The Sims 3

I’m kind of overdue for a review on this due to website problems but dagnabbit I’m gonna review it anyway! I have a weakness for games like this and so naturally I’ve been a Sims player from the first iteration of the franchise.

In Sims 1 I only really liked to design houses and kill off my Sims in amusing ways. In Sims 2 the gameplay was actually engaging and hilarious and I ended up playing the game properly… well, most of the time. So I’m probably going to end up comparing the next evolution in ridiculous life simulation, The Sims 3, to Sims 2 quite a bit.

Saints Row 2 vs Grand Theft Auto 4

I was really excited about Grand Theft Auto 4. I really was. Although Vice City is my favorite installment and I had never finished San Andreas or bothered with the “Stories” iterations of the series, I was really looking forward to seeing what Rockstar could do with the franchise on next-gen consoles. I got my copy at a midnight launch, and I really enjoyed it at first. At least, I thought I did.

de Blob

Here I go reviewing video games again. I’m going to try to balance out my posts with more art-oriented stuff soon, but for now I’m lazy and it’s easy to just post about games I play. So let’s talk about de Blob.

de Blob is one of my favorite games on the Wii, it’s definitely in my top three (the others being Okami and Mario Galaxy.) I’ve enjoyed it even more than first party Nintendo titles, and I’m a begrudged Nintendo loyalist through and through. It’s that good. I’m hoping this one will be a sleeper title that will snowball into popularity via word of mouth, and that does seem to be happening. Sick of shovelware on the Wii? This game will more than deliver your fix.

Ninja Gaiden 2

I haven’t played a Ninja Gaiden game since the Sega Genesis, and I see not much has changed since then. The nonsensical plot, which is thrown at you in eye-raping red-backed embossed text that might have looked cool ten years ago and sounds like something a 15 year old weeaboo might pen, almost makes me nostalgic for the horrendously bad video game plots of the early to mid 90’s. Even the atmosphere is the same as it always was, in the first level you’re running about in some futuristic TMNT-esque version of Tokyo where cherry blossom trees grow everywhere and provide a constant stream of petals to the wind. Before meeting Ryu Hayabusa and his tiny Asian package, which is quite distractingly visible through his tight spandex onesie, we’re introduced to a female CIA agent who resembles a slightly more realistic Ivy from Soul Caliber and dresses in some elaborate leather straps and miniskirt combo which would be impossible to wear without careful taping in several places. Despite her established status as a trained special agent she’s of course completely helpless, easily chained up and kidnapped by evil ninjas in the first scene. And you rush off to help her despite not knowing or caring who she is because the game gives no indication if Ryu knows this chick from previous titles or not. All this just further confirms my suspicions that Team Ninja hasn’t altered their game-making methods since about 1992. But how does it play?

Civilization Revolution

Civilization Revolution was far far below my radar seeing as I’m a consoletard and my PC gaming experience encompasses basically the original 1992 Alone in the Dark, Myst, and The Sims. Having never played a Civilization game before I didn’t know what the big deal was. I had also made a solemn vow not to buy any games until Spore and Fable 2 (especially after getting so badly burned by the NEW Alone in the Dark.)

But one day while perusing the Xbox Live Marketplace I noticed free game demos and downloaded "Civ Revo" (as the cool kids like to call it.) Eventually I played it and then immediately rushed down to the game store exclaiming "GIMME!"