Update: An odd bug involving plugged in USB peripherals was causing a number of the performance issues I mentioned. I’m leaving the text relatively unchanged and updated my final verdict. Thanks to Joel of FrozenByte for the fix.
I’ve been wanting to buy the physics based puzzle platformer, Trine, since mid-2009. But I was always waiting and waiting for the eventual PSN release. When it was finally made available in North America, it was right in the middle of the 2009 holiday gaming blitz. I also heard unflattering things concerning the game’s performance. At $19.99? I’m wasn’t going to take the gamble on that. So I decided to wait and months later I was able to download it for $9.99.
I’m so glad I waited for the sale. This game does run like garbage and is fine example of a great idea marred by technical issues.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for me to catch up and write about games I missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
I’ve never finished Diablo. In fact, I’ve never ventured beyond the second or third floor; it just didn’t click with me at the time. Time passed and so did the ever popular Diablo II. By the time I upgraded my computer and was willing to give dungeon crawlers another look, Diablo II seemed dated so I gave Dungeon Siege a tour.
I didn’t finish that either.
The next game I wanted to try was Mythos, but the demise of Flagship Studios put an end to that dream. The next logical game I would have been Blizzard’s Diablo III, but from the ashes of the fallen Flagship Studios rose Runic Games who put together one of the finest Diablo clones to-date, Torchlight.
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I’ve tried to play Final Fantasy Tactics on three separate occasions. But no matter how many times I try, I eventually give up. This behavior wasn’t exclusive to Square Enix’s strategy role playing games either; Sega’s classic, Shining Force II, was also abandoned after numerous attempts as well. I’ve always wondered why. I’m not against turn-based games and I do enjoy strategy in my games, but something about these SRPGs simply didn’t click with me.
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Do you like Tetris Attack? Do you like hack n’ slash platformers? If you answer “yes” to only one of them, you should reconsider Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure because it sports both. This fusion of genres works wonderfully and credit to the EA Tiburon guys for bringing this unique concept to fruition. But as much as I enjoyed it, I wished it was a tad more concise.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
Tackling a lengthy role playing game with a flaky disc drive is not a good idea. This was why it took so long for me to play Sakaguchi’s Final Fantasy equivalent for Microsoft. I wish I could have shaken off the Final Fantasy comparisons though. Was it my fault for seeing them? Or was it Mistwalker’s and Feelplus’ for dressing this game with such familiar garbs?
I lay the “blame” with the developers, but not because of appearances. Aside from a few special affects and menu similarities, Lost Odyssey established its own visual identity with some of the most peculiar designs decisions I’ve ever seen. There were soldiers with giant looped helmets, guys wearing armor with exposed mid-drifts and the ability to dress said guys with the most effeminate accessories possible. Still, I liked the designs of the core party members themselves; I’m particularly fond of Seth and Sed’s.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
Just under sixty hours were dedicated to completing Atlus’ latest entry to their Shin Megami Tensei Persona series. Persona 3: FES set a precedent for what I was expecting out of Persona game. There was going to be relationship development. There was going to be a serious dose of style. There was going to be some wickedly streamlined turn based battles. Persona 4 delivered on those expectations and then some. Atlus outdid themselves with Persona 4; it’s one hell of a game.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
The era of Electronic Arts and new original intellectual properties has returned. This past holiday season we witnessed two new franchises sprout from two of EA’s most talented teams: Mirror’s Edge from DICE and Dead Space from EA Redwood Shores. Admittedly, I was amongst the skeptics when I first laid eyes on this sci-fi horror title; it reeked of Doom 3 and its derelict setting. I discarded those prejudicedes, gave Dead Space the benefit of the doubt and I was handsomely rewarded for it.
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