A Gaming Diary
Archive for November, 2005
Mario Kart DS
Nov 30th
It seems I’m still rubbish.
I did one online match against four opponents (after a huge wait to find anybody, oddly) and managed a lucky second finish after some finishing line squabbling on the final track, but I also managed to fall off the track three times on Delfino Square. (I came last on that one.)
Single player is where I’m really struggling. I can’t win that third 150cc cup. At all. Not even close. It’s distressing.
I just did some missions and they were easy enough… until I got to one on level two that I failed on, which led to me turning my DS off in distress.
Doom RPG
Nov 30th
Completed!
Took me five hours and twenty-three minutes, according to the end of game stats. That’s pretty huge for a mobile game.
I didn’t find all the secrets or anything, either.
Really, if you have a mobile phone that can play the game, this is so worth getting. I can confidently pronounce it the best mobile phone game I’ve ever played. I’m really quite upset that it’s over.
Mario Kart DS
Nov 29th
What’s happened?
My skills have deserted me!
I’ve just played a couple of Worldwide matches and come last in them both. I just can’t seem to steer or use items properly or stay on the track.
And I need to unlock that bike Kong was riding in my last match. It seems a bit fast. But I found a new shortcut on Delfine Square by being behind it, so that’s good.
Mario Kart DS
Nov 29th
Gah! I can’t do the second retro cup on 150cc! I just can’t do well in all the races. It’s weird. I didn’t have a problem until now and suddenly I’m rubbish. Weird.
And I just went online and played !niggle! (yes, that’s the correct name) and he beat me. Horribly. Might have had a chance if bloody Baby Park hadn’t been one of the tracks. Not that I won SNES Mario Circuit or Rainbow Road either, mind. I did at least come first on Luigi’s Mansion, which saved a small shred of my tattered pride.
Dr Mario & Puzzle League
Nov 29th
A new GBA game that does what it says on the tin. Nintendo seem to have snuck this one out. It doesn’t seem to be widely available and I wouldn’t have known it existed if it hadn’t been for a “Happy Birthday Mario” promo card that fell out of MCV the other week.
But it’s a version of Puzzle League that I can play on my Micro, so how I could refuse?
(For anyone in the dark, Puzzle League – also known as Tetris Attack and Panel de Pon, or something – is a Tetris-a-like that involves swapping blocks to form lines of three or more as they rise towards the ceiling. It’s probably my favourite of these types of puzzle game.)
It must be said, it reeks of a “will this do?” mentality. The interface is just a dodgy black font on a white background and while it does save high scores it only saves one for each game mode and not the variations in those modes. So Marathon has one high score, no matter which level and speed you started on. Which is fair enough, I guess, but not great. It does pack in a sleep mode, mind, which is nice.
The real “what the hell?” moment comes at the end of Marathon games. It plays the credits at the end. In full. And they’re unskippable. I think it’s only if you’ve got a new high score, but still, what were they thinking?
So, yes, if you want Puzzle League (or Dr Mario, I suppose, but I’ve not tried that yet) to play on your Micro, then this is what you need. But, really, compared to lavish attention that was paid to the old GBC Pokemon Puzzle League title this is just very lazy.
Doom RPG
Nov 29th
Sector seven is long.
(Especially when you die.)
I’m really annoyed that I seem to be getting towards the end now. It’s very long for a mobile game, but it’s still not long enough, damn it.
Mario Kart DS
Nov 27th
My DS batteries have run down again. It was fully charged until about half two today and now it’s dead again. I’ve not been playing it the whole time since then, either. A lot, but not the whole seven hours. Bah. Nintendo need to release an extra powerful battery.
Still, my Mario Kart online Win-Lose record now stands at 25-14, so I guess I’ve finally found a game I’m not completely awful at. Hooray!
The last win came from ugv*’s very own Fry. I’m actually worried about the long term viability of Mario Kart online. It seems to be quite difficult to find a game now, sometimes, so what’s it going to be like in six month’s time?
Mario Kart DS
Nov 27th
Just failed to win my first cup.
The second retro cup on 150cc. Stupid Bowser track killed me; I came in seventh.
So I quit out. There was no chance of me winning from there.
Mario Kart DS
Nov 27th
Three game series against Sue online.
We drew the first series 2-2, then I won 4-0 and then lost the third one 3-2, I think. Approximate numbers, anyway.
It’s just such good fun. How is that Edge only gave it eight out of ten and only mentioned the online part in passing, when it’s pretty much the heart of the thing?
Mario Kart DS
Nov 27th
Done all the 100cc new cups now. Got a D on the last one. Probably because I kept falling and/or being pushed off the track.
It’s actually quite good in single player mode. I keep forgetting that.
