A Gaming Diary
Archive for May, 2010
Super Street Fighter IV (PS3)
May 5th
It’s Street Fighter IV. Only more superer.
I’ve mainly been using newcomer Juri, because I can with her. Not very often, but I’ve got a ranked match win rate of over twenty percent, which for this old idiot thumbs is pretty incredible. Of course, I’ve not played online since the weekend, so everybody’s now probably got used to fighting her and I’ll never win another match.
I love Juri.
As well as fighting ranked matches online I’ve also been playing Arcade mode and tried out an endless lobby with someone from rllmuk. It’s a setup where up to eight people sit around playing winner stays on. It’s a good job that watching Street Fighter IV is highly entertaining, because I didn’t win a single match. I don’t think I even won a single round, thinking about it.
Anyway, this is probably the best fighting game ever, even playing on a thumb-wrecking SixAxis pad. It’s one of those simply essential video games that come along every now and again.
Sword & Poker (iPhone)
May 5th
The sequel to the excellent Sword & Poker came out a few days ago. It sounds like more of the same, which can’t be a bad thing, but it reminded me that I’ve not actually finished the first game yet.
I'm winner!
So I started it up again and found myself on the twentieth floor. Took me several goes to complete it, but I’ve not had much trouble since then. I die when I get stingy with the recharge coins or due to plain bad luck, but I’ve spend a lot of money on upgrades and I’m doing okay.
It really is a lovely little game, if you don’t mind that it’s inevitably based on the random drawing of cards.
iZombieland (iPhone)
May 5th
So, I watched the excellent Zombieland movie on Monday afternoon and – being all excited by its hilarious depiction of the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse – decided to download the iPhone game. It was only 59p, so what did I have to lose? (Answer: 59p and some of my time.)
Chainsaw x 2 = Dead Zombies
And you know what? It’s not bad at all. It’s no classic, but you get to kill lots of zombies while being Tallahassee himself. There’s a variety of weapons and the controls work nicely – you move left and right and have separate buttons to attack to your left and right. It’s all about timing, really, and knowing when it’s safe to move.
I can’t imagine anyone being too disappointed with it, but I doubt it’ll be anyone’s favourite game, either.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
May 5th
I wrote a good word, Petey.
Fewer games than ever, but still enough for several moves a day.
Just Cause 2 (360)
May 5th
Did the third story mission over the weekend. Yes, an actual story mission!
(The reason I’m only updating the blog now with weekend gaming is that Monday was a Bank Holiday and yesterday I went to London and ended up standing on a street singing – on camera, mind you – for the BBC. But that’s another, rather shameful story.)
Very long it was, too. (The story mission, not the singing.) Had to rescue someone from a drug den, then there was a motorcycle chase, more fighting, a helicopter ride and then I completely destroyed an ancient temple complex. All the killing I can handle with ease, but destroying buildings of great historical worth? That made me feel a bit ill.
Apart from that, though, it was just the usual messing about and making things blow up. BOOM and suchlike.
Trials HD (360)
May 5th
Finally got round to getting the game when it was on offer for 800 points last week. It’s just as great as the demo suggests. Sometimes frustrating, yes, but the controls feel so natural on the 360 that it’s a completely different game from the fiddling, mildly-hateful PC version.
I’ve done the Beginner levels with gold medals, but now I’m on Easy I’m just concentrating on getting through each track – I’ll go and try to improve my times when (if…) I manage to complete them all.
As an aside, the first achievement I managed to get in the game was the one for breaking every bone in my body, which must say something about my play style.
