Game Pick-Ups 2008

I never got a chance to play this in the SNES days, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it pop on up on the VC on Christmas Day 2007. Some aspects of it do feel a bit lazy compared to DKC2 but it's still a pretty solid platformer and a damn sight better than DK64.

You can't go wrong with a classic NES game on the VC. I sunk a good bit of time into this in January. I'm still stuck on the World Circuit though. Damn Bald Bull... *mutter* *mutter*

VC points never stay too long on my Wii. I had 800 left over for a few days before I caved in and bought this. An awesome Treasure shooter that even I was able to beat (on easy, I know, I suck).

I've got to admit that this did feel a bit repetitive in the end, but the licence, the music and especially the cut scenes turn a fairly average game into a fun romp through the original trilogy.

After deliberating on whether to get this or not for a while, I finally took the plunge in February. While it can be tough, it's a great game and the 8-bit soundtrack's fantastic.

A Nintendo developed NES game that I had never heard of before? I had to give this a go, but I ended up disappointed with the clunky controls. It's a decent game but it can be as frustrating as hell at times.

"Don't worry Mike. Under the southern cross, anything is possible."

ARRGH! *goes crazy*

At €20, this wasn't the cheapest used game I've ever came across, but it was well worth it. A really excellent 2.5D platformer with an awesome soundtrack. I can't wait for the remake of the original.

I spotted this at GameStop for €10, but I wasn't sure whether to go for it or not. Opinions seemed to be pretty mixed on it. I enjoyed the first game though, so I took a chance on it.

Admittedly the songs in this one aren't as memorable, but the core gameplay remains the same, though it seems to be a bit more forgiving in timing terms than the original. Worth a look.

I loved TS2 and TSFP and I finally got the chance to check out the original last year. The single player is good enough, but it can be tough going at times. The multiplayer is where the game really shines. Like the rest of the game, it's a little rough around the edges. It's still highly enjoyable though, and for me, it captures the feel of GoldenEye's MP in a way that even Perfect Dark didn't.

Nothing like getting stuck into good arcade compilation. There's a nice selection of titles on offer here including the likes of Strider, Three Wonders and Mega Twins. The original Street Fighter even makes a rare appearance.

Remember kids:

"Winners Don't Use Drugs"

How exciting! My first Japanese import. For only €5, I was able to get hold of a fun, innovative platformer that came in packaging that can only be described as "shiny".

It's a great conclusion to the Prime trilogy, but just like when I was playing RE:CV, I couldn't escape the feeling that it was just more of the same. Still, it's an excellent game, with controls that really point the way forward for FPSs on the Wii.

Another Cube import from Play-Asia. I was really enjoying the mad mini games here until I got stumped on a multiple choice quiz in Japanese. But just look at that box art!

I loved the NES version and while I still have it, it's not really worth setting up my NES for one game. When this hit the VC, I decided to give it a go. It was kind of fun getting to grips with the more demanding control scheme here, but I really missed the music from Rare's NES port.

Initially, this seemed hard as hell, but when I got down to play it, I was surprised at my aptitude for dodging the myriad of obstacles the game was throwing at me. Seriously, I think I may be the One or something.

The reviews for this were pretty dismal, but hey, it's a compilation and I'm powerless against their charms. Actually I found quite a bit to enjoy here, with Space Harrier being my highlight. There are a few duffers, but if you can get it cheaply it's worth a shot.

After hearing lots of good things about this, I picked it up last Spring. I haven't sunk a whole lot of time into it, but on first impressions, I'm not sure if it lives up to all the hype. I'm willing to give it the benefit of a doubt for the moment.

A stylish, fun beat 'em up from Clover. Unfortunately, it's too tough for me to get very far in.

I never bothered with FIFA before, being off put by tales of it's inferiority to ISS and then PES, but after enjoying a demo of FIFA 2007 I thought I'd give this instalment a go.

It's definitely a bit more of casual game than PES, but I enjoyed it and for €2, it was great value.

I've been quite curious about this since it was announced back in 2003, but I only got around to buying it last year. It's certainly short, but for the most part, it's a quite enjoyable beat 'em up/platformer hybrid. Despite the fact that you can't die, some of the boss battles prove to be a bit on the frustrating side though.

There I was last April, pining for GTA4 even though I lacked the means to play it. So, with pretty low expectations, I turned to LCS to satisfy my sandbox needs and I was pleasantly surprised.

It may not reach the heights of Vice City or San Andreas, but it's a pretty solid instalment nonetheless, giving you another opportunity to rampage through Liberty City. The story's decent, there are lots of fun missions and I really liked the soundtrack (The dance station takes me right back to '98 - got to love some Moloko).

I picked this up in GameStop for €4.99 the same day I bought GTA: LCS. I haven't got around to playing it yet though.

I hadn't been much of a PC gamer up until later last year, but I really wanted to get this and after finding out that the PS2 port was poor, I had no choice but to take my chances with the scary mouse and keyboard controls of the PC original. In the end, I was able to master them pretty quickly though.

The game itself was really fun, a nice light-hearted 60's spy romp. Well, for the most part anyway. The developers, of course felt the need to ram some forced stealth sections in there. I got through the first one then I had to stop playing for a while after getting a nasty tummy bug the next day. I not sure the two were unrelated.

WiiWare launched last May here in Europe with LostWinds as one of the first titles available - A short but wonderful little game that made great use of the Wii's motion controls. Where's my damn sequel Frontier?

Even though I hadn't played Final Fantasy X before it, I saw this used for €6 and decided to give it a go. While there are some truly cringe worthy moments during the course of the story, overall the game's quite enjoyable.

I bought this with FFX-2 as part of a 3 for 2 deal, but it's still sitting on my shelf at the moment.

Also bought with FFX-2, also unplayed.

I bought this off eBay thinking it was the first Game & Watch Gallery game renamed for PAL land. It's actually an earlier no-frills compilation of Game & Watch games, so no modern remakes here. The games were fun for a while but with no motivation to keep aiming for higher scores, it didn't stay in my GBA for too long.

After getting Kirby's Adventure as my first VC game the previous year, I was eager to try out his original outing on the GB. Like the NES follow up, it's an easy, fun little game with great music. It's very short, but while it lasts it's great.

I got this in Argos for €17 in May, not bad for a game that had been released in January. It's gotten a lot of criticism, but it's really not a bad game. The graphics aren't really up to par in places and the story, the voice acting and the characters are all terrible, but the core game is actually quite enjoyable. I should point out that I stuck with the Cube controller throughout after hearing nothing but bad things about the motion controls.

I was really excited about this and grabbed it not long after it's release for a pretty damn pricey €54.99. It's a really fantastic game though - like Zelda with a more fleshed out world, better developed characters and a better story (are you taking notes, Aonuma?).

But having said that, the emphasis in this game is very much placed on the overworld and the side quests, the dungeons here are a bit mundane compared to the inventive puzzles found in the dark recesses of Hyrule, the very core of the Zelda series. So, it's certainly not a carbon copy of Nintendo's franchise.

There are a few minor problems with the port, but it's still a fantastic game with a wonderful visual style and a great soundtrack.

It seemed to take forever to come out, but I finally got the chance to grab a copy of Brawl in June. While it has it's share of detractors, I think it improved on Melee in every way imaginable. Too bad the online multiplayer was so broken.

I've wanted to get my hands on this since I saw it featured in a copy of ONM in 1999. Finally, the time came in June and I ended up kind of disappointed. It's not a bad game, just a bit dull - not really the knockabout Mario Kart inspired fun I was expecting.

I've always been a bit interested in this and having enjoyed Gunstar Heroes on the VC, I decided to get a copy on eBay. I was expecting this to be crushingly difficult for some reason, but it actually turned out to be very playable and a lot of fun too. Shake! Shake!

Another used bargain at GameStop. Seeing as I've already had the original SMB on the Cube, I tried to stay away from the courses here that were culled from that game. I didn't have any of the problems that others seem to have with the DualShock controls. The only things that really got on my nerves were the awful cutscenes in the story mode.

Before getting this, I tried to avoid any used PS2 games that came without their original cases - usually a sign that the disc was scratched to hell. However, I made an exception when I spotted this going for a few euro. I'm glad I did too, this is a brilliant little game and I really love the art style.

Thanks to my trusty Freeloader,I was able to get a pretty cheap US copy of this on eBay. I just love this. It's such a sweet and charming little game with a wonderful cast of oddball characters.

I got this for the story and because David Duchovney voices the main character. I tried out the muitiplayer a bit (not too hot), but I've yet to get started on the main game.

Another PS2 game missing it's original case, but it was really cheap and I've heard good things about it, so I picked it up.

After finding out, to my surprise, that this was released on the PC, I sought out a demo of it earlier in the year. I was a bit disappointed that the crosshair couldn't be controlled by the mouse, but it was pretty fun nonetheless and I grabbed a copy of it on eBay in early September.

I decided that I had went without ever playing this for far too long, so I got a copy of it on eBay around the same time as Panzer Dragoon. I've only played a few levels so far, but while the soundtrack is awesome, the game itself feels a bit generic. I'm not giving up on it yet though.

Just as the auction for Quake II was ending, I spotted this on sale by the same seller and I bidded on it. It's pretty much the same game with a new coat of paint, but it's still fun.

I waited so long to get a copy of this, so why have I did I abandon a few days after downloading it? I'm not sure to be honest. I really need to get back to it.

Good Old Games launched in September and there was no question about what my first download was going to be. I heard about Kingpin: LoC in an issue of Arcade in 1999 and it sounded awesome. I'm loving it so far, so I guess my instincts were right...for once.

Of course, by downloading a game from GOG during the closed beta, you got a free Interplay title. Foolishly, I got this. "Maybe it won't be as bad as everyone said", I thought. It was.

Lego Star Wars II was fun enough, so I picked this up when I saw it in the used section of GameStop. I didn't enjoy the prequel trilogy much, so I'm not sure if I'll enjoy this a lot.

Imagine my surprise to find a few mint copies of this in GameStop for €9.99. I picked this up straight away - a game this wonderfully odd doesn't come along every day.

I loved the first PoP on the Cube, so I thought I'd give this a shot, despite some mixed reviews. Yep, it's another game on my backlog at present.

After this got announced for the Wii, I headed off to HomestarRunner.com to get acquainted the series and I left a fan. When the first episode hit, I decided to go for the PC version instead. Hey, it saves valuable fridge space. A entertaining first romp through Free Country, USA.

I felt like such a bad Zelda fan by not owning the original NES games in any form. I downloaded the first game in 2007 and I loved it. I went for the second instalment in October. I'm only past the first dungeon at the moment, but I'm enjoying it so far.