PixlBit

I'm getting closer to the end of my 360 games now, but it may be a few more weeks still before I move on to PS3 or Wii. I really can't wait to start those. 

Bulletstorm: Epic Edition - Apparently, I haven't played this version, only the Full Clip Edition on Xbox One because I was getting achievements along the way. I played nearly the whole game on Normal difficulty before hitting a spot I had so much trouble with, I put the campaign down for now. I then played all the Echo challenge levels, which are just segments of the story missions with scoring. Then I tried to replay the whole campaign on easy but realized you don't get scoring below Normal difficulty, which takes half the fun out of it, plus, I've beaten the game several times before and know the story backwards and forwards anyway. 

I think the story is pretty good despite it seeming to be just a giddy attempt to come up with the dirtiest one-liners possible. The relationship between Ishi and Grayson is pretty interesting. Graphic novel writer Rick Remender did the story. Grayson is much like his main character in Fear Agent, a great comic I used to read. 

Gameplay by People Can Fly is ripped from Gears of War but with a lot of new mechanics. The Leash is a game changer and allows for all the crazy environmental kills you can get and get scores for. I'll return to this again sometime for sure.  

Guitar Hero 3 - I had to calibrate my guitar to get it to work just right. Not sure if button four and five will consistantly respond on this Goodwill bought guitar, but I'm playing on easy right now anyway, which gererally only uses the first three buttons.

I remember now playing Guitar Hero on PS2 years and years ago and having trouble with it. I had some trouble here too, but I got used to it. Guitar Hero askes you to be more precisely on the rhythm than Rock Band, or maybe it's something to do with the feel of it. I found myself tapping the buttons quickly rather than holding them down a lot like in Rock Band. In other words, Guitar Hero is harder than Rock Band. I enjoyed it though and left a lot more to play for next time. 

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Lots of games started coming to XBLA around this time and this DS game was a favorite, and so I played it again on Xbox. For some reason, I just can't get deeply into it anymore. I feel like I always have to battle a foe above my level and fail several times before beating it. It seems like you don't level fast enough even after doing all the side missions you can. 

Darksiders 1 and 2 - I played both of these a pretty long time before getting killed. They are good God of War style hack 'n' slash games for your Xbox. Even on easy, though, they are quite challenging. I really enjoyed what I played. 

Halo ODST - I started on Heroic difficulty and found it very slow going, but exciting. Then I turned down the difficulty and went looking for audio logs. I must've gotten all the early ones already because I couldn't find any before getting to the zoo and the warthog battles. While there I got fed up with trying to snipe because foes just see you no matter where you are, making it hard to sight anything. It seems only quick-scoping is doable. Very annoying. I kind of love the dark atmosphere of this game though. Halo noir. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - I got farther than my first time playing this. I noticed what a total shooty fest it is, like you were playing a Sam Peckinpah film - bodies flying everywhere. It's good though but very brutal. It kind of depressed me after a while and I stopped, but I'll finish it one day. 

Sine Mora - A 2.5D side-scrolling shmup with absoutely lushous graphics. I got farther into it this time but came to an area that I couldn't get through. I love the look of this game though and will always replay it. 

Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection - I played the tournament mode with max tables, that's 11 of them (13 table in all for this collection). I got a score, but against nobody, so whatever. Still fun to run through a lot of classic tables. I also played the Williams Challenge which has you hit target scores for every table in the game, giving you a score at the end. It's intended to compete with friends on a leaderboard, which I don't have any, but still fun. The rendering and action of these tables is top notch. 

Guardian Heroes - I actually beat this game for the first time. Not sure why I didn't before. It's a hack 'n slash game with a branching story (I think). Originally for the Sega Saturn (costs $250 now days), but you can watch the opening cutscene for that version in the bonus section. I had fun speaking all the dialog out loud in my own made up voices, much to the annoyance of MK. It's what I do. 

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 - Remember when Magic got a video game version? There was like a new one every year and you could play online. I just played the tutorial and campaign again but only for a little while because I got beat right away. I like the rules, but I need practice, or a practice dummy to make me feel good about it. I just heard that Magic is doing a Star Trek themed set of cards. I'll take a look at them. 

Titanfall - I forgot that this first game is multiplayer only. I don't have Game Pass in any form right now and so can't play it. Oh well. One day, I'll have Xbox Live again. 

Ms 'Splosion Man - Like the first one but with rails and cannon shooters like the barrels in Donkey Kong Country. A really great game, but it is a platformer and my kryptonite. I never last long in them no matter how inovative or beautiful. 

And that's it for the week. I did another list of digital only games I have and want to have for Xbox 360. I wrote them on a piece of paper and inserted it into a blank DVD case in Metacritic "best of" order so I can play through them again and not forget what I have. I may do this for WiiWare and PSN games I have too. I own the most on Xbox though. 

I'm still playing Advance Wars: Days of Ruin in short sessions. When will it beat me so I can move on?

I broke out the Skylanders because I'm about to revisit Spyro's Adventure and Giants on 360 very soon.  

Until next time.