deKay

Mega Man X3 (Wii U): COMPLETED!

Posted on 17/10/2015 Written by deKay

I’ve been playing this off and on since completing Mega Man X2 way back when. Not because I don’t like it, just because I kept forgetting it was there to play. Over the last week I’ve made a more concerted effort to finish it off (much like with Wario Land, actually) as I’m trying to complete a load of games I’ve not reached the end of yet in preparation for when Fallout 4 arrives. Clear my plate, if you will.

So Mega Man X3 is just like Mega Man X2. Which, in turn, was pretty much the same as all the other Mega Man games before it. Like previous games, you start off mostly powerless and beat boss after boss obtaining new weapons and then finding upgrades around the levels to turn X into a walking tank. So I did that. Once I’d picked the the Gold Armour (which required picking up all the health upgrades and sub tanks too) only the final few bosses even worried me.

But yes, they did worry me. I’m glad I spent the time getting X as powered up as possible (although I seem to have missed out on getting Zero’s sabre? Not sure how to get that) because Sigma at the end was damn hard. I suppose, looking back of the series, there have been a lot of damn hard bosses, but how you’d beat Sigma (in his second form especially) with only half the energy and only a quarter of the armour, not to mention a weaker X-Buster, I’ve no idea. I went through three sub tanks as it is!

And now, the all important Mega Man Game Which Is Best List:
X>X3>X2>6>4>7>5>3>2>1.

But now what? I’ve no more Mega Man X games. I know there ARE more Mega Man X games, but they’re all for the Playstation, aren’t they? Boo! And I don’t have any of them. But what I do have, however, is Mega Man Zero! Woo!

Click to view slideshow.

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Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (3DS): COMPLETED!

Posted on 16/10/2015 Written by deKay

I got this with some of my Club Nintendo stars. RIP Club Nintendo, by the way. I struggled with what to spend them on before they expired, and of the number I had left Wario Land 3 was the only one I didn’t already have on either my 3DS or Wii U that I hadn’t already completed. I do have it on the Game Boy Colour, but never finished it.

About three levels in, I realised something was amiss. Not only did I not recognise any of the game, but it also wasn’t in colour. And it was possible to die. Hang on, I thought, this isn’t right. Have you spotted the mistake yet, readers? That’s right – I’ve got hold of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, not Wario Land 3. I was actually quite pleased, as I’ve never played it.

Now I have, and I’ve completed it. It was fun, but nowhere near as much fun as Mario Land 2 or Wario Land 3. The extra hats Wario picks up are mostly unnecessary, the levels are linear, the game feels quite short, and although it’s better than 95% of other Game Boy platformers, it isn’t anything special. Of course, I only picked up enough treasure to get Wario a tree to live in (rather than a gold castle or whatever it is he wants), so I could return to find the hidden treasures, but I’m not sure I can be bothered.

Click to view slideshow.

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StreetPass Fishing (3DS): COMPLETED!

Posted on 13/10/2015 Written by deKay

I’ve been on and off with StreetPass Fishing ever since it came out, usually forgetting to play until I realise I have 300 coins to spend, then splurge them all on anglers at once, then forget again until I’ve another 300.

Today, though, with my last batch of cats (those who chose dogs are idiots), I caught the final legendary fish, and won the game! Then it told me there were actually another three legendary fish they’d neglected to tell me about should I want to go for them too. I probably will, since I’ve nothing else to spend my play coins on now – all the Streetpass games are complete!

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Batman: Arkham Knight: Harley Quinn Story Pack (PS4): COMPLETED!

Posted on 12/10/2015 Written by deKay

That’s a mouthful, innit? In fact, it almost takes longer to say the title of this post than it does to complete this story DLC for Batman: Arkham Knight.

You play as Harley Quinn, who is ordered by The Penguin to infiltrate Blüdhaven Police Department and rescue Poison Ivy. Why, isn’t clear: Penguin says it’s what Scarecrow wants. Since Ivy is instrumental in taking down Scarecrow in the main story (oh, spoilers, sorry) this doesn’t really make sense. Whatever.

Harley obviously has no Batsuit and her gadgets are limited to an exploding jack-in-the-box and a snare. The former is used twice to blow up walls like Batman’s gel, and the latter is completely unnecessary. She’s also got laughing gas that replaces the smoke bomb. And a baseball bat, for some eye-watering takedowns.

Unlike Batman’s quiet approach, picking off foes one at a time, Harley seems to make as much noise as possible. Thankfully, for her, the police officers she has to take down are idiots and don’t pose a threat. She can’t grapple to vantage points, but she can jump around like a cat, to much the same effect. All the while talking smack and sometimes chatting to her original “Harleen Quinzel” psyche, which still lurks within and tries to tell her to Do The Right Thing. She doesn’t.

Sadly, this schizophrenia is never explored enough because after a handful of fights, a few Predator-style rooms, and a Nightwing smackdown, that’s it. It’s the end. Half an hour is your lot. If I’d paid money for this, I’d be annoyed. It could have been so much more, but instead teases a new game mode and then ends. Bah.

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3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (3DS): COMPLETED!

Posted on 10/10/2015 Written by deKay

Twenty-odd years ago, many a Saturday morning would be spent playing Sonic. Or Sonic 2. Or Sonic 3. And today, a Saturday, I played and completed 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Nintendo 3DS. It was awesome.

Like Gunstar Heroes and the first 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, the 3D here is mostly subtle. The original parallax layers are now given actual depth, and although this makes it feel more like a pop-up diorama than properly 3D it still makes the lovely 2D sprites look fantastic. Where the 3D really shines, however, is in the Special Stages. At first, they make your eyes bleed, but when you get used to them the into-the-screen 3D is fantastic and really adds to the stages.

Apart from all that, 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still Sonic the Hedgehog too. Complete with all the bugs, but without any of the slowdown (which was only really noticeable in Mystic Cave Zone anyway). It’s still a great game, and it’s still a joy to play.

I did find it incredibly easy, mopping up all the Chaos Emeralds early on. Which actually makes the game a little harder as you don’t pick up so many extra lives as once you hit 50 rings and jump in the air, you become Super Sonic and your rings start counting down – it’s unlikely you’ll hit 100. You also feel the need to rush through the levels once you’re Super Sonic as you don’t want your rings to run out, especially if they do so when you make it to a boss!

Click to view slideshow.

And in just over an hour, it was all done. Eggman beaten (or possibly scrambled), and ending sequence go. Woo! So, Sega – when are we getting 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 3, eh?

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