I like video games. Quite a lot, actually. So much so that I like to keep specific track of the games I own, which I've finished and which I want to play next. And thanks to the wonderful website known as The Backloggery, I've got the perfect means to do so. Over the past week or so I've been tearing through some of my backlog and having a hell of a fun time doing it. While I'm certainly late to the party on these titles, I feel like laying it all out on the proverbial bedspread and sharing my glorious opinions with you, the similarly bored masses of Saturday afternoon.

WipEout HD

Anyone who's anyone [and owns a PS3] should be playing Fury right now, as it's a rip-snorting adventure through a world of awesome audio-visual glory. After finishing the new campaign, I decided to finally go back and finish the original and boy, was I missing out.

The original tracks are gorgeous. They're better to look at and play than the Fury tracks and twice as memorable. While the campaign is much more repetitive than the sequel (I really do get tired of time trials after a while) it's brilliant fun and even better challenge. Even after this morning, when seconds away from a gold on Phantom I was send flying back to last place, I know I'll be going back to finish this - probably tonight, even. Can't stay away from that funk atmosphere.



Soul Bubbles

I didn't really like Loco Roco. Rolando didn't do it for me either. But apparently the amorphous blob moving through an environment genre is not entirely lost on me; Soul Bubbles is terrific. While it is many of the things the previous titles were - repetitive, simple, easy - it also has an ease of control that makes it fun to play. The collectibles are hidden in a way that take just the right amount of work to find and the art style and music create one of the most relaxing experiences I've played since Flower.

But what I really like about this game (which I play for relaxation more than anything else) is the way the puzzles are set up. The first time any obstacle presents itself, it always hides a bonus item. If you solve it yourself, good. Then the bonus item is yours immediately. But if you can't solve the puzzle you can just move on. In no time at all the puzzle will repeat as part of the main progression and the answer will be handed to you on a silver platter. It's an intriguing game where it's never harder than you want it to be. Just lovely.

Lumines

I don't know how I missed this puzzle game so long. While at first the music sounds janky and you can't make squares for the life of you, soon you're playing to the rhythm and stringing massive chains. All the progress comes unconsciously and the high scores are set up so you're not competing against an artificially high standard. I started playing the Steam version and have moves on to Supernova on the PS3. For any fans of music or puzzle games this is a must have.

On a side note - Dear Q Entertainment: Please bring Rez HD to PSN so I can finally sell my 360. In addition, find some way to make me stop seeing squares in my sleep.



Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus

My favourite two parts of inFamous were both platforming sections (for those interested, the prison and the tower, both on the second island). So after finishing that title I of course decided to move on to the pure platforming games of Sucker Punch's past. So far the first game hasn't really provided. It's just a lot of collectibles spread about a linear environment where platforming doesn't much come into it. But I'm hopeful for the future and will be keeping with it - hoping to find something there to love.

Bionic Commando Re-Armed

I played through this co-op with a friend quite a while ago. We got to the last level, the albatross, and after many tries got to the very last boss and died. Both of us were disheartened that we' have to go through the entire last level again and we quit - never to go back. But thanks to a patch that makes "normal" mode synonymous with infinite lives and brisker checkpoints, I decided to put back on the proverbial bionic arm and jump (or I guess, technically, never jump at all) in.

This game is amazing. The swinging mechanic feels oh so right and the pacing with the new patch is perfect for those of us who don't like our games to be punishing. I felt the entire time like I was in control, even, finally in the last level where I was able to lose a dozen lives and still win. I high recommend this to ANYONE with a PS3, 360 or PC. At 10$ it's a steal.



So, this is the end of my misguidingly-titled what-you-been-playing post. And while I think I've provided suitable exposition on my backlog (and hopefully inspires some of you to check out these gems) I haven't at all provided broomsticks.



There.

P.S. Does anyone know how to fix images being the wrong horizontal size when uploaded to Dtoid?