Planet Sillicon

All that effort…

By blog on May. 27, 2009.

I made a couple posts about Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times last week, first detailing that in spite of it’s not-so-good reviews I wanted to play it, and secondly about how I finally figured out how to patch it so I could play a ROM version and keep my bought copy safe. Well, the funny thing is, when I turned the game on… after about five minutes I just couldn’t be bothered playing it.

I am not sure exactly why, but yes, I currently have little to no patience for the game. Perhaps it is the perseverance it took to be able to fix and play the ROM? Perhaps it is just that I am having too much fun playing LOTRO with my SO to really bother with any other game right now. In any case, the result is the same, I haven’t really touched it. I want to play, in a way, but I just can’t find the effort to push through and get to know the game enough to want to keep playing on a consistent basis. I know I will, eventually, so I don’t push it.

I am not a big fan of putting in a great deal of time and effort without some reward. If I am doing something on the philanthropic side, like helping someone with a computer issue, then the reward comes in knowing I have fixed something for them that otherwise wouldn’t have been fixed. This is why when I work on something, I can’t let it go until I get the resolution I want. If I set out to fix something on my computer, or have a billing issue with my ISP rectified, or buy a phone for my mother and teach her to use it, I can’t let it go with half finished results… there is no ‘it’ll do’ for me. I won’t accept that.

I suppose it is a good trait, in a way, but it can be annoying for those around you. Envision someone sitting at their computer for a few hours straight, ignoring nearly all else, whilst they attempt to patch a ROM. Some would say let it go, some would say take a break and come back to it, but I say, never! I shall endure, and I shall win!

Funnily enough, now I want to play that game again…

New DS game

By blog on May. 21, 2009.

When I first got the Nintendo DS Lite, one of the first games I got was Animal Crossing. Unfortunately, after a while, I just fell out of using the game, and didn’t feel like picking it back up. The game could become somewhat repetitive, but it was still fun.

Whilst filling in time, I was meandering over IGN’s latest offerings, and notice this little game. Now, I know the score isn’t that great, 7.5 is usually something I would give a miss. But something about this game just made me want to play it. So out I went and bought the game this afternoon. There was just something about those little bobble heads that I couldn’t resist.

So far, I haven’t had the chance to load up the game, but I noticed that if I really want to play a game, I will completely ignore the reviews of it. This game wasn’t panned or anything, it went alright over on Metacritic, but I am often deterred from a game if it score anything below 8.0.

I always love getting new games, I enjoy knowing that I have the game, but waiting until just the right time to start it up! I have no intention of playing for five minutes and then being interrupted by the needs of daily life, no, when I have a fun little game that I want to play, I wait until every other thing is neatly done and packed away. Ahhh, then it’s game time!

I am currently charging my DS, and when that is done, I will be trying out my new game. I will write about how it goes later this week. It is sort of fun to play a game that you aren’t expecting much from, it would be difficult to be disappointed whilst being easily pleasantly surprised! There is a time and a place for games with high expectations, Fallout 3 for instance was a great game, high expectations and it didn’t disappoint. But there are also occasions that call for a game that is just fun to pick up and play, that you don’t expect much from, save some enjoyable gaming hours. It’s a good feeling to know you have that lined up.

Games you didnt’ know anything about

By blog on Apr. 1, 2009.

As a gamer, occasionally you will stumble onto a game that you have never heard anything about. A game that has, for you at least, seen no mass marketing of any kind, has slipped under your precursory glance of IGN every other day, and has so far completely escaped your notice.

In the past two weeks, this has happened with two games. There is, of course, the thrill of finding these great games late in the game. Especially with the slew of PC and console games released with so many bugs they are unplayable! Yes, I am still annoyed about Assassin’s creed.

Anyway, the other day, I stumbled onto a game called Mount & Blade. I hadn’t ever heard of this game, in spite of it being around for some time in one form or another, and it did get a pretty good score, so I don’t know what happened there. I couldn’t believe how much fun I had with this game, not to mention for once, easy to download to Australia – I hate Direct to Drive for that very reason – and didn’t cost a fortune! This game has the best, by a long, long way, mounted combat I have experienced in a game to date!

It is fluid, there are no bugs, there is a plethora of free user made mods if you are interested, and the game is still being worked on! There is a certain… lack of polish to the game. Nothing is wrong with it, but a once over might make it a little better visually and the story a little more captivating. However, that has allowed Taleworlds, the developers, to focus on what makes this game great, bloody great battles! I haven’t seen this game hitch once, even with over 150 NPCs in a battle.

There is just something about this game that makes it really fun, the fact that your skill at blocking and directing hits is actually important is fantastic. It is tiring after a while when game after game just has you point your character in the right direction and then left click like a mad hatter until your opponent is dead. I have been playing Mount & Blade for much of the past three days straight!

The only other game getting a great deal of my time, is another surprising bolt out the blue, Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure. Now I know, I know, what’s with the name, right? Well, as soon as you watch the opening sequence, no wait, as soon as you turn it on and hear that English voice say ‘Good show’ you know you are in for a treat!

I mentioned earlier my penchant for puzzle games, Professor Layton still takes the cake there, but this is really quite fun. It is a combined platformer, with a Planet Puzzle League like aspect going on on the touch screen. You have to flip between these two aspects of the game to keep progressing through. What I like about this, is that you get the bonuses for both this kind of puzzle game, and a platformer. Being able to switch between the two allows you to not play too much of the one style for too long. This means you play for a lot longer! I will say this though, the learning curve is a bit steep! :yes: All in all though, this is a fabulous DS game, and keeps me so happy with the console in general.