Sunday Roundup: 12/25/11

I was a huge fan of the first game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I have very high expectations for this one. Reviews of the game say it’s off the charts in terms of a superhero game, and a fantastic game in its own right. I cannot wait to play this one! Only problem is, there are other games I received that I certainly will play first…

This game has been on my list for two years, and I am happy to get the chance to finally play it this year. I am a fan of the Castlevania series and am excited that this game has done fairly well. I usually stick to the handheld, 2D games, but this one looked to good to look past. Thanks, bro, for the game!

You’ve all probably heard of Dead Island, and if you haven’t then that means you haven’t seen this trailer. I am excited to play this RPG zombie survival epic, but I am disappointed, and I knew this earlier but it still makes me mad, that there is no local co-op. You can only play single player on your console, and the only multiplayer is online. Oh well, maybe there’s hope for an undated multiplayer mode in a possible sequel. Hey, it could happen.

Yesss! Haha, I am super happy to get this one. I’ve played the first two games in the series (here’s my review for the second one, Diabolical Box) and have enjoyed them very much, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. And there’s a fourth one already, so I’ve got a long way to go before I run out of my Layton fixes. Here’s to hundreds of more, fantastically done puzzles!

Out of all the games I received this Christmas I am probably most excited to play this one. I know, it’s strange, but something about Skylanders adding toys and RPGs together. It just seems to work to me. On top of that, the game is accessible by younger gamers too, so playing with my nine year old nephew should be fun as well. Here’s to crazy expensive products and video game tie-ins!

If I was only allowed to get one game this holiday season, it would be Skyrim. I thought Oblivion was fantastic, and the way Skyrim looks, plays, and tells its story simply blows me away. I cannot wait to get absorbed by this title. Now, if only I had the time… I smell January being the month I just don’t leave the house.

Spider-Man is by far my favorite superhero. Recently Batman has been in the news (for both his excellent video game and movie franchises), but I still have my allegiances to ol’ Spidey. Webslinging, protecting New York and the world, and being the little guy (of sorts) is always fun. Edge of Time went across my radar fairly quickly, being a superhero game doesn’t really mean anything good for your title, but this one still looks fun. We’ll see how it goes.

Super Mario 3D Land is the only game I’ve gotten into before writing this article. And I must say… it’s already shaping up to be the best original game on the system (I have to eliminate The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D because it’s a remake). The combination of 3D worlds with classics Mario gameplay is straight up genius. The game is so clever, so fun, and still challenging. It’s the entire package. I’m already on world 5 (of the standard 8) and I don’t see any other modes, so hopefully it isn’t over too quickly…

The Street Fighter series is so amazing, and fighting games are my favorite genre of video games, so Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition is a great gift! Added characters, levels, and tweaked moves aren’t that great of an addition, but I’ll still take it. I get to play as Yun? Sign me up!

I have only heard bad things about this game, but I had high hopes that it’d be a great title. What a letdown! Raising a mutant from the early onset of powers to a mature X-man sounds like a great idea, but the finished product is no where near as good as it should/could have been. Sigh… another great idea shot down by poor choices and gameplay.

Annnnnd repeat for the Wii. 🙂