Games of the Week for 01/20/08: Wired West edition

Hamza Aziz: I experienced the best Halo 3 FNF I have ever participated in. Read my blog about it.

 

Jim Sterling: I spent a lot of the week playing The Simpsons Game. I picked it up after a night of insomnia caused me to leave my house at 10am, having not slept, where I stood in the street, leaning against a bin, eating Roysters and drinking Ribena. Then I bought the game, picked up dinner for later, and went home. The game is okay, but even a child could see that the developers were using irony as an excuse to be lazy: “Oh we KNOW we’re being lazy and employing lousy design and EA product placement, that’s the joke, geddit?” Yeah, that doesn’t fly with me. 

 

Also, Hamza’s blog is right. I was playing that instead of Halo 3 on Friday. I regret nothing.

 

Topher Cantler: Preparing for this week’s Konami episode on Retroforce, I decided to play some of the TwinBee games I used to love. I haven’t stopped since. God those are fantastic games.

 

Gameboi (R.I.P 2007): I fired up the Xbox 360 for the first time in well over a month, and played — get this– the demo of Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal. Other than that it’s been mostly screwing around with a couple of demos on my PS3, and trying to convince myself that given a chance,  Burnout: Paradise will grow on me. So far, it’s a no-go.

 

Nick Chester: I’ve been pretty busy this week, and haven’t had many chances to fire up a console. When I have found the time, I was picking up some stars in Super Mario Galaxy, and playing Rock Band with my son and his little friends.

On the road, I’ve been working through Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters on the PSP, and when I can find the time, Aquaria on the PC. I’m not sure what the story is with that game, but when they say “double click on the mini-map to expand,” I think they mean “click the mini-map 801 times to expand.” Anyone else notice this?

 

BlindsideDork: I just opened up the dark and scary world of Condemned: Criminal Origins and boy is that game creepy at night with a surround system. I have also started Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings which is terribly addictive! After having the demo for so long, I just bought E4 and I still have no clue what I am doing but it is some of the more fun I’ve had in awhile.

And I can’t forget Team Fortress 2 action with Hitorogashi, Knives, Spoony Bard, bitterbohemian and the others. Epic!

 

TheGoldenDonut: I played through Call of Duty 4‘s single player campaign and tried out the multiplayer component, which I’m not yet particularly good at, but have still been enjoying.  Aside from that I’ve been winning the Haloz and finally got around to finishing Stranglehold.

 

Jonathan Holmes: It’s all lawyer games all the time for me this week. Finished Phoenix Wright 3, started Phoenix Wright 2, and also gave Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law a chance. So far, the latter has actually not been a regrettable purchase; a great look at what a fully voice acted and animated Phoenix Wright home console game could be like, only with more internet “pron” jokes and “accidental” incestuous advances. But more importantly, Street Fighter 2‘s Guile gets his hair lit on fire in the game’s first twenty minutes. I can’t wait to see what they do to Phoenix if he too makes a cameo.

 

Ron Workman: On XBLA: IKARUGAAAA! and it is F*&king rad. Boogy bunnies, Crying in the shower from a night out with Nick Chester 3, uggg I am listening to this nerd talk about Linux and its making my brain die a little. On the disc’s, KUF:Cod, Rock Band, & Unknown other game on the 360. On the PSTriples, MGS4, and LBP. Life is good. Gamers should have another pretty solid year. That makes me smile. Nick Chester rape makes me frown. He makes you fell like you deserved it.

 

Aaron Linde: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for an upcoming review, and I finally got myself Rock Band. Drums are the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Fo’ serious.

 

TV’s own Faith: I’ve been playing Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii and I dare you not to smile when Mario says the name of game at the start screen. I also played Wii Sports, Mario vs Sonic at the Olympics and Rayman Raving Rabbids all on the Wii.

I’m also playing Cooking Mama 2 on the DS, Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom for the Xbox 360 and, finally Startropics and Super Mario Bros. on the virtual console.

 

Grim: I’ve become madly addicted to Audiosurf. Besides that and my usual lineup of games, I have been putting my Hori EX2 to good use with many failed attempts at getting a better position on the Galaga XBLA leaderboard.

Praying Bradtis: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness still, along with more Escape from Bug Island. I’m determined to finish a few games up this week before I head off to Japan, though.

Qais Fulton: It’s been mostly Xbox Originals this week, Burnout 3 in anticipation of Burnout Paradise and a whole mess o’ Psychonauts.  I’m starting to see everything in Double-Fine-Vision, I…I kind of like it better this way.

 

Husky Hog: Dyson and I recently had the opportunity to preview the game Jim Won’t Read This. After getting some hands on time, Dyson and I came to the conclusion that there’s no way he will actually read what we say in these, and we expect him to just copy and paste it into elephant. What do you think, Dyson?

 

Jim: I read nearly all of them. F*ck you, Husky.

 

Husky: F*ck! It was a collective effort.

I love you Jim

 

Topher: HAHAHA.

 

Dyson: He’s right, Husky and i were about to post the same text, but you’re too efficient and quick, ya damn brit!

 

Jim: You can’t slip something by a guy who checks over everything with a monocle in one eye.

 

Husky: Alright you win, here we go for cereal.

Once I let my 360 sit long enough to finish downloading the demo for Burnout Paradise, I got the chance to play it until Radio Big made me start talking back to my system as though it was trying to convince me Subaru was correct in blaming me for the paper clip they put in my tire during a routine checkup. I had to pick up Super Mario Galaxy in order to cure my insanity. Although it’s taken me more than a month to beat that physics-defying game, I would like to point out it took me over eight months to finish Super Mario 64. Nintendo games just don’t seem to consume me for as long as others.

 

Niero: I’m playing Assemble New Furniture Hero 2: The revenge of Niero’s back problems!  

 

Ron: Can I have a Beta key for F*ck you, Husky?

 

Husky: You know I was typing that reply but I just deleted it.

Only because I love you.

 

Brad: Yeah. Ron, just download the game, and then when it asks you for a serial key, just delete system32 and reboot.

 

Husky: I hear you have to press alt+f4 before writing every email for that to wor.

 

Brad: Hm, doesn’t seem to work. I think tossing the computer out the window is the best method — only if you’re on a Mac, though.

 

Husky: Ah, the same method for upgrading a Mac’s video card

Awesome.

Hamza: Jim, please post all of this. <3

Jim: That was the plan.