I Want to Play a Game

For weeks, I have been playing lots of games. For weeks, I have forgotten to blog about it*. A CRIME AGAINST NATURE, I KNOW, but calm down, I'm here to help. I will recall now, from the time since I have last posted not about games to now, games I have played; accompanied by a short sentence or two with my opinions. Not quite a list of games; not quite a bunch of reviews. A list of a bunch of reviews. Without further adieu, take it away, myself:

On the Xbox 360, my console of choice, I got Saints Row 2. It ruined Grand Theft Auto for me; then, Grand Theft Auto ruined Saints Row 2 for me. Right now, the crime sandbox genre is stagnant for me. I applaud both games for working by themselves though. Hey, if I had to choose, though? I'd choose Saints Row 2. By the same developer, I also got Red Faction: Guerrilla, a most fun destruction-focussed sandbox sci-fi game with a Hammer of Thor that takes out building supports with relative ease and, my favourite feature, a jetpack. I also bought a Clancy favourite of mine, Splinter Cell Conviction, which drew me in like no game has this generation, and while short, it was a hell of a ride. With a co-op campaign lengthening it considerably, it is well worth the purchase.

Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 were always purchased on Xbox 360. I already own these on PC; however, the Xbox versions offer significant improvements. For one, local splitscreen is a hugely helpful feature - I can take the game over to other people's houses and have some fun totally playing without an internet connection - as well as a larger player base in L4D1 - most PC gamers have migrated to L4D2, so it's nice to know a definite good-ping game will be available on the 360.

PC-wise, I've been enjoying crafting custom items in Team Fortress 2, as well as trying on countless occasions to finish the Braid whole-game speed run (which would bring it to 100% Achievement completion.) However, with less than an hour to finish the whole game, and the game very often not working the way I want it to, it will be an achievement well-earned... once I earn it.

More recently, I have secured much birthday loot. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is an impressive shooter, with great graphics and squad controls, but with no first-person view model and a disappointingly laggy splitscreen co-op campaign, it is not the best of what I've secured. The Darkness was cheap ($10) and is frankly an awesome shooter. If you haven't given it a look-in (perhaps cos it's too weird for some), I highly recommend you pick it up second-hand on Xbox or PS3 - you're missing out on a very original horror action shooter. I rented the strangely addictive Bayonetta which made me seriously think twice about what could... nay, should be accomplished in a videogame. And Red Dead Redemption has been getting 10/10 scores all across the spectrum, and so naturally I had to give this a look-in, and right now I will say IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME AND IT HAS REVIVED MY FAITH IN THE SANDBOX CRIME GENRE. Oh, and Earthworm Jim HD, I got today. For Earthworm Jim is a god.

That's more or less all of what counts.

OH ALSO I'M BUYING A NEW GAMING PC. It's an AUD$945 beastie (not beast, beastie...), and is basically perfect value for money, perfect for running today's games at good framerates and good settings (that aren't Crysis on Max, that is), and is currently the thing I am hyping over more than anything. I honestly can't wait; I will have it within a fortnight!! *squee!*

*Just forget about last week's Guitar Hero post.