Sunday Roundup: 6/5/16

It has been a busy couple of weeks! The end of May I went back home to watch my brother get married! It was amazing, of course, and it was the first time I was back home in Indiana in almost two years! The weekend immediately after was Fanime, an anime convention here in California that we’ve gone to for the past few years. We dressed up, we bought stuff, and we had a good time. Following that we had a friend move in with us until he can find a place of his own, and now Laura’s sister is back home for a couple weeks before her job starts! Phew! Thankfully though, a visit home means a ton of new video games I can’t get here in California! Let’s break it down!

 

Sunday Roundup: 4/24/16

A visit to Los Angeles for family and friends is great, and being able to hit up a couple used game shops along the way is even better! I haven’t been to LA in six years, so it was nice to get back there and see that some places were still the same, but others were totally revamped! Par for the course for a major city I suppose. Anyway, after a visit to a shop that wasn’t all too thrilling, my brother and I hit up a place that was literally, and I mean this in ever sense of the phrase, packed floor to ceiling with games from every console. It was a little piece of heaven that I can’t seem to find in my neck of the woods. Anyway, let’s get to it!

 

Sunday Roundup: 4/10/16

Hakuoki: Memories of the Shinsengumi 3DS Release Date: September 19th, 2013 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $18) Releasing a few years back, Hakuoki is as random a JRPG one can get on the 3DS. I decided to pick up this one for a couple reasons: I needed a game to fit into a Buy 2 Get 1 Free category to maximize the potential of the free game, and two it was released awhile ago and I likely won’t see too many more of it out there. The game isn’t particularly rare, and you can still find it on sites like Amazon, but it might be a game to keep in your collection. If for nothing else, it’s supposed to be a pretty decent strategy game.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U Release Date: November 18th, 2012 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $18) Way back in 2012 I reviewed this game for the 3DS and was impressed by its variety in levels, characters, and quality of the racing in general. I have heard good things from a lot of people about this Wii U version (which also happens to be a console launch title!), with some people going so far as to say it’s a superior game to Mario Kart. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I’m all for games I can play with my friends on the couch! Unfortunately though this might just be a two player co-op game. Can anyone shed some extra light on this for me?

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition PlayStation 4 Release Date: October 27th, 2015 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – Free) The original Darksiders happened to be one of the very first games I ever reviewed for the now defunct Inside Gaming blog of the Machinima network. I thought it was pretty great back then, but not great enough to pickup the sequel until this “Deathinitive” re-release. Granted, I have had the game on Xbox 360 for awhile now, but this is in HD! Following Death as he fights in the war between the Angels and Demons, Darksiders II takes what made the first game memorable (the Legend of Zelda-esque exploration and gameplay) and makes it all better and pretty on the PS4!

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Wii Release Date: March 24th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Cupertino, CA – $2) A port of an old point-and-click adventure game released on the PC way back in 1996, Broken Sword has gone down as one of the more influential games of the genre. Despite this, and the countless systems this game has come out for, I feel like the game has still gone unplayed by a lot of gamers, myself included! The game is a story driven adventure centering around the Knights Templar, a terrorist attack in Paris, France, and the mysteries around those involved. It’s interesting, don’t get me wrong, but I almost feel taken aback by how old the game is I don’t want to even try it. But we’ll see; maybe I’ll be surprised by it one day!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 3/20/16

Pokken Tournament Wii U Release Date: March 18th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $50) The only pickup this week is the mashup we never thought would happen: Pokken Tournament. I was able to spend a bit of time with it (and Laura’s playing it as I’m writing this article), but so far I’m impressed. I think something I never thought I’d say in my entire life is that the launch of the Pokemon fighting game has been markedly better than the launch of Capcom’s Street Fighter V. I mean, damn, that’s saying something! The unique fighting style in Pokken is fun, at least as of now, and I’m enjoying what the game has to offer in the variety of each character. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some streams up soon! Did anyone else pick up this Wii U exclusive this week?

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 3/6/16

Mega Man Star Force: Leo DS Release Date: August 7th, 2007 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $7) Another random stop into GameStop after work, another sweet find! I believe the last time I was at the store someone had dropped off a boatload of quality DS games which I was more than happy to swoop in and call my own. I am pretty sure these Mega Man Star Force games were hers as well, because I remember the GameStop associate telling me they were in there. I passed then, but this time around there was a Buy 2 Get 1 Free on old DS and Wii games, so I went to town and essentially got a near-complete Star Force series!

Mega Man Star Force 2: Zenker x Ninja DS Release Date: June 24th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $6) The first game had three iterations; Leo, Pegasus, and Dragon. Not unlike the Pokemon franchise, these different version offered up exclusive stuff you could only get in that specific game, but largely offered the same gameplay otherwise. After the first game, there were only two versions released per entry.

Mega Man Star Force 2: Zenker x Saurian DS Release Date: June 24th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) Seen as a sort of spiritual successor to the Mega Man Battle Network series, the Star Force series is actually set way in the future and doesn’t have any direct connections to its predecessor. Apparently this was done to not alienate new players by having a backstory set in, believe it or not, six prior Battle Network games! Despite this, the gameplay is largely the same, with grid-based combat decided by chips the player can use to battle enemies. RPG elements abound!

Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace DS Release Date: June 30th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) The final chapter in the Star Force series! I haven’t played any of series but I hear this one is left off on a cliffhanger. I haven’t heard of anything else coming for this series, so if you ever find yourself looking for Star Force 4 you can probably keep hoping. Sadly, Capcom seems to have forgotten almost entirely about the Blue Bomber. Even if it is another one of these off-shoot games, at least we’d know the company still cares about him!

Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker DS Release Date: June 30th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $3) Back in 2001 I was pumped for the release of the Battle Network series. It was Mega Man but in RPG form, what wasn’t to like? And in most respects that original game was great… it just wasn’t the Mega Man I grew up with. Much the same here: this just doesn’t feel or look like Mega Man. It’s almost as if they attached the name just to make it sell better. Which is sad, because as its own world and series I might have been more interested.

Mega Man Zero Collection DS Release Date: June 8th, 2010 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $16) Another series originally starting out on the Game Boy Advance, the Mega Man Zero games had their own storyline and characters (and gameplay style) separate from the core Mega Man X games. The biggest defining factor of these games (of which all four are collected on the DS cartridge) were playing as Zero instead of Mega Man exclusively (at least I think exclusively, I only played the first), and a hardcore difficulty curve. Nothing unbeatable, but it looked back to the original Mega Man games of yore. I really liked the first game, and it’s a shame there aren’t any more of these coming out, either!

Pop Cutie DS Release Date: September 30th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) Sometimes it’s the games you’ve never heard of which are the most fun to find! Pop Cutie is a fashion editor simulation game which has you creating the next big fashion line! Believe me, I wouldn’t be caught with this game if it didn’t have a great premise and a killer price tag. Usually it sells for much more than, well, FREE, online. Oh, and your clientele aren’t normal people: instead you sell to eccentric people who want all kinds of ridiculous things! It was a hit in Japan, and honestly it sounds like a pretty good time! And for free? Yeah…

Time Hollow DS Release Date: September 23rd, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $2) Dude… Dude! When I saw this title on the bottom shelf I literally said outloud (though to myself), “Time Hollow, holy shit!” I’ve been looking for this game ever since I found out about it nearly five years ago. A visual novel in the same style as Virtue’s Last Reward or Hotel Dusk, Time Hollow lets you travel through time to solve the mysteries around you, your family, and the strange pen that’s letting you time travel in the first place. I think it’s been well received, but I feel like the real reason I’m happy to have it is because it’s been so damn long since I’ve wanted it, and this is the first and only time I’ve ever seen a copy!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Wii U Release Date: March 4th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $58) The only mainstream Zelda game I’ve never played came out this week on the Wii U. Annnnd I can’t play it right now, because our TV is broken! Ugh! Well, we do have a second TV, but Laura’s been playing through Mass Effect, so it’s kind of hard without another option. But I swear, I’m going to play this one and make sure I can say I have at least played it! Also fun fact, I now have the game on the Wii U, Wii, and the GameCube! Booyah!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 2/21/16

Street Fighter V PS4 Release Date: February 16th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $54) Several years after Street Fighter IV revitalized the community’s (and my own) interest in the fighting game genre, Capcom has officially released the next installment in the grondbreaking fighting series. Street Fighter V has been in Beta for quite some time, and that only makes me wonder why the game isn’t as polished as I had hoped. I’ve been met with frequent disconnects online, no penalty for rage quitting, and the overall lack of modes and a strange way to select your characters via online battle are holding this one back for me. Right out of the gate though, SFIV was solid but lacked a lot of content, and it took Capcom several years to get it looking perfect with Ultra. So maybe this game just needs some more time in the incubator to come out pristine!

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright 3DS Release Date: February 19th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $34) Oh man, finally! The sequel to the 3DS’ excellent Fire Emblem: Awakening is here, and it comes in two packages! Birthright lets you follow the path of the Hoshido rather than the Nohr. So far from what I’ve played, it seems the Hoshido are more of the “good guys” if you could call them anything. It might be too early to decide, though. Also, I’ve hit a snag in one of the early chapters where it’s actually getting pretty tough to win! I’ll have to keep at it though. Even though I’ve lost, I’m still thinking of ways I want to try again to win, and that’s a definite good sign!

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest 3DS Release Date: February 19th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $34) Since the special edition which contained both games in one cartridge sold out instantly, I decided to just pick up both copies separately. Sure, it won’t be as cool as owning that special edition, but it’ll look nice on a shelf right next to Birthright. This game has you follow the Nohr and is supposed to be a lot more difficult when compared to Birthright. Because of that I decided to wait for this one until I beat the other, but almost all outlets are saying you should definitely play both to enjoy the story fully.

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 2/14/16

Way back in 2013 when I was just visiting California I decided to check out one of the local used game stores. While I found some games there and the owner had an impressive selection, I never decided to go back there once I moved here because of the prices. They weren’t terrible, they were just fair. And while fair is fine, I’m not usually looking for fair (I’m looking for great!). This week I decided to check out Game World once again, hoping maybe some things had changed. Well, the place was just as cramped and overflowing as before, and the prices were just the same. Regardless, maybe I’ll have to check out the place more simply because it’s really the only place to get PS2 and earlier era games! Let’s take a look at this week’s haul.

 

Sunday Roundup: 2/7/16

Culdcept Saga Xbox 360 Release Date: February 5th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Campbell, CA – $9) Wow, such a cool find at this store! I’ve heard of the Culdcept series before, but never knew it was released on the 360. More importantly I never knew the series was comparable to the board game Monopoly! Players traverse around the game board, purchasing land/locations in hopes others will land on it and pay their fee. Instead of setting up hotels to ensure the most return, you actually summon monsters to guard your locations, which other players can then challenge and defeat to claim the land as their own! It’s like Fortune Street but replace the stock market with freakin’ dragons! How has this series escaped me all this time, because that sounds fantastic!

Record of Agarest War Zero Xbox 360 Release Date: June 14th, 2011 Purchased at: GameStop (Campbell, CA – $4) I’ve seen this games on the shelf for years now, and only this week decided to take them home. This is a prequel to the original Record of Agarest War, also on the 360, and features similar gameplay. As far as recognizable RPGs go, even on the 360, these games aren’t ever mentioned. I wonder if it’s just another generic RPG with nothing to call it’s own. Wikipedia says there’s a generation thing going on, in which your main protagonist has a child who becomes the new main protagonist as the timeline continues. So that’s cool, but if it’s the only thing the game has going for it, playing for several dozen hours will be tedious.

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 1/31/16

A handful of DS games and a duo of games I’ve literally been spending years trying to track down finally fell into my collection this week! After our move, I’m living closer to a different GameStop than before, but seeing as I still work at the same Target, I happen to be close to that ol’ GameStop of mine. And man, this week they delivered: apparently a “regular” who goes to this store often turned in dozens of great DS games. They were all loose, but some of them had incredible prices! I couldn’t say no to these and a few duplicates for possible reselling. Hmm… maybe I’ll finally start getting into that this year…

 

Sunday Roundup: 1/17/16

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PS2 Release Date: October 21st, 2003 Purchased at: Goodwill (Sunnyvale, CA – $6) The first pickup of 2016 isn’t anything special. In fact I don’t even know if I’d call this the first pickup: it’s so small. On top of that, I haven’t had time to really check out a lot of places and track some decent stuff down. Regardless, I was happy to see this PS2 game complete on the shelf. There’s a nice little beat ’em up series of Turtles games on the PS2, so maybe this will be the year I can track them all down!

Laters,
Jsick