PS3 Demo: LittleBigPlanet 2

Did you like LittleBigPlanet?  Then you're going to enjoy LittleBigPlanet 2, which is the original, plus a bunch of new stuff.

The demo gives you three pre-built levels to play around in, which excellently showcase new items, like the grappling hook, and being able to "ride" on built creations.  It's a platform game, but now it's more.  With the new additions, games are being showcased online that are incredibly diverse, including a nice remake of Plants vs. Zombies.  Again, the joy of creation looms, though the demo doesn't give you the chance to interact with any level building tools.

The demo includes a couple of videos which are sure to get you excited, and the levels are a decent play.  If you are looking for a platformer, then LBP2 was probably already on your radar.  You could wait for the price to drop from $60 to something more reasonable, but by then, most of user-created levels will feature large amounts of phallic worship.

PS3 Demo: Mass Effect 2

I've heard a lot about Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.  There's a lot to these games which I enjoy, just based on the premise: Sci-Fi, Space-Based FPSRPG.  Sci-Fi?  Love it.  Space-based?  Love it!  FPSRPG?  Well, Bioshock and Fallout hadn't steered me wrong... so why hadn't I played this game?

It wasn't available for the PS3, only the Xbox360 and PC.  Forget that noise!  Listen, I'm not trying to egg on console wars.  I did own an Xbox360, but it sat there gathering dust.  The controller was designed for men with gigantic hands.  I just couldn't handle it.

Eventually, my Xbox360 made its way to GameStop, becoming a source for other delicious gems of gameplay, and I wrote off the Mass Effect series.

And then, news came that Mass Effect 2 was being released for the PS3, and look!  A demo was available.  I decided to give it a shot.

First off, my big complaint: it's not a First-Person-Shooter, because you do not maintain a first-person perspective.  Rather, it's an over-the-shoulder shooter.  This means worrying about taking cover, which apparently someone must find fun, because they keep putting it into games.  Those of you who know me, know that I'm more of a "go ahead, shoot me!" player than a stand-behind-cover kind of guy.  In real life, this would result in my instant death, but these are video games.

Aside from that one distraction, I otherwise enjoyed the game.  I had to be a little less reckless, but I had fun exploring the beautiful environment, and the game was mostly intuitive.  The demo featured some audio logs to be found, which I'm a big fan of, even if the technique is becoming a bit overused.

I'm a bit bummed that it's just Mass Effect 2 coming out, since I feel like I'm missing out on the initial entry.  Since the game is a direct sequel, that's a bit of a bummer, and maybe it will even con me into playing it on the PC, which was made for Excel documents, not FPSRPGs.

The full game is $45 used, and $60 new, which is a bit more than I'm willing to part with right now, but I give a want tag, because I honestly think the thing would be worth it ... eventually.

PS3 Demo: Back to the Future, The Game - Episode 1: It's About Time

...or, when blog titles are way too long.

I was deeply disappointed by this first entry in my demo weekend.  The graphic style of this Back to the Future setting adventure game is fun and comic booky, but I was instantly turned off by the childish goals, and inept camera controls (or lack thereof).  It's possible a hardcore Back to the Future fan would be interested to follow Marty's adventure in 1986 (and who knows when else), but this demo didn't sell it to me whatsoever.

The demo features the first challenge of the full episode, which only takes about 15 minutes to fully explore, plus some narrative (a dream sequence, how original).  The gameplay is what you'd expect from an adventure game: look around at stuff, collect items to solve puzzles.  I used to love this kind of thing!

The game earns itself a nostalgia tag for being able to reign in Christopher Lloyd to voice Doc Brown, but besides that, I was mostly unimpressed.  The five episodic adventures will set you back a mere $19.99 on the PSN, but it hardly seems worth it, right now.  The whole thing will go on sale on Steam sooner or later.

Demo Madness!

I went a little crazy this weekend downloading demo games for the PS3, and I'm looking forward to reviewing my experience with them.  Stay tuned!

Flash Game Friday (Bonus Sick Edition): Clarence's Big Chance

My head is full of uck, but that doesn't mean that I can't play and review another flash game.  So, if GemCraft tower defense didn't float your boat: you might enjoy this 16-bit platfromer, Clarence's Big Chance.

You play the hopeless Clarence, who is trying desperately to not be Forever Alone.  You've got a date with a hottie from online, but you need desperately to bathe, dress, and better yourself before you are ready.  It's silly and fun.  Give it a shot!

Flash Game Friday: GemCraft

Have you ever been at work and suddenly realized, "Hey, it's Friday!  I don't want to work, I want to play Flash-based browser games!"  Well, I've got you covered.  Every Friday, I'll review an old favorite, or something new I've stumbled upon; with any luck, you'll be able to enjoy a couple hours of divine pleasure which would ordinarily be wasted on unprofitable boredom.

GemCraft (Chapter 1, Chapter 0, Lost Chapter/Labyrinth)
I don't know who at GenieInABottle.com learned how to number things, but the GemCraft series hasn't been following traditional numbering conventions.  That's okay, because this tower defense game is plenty of fun, no matter which iteration you are enjoying.  Even my husband ended up getting engrossed in the original GemCraft (Chapter 1) back when it first came out.

Like most tower defense games, the objective of these flash-based distractions is defend your home base from ongoing waves of monsters by setting up attacking towers on the path that they travel.  In GemCraft, you give towers functionality by placing gems into them.  Lower leveled gems cost less, but provide less damage.  As you progress with the game, you can make higher level gems, and combine gems (or craft them, shall we say) to form even more powerful attacks.

Gems also have a variety of secondary functions, aside from damage.  Slowing, stunning, or weakening monsters in exchange for high damage rate.  The real fun comes from combining the powers of gems to set up effective strategies. 

As you beat levels, you will gain experience, which allows you to buy upgrades to your crafting skillz, such as they are.  Towers cost less to build, you get more "mana" (the currency of the game) each time you kill a monster, etc.  This introduces more strategies as you continue to play.

Many levels limit you in the types of gems available for you, so you get to work your noggin a fair bit.  Extremely fast monsters might show up on a level in which you don't have access to a slowing gem, or heavily armored targets in an area where you don't have access to armor penetration.  This is a great take on forcing a player to revise his paradigm.  On very few levels will you be able to spam the same uber strategy.  It's fun for a brain tickle, and unique for a flash game!

There's decent replay value as well, as you can try to best previous levels for better scores and more experience.  Some levels only appear if you've completed a level with a high enough score.

The game does plenty of hand-holding, but it's not invasive and easy to skip if you're a grizzled veteran of tower defense games.  If you're completely new, start with Chapter 1, and relax - it's just a game.

The later versions introduce traps and amplifiers, and all sorts of madness.  Chapter 0 is its predecessor, and The Lost Chapter/Labyrinth is the latest released (only recently, at that).  All the games are free to play, though there is additional content for the wealthy among you (okay, not really the wealthy, as it's only a few bucks).

Good Morning; Coffee and a Little Chess

I was browsing Reddit.com, enjoying a cup of coffee this morning, when a link sent me to a Chess Variants website.  On this website, there are over 100 types of variant chess games programmed into simple Java applets.  The computer A.I. isn't incredibly intelligent, but neither am I with only a half cup of coffee.

Try out Bughouse Chess, in particular.  When you capture an enemy piece, you can then place it anywhere on a second game board.  But the computer can do the same!  It gave me a headache, but a fun one!

Dead Money DLC Now Available (!?)

Pardon the interrobang, but SERIOUSLY?  How come I have to find out about Fallout: New Vegas DLC: Dead Money from Twitter?  How pedestrian!  Bethesda should just implant a small device at the base of my skull, so there wouldn't be any kind of delay with this sort of thing.

Edit: By the gists of the review I just read, I added the want tag to this DLC.  It sounds buggy as hell, but I hadn't expected anything different.

Trism (iPhone)

There are plenty of iPhone games you know about, but there may be one with which you are unfamiliar, even though it has been around for years (first released in July 2008): Trism. 

My husband first found out about this game from an online friend, who also happened to be its super-hunky developer, Steve Demeter.  Knowing that the game was made by a cute gay guy only increased the urge to play it.  It's a puzzle-game, which at first glance looks a lot like Bejeweled, but it is so much more.

Demeter specifically designed the game with the iPhone in mind, taking full advantage of its tilt recognition.  And when first released, it was one of very few games to do so.  Triangular blocks can be slid vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.  Match three colors and the blocks vanish (matching more results in higher scores and special blocks).  The uniqueness comes in the feature that new blocks will fall based on the direction you are holding your iPhone.  So, after making a match, it wouldn't be uncommon to twist your hand and wrist in discomfort, trying to line up that perfect combo.

So if you've got an iPhone and you haven't picked up this gem, launch the App Store and fork over the measely $2.99.  Not only will you be getting a fun and easy casual game, but you'll also be supporting my eye-candy. 

Want!: Pokemon Black/White

Just about every so often, I remember my first experience into the world of Pokemon: the highly addictive narcotic of handheld video games.   My great friend Wyett had given me his copy of Pokemon Crystal, having accidentally destroyed his game file.  I was enraptured with raising my precious Chikorita to power and finding all sorts of other cute/creepy monsters to play by my side.

I was fortunate that it was almost time for a new iteration of the series, Ruby/Sapphire to be released for the GBA.  Since then, I've been hooked by the series, picking up a rehash of Red/Green for the GBA, and even convincing my husband to play Diamond/Pearl with me!  The fourth generation, however, seemed to be the end of me.  Despite to joy of exploring a new world (and yet more of the damned creatures), I was becoming wary of the new facade on an old game.  I didn't even beat the Final Four, bringing shame to my household.

And then HeartGold/SoulSilver came out.  It was a remake of the first Pokemon game I'd ever played, with Gen IV graphics and an exciting perephiral device that allowed my Pokemon to level as I walked around in the mortal coil!  I was instantly back into complicated breeding schedules, and IV calculations (all in time to spectacularly take 4th place in our work Pokemon tournament), like I had never left them!  A Pokemon fanatic!  Nothing could strip me of my love for my carefully raised Forretress.  Go, Lulz: use Spikes!

Shortly thereafter, Black/White was announced - a whole new, Fifth Generation.  I was incredibly disiniterested at first.  The excitement of HG/SS was more nostalgiac than anything.  I wasn't really ready for another Pokemon game.

However, as the date of March 5 approaches, the saliva in my mouth froths.  I am genetically anticipatory of a new Pokemon game.  I scour the internet for images of what might be my next companion.  And this sudden flood of interest is what qualifies me to put Pokemon Black/White in the Want! column.  At a pricetag of $35, it's not all that expensive for a new game, but I might have to settle for actually beating Diamond/Pearl before justifying a shovel out for it right now...