Sunday Roundup: 1/29/12

Another visit to Lafayette and another trip into Disc Replay. What that all boils down to is me finding new excuses to throw my money away. Personally it’s always a small victory every time I get to buy a new old game: I feel like I’m doing the game a personal favor by freeing it from the confines of the store rack. Also, there were some great deals at Best Buy this week: Lots of new game for just about every console were on clearance. And to make things better, I felt even more victorious this week since I wasn’t able to get any new titles the previous week! Huzzah!

 

Sunday Roundup: 1/8/12

The first roundup of the new year, and it’s a rare one for me. I am not one to buy game for systems haphazardly, though it may appear otherwise. I usually stick to my plan and buy games to add to my collection. But how often do you find complete in box Nintendo Entertainment System games? Freaking never!

 

 

 

Yearly Roundup: 2011

As 2011 comes to an end, I thought it would be a cool idea to look back at the year in games. Specifically, the year in games added to my ever-growing library. If you’re a frequent visitor to the site (I greatly hope you are!) you’ll no doubt know I do a weekly blog post about my newest games. So below I’ve collected every game I added this year (well, really only half-year, because I started this blog in late July). I’ve also linked any relevant posts I’ve done about said games, like reviews, Modern Classics, and gameplay videos. Enjoy the small retrospective, and here’s to another fantastic year in gaming in 2012!

 

What Makes A Game “Rare”?

To follow up on my last post about video game collecting, I wanted to go through some of the games in my collection and discuss why they are considered to be “rare.” A game can fluctuate in price fairly easily and the cause of this change can originate from many different places, not the least of which being scarcity of the item. So as a collector, what do you need to look for in a game, and more importantly, what games should you look for to add that special gem to your collection.

 

Gameplay Vault: Bloody Roar II

As stated before, I picked up the first two Bloody Roar games a few weeks back and have been enjoying them since. I recently completed a run through off the first game and have moved on to the second. Playing the two games in sequence was actually quite fun: I noticed the enhancements that were made, the additions and tweaks that changed the game for the better, and the strange omission of other intricacies. Oh yeah, and I also beat this game, too.

 

 

 

Things Learned From Being A Game Reviewer

I’ve been writing video game reviews for over two years now, and there’s been some things I’ve learned over that span of time. I don’t mean better writing techniques, for which I’ve picked up quite a few, but rather the things you don’t think about until they rear their head. Since not everyone has written reviews before, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my time spent writing, and give some insight on what it takes to be a freelance video game reviewer.

 

 

 

Gameplay Vault: X-Men: Children of the Atom

I finally got some play time in with this classic. Initial reports weren’t as expected.

 

 

 

 

Gameplay Vault: Skeleton Warriors

I found this title earlier in the week at a used game store for two bucks. Needless to say, my hopes weren’t high. The game came out sometime around the launch of the original Playstation in 1996 (about a year after initial release), and for an early title it’s not horrible. Just watch and see for yourself.

 

 

 

Review: Rochard

I remember when the Xbox Live Arcade title Shadow Complex released in 2009 and thinking, “Man, I wish I had an Xbox to play that!” I didn’t regret purchasing my PS3, but I felt sad that I couldn’t play the Metroidvania-style action game. Fast forward to 2011 and PS3 owners get their own exclusive side-scrolling Metroidvania type game in the form of Rochard. Combining the action of retro side-scrollers, an upgrade system reminiscent of the Metroid series, and a heavy emphasis on physics puzzle solving, Rochard is a fantastic downloadable title that PS3 owners should be proud to call an exclusive.

 

Review: Barbarian

So a game catches my eye and I pick it up. “10 different characters each with their own massive storyline and quest,” “10 huge multi-levled fighting arenas,” and even an “RPG character upgrade system depending on experience earned.” This game seems to have everything I want in a fighter. Well, I wasn’t quite thinking straight this day. Barbarian for the PS2 is a sluggish and non-thrilling 3D fighter that has great potential but falls well short of the finish line.