Release Date: 1984
Platforms: Pretty much all of them
Developer: First Star Software
Boulder Dash is a classic arcade game in the vein of Lode Runner. Going around collecting diamonds, you must dig up rocks while running away before they fall on top of you, hoping they fall on enemies. When that happens--diamonds!! The levels get progressively more difficult as you go along. Thankfully, you usually don't have to get all available diamonds on each level, so you can pick and choose strategy. There are other obstacles that will pull your hair out (expanding walls!), but if I remember correctly, some versions of the game had unlimited lives so you could experiment until you passed each level.
It's not that great of a game, but it brings back a wave of nostalgia for me, sitting in front of the IBM XT with a huge joystick and endless patience, mastering a game I can't bother with for more than fifteen minutes today.
Whatcha playing?
Never played Boulder Dash, but I played a ton out of Lode Runner in college when it came out. Had a couple wicked custom levels I made as well.
I've been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 lately. I've got loot fever. It also gets way more fun when you get to a level where you can feel like a badass.
I'm pretty excited for the McGee systems to come out so the 360 games will go down in price.
I've been running through Borderlands 2 again as well. Finishing up some of the DLC before the last one comes out... today?
I haven't decided if I'm going to do any of the DLC yet. I need to finish the main game first, then see if there is anything else i want to pay now that the classics should be much cheaper to find. I love New generations.
I just beat the first one (and did all of the side missions). That game is relentless. There's always something so close to being done that I couldn't stop or take a break.
I know the feeling, especially when more than one mission is in the same region. Oh, I can just finish this one too, as long as I'm over here. No, no, i need to mow the lawn.
I've been playing Bioshock Infinite lately (in fact, I stayed up until 1am playing it last night, which was... unwise). I tend to think that as a game it's better than the original (which for me is high praise). The gameplay is a lot cleaner, the city of Columbia looks beautiful (at least, it does until things inevitably turn to crap, but it was cool to see a Bioshock city pre-ruination), and the Elizabeth character adds a lot to the proceedings (as does the fact that your character can speak). I've heard it's really on the short side, but as long as you wander around a bit, it seems to be stretching out to the requisite ten or eleven hours (and for an FPS, that's honestly fine by me).
I played a bit of Caesar III the other night. That was fun. Target had it for a dollar a few years ago, and it still gets installed on every new computer.
I'd say it's just about time for another run through of Descent. That'll probably happen this weekend.
I attempted to play Dark Souls a little last week. I don't know if I'll ever put it back in again. The combat was okay, but I absolutely hate third person. I love me some RPG, but it has to be done just right for me to enjoy a third person game. Then I died for the first time and lost all of my progress. While some people might enjoy that challenge, it just frustrates the hell out of me.
I should say, I don't mind over the shoulder cams (like Mass Effect or Batman).
Yeah. This is about where I was with Dark Souls, as well. I like challenges (one of my primary complaints with Bioshock Infinite thus far is that it's been a shade on the easy side, I might have to run through it on hard), but I don't like being punched in the face over and over and over again.
The lone exception to this is Super Meat Boy, I could (and probably have) died well, well, well over 1,000 times in that game, but I'll always keep coming back for more. Fine tuned controls and zero load time deaths have a way of easing the pain, I'll wager.
Super Meat Boy is a brilliantly designed game for just this very reason. One of my favorites of this generation for sure.
I was very skeptical of this shipping ever, but the Ouya has shipped and already sold out in many places. It seems there are a few rough edges, but with the plan of releasing a new console every year, I think the issues will soon be fixed.
Almost all of my gaming time lately has been on my 3DS. And most of it has been playing Animal Crossing New Leaf. There are enough subtle changes to the formula to make it fun. I love being able to have J and other friends come visit my town so we can go to the island and do stuff together. I love getting to pass mayoral proclamations to keep the town open later. I love fishing. I love the bizarre conversations I get to have with the villagers. It's a really well designed game and it's a blast.
When I haven't been playing AC, it's been either Picross e or Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Picross e is the first time I've ever sat down and dug into a picross game. It's really fun. And it's perfect having it installed on my 3DS so I can just pick it up, play a couple of puzzles, and stop whenever I want. I have a copy of Mario's Super Picross for the Super Famicom so I think I'll probably start playing that when I have a bit more time. It seems like a good reason to invest in a Super NES mouse. This is my first time playing DKCR and I am enjoying it so far. It's been challenging and fun thus far. I haven't dug that far into it yet (because of AC) but I hear it only gets better.
I also started The Last of Us. I only had a couple hours to play, and probably won't get back into it until late next month, but I like what I've played thus far. I'm a bit concerned about how much gunplay there will be, but everything else is up to the lofty standards the team set with Uncharted 2 thus far. I'm looking forward to playing more when I have some time.
I'm really sad I don't have New Super Luigi U yet, but the time thing is about as bad as it's ever been right now. I will get it soon. It looks like a blast.
I can't wait for The Last of Us, which is one I'll get free in a few weeks from my Sony connections through work.
After beating Borderlands I knocked out a few indies like The Unfinished Swan (beautifully, but amusingly, it feels unfinished because it turns out, it sort of was). I've played so many other titles in small bursts lately that I wouldn't know where to start. On the Vita, I'm playing Disgaea 3 and Gravity Rush, though I typically only play my Vita late at night so I don't get far. Plus, I've been reading a lot more, so I haven't been playing quite as furiously as usual (I still play far more than the average person, what with my 1820 PSN trophies and all).
I got a NAMCO Remix game for the WII for my birthday. It has a Game Museum section with a bunch of the old games: Galaga, Xevious, Galaxian, Rally X, Pac-Man, etc. The Galaga is the arcade version, not the much easier NES version. I think it is the same with the other games. I mainly play Galaga and Xevious. The game allows you to start on the highest level you made before, but I start each time on the first level. The boys like the Remix games. Modern graphics and designed to work better with Wii controllers. The Galaga Remix is a Pac-Man rolling around a bobsled track in space while giant bugs fly above it and try to shoot it. The players must shoot the bugs with the controllers to protect Pac-Man. Half the time, I don't know what's going on, I'm just shooting. It's a lot like Call of Duty games.
I've played that. Much fun to be had there in short sessions.
I waiting for the PS4 to come out so hopefully I can swoop up a used PS3 on the cheap. I sold most of my games for it before I left for Prague, but I still have MLB '10. And the new Batman will be out by then.