Okay, to start with a clean slate, I'll update on the games I mentioned I was playing before. I completed Vigilante 8 Arcade and got all the achievements except one for 10 victories in online play because no one is online. Once again, screw all the negative review scores, this is a lot of fun and plays just as good as the originals. The lack of content is disappointing but the controls are better than the original. Plus you have the option to go back to the original controls in case you don't like the new ones. At $5 or 400 MSP, it's an easy buy. I also finished Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and I really enjoyed it. It isn't a deep game and it was rather short at seven hours or so but if you like the Prince of Persia series, this is an easy buy. The final boss fight is also really awesome with some impressive set pieces and graphical effects. The ending is disappointing but I didn't really expect much. This game is better as enjoying what you're currently doing rather than what you're working towards. I also completed the Fable III DLC and basically, I can't really recommend it. It's too much for what you're getting, which is about two to three hours of content (that's both DLCs combined) and some extra achievements that you may not get because its glitched. Seriously, I should have 60 more points than I do right now.
Finally, I mentioned Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I did get it that Monday but didn't get around to it until two days after, which was my birthday. 25, what up! Ugh, that was a bad idea. Anyways, I played it most of my birthday and at first, I wasn't enjoying it but then I did and then I started going back in the other direction. There are so many things this game does right. Setting, atmosphere and intrigue has to be at the top of the list because - wow - what a beautifully bleak environment that still has personality and life. Great story with twists and turns that really do depend on the choices you make in conversation and the missions you go on. This all unfortunately makes the weird lip movements that tend to be slightly out of sync sometimes all the more apparent. The real drawback to this game to me is oddly enough the gameplay. Now there's nothing wrong with the controls, the AI is top notch and the various abilities and augmentations are real cool. However, despite all this, sometimes playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution is just boring. Also, this game is marketed as having a choice to either sneak around all the guards or go in guns blazing. That's bullshit; this is a stealth game. Make no mistake about that. Also, being a stealth game, the fact that this game has boss fights is the strangest design choice on the part of the developers. You are not properly equip to take on some big ass 'roid muncher with robotic augmentations. So in the end, the game isn't really grabbing me, though I don't think its a bad game. Had I paid more money for the game than I did, I'd be upset but for now, I'm just going to put it back on the shelf and maybe try it again later.
Now, I'll admit that right now, I'm being a bit "naughty" and I'm playing games solely using emulators. I've been messing around with my computer and finally got Dolphin to work so I've been going crazy and seeing what it can play. Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO works great and plays better since I'm using a wired Xbox 360 controller. However, SoulCalibur II does not work, which is disappointing. I started playing Super Mario Sunshine somewhat in earnest since I got the itch to this past weekend. See, every so often I have the urge to play Sunshine because it remains the only main Mario game that I don't like and for some reason, I can't accept that so I go back and try the game again, thinking I might change my mind. So far, I've gotten further than I normally do but the problems I had before are resurfacing again. Horrible camera, uninteresting levels, and above all else, extremely loose controls. I know platformers and this game suffers from imprecise controls that 
Anyways, I started Chrono Trigger on my Wii and since I began, it's been just a ton of fun. I love (and when I mean love, I mean adore) Chrono Cross but I had never completed the first game. I tried before on a PC SNES emulator and only got as far as around when you are looking for food in the future but I'm going further now and really just loving this game. I've only gotten about four hours into the game but I'm sticking with it. I've also (very slowly) been progressing in Dino Crisis via a PS1 emulator, continuing my quest to conquer my fear of horror games. The real reason for the slow progress was due to technical issues. My PS1 emulator started freaking out and glitching out and just being difficult, which made the game impossible to play. I did manage to fix it and have resumed my saved progress (luckily it didn't affect that). It's weird to encounter a dinosaur and have to run away because you're out of ammo. You can't sneak pass them or punch them. You just have to run. Not used to that. Still enjoying the game though and most importantly, not scared!
I also rented Epic Mickey from Gamefly. That game is boring. Camera has problems, sure but this game's biggest issue is it's boring as hell. This makes my excitement for Epic Mickey 2 seem premature. However, I'm still stoked for the 3DS game, Power of Illusion, as its being done by a different developer than Epic Mickey 2 and is a sequel to Castle of Illusion and actually doesn't have too much to do with Epic Mickey 1 or 2. I also started and completed Rayman 3 HD for PixlBit so be sure to check out my review for that soon. So that's what I'm playing now. What have you been playing? What are your thoughts on the games I've been playing? Is deep dish pizza with pepperoni and bacon the best pizza ever? If you have a response to these questions, the comment section below is for you!
Deus Ex is one game you're playing that I wish I had. It's number one on my to-buy list at the moment. I love the fact that it's a stealth game first and foremost, because stealth games are my favorite. For you personally Esteban, if you want a shooter than is a much better mix of stealth and gunplay you need to play Crysis 2 if you haven't already. Crysis 2 is basically Halo, CoD, and Splinter Cell all thrown into one game. It's mechanically one of my favorite shooters I've ever played, it's just plain cool as shit. I could go guns blazing into encounters if I wanted, or I could use cloak and sneak around for long periods of time, and I could sneak up on enemies and pop a magnum round in their head for an instant kill or do an assassination with my knife. You can play Crysis 2 at a variety of paces and deal with enemies with both stealth and gunplay. You're encounters can be loud and action packed romps, or you can play like I do and your encounters can be whisper quiet and slower paced. You'll be well equipped for whatever style you choose.
As for Sunshine, I really like the game but I've been taking a long break from it. The camera isn't very good and the level designs are really unforgiving. It's so easy to fall off a ledge, a fence, or screw something up and find yourself all the way at the beginning of a level. The platforming mechanics they came up with are are cool but the way they used them tries my patience. It's frustrating, and not because it's difficult, but because it's just not fun when a game kicks you in the nuts and tells you to deal with it. If I was playing Halo, running and jumping around, and I accidently slipped off an edge and found myself at the beginning of the level and had to go through everything over again, that crap wouldn't fly. Super Mario Sunshine is basically a platforming sandbox and playground. There's tons of verticality to the levels and plenty of ground to cover, but there's no checkpoints, no modern gaming convieniences. The levels are all just a big sandbox, with a single beginning and single end, plenty of obstacles, and no safety nets of any kind. There's very little structure to Sunshine not only in the level design but also in the narrative. I'm several hours into the game and I have no idea what the hell is going on.
It's very open world, there's plenty of places to go, and I don't feel the game shoving me in any direction or helping me out at all. For people who like open world game designs that might sound like a cool thing, but it's not. Not for Sunshine. That's one of the reasons I haven't been itching to play it, it doesn't really hold my attention. I don't feel like Mario and I are doing anything important whatsoever when I play. There's plenty to do, but I don't get the feeling that it'll all be worth doing. I've played through well over a dozen levels and there's several portals around the town open for me to explore, but I don't see a reason why I should lol.
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