I try not to borrow games too often, either from my job or from other people, because…. well, because I have so very many to play already that I either feel bad for putting the ones that I already own on hold or simply don’t play whatever it is that I’ve borrowed because I’m already sunk into something else (read as: Persona 3). This week, however, ran a little differently from my norm; breaking with my own tradition, I did end up sneaking in a borrowed game, which I played start to finish (so as not to screw up the regular backlog, you understand). I still made some progress, though! Make no mistake; I would never neglect my duty.
I’ll start, then, by saying that (somewhat contrary to my expectations), X-Men Origins: Wolverine for the 360 was actually pretty decent. I wasn’t expecting much (and if you’re wondering why I bothered to play it at all if I wasn’t expecting much, all I can say is that I just really wanted to stab manz in the face, which this game allows its players to do ad nauseum), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an enjoyable time. I played through it more or less in one all-day sitting, with a few breaks for things like food and House, which is another thing I don’t usually do; I like to stretch games out a bit, to give me time to really soak them in and feel like I’m getting the whole experience, not just rushing through the whole thing. That, and I think I’ve got a bit of game ADD. For, you know, everything but Persona. I played through the game on the easiest setting, thus further facilitating my manz-stabbing desire, and so, as might be expected, the whole thing was pretty much a breeze. I had a bit of trouble with the last fight (because I kept falling the fuck OFF….. if you’ve played it then you know what I mean), but I’m pretty sure that was mostly because by that time it was late and I was tired…. blah blah, excuses. Anyway, I did finish that final bit the next morning, and overall, I was happy with the game. I don’t think I’d have bought it, but it’s definitely a good rental.
The rest of my gaming week was pretty much par for the course; I played a bunch more Persona (and shared some special moments with some special ladies…. awwwwwwwwww yeah), finished up N+ (the levels that a human being could feasibly complete, that is), and started two new games from the backlog: Insecticide and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (for the PSP, also known as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PS2, Disgaea DS for…. the DS, and Disgaea: Winter of our Discontent for the Neo Geo Pocket). I’m not very far into either of the new entries as of yet. Insecticide appears to be a cross between a sort of adventurey-type shooter and a detective seek-and-find; I’m not quite sure whether I like it or not. Disgaea is a bit of a different story; these are some seriously revered games, and I’ve never played them before, but I have, by and large, sworn off the SRPG genre. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if the title starts with Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, or Disgaea, then exceptions can be made, largely because I trust those particular franchises, either by firsthand experience (the first two) or by reputation (the latter). I’m giving this a shot, so we’ll see how it goes. I predict one of two things will happen, based on the hour or so that I’ve played:
1. I will become completely obsessed with the game and will end up being an obsessive player/leveler, to the point where I won’t be happy unless the lowliest Prinny can decimate armies with a single glare from its googly eye.
2. I will break my PSP.
I suppose a third option exists as well, wherein the first two are combined. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.
Recap:
Current backlog total: 111
Now playing: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2); Insecticide (DS); Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP)
New games added: MadWorld (Wii) (I also picked up the disc version of the first two Fallout DLC packs, but I’m not counting that)
Games completed: N+ (PSP); X-Men Origins: Wolverine (360) (but again, that wasn’t part of the backlog to begin with, and so doesn’t really count, I suppose)
