New Completion - Final Fantasy VIII (Playstation)

The 'Millenium of Final Fantasy' continues! After months of playing in tandem with my good buddy Max, Final Fantasy VIII is in the books with about 65+ hours of play -- and SO MUCH TRIPLE TRIAD. There's a lot to say about this game, but I believe Max will be posting a more comprehensive retrospective here shortly, so look out for that real soon!

Oh look, another Elnoyle...

What I will say is this game isn't my favorite RPG, but it's not as bad (or amazing) as I had been led to believe. It's just OK. And that's OK! The GFs were fun to hunt down, and the story was much more coherent (if not as memorable) than FFVII's.

"Just ONE more game of Triple Triad?"

Regardless, I'm happy to have played it to completion and I look forward to starting up on FFIX real soon.

New Completion - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)

It's with mixed emotions that I can finally write about the final (no seriously, this is actually the last one) Kojima-directed entry in the mythical Metal Gear series. Due to circumstances entirely within my control, in combination with a complete lack of competence or ambition, I have successfully procrastinated until this very moment to give my review.

I actually finished the game (the main story missions, that is) on Christmas day. And Metal Gear is one of, if not my favorite, franchises in entertainment. Yet, from the moment I put down my controller to now, I have struggled to conjure up the words that fully describe my feelings about Snake's last chapter.

No Boss, it was my fault this time.

And I think that's emblematic of Metal Gear as a whole. MGSV, like it's predecessors, is so many things at once: complex yet sleek, campy yet cinematic, serious yet self-aware, incomplete yet sufficient, ambitious yet familiar. In this sense, it is a Kojima game through and through.

MGSV is so ambitious in scope and design that in its magnitude it is actually quite easy for one to mistake it for a simple game.

"I run around the desert, attaching things to balloons, trying not to be seen."

In just the way we take for granted the complex system which underlies a simple concept like how our our oceans evaporate into clouds, and those clouds precipitate into drinking water; so too can one overlook the fluid animations, the carefully designed outposts, and deeply intricate sub-systems that comprise the MGSV experience.

And in the end, taking all this for granted, one can't help but wonder 'what if Kojima Productions had another year to finish the game?'. 'What might this game have looked like without the meddling and back-room politics conducted by Konami?'

'What if?'

Climatically clear of Konami's clutches, Kojima can cultivate contemporary creations unconditionally.

And that is why it has taken so long to write about this game. Because it is so deep it's hard to fathom where to even begin. Do I start with the story arcs of Quiet, Miller, Ocelot, Venom Snake, Huey, Skullface, Codetalker, or Zero? Do I opine the joys of the fulton recovery system, the phantom cigar, the ability to call in a helicopter blasting "Rebel Yell" through a hail storm of bullets, the various weapon and systems upgrades, or the buddy system and various partners in stealth you can select?

Do I go in-depth in sharing my stories about the various side-ops, the animal collecting, the side-missions you can send your mother base staff on that impact what equipment enemies have when you meet in the field, or how enemies start to take notice of your tactics and adjust to counter them over time, or Mother Base itself and it's various story sequences and easter eggs, or the entire crazy ass plot, or the crazy ass tape recordings, or the crazy ass soundtrack, or the crazy ass opening sequence, or the crazy ass ending sequence?

Should I rhetorically ponder what's up with the Hayter/Sutherland voice controversy thing? What's up with Quiet's outfit? What's up with Snake having hologram technology in the 1980s? Why is there a chapter missing? How many chapter's were there supposed to be? Was the ending always planned to be what it was? Why is Sahelanthropus so much more advanced than Rex if it came a decade before? Why is Miller obsessed with cheeseburgers? Where is Solid during all of this madness?

And that's before I even take the base infiltration, and Metal Gear Online components into account!

DEAR GOD THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THIS GAME.

Let the legend come back to life, and live on forever.

The truth is I need a sizable, multi-chapter book to fully give every component of this story (not just the game) its due. No review, in my humble opinion, will ever give you a full sense of MGSV or any of the madness that surrounds it. So in a completely unsatisfactory and hypocritical fashion, allow me to abbreviate my thoughts to three lines:

1. Open world, beautiful aesthetics, satisfying and supremely polished game-play.
2. Long story arc with tons of side content, but leaves you wanting more from its story and the conclusion, which... well... you know :(
3. F**K Konami, leaves one wondering 'what might have been?'

And there you have it.

I truly believe that the gameplay of MGSV is what Kojima had envisioned when he set out to create the first Metal Gear for MSX and NES consoles several decades ago. In 2015, technology finally caught up to his vision, and this game is the result. As far as game mechanics go, this is the quintessential Metal Gear.

Thank you Kojima-san, for nearly 30 years of tactical espionage excellence. Here's to you!

Tactical espionage action might not be everyone's cup of tea, but absolutely anyone who has a deep appreciation for video games as a medium must play this game at least once. It is as much an exceptional gaming experience, as it is a historic and emotional send off to what is one of the greatest franchises in the video game industry's history.

Thank you, Hideo Kojima. We look forward to whatever you have in store for us next.

We are Homo Ludens. Those who play.

New Completions! (3 new additions, see below)

The Last of Us - Remastered (PS4)

Completed in August 2015

• Wonderful atmosphere, with a purposefully slow and deliberate pacing.
• Fantastic voice over performances.
• A perfect ending, that wraps up the story without answering all the questions; respecting the intelligence of the player and provoking thought.
• Gameplay is pretty repetitive and clearly secondary to the story.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4)

Completed in August 2015

• Got it for free as a PS Plus subscriber; but I can see why people who paid $40 were frustrated with a lack of content.
• That said, for what it is, it is a perfect taste of the new Metal Gear mechanics and the impressive Fox Engine.
• The main mission is OK, but the bonus side missions are really what made this experience worth it. Lots of variety, and some fun easter eggs as well.
• Not necessary to play before Phantom Pain, but if you love Metal Gear it may be worth a look.

Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition (Sega Genesis)

Completed in September 2015

• Found this gem at the U-District Pink Gorilla (shout out to @PinkGorillaLLC give them a follow!), and plowed through it in one long, obscenity-laden evening.
• My first time playing a Street Fighter game that I can remember, it was an awesome experience.
• My 'C' button started to stick, so I had to dismantle my Genesis controller and clean it before continuing, because Vega is TOO DAMNED FAST.
• The main roster is fun to fight, I used Chun Li, but the AI bosses are pretty cheap and were decidedly less fun. Little to no stun frames and some infuriating invincibility windows forces you to play ultra conservative, spam, and hope for some luck.
• A really good game that I suspect is more fun to play with friends than the AI. I'm hoping to give that a shot soon!

New Completion - Dynamite Headdy (Sega Genesis)

Well, here's a brand new feature for one of these posts. I first played this game over a decade ago when I was still just a wee lad in elementary school. I thought it was visually stunning, acoustically impressive, but also tough as nails. As such, I determined that no sane person could ever beat it.

Nightmare fuel.

Well, it's 2015, and now I have something I didn't have then: the Internet, and an emulator that is capable of save states. "Save states?!" you may say. "That's not really beating the game!"

Well, I agree. And that's why I didn't use them to beat the game, I used them to practice the insane boss fights I could never beat before. After HUNDREDS of attempts, finally, I was able to get comfortable with the last three segments of the game. A luxury little innocent pre-teen Cooper never had.

This game was so ahead of it's time. I mean, JUST LOOK AT THIS!!!

With this help, it was just a matter of putting it all together. Not only did I pull it off, I live streamed it, and I timed it. And should you have an hour to spare (and of course you do!) you can watch it, right here:

What more can I say about the game that you can't see for yourself above. Awesome graphics, awesome music, innovative gameplay and style. This game is so insanely under appreciated,. PLAY IT. PLAY IT NOW. THEN TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO PLAY IT. It's super hard, but it is always fun. A perfect 16-bit platformer in every way.

And just for reading this whole post, *YOU GOT A SECRET BONUS POINT*

New Completion - ActRaiser (Super Nintendo)

What do you get when you combine Final Fantasy, SimCity, and a clunky platformer?

ActRaiser is one of those games that I hear about every now and then when people talk about Enix (now SquareEnix) and old Final Fantasy games on the Super Nintendo. Usually it goes, "Man! Final Fantasy games were so much better before Enix merged with Square! And remember ActRaiser? It was so innovative!"

Often times when people call an obscure game 'innovative' it's usually a back-handed complement, short for "Not great, but at least you tried something new!" For ActRaiser, however, 'innovative' suits it perfectly. Essentially, what you get is a fairly short, average difficulty mash-up of three different game genres. As you start the game you are immediately dropped into a platforming sequence.

Fillmore - Act 1

Right away you notice just how beautiful the art is. Enix was on top of it's game, and there is no lack in quality here. The music (done by Yuzo Koshiro, who also composed the soundtracks for Streets of Rage, Beyond Oasis, and Shenmue) is equally inspired, though it isn't quite as memorable as the soundtracks for other Enix games'  (which is more a compliment to Enix, than a knock on ActRaiser).

"Fillmore" by Yuzo Koshiro, 1991

The controls are simple, but in comparison to other platformers on the Super Nintendo, I felt they were quite clunky. This is largely due to an inability to control your movement mid-jump. Realistic? Yes. Fun? Not really. Once you commit to an arc, that's it.

This becomes especially frustrating when you are jumping down to a lower level, where you can't see where the next platform is. That last little adjustment you need to avoid losing a life is not possible in ActRaiser, and you will have to simply memorize where the platform is and try it again.

As per SNES law, flying enemy's are EXTREMELY annoying. And with the fact that you can't change direction mid-jump, they become even more of a pain, always seeming to show up at the worst possible time and knock you into an instant-death pit.

As you play through you will also get magic spells which have a limited use per session, but are re-filled if you game over, which is nice. Magic spells, especially the Star power, are really useful and can get you out of most tricky situations, often helping to finish off a boss fight when your down to your last gasp.

All in all, the platforming is functional, the atmosphere is great, but I probably wouldn't rank ActRaiser in the top 10 of the genre. Fortunately, platforming is only half the equation.

Makin' it RAIN!

Once you complete a stage, you will be brought out to a top down view of the region you were just fighting in. By completing Act-1 (for every region there are two 'acts') you allow people to settle down, and begin building their town. As their God, you tell them where to build, and help protect them from monsters that constantly spawn and fly around the map wreaking havoc.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward: in real-time you control an angel that can shoot arrows. You fly around the map, find the enemies' spawn points, and direct your townsfolk towards it to seal it for good, thus making your job easier. Repeat.

In addition to monsters, your townsfolk will have to fight the elements.

While the concept is simple, it is oddly satisfying to fend off the monsters and slowly make progress towards closing off enemy lairs for good. The townsfolk construct buildings pretty quick, cycling through a 15-second timer shown on screen, and the maps aren't terribly big. The action chugs along, keeping the experience short and sweet. If you had to really grind for hours the game wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable, but luckily it finds the right balance and throws in some mini-puzzles for variety.

The best part is that as your town grows, your people will also find artifacts that they can offer you. These artifacts, such as magic spells, can then be utilized during the platforming segments of the game. In addition, as the total population grows you become stronger (more health) as well. Thus the simulation phase of the game directly feeds back into the platforming phase. This is absolutely brilliant, as it gives the player freedom to choose how to approach either section, while maintaining a sense of continuity throughout.

BOSS RUSH!!!

If the player feels they aren't strong enough to finish Act-2 in Bloodpool, then that's fine. They can easily move on to the next region, try Act-1 there, build up its population, level up, and then return in a stronger state. The order in which you visit each region is only consequential for maximizing your overall population. Thankfully, there is plenty of leeway given for you to get your self buffed-up to make most levels approachable.

All in all, this creative pacing of the game is what really makes the experience worth while. The platforming may not be the best, and the simulation isn't very deep, but the way the two are interwoven is incredibly satisfying and continues to pull the player along wanting more. This is what people mean when they call ActRaiser innovative. The game's design is so well done, that one can over look its other shortcomings and accept it for what it is. A damn fun time.

New Completion - Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (Genesis)

Was it meant to be? On a day where I saw a real life USMC Apache helicopter fly over my house, I finally beat a game I've been unable to finish for some fifteen years. And that game is about an Apache helicopter.

Life can be funny sometimes.

I FINALLY BEAT YOUR GAME MIKE POSEHN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!

There's so much I could say about this game that actually has nothing to do with the game itself. Moments, people, certain emotions; it's nostalgia down to it's purest form. This game ranks amongst my top three most nostalgic games (with Earthworm Jim, and Vectorman). When I think of my childhood, or even the 90's in general, I often picture sitting in front of a CRT television with the glow of orange reflecting off of everything in the room and a tiny little green helicopter flimsly flittering around the screen.

I also think of frustration. You see, Desert Strike is a really difficult game. Not so much in the technique, though that is certainly important, but mostly in patience and endurance. These are all things most 8 year-olds lack, and I was no exception.

'Don't be sad fellas! I'll be back in 15 minutes after I fail the mission again!'

But that's the beauty of maturing. You become stronger, smarter, more persistent, never willing to be defeated by a simple play thing! Well, except for the couple times I rage quitted last night. But today was different! Today I had a purpose! And when I looked up and saw that Apache helicopter fly o're head, I knew what I must do!

Grind! A lot! And keep grinding until somehow I fluked my way to victory. Albeit I killed my own co-pilot once, was shot down by running into buildings a few times, and wove a tapestry of curse words that could be seen from space ('A Christmas Story' refernce for ya there). But in the end I succeeded. I SHOOK GEORGE HERBERT WALKER TEXAS RANGER BUSH'S HAND!

Now onto the game itself. This game, despite what I said above, is surprisingly short. 4 missions to be exact. Each mission has a set of objectives to be completed in order. You fly around, shooting missiles or a chain gun, at various targets across a large isometric map. You have limited ammo and fuel which you must monitor throughout the mission, and replenish by picking up items scattered and or hidden across the map. You can also pick up health items to repair your helicopter, as well as a few *very rare* extra lives. You are initially given three lives to finish the mission, and if you run out of lives it's 'Game Over' and you must start all over.

Thankfully, if you do finish a mission successfully you are given a password so that you can resume from the last uncompleted mission. This was something I did not comprehend as a child, and thus why I never could beat this game. For whatever reason, in my small little underdeveloped brain, passwords were for cheats. The idea of using them as a checkpoint was so foreign and beyond me, I never really had a chance. And this would haunt me and my ability to beat old games for a long time.... but that's another story.

I saw this a lot as a child.

Thankfully I'm not such a puritan anymore. I happily used those passwords and HOLY HELL that makes the game a lot more bearable. Now I just have to take things a mission at a time. And that's what I did. All in all Desert Strike is still a lot of fun. I think it has held up a lot better than most games from the early 90's, and visually it still impresses me for a Genesis game.

Whether or not I would recommend it to a casual fan of games? Probably not. It's not long enough, nor rewarding enough for the effort it requires to see it through. But if you had a Genesis/Super Nintendo and somehow missed this game, it is absolutely worth a look. I know I feel much better about finally checking this one off the list.

Oh, and it has a rad theme song too:

In conclusion, I'm just glad it's over. It was so stressful! But now I don't have to worry any more because there's definitely not a sequel for....

 

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

New Completion - Rayman Legends (PS4)

This is quite a delayed update, but I've finally gotten around to writing about it. A few months back my girlfriend and I finally collected all of the teensies to be had in this sequel to the PS3's Rayman Origins.

Another fine entry.

With more colorful worlds and characters, charming humor, and another excellent soundtrack the developers at Ubisoft Montpellier delivered on everything I could have wanted from a Rayman Origins follow-up. I can't stress how much content is delivered in this game. Not only do you get more of the traditional solid and fun platforming with new twists on older themes, you also get some very intriguing auto-scroll music levels, interesting boss fights, AND THE ENTIRETY OF THE FIRST GAME! Yes! You read that correctly. Through a series of unclocakable levels titled "Back to Origins", the entirety of the first game is also included with the sequel. Amazing.

All your favorite characters return, and a green guy no one likes.

And that's just the single-player. Also included this time around are challenge modes where you can compete online in distance-runs and time-trials against other Rayman players from around the world. Depending on what percentile you rank with your best run you earn trophies and earn lums. Trophies increase your "awesomeness level" which ultimately means nothing unless you're trying to get a Platinum Trophy for your Playstation account.

Indeed, that's my only gripe with Legends. The amount of trophy points needed to achieve the last level of awesomness and platinum the game is BRUTAL. It will probably take the best players a month or two of playing challenges everyday, and average players who only play now and again... well a lot longer than that. I gave up on it about a month ago, and that's why I'm writing this entry now. Sadness.

Boss fights now more epic-er.

Fake awards that mean nothing in real life aside, this game was a blast to play and the co-op remains one of the best iterations I've ever seen in a platformer title, if not any genre. It was a great way for me to break in my PS4, and I look forward to hearing whats in the works for a third title in this rebooted Rayman series.

Medieval Dragon by composer Christophe Héral

NOW ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF THIS MUSIC!

New Completion - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

I've waited far too long to complete this often called masterpiece of a game. But as of yesterday evening, with the trusty support of my wonderful girlfriend (we were actually playing with her personal copy), this ugly red mark on my gaming record has finally been erased.

There is so much I could say about my time with this game that it's almost overwhelming. To the point where I'm actually struggling to say anything because I can't quite think of the exact words to encapsulate all the joy, frustration, intrigue, and enchantment I experienced over the last year or so of on and off sessions traversing the dungeons of Hyrule.

This is the first Zelda game I've ever played to completion. And it is, perhaps unsurprising to those that have already played it, one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Even with vastly outdated graphics and a simplistic control scheme, I was shocked with how well it held up, considering so many 64-bit games have aged rather poorly. Everything about it seems to be so polished (for the time) from the art style, to the insanely (yet consistently) entrancing soundtrack by Koji Kondo:

Gerudo Valley - by Koji Kondo

While the game admittedly has some troublesome areas (I'M LOOKING AT YOU FISHING GAME!) I actually felt all of the dungeons were fair in their design. When I failed, it was my fault, not the level's. You can't say that about many modern games, let alone games from the 64-bit era. The water temple, for instance, while confusing wasn't overtly cheap in any way. I actually felt the Shadow temple was far more challenging considering all of it's high-difficulty action sequences and platforming.

Entrance to the Shadow Temple; 10 bucks if you can open it with fire arrows ;)

In the end, I was thoroughly impressed and simultaneously bummed that I hadn't played this game back in the day when it first released. The story (which has been spoiled for me countless times thanks to playthroughs of Super Smash Bros.) wasn't as impacting as an adult as it likely would have been were I still a child of the 90s. Nor were the zombies (known as "ReDead") as frightening as apparently they still are to my girlfriend due to her traumatic experience with them as a kid.

But then again, I'm just so happy I finally got to experience it at all.

If you haven't played this game, you absolutely must. Use an emulator if you have to. No other game lives up to the title of 'classic' like Ocarina of Time. I promise.

New Completion - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)

Add another notch to the belt. This time it's the SNES sequel from my favorite primate-centric series:

Along with the much needed help of my girlfriend, we together were able to conquer this revered title in a matter of weeks. That might not sound like much of an achievement, but after it took us an entire Summer to beat the first DKC, you can imagine we we're quite proud of the rapidity with which we finished this entry.

The biggest change with this title, at least from a game play perspective, was the ability to go back and save by spending coins you collect from within the levels. This meant you could save after every single completed level, and just before a boss level. From a convenience perspective, this made beating the game far easier than DKC.

As for the actual mechanics of the levels, it was really refreshing to see new moves like Dixie Kong's hair-twirling float, or any of the various new animals (the snake, or the spider for example) incorporated over and over rather than just as one off bonuses like the previous title.

Squawks to the rescue!

As improved as the levels are, the music is even more fantastic. With such a vibrant and varied soundtrack from heart-pumping, shredding rock to comical sea-shanties the reputation of DKC2 having a stellar soundtrack is well deserved. Props to David Wise, the composer of both DKC and DKC2, on delivering again.

"Snakey Chantey" by David Wise

This game was a wonderful experience, and absolutely an advancement over its predecessor which is always a huge plus. I can't recommend it any more highly to those that have not played it, but still own a SNES.

Now, all I have to do is find DKC3 to complete the trilogy. Wish me luck!

New Completion - Metroid (NES)

The galaxy is at peace. And it's all thanks to me!

After a few frustrating false-starts in the last couple years, I finally redoubled my efforts and committed myself to defeating this brutal, but memorable classic.

The key to success? The internet. At first, I really wanted to complete the game entirely on my own. No hints, no help, just like all the kids of the 80's did. But upon entering Kraid's Lair, I found myself knocking over chairs, pulling out hair, and yelling at the screen in strange tongues. Something needed to be done.

I didn't want to just give up. I had come so far! I found my first energy tank, a couple of rocket upgrades, the bombs, and the gun range increaser-ma-jig. I had drawn out by hand a beautiful functional map, cataloging my adventure.

My hand-crafted (and only partially complete) map of Zebes.

There was no way I could turn back. All I needed was some help. So I looked up a quick little strategy guide, and away I went, hunting for power-ups, e-tanks, and rockets. I fought Kraid, I fought Ridley, and then I made my way for Mother Brain.

Slowly I descended into the bowels of Tourian, and encountered my first wave of Metroids. I was thoroughly freaked out. It's amazing just how gripping such an old game can be when you're invested in it. Seeing that first metroid was like a dagger in my heart. The situation just got serious. 

Inching along at a snails pace I finally reached Mother Brain. I then proceeded to get my arse kicked by THOSE ABSOLUTELY INFURIATING FLYING DISC THINGS! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE!

I died.

But I came back, more prepared, less edgy, and focused.

I died again.

Realizing that brute force was not effective, I actually decided to pay attention to what was killing me. Not the lasers, nor Mother Brain herself, but those damn flying discs. So I finally found a way to deal with them (freeze em'!), killed Mother Brain, and up the shaft I went to make my escape (which instantly reminded me of Metal Gear). I was absolutely terrified that I would somehow botch my excursion with one poorly aimed jump. But then I saw it...

Victory at last. 

As the credits rolled I began to think about my time playing the game, and reflecting on whether or not I agree with its lofty designation as a 'classic'. In the end, I had no doubt. Yes, from the music, to the atmosphere, to the core mechanics, this game was revolutionary. No other 8-bit game I've played (an admittedly small sample size) has come even close to being as captivating. 

Sure, Metroid is not without it's flaws. It's cheap, and thus often infuriating. Only re-spawning with 30 health no matter how many e-tanks you collect is a travesty to gaming-kind. And the lack of an in-game map makes for some obnoxious back-tracking.

But all in all, a fantastically stylish 8-bit gem, and a pioneer for its time.

New Completion - Super Mario World (SNES)

After many months of on and off playing/grinding/hair-yanking/crying, Super Mario World has finally been defeated.

This accomplishment has been about 15 years in the making. This was the very first SNES game I ever played. I remember walking across the street in the middle of Winter to my friend's house where he had just finished setting up the Super Nintendo he got for Christmas.

With a crunch of the cartridge, and the shove of a metallic purple strap-thingy (what the hell do you call those anyway?), the classic intro music began beeping to our heart's content...

The following few years were filled with my friend and I chugging through the first few levels only to get completely stumped on the VERY FIRST ghost house and, being the impatient 6-9 year-olds we were, giving up and moving on to something more immediately satisfying like World Heroes 2 or TMNT: Turtles in Time.

Eventually, the N64 and Goldeneye came out, then the Playstation 2 and GTAIII; and the next thing you know I'm not even hanging out with this friend anymore as the natural progression of life lead us in two different directions.

Years went by without ever even thinking about coming back to this game. I had no idea of it's historical importance. I had no clue that it was a standard bearer for all games to come after it. Only in the last few years when I really delved into the history of games and the ever evolving hierarchy of classics did I realize my plight.

So when I had the good fortune to discover that my girlfriend a) had a SNES, and b) actually loves to play it, I immediately reached for her copy of Super Mario.

We beat that first Ghost House about five minutes in.

Of course, having a full time student life and getting snagged on certain parts prolonged the process. But all in all, I'm really happy we finally got it done. I finally feel like a certain part of my childhood has closure. That, more than the experience of the game itself, was the most rewarding feeling.

New Addition to Hall - God of War III

After a few days of crushing skulls, and severing optical nerves I have finally completed this standard bearer for the Playstation 3. I have to say, this was surprisingly one of the best experiences I've had with a PS3 game. This was easily a top-3 game on the system for me.

To avoid being too spoiler-y (though the game has been out for almost 3 years now), my favorite part of the whole experience was an epic fight Kratos has with a certain titan who shall not be named, roughly half-way through. The sheer scale of that fight, and the way in which it unfolds had me glued to the screen with my tonsils on the floor. Simply amazing.

I also loved any opportunity I could get to ride a cyclops and club the shit out of everything around me. OH THAT FELT SO GOOD.

This piece by Lead Concept Artist, Andy Park

The game sort of lost luster towards the last hour or so, mostly because the final boss fight takes up the majority of it, and it's REALLY TOUGH. I find in fights like that, the lack of a health bar to show you your progress is really daunting.

Overall though, I had a great time with GoW3 and I'd HIGHLY reccommend it to anyone with a PS3 who has yet to play it. It's part of the Greatest Hits collection now so it should be readily available most everywhere and at a more than reasonable price, especially if your getting a used copy.

It also has had the interesting side-effect of making me excited for Santa Monica Studios' next installment in the series, God of War: Ascension, which you can check out a trailer for here: CLICK ME MORTAL

New addition to the Hall

I'm proud to announce that as of yesterday afternoon, another digital leviathan was harpooned.

Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo, 1994) -- Summer 2012

Special thanks to my girlfriend, who made for a great partner (usually as DK, and myself as Diddy Kong). I couldn't have done it without her!