Game of the Month - February & March 2012

[funkyweed]

Bumper game of the month(s) edition here

[mjc0961]

Originally Posted by olsen77

You know what's great, taking a chance on a totally unique game and loving it. I've done that a few times, but it doesn't happen often. The last time was Flower. With Storm, I was looking for a demo and saw a quote that said something about Braid crossed with Flower. My eyes popped open and I decided to give it a chance. Then I tried to convince other people to but it too, but with limited success. Fortunately, tuffmuff bought it and we spent the next week working on a (awesome) guide and walkthrough. Unfortunately, the game was up on the store for a few hours before being taken done for some reason.

Whenever the game comes back to the store, I can't recommend it enough. The game has the watercolor-like visuals and puzzle solving (without the time manipulation) of Braid and the elemental gameplay of Flower. Basically, you control the rain, wind and lightning to move seeds around to open patches of dirt so that new trees can grow. There are 49 levels in all. Each block of levels is one of the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The mechanics are basically the same in each, but there are little things that make each season unique.

Storm is a pretty fun game if you give it a chance. It's peaceful and relaxing (though frustrating at times). It's a fun and unique experience that you won't forget. It may not have the same amount of hype behind as Flower did or Journey does, but it's well worth checking out and playing.

Looking forward to: Mass Effect 3!!!!!!!!!!!

Suffice to say, this had the opposite effect on me. It has convinced me to never spend any money on it because I'll probably hate it. Braid crossed with Flower? I can only think of one combination that I would personally hate more: inFamous crossed with Okami. But yeah, Braid crossed with Flower is number two on things I don't want to get anywhere near.

Although it is insanely retarded that they don't have demos. That's the one thing I really love about the Xbox Live Arcade: every game has a demo. Think something sounds interesting? No need to take a risk, get the demo. I don't know why developers would ever not want to have a demo. With no demo, the choices come down to "take a chance with your money and hope the game doesn't suck" and "walk away with your money in hand", and I know that I for one will take the latter option a vast majority of the time. I've been screwed over way too many times by the former to keep going for that.

[olsen77]

Originally Posted by mjc0961

Suffice to say, this had the opposite effect on me. It has convinced me to never spend any money on it because I'll probably hate it. Braid crossed with Flower? I can only think of one combination that I would personally hate more: inFamous crossed with Okami. But yeah, Braid crossed with Flower is number two on things I don't want to get anywhere near.

Although it is insanely retarded that they don't have demos. That's the one thing I really love about the Xbox Live Arcade: every game has a demo. Think something sounds interesting? No need to take a risk, get the demo. I don't know why developers would ever not want to have a demo. With no demo, the choices come down to "take a chance with your money and hope the game doesn't suck" and "walk away with your money in hand", and I know that I for one will take the latter option a vast majority of the time. I've been screwed over way too many times by the former to keep going for that.

It's really not as bad as you're probably thinking. Whenever it comes back to PSN, give the demo a shot (assuming that there is one). The first couple of levels are pretty simple, but they get a lot more complex.

[Asher1985]

funkyweed - better late than never!

I love BioShock and you should definitely play BioShock 2. Whilst it is not as good as the first, it is still a great game. You see more of Rapture and play as a Big Daddy!

Can't wait for BioShock: Infinite!

[DrofThuganomics1]

Originally Posted by Wozamil

For anyone that knows me, it will come as no surprise to hear that my game of the month is MLB 12 The Show. I will argue that it’s the best sports simulation ever made. I will also argue that this game produced the greatest commercial for the PS3; sorry Kevin Butler.

"Cubs Win" MLB 12 The Show Full Length Commercial - YouTube

And as a Cubs fan myself, I literally felt the emotion and feelings that would be associated with winning the World Series. It’s a hope and a dream that I have every year as Spring Training approaches. No matter how poorly my team is constructed, I put on my blinders and believe. Every opening day, thousands of Cub fans will say the exact same thing, “Next year is here.”

But how can I talk about this upcoming season, without first mentioning last season when it all came down to the final game of the year. This night will be remembered as the single greatest regular season game in the history of MLB.

September 1, 2011 – The Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves enjoy an 8.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings in their respective league over the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals heading into the final month of the season.

September 28th, 2011 – The Red Sox and Rays are tied as are the Braves and Cardinals heading into the final game of the year.

I will let the intro video from MLB 12 The Show recap the madness that occurred that final night.

MLB 12 The Show Intro - YouTube


I won’t get into details about the gameplay, controls, etc. Its baseball, you’ve seen it. And when I say that, I mean it. There are times when you start forgetting that you’re pl
aying a video game and start believing that it’s real. The details, stadiums, the ball physics, and all the player animations are extremely real. I can play and win the World Series with my beloved Cubbies and truly feel like the commercial at the top. And as a Cubs fan, that might be the closest I’ll ever get.


Looking forward to next month: Mass Effect 3 (olsen and Mendel convinced me to play ME2 first, so I'm a month behind)

Great choice Woz. Like anyone of us would expect you to choose something else.

I have to agree TheShow seems like the best sports simulation ever.

[Shaun-Bhoy-95]

Good read... Makes me tempted to pick up Bioshock in a few months once my exams are done.

[jacoblykke]

Originally Posted by Vyrastas

Game of the Month (Mar) = VVVVVV

this game is magnetizing.. I kind of want it, but I only play games on my PS3.. not my PC, it's too slow - however, with this game it might just be possible for my PC not to crash and burn...

great read and thanks, you just made me $5 poorer

EDIT: just played the demo.. love it!

[Sedition]

Just finished Ghost of Sparta and I have to agree; it was a surprisingly great game.

[Vyrastas]

Originally Posted by jacoblykke

this game is magnetizing.. I kind of want it, but I only play games on my PS3.. not my PC, it's too slow - however, with this game it might just be possible for my PC not to crash and burn...

great read and thanks, you just made me $5 poorer

EDIT: just played the demo.. love it!

Cool, glad to see someone checking it out. Yeah you don't need a high-tech rig to play this game, even a basic computer should be able to handle it.

Originally Posted by Sedition

Just finished Ghost of Sparta and I have to agree; it was a surprisingly great game.

I surprised by how good it was, Ready at Dawn did a great job on it.

[vikebone]

I'm glad to see that you enjoyed Bioshock funkyweed. I have just started playing it for the first time(unfortunately I can't say that it was because of this posting) and I have the exact same feelings as you. Wow what a fantastic game. I'm loving every minute of it. I too had wanted to play it for a while, but there were always other games at the front of the queue. With Infinite set to come out in October(til it got delayed) I decided that I had better get around to playing the original before there were a whole bunch of previews that might ruin parts of Bioshock. All I can say is I'm glad I finally am playing it. Great choice!