPER-creative titles like this one available on it, it's not hard to see why it's the best selling systems of all time!

[08/02/11] Bastion -- What would you do if you woke one morning to find life as you know it has come to an end? You have in your hands the power to restore the world back to the way it was before 'The Calamity' but do you want to? As you travel around the fragmented pieces of your former world, you learn about The Nature of Man, The Nature of War, who and what is Right or Wrong. Acceptable Losses? Innocence? The PEOPLE on both sides of a conflict... Embrace your enemies or take revenge? This game has it all and so much more. The game looks as if it would be an action-adventure, a-la Zelda, but that is not so. It actually is pure action. There are role-playing elements in the way you can equip certain Liquors to make you hit harder, take less damage or Leech life from your enemies, for example. You also level up to extend your life gauge and gain the ability to equip more augments. It all plays out like an action game though. Adding to this is the INCREDIBLY varied weapons you can choose from! Machete? Check! Giant hammer? Check! Bow and Arrow? Check! Machine Gun? Yup! You want a Mortar? Got it! The weapon load out you choose, along with the special attacks you can earn to go along with them dramatically changes the way you play the game. The developers REALLY went out of their way to allow you to play the game the way YOU want to play it! To further that, there are also (Angry) Gods to invoke. Each one you do makes the game a little bit harder. One makes the enemies faster. One makes them stronger. Another makes them unleash an explosive when you defeat them. Why would you want to do this? BESIDES tailoring the game exactly to your skill level, you mean? Well, when you invoke these gods, you are given more and more Experience Points and Fragments (money)! Such creativity in the gameplay is complemented PERFECTLY by real-time narration. The way in which it is done --REALLY-- makes it feel like the game is talking to YOU; like you are participating in a living story. This may have been done in certain types of games before, but not to this emotional effect! I really can't say enough good about this game, or Greg Kasavin's FANTASTIC writing, which, again, adds tremendously to the narration. Such creativity is NOT seen in retail releases these days which is really a shame. Rather than being a game for the Masses, Bastion feels, in more ways than one, like a game that was made JUST for you. Gameplay aside for a moment, there's even some heart-wrenching scenes in there that will leave a mark on your memory unlike any other game has before it. Absolutely a MUST PLAY game!

[08/07/11] DeathSpank -- Ah, DeathSpank, Dispenser of Justice, Vanquisher of Evil and Hero to the Downtrodden, how much did I love your game? Enough to beat it in a 24 hour period! Yes, it's a Diablo style, loot game, but it doesn't take itself nearly as seriously! Humor is the order of the day in DeathSpank! After all, a game with a Big Purple Thong as its logo, complete with a strategically placed Sword pointing to the sky...? Yeah. You --KNOW-- you are in for a good time! Over 100 sub-quests, ridiculously creative and FUNNY monsters to fight, and some of the best-one liners you've ever heard this side of, well, ME! This game is fun to play and will keep you laughing and interested from beginning to end. It's the PERFECT length, lasting about 9 hours IF you want to see everything... Best of all, the sequel is out already (it came out two months after the first) and picks up RIGHT where the first ends, so if you enjoy it, there's more ready and waiting for you! I'm playing parts one and two now to prepare myself for the third in the series "The Baconing." It's coming this summer! I can't wait! Yet another (series of) highly-recommended, Downloadable Game(s)!

[08/13/11] From Dust -- I LOVED this game, but even I have to admit, it was barely more than a pretty, terra-forming, tech-demo! Populous may have been its inspiration, but this game had no where near the same type of gameplay or objectives as Peter Molyneux's classic! This was really more of a puzzler. You had limited powers over the forces of Earth, Water and (Fire) Lava. Most of the game entailed moving around water or lava, directing your tribesman to Talismans and Stones of Power to build villages and protecting them from the Elements. Build the requisite number of Villages (only up to 4) survive long enough and move on to the next Portal. That was pretty much it! The organic nature of dealing with water and fire was EXTREMELY fun and the game had its VERY tense moments, but all in all it was over WAAAY too fast! Oddly enough, in a game that literally gives you the powers of a god and the ability to shape the world to your liking, you ARE NOT given an opportunity to do so until the VERY last level! On the last story stage, you are FINALLY given the ability to place the Earth where you want it, raise mountains, drain water or cause tsunami's, have volcanoes erupt or cause palm trees to grow... then it ends 5 minutes later! So much fun, but such a missed opportunity! Worth the $15 bucks --ONLY-- if you are VERY MUCH into God Games or Natural Wonders. Creatively fun, but ultimately unsatisfying... it's a shame to see this great potential wasted!

[08/14/11] Plants vs. Zombies -- The first game I recall being labelled as "casual." My opinion: "So what?" It's FUN, funny, colorful, and even though it's not the HARDEST game on the planet, it's still a good time! It's basically tower defense where you defend your home from a zombie invasion. They'll attack the front lawn; they'll attack your backyard, going as far as swimming thru your pool. They'll even try coming in thru your roof! Solar power is your resource you need to collect that powers your flowers by day or your mushrooms by night. There's a huge variety of flowers (Pea shooters, Money plants, Hypno-Shrooms, etc.) to fight a huge variety of Zombies (Football Zombie, Dude with a Bucket on his Head, Pole-Vaulter, etc). Choosing the right botany-weaponry is half the battle here, placement and maintaining your line the other. Even after the main campaign is done, there's STILL unlocked mini-games and a zen garden to tend to, should you want to extend your play-time. Really, there's no shame in playing this great, great game. I refer to this as a transitional game: It's one that a "casual" may play, but it will get them interested in playing the "real" stuff after! For a good time call Plants vs. Zombies!

[08/23/11] Golden Sun: Dark Dawn -- Comments coming later!

[09/03/11] inFAMOUS 2 -- Don't get me wrong, I did love i2, but there was so much potential that seemed to be wasted. The powers you get aren't that different than part One, 'cept for the handy-dandy transportation power they give you waaay too far into the game. The "morality" system is too elementary. Sucker Punch, for as talented as they are, they are still a pretty young developer and seem to not know how to handle giving players too many choices. The story-line is good, but it seemed like they were trying to "one-up" the big, shocking surprise in Part One. Sure, the ending was "shocking" (pun totally intended) but I was kind of expecting it too. Thanks to the "morality" system also, the characters you meet are pretty one-sided throughout the game, EXCEPT for one, weird role-reversal at the very end of the game that was kind of head-scratching. I liked the southern environment, but wished there was more variety. I liked how they included "Flood Town" and the threat it posed to Cole. I DID not like busy areas like the "Gas Works" as the busier the environs got, the more stuff Cole would uncontrollably "stick to" thanks to the disruptive/predictive climbing system in the game. It is unique, but it is also problematic. I did LOVE the game, though I am complaining a bit, but one last point of frustration: It almost seems like the Difficulty changed throughout the game from battle to battle. Sometimes Cole seemed appropriately super-human, other times though, one or two shots and he was dead! I would be god-like in some missions, then I would almost tear my hair out as I would die and die and die again from the very same enemies in the next. Odd. Finally, Zeke DOES redeem himself in this game, but is still an annoying character to a slight degree! Still recommend this game and part one, but I think I am actually more psyched to see what they will offer in Prototype 2, more so than caring if this series will continue or not. **It will!**

[10/30/11] Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 -- One thing I can always count on to bring a smile to my face is the look on the face of a Dragon Quest Slime. Now, take that monster and throw in 299 more from 25 years worth of gaming history and you get Joker 2. Minimal (unimportant) plot sets the stage for what is effectively monster battle after monster battle. You Scout Monsters, You Level Monsters, You Breed Monsters. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Sounds boring? Nope! The true stars of any DQ game are the Monsters themselves and they are ALL here. No, Seriously! In the Credits, the game lists which game each and every one of the monsters comes from, from I to IX! You'll even get cameos from Rocket Slime! What's especially cool is the sense of scale of some of these creatures. You have 3 Slots to fill with monsters on your Fighting Team. A one space monsters is about the size of a human.  Two Space monsters gets to be pretty freaking huge! Three Spaces...? Those monsters take up several screens on the DS, are often Legendary Monsters and are (of course) the toughest to Recruit... but you'll want to! Every species of Demon. Every Material Monster. Every Dragon. Every BOSS and, most importantly, every SLIME... All of them are here, at your command... but born and bred with stats, skills and spells as you see fit! For fans, it's the ultimate homage. I believe, for everyone else, they'll STILL have fun! The excitement of seeing just what kind of monster you're going to get next is not limited to fans alone, but any real gamers at heart!

[12/10/11] Batman: Arkham City -- Wow! I'll write something later!

[12/15/11] Super Mario 3D Land -- Again, I'll write something later!

[12/24/11] Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater -- Since the days of the NES the name "Big Boss" has been equated with "Villian" in my mind. Tonight I have learned lessons of honor, bravery and duty, and above all, that yesterday's enemy can be tomorrow's friend. The world is not simply just black and white.

Dead Space 1 on easy/impossible grabbed all of the achievements.


Dead Space 2 finished Hardcore mode, only 3 achievements left before I'm complete with it. Sadly, they didn't give me the achievement for beating zealot mode, even though it's a lower difficulty than hardcore. :/

i beat marvel alliance 2 with 40% of the trophies then i returned it meh its not as good as the first one

finally got around to finishing Professor Layton and the Unwound Future i have no clue what took me so long but it proves to me more then ever that level 5 studios is one of the greatest dev's of all time

i have beaten bioshock 2 man its eaisly one of the greatest games this gen, music, story,characters all near perfect its a shame its a fps or i'd have  thought it was perfect

Is there any point in playing Dead Rising single player?

"People that actually played 'Heavy Rain' have no excuse not to play it. The story in Fragile is actually good, the characters are actually competent and there is actual gameplay."

So I've been noticing quite a disturbing trend lately with my game completions. The fact that I've kinda needed to cheat in order to actually FINISH the bloody game.

Back to the Future Ep 1 I mention prior thanks to it being broken in one key area. And thanks to poor planning on my part, I had to use console commands to kill the (otherwise bloody annoying) final boss in Dragon Age.

I pray this does not continue.