Sunday Roundup: 9/27/15

Collecting two weeks, this Sunday Roundup has a few targeted pickups I knew I was going to grab, as well as some totally random ones, and even some awesome sale prices! Whenever there are sales that lump together a few solid games and some average one in a bundle price, I’ll always take a look if not grab a few to add to the collection. It’s good, though, these don’t come by too often, otherwise I’d have no money at all!

 

Diablo III on PS4 is Better than Diablo III on PC

Diablo III has been out on PC for over three years, and it’s expansion Reaper of Souls for one. When it was released, I was there on day one to pick up the sequel to one of the PCs greatest games ever, and one  I have truly fond memories with (it’s one of the only games I had two separate yet significant amount of times with). I played through the whole campaign, maxed out my Witch Doctor and Demon Hunter, and even picked up a few legendaries. But when all was said and done, Diablo III just didn’t leave the same impact with me as its predecessor. Even the expansion, which added some sweet new content, didn’t pull me in like D2.

But then the PS4 version came out. More specifically, it was on sale on Amazon and I decided to pick it up.

Having cleared all five acts and taken on some Rifts, I can safely say Diablo III is a game tailored for the console crowd.

 

Sunday Roundup: 9/13/15

Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL Wii Release Date: November 15th, 2011 Purchased at: GameStop (Cupertino, CA – $5) While looking at games on the shelf, sometimes I have to reference my app on my phone to see if I already have a game. While purchasing this one I looked it up and discovered I do actually have it, but on PS3. I’m trying to recall when I actually bought this game on PS3, and I’m having a really hard time. Anyway, Punch Time Explosion XL is a Super Smash Bros.-like game but with Cartoon Network characters. I’m hoping it’ll provide some fun reminiscing if nothing else.

Furu Furu Park Wii Release Date: January 16th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $2) Finally! After skipping on this game a year or two ago at a separate GameStop, I’ve finally found a second copy and I was not going to pass it up. Thankfully, in that two year time frame, the game dropped even more in price! Furu Furu Park is a super old Wii title that incorporates familiar Taito properties like Puzzle Bobble and spins them in the then-new feeling minigame collection! It’s not a good game by any means, but the novelty is enough to warrant a buy.

Arcade Shooting Gallery Wii Release Date: November 17th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (San Jose, CA – $1) You really can’t be too upset when a game you purchase for a dollar turns out to be complete garbage. So when I eventually get around to this game and it turns out to be complete garbage I won’t be too upset! I’ve been trying gather up most of the Wii’s on-rails shooters, and this is just one of them.

Super Mario Maker Wii U Release Date: September 11th, 2015 Purchased at: Target (San Jose, CA – $55) The hype around this game is what really got me. I am not one who really latches on to games that allow you to create your own levels. For some reason I just never felt like creating a stage was all that fun, but I do know some people live for that kind of stuff in games. What really sold me on this, though, was it’s presence at this year’s E3: the insanity of some of those levels, with multiple Bowsers on screen, and inclusion of dozens of Amiibo as characters, I really couldn’t pass this by. It is also a Mario game, so there’s that seal of approval as well. Here’s hoping it’ll be a great game for the Wii U!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 9/6/15

A much overdue Roundup brings together almost an entire month’s worth of game pickups. I’ve been quite busy this past month with work and all that jazz, and not so crazy on the video games front. That being said, I did attend PAX Prime this past weekend (you can read some articles on games I wrote here, and here!) and picked up some games there. On top of that, I’m getting dangerously close to the 2,000th game in the collection! And in a couple weeks there’s going to be a city-wide garage sale I’m hoping to utilize to reel in some great new finds. So there’s lots of exciting stuff going on, and let’s get started!

 

Preview: The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes

I’m happy Nintendo keeps revisiting the idea of multiplayer Zelda games. If you haven’t played any of the Four Swords games before (which I can totally believe, because getting together four people with a Game Boy Advance and Link Cable each, and a copy of the Gamecube game is challenging) then you’re actually missing out on something special. When there are multiple Link’s on the screen, vying for the same items, rupees, and points, things get chaotic. And it’s not like any other Zelda game, because the puzzles are totally different, the gameplay can take interesting twists not seen in other games, and it still remains Zelda and it is still fun!

Coming later this year is The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes for the Nintendo 3DS. A multiplayer focused portable Zelda game isn’t anything new, but the way this game feels and the odd-yet-familiar approach to gameplay and puzzles certainly is. I was able to get a hands-on with the game during PAX Prime 2015 and have some thoughts to share with you on the newest entry in the classic series.

 

Preview: Battleborn

A little bit Borderlands and a little bit MOBA, Gearbox’s new game Battleborn promises to keep the action high and the bullets flowing in 2016. Initial fears that the game will be too much like Borderlands are well grounded: Battleborn looks like Borderlands, it kind of plays like Borderlands, and it almost has the exact same amount of letters in its title as Borderlands. But if the demo at PAX Prime 2015 has proven anything, it’s that Battleborn feels different than its predecessor.