Weekend Gaming! 04.01.11

Telling myself that I'm going to update my blog has become a running gag that only I'm in on, so what better a day to start posting again than April Fool's Day?  The last time I updated this people were looking forward to the release of Call of Duty Black Ops and eating leftover Halloween candy, so here's a list of games I've completed over the past 5 months followed by what I'll be playing this weekend:   

November 2010 - March 2011 Completion

Here's a list of games I completed since my last blog post, in order of completion.

	1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Purchased for 360. Beat on Hardened.
	2. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Purchased on XBLA.
	3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Purchased for 360.
	4. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Purchased for 360. Beat both racer and cop campaigns.
	5. After Burner Climax Purchased for XBLA.
	6. Castle Crashers Purchased for XBLA.
	7. Doritos Crash Course Free on XBLA.
	8. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus Purchased The Sly Collection for PS3.
	9. Sam & Max Episode 3: The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball Purchased on Steam.
	10. Game Dev Story Purchased on Android Marketplace

	11. Mario Kart Wii Gifted for Wii.
	12. NBA Jam Gifted for 360. Finished the Remix Tour.
	13. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Free pass on OnLive.
	14. Sam & Max Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die! Purchased on Steam.
	15. Super Street Fighter IV Purchased for 360. Beat on "Hardest" difficulty.
	16. Dragon Age: Origins Purchased for 360 (Ultimate Edition).
	17. Elite Beat Agents Purchased for DS.
	18. Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Purchased for 360 (Ultimate Edition).
	19. Picross 3D Purchased for DS.

 
 

This Weekend in Gaming:

 

• Dragon Age II (360):  So I found out that when I have a huge backlog (pile of shame) of games to play, I'm a huge fan of streamlined RPGs.  I'm really enjoying Dragon Age II, and I'm fine with the fact that it won't take 90 hours to complete like Dragon Age: Origins did.  The less time I have to spend in menus, the more I get to enjoy the actual game.  Dragon Age II seems to handle armor for my companions, so I can focus on my character and get back to the action faster.  Speaking of action, the flow of combat is sped up (mileage may vary, I'm playing as a rogue) and the game feels much more action-oriented, rather than queueing up attacks like an MMO.  I'm planing on delving into the depths of the Deep Roads this weekend.
  
• NHL 11 (360):  The AI doesn't seem as smart as previous versions.  The opponent skaters seem to have strange pathing on some plays, and the game overall seems easier.  Maybe I'm just playing more of it than any other previous version.  I'm scoring 1.06 goals per game with my Be A Pro created skater, which may not seem high for some of you, but is high for me.  I'll mostly be playing the Be A Pro mode this weekend.  I've tried my hand at Online Shootout and gotten my ass handed to me a few times, but I'll certainly be coming back to it.
• Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam (360):  I've been playing a lot of BFBC2V over the past 2 months and I'm loving it.  While simply enjoying the objective-based Rush mode, I've been slowly plugging away at getting gold medals (100 kills) for all of the Vietnam weapons and I finally completed it last night!  Four of the five maps are a blast to play on, but Vantage Point feels very unbalanced.  Being able to shoot down the Vietnam-era helicopters with any weapon introduces a balance that was much needed to the multiplayer component of BFBC2.  Ace operators are no longer absolutely dominating the skies.  The Huey can certainly dish out some damage, but a few clips of ammo from any weapon can take it down, including pistols.  I'm currently Rank 25 online.  Hit me up if you see me on this weekend: JMoney156.

I might also jump into Fight Night Champions, but we'll see.  I feel like I should squeeze in some time on something that isn't made by EA!