Sunday Roundup: 2/1/15

When the game first came out back in 2008 it was met with heavy negative critical response, with many pointing out how poor the controls were and the overall lacking storyline. I think there was a Zero Punctuation about the video I recall being funny as well. Anyway, apparently the Wii version is nothing like that version as it has a similar storyline but different and, presumably because it’s on the Wii, different controls and gameplay. I’ve never actually played any Alone in the Dark game, but I have heard some of the older titles are great. Maybe they’ll get re-released and I can try them out too!

A game about fighter jets isn’t my cup of tea at all, but a cover with the Xseed logo in the corner is something I’m interested in. The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is a flight combat game based on an animated movie based on a Japanese novel series of the same name. While I likely won’t be playing this one, at just $2 it was an easy buy. The tie-in to the movie/novel series could bring in some collector’s value in the future as well. And for that matter, it doesn’t seem like a bad game judging by the back of the box.

Laura and I stopped by a new GameStop last week en route to picking up some games from someone off Craigslist (which are below). While this was easily one of the biggest GameStop’s in the area, it’s selection wasn’t too thrilling, if you couldn’t tell by the choice of game I picked up. Spy Games: Elevator Mission is an early Wii game exclusive to North America, which is probably a good thing judging by how terrible the game is suppose to be. But I love games like this. They’re cheap fun that I can play and be done with in a couple hours. And I’ll stream it all on Twitch for the whole world to see!

A listing on Craigslist for some PSP games (see below) lead to picking up another lot of games, this time for the DS. While there was nothing in this DS lot that really stood out (not included are a nice double sided leather carrying case, and a loose copy of Animal Crossing: Wild World), the overall price was what did it for me: it was just $20 for everything! Laura actually enjoys the Worms series, so maybe she’ll play this one. Worth nothing about this collection from Craigslist, every game is complete and in really great condition!

When I was looking at this lot online I thought I already owned a copy of Big Brain Academy, but apparently I didn’t! I guess I just kind of assumed a game as well known’ish as Big Brain Academy was one I’d already had, but I guess I was wrong. I do, however, own the Wii game, Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, so maybe I was confused there. So long story short: score on this awesome game!

Yeah, sometimes you get a group of games at a great price, but there are some games that aren’t really your forte. Don’t get me wrong: Phineas and Ferb the cartoon on Disney Channel is actually great, but I don’t know how I feel about the video game. Maybe I’ll give it over to my nephew who plays games (or at least used to) and enjoys the show. Maybe…

Sweet!! This was the game I saw initially on Craigslist that made me want to buy. Sweet Fuse is a graphic novel/romantic type game from Comcept, the company founded by Keiji Inafune, former Capcom R&D lead and creator of Mega Man, that is totally bonkers. Aside from actually being able to interact with (and romance) Mr. Inafune himself, you get to interact with a bunch of video game inspired amusement attractions at a new theme park! But seriously, I’m more than thrilled to have this one in the collection because it’s a great PSP game, from a wonderful creator, and super niche!

Sweet Fuse came paired with Worms: Open Warfare 2 for PSP here. I’m kind of wondering why the owner decided to buy the original Worms: Open Warfare on the DS and then the sequel a year later on the PSP. Maybe she didn’t really play the DS as much? Or maybe she just thought the PSP version was better. Or maybe it doesn’t really matter at all and I’m reading too deep into the matter.

I don’t usually browse through the loose DS games at GameStop, but this past week I had some extra time so I decided to take a look. I found a few games of interest, and then I found Virtual Villagers: A New Home, which I had never heard of before. Apparently the series has been out now for iOS devices for several years, but only one game was released on DS. Reviews online are sparse, but some say it’s good and others say it’s terrible. I think being based on an iOS game means I should keep my expectations low. But for a collection, I like this strange, unknown games. Loose or otherwise.

Man, I need to keep looking through these loose games, because apparently some excellent titles show up super cheap! Etrian Odyssey has gone on to me one of the DSs/3DSs elite RPG series’, with the latest releases on the 3DS being some of the best in the series, and my favorite game on the entire system. Though loose, the first game in the series is still a bit hard to come buy, and I’ll still keep my eyes open for a complete copy as well.

Again, I need to keep looking through these bins. Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers is a DS fighting game modeled after the console version of the ultra-good looking Guilty Gear series. I’ve always thought of the Guilty Gear series as a fighting game for fighting game fans only, but I guess after dabbling with the series more and more it is a bit more approachable than I initially thought. Anyway, I’ve only seen this game in the wild one other time, and while I’m kicking myself for not buying it a few years back ($5 AND complete), I’m happy to have this one in the collection now.

Dollar games! I really need to start that section of the blog, because if you follow me on Twitch (shameless plug, I know) you’ll know I already played the game, and it’s kind of awesome! It features Katamari Damacy-like gameplay, but you play as a tornado… thing, destroying all kinds of stuff for I really don’t know why. The point is, this game was absolutely amazing for just $1, and it’s also available on Xbox 360 and PS3. I’m looking to play, and possibly finish, the game later on, so check back here for more later!