InvertY.com
A Gaming Diary
Virtua Tennis 3 Demo (360)
Mar 22nd
Off work sick, remembered about this, tried it out.
Now, either it’s because my head is all messed up with purest ill or it’s because the difficulty level is insane, but in four matches I managed to score a grand total of two points.
I don’t think I’ll be buying this.
Slitherlink (DS)
Mar 21st
My wife’s had this a while and has told me it’s great, but it took John Walker’s amazing review on Eurogamer to convince me to try it out.
It’s excellent, indeed, but I fear my brain may not be up to the later puzzles, given how much it’s already struggling.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (360)
Mar 21st
Yes, I have the Playstation version. But it’s on a disc and therefore not the future, so I used some points to get the 360 version. (There’s also the fact that I have no idea where a Playstation memory card might be.) It’s just as I remember it… almost. I don’t remember the mirror-me being so bloody annoying. I’ve left it for a bit.
(If you don’t know what “just as I remember it” means it translates to “one of the best games ever made”. The graphics aren’t as good as I remember and the endless GBA and DS versions mean it’s slightly over familiar, but it’s still wonderful.)
Trip To Gamestation
Mar 17th
So, this afternoon my lovely wife and I wheeled about a hundred and fifty old games or so up to Gamestation.
They wouldn’t take Just Cause or Tomb Raider: Legend because they were imports. I’d forgotten about that. Just Cause was actually a PAL copy, but had “Distribution outside the UK only” written on the back, so I they wouldn’t take it. They also couldn’t take Michigan: Report from Hell, which though an official UK release was obviously so badly distributed that no copies even made it as far as the Gamestation central computer.
When pulling the games out of the bag I decided I couldn’t part with Mario Golf, Hitman Contracts, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution or Thief: Deadly Shadows, so they come home with us, too.
Anyway, after all that I was given a credit note for a massive £543, which means that on Friday we can get a Playstation 3 with two or three games. Hooray!
I’m now absolutely terrified of losing that credit note. I’m effectively going to be carrying around over half a grand in my wallet for the next week. Eek.
(If I left it at home I’d be terrified of a fire burning it up, or rats eating it, or gremlins stealing it, or a local time-space disturbance sucking it into an unholy vortex.)
Splatterhouse (Wii)
Mar 15th
As a Friday The 13th one I had to buy this. It’s not at all bad. I got to Stage 4 and then my credits ran out. Not too bad.
The boss with chainsaw arms and a bag over is head is awesome.
2*Ash + Jason(Part II)
Er, that’s his formula.
Peggle Deluxe (PC)
Mar 15th
I’m now on the 400,000 point levels. They are really rather tricky, but great fun.
I’ve got my wife addicted now.
New Adventure Island (Wii)
Mar 14th
Put this on for a few minutes after checking the voting channel with my wife. Started the session on level 2-1, ended the session on level 2-1. I hate frogs.
Peggle Deluxe (PC)
Mar 14th
Adventure mode was finished off quite quickly, so I’m now working through Challenge mode. I’m currently on the “get 300,000″ points levels, which are very satisfying. I’ve settled on the Zen ball as my preferred power-up.
Peggle Deluxe (PC)
Mar 13th
It’s sort of like pachinko, but different. It’s good fun. Fine. Okay.
What I don’t like one little bit is the demo model. You download the full game, you can play it for an hour, then it kicks you out and asks for money. Twenty dollars in this case. The itch was there, but I didn’t scratch. I could resist. But! Here comes the evil bit. After your hour is up, the game lets you start it up for two minute sessions. Yes, just two minutes. Just enough to keep the craving alive, but not enough to satisfy it. After several of the two minute sessions I threw my hands up in defeat (possibly literally, I don’t remember) and paid my twenty bucks to carry on playing. The payment takes place inside the game. You don’t even have to open a browser or wait for an email.
I’ll probably be bored it after two hours of play, but that hour just wasn’t enough and those two minute sessions meant I couldn’t forget.
I’m so weak. I wish companies wouldn’t take advantage.
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth (PSP)
Mar 11th
Well, I’ve finished the first chapter now. I gave all the artefacts I got to Odin and sent up one completely levelled character, so I got a got a rating. I’m still not quite sure that I know what I’m doing, but I think I’m doing okay.
And I’m having a lot of fun and the little stories between dungeons are very well done. I’m not surprised it built a reputation as a lost classic after its appearance on the Playstation.
