Patapon (PSP)

This game was the reason I finally decided to get a PSP. With it, there were enough titles available to warrant buying one, and I couldn't resist Patapon having seen and read about it.

Anyway. I've played it a bit this evening, and I'm already hooked. It doesn't touch the analogue nub (which is good), instead pretty much relying on just two (so far) face buttons. Square makes a "pata" noise, and circle is "pon". When you press these in the sequence pata-pata-pata-pon, your little men advance. When you press pon-pon-pata-pon, they attack. Simple! Only you have to do it in a rhythm, and they repeat it back.

Frankly, the game is fantastic. Even if I have only done two missions.

PaRappa the Rapper (PSP)

Too! Hard! Gnngh!

I can't even get past the first level unless I play it on Easy. Rubbish.

Beautiful Katamari (360)

Erm, well. More of the same, really! Rolled up more planets, improving my scores on some (but not many) of them. And that's about all.

Not that I'm saying I didn't play it much - I did - it's just there's not much else to report.

Uridium (Wii)

It's far too hard! I did even worse than yesterday!

Beautiful Katamari (360)

Didn't do anything new on this today, instead just playing and replaying levels. It's a shame all the levels are basically the same game "world", unlike those on We Love Katamari where there were things like the flower collecting and the gingerbread house.

It's still great though.

Uridium (Wii)

I bought this simply because of the novelty factor of playing Commodore 64 games on the Wii. It's... OK. But hard. Only managed to reach Level 2!

Beautiful Katamari (360)

Yeah, I know I completed it yesterday already, but there's still loads to do. I have all the presents and cousins to find, and higher scores, faster times and online play to do as well.

Much of today was spent trying to get my first 100 point score. I finally managed it (on Delightful Dirigible) after 20 or so attempts. And even then, only just. And it seems there's a 120 point score to go for now? WHAT

I also played online a bit, but was disappointed to find it isn't what I thought it would be. I was under the impression it was going to be a race-to-get-biggest or something, but in fact it's more like a fight, where you collection items but can knock items off the other players. You barely change in size at all. Shame.

Beautiful Katamari (360): COMPLETED!

I had a little splurge this morning, and somehow ended up buying a new Xbox 360 Elite for £260, with three free games. I didn't have a say in the games (Halo 3, Lost Odyssey, Assassin's Creed) which was a pain as I didn't want Halo 3 and I already have Assassin's Creed. And Lost Odyssey was out of stock so I had to choose something else.

So I chose Beautiful Katamari! And I'm glad I did, as it's amazing! It's just like the PS2 version, of course, but with different levels and targets, and no loading when you grow.

Unfortunately, it seems quite a bit shorter than We Love Katamari, as I managed to finish it this afternoon. Oops.

TiQal (Demo) (360)

This is today's XBLA offering. Here's my in-depth review:

Meh.

Undertow (360): COMPLETED!

I have no idea why I decided to play this today. But I did. And yes, it's still crap, but something made me want to see the end.

And I saw the end, as I completed it. What a waste of time.

Lets never play this again, OK?

Civilization IV (Demo) (Mac)

I didn't mean to play it, as I was using it to test my graphics card. But I ended up "testing" for 45 minutes - which is 100 turns and the full duration of the demo. Oops.

Psychonauts (Xbox)

It would appear that the Milkman is inside the guard's head. Well, at least, that's where I've been told to go. Except i couldn't get in as I was told I needed a cobweb sweeper, which I didn't own.

So back to the shop, to find that the sweeper was 800 arrow heads to buy, and I had 200. I started to dread the trudge round collecting loads, when I saw you could buy a divining rod to find them for 50 arrow heads. With that and a 20 minutes run round the map, I was up to 900 - sweeper bought, head entered!

Psychonauts (Xbox)

After scaling the tower again, I had to fight a tank that was being controlled by the brain of one of the kids. It was pretty easy though. Then I had to go and find Lila by the lake, only to have her eaten by a giant lungfish.

So I set off underwater to try and get her back, having a huge fight with the lungfish, culminating in entering its mind and fighting through a Godzilla-type level where I was huge and could smash buildings. It was amazing.

Then there was another boss battle, and I finally released the lungfish from the control of the evil bloke stealing people's brains. Turns out the lungfish is called Linda. Anyway, he/she took me to an island, where there's a guard who won't open a gate for me. He says the milkman has the key, but I can't find a milkman anywhere - and I've searched every part of the game map. Hmm.

Psychonauts (Xbox)

I went back into the Brain Tumbler and killed the thing I couldn't kill previously with my new shooty power. After progressing a bit further, I came across a tower, but couldn't climb it all the way as I was told I needed to use levitation - something I couldn't do.

So I could out of my own mind again, and sought out Milla, who could teach me about levitation. This mainly involved getting to a party in her mind, which was pretty easy. I had to race some other kids through a section on the way there, though.

Now I can go back to my own mind and climb the tower again...

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

With virtually no rupees left at all, I needed some quite badly. I went back to the Deku Tree and filled all my bottles with Life Dew, hoping to make BIG CAHS MONEY$, only to find they're worth just 80 rupees each. Pff.

I then made a few new foods, selling one to the creepy fat trader on the pirate ship for quite a lot of money, and the others to people in the town. This netted me quite a lot, so I braved the Gooey Marsh once more, although I couldn't find anywhere to hire a bodyguard from so had to do lots of running away.

Found the three butterflies for the exploration party, netting me 15,000 rupees, meaning I could buy back the map of the previous area, buy the Queen Juice recipe for reviving the journalist (again), and buy the map of the marsh. And still have enough left over for the bus fare home!

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

I seems I only needed a couple of thousand more rupees in the pool for it to grow another level - to so high I've opened up a whole new continent. There, I found an island covered in marsh gas, and spent a fair while blowing up the vents spewing the gas into the air.

With that done, I'd pleased a queen bee (as the flowers could grow again). I also found a hole to fall in, to find it was actually a giant bottle. With a man in it, who claimed to be the inventor of empty bottles. I'm sure he is.

He also found being in the cramped space with Tingle a little uncomfortable in more ways than just it being a tight squeeze. Amazing.

After all that, and cooking some stuff with my newly available ingredients from the marsh and Deku Forest, I went back and did some stuff for Junglo and finished off a couple of maps. With all my made money, I managed to "grow" the tower some more, and open up yet another island - with lots of really hard baddies that I don't want to take on yet as my bodyguard died and I didn't have enough money to revive her. Yeah, her - I ditched Titch and hired Valerie or whatever her name is. She has a tache like Hitler.

Wii Sports/Wii Play (Wii)

So the inlaws were up today, and bizarrely they wanted to have a look at my Wii. They've not really taken an interest in games before (aside from Buzz! a couple of years ago), so it was a bit out of the blue.

I showed them Wii Sports first, and played bowling and tennis, and then we played Wii Play, on the shooting, pool and (most video-gamey) the cow-riding games. And now they're going to buy one themselves!

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

Just a bit more wandering on this today, and went off to find the kid who'd gone walkabout.

Made some more money selling things I'd cooked as well, but despite chucking all my rupees (almost 15,000 in total) into the pool the tower didn't actually grow any further.

Psychonauts (Xbox)

It's been a while since I last played this, but with Commanders out of the way and most of the rest of my Christmas games now done or being played, I thought I'd go back to it.

Had to get myself some sort of fighting permit, and then set off to see Agent Nein who taught me how to shoot things. And I shot things. Lots of Censors, and then some cats, then bigger Censors, and finally a giant Censor boss.

After that, Nein told be to go back into my own mind to face the creature I couldn't fight earlier, so I'm going to do that next.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

Had a wander around the Deku Forest for a while, digging lots of holes, and finding Junglo - an aging Tarzan type who, although advertising himself as strong and brave, needed rescuing from some dung beetles.

No, really.

I then went back to some earlier areas to stock up on some more ingredients, made some more things and sold them.

Commanders: Attack (360): COMPLETED!

And it didn't take very long, either. Turned out where I'd left it saved last night was just before killing three Super Units, the enemy commander, and a Heavy Artillery unit. Since I had a Super unit and six Heavy Artillery units of my own, placed out of reach thanks to my commander's additional artillery range power, I took the lot out in just two rounds with only minor scratches to my Super Unit's bodywork. That left me with just having to capture the enemy capital, and it was all over!

Game WIN!

After the credits, I had a go at the first battle map and lost horribly. Pff.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

After eventually figuring out how much Duke the Gay Workman wanted for his spade, I could start digging stuff up. Stuff like sweet potatoes and rupees! Well, OK - only sweet potatoes and rupees. Although I did dig some holes I could fall through and found some treasure chests with more rupees in.

Then the tower shrunk! I didn't know it did that! It seems if you don't keep chucking rupees in, it shrinks again, undoing all your rupee-earning. Rubbish!

Thankfully, I made a pile of rupees from the jeweller for saving his daughter from the Oinkers in Lon Lon Meadow, so I could grow it again, and then grow it some more. Phew! I've unlocked Deku Forest now too.

Commanders: Attack (360)

I'm on the last mission, which has been quite tricky so far due to buildings restricting visibility and so I can't see far enough (or round corners) to spot enemy heavy artillery that keep wanting to blow my units up. And then I keep running into bombers and gunships with units that can't attack them. And there are Super Units hiding everywhere.

But I've made it far enough across the map to see the enemy HQ. I've saved for now to do the final assault at another time.

Commanders: Attack (360)

Just one mission completed today - Mission 14 - but it took TWO HOURS to finish. Not because it was especially hard, just because I kept running into traps and having to backtrack, wait, or rebuild my army. And yes, I totally overdid it again with my troops.

Note to self: 9 heavy artillery units are not necessary to defeat one light tank.

Commanders: Attack (360)

Almost at the end of the main campaign now, with Mission 13 completed. It could have taken about 20 minutes to win, but once again I felt the need to stockpile tanks and artillery before converging on a single Super Unit. I had so many units to swoop in with, I actually blocked myself off from a useful attacking position. Tch. Thankfully, I killed it off anyway.

Just two missions left now!

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

First off today I went and cooked a load of stuff using up most of my ingredients. Then I wandered round the map for a while picking more ingredients, and collecting some Snatched Pearls and other stuff of value.

Selling these things, and more food, I scraped together enough rupees to make the tower grow another stage. This gave me access to Lon Lon Meadow, which is full of evil cows and mushroom things. Wandered round there for a bit, but became a bit low on rupees so retreated to my house.

Brain Challenge (Demo) (360)

This is such a rip-off of Big Brain Academy! So much so, it was actually quite embarrassing to play! It's also not actually very good, as the not-a-pointer controls hamper the game more than I was expecting.

Bliss Island (Demo) (360)

It's a series of strangle games that don't appear to tie together at all. And it's very odd. Not bad-odd, just odd-odd. I'm not sure if I want it, as I think it's too varied and not focussed enough, if that makes sense.

The "pool" type game is excellent, though.

Commanders: Attack (360)

About time I caught up with this, I think. Put it on for a quick go, and then three hours later stopped having completed up to the end of Mission 12. None of the other missions were especially hard, but I do find myself spending longer on them than necessary because I like to stockpile loads of tanks and stuff that I don't actually need, and take over ever building even if it's not a mission target.

Adventures of Lolo 2 (Wii)

Not played this in a while, and didn't play for all that long today, either. I was on Floor 4, and one of the levels there took 30+ attempts, so I was stuck for a while. I'm now part way through Floor 5.

Pinball FX (360)

Just a few goes this evening to try to beat my scores on the Nightmare Mansion and Extreme tables. Managed the former (and got two achievements too), but not the latter. Although I did manage to pick up another achievement on the Extreme one.

Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (Demo) (360)

Nasty horrid rubbish game. It's like Smash TV but crap and with a useless fixed-scrolling camera that alternately holds you up or pushes you too fast for no reason. And awful comic cut-scenes and text that doesn't fit in speech bubbles and button mashing where it isn't necessary.

Urgh. Badness.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360): COMPLETED!

And it's about time! I've not completed anything in aaaaages.

As usual, I won't spoil the last few bits of the game. I will say, however, there's lots of precision jumping, at speed, requiring lightning reactions. And lots of giant bat things that shoot fireballs.

And lava. Lots of lava.

But the end boss was pretty easy, and I beat it on my first attempt (although it did take ages). I didn't get the achievement for doing it without dying though, so I don't know what happened there. Anyway, the game is complete, on Hard Mode. It's the first game in years I've done on Hard Mode, probably the only game ever I've started on Hard and completed (rather than completing it on an easier mode and replaying it on Hard). It wasn't especially hard though, I don't think. Easy must be a complete walkover.

So the verdict: Not as good as Legend, better than I expected, too many collect-all-these bits, but generally pretty great.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

I completed the two (similar) puzzles to gain the keys to get into the Sphinx. I think I chose the easier of the two puzzles last (unintentionally), making the first one I attempted harder than I expect it would have been had I done them the other way round.

Once in the Sphinx, there was a puzzle with lowering a raising water, and then a long corridor leading to a room with loads of baddies. It took me a fair few tries to beat them, but finally did and picked up the final bit of the Scion. Only to have Natla come and nick all the bits. Tch.

Anyway, I found myself on an island, and spent ages figuring how to progress from the warehouse you there (sans guns - which made the rats annoying), eventually making it through and past a lava section, to find two of Natla's goons. With them dealt with, I could open up a huge metal pyramid. Onward!

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

Didn't play for too long today, just long enough to finish off the bit I was on (all the bridges are sorted now) and end up in a room with a huuuuuuge Sphinx. I'm guessing I have to get inside it or something, and there's two keys needed to do so.

I have to say, I'm getting a little fed up with "you need to solve X puzzles to get keys to progress" bits in the game. I know they're varied, but still...

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

I hate spinny blades, and I hate crushy doors. So imagine my under-enthusiastic response to the bit in the game I did today. Jumping from pillar to pillar, avoiding crushy doors and spinny blades. Joy!

Had loads of Anubiseseseses to kill as well. I do wonder if "hard mode" means "kill three baddies instead of two". Individual baddies are still easy to wipe out, and jumps can't really be made any harder than not-quite-impossible, so it isn't that. And I get so many health packs I'm only ever bolstering my inventory and rarely actually using them, so that isn't it either. Perhaps it's the amount of damage I take? A swipe from a puma drops my health by more than a third.

Whatever it is, I'm not finding the actual game too taxing. Yet.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

Completed all of the first bit of Egypt (up until the first "suggested" save point), and haven't really had any problems yet. The pumas are quite difficult to kill (if they're in packs, anyway), and the jumping and climbing here seems to require speed and timing more than anywhere else previously.

I'm now in a large room with a big obelisk in the middle, and four bridges leading to it - only one of which actually reaches, currently.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

Although it was large in size, the room I ended up in on my last play was actually pretty easy with simple puzzles. Well, one puzzle. After that, I was through to a submerged area, and finally to the next bit of the Scion.

And a boss. Or rather, two bosses. Two centaurs, in fact. It took me ages to figure out how to kill them (you need to pull off their shields with your grapple), and I died a lot working it out. Once I had it worked out, however, they were easy.

Then it was off to Egypt. Not done much here yet, apart from kill a couple of Anubiseseses's's, and opened the door to another area.

Pinball FX (360)

My wife was playing this earlier, so I had to beat her high scores.

Naturally, I didn't. Which is rubbish.

I also bought and downloaded the Nightmare Mansion table, which is very small but plays well.

More Brain Training (DS)

24. Grr.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

I'm still in Greece, but only because everything seems to take ages to do there. I've done the puzzles associated with Midas, a couple of which made me scratch my head a bit, swum through what appears to be some flooded sewers, and ended up in a huge room with crocodiles in it.

I've killed them, but there's a load of puzzley stuff to do now.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

The pirates are amazing. They're all dead, and as a result are skeletons. And they act all hard and they're not scared of anything, until a dog appears, anyway...

So found may way into their hideout, did some mundane tasks for them (including killing cockroaches), and then beat up their boss. I found a load of "swag" too, although I'm not really sure what to do with it yet - it just sort of sits in my loft.

Oh, and the dog has been "Tingle-ified" with a green hat and tights. And now lives in my house. It's very odd.

More Brain Training (DS)

23. Once again, the method by which this is decided confuses me, as I did better than usual in terms of time, but worse in terms of age.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (360)

Played this quite a lot today, and my 360 didn't crash at all. Which is most odd. The game did glitch once though - I fell down a hole, but Lara's death scream never happened, the screen went black, and I could still shoot and bring up the inventory, but not do anything. Very strange.

As for how I did today, I killed the T-Rex (without dying, so got an achievement for that!), completed Peru, and have just reached Midas in Greece. I remembered the four gods bit of Greece and the final few bits of Peru from the original game, but everything is the same... only different.

Oh, and I'm playing on Hard for no reason other than I thought I'd give it a go. So far, I've not had much difficulty in terms of killing things, so I'm not sure how hard easier modes would be.