Not only is this the holiday season, a time of merriment, gift-giving, time with family and friends, and the opportunity to spend some time away from work (it is all of these things), but it's also the time for the huge Steam sale. Tons of games, old and new, and ridiculously discounted prices. So far, i've picked up:
- Trine
- Lucas Arts Adventure Pack (2 Indiana Jones games, Loom, and The Dig)
- Braid
- Osmos
- Indigo Prophecy
- Oddworld Pack (including Oddyssey and Exodus)
I check back every day to see if anything new pops up that I just can't live without. Hopefully it will end soon, because I shouldn't be buying the games I have (even though I've only spent about $20 total). If nothing else, this should set me up for a while with gaming goodness, not to mention the fact that I've been hesitant to dive into Dragon Age: Origins because I don't have the time to commit to a real playthrough. It's a good time to be a gamer, just not so good for one that doesn't have a lot of time!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
My Top 5 Games of 2009
Jumping back into the blogging thing, and onto the bandwagon of the innumerable 'best' and 'worst' lists that inevitably appear at this time, I've decided to put together my list of 'Top 5 Games of 2009.' This list is compiled with the understanding that I simply didn't have the time and/or money to really delve into the incredible amount of quality games that appeared on the scene in twenty-aught-nine.
So, without further ado, here are my choices for the 5 best games I played in 2009.
5. Retro Game Challenge (DS) - There's nothing I enjoy more than being reminded of the carefree days of my youth, rabidly consuming all of the NES games I could get my hands on. Retro Game Challenge scratched that itch incredibly well, with 8-bit style games, fused with 2+ of game design evolution. The developer's understanding of what makes a great game coupled with the desire to evoke the 'golden years' of gaming produced a loving trip down memory lane, even though none of these games existed back then.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (XBox 360) - I chronicled my journey with this game in some detail in previous entries in this blog. Multiple game mechanics, smooth melee combat, impressive visuals, and doing justice to one of the most maligned franchise licenses in gaming history makes this game worthy of anyone's year-end best list.
3. Shadow Complex (XBox Live Arcade) - This game stirred up a tempest in a teapot when it was released, because of the beliefs of the game's lead writer, but looking beyond this will find you looking at a game that plays like Super Metroid, powered by the Unreal Engine. Need I say more?
2. Plants Vs. Zombies (PC) - I arrived late to this party, but boy am I glad I came. Simple tower defense game mechanics made challenging and interesting, all wrapped in a well-written, genuinely funny and cute shell continues to suck precious time out of my day. The additional puzzles, challenge, and survival modes, combined with the expensive items in the store to save up and buy, give this game some serious legs.
1. Borderlands (PC) - Very good FPS mechanics, Diablo style loot system and a paper-thin story you forget about 5 minutes in? The perfect recipe for my top game of 2009. I sunk 30+ hours into this game, and enjoyed every minute of it. The need to find the perfect gun, and then when you find it, wanting to find the next perfect gun kept me playing for a long time. If Gearbox, the developer, can find a way to include more story into the inevitable sequel, it will be a monster.
Honorable Mention: Fallout 3 DLC (PC) - Another hit of my favorite gaming drug from 2008? Yes please. Wait, 5 more hits? Most definitely! The addition of the 5 DLC packs to Fallout 3 pushed my total game time to over 100 hours in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. I could talk about this game for hours, and regale you with stories of exploration and discovery. That's a good thing, because the original ending (and essentially its removal with the third DLC pack, Broken Steel) makes this a case of 'the sum of the journey is greater than the destination.'
So there you have it, my modest 'best of' list for the past year. 2010 is shaping up to be even leaner than 2009, considering that I now have 3 little ones vying for my attention, but I'll never give up the dream of enough money to pay for my gaming habit and enough time to play the games I want. It doesn't hurt to dream, right?
So, without further ado, here are my choices for the 5 best games I played in 2009.
5. Retro Game Challenge (DS) - There's nothing I enjoy more than being reminded of the carefree days of my youth, rabidly consuming all of the NES games I could get my hands on. Retro Game Challenge scratched that itch incredibly well, with 8-bit style games, fused with 2+ of game design evolution. The developer's understanding of what makes a great game coupled with the desire to evoke the 'golden years' of gaming produced a loving trip down memory lane, even though none of these games existed back then.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (XBox 360) - I chronicled my journey with this game in some detail in previous entries in this blog. Multiple game mechanics, smooth melee combat, impressive visuals, and doing justice to one of the most maligned franchise licenses in gaming history makes this game worthy of anyone's year-end best list.
3. Shadow Complex (XBox Live Arcade) - This game stirred up a tempest in a teapot when it was released, because of the beliefs of the game's lead writer, but looking beyond this will find you looking at a game that plays like Super Metroid, powered by the Unreal Engine. Need I say more?
2. Plants Vs. Zombies (PC) - I arrived late to this party, but boy am I glad I came. Simple tower defense game mechanics made challenging and interesting, all wrapped in a well-written, genuinely funny and cute shell continues to suck precious time out of my day. The additional puzzles, challenge, and survival modes, combined with the expensive items in the store to save up and buy, give this game some serious legs.
1. Borderlands (PC) - Very good FPS mechanics, Diablo style loot system and a paper-thin story you forget about 5 minutes in? The perfect recipe for my top game of 2009. I sunk 30+ hours into this game, and enjoyed every minute of it. The need to find the perfect gun, and then when you find it, wanting to find the next perfect gun kept me playing for a long time. If Gearbox, the developer, can find a way to include more story into the inevitable sequel, it will be a monster.
Honorable Mention: Fallout 3 DLC (PC) - Another hit of my favorite gaming drug from 2008? Yes please. Wait, 5 more hits? Most definitely! The addition of the 5 DLC packs to Fallout 3 pushed my total game time to over 100 hours in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. I could talk about this game for hours, and regale you with stories of exploration and discovery. That's a good thing, because the original ending (and essentially its removal with the third DLC pack, Broken Steel) makes this a case of 'the sum of the journey is greater than the destination.'
So there you have it, my modest 'best of' list for the past year. 2010 is shaping up to be even leaner than 2009, considering that I now have 3 little ones vying for my attention, but I'll never give up the dream of enough money to pay for my gaming habit and enough time to play the games I want. It doesn't hurt to dream, right?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Family +1
It's been some time since I posted here, mostly because of the birth of our third child, Emily Michelle. She's a wonderful, healthy little lady, but she seems to enjoy the nightlife a bit much. Since I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, and can't seem to get the dull ache behind my eyes to go away, sitting down to write hasn't been a high priority. Soon I'll get back into a more regular (if I ever was regular, ha) posting schedule.
I can say, without hesitation, that Emily is a wonderful addition to the Grant clan, and there is one very proud big sister in the house, willing and eager to help in whatever way she can. Isabelle loves her sister, and is proving to be quite the mommy's little helper. Nick, on the other hand, thinks his new little sister is ok, but is a bit disappointed she doesn't have wheels (his favorite things in the whole world being cars of all kinds).
That's all for now, but I'll be back to my uninteresting babble about games and such soon.
I can say, without hesitation, that Emily is a wonderful addition to the Grant clan, and there is one very proud big sister in the house, willing and eager to help in whatever way she can. Isabelle loves her sister, and is proving to be quite the mommy's little helper. Nick, on the other hand, thinks his new little sister is ok, but is a bit disappointed she doesn't have wheels (his favorite things in the whole world being cars of all kinds).
That's all for now, but I'll be back to my uninteresting babble about games and such soon.
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