Working nights

I am working nights and it's really kicking my rear end. I work 4-5 days a week from 12:30am to 4:30am. I feel like I spend all my time trying to sleep now. It will get better but my blog has been suffering for it.

I have played more of Bastion and I am in love. I really recommend downloading this one. It feels good to play an old style dungeon crawler and to have the comedic narration makes it even more worth it.

From Dust is really making my brain hurt. I mean it. I am a smart cookie but this game has me scratching my head sometimes. You have to be able to solve problems by looking at things from the least obvious ways.

I downloaded Fancy Pants Adventure for the younger kids. This is a flash game turned XBL arcade game. It's simple and silly. You are a stick figure looking for your kidnapped sister. You get to wear pants. It's a side scroller. You can have up to 4 people playing split screen so it's definitely a family game. It was on sale for 400 points so it was cheap and worth 400 points. It's not a spectacular game at all but it is a good, easy family game.

Borderlands 2, Bastion, From Dust and more

The big announcement today was the official word from the powers that be that there will be a Borderlands 2. Now Borderlands was a game people seemed to either like or hate. There didn't seem to be a middle ground. Personally, I liked it and I can't wait to play another one. I played the hell out of the first one. Hopefully they keep the same graphics style since that is what made the game unique and added to the experience of playing. It will be out "the new fiscal year" so that means 2012. I am willing to bet it will be around Christmas.

The Xbox Arcade has gotten some really cool games this summer. Yes, some are available for the PS3 as well.

Bastion is a "dungeon crawler" type of game that reminds me of older system games like Sword of Vermilion and Soul Blazer. Typical story, you are a hero in a ruined world and you must rebuild it. They did away with the complicated items menus and whatnot, making it a very easy game to pick up and play even if you don't like RPG/Adveture games. The graphics are lovely and cartoon-y but the best part, the game narrates EVERYTHING you do in a comical way. You see a fountain, you drink and the game says "everyone gets thirsty sometimes."

From Dust is also on both platforms. This one reminds me of a Civilization games but simplified. You are the Breath and you must help the people make villages and create the world. You will have timed missions and you can fail. Trust me, my village was wiped out by a tidal wave because I didn't get them to where they needed to be (to learn repeal water) fast enough. It will make you think and you will need to be good at problem solving. It's addictive though. There are subtitles since the game seems to be narrated in an African dialect. I don't know if it is in fact a real dialect but that is what it sounds like to me.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a gorgeous game. I really mean that, gorgeous. It is a side scrolling, artistically genius, puzzle adventure. In all reality, there really isn't a true category for this game. It's wonderful. You are a ship and you will find artifacts, build tools and try to save your planet/world. Again, you will have to think and each tool can be used to solve a variety of puzzle types. There will be boss battles too. Who said boss battles were a thing of the past?

All three of these games have demos you can download and try before you buy.

L.A. Noire is a game I am still playing and trying to finish. Now that I have played more of it, the more I love it. The cases are getting longer and harder to get 100% correct. I am about halfway through the 95 cars I need to find and I just discovered I have hidden shields to look for too. Add to that film reels and street crimes, and I have a ton of work to do still. The stories are engrossing and I like the methodical pace of the game. Still have the driving mechanics. Sorry but I do. I have said it before, I am not a fan of racing games so I find overly sensitive driving controls frustrating especially during the chases. Your siren is pretty much pointless since even if you have it on some dumb car will cross your path or stop in front of you causing you to crash or lose momentum, thus losing the car you were chasing. It's a pain.

I played an older game last night, that belongs to my daughter. I was running on 3 hours of sleep and needed something simple to play since I was overtired and couldn't sleep. Working nights sucks sometimes. Anyway, it was Bayonetta. Bayonetta is a button masher, fighting game like Devil May Cry with a thinner story and strippers. Okay she's supposed to be a witch but come on, we all know she is really a pole dancer for her day job. This game was written by men, for men. I found myself laughing and shaking my head. It's fun to play, for something really simple, but do we need the moaning when her clothes get sliced, the stripper dances/walks and suggestive taunts? Plus she looks a lot like Sarah Palin, which I find truly disturbing. The game is truly ridiculous.

My new goal is getting one of the Star Wars Limited Edition Xbox 360s. Sick I know but I have to have it. I grew up on Star Wars, the original 3...the good movies, and this just speaks to my little geek heart. I'll have to trade in my Kinect since it comes with one but I really need this system.

Now I had last night off, so I got some sleep. Need to do some laundry and get on and play something. Hard part is what to choose?