Back to Skyrim

The inevitable announcement of add-on content for Skyrim was bittersweet for me. I absolutely LOVED playing Skyrim, but after being addicted to the game for months, playing around 200 hours and conquering ALL of the achievements, I knew it was time to finally move on. After all, there are plenty of other games out there, and Skyrim was keeping me from enjoying those.

Too Human, Too Mediocre

When Too Human was first announced, I was pretty excited. I’ve always loved action RPGs, and at the time the Xbox 360 was sorely missing games of the genre. Not to mention, Silicon Knights, the prestigious developers behind Too Human, had also developed the critically acclaimed game Eternal Darkness. I caught a glimpse of Too Human at E3 years ago and immediately knew I wanted to play…

All your Xbox 360 space are belong to us

It finally happened… my Xbox 360 hard-drive filled up!

It was inevitable, seeing as I’m still using one of the older, smaller hard-drives that came with the first Xbox 360 run. I’ve been using my Xbox 360 since 2005, so the original hard-drive has lasted me quite a while.

Sega Stopping Mature Wii Games

Sega has announced that they are unlikely to publish any more Mature rated games for the Nintendo Wii.

This comes after relatively weak sales from MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill, as well as EA’s Dead Space.

Not a horribly shocking revelation, I suppose. The Wii audience is younger than the PS3 or Xbox 360 audience, so I wouldn’t expect impressive sales of “M” rated games on the Wii. Read the full story on gamasutra below:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26667/Sega_Unlikely_To_Do_More_Mature_Wii_Titles.php

Puzzle Quest

So, I’m not a huge fan of the Nintendo DS… or any handheld gaming for that matter. But, I do love Puzzle Quest. I recently started playing Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, and I have to admit it’s pretty awesome.

If you haven’t checked it out (or the original Puzzle Quest), I highly suggest you do. It’s a perfect blend of RPG-depth (character upgrading, stats, levels, equipment, story), and fast-paced, addictive gameplay. I’ll try to get around to writing a review of it one of these days.

Either way, Galactrix recently came out on Xbox Live, so check it out that way if you’re not into handhelds. I played the original on DS and enjoyed it, but loved it even more when it came out on Xbox Live. It was much easier to play on a TV screen rather than little DS… and it added in the awesome achievements and versus mode.

Here’s some more Puzzle Quest Info:
Puzzle Quest DS Review http://www.just-rpg.com/default.asp?pid=2464
Puzzle Quest Xbox 360 Review http://www.just-rpg.com/default.asp?pid=2622
Puzzle Quest Galactrix Press Release http://www.just-rpg.com/default.asp?pid=3200

Oblivion DLC Sale

If you’ve been putting off playing Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, or any other Oblivion expansions, now is the time. Bethesda has just announced that all of the Oblivion downloadable content is available for half price on XBox Live. Well, almost all of it… the infamous Horse armor pack has actually doubled in price. HAHAHA! Worthless Horse armor…

Gamers have the next week to take advantage of this offer. I’ve already got it all (yes, including the horse armor), so I guess I’ll pass. But I do love Oblivion.

Time for Gaming?

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done much gaming outside of casual games and a handfull of virtual worlds for kids (Habbo Hotel, Garden Party, etc.). A variety of reasons for this, I think.

As much as I love gaming and my Xbox 360, I think I overloaded myself a bit last year. I played a ton of games, and several of them were rather long, dull and overall mediocre. At that point, gaming was starting to feel a lot more like a chore than a form of entertainment. Blue Dragon was one of those games… it’s a long and plain old average game and as much as I struggled to make myself want to play it, I just couldn’t. One day I’d like to go back to it, though. As you can see from my GamerTag, the last game I played was Halo 3, which I’m also not a fan of. I liked the original Halo just fine, but after that I lost interest in the series… but, what kind of gamer would I be if I didn’t play one of the biggest releases of the year? I played through it and didn’t particularly enjoy it, which probably didn’t do much to help my burnout.

Secondly, my Xbox 360 has been having a few technical problems. I’m sure this is something I can easily fix, but I haven’t gotten around to it since I’ve been a bit burned out anyway.

Third is work. I started a new job back in April and it’s kept me somewhat busy. Fortunately, I really like the job, and since we’re developing a virtual world, it conveniently allows me to fill some of my gaming needs.

Recently I started playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Other than a few glitches, I’m really liking the game. Of course, I may be biased because I’ve always been a huge Star Wars fan…. at least, a huge fan of the old stuff. The new trilogy just lacked the depth of the originals and focused waaay too much on the action and CGI and not enough of characters and story. Oh well.

I’ve got a rather large pile of games I’ve been meaning to get to and my burnout resulted in me missing on a LOT of games… Xbox games, Xbox 360 games, PS2 games, PS3 games… and a Wii game or two. Not a fan of the Wii, obviously. I doubt I’ll get through all of these games anytime soon, but I might as well get started!

Two Worlds Tries to Tempt Us

SouthPeak has announced that Two Worlds Temptation is set to hit stores this fall on the PC and Xbox 360.

Temptation is an expansion to the open-ended RPG Two Worlds for the Xbox 360 and PC, taking place right after the events of the original. It features improved voice overs and animations, retooled horseback riding and a totally revamped combat system.

“Our entire development team is now putting their all into making Two Worlds: The Temptation a game that is far and away better than the original,” said Miroslaw Dymek, Chief Developer with Reality Pump explained. “We’ve taken to heart all the comments made by gamers about Two Worlds and we’re going to give them what they want with the sequel.”

Two Worlds Content Now Available

The already large game Two Worlds just got a lot bigger SouthPeak Games today announced that the first of their two downloadable content packages for Two Worlds is now available through Xbox Live.

The first content packaged is titled Tainted Blood and significantly expands the game for only 600 Microsoft Points. It features four new multiplayer maps, over 35 new quests, and over 10 hours of additional gameplay.

“This pack of downloadable content is an excellent expansion for players who love playing Two Worlds with friends, and are ready for some new and exhilarating features,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “Tainted Blood not only adds to the game, but enhances it, making the overall experience even better.”

While Two Worlds was highly flawed, it was also fairly fun. Maybe it’s time for me to give the game another chance…

Overlord PS3 Bound

Codemasters has just announced that their Action Adventure Overlord will be heading to the PS3 this summer with the title Overlord: Raising Hell.

Overlord was originally published on the Xbox 360, but the PS3 version will offer the complete Overlord experience with all-new content and improved visuals and sound.

In Overlord, players will assume the role of an all-powerful Overlord leading a loyal army of minions. By amassing an army of up to 50 minions, gamers can tactically battle enemies and conquer the game’s five domains. Embark on a wave of tyranny in an attemtp to claim the underworld throne for yourself!

For more information on this title, see: www.codemasters.com/overlord