Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! Hope you all had a good Christmas and Boxing Week. Personally, my week was hectic with all the sales going on at work and also having a little cold a top of it all. With it being New Year's Eve and the fact I just completed my Top 10 Games of 2011 as you can read here on Silver Bit, Bit by Bit will be condensed again this week. This week there will be no Video of the Week as there were not a lot of videos put out this week about games. So without further ado, let us rundown the best of the week.
Game of the Week
Well Christmas and Boxing Day was good to me. This week I got Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City both for PS3, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit for Xbox 360, Rayman Origins for Wii, Sonic Generations for 3DS, Civilization IV and Frozen Synapse for PC and Mac (and for free might I add) and finally Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Sonic Colors for the DS. Yeah, I have a whole lot of games to play don't I. Out of all these games, my Game of the Week goes to Arkham Asylum. I have played the opening of Arkham City, which is absolutely amazing might I add, but I have been powering through Arkham Asylum like there's no tomorrow and I am really enjoying it. The use of Batman's gadgets are fantastic, the combat is fluid and so awesome to combine counters, attacks and gadgets into one flowing combo and the story is really well done. So far this is my favourite superhero game I have ever played. With that there are a few flaws. The enemies lack variety, the mutant enemies that pop up once in a while are more tedious to beat than fun, an over reliance on Detective Mode that takes away from seeing the gorgeous hallows of Arkham Island and the fact the game is a little too linear for an open island to explore. Right now, I am only halfway through so once I complete the game expect a full review up here on Silver Bit.
Most Anticipated Game of the Week
With most of the video game news sites off this week, other than the guys at ScrewAttack, there was not a lot of news to speak of this week. But tucked in an interview on Gamespot was the announcement that Sonic fans have waited over a year to hear about. That announcement was Sonic 4: Episode 2. Even though it was a minute teaser, what we now know is that Metal Sonic and Tails are back and that Sega has reworked the physics that many fans complained about (personally I didn't find it as bad as others complained about). As a huge Sonic fan, I cannot wait to hear more from Sega in the New Year about this new downloadable Sonic game.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Top 10 Games of 2011
Yesterday, I listed my Top 5 Downloads of 2011. Now on the final day of this calendar year, I give you my Top 10 Games of 2011. As one person, it is very hard to play every single game that comes out in a year especially when you get some of them for Christmas. So there will be some big games that I am playing at the moment that might have made this list if I had the money to get them earlier this year, but ultimately will not at this point in time. Before you see this list and immediately make comments that I did not make this list, just remember this list is just one man's opinion. If you want to share your opinion, I encourage you to make your own Top 10 list. So let us countdown in my opinion the best games of 2011.
10. Jetpack Joyride
This addictive, time chopping, one button run for your life game sunk its claws in me early this year when I downloaded it to my iPad. I have sunk many hours into this dollar game trying to collect coins, complete missions and beat my friends' best distance. You can play Jetpack Joyride for two minutes or two hours, you will always have fun.
9. Sonic Generations
After years of being dragged through the mud, Sonic has remerged as one of the kings of the platform genre. To celebrate The Blue Blur's 20th Birthday, Sega gave the fans Sonic Generations, a game that gives us both the classic Sonic platforming and the modern Sonic mix of high-speed obstacle course and platforming segments to make the best Sonic game of the last 10 years. Personally running through a HD version of Chemical Plant Zone as both classic and modern Sonic with remixed background music was one of the highlights of my year in gaming.
8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
It is all about choice in Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Will you run in guns blazing or take a more stealthy approach? Will you hack into a computer and turn the security droids on your enemies or disable the droids with a EMP Grenade? There is no clearly defined right or wrong way to complete any objective in Human Revolution and that is what makes this game so amazing.
7. Bastion
Beautiful art, great music, compelling story and deep gameplay that even works with a mouse and keyboard, this Action-RPG stand out above all the other downloadable games. Bastion literally looks like watching art in motion, it is so beautiful. Also having the ominous ever-present narrator tell the story is one great touch that has not been done before in games. If you own a Xbox 360 or a PC, Bastion is the best downloadable game and one of the best games you can play this year.
6. Portal 2
Once you start thinking with portals, you can never go back. Back in 2007, Portal charmed gamers around the globe with its great puzzles and amazing villain in GlaDOS. With more brain-racking puzzles and more GlaDOS, Valve adds in more challenging puzzles with co-op and new hilarious characters in Wheatley, Cave Johnson and last but not least the Space Core. More story, more puzzles, more laughs and ultimately more fun, these are all the things most sequels look to do, but never achieve. Portal 2 is one of the few exceptions and that is why it is the best puzzle game of the year and one of the best games of 2011.
5. Pokemon Black and White
For years, people have felt that Pokemon needed a huge shake-up or this RPG behemoth would loss some steam. Nintendo and Game Freak proved that it they did not need to make some radical changes to make the series feel fresh again. Launched head first into the Unova region as a new trainer, you start off with a new batch of 150 Pokemon with none of your old favourites in sight. The additions of seasons that affect terrain you traverse, TMs that no longer disappear from your inventory after one use and the improved online features make Pokemon Black and White the definitive games in the Pokemon franchise.
4. Super Mario 3D Land
The Nintendo 3DS had a slow start when it launched earlier this year, but those woes seemed to end with the release of Super Mario 3D Land. A portable Mario that cohesively blends concepts from both 2D and 3D Mario games into one compact handheld game that you can play on your 3DS. It is one of the must-own games for any 3DS owner and the best portable Mario game of all-time.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Confession time. I have never completed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time until I got it for the 3DS this year. Boy, was I ever missing out. Even with the 3D coat of paint on it, Ocarina of Time stands the test of time (seriously no pun intended) and shows why it is considered the greatest game of all-time. Either on consoles or in the palm of your hand, Ocarina of Time is one of the best games of this year.
2. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
I am one of the few that did not consider Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to be the masterpiece everybody says it is. Do not get me wrong, Uncharted 2 is a phenomenal game, but it felt like it followed the same formula from the first game. It is just the difference between what I consider a 9.5 and what I consider a 10. Uncharted 2 was a 9.5, but Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a 10. Naughty Dog hit it out of the park as it improved on all the mechanics from the second game, added a fun and rewarding multi-player that I can even get into and got rid of the bullet sponge enemies that I hated from the previous two Uncharted games. When I finished Uncharted 3, this was my Game of the Year that was until I played this next game.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Sorry Nathan Drake, I love you, but Link schooled you. If you have read my blog for the past month, you would know how much I love The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It is the greatest game of this generation, the best game of 2011 and in my opinion, the greatest game in this iconic franchise. Again when people complain that said Nintendo franchise is getting stale, Nintendo shows them up and makes one of the best games in the series. It happened earlier with Pokemon and happened again with Zelda. Shows that you don't mess with Nintendo.
Friday, December 30, 2011
On the Download: Top 5 Downloads of 2011
Seeing as we are closing out 2011 and the next time I will be writing the next edition of On the Download it will be 2012, let us look back at the best downloadable of 2011. From iOS games to PC downloads to 3DS or Wii Virtual Console games, anything that you was released this year for anybody to download is up for my Top 5 list. In the past few years, the downloadable space has exploded. Digital sale numbers now rival physical sale numbers. People still want physical copies of big console games, but are open to buying smaller downloadable games for a reasonable price. As long as new downloadable games continue releasing each and every week, there will always be a new edition of On the Download for you guys to look forward to. So let us get rolling with this list.
5. Super Stickman Golf
Who would have ever thought a golf game on iOS would be so good? Super Stickman Golf pulls you in with its' simplistic controls, outstanding course design, crazy power-ups and fun multi-player and never lets go. Just like the Lays commercial that bet you can't eat just one Lays potato chip, I bet you can't play just one round of Super Stickman Golf.
4. Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery EP
From the beautiful music to the charming 8-bit style graphics, Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery EP is one of the most engrossing games on the App Store. You play as the Scythian on a journey to discover the secrets of the Megatome, a book of powerful sworcery. On your quest, you will never experience the exact same thing twice as this adventure game offer many ways to use your iDevice to the fullest. Superbrothers flew under the radar back when it released last March, but this engrossing adventure is not to be missed for iOS owners.
3. Donkey Kong
At first Donkey Kong felt like an exact copy of the original arcade game, but once you get past the first stage and into the original stages made just for this Game Boy game, you will not be able to put this puzzle game down. Even I continue to play a few levels in between racing in Mario Kart 7 and collecting Star Coins in Super Mario 3D Land. With 100 levels and only a 3 dollar price point, Donkey Kong is a Game Boy classic and the best download on the Nintendo eShop that nobody that owns a 3DS should miss.
2. Jetpack Joyride
There is no other iOS game I have put more time into this year other than Jetpack Joyride. This dollar game captured my heart and time back when it released in late August and continues to this day. The simple premise, one button gameplay, online leaderboards, endless amounts of upgrades and missions to complete makes Jetpack Joyride one of the best games you can get on the iOS this year.
1. Bastion
One of the few downloadable games I highly anticipated this year, Bastion lived up to the hype and more. Beautiful art, great music, compelling story and deep gameplay that even works with a mouse and keyboard, this Action-RPG stand out above all the other downloadable games. Bastion literally looks like watching art in motion, it is so beautiful. Also having the ominous ever-present narrator tell the story is one great touch that has not been done before in games. If you own a Xbox 360 or a PC, Bastion is the best downloadable game you can play this year bar none.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Hump Day Music: Sons of Skyrim
With everything that went on last week, it was a little too busy to put up a new edition of Hump Day Music. For those who missed not having Hump Day Music to help them get over the hump, I hope this week's edition makes up for it. While by now, you know my love for another game with Sky in its name (one hint, it is not Skylanders), I have to give credit to another game with Sky in its name, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Over the past two months, the land of Skyrim has captured the hearts of many gamers. I have not personally played it yet, but I hope to eventually. Probably when Bethesda releases the Game of the Year edition with all the expansions or the 5th Anniversary edition with some Behind the Scenes content.
Even though I have not played it yet, one aspect of Skyrim has already impressed me. That aspect is the game's epic orchestrated soundtrack. If there was a way to get the soundtrack for Skyrim and many other games on CD or iTunes, I would definitely purchase them. The track I am sharing with you today is one I cannot stop listening to and even try to sing along with, but fail as it is in another language. It is Skyrim's main theme, Sons of Skyrim. If you have seen the Official Gameplay Trailer for Skyrim, you have heard the song and quite possibly tried to sing along with the incredible male choir for the chorus. It is a song that gets your heart pumping. As I associate the song with the game, it makes me feel like I want to grab an axe a slay some dragons. So before you go pick up your axe and slay some dragons, take a few minutes to one of the best pieces of music from 2011.
Even though I have not played it yet, one aspect of Skyrim has already impressed me. That aspect is the game's epic orchestrated soundtrack. If there was a way to get the soundtrack for Skyrim and many other games on CD or iTunes, I would definitely purchase them. The track I am sharing with you today is one I cannot stop listening to and even try to sing along with, but fail as it is in another language. It is Skyrim's main theme, Sons of Skyrim. If you have seen the Official Gameplay Trailer for Skyrim, you have heard the song and quite possibly tried to sing along with the incredible male choir for the chorus. It is a song that gets your heart pumping. As I associate the song with the game, it makes me feel like I want to grab an axe a slay some dragons. So before you go pick up your axe and slay some dragons, take a few minutes to one of the best pieces of music from 2011.
Mature Games Made For Immature Players
You are in line to buy the latest blockbuster M rated game be it Modern Warfare 3, Saint's Row: The Third or Assassin's Creed Revelations. When you get up to pay for the game, you are asked if you are 17 years or older and for ID to prove it, which you are not or have no ID to prove it. So the cashier tells you that he or she cannot sell you the game. You put on a little hissy fit and walk off. Either you have lived this scenario or seen it unfold right in front of your eyes.
In this day and age, video games have exploded in popularity. It is hard to find a young boy or girl that plays games. Also while games have gained huge amounts of popularity, humans as a race have become desensitized. I can clearly remember a time between when I was born to about when I was 12 when I was completely oblivious to all the mature subjects that make up this world. Now with the Internet, social media and other key factors, children these days lose their innocence much much faster. A testament to this lose of innocence is the very fact that kids as young as 5 years of age are playing Call of Duty online and are swearing as bad as a trucker. Games are rated M for Mature for a reason. They are not meant to be played by a kid that cannot help but laugh at the mention of sex. They are meant to be played by people mature enough to understand the adult themes, the dark stories and why you are performing certain tasks.
Back close to 7 years ago, it became illegal in Canada and the United States to sell a M rated game to anybody younger than 17 years of age. If you did, you could be charged. So any store that sells games from EB Games to Walmart has to make sure that they check. It is like being IDed at club or if you buy a drink or try to buy a ticket to a Restricted movie, it is the law. They have to check if they suspect you at younger than the legal age. What I am trying to say is that I am growing ever sick and tired of naive little punks who think they can get away with anything and buy M rated games when they are clearly not old enough. They make other respectable gamers like myself, who might just want to buy a Mature rated game like Mass Effect because I enjoy the more adult story and such, look bad. And for all of you that are over 17 years of age that do not have a piece of ID such as a Driver's License, Health Card, Passport of other piece of government issued identification, sorry but at that age you are expected to have a piece of ID on you at all times so there is no damn excuse. I learned the hard way and now I never leave my house without ever piece of ID I can easily carry with me. There are two big problems. They are that people do not know how to read anymore and that parents rarely take an interest in what their children play or do. If parents took the time to read reviews, the ESRB ratings on the box and watched gameplay footage before blindly buying the newest M rated game for their child, it would not be such a hassle going out to buy Call of Duty each and every year. Also restricting your children from playing, but not buying, Mature games until they are 15 or 16 may help things too. Personally I was not allowed to play Mature games until I was 15 years old and I buy and play more games that are rated E to T than M.
All-in-all, everybody needs to just smarten up and start using your brain and your eyes before mindlessly grabbing a M rated game and walking over to the cashier. Give the ESRB (if you don't know what that stands for google it) the respect it deserves and actually read the ratings and descriptors on the box. It says 17+ on the box so there is no reason that you did not see it. So please do not put on a little hissy fit and try to make people feel sorry for you. It is the law and I am sick and tired of people thinking that it does not apply to them.
In this day and age, video games have exploded in popularity. It is hard to find a young boy or girl that plays games. Also while games have gained huge amounts of popularity, humans as a race have become desensitized. I can clearly remember a time between when I was born to about when I was 12 when I was completely oblivious to all the mature subjects that make up this world. Now with the Internet, social media and other key factors, children these days lose their innocence much much faster. A testament to this lose of innocence is the very fact that kids as young as 5 years of age are playing Call of Duty online and are swearing as bad as a trucker. Games are rated M for Mature for a reason. They are not meant to be played by a kid that cannot help but laugh at the mention of sex. They are meant to be played by people mature enough to understand the adult themes, the dark stories and why you are performing certain tasks.
Back close to 7 years ago, it became illegal in Canada and the United States to sell a M rated game to anybody younger than 17 years of age. If you did, you could be charged. So any store that sells games from EB Games to Walmart has to make sure that they check. It is like being IDed at club or if you buy a drink or try to buy a ticket to a Restricted movie, it is the law. They have to check if they suspect you at younger than the legal age. What I am trying to say is that I am growing ever sick and tired of naive little punks who think they can get away with anything and buy M rated games when they are clearly not old enough. They make other respectable gamers like myself, who might just want to buy a Mature rated game like Mass Effect because I enjoy the more adult story and such, look bad. And for all of you that are over 17 years of age that do not have a piece of ID such as a Driver's License, Health Card, Passport of other piece of government issued identification, sorry but at that age you are expected to have a piece of ID on you at all times so there is no damn excuse. I learned the hard way and now I never leave my house without ever piece of ID I can easily carry with me. There are two big problems. They are that people do not know how to read anymore and that parents rarely take an interest in what their children play or do. If parents took the time to read reviews, the ESRB ratings on the box and watched gameplay footage before blindly buying the newest M rated game for their child, it would not be such a hassle going out to buy Call of Duty each and every year. Also restricting your children from playing, but not buying, Mature games until they are 15 or 16 may help things too. Personally I was not allowed to play Mature games until I was 15 years old and I buy and play more games that are rated E to T than M.
All-in-all, everybody needs to just smarten up and start using your brain and your eyes before mindlessly grabbing a M rated game and walking over to the cashier. Give the ESRB (if you don't know what that stands for google it) the respect it deserves and actually read the ratings and descriptors on the box. It says 17+ on the box so there is no reason that you did not see it. So please do not put on a little hissy fit and try to make people feel sorry for you. It is the law and I am sick and tired of people thinking that it does not apply to them.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Boxing Day Deals
Every year after Christmas, here in the Great White North, in order to get rid of a lot of stock, stores put on huge sales on almost everything from DVDs and games to big name appliances. It is Canada's version of Black Friday, but instead of rabid people almost killing each other for great deals, most Canadians are a little more polite. You will still get rude and inconsiderate people in Canada, they are just a little more dispersed than in the US. With Boxing Day comes big sales on some of the biggest games of the year. Making it the best time for gamers to run to their nearest mall, big box store or game store for some huge sales on games they could not afford earlier this year.
A lot of the big deals on video game consoles are the same across every store you go to. The 4 GB model of the Xbox 360 Slim is 130 dollars, the 160 GB model of the PS3 Slim is 200 dollars, the Nintendo 3DS is 140 dollars and the PlayStation 3D Display is 300 dollars (200 dollars cheaper than it originally came out) at any store you go to. If you are looking for just games themselves, stick to EB Games as they have the best deals. The two huge sales are Assassin's Creed: Revelation for only 20 dollars (40 dollars in savings) and Saint's Row: The Third and Rage for 30 dollars (30 dollars in savings). These deals are for just today only so if you want them, make sure you beat the crowds or you will have to wait in long lines. That is not all because the other games are dropping in price from Rayman Origins to Mortal Kombat. EB also has great deals on used games and systems with savings of 10% off all the way up to 50% off depending on the amount of used games you buy.
If you plan on going out at all today, make sure you know what you are looking for because no matter where you go it will be very very busy. Easiest thing will be to check online to find the deals you are looking for and mark them down so you remember what to get. It will be one insane day. Hope you enjoyed my little Boxing Day Deals primer and have a good day shopping or avoiding shopping.
A lot of the big deals on video game consoles are the same across every store you go to. The 4 GB model of the Xbox 360 Slim is 130 dollars, the 160 GB model of the PS3 Slim is 200 dollars, the Nintendo 3DS is 140 dollars and the PlayStation 3D Display is 300 dollars (200 dollars cheaper than it originally came out) at any store you go to. If you are looking for just games themselves, stick to EB Games as they have the best deals. The two huge sales are Assassin's Creed: Revelation for only 20 dollars (40 dollars in savings) and Saint's Row: The Third and Rage for 30 dollars (30 dollars in savings). These deals are for just today only so if you want them, make sure you beat the crowds or you will have to wait in long lines. That is not all because the other games are dropping in price from Rayman Origins to Mortal Kombat. EB also has great deals on used games and systems with savings of 10% off all the way up to 50% off depending on the amount of used games you buy.
If you plan on going out at all today, make sure you know what you are looking for because no matter where you go it will be very very busy. Easiest thing will be to check online to find the deals you are looking for and mark them down so you remember what to get. It will be one insane day. Hope you enjoyed my little Boxing Day Deals primer and have a good day shopping or avoiding shopping.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Bit by Bit: December 18-24
Merry Christmas to all! I hope everybody has had a wonderful week leading up to the big holiday. Also hope you have a great time opening presents, spending time with friends and family and spreading the peace and joy this holiday. That will before everybody changes their tune and become rabid mobs for all the Boxing Day deals. I know, I am working Boxing Day. With Christmas here, I am going to have a condensed version of Bit by Bit this week. There will be no Most Anticipated Game of the Week due to the lack of huge announcements this week. Now let us roll with the Game of the Week and Video of the Week.
Game of the Week
No matter the crazy hours that I worked this week, I made time to play a good selection of games. With all the sales on Steam and the App Store, I picked up Torchlight for my Mac and Groove Coaster and Sonic 4: Episode 1 HD for my iPad. Also found Dragon Quest IX at my local EB Games for a mere 10 dollars used and made sure that I was the only one walking out of that store with Dragon Quest. Even with those quality games, I got to give my Game of the Week to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which I completed last Sunday night. The last few hours were just phenomenal as I completed the Triforce, vanquished the evil locked in the Sealed Grounds and fought one of my favourite boss fights of this year. You will know why when you play it. It is truly epic. I am not going to go in full excruciating detail right here and now as I put up my review of Skyward Sword yesterday here on Silver Bit. So click on the link in the Blog Archive just on the right side of the blog and I hope you enjoy.
Video of the Week
As gamers and game media get to the end of the year, we all like to reflect on the year that was. We like to look back on the good and the bad. All video game websites and magazines have their Top 10 Games of the Year, the Year End Awards to hand out. In the plethora of gaming websites giving their opinions on what was the best of 2011 in video games, ScrewAttack has left it up to us gamers. For the past few weeks, ScrewAttack allowed their fans to give their suggestions for the Top 10 Games of 2011 in the form of comments on a previous Top 10 or in their forums. They then would tally up what the fans listed as their Top 10 Games of the Year and made the video that I leave you with today. Personally, I thought this list was very well done, you might think differently, but everyone has their opinion. Just respect that. And with that I will bid you all ado and a very merry Christmas.
Game of the Week
No matter the crazy hours that I worked this week, I made time to play a good selection of games. With all the sales on Steam and the App Store, I picked up Torchlight for my Mac and Groove Coaster and Sonic 4: Episode 1 HD for my iPad. Also found Dragon Quest IX at my local EB Games for a mere 10 dollars used and made sure that I was the only one walking out of that store with Dragon Quest. Even with those quality games, I got to give my Game of the Week to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which I completed last Sunday night. The last few hours were just phenomenal as I completed the Triforce, vanquished the evil locked in the Sealed Grounds and fought one of my favourite boss fights of this year. You will know why when you play it. It is truly epic. I am not going to go in full excruciating detail right here and now as I put up my review of Skyward Sword yesterday here on Silver Bit. So click on the link in the Blog Archive just on the right side of the blog and I hope you enjoy.
Video of the Week
As gamers and game media get to the end of the year, we all like to reflect on the year that was. We like to look back on the good and the bad. All video game websites and magazines have their Top 10 Games of the Year, the Year End Awards to hand out. In the plethora of gaming websites giving their opinions on what was the best of 2011 in video games, ScrewAttack has left it up to us gamers. For the past few weeks, ScrewAttack allowed their fans to give their suggestions for the Top 10 Games of 2011 in the form of comments on a previous Top 10 or in their forums. They then would tally up what the fans listed as their Top 10 Games of the Year and made the video that I leave you with today. Personally, I thought this list was very well done, you might think differently, but everyone has their opinion. Just respect that. And with that I will bid you all ado and a very merry Christmas.
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