The Pile of Shame

So here it is the actual pile of shame! So it's about 10 less cases than actual games on the pile of shame. That is because some of the games are anthologies and I have a few Games on Demand and Steam games. Last year I was almost vehemently opposed to "digital downloads" replacing physical media, but I have done a complete 180 on that. It may not look like a lot of games in a neat pile, but is taking up a significant amount of space that those Steam and Games on Demand games aren't.

There are still advantages to physical copies of games though. I like having the manuals and being able to quickly look at all my games in one place. I am much more likely to actually play a game if it is someplace I can see.

No big update this week, I haven't made any progress on my pile of shame, but I hope to plug away some more next week. I did get Warioware D.I.Y. from Gamefly this week. I was initially taken by the possibilities and glad that they spelled things out explicitly. But now I've become frustrated with the many limitations. The plan is this week to finish up some achievements in NBA 2K10 and UFC Undisputed 2010 and then try to plug away at Rock Band 2. Oh yeah, and enjoy some more Super Mario Galaxy 2 if I have time.

Where you at?

So, where have I been for the past few weeks? I haven't been meaningfully neglected this blog, but too many other things have gotten in the way such as work and life. I haven't chipped away much at the ol' pile of shame at all lately.

I have been steadily attacking Rock Band 2, slowly but surely. That campaign seems a lot longer than the original's or maybe its my lack of four hour play sessions.  As excited as I was for Green Day Rock Band I believe I may know wait until 2 is polished off.

I have completed a few games since the last post, which is keeping them off of the pile of shame if not helping to decrease its overall size. I got really caught up in Mass Effect 2 and burned through that pretty quickly. And I completed every single loyalty quest. To be honest, I'm sort of itching to 100% that game but there's just no way I'd have time for that. That whole world, it's characters, settings, and history is fascinating to me. Its world is quite possibly much more drawn out than the Star Wars Universe.

I also managed to complete New Super Mario Bros. Wii literally the night before Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out. That last dungeon is brutal. That whole game is extremely enjoyable. It felt more like an original game with original game mechanics than New Super Mario Bros on DS which I found a little soulless.

I've only played through about 15 stars of Galaxy 2. I think I'm a bit letdown because I may have let the hype get to me. The first Galaxy is in all serious my favorite game of all time. Galaxy 2 feels more polished and adds a ton of new gameplay elements, but I don't know if I've really reached a stage that wowed me as much as the first game. It may be a case of it feeling a bit like a re-tread. That being said, the more I play it the more I like it and the more it seems to open up. My opinion is likely to change drastically.

I've also been playing UFC Undisputed 2010 almost non-stop since I bought it last weekend. I'd just like to get good at, but that seems like a lost cause. Its fighting system is incredibly deep which is both good and bad. I get my ass kicked every time I go online but I don't get tired of the fighting like I do in wrestling and boxing games.

This week the name of the game is polish off a few achievements in NBA 2K10 and put that one to bed and continue drudging forward on Rock Band 2. With the World Cup going on I'll likely also be spending some time trying to finish off FIFA 10 as well.

That's it for this update. I'll return to a regular schedule and start giving some more frequent updates.

Pokemon Platinum and DSiWare on the Go

So, once again no time to play Rock Band 2 last week Still reviewing Red Steel 2, playing through Mass Effect 2, playing with my DSi XL, and Bioshock 2 came in the mail from Gamefly as well. So, I'm all about the sequels right now. I've also been playing quite a bit of NBA 2K10 because March Madness and the NBA Playoffs got me in the mood for it.We took a trip up to NJ for my Grandma's birthday so I ended up putting a chunk of time into playing DS and DSiWare games.

Its funny, when I was younger, even in High School, I was being driven around a lot more and had much more time to play Gameboy and DS. Since that time has passed I've tried a few things to get some more portable gaming in but it hasn't always worked.When Pokemon Fire Red came out I tried playing it on my GBA during workouts at the gym. It made the treadmill less tedious, but also made me queasy. When I first got my DS I tried playing it in bed before I went to sleep. Unfortunately, it often got me too wound up, especially while playing intense games like Contra 4 or Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. I bus commute to work everyday and that would be an ideal time to bust out the DS, but I like to use that time to catch up on my sleep. Also, after staring at a computer screen for 8 hours, I really don't feel like staring at another LCD screen. So now the majority of portable gaming happens on long family trips or long trips were my wife and I switch off driving.

Anyway, a few thoughts on the DSiWare shop. The majority of my DSiWare gaming has been with Art Style:Pictobits, Starship Defense, and the previously mentioned Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again.

It took me a while to wrap my head around Pictobits and not approach it like Tetris. I think I've got it down now, but I'm still getting overwhelmed at the end of levels. I may need to adjust my play style once more.

Starship Defense is Tower Defense game where you try to protect your ship. It has a cool Study Hall activity look with line drawings over a graph-paper background. It is a more accesible Tower Defense game than most as well. It teaches you weapons and strategies slowly and has a fast-forward button so you're not wasting away waiting for the next wave.

I would have spent more time with the DSiWare titles but the road was very bumpy and that made it hard to look at the shapes and react quickly. Couldn't play those games effectively because of that. So the majority of my time was spent with Pokemon Platinum. Before the trip I traded myself between my Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Platinum games. So now on Platinum I have two starter Pokemon.

I think it was a success pile of shame wise. I acquired my 6th badge,my Monferno evolved into an Infernape, and my Prinlup evolved into a Empoleon. I did spend quite a bit of time wandering around wondering what to do. Then I realized that since I had just acquired the HM Surf I had to Surf somewhere. It's a bit funny how little direction there is sometimes in what is supposed to be a kids' game.

Anyway, this is starting to be too long of a post, so I'll save my Pokemon history for another post. Back in the normal pile of shame, I am looking forward to some Rock Band 2 this week!

Update on No Updates

So, I didn't have time this week to play any games on my pile of shame. My currently playing list is growing to the point were my pile of shame will be growing larger soon as well. I am still playing through New Super Mario Bros. Wii from last November.  I just got to the World 8, and it's getting pretty interesting. I recently bought Dragon Age: Origins, and Mass Effect 2. I also got FIFA 10 and NBA 2K10 as late Christmas presents two months ago which I want to put more time into before the next versions come out. I also just got Red Steel 2 in for review so most of my gaming time has been spent on that.

Oh, and I just bought a  DSi XL. Which I'm enjoying. I really like the bigger screen. The camera stuff if  a fun distraction, even if it's not very capable. I also really like the DSiWare shop. I've only downloaded a few games, but I've enjoyed them so far. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is especially clever. I was disappointed in the Dr. Mario Express game. I was really hoping it would have stylus control. After playing the version of Dr. Mario on Brain Age 2. That felt like the most natural way to play the game. All I really want is a full version of Dr. Mario with stylus control. Is that so much to ask from Nintendo?

Anyway, so sorry, no update this week. I don't expect to be playing any Rock Band 2 this week. But  since I am currently enamored with my DSi XL and I'm going away next weekend I may play some Pokemon Platinum this week.