2015 Week One Update

The first week of 2015 has come and gone and my goal of completing 100 games by years end has begun. According to my poor calculations I have a little over three and a half days per game to finish said goal. Of course those times will change from one hour per game, one day per game or even two weeks per game. Now, with these time frames you would think I would start playing first thing January 1st.

I wasted the first few days of 2015 watching tv and thinking about what I wanted to play first. Something retro or something modern? A game that would require tons of time of a short romp of a game. I did intend to start a certain current gen game but couldn’t find the power cord for my Xbox One (turns out it was packed away in my Xbox 360 box). The game I ended up choosing had been in front of me the whole time.

The Adventures of Batman and Robin for the SNES is a game I’ve wanted to own for a very long time. I have very faint memories of playing the game many years ago. I don’t know where or how I had played it but I only remembered it was a beat em’ up. The thing that stopped me from purchasing it now was the price. It seemed to vary from around $70 loose to as low as $40. Luckily I got a great deal on it from a friend that was lower than any eBay price. Since I had just picked it up before the New Year it was sitting on my Retron 5. I fired it up and was surprised how good the graphics hold up til today. The nostalgia of the cartoon series of the same name came rushing back to me. So I sat there and played for about an hour only making it to the second stage boss, Poison Ivy. That’s where I got kinda stuck and I turned it off due to other commitments. Does this feel rather anti-climactic? Well it is.

I started The Adventures of Batman and Robin on January 4th and last played it January 4th. That was the first game of 2015 I started and I only played it for a short burst of time. I fully intend to go back and finish it but I spent the rest of the week, again, thinking about what to play next. Hopefully the weeks to come are more productive. This goal of mine might turn out to be more difficult than I had intended.

Now playing #2

Ive been finding it pretty hard to find a game that interests me enough to commit to it. Lately I've been pretty discouraged with gaming and collecting in general. I'm not giving up on either but it's been pretty bare as of late. There are a ton of games I want to play (some I even started) but I just get lazy to go back to them. I started DMC since it was free on PSN. I played about 30 mins worth, I enjoyed it, but have yet to return to it. I get exhausted thinking about what to play. I have plenty of games to choose from but none of which I feel like coming time to. Maybe I should just pick something at random and power through it. 

On my last "Now playing" post I was playing through 3D dot game heroes. It was a fun game but then my save file erased and I stopped. I wasn't that far in but that bummed me out none the less. 

I have yet to beat Fire Emblem. I'm pretty sure I'm close to the end. I should really try to finish that game.

In did beat Tearaway on the Vita a month back. It was definitely enjoyable but I don't think it deserves a second play thorough. Unless, of course you want to get the platinum trophy. I also played though Hotline Miami. That game was great. The control scheme is a little weird at first but after your first playthough they become second nature.

I'll make an update post once I start a new game and play it for more than 10 minutes. 

Playstation All-Star Battle Royal (Thoughts)

So I've been playing on my Vita nonstop the last few weeks. I know the Vita doesn't get a lot of love but I personally think its great. I've been buying up every game I can find for cheap. After playing through Tearaway I debated what to play next. As much as I've been wanting to try an RPG on the system, I decided to go with a game I got for cheap sometime around black Friday. That game was Playstation All-Star Battle Royal.

I know Playstation All-Star Battle Royal (the name alone is exhausting) has been crapped on a lot in reviews. When I first heard about it I immediately thought it was going to be garbage. Many people made the comment that it was a Smash Bros. rip off. At the end of the day it is but I don't feel the comparison is enough to really but the two games on the same level. So I start the game for my first play through with Kratos. I won't get to detailed on the gameplay or even the story of the game. I really want to just give my opinion of the game as a whole.

It took me maybe about 25 mins to beat the story mode with Kratos. I did play the game on the easiest setting because my fighting game skills are very minimal. Each stage had a themed pertaining to a certain character in the game. All that was well and dandy until my second play through. I chose the highest difficulty and went through the game again. Now let me point out the only reason I went through the game again (and many times there after) was to get the Playstation trophy associated with finishing the game. Playing on the hardest difficulty took me close to 35 minutes to complete. I had to retry three separate levels on that play through. After I beat the game I decided to switch up my character. Now on my third play though, I decided I should go through the game with each character to get the trophies. Here's where my opinion of this game were solidified. The stages NEVER change. They repeat every single play through. They do switch it up from time to time depending on what character you are currently using. The game and enemies become beyond repetitive. There's no purpose in trying to get wrapped up in the story of each characters cuz it's pointless. It makes no sense (it's a fighting game so that's to be expected) but there is no incentive to finish the game.

Once you beat it once you're basically done. You can go online and play if that's your thing. I guess that would give you more hours with the game. I'm not into playing fighting games online cuz I rarely even get to hit the other opponents. I only keep playing the game to get the trophies for beating it with each character. I'm at the point where I play it while I watch t.v. and just button mash. I really don't know why I still bother.

At the end of the day it's an okay fighting game but it feels like its lacking any sort of personality. The character's aren't all that exciting. The game itself gets boring really fast. They tried adding more character's to the roster but it'll cost you $10. That's exactly how much I payed for Playstation All-Star Battle Royal. I can't imagine paying retail for this game. Should you go out and buy it? If its cheap and are a collector sure. Is it worth buying cuz its a great game? It definitely is not. You could do much worse but you can also do much better. At least it shows off some of the power of the Vita. Then again a lot of games do and the Vita is still just kind of… there.

Complete Nntendo 64 collection

At the beginning of this month I completed my North American Nintendo 64 collection. To say I was (am) excited would be an understatement. It is such a surreal feeling to know I owned every single game released for a system. To be fair the Nintendo 64 is probably the easiest Nintendo system to collect for. All in all i think it took me about 3 years to complete. When I first started I had no intention of going for a full set.Then I started reaching certain milestones and was hell bent of finishing it. Every step of the way was awesome. I discovered so many titles on the system that I had never even heard of. I also got to enjoy the games I grew up playing.

The best part of the whole journey was getting game from so many different people. The easy thing wou have been to buy everything off ebay. But through instagram I was able to trade with some very cool people.  I can honestly say I would have not finished my set as fast as I did if not for the help of others. The best part was getting the final game I needed from my buddy who went above and beyond to get my a copy of Clayfighter Sculptor's Cut. One of the coolest things anyone has ever done for me. That was just the bet way to finish my set. It's awesome to know that there are other people out there who want to help and support you through the whole process.

Now that I've finished the set I'm focusing on getting the variant carts to some of the N64 games. In total there are a little less than 15. Some are inexpensive but a few are up there in price. I'm in no rush to get that done though. Im happy with my collection and how it came together. Everything after is an added bonus.

I've had many people ask me what's next. I have a few things in mind but I have been focusing a lot on NES lately. Unlike the Nintendo 64, NES is a lot more expensive. I don't plan on getting a full set anytime soon but it will be damn fun to try.

For anyone looking to collect a full Nintendo 64 set I say, go for it! It's still reasonably priced (although I have noticed some price increases lately) and it's really fun to collect for. It's a great set to have and can be acquired fairly quick. But like a mentioned in a previous post. Don't do it just because, make sure you do it cuz you have some sort of passion for it. If not you'll get bored fast and not last very long.

*Side note*
It's been a very long while since I posted anything. I was dead set on keeping my blog updated frequently but got side tracked. Now I am back!

*UPDATE* Now Playing #1

Fire Emblem Awakening

I haven't played Fire Emblem since my last post. I haven't had a chance to sit down with my 3DS and play. I really want to finish this game. I just have to keep grinding and hope I get somewhere soon.

3D Dot Game Heroes

I've gotten used to the graphics and gameplay of this game. My only issue with this game so far is the lack of direction. I know a lot of this game is exploring. I walked almost the whole map and didn't know what to do. To be fair I haven't beat the second (third?) castle yet. I walked the whole damn thing and can't find the key I need! So i'm assuming my lack of progress is because of that. Also there's a castle on the map that I can't seem to get to. I keep walking to it and nothing. I think I need to play it while more relaxed. I don't want to google what to do. But overall it's a tough and enjoyable game thus far.

Chrono Trigger

Ok, so this game I was most excited about. I am sad to say that I cannot beat the first boss. It's literally the first big fight in the game and I keep dying. I don't know if I'm not strategizing enough but I keep catching a beat down. I decided to try and level up my party members to at least Lv. 10 so I can try and stand a chance. Haven't given up on it yet, just need to give myself more playing time.

I also just started playing God Of War Ascension since I fixed my PS3. I'll probably write a short review on it when I finish it.

It's ALIVE!!!!

I feel really guilty that I call myself a hardcore God of War fan, but have yet to play the latest installment. It's not because I don't want to, I just couldn't. I bought the game at launch and when I got home my PS3 wouldn't read the disc! I figured out pretty quickly it was the laser. I looked around and saw the laser on eBay for about $35. I'm not entirely comfortable with me hardware skills so I put that option off. Then I looked on Craigslist and found a place that could repair it for $75. I was about to go that route but it was a lot of money that I didn't have. So after more than a month ( and a google link later) I decided to do it myself. I found a laser on eBay for $27 shipped. It took 2 days to receive is from about a 10 minute drive from my house! Below are a few pics. This isn't a how to guide, I was just excited to do it myself.

New laser

Open up!

It's exposed!

Out with the old, in with the new

Please cover up!

Test time

After three attempts I got the disc eject thing working properly. Now I can't wait to play some God of War then move on to Ni No Kuni!

If you attempt to do this yourself, just remember that Youtube is your friend.

Now Playing #1

I've never been one to play multiple games at one time. I usually play one game all the way through before I start a new one. But with the recent amount of new games I've been recommended to play I can't help but to play a few at a time. Some of these games I'm just starting so I don't have much to say. I'll probably do one of these posts once a month since I doubt I'll be starting anything in between.

Fire Emblem Awakening

I'm still playing this one. I believe I'm on chapter 22 (23?). I've been leveling up most of my weaker character's for the last 2 in game hours. Since I didn't really know what to do in the beginning I didn't use the Master Seal til the later levels of the games. i still go back to this one at least 2 times a week for about 2 hours at a time. I'm not sure how many chapter's are left but I have a feeling im getting close to the end. Most likely not since I've thought that twice already.

3D Dot Game Heroes

I just started playing 3D Dot Game Heroes. I'm about 3 hours in. To be honest I was turned off by the graphics at first. I knew they were made like that on purpose but I didn't like it. But after about 15 minutes I got used to it and now I think it's pretty cool. I also thought the game would be pretty easy. When your walking around it's not difficult but once once you get into the temples, it get's tough. The puzzles are fun. I'm stuck one the third castle ( I couldn't find the second one) cuz I ran out of damn candles. I've always heard this game compared to Zelda so I guess that's all the recommendation someone might need.

Chrono Trigger

Just got this one yesterday. It's been on my want list for a long time now. Even when I hated RPG's I knew I had to have this one. I don't think I've ever heard someone say anything bad about this game. I've only been playing it about an hour but I definitely plan on investing most of my free time into this one. I hope the hype isn't disappointing.