PixlBit

November was quite the month of games for me.

Games Beaten

-Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

After playing for three months, I finally knocked this one out at the beginning of the month. The game is too long, which is exasperated by the terrible map that makes finding where to go very difficult. Still, it has a great battle system and a ton of demons to recruit/fuse. The story is pretty interesting, especially near the end, and the music is good. It was my first real experience with a SMT game (outside of a few hours with the original Persona) and I'm glad I played it.

-El Shaddai (360)

Played this for Backloggers Anonymous. Mechanically, it's nothing special. The three different weapons help lend the combat a little depth and the platforming, both 2D and 3D, breaks things up nicely. The real draw is the trippy art style and the bizarre story. I was always interested to see what crazy thing they'd throw my way next. Perhaps that's not the best reason to play a game but it was compelling. I enjoyed the story but I'm not sure what exactly happened. I still haven't listened the second BA podcast about it, though. I really need to do that.

-Metal Slug (Wii)

One of the games I bought in November was the Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii and have played the first two games so far. Even as the first game, it already bears most of the hallmarks of the series, like the gorgeous pixel art and wacky sense of humor. Metal Slug is very fun, no doubt about it, but it's rather simple, especially in light of the later games. You can't even choose which character to play as! But with unlimited continues, it's hard not to have fun whatever your skill level. It still looks and sounds great, though the level design occasionally seems a little cheap and there isn't as much stage variety as some other MS games. All in all, a solid start for the series.

-Metal Slug 2 (Wii)

Metal Slug 2 is very similar to its predecessor in many regards. Same intensely detailed sprite graphics, same goofy humor, same sort of level structure. But it takes everything a step or two further, and the game is a much fuller experience for it. You now have four characters to choose from, many more enemies to fight, and a much greater variety of levels to fight through, not to mention new Metal Slugs to control. All in all, despite some nasty slowdown, it's an excellent follow-up.

-Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

I'm not surprised at all that this game was made by the same folks that brought us Super Mario Galaxy. 3D Land is brimming with creative ideas. It is easily the best use of 3D I've come across yet, and many of the levels have a lot more verticality and depth than you'll find even in most Mario games. The levels are generally short, fitting the portable format, and there is lots of content. The music and graphics are typical Mario fare and the sparse story is told without words. Above all, 3D Land is FUN! And there's a ton of post-game content, so I'll still be playing this for a while, I think.

Games Bought

-Tomb Raider (360)

My wife snagged Laura's reboot for $10 from GameFly. Nice 

-ibb & obb (PSN) (PS+)

-Binary Domain (PS3) (PS+)

I heard a lot of good things about this game from folks here on Pixlbit, so I'm looking forward to trying it myself.

-A World of Keflings (XBLA)

-Trenches (XBLA)

Both free with Gold.

-Metal Slug Anthology (Wii)

-Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii)

-Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)

Got these three from a buy-2-get-1-free sale on Wii games at GameStop.

-Revenge of the Gator (GB)

I went to the one used game store in my area that I know of that still sells all manner of old games, hoping to find something good for my SNES. Alas, that selection wasn't very good but I did get this old Hal pinball game. I've heard it's a little cheap but still fun.

-Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition (PS3)

I've wanted this for a long time (GotY Edition, specifically) and finally got it when Amazon put it on sale for $15. Figured it wouldn't ever be cheaper than that.

-Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary (PS2)

There are so many editions of Namco Museum that I've never known which to get. This one seems a good bet. There are a lot of light scratches all over the disc but hey, it was $1.50 so I'll take my chances.

-Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3)

Found this at a consignment sale (same place I got Namco Museum) for $3. Pretty awesome! This disc looks much better and it's the version I wanted anyway. I hate the 360's d-pad.

And despite all those games so far, we're just now getting to the Black Friday part lol

-Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

This is easily the purchase I'm most excited about. GS had it on sale for $40, which is much better than it's typical aftermarket price. I love Metroid Prime and can't wait to play it again with the Wii controls.

-Rayman Legends (Wii U)

I loved Rayman Origins (though it's still sadly unfinished), so I jumped on the chance to get it's sequel on the developers' platform of choice. Woot!

-ZombiU (Wii U)

Sure, it's flawed but it's an experience that can only be had on the Wii U. I'm looking forward to delving into zombie-infested London. I am glad, though, that its naming convention didn't catch on lol.

-Resident Evil: Revelations (Wii U)

And we doubled our Wii U collection! My wife and I have wanted to play this for a while now and, thanks to GameFly, finally found it cheap enough to take the plunge...into the Queen Zenobia!

-Defiance (360)

My wife loves to mess around with MMOs and at just $6, there was no reason not to try this one. Not sure if I'll bother playing it though. I guess that'll depend on whether or not it looks like fun.

-Halo 3: ODST (360)

Everyone seems like this one, so I figured I'd see what the fuss is about.

-F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin (360)

Still need the first game.

-Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii)

These three games came from another buy-2-get-1-free sale.

-Dillon's Rolling Western (3DS)

Got this as a Club Nintendo reward.

Now Playing

-Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Playing the post-game content. It's just such a pleasure to play.

-Gods Eater Burst (PSP) (PS+)

Slowly but surely making progress in this Monster Hunter-ish game.

-Gears of War: Judgment (360)

People Can Fly really nailed the feeling and intensity of the series with this game. I think I'm almost done. Playing with my brother online.

-Dragon's Crown (PS3)

We're renting this from GameFly. My wife and I haven't put in many hours yet but we like it so far. And those characters with, ahem, exaggerated portions? If anything, it's kind of comical to see them in motion. Hard to believe there was so much controversy.

Whew! That was a lot of stuff! I don't think December will compare in any respect to November, and that's probably a good thing. But it was an enjoyable month and certainly filled with bounty (to use a Thanksgiving-ish term). I hope everyone else had a good month and holiday too.

So, anybody else get any good Black Friday stuff?