Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade
So there have been a couple of new releases now on the VC and XBLA… those being Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Alien Hominid HD. Super Mario World is basically a given, one of the most enjoyable platformers ever. Ocarina of Time is awesome, mainly because I never got to finish that game (I never actually owned a Nintendo 64, so it was a pain in the ass to play it).
And Alien Hominid HD is a high-def revision of the popular web flash game developed by The Behemoth, Inc. I’m stoked to get that Alien Hominid download, looks really awesome. But even better is The Behemoth’s next title, Castle Crashers. Looks f’ing sick. Check the sample after the jump.
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Crackdown on Coleman
So I just picked up my preordered copy of Crackdown yesterday, as well as a used copy of Viva Pinata. Crackdown is everything I knew it would be. After playing the demo repeatedly for weeks, I finally get to keep the skills that I’ve earned.
The intro video is the best I’ve seen in a long time. It really gets you hooked right off the bat with the narrator’s first line, “Everything has gone to shit.” It then goes into an explanation of the rampant crime in Pacific City and what The Agency has done to combat it: use dubious methods of human genetic modification (research stolen from one of the Shai-Gen scientists) to create superhuman, practically invincible agents to unleash paths of destruction throughout the city. That’s your only goal. Destroy everyone. You’re then thrown right into the whole of the city without having to unlock ANYTHING, at least directly. I guess some components you sort of have to “unlock” by collecting agility orbs so that you can reach certain heights that are initally unobtainable.
Throw that deuce and a half!
One of the most attractive elements to the game are the achievements. Nearly all the achievements center around the “sandbox” elements of the game. Things like “juggle a body with explosives for 10 seconds”, “do crazy stunts in a car”, “reach the top of the Agency tower”, et cetera. Of course there are some achievements for taking out the kingpins, killing certain numbers of gang members, and upping your skills, but a good majority have nothing to do with your central role in Pacific City: taking out the gangs.
I would give this game an 8/10 for gameplay, plus 1 for being better than GTA, plus 1 more for the size of the explosions. Kick ass. Oh yeah, here’s a gratuitous explosion video:
The Completed Furniture
Last night I put the finishing coat of varnish on my new TV stand-slash-entertainment center and I’ll have to say, I’m quite satisfied with the results… especially given the circumstances under which it was constructed. Because my parents are putting the finishing touches on our old house before selling, nearly all the tools were over in Palm Harbor, yet the table saw I needed to use several times was at the house in Dunedin. Needless to say this made things something of a hassle, considering I don’t live in either town, so I’ve got to drive over from Tampa to work on it at all. After starting the design around Thanksgiving, though it took about 3 months to complete this simple piece of work, it’s finally done and tonight I’m going to get the TV, stereo system, and console systems set up underneath. I’ll take some pictures later and post them.