It’s been a while since I used Games of the Week to force my questionable taste in music on the general gaming public, so I proudly present more Sparks for you. This time, the quirky musical brothers give us a little treat from the 1974 album Propaganda. It is a good song, whether you believe it or not.
Speaking of 1974 albums, we played videogames this week, and you can hit the jump to find out what ones they were. Feel free to tell us what games you played as well.
Bennett: Spent time this week with Clover for the review, Let’s Tap for next week’s review, and a little bit (but not enough of) Global Defense Force. Plan to get my hands on more of Ghostbusters tonight. Also, started Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! which is simultaneously hilarious and leaves me with no idea what’s actually going on (the bestiary is the best thing ever, though).
Razak: Assassins Creed and James Bond on DS. I’m a slow gamer, what can I say. I’ll just reiterate what everyone else said about Assassins Creed ages ago: it’s a great concept with the most repetitive execution ever. I love the idea behind it, but actual execution is poor as piss. Makes me very excited for number 2 though.
Villasenor: I found a cheap copy of Star Trek: Bridge Commander and have actually been enjoying it quite a bit. My biggest complaint with the game so far are the downright creepy faces of most of the character models. There’s just something about the way they look at you, with their completely unsynced mouths and speech, that’s just unnerving enough to pull me out of the experience slightly. Getting to blow up waves of Cardassian ships makes up for it though.
I also beat Super Robot Wars W for the eighth time. GOLDION CRUSHER!
Nicholson: I’ve been playing a variety of titles. For review, I’ve been playing the PlayStation Network version of Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank and Xbox LIVE Arcade title Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers. For fun, I’ve been playing inFAMOUS, the 1 vs. 100 Beta, and some Crazy Taxi clone on the iPhone.
I have a copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla sitting on my desk. It’s still in the shrink wrap! I’m hoping I can get around to playing it tomorrow. I picked it up for two reasons: good industry buzz and pity for THQ’s financial position.
I’d like to take a second and say that inFAMOUS hits me in the right spot. The combat is a bit janky, but I’m loving the platforming segments and the way your powers grow with the moral choices you’ve made. It’s a fun title if you kill the difficulty and forget that Cole is supposed to be a superhero. Hopefully the next inFAMOUS features a Cole with a full understanding of his powers and an emphasis on melee combat. This sharpshooting from roof to roof is bumming me out.
Grim: Played the hell out of Rocket Riot on Xbox LIVE Arcade (buy it for great justice!) and Prototype (rent it for great justice!), plus a few matches of Quake Live. Brad, you need to play Red Faction: Guerrilla multiplayer with me, or face the consequences.
Nicholson: Oh I will. I’ve seen you on quite a bit. I can’t wait!
North: It’s weeks like these that I love reviewing video games. I’ve already said that Atlus’ Devil Survivor is great. Look for our review this week. I’m now playing Flower, Sun and Rain on the DS, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 on the Wii, both being really fun games.
Concelmo: I replayed the entire six games in the Space Quest series this week and it was such an awesome, nostalgic experience. I love those games so much!
Also, a little more of Rydia’s tale in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and some Ghostbusters for the Xbox 360. I am not going to say “bustin’ makes me feel good,” but, man, bustin’ makes me feel good! 🙂
Sterling: I’ve been balls deep in review copies this week, still slogging through Damnation, Fuel and Black Sigil. I also received Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, which has become a horrible time machine. I start playing and suddenly it’s five hours into the future while my thumb has become a withered nub.
For my non-work gaming I’ve been taking advantage of the recent surge of PSOne Classics on the PlayStation Store. It’s been a non-stop binge of Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid. My stepson watches these games intently (not put off by the PSX graphics, I’m very proud) and constantly asks questions like “Why is Sephiroth killing everyone?” It’s impossible to explain Sephiroth’s motivations to a small child who doesn’t even believe that Sephiroth isn’t a girl.
Not that I can blame him on that count.
Zimmerman: I’ve been playing Pack All of Your Crap into Boxes all this past week. It’s a deep and rewarding title that demonstrates the horrors of our consumer culture and makes fantastic use of motion controls.
Other than that, it’s been mostly games for review. Ghostbusters, Swords & Soldiers, Yosumin Live and a few other little games.
Davis: I spent most of my time not working at Disneyland this week, riding the Indy Jones ride a lot and getting sunburned. I started Ghostbusters before leaving and played a bit of LEGO Battles and Flower, Sun and Rain while waiting in lines. Not much else to say, except that I can’t wait to get back to wrangling ghosts. I haven’t been so anxious to get back to playing a game in a long while.
Sarkar: It’s been raining all goddamn week here in New York (and, to be honest, all damn month as well) — and on top of that, I was sick for much of the week — so I spent a lot of time in my room playing games. I got a little further in inFamous; did my first few Burnout Paradise online freeburn challenges with Dtoider AnonymousNoob; started my sophomore season in NHL 09 Be A Pro (five goals in two games); played my first All-Star game in MLB 09 Road to the Show (I’m 12-0 with an ERA under 1.00); and spent some more time with the Uncharted 2 beta (frankly, I can’t tell if the recent patch “fixed” the über-overpowered grenades or not).
