First up was:
Game Title: Casltevania, Lords of Shadow
Published by: Konami
I remember playing Castlevania at the arcade in the late 80s. I sucked at it. Then I played Castlevania 2 on the NES. I sucked at it. I hadn't played a Castlevania game since. So, why did I finally decide to pick up this game? Because Kojima Productions was involved and since Hideo Kojima is a genius, and I love his Metal Gear games, I figured why not. Plus, I got it for free back when Toys R Us had a "Buy 2, Get 1" free sale last October.
I finally got around to playing this about mid-February. Needless to say, I could have waited a bit longer. Not that this was a bad game at all, just very unoriginal. Though I did come to enjoy myself by the end, I couldn't help but see influences from a bunch of other games: God of War, Devil May Cry, Prince of Persia, Darksiders, Shadow of the Colossus, etc). It took a little bit of the enjoyment out of the game.
The story was a little generic and I wondered how Patrick Stewart felt while reading the schlocky narrative.
A fun, albeit, unoriginal game that I am happy I didn't pay any money for. Plus, the ending is kinda cool.
Up next:
Game Title: Costume Quest
Developed By: DOUBLE FIIIIINE!!!
This was a refreshing change of pace.
From the crazy minds behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend comes Costume Quest. It's a very cute, short, RPG. The story is you and your sister go out on Halloween, she is kidnapped by Grubbins, and you and your friends have to save her. When going into battle with the Grubbins, you become your costume and kick all kinds of ass. You can be a robot, a knight, the Statue of Liberty, a cat, a vampire, a unicorn, and a bunch of other creatures. It's all good fun.
The game play is simple and yet there is still some strategy involved in beating some enemies. The game is short, but not so short you feel like you don't get enough of it. I finished in about 6 hours with all trophies. There is also DLC, which I will definitely be getting.
If you're looking for something fun, give Costume Quest a download.
Third Game:
Game Title: Blade Kitten (episode 1)
Developed By: Krome Studios
Blade Kitten was a ton of fun as well. Very anime inspired. You play a cat girl who is a bounty hunter. The voice acting was great, better than I expected and the game play was also fun.
This game reminded me of 16 bit era platforms on the Genesis, where the levels didn't seem to have a reason to how they were laid out, but you still wound up finishing each one.
This was another game I finished in about 6 hours and look forward to episode two.
Last, but not least:
Game Title: Shank
Developed By: Klei Entertainment
Shank is a nod to beat 'em ups of old, like Double Dragon. You are Shank,a tough hombe who was left for dead and his girlfriend killed by his old gang. It's very similar to the plot of Kill Bill Vol 1. Guy is part of bad ass gang, guy gets betrayed and left for dead by said gang, guy returns years later for revenge.
Shank is full of over the top violence and action. You can kill guys will a chainsaw. You can feed guys grenades. You and pounce on guys from across the screen and slice & dice them with your knife.
The boss battles are fun, and a few of them rather difficult. The graphics, while simple looking, are really greaty looking. The characters are pretty cliched for the genre but it serves it's purpose.
And, the game is short. I spent three and a half hours on it and finished the game on normal. There is a harder difficulty but I am afraid of that one.
Next Level: Borderlands, Game of the Year edition
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