A Gaming Diary
360
Sega Superstars Tennis (360)
Mar 22nd
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but Beat seems to be the best character in the game by far. If I’m playing as him, I win. If I’m someone else playing against him, I lose.
It’s probably just luck or something, but that’s the way it’s been for me so far.
I’m really hoping for a sequel with more characters in it. There’s nobody from Shenmue or Virtua Fighter, to name just two, which is a missed opportunity when you consider some of the characters that made it in.
Sega Superstars Tennis (360)
Mar 22nd
So I was playing tennis as Beat, of Jet Set Radio fame, against Amy Rose, of Sonic The Hedgehog fame on a court based on House of the Dead, surrounded by cheering zombies.
And I thought, “This is a bit odd.”
Good, though.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (360)
Mar 4th
My wife’s been playing this a lot, so while she was in the bath last night I started my own game, as the 360 was on and the disc was in the drive. I chose to be Kasumi because… well, because I’m always Kasumi. I bought her a hat, bought some presents for Ayane and Lisa, got to be good friends with them, played some volleyball, took some photos and did an awful lot of jet ski racing. (Which made me long for some Waverace action on the Gamecube, but I’ve got the US version and no way to play US Gamecube games at the moment.)
It’s quietly compulsive, which is all down to the freedom of choice. If I don’t want to do pool-hopping – which I don’t – then I don’t have to. It’s all a bit strange – especially how certain parts of the characters’ bodies move – and no one element is outstanding, but it’s more than the sum of its parts.
Hardest game ever to get an achievement on, though. I didn’t get one in the couple of hours I played last night and my wife, who’s played a lot more than that, still hasn’t got any.
Hitman: Blood Money (360)
Feb 17th
A few more missions this morning. I’ve been doing some of them properly – Flatline I did much more quietly than I did on Expert – but I’ve also taken the opportunity to get some ratings that I’ve not seen before, like Deranged Slayer and Terrorist. (The latter got for killing 109 people on the paddle boat. I think that was all of them.)
Sid Meier’s Pirates! (360)
Feb 16th
Elite, only top down. And set in the Pacific Ocean in the late seventeenth century, not in space. And with lots of mini games.
It’s very addictive.
Hitman: Blood Money (360)
Feb 16th
A thread on rllmuk inspired me to play this again. Stuck it on Rookie mode to see what difference it makes. The answer? A lot. For example, it’s perfectly possible to run into A Night At The Opera, shoot one target dead, shoot the other, then run back out of the level. Not a very elegant solution, but it works. I can’t imagine it would be so easy on Expert difficulty.
Poker Smash Demo (360)
Feb 14th
I quite liked this. It’s another tile-matching game, but uses poker hands. Traditional, but novel. Seemed fun.
Got ready to spend 400 points on it, only to discover that it’s 800. No sale.
Commanders: Attack of the Geos Demo (360)
Feb 14th
Stupid name, poor graphics, but it seems like there’s a decent strategy game there. I was rubbish at it and nearly failed the training level. I’ve not deleted the demo, but I don’t really plan on buying it.
Black (360)
Feb 14th
How I remember Black: A great FPS spoiled by unskippable cut scenes and a bizarre and horrible save system.
How Black felt this morning: An average FPS spoiled by unskippable cut scenes and the fact that it’s not The Club.
Unfair, that. I just kept wanting to play it like The Club. I wanted short bursts and a sprint button and most of all I wanted points. It just felt empty killing people without numbers appearing over their heads. Anyway, I’ll go back when I’m in a different mood.
