Collection Project. The games outstanding

I haven't really added too many titles to my collection over the last year. The original idea was to recreate the collection that I used to have. I managed to get most of it back together and even added quite a few that I never owned but played extensively. Now I just want to get a list together of the games that are outstanding. As I try to write this list it is amazing how hard it is to remember the games that I used to own.

Taz-Mania (MegaDrive)

Streets of Rage 3 (MegaDrive)

Mortal Kombat 2 (MegaDrive)

James Pond II (MegaDrive)

Wiz n Liz (MegaDrive)

Quick Note - International Superstar Soccer 64

Today I added to my collection for the first time in ages. I was in a retro game store and found International Superstar Soccer 64 for the N64 in perfect condition for only €5. This isn't a game I owned, or even for a system I owned but a friend had it and we clocked up a good few hours on it.


Couldn't resist adding it to the collection.

Robots in Disguise

I think it was back in July that I picked up Transformers: War for Cybertron for the PS3. At the time there wasn't any quality retail releases coming out and this game wasn't on my radar at all. However, after listening to Arthur on the Rebel FM podcast talk about it constantly for a couple of weeks my mind was changed. The multiplayer component sounded terrific and when the reviews hit they were nearly all effusive in their praise. So I decided to take a risk.

When I first put it on I wanted to hop straight into multiplayer but the servers were acting up so I had to start with single player. I chose to start with the Autobot campaign and after an impressive opening cut-scene I was thrust into the war on Cybertron. My lasting impression from that first and only session is that it was very boring. The first level seemed to take an age to complete and the enironment is just so drab. I presume the whole game is looks the same, one boring metallic colour. The fact that you can transform into a car at anytime sounds like fun but driving them is anything but. I was left to hope that the multiplayer would be the saving grace.

It was about three days later that I finally managed to join an game online and I enjoyed it. I played a good few rounds and I think that it works very well as a combat arena type game. My only problem with it is that it started to give me motion sickness, a problem that I have found with quite a few games this generation.

Of all the games I've bought recently I feel that I have done this one the biggest injustice. I've only tackled the single player game once and have yet to return to mulitplayer since my first session. That is not long enough to make a judgement and as such I have kept the disc close to the PS3. I will certainly return and give it another chance but not until the next few big releases are out of the way.

Quick note - Ji Sung Park

It is an over used cliché in football about certain players being unsung heroes and I'm not entirely sure it applies to Ji Sung Park. He has been at United now for a good few years and most fans have learnt to appreciate what he brings to the team, especially over the last couple of years. But today must have been especially sweet for him.

Two goals, the second a last minutes winner against a dogged Wolves defence. Great stuff.

Ghostbusters

While I was trying to rebuild my video game collection I was also adding new titles that I could find at bargain prices. When Ghostbusters came out last year it arrived to average reviews, so I ignored it in favour bigger titles like Uncharted 2. So a few months ago with the price having fallen sufficiently I picked it up in the hope that it would provide a few weeks of entertainment. I have to say that the most impressive part of Ghostbusters is how far they went in trying to make the most authentic Ghostbusters experience they could. The voices are all there, the environments look great and the conceit of making you the new member of the team works well.

Unfortunately, what doesn't work for me is the gameplay. I found the first couple of levels rather boring and the controls just don't feel responsive enough. Graphically the game is a little rough around the edges but the big issue was that it was giving me motion sickness. It wasn't too bad but I suspect had I played much longer the effect would have worsened. Perhaps (and I say this without much conviction) one day I will return to it.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Wind Waker is one of those top rated GameCube games that I have added to my collection. I managed to get an excellent copy of the collectors edition that included a compilation disc containing versions of The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. There was also a guide booklet included too, which is also in excellent condition.

The Zelda series is a strange one for me. I have only ever played one through to completion, A Link to the Past on the SNES. Myself and my friend poured hours into that game and loved every minute of it. Since then I haven't played much Zelda but did get a fair portion of the way though The Phantom Hourglass on the DS. I think I like the idea of playing through a Zelda game more than I actually enjoy doing it.

I put The Wind Waker into the Wii a few weeks ago and played through the opening section of the game. One thing stands out above all others and that is the graphics. For a game released in 2003 on an underpowered system, the game looks phenomenal. It is the cell shaded graphical style that gives it the wow factor. In another ten years this game will still look amazing because of the art direction, whereas games like Gears of War that look great now will look terrible in the future. I can't believe there was such a commotion when the game was released over the look of it. The game played exactly like I expected, the same as Phantom Hourglass the direct sequel to this game. I know I finish too many posts saying that I will return one day to play this game. In the case of The Wind Waker I hope that is true.

A Crack in Time

A Crack in Time is the sequel to one of my favourite games on the PS3, Tools of Destruction. Strangely though it had taken me the best part of a year to finally go and buy it. I picked it up back in July for a knock down price of €20, I wish all game prices would fall like that after some time on the market.

Just like the first game I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one. In my opinion it was an improvement in nearly every department over the the first. Graphically the game was even better, which is some accomplishment as the first is still one of the best looking games around. I enjoyed the fact that they opened up some of the levels, making for some rather epic battle sequences. The story was perhaps a little more straight forward in this one but I did enjoy the time travelling portions of the game. A big improvement in this game was the navigation between the planets. Piloting your spaceship around the map was more fun and the space combat was easier this time around.

One of the highlights of the game was the sections that you controlled Clank in the Great Clock. These sections contained some ingenious puzzles, some of which I had to resort to YouTube for solutions. The surest sign that I really enjoyed this game is to look at my b collection. I managed to stick with the game long enough to get the Platnium Trophy, which requires a minimum of two playthroughs. There aren't many games around these days that I will play twice.

I'm looking forward to the next game which has a four player co-op campaign. I just hope I can find some nice people to play it with.