Just started playing Ghost Trick

I'm really liking it so far and it feels like the 'antidote' to everything I didn't like about 999. I guess I'm trying to say it's like a relief of some kind or a breath of fresh air. It's a game well worth getting and being excited about. In any case it's a good time for DS adventure games!

Dragon Quest VI is taking so long to come out...

...that people are starting to grow old and pass away. I just read a blog post about an old lady who was waiting for the game for years. She has now passed away. After a moment of quietness I've now come out more wanting and more determined to play this game. Whoever is out there, please announce an Irish release date!

Comparing the new Kirby trailer to the unreleased Gamecube one

That bit of happy news from yesterday made me have a look at the trailer for the unreleased Gamecube game from half a decade ago. It looks a lot clearer and cleaner but that could be a youtube thing. The new one shows off new abilities but doesn't show a multiplayer option. One thing I hope though and that is that it doesn't have a slow, clumsy feel.

I won't bother comparing it to the extremely pretty Epic Yarn though!

Kirby has another brand new game coming to Wii!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDOZzcobfrU
Horray! Just found out about this today. We now have two Kirby games for the Wii to look forward to since Epic Yarn still isn't here yet!

For those who have completed 9 Persons 9 Hours 9 Doors

After getting the good ending in this game I was left with a few questions (though it was a pretty decent ending). I've come across a couple of nice resources where a lot of stuff is explained.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412827
Firstly this neogaf.com thread where it seems that an actual member of staff of Aksys Games going by the handle of "Akselziys" is mingling with players of the game and discussing what's going on in the game with lots of spoiler tags.

http://www.aksysgames.com/999/answers
Secondly the official American website which has quite a meaty English Q&A section with the creator of the game.

If you haven't yet completed the game fully with the best ending I suggest using this spoiler free walkthrough on gamefaqs!
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/961351-nine-hours-nine-persons-nine-doors/faqs/61405

Irish Nintendo Fan EXCLUSIVE on weird youtuber XboxFunBoy

This man has been featured before on other blogs. His hobby is destroying video games with scissors. Here he is cutting up Last Story for the Wii.

What I can EXCLUSIVELY reveal is the type of scissors he's using. It's nosehair scissors.

9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors - How to make the fast forward feature even faster

While pressing right to fast forward through the scenes you've already played press and hold the B button as well. (it would still be better if you could skip them)

Trying out Super Mario Bros X

Super Mario Bros X is a fangame of the All Stars Mario titles. I had a go of it the other day and I have to say I'm very impressed! The level designs are very Mario-esque or Nintendo-esque (for lack of a better way to describe them). It also has Zelda II's Link in it which is nice to see and it has powerups like the hammer suit! It was really cool finding that! I might play it some more sometime but I'd have to get used to the controls a bit more first. Anyway, try it out because it is worth a play!

Dragon Quest VI's "Intend to Buy"

Here is Nintendo of America's Club Nintendo site where you can click on a button for a game if you intend to buy it.

I wish there was an "Intend to release in Ireland" button... Hurry up and announce a release date for here already!!!

Super Monkey Ball 3DS Bundle sold out at one retailer

Some online retailer has sold out of the 3DS bundle that comes with Super Monkey Ball 3D. They have plenty of the other 3DS bundles. I'm just using this post to go on again about how people are just naturally drawn to Super Monkey Ball! Haha!

Ghost Trick E-mail Newsletter from Nintendo of Europe

I haven't talked about the Nintendo email newsletters for a long time. I like the latest one a lot.

Imagine a big fan of Ace Attorney who probably has all 5 of the released games in the series in their collection. Imagine them hearing about Ghost Trick for the very first time on receiving this newsletter. Up until now they've missed out on all the news of this game in the excitement of the 3DS and then they read the above account. They would be pretty damn excited!

Here's the rest of it which shows links to an interview with creator Shu Takumi, a flash demo of the game and my favourite part, the Nintendo channel exclusive demo exclaiming that it has "puzzles that aren't even in the game"!
Wow! You can't get more exclusive than that!

Super Monkey Ball 3D!

Anytime a Super Monkey Ball game comes out I always have an insatiable urge to play it. It's one of those franchises that have loads of different versions on loads of different formats that people take for granted - like Puzzle Bobble or Tetris. Among them, Super Monkey Ball would be the only one I always get excited about for some odd reason and it's become some kind of tradition to have one come out when a new Nintendo system comes out.

Mind you, I got my Gamecube and its original Super Monkey Ball when they launched and from the looks of things it's going to be cheaper than the price of a 3DS and Super Monkey Ball 3D...

So far they don't have brand new gameplay footage since the event yesterday, just a trailer. I'm looking forward to seeing what this game is going to be like with the analogue stick. Honestly if I had a chance to be at that event I would push the Ocarina of Time remake and Kid Icarus Uprising out of the way and demand to play Monkey Ball 3D instead. So far it's the only game on the format I have even the slightest itch to play.

Grrrr! Make me want a 3DS Nintendo!

An issue with 3DS trailers and promoting it in general

I watched a few of the new 3DS trailers while the promo event was going on today and one of them started with this message:

Not only is this a big challenge for Nintendo to sell this thing, it's also really hard for me to make a well informed decision about buying it as I'd actually have to somehow hold this in my hand and play it first. It also means that so far I'm not hyped up at all about it.

I do have an interest in it though, and there's a game out at launch I would naturally gravitate towards. I'll talk about it tomorrow!

Nintendo 3DS event thingy

Tomorrow there's supposed to be something exciting happening when Nintendo puts on a show for the 3DS. I don't know where it'll be shown online but I do want to see this thing being sold to me. Make me want one Nintendo!

Road Fighter free homebrew remake for Wii!

I looooove Konami's Road Fighter so I was delighted when came across this on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAZBsEwOIfk

I love how even though the player doesn't seem to be that good at it and gets a game over, they immediately start another game. I know they're only demonstrating but I'd also put it down to how addictive and purely fun this game is. The original was great too but this one has some nice music added! I also LOVE that sky screen before the title screen. It makes me feel like I'm in an arcade. There's no loading wait whatsoever either which is lovely.

Of course, you have the option of playing this on Windows, Mac or Linux if you so choose. It's worth it!

Ghost Trick Prices

Still haven't decided on buying this game yet. I shopped around anyway for prices.

30 Euro in Gamestop
40 Euro in Game.

Haven't found it anywhere else.

Dragon Quest VI's 'Patrick'

I'm seeing a lot of those juicy screenshots for Dragon Quest VI and there's a character there called Patrick. At this stage, wouldn't it be stupid if it didn't come out in Ireland? For heaven's sake announce a release date for here please!!!

Ghost Trick is out for DS in Ireland today

The all new adventure game from the guy behind Ace Attorney is out today in Ireland. I haven't had a chance to shop around for prices on the game. It's getting some positive reviews. I might check it out soon.

Interesting opinion from Roger Ebert on his personal experience with games

This doesn't have anything to do with art but with the other thing - what Roger Ebert was saying how he played TMNT 1 for the NES so much that he was becoming unhappy with his obsession.

It sounded confusing to me at first but then I was able to come up with something almost immediately that makes me feel I can relate to what he said. How he feels about video games is the exact same as how I feel about Tetris. I can't stand Tetris. Yet if I start playing Tetris, I find myself unable to stop playing Tetris and since I don't like Tetris, it really annoys me because at that stage I can't stop playing Tetris.

Tetris Tetris Tetris.

1up article on what should've been in Super Mario 25th Anniversary Edition

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3183037

I really like this article. The list of games they gave that should've been in the Mario collection is spot on and would've justified the purchase.

It would've been extra special though if they included the PAL NES version of Super Mario Bros, which was actually faster than its NTSC counterparts, an unusual change for a PAL game!

Here's a great comparison video showing the two versions side by side:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbW0qBmveqI

Retro Gamer Issue 85 Cover

It's a really nice cover this month, even though the only Mana game I ever really played was the very first one for the Game Boy, Mystic Quest.

There's a nice article on Portopia, which made me play the game almost immediately after I read it. I'll talk about the game later. I found the article to be very slightly spoilery but nothing too bad.

Of course they gave Sonic Colours a 90 but they gave DKC Returns a slightly lower mark. I agree with them but they're both good games.

Playing that 9 Hours 9 Persons etc. visual novel

So far I'm finding it quite nicely playable and readable and I like the third person narration like you'd get in a book. Like Last Window it's a nice way to get through bus commutes.

Following on from the previous post about this game, the word "Shit" also appears in it. Better buy two copies then haw haw haw.

NGamer Issue 57

Apologies for being late with this, especially when issue 58 is on its way to the magazine's subscribers. It's a very nice issue and the Christmas main feature is quite funny! They gave Donkey Kong Country Returns and Epic Mickey an eighty something. The main game they really love this month is Fluidity(known as Hydroventure in Ireland). Maybe I should download the demo of it? We'll see.

The word "Fuck" appears in DS visual novel 9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Doors

I suppose that means you should buy it huh?

Mega Man comic book coming out

This is a surprise to me! Archie comics are coming out with a Mega Man comic book. It's kind of interesting. They've been doing Sonic ones since forever so this might turn out well too.

I've never read Archie comics but I think it's pretty cool they're doing a Mega Man one.

GAME store in Patrick Street, Cork closes off a section of their shop temporarily

One part of the GAME shop in Patrick Street, Cork has been closed off due to some damages done to the floor. It's fenced off and has a sign "Wet Floor" around it. I hope they get it fixed soon... that was the Wii section.

Retro Gamer Magazine issue 85 gives Sonic Colours for the Wii a 90% review score

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVT5778a1TY

Look at the 2:55 mark to see Sonic Colours' score!

I'm delighted this game is getting at least some bit of the praise it so sorely deserves! It's the most important title in the development of the Sonic series today and it should even stand as an example to other developers and help influence their approach to making games.

My top 10 games of 2010 (finally!)

Now then, after some careful consideration of all the games I played that were released last year I have come up with my top 10 favourites. Without any further delay let's start!

10. Donkey Kong Country Returns

It's a good challenging 2D platform game but it's so low in this list because it's nowhere near as excellent or as magical as the original SNES trilogy were for several different reasons. I probably shouldn't go into too much detail about them here but there is one I can't let pass and that is the blow move. What a stupid idea that was.

9. Ace Attorney Investigations

This is an interesting third person adventure spinoff of the brilliant Ace Attorney series. I often found my interest waning while playing but I can't think of any other reason why than it being so different to the original series. There's still a lot of great humour and characters, especially the charming and quixotic sidekick Kay.

8. The Crystal Bearers

I hate calling this game by its full title: "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers". It's just too damn long. Anyway this is a rather enjoyable sandbox style adventure game where you throw things at other things with your telekinetic powers. The game's plot is fun in an Indiana Jones kind of way and it isn't too long. It also has extremely quick load times!

7. Dragon Quest IX

This traditional RPG is advertised a lot for its networking features and it's many many extracurricular quests but I have to say I completed the main game without doing any of the extra stuff and found it to be a pretty solid RPG all on its own! I love the fact you can avoid enemies too. I was doing that most of the time and just had a really nice time adventuring in the world! Met some great characters too - my favourites being the kidnappers. It may not be as good as DQIV or V but it's a genuinely solid entry in the series.

6. Last Window

I've posted a lot about this enjoyable and easy going point n' click adventure game. The dialogue between the characters is what kept me playing the most and it hits that sweet spot of "cosiness" that makes you want to keep playing. Makes for a fantastic way to pass a boring commute.

5. Pokémon Ghost Black ReTold

Not actually a game but a "kinetic" style visual novel where you just press a button to advance to the next section. This game is FREE homebrew and a whole playthrough lasts 10-15 minutes. It's great because of its use of images and music to tell a wonderfully eerie story and it brought one of the most compelling experiences I've had this year on my DS. Please play it on your DS!

4. Sin & Punishment 2

Fantastic sequel to the N64 rail shooter that improves upon it in every conceivable way! It's very high on this list because it's incredibly stimulating and satisfying to play!

3. Sonic Colours (Wii version)

I've posted alot about this game already but here I'll say why Sonic Colours is higher than Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Generally it's a much purer, more addictive game than the other two and it is much more considerate to the player, therefore earning it all the praise it can get. Also, no load times!!!

2. Cave Story (WiiWare)

This is number 2 because it's already been topping lists for six years and it took an unbelievably long time to be available on WiiWare. Actually that's not the real reason. I'd nearly still put it at number 1 if it wasn't for the next and final entry on this list:

1. Watching "X's Adventures in Minecraft" on YouTube

I couldn't play Minecraft over the last year because my computer was extremely temperamental so I had to watch this video series recommended to me by everyone I expressed curiosity of this game to.

So wow, two things that I loved straight away about this. One was where X was spending his first night in a tiny cubby hole he dug out for himself while he could clearly hear the eerie moans of zombies outside. The second was where he was making his way into a deep dark unexplored cave. It was an amazing experience watching all this going on accompanied by his commentary.

This is my game of the year because it captured my imagination like no other. I still haven't actually played it but I will now that I have a newer, less temperamental computer! I won't actually build much I'd say. Just whatever I need to go adventuring and exploring!

Two games that won't be in my top 10 of 2010

Sorry for the delay again. I have been mulling over for ages over these 12 titles that I could put in my top 10 of 2010 but I finally decided I'm going to exclude the following:

Mega Man 10 -
Did anyone put this in their top 10? The only reason I won't put this in is that I simply didn't play it enough. I've even considered putting it in at number 10 just to follow with the theme and indulge in a bit of silly fun! But ah well.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 -
I don't care what anyone says. This is not a perfect game. Sure it's better than the first but it still has a lot of annoyances. Maybe I'll go into them someday.

I will get this list up sometime! Sorry again!

Stay tuned: My top 10 games of 2010 will be posted tomorrow

I've been spending a good bit of time lately reminiscing over what my favourite games are this past year. I've a good idea now but I'll post the list tomorrow as I've still a few last things to mull over and think about saying for each entry.

Happy New Year!

Sorry for missing yesterday's post. Too much celebrating going on. For the coming year I ought to resolve to update consistently!