Something New, Something Old, Something Free

I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd jump in and speak my mind on some of the excellent game experiences I've been enjoying. And without further ado...

Well worth the wait.

Kid Icarus: Uprising. This here, in my humble opinion, is the best game out for the 3DS, even in the face of gems such as Super Mario 3D Land and Ocarina of Time. Much has been made of the control issues, but know this: if you can get past that hurdle, you are in for a ridiculously deep and imaginative portable experience.

Personally, I'm tired of hearing about the problematic controls. While they are significant enough to note in a review, it has become blown out of proportion, much like the fishing mini-game in Nier (another excellent game). The controls won't give you carpal tunnel, and you WILL grow accustomed to them, to the point that you won't give it a second thought. Since when do we, as gamers, allow a flaw, even a glaring one, prevent us from enjoying a great game experience? Not me, anyway.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a great game experience, with a memorable soundtrack, top shelf dialogue and voice acting, and enough content to easily play this game over 100 hours. This is the Peace Walker equivalent, in terms of substance. Give it a shot, plastic stand be damned.

In other news, I finally picked up Saints Row: The Third, and having just finished it, wow, what a fun game. This is not the sort of game that will blow you away, but if you love open worlds, and having fun, this game ranks as one of the best, alongside Just Cause 2. Just be prepared for a filthy experience in regards to subject matter, as it has no shame and it's plain obnoxious. Personally, I love it; it's the realization of how the media portrayed Grand Theft Auto. Ask, and ye shall receive.

Next, my girlfriend picked me up Final Fantasy XIII-2, and even 4 hours in I'm loving it. I have heard this game's story is a mess, and the last game wasn't exactly Shakespeare either, but I'm playing it primarily for the battle system. The battle system in FF XIII was arguably the best the series has ever seen, and it's already evident they've improved on it in this sequel. The only fault of the battle system in the last game was that it took forever to take off the training wheels, a problem hopefully avoided this time around. I can't wait to fire up the 360 tonight and dig in deeper. Also, no one does graphics like Square Enix - the character models, much like the last game, look gorgeous.

Pixel Kratos is a cuter Kratos. But he still wants to murder pixel Zeus.

 Finally, a special shout out to Holmade Games' creation, "Bit of War". They have taken God of War, and dialed it back to the 8-bit era. The more impressive feat here is how much it looks, sounds and feels like an old school game; they nailed it, and you really don't need to be invested in God of War to enjoy this game. But if you ARE a fan of God of War, you are in for a very special treat: these guys must listen to David Jaffe. Check out their awesome work here. Best of all, it's free.

That's all the gaming news for now!