A Gaming Diary
360
Bionic Commando Rearmed (360)
Aug 26th
Completed!
Okay, so it’s only on Easy and I haven’t found many secrets or done the tunnels or the vast majority of the challenge levels… but, still, completed!
The last level is incredibly long and difficult – even with what I assume are added platforms for Easy mode – but I got there in the end.
Fantastic game. I plan to play it more, but I’m not sure I could ever finish it on Normal mode. However, I may try.
Bionic Commando Rearmed (360)
Aug 26th
I think I’m over half-way through this now, but if I have the time I’d love to run through it on Normal once I’ve finished Easy. And I’ve only done two challenge levels.
Apparently, this has been a big success for a downloadable title and it fully deserves it. More games should have this much care, polish and understanding pumped into their development.
I enjoyed Braid, but it was just a good game – Bionic Commando takes that extra step into something special, for me.
Bionic Commando Rearmed (360)
Aug 24th
Got stuck for a fair while on a secret bit of a level which was very hard indeed, but since then I’ve been more or less sailing through the game. The bosses are especially easy, which is nice. I know I’m playing on Easy mode, but it’s nice that it actually is.
It’s really, really good, this. I’m very impressed.
It’s pretty much the perfect remake, I think, taking the original and modernising it with skill, not a sledgehammer.
Bionic Commando Rearmed (360)
Aug 23rd
This how good this is.
When I finished the first level, instead of going to the next one, I decided to play through it again, boss and all, because it was just so much fun. (And I was hoping I might find one or two secrets, but I didn’t.)
I’m playing on “Easy”, which seems to translate into “Mostly Possible”, and I am having a great time.
TIP: The Advanced Tutorial and gun upgrades found in level 00 are both very, very useful.
Soul Calibur IV (360)
Aug 23rd
I played this for a long time today. I enjoyed myself. I found it difficult to stop playing. I played with different characters, in different modes. I spent a fair while editing a character. It was good.
But I’m just not getting better. I’m not improving one little bit. I have my skill level and it seems to be completely fixed. It makes the whole experience feel a bit empty, fun as it is.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo (360)
Aug 23rd
Played this again this morning, just to check I was right about it first time.
It turns out I was. It’s great, chaotic fun, but it’s a bit too hard to choose exactly which object you want to use the force on. If anything, I enjoyed it more the second time through, due to knowing what I was doing.
I also started noticing the little things more. Like a Stormtrooper putting his hand on a container to steady himself when getting up off the floor. Or a rebel soldier doggedly hanging on to another container I was waving around the room. (There are a lot of containers in this game. Well, I assume they’re containers, they’re basically just big blocks for you play with using the force.) Small interactions like that are genuinely impressive and, even when you’re not consciously noticing them, they should help the world feel more solid.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo (360)
Aug 21st
PURE AWESOME.
I mean, it appears to be a good game, maybe not great, certainly more than decent, but it’s also PURE AWESOME.
I like Star Wars, you see.
And this is very, very Star Wars.
Braid (360)
Aug 20th
I just finished this with all 60 puzzle pieces.
It’s a game, but as for the story I DON’T GET IT. YES, IN CAPS.
I mean, I like arty. I often don’t see pretentiousness in places others claim to see it. But Braid? I don’t get it.
Braid (360)
Aug 17th
I polished off World 5. Needed a bit of luck to get the final puzzle piece, as it relied on enemy behaviour I’d never paid any attention to before.
Now on to World 6. I’m stuck on a puzzle where I know what to do, but just can’t do it. It’s been annoying me, but I had to stop for Eastenders.
