2015 Gaming Wishlist

Red Dead Redemption sequel - One of finest open world games of the last generation. There was nothing better than roaming the old west, hunting down outlaws and generally just causing mayhem as anti-hero John Marston.

I imagine if my prayers are answered any follow up to RDR will be a console exclusive, so this will give me an excuse to buy a PS4 or Xbox One. ^_^

Skies of Arcadia HD Remaster- I'm sure this was announced or rumoured to be in development a couple of years ago, but nothing has been mentioned recently. One of the best RPGs of all time, it was originally released on the Dreamcast and later ported to GameCube as Skies of Arcadia Legends.

SoA has such a beautifully crafted universe that would certainly benefit from a high definition remaster. Some extra features would be nice too. ^_^

I've already posted about SoA before, so click the link if you want discover a little more about it. 

Captain Olimar amiibo- The big question is why hasn't this been announced already?! Captain Olimar is nowhere to be found in the next 2 waves of amiibos, which is quite surprising when Pikmin 3 has still been receiving updates, AND we were treated to the Pikmin shorts a couple of months ago.

Ideally I would like to see Olimar's amiibo with the red, yellow and blue Pikmin, perhaps with Captain Olimar wearing his helmet too.

Well, whatever 2015 brings. I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Day 99 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

While Square Enix continued the main Final Fantasy series on PS2, Gamecube owners were treated to a spin-off title with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.

The world has been covered in a deadly miasma, killing anyone who is exposed to it. The towns and villages throughout the world are protected from the miasma using the power of crystals to generate a shield around their homes. Only one problem; the crystals power drains over time so someone's got to and find more crystals. And that someone, is you.

In FF: Crystal Chronicles you must explore the world in a travelling caravan, either with a band of heroes or on your own, and seek out as many crystals as you can. Unlike traditional Final Fantasy titles you could fully customise your character; choosing their race, class and even a snazzy outfit.

The best part is FF: Crystal Chronicles supports 4 player multiplayer, it's a little messy as you need 4 Gameboy Advance consoles along with 4 GBA to GC cables so each of you can access your own inventories and menus without having to pause the game.

We've tried to complete Crystal Chronicles a few times but unfortunately our memory cards keep crashing EVERY time we play it. Maybe sometime in the New Year we'll dedicate a whole week to playing it. ^_^

Day 38 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario Sunshine

Summer is in full swing and I'm suffering from violent hayfever, so let's celebrate my having a pollen and mucus filled head by looking at an essential summertime game; Super Mario Sunshine.

Super Mario Sunshine has divided fans and critics in terms of its gameplay and design, but particularly on the FLUDD system that Mario carries on his back. Mario uses this to clean up graffiti, defeat enemies and navigate his way around puzzles and obstacles. Admittedly controlling Mario with the FLUDD can be frustrating at times however, I still consider Super Mario Sunshine to be the last great Mario game to ever be released.

Every Mario game that's followed Super Mario Sunshine has been easier and easier, with Nintendo practically holding your hand every step of the way, which is shame as I miss the challenge a new Mario game usually provides. The Super Mario Galaxy series may have been well developed, but I felt the experience was dull as I didn't need to go to much effort to complete the game. Large open worlds in Mario games have also been replaced with smaller bite-sized levels which lack the sense of exploration and self discovery offered by Super Mario Sunshine (and even Super Mario 64). 

The object of the game is to find out who's framing Mario for vandalising an island resort and to retrieve 120 Shine Sprites (the island's power source), with alternate endings depending on whether you find them all or not. Super Mario Sunshine had huge tropical themed worlds to explore, from coastal towns and industrial districts to fun fairs and volcanoes, and the graphical quality was absolutely stunning. Yoshi even made an appearance with a new ability; allowing him to vanquish enemies by spraying them with fruit juice.   

I've only completed Super Mario Sunshine the once but I didn't collect all 120 Shine Sprites.  I did set myself the challenge of finding the remaining Sprites, but unfortunately my memory card crashed and wiped my save file...it's going to be a long summer.

Super Mario Sunshine was on my Top Ten Games I Still Have to Finish, click the link to see the rest of list.

Day 21 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 completely revitalised the franchise, shifting focus from tank controlled characters and static cameras to an over the shoulder perspective, getting the player closer to the action than ever before. This however, altered the kind of terror on offer; unnerving atmospheres were replaced with heart pounding, white knuckled excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. 

The game stars Leon S Kennedy, the rookie cop from Resident Evil 2, who is now working for the US Government and has been given the task of finding Ashley, the President's abducted daughter. Capcom set the tone for the game in brilliant fashion, within the first ten minutes you're barricading yourself in a house surrounded by an entire village of lunatics, including one fellow wielding a chainsaw. I lost count of the number of times I had my head brutally removed in this first scene.

 You later discover that the entire community has been infected with a parasite capable of taking over the hosts body and turning them into mindless puppets. This allowed Resident Evil to move away from the signature zombie masses to a more intelligent enemy, one that would evade your attacks and use weapons and strategy to defeat you.

A considerable portion of the game sees you escorting Ashley to safety, a task that many players found frustrating as she's very slow to move and little more than baggage. Many a time I've been surrounded by enemies only to quick turn and end up shooting her in the face, it was kind of funny the first time but gets old pretty quickly. Thankfully Ashley gets recaptured at certain points of the game, usually when you have to defeat a boss, so there's sufficient breathing space that allows you to have a bit of fun without having to worry keeping her from harm.

There's plenty of replay value on offer thanks to the various unlockables and side quests that are worthwhile devoting your time to. Completing the game will unlock the Mercenaries mode, allowing you to pick from a number of characters and fight waves of enemies until you die or the timer expires.

Resident Evil 4 was a risky endeavor for Capcom as they had completely changed the series formula, but the gamble paid off as there's no denying how good this game is. If you like your horror games exciting, terrifying and a roller-coaster ride to the very end then this game is just what you're looking for. So what'll it be, stranger?  

Day One, 100 Happy Days

Day One: Pikmin



I noticed my Facebook was being flooded with messages showing the hashtag: #100HappyDays. After taking a moment to find out what this was all about; it seems the challenge is to find one thing per day that brings you joy for 100 days in a row. So I thought I'd join in with 100 Happy Gaming Days.

For Day One we have Pikmin! A great series from Nintendo that sees you organising a band of adorable little alien critters and having them beat up monsters and gathering precious loot. The game's special because you do care about the safety of your Pikmin, and feeling your heart slowly breaking as they get gobbled up, or smushed, by one of the games many enemies and letting out a little whimper of sorrow as their ghost ascends to the sky. The level designs are fantastic as well with some beautifully designed foliage, along with a very unique soundtrack to match.

I'm currently playing through Pikmin 2 at the moment as I'm hoping to finally finish it before I get my mitts on Pikmin 3 plus a Wii U. If you have never played any games in the series I highly recommend that you give them a try.