Post everytime that you buy a new game...

[melancholy]

And while I'm on the subject, I have come to realize that a backlog is becoming more and more useless to have. With every passing game I have bought, I have built a backlog of games that I keep saying 'oh, I'll play this Y game when I'm done with X game.' But yet, by the time I'm done with X game, about 10 new games have come out that I want to buy and play. What good is it to buy games now to play in the future when we live in a gaming era where amazing games are coming out nearly every month?

I think the Winter Steam Sale cemented this point to me. I saw the Tomb Raider collection for $15, and I thought about all the good times I had with Tomb Raider back in the late 90's. So I bought it and added it to my Steam list. But when I looked at the list, I noticed it was placed between the Thief collection I bought last winter sale, and the Trine collection I bought over the summer. None of the games in either collection have ever even been installed on my computer. Sure I got them for bargain bin prices, but if I'm not playing them, did I really save money by buying them cheap?

Is it better to buy a bunch of cheap games you might never play, or is it better to pay full price for a single game you are sure to play? It's something that has been going through my mind lately as 2012 drew to a close and I look at all the new games I bought in 2012 that I either just turned around and sold, sitting on a shelf collecting dust, or sitting in a digital queue never to be installed.

[Specially Cork]

If he has a game now and is going to play it now, it doesn't matter what version he's playing.

I assumed he wasn't planning on playing it now, I thought he was buying it to fill in the gaps in his Wii collection and would get around to it sometime in the future. I figured if you're buying a game just because you want to own it and know you will probably have the opportunity to play a better version of it in the future you may as well wait. If I've got the wrong end of the stick on this then fair enough.

As for backlogs and stuff...my epiphany wasn't the Steam sales (no gaming PC), it was the App Store. When I first got my iPhone I drooled over all those 99 cent games and scoffed at the idea of throwing down $15 for a Final Fantasy port. Then a couple of months later I was browsing my iTunes library and found about 20 games I hadn't put more than 10 minutes into, but I bought just because "99 cents! What a ridiculous price! Instabuy!". That's almost $20 wasted - money I could've given Square-Enix for one game that I would've put 30+ hours into because I absolutely love it.

And then I realised I'd been thinking with my wallet rather than my finely-tuned gamer-sense developed over two decades of gaming. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how cheap that Doom port is - I've not played it on my PC for over a decade, why the hell am I going to suddenly play it on my phone? That JRPG may be comparatively over-priced, but I'm going to actually play it.

I've learnt my lesson now. What I didn't mention in my GOTY2012 thread is how much of the last 12 months I spent clearing what backlog I had. I don't "window shop" for games anymore. 90% of AAA titles - whether commercial or indie tend to hit you in the face, and if I turned my nose up at something when it first hit the shelves I'm probably never going to bother with it regardless of future discounts.

[DaMadFiddler]

Yes and yes. I am buying it partly to fill the gaps in my library, but I do intend on playing it now. NSMBU is the only Wii U game we have aside from Nintendo Land, and I've already beaten most of our Wii games a couple times over. The PS3 is still broken, and I wanted something new to play.

The package arrived last night, and I'm about halfway through the first "world" in Rayman. In the past, I always preferred 3D Rayman to 2D, but this really has me hooked. It's fun and shows a very high degree of polish while still having a lot of personality. (Minor mindless yet addicting thing: making the file-select screen "sing" along with the music.) However, I can see why you recommended the HD version. Some of the areas that are more zoomed out have made me think "oh, it would be nice to be able to make out more of the details here." It's certainly not enough to detract from the gameplay, though, and I am having a lot of fun with it.

Also: Rhythm Heaven. It looks (and plays) like a stupid Flash game, but holy crap, is that thing addictive. I popped it in "just for a few minutes, to see how it compares to the DS version" and ended up playing for an hour straight. Even then, I had to tear myself away to go to bed.

As both games have multiplayer modes, I'm sure they'll both be making appearances tonight at our weekly game night with friends. I haven't tried the others yet.

[Jeeba Jabba]

just pre-ordered Ni No Kuni.


get excited, BoneyCork.

[Specially Cork]

just pre-ordered Ni No Kuni.


get excited, BoneyCork.

I am excited. I loved the demo. Unfortunately US imports are running about double the price in China, so I was going to pass on it. But then I found out it's on PSN so yeah...I'm gonna spend $55 on a digital purchase. Will probably pick it up in February sometime as I have a lot of time off for Chinese New Year.

[DaMadFiddler]

Battle Kid 2 is due out next month:

http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.ph ... cts_id=121

[Specially Cork]

Ni no Kuni

Dragon Quest VIII came out in late 2005. So that means it's been over 7 years since the last great, traditional JRPG. Not only does Ni no Kuni end that wait, but it also makes it worth it.

[BlueCrab]

Last week I picked up the following at the local Goodwill (all cart-only):

Turok (N64)
Hexen (N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - Gold Cartridge)

For a total of $3.

[Eviltaco64X]

Disgaea Infinite (PSP)

I decided I would pick up a JRPG because I haven't played one in years, and that for once I wouldn't look into reviews because I heard that Disgaea was a good series.

I regret it. I was thinking it would be action/turn-based, but it's just a visual novel with a really really irritating dub. Although it is slightly better in Japanese.

Looking at getting Persona 3 Portable next. PSP games are worth next to nothing at the moment and I'm finding it to be pretty enjoyable.

[Specially Cork]

Disgaea Infinite (PSP)

I decided I would pick up a JRPG because I haven't played one in years, and that for once I wouldn't look into reviews because I heard that Disgaea was a good series.

I regret it. I was thinking it would be action/turn-based, but it's just a visual novel with a really really irritating dub. Although it is slightly better in Japanese.

Looking at getting Persona 3 Portable next. PSP games are worth next to nothing at the moment and I'm finding it to be pretty enjoyable.

Just get Ni No Kuni!

I don't want to hear your excuses. rob an orphanage if you must.

[DaMadFiddler]

Sonic Colors.

And I must say, it's been a very pleasant surprise. Even more than Sonic Generation, I really feel like this is the game they've been trying to make for the last 15 years. There are no wonky physics bugs, no forced side missions to keep you from advancing to the next level, no load times, no ridiculously convoluted story (what's there is simple and appropriate and easily skippable), no stupid gameplay gimmicks to get in the way (there are "powers," but they're simple variations, fit well with the Sonic gameplay, and basically act as single-use items akin to the element shields in Sonic 3), and no "friends."

The graphics are very pretty (by Wii standards, at least), the controls are good, and the physics ACTUALLY WORK, which is kind of important (as Sonic is, at its heart, a physics-based platformer) but is sadly the first time I've ever been able to say that about a 3D Sonic game. The level design is clever with multiple options, creative use of the engine and gameplay mechanics, and it feels "Sonic-y."

Really, my *only* complaint is that it feels like it was targeted at a fairly young audience. Yes, I know, Sonic is a kids' game, but this one seems to aim a little lower. The dialogue is really dumb, on the "chili dog cartoon" level. On the other hand, the story is not intrusive, and it least it's "we're writing for little kids" dumb, not the convoluted "trying and failing to have big dramatic moments" dumb of the Sonic Adventure games. This younger target audience also comes across in the difficulty: namely, that the game is a little easier than I'd hoped. Maybe I've just been playing too much Mario lately, but I had very little trouble blasting through the game.

I do wish they'd realize that Sonic works best sequentially and just do away with the overworld map (something Sonic Heroes got right), but there is a "challenge mode" that lets you play all the levels sequentially without breaks or cutscenes, and the overworld map is pretty quick to navigate, so it's hard even to complain about that.

I'm just shocked. It's polished, it's pretty, it's fun, it's well-designed, and everything works right. They made a GOOD Sonic game. I didn't think they knew how to do that any more. I can see why they used this as the foundation for Sonic Generations, though I think it's actually a better game than Generations. (Generations was decent, but it felt too short and was weighed down by a clunky overworld map and side missions, longish load times, and a really poorly designed final boss.)

[Specially Cork]

Tomb Raider

I've supported Lara through thick and thin and this is my reward. It's an absolutely breathtaking game. I think I'm most in love with the game world. Everywhere I turn I'm amazed and rewarded. People keep comparing it with Uncharted - but it's so much darker than that. And you honestly feel for Lara...she isn't some bad-ass sexy bitch anymore, she's just a poor young girl in way over her head. GOTY contender for sure. Well...GTAV is out later so probably not, but whatever.

[Jeeba Jabba]

Tomb Raider

I've supported Lara through thick and thin and this is my reward. It's an absolutely breathtaking game. I think I'm most in love with the game world. Everywhere I turn I'm amazed and rewarded. People keep comparing it with Uncharted - but it's so much darker than that. And you honestly feel for Lara...she isn't some bad-ass sexy bitch anymore, she's just a poor young girl in way over her head. GOTY contender for sure. Well...GTAV is out later so probably not, but whatever.

How the hell is "GTAV" the acronym for Rome II: Total War? I worry about you.

[Specially Cork]

Tomb Raider

I've supported Lara through thick and thin and this is my reward. It's an absolutely breathtaking game. I think I'm most in love with the game world. Everywhere I turn I'm amazed and rewarded. People keep comparing it with Uncharted - but it's so much darker than that. And you honestly feel for Lara...she isn't some bad-ass sexy bitch anymore, she's just a poor young girl in way over her head. GOTY contender for sure. Well...GTAV is out later so probably not, but whatever.

How the hell is "GTAV" the acronym for Rome II: Total War? I worry about you.

Awwww. Thanks for caring Jeebsy.

[DaMadFiddler]

I've never liked Tomb Raider, largely because of the clunky controls that they didn't really seem to fix until the series itself had started to deteriorate. I did really enjoy Uncharted, though--it was well written, controlled much better, and felt much like how I felt Tomb Raider was originally supposed to feel: like playing an Indiana Jones movie. The story was a little schlocky, but good enough for the sort of cinematic action-adventure thing they were going for... so if the new Tomb Raider is like Uncharted with a better story, that may actually be worth playing.

[melancholy]

After 6 months and 120 hours of Skyrim, I decided it was finally time to move on to a different game. Especially since I looked at a guide and realized I was only about 15% through the main quest. I haven't even explored the entire western half of the map yet and there are 3 cities I have yet to visit. I had to face facts, I was never going to beat that game no matter how much I loved it.

So, now that I've moved on, I decided to buy two new games:

Tomb Raider
Ni No Kuni

Ni No Kuni is on the backburner, as I'm going to try Tomb Raider first.

[Specially Cork]

I've never liked Tomb Raider, largely because of the clunky controls that they didn't really seem to fix until the series itself had started to deteriorate. I did really enjoy Uncharted, though--it was well written, controlled much better, and felt much like how I felt Tomb Raider was originally supposed to feel: like playing an Indiana Jones movie. The story was a little schlocky, but good enough for the sort of cinematic action-adventure thing they were going for... so if the new Tomb Raider is like Uncharted with a better story, that may actually be worth playing.

The controls are much more similar to Uncharted this time around, but while the comparisons with Uncharted are numerous and obvious, they've not directly ripped it off. The first difference being, while its not strictly open-world, it's not a linear set of scenarios either. You're on an island that opens up as you go along and you can back-track as you get new skills - kinda like Batman.

The other difference, which I care more about, is a reduced focus on combat. It's still there, but sometimes Uncharted just went all Gears of War, forgetting all the adventurey stuff and spending the next half hour as a cover shooter.

Ooh and it's nowhere near as light-hearted.

[DaMadFiddler]

I didn't exactly buy it (it was free), and it's not exactly a game, but it could well mean some Dark Castle in my future:

[melancholy]

I gave Tomb Raider about 3 hours before I shelved it. I knew it was going to be darker walking into it, but I didn't realize just how far gone from the original series it was going to go. I was hoping for lots of exploration and platforming with some combat. Instead, I got a linear suspense thriller that does everything possible to make me not want to move forward. Though not really a horror game, I almost compare it to a recent Resident Evil game in the constant sense of tension. It's not exactly terrible, it's just not what I enjoy in games. I'm just more pissed at the amount of money I wasted on it.

I think I'm going to move on to Assassin's Creed 3 finally. Because the Assassin's Creed series is basically what I wish Tomb Raider would have become.

[Specially Cork]

I gave Tomb Raider about 3 hours before I shelved it. I knew it was going to be darker walking into it, but I didn't realize just how far gone from the original series it was going to go. I was hoping for lots of exploration and platforming with some combat. Instead, I got a linear suspense thriller that does everything possible to make me not want to move forward. Though not really a horror game, I almost compare it to a recent Resident Evil game in the constant sense of tension. It's not exactly terrible, it's just not what I enjoy in games. I'm just more pissed at the amount of money I wasted on it.

I think I'm going to move on to Assassin's Creed 3 finally. Because the Assassin's Creed series is basically what I wish Tomb Raider would have become.

Hmmm. I don't think TR has been primarily about exploration and platforming since TR2. Plus it reclaims a lot of that later with the hidden tombs, relics etc.

Anyway, Let me know your thoughts about AC3 as I'm interested to see what you think. I really dislike it and gave up half way through despite enjoying all the others.