What games are you playing?

I'm playing Final Fantasy XIII. Miles ahead of FFXII in terms of storytelling. I didn't even finish XII because by the time I got to the second-last dungeon (the one that's, like, 25 levels deep) I didn't care enough about the plot or characters to spend the time necessary to see the end.

Anyway, the battle system on XIII is still pretty simplistic at this point (I'm only on chapter 6), and the lack of any sort of exploration is kind of disappointing, but I'm enjoying it, nonetheless. The game has a very cinematic quality about it. I just wish there were more variation in the monsters in each area. Right now level grinding is super boring because you're fighting the same 3 monsters over and over in any given area.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Wii) - if twelve minutes counts...'cause that's how long it takes to beat the game. the entire game is just four timed mini games. unless you want to share the boredom with a friend in multi-player, beating it once is more than enough.

Krazy Kart Racing (iPhone) - a sequel to the game boy advance konami kart racing game, with new konami characters tossed in for good measure. i'm enjoying my time with it so far, but like with all kart racing games, it can be frustrating when you're doing well, just to have an enemy missile drop you to fourth place right before the finish line. overall, though, i'm enjoying my time and enjoying some of the characters that i've been unlocking. good times.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (Playstation 3) - i've played every game in the series, and this one is the first one to really hook me since 'here comes the pain' back in 2003. the 'wwe universe' mode is what's got me hooked...it's an endless season mode where you aren't stuck with any single character. you can play as anybody in any match you want....or re-book each show completely. i haven't even gotten into any of the other modes yet, but if i find them to be as addicting as wwe universe mode, i'll be putting WAY more hours into this than i was planning to.

Chō Aniki: Kyūkyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyō Otoko (Playstation) - all i can say is....wow. this is the most bizarre, homoerotic game that i've ever played. it is just plain weird. it's a scrolling shooter with more muscle-bound men wearing speedos than one can probably count...and there's a need to pick up white globs that defeated enemies drop in order to power-up. i don't know if anything i say can give its weirdness justice...and i don't even know where to begin describing what the first boss is...but, the weirder a game is, the more i tend to like it. needless to say, i'm enjoying this one.

Daniel X: The Ultimate Power (Nintendo DS) - It's basically Web of Shadows with the Spider-Man universe replaced with that of James Patterson's Daniel X series. Is that a bad thing? Not entirely. I can't give it a perfect rating since it doesn't do too much new. Rolling around as a soccer ball is quite fun, though oddly similar to going into Morph Ball mode as Samus Aran...

Now I'm just waiting on the DS version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. It looks to be more of a departure from Web of Shadows's formula than Daniel X. Also, I hope Neil Patrick Harris does voice work for it. He did voice tracks for Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and the console versions of the game, and I remember the DS version of Web of Shadows having spoken audio, so it's definitely a possibility.

Armorgames.com's The Last Stand 1 & 2. I tell you that simple web browser game is amazing. I can play it over and over. I may even be bold enough to say that it could hold it's own against some of the more "developed" games of the current generation.

The semester is almost over so it's almost time for another video game binge. I don't know about you guys, but I have to do most of my gaming between semesters because otherwise it's too much of a distraction.

^ I've been doing mine mostly on weekends. I don't have that full a course load though.

Dr. Franken (Game Boy) - This one was enjoyable at times, but held back by confusing level maps and lack of given objectives. Playing as a Frankenstein monster is fun, and the whole premise - Franky entering a castle to recover his girlfriend's body parts and put her back together - is a real nice twist on Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest. Though if this confuses me, I'm not looking forward to playing Milon's Secret Castle...

I don't know about you guys, but I have to do most of my gaming between semesters because otherwise it's too much of a distraction.

i don't have a set schedule for gaming. i'm currently working 50-70 hour work weeks, and have been since february. i work 2nd shift, so when i get home it's after midnight. pretty much everyone i know is asleep at that point, so i generally just relax and play games...and in case anyone is wondering, i generally don't go to sleep until 7 or 8 am, so i've generally got a few hours to kill at night after work. weekends are toss-ups depending on what is going on friend-wise and if i'm needed for an overtime saturday at work or not.

anyway, on to my current playlist...

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - been playing it on-and-off for a week or so now. can't remember what level i'm on...but i believe i stopped right before the first airship level. i'll likely continue to play it on-and-off until i beat it.

Devil's Crush (TurboGrafx-16) - my favorite pinball game ever...it's only got one table, but that doesn't matter. i'm usually not obsessed with a pinball game, but i can sit and play this one for hours on end and not get tired of it.

Angry Sperm (iPhone) - i love bizarre games...and this one fits that category. in the opening scene for the game, in comic book-style, it's implied that a man and a woman are having intercourse...and the woman states that she hopes she doesn't get pregnant. from there, you take control of an adorable little egg within the woman's ovaries and do your best to dodge and shake-off any of the angry sperm trying to attack it. as the cute egg loses health from the attacks, picking up (what i think are) birth control pills will regain its health and help prevent it from transforming into a fetus. fetus transformation, of course, means game over. it's odd; i like it.

Tiger Woods 11 and GT5 at the mo'.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Nintendo DS) - Playing as Spider-Men from different universes is really cool. The Metroid-style exploration is a lot of fun, though I wish the warp points from dimension to dimension were less obstructive and allowed the player to move more freely around the game's map. I beat it in a day, not including challenges and alternate modes, but I wasn't too disappointed with the length as it was quality while it lasted. I think this is my favorite 2.5D platform game by Griptonite yet.

i don't have a set schedule for gaming. i'm currently working 50-70 hour work weeks, and have been since february. i work 2nd shift, so when i get home it's after midnight. pretty much everyone i know is asleep at that point, so i generally just relax and play games...and in case anyone is wondering, i generally don't go to sleep until 7 or 8 am, so i've generally got a few hours to kill at night after work. weekends are toss-ups depending on what is going on friend-wise and if i'm needed for an overtime saturday at work or not.

that's exactly what it was like when i was in the service working mids. good times though. video games are your best friend at 3 o'clock a.m.

Clock Tower 2: the Struggle Within
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Bought Rock Band 3 and the "Pro" drum set this weekend. The drums are fun, and the Rock Band game engine is much improved, but the songs included on the disc are, for the most part, a disappointment.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Playstation 3) - my local walmart had it on sale for half price, so i thought i'd give it a chance. i'm about two hours into it, but i like it so far. my only real complaint thus far is the camera; sometimes you have to wrestle with it. otherwise, i'm really enjoying my time with it.

Final Fantasy (iPhone) - been playing this for a week or two during breaks and lunches at work....and during jobs that don't require me to constantly pay attention, i won't lie hehe. wasn't a huge fan of the touch controls at first, but i've grown used to them and am pretty much enjoying most of my time playing.

X-Men (PS3 Playstation Network) - the arcade game that i always wanted to play as a kid, but never got the chance to. i've only played it single player so far, but i thought it was an alright game. like most brawlers, i'll probably feel like the game is getting repetitive before i reach the end, but in short spurts, and probably with a few friends, i think it's a decent li'l game...and i'm glad that i've finally been able to play it now.

Rock of the Dead (Playstation 3) - mix rock band and house of the dead, and you've got rock of the dead....a game that isn't as fun as either one of those games hehe. rock of the dead is esentially a rail shooter...except instead of using a light gun, you're typing in commands with a guitar controller or beating them in with a drum controller. i've been getting rather frustrated with how cheap the game can feel at times...sometimes automatically selecting a creature far away from you to attack while there's one right in front of you, chipping away at your health. it's also frustrating when you put in commands, but the game doesn't register it. aside from that, there's some pretty lame humor to be found here as well...but overall, i'm not really enjoying my time here. i plan on finishing the game anyway...but not so sure how much i'll play it again after i've completed it.

Little Nemo the Dream Master (NES) - a childhood favorite...playing it 'cause i had the soundtrack stuck in my head, which lead to me wanting to play it again. good times.

Robot Unicorn Attack (iPhone) - made by those adult swim folk, you're basically a robotic unicorn, prancing around a beautiful, purple world full of rainbows, cheerful dolphins, and explosions....lots of explosions. it's basically a scrolling platformer where your main goal is to simply survive without falling off a cliff or ramming into a wall or star (which you're supposed to destroy)... and the level moves faster and faster the longer you survive. i like it so far...not the greatest game ever, but very good for a quick little distraction.

Playing Midnight Club: Los Angeles [Complete Edition]. It's a pretty fun arcade-style racer. A little repetitive, but hell, I'm a level grinding JRPG player so that doesn't bother me too much.

The game does make me wish I had a newer, larger TV. I'm playing on an old 37" 1080i, and it can be hard to see cars up ahead when you're racing along at 160mph in twilight.

Shadow Madness (Playstation) - in my opinion, it's a game that's overlooked a bit too often due to its graphics and the first impressions some may have of it being a 'final fantasy vii rip-off'. but shadow madness is very much its own game, and it just plain oozes with personality. it's not perfect by any means, and definitely has its faults...but it's a nice little rpg all the same.

Pokemon: Red Version (Game Boy) - i was playing random game boy games in order to get screenshots and the like...happened to start playing pokemon. i hate the pokemon craze, yet i've always thought the games were good...but...i've never been addicted to them. until now. not so addicted where i'll play through the blue and yellow versions immediately afterward for screens as well, but i'm enjoying my time enough where i plan on completing it...and depending on how hooked i am at that point, i may or may not attempt to "catch 'em all."

Chaos Rings (iPhone) - jeez...i must be in an rpg mood right now. anyway, i just started this one. and by just started, i mean i got through the intro scenes and fought in maybe 4 or 5 random battles. so far, i'm intrigued by the story and intrigued by the fact that it seems like there are multiple viewpoints to play the story through. it seems well-made so far, which is generally expected from square-enix, but we'll see how i feel after plugging a few hours into it.

I'm into air combat and right now I am playing Microsoft's "Combat Flight Simulator 2".

Shadow Madness (Playstation) - in my opinion, it's a game that's overlooked a bit too often due to its graphics and the first impressions some may have of it being a 'final fantasy vii rip-off'. but shadow madness is very much its own game, and it just plain oozes with personality. it's not perfect by any means, and definitely has its faults...but it's a nice little rpg all the same.

Sounds kinda cool. Your description sorta reminds me of Overblood 2, probably my favorite RPG of all time. I had so much fun playing that game because it had a big personality too. It was like a mix of FFVII (minus the turn-based fighting) and a funny conspiracy-spy movie set in a Star Wars/Blade Runner universe. There are literally light sabers in the game. Nothing at all like the first Overblood.

Mafia 2
A good game but has too much demos

Final Fantasy 9
Persona 4
Tales of Legendia

Those are the 3 I am working on at the moment. Although I am going to have to play Persona 4 twice just so I can get ALL the Social Links maxxed out.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade.
The Next Game I'm going to start is Tales of Legendia, I went to the ends of the earth to find a used copy

The Next Game I'm going to start is Tales of Legendia, I went to the ends of the earth to find a used copy

I actually am intending to play that myself after I finish Persona 4. I played it a bit, its a good game but the combat is different from the normal "Tales of" games that I played before.

Sonic Colors (Nintendo DS) - Best Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2! I know I'm in the minority here, but I thought the Advance and Rush series were just average. In this game Dimps takes the mechanics/physics mastery attained from experience with those previous titles to render a spiny smooth experience. The graphics are gorgeous, during the platforming parts as well as the cutscenes. There are lots of subtleties, such as how when Sonic goes underwater the music sounds like it would when submerged! The boss battles are challenging and, most of all, fun. The Wisps really make the gameplay worthwhile, though, as they add a special variety to the platforming sections that was lacking in previous press-right-to-win Sonic 2D speed fests. I haven't played the Wii version, though I intend to at some point.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

I really want to play this. The graphics look astounding. But the main reason is because I'm really into this style of explorative platforming.

I had to put down Persona 4 (the battle music was driving me MAD)

I just got Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and started playing that.

Splatterhouse (Playstation 3) - about an hour or so into it...so far, i'm not sure how i feel about the game as a whole. it's fairly repetitive, yet has a certain charm to it. oh, and it's very likely the bloodiest game that i've ever played...if you compare it to films, this is like 'dead alive'-levels of blood.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - been playing it on-and-off for a few weeks now due to me hacking into my psp in order to make screenshots in-game. the combat can feel kind of repetitive...there's usually no real reason to use materia aside from healing up during a fight...otherwise, just repeatedly attacking seems to work on everything. the story seems kind of neat so far, though....but i am getting annoyed by zack. he very well could make my 'least favorite characters' list in the near future based on the tseng limit break alone.

Chaos Rings (iPhone) - was playing this last time i posted, too. back then, i was just starting it. now, i've beaten the game and i'm just going through and beating secret bosses that unlock upon 100% completion. this very well could be my favorite game on the iphone/ipod touch. just a shame it's so pricey, otherwise i bet more folks would be playing and/or talking about it.

So thats what I am working on. Although I am debating playing Dark Cloud 2 tonight....

Star Ocean...or Dark Cloud 2...

it's the same for me now as it was a few days ago...except switch out chaos rings with...

Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (SNES) - it's what i consider to be one of the best 'multi-tasking' game that i've ever played. i call it a multi-task game because when i play it, i'm able to work on other things outside of the game without the gameplay stopping. so, i'm just grinding levels while i write up stuff or experiment with web design. it helps me feel double productive. :)

and

Wizards and Warriors III (NES) - over the past few days, i've mowed through the first two games in the series. this one is taking me a little longer to figure out...a lot more exploration is needed here...and a completely different concept than the first two...and i'm really not liking it as much as i remember so far. i'm trying to force myself to play through to the end...but i'm just plain bored by it, so we'll see if i can make myself finish it or not.

Chaos rings? Sounds Sonic-related, though based on your description it isn't.

nope. chaos rings is a square-enix rpg. a pretty unique one, too.

Finishing up Eternal Sonata this weekend. I'm finding it pretty disappointing, to be honest. The story is relatively generic RPG fare, the cutscenes are boring and repetitive, there's no exploration or crafting, the battle mechanics are shallow, there's not enough variety to the enemies or locales. If they pull a FFXII and try to make me do a 5 hour dungeon crawl to beat the game I'll probably just quit playing this one, too. I'm already finding myself too bored by the combat to get any enjoyment out of level grinding-- and I'm someone who buys every new Dynasty Warriors game!

I playing Pokemon Green that I got online from Japan right now and I'm heading to the seventh gym leader.

Hello Kitty World (NES) - a japan-only game for the famicom system. despite the little-kid-game looks and hello kitty license, this actually becomes quite difficult towards the end of the game, with precise movements necessary to avoid death. it's best described as a side-scrolling, platforming version of another nes game, balloon fight. i absolutely love this game. it's nice and unique. if anyone has access to try it out, i highly suggest doing so.

Splatterhouse (Playstation 3) - yes, still playing it. it's VERY repetitive. so, i'm only plugging away at it in small doses. it's not absolutely terrible, but it could have been much, much better than what it is. i'm hoping to have it beaten by this weekend so i can move on to something else.

Gumby vs. The Astrobots (Game Boy Advance) - this one surprised me. i expected total garbage, but it's actually not bad. in fact, at times it's just downright fun. there are better platformers on the gba, but if you like platformers and overlooked this one thinking that a gumby game couldn't possibly be good, give it a chance. my only gripe with it is that it could have been longer...it only takes an hour or so to beat it.

im playing Shogun 2,Modern Warfare 2,Left 4 Dead 2 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

Digital Devil Saga (PS2) - grind in preparation for DDS 2

.hack//GU vol 3 (PS2) - to play .hack is 75% grind, grind, grind

Divinity II (PC) - actually just questing, it's incredible.

Dragon Age 2 - sort of currently playing, I get bored of it quickly and take breaks.

Halo 2600 (Atari 2600) - This homebrew game is fantastic. It's easily one of my favorite Atari 2600 games that I've ever played. If you like games from the Atari 2600 era, get a hold of an emulator and the rom (or track down one of the very few cartridges created of it) and give it a play.

Persona 3 (Playstation 2) - Playing it for the first time in a few years so I can get screenshots and, hopefully, get the demonic compendium to 100% complete.

Final Fantasy VI Advance (Game Boy Advance) - Beat the SNES original years ago, but felt like making my way through the game again...In portable form his time.

Mendel Palace (NES) - An addictive action-style puzzle game. I thought I had the game beat, but it pulled a swerve on me and let me realize that I ha only beaten half of the games' levels. I'm currently working on plugging through the remaining levels in hopes of seeing the credits roll.

I'm playing through Pokemon Black right now and about to face the Champion.

I finished Okamiden a week ago and still have to finish Pokemon White but god..I am too lazy to train at the moment :/
I should continue playing gta 4 also but I end up with the AC:Brotherhood Muliplayer all the time. ;)

On gamecube
-lego star wars 2
-tak staff of dreams
-take 2
on xbox
-voodoo vince
on psp
-daxter
-splinter cell
on xbox 360
-COD black ops

Red Dead Redemption (Playstation 3) - Finally playing this one. I'm only in the beginning, but I'm enjoying it so far. At first, I wasn't too sure about how I felt about the game, but the more I play, the more I'm enjoying myself. If the enjoyment continues at this pace, I may start up Undead Nightmare after I beat this one.

Mass Effect (Xbox 360) - I hadn't played this game since shortly after it first came out. I wasn't as impressed by the game as most critics were. After playing through again, I give the game a little more credit...But I still find it to be an incredibly short game, when you erase the side-missions...And even with those added in, the game is still rather short for something labeled as an RPG. But, it's still much better than I remember it being. I may play through for a third time in the near future.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (NES) - This Chinese bootleg is one of the more famous games to be a Playstation One-era game translated into 8-bits. This is basically Final Fantasy VII re-made for the NES. Of course, due to cartridge size and such, some things had to be removed from this version that the Playstation version had, but it's still surprisingly complete...It even has a primitive version of the Materia system. It's also tough as nails...And the random battles take FOREVER. Still, I'm slowly plowing my way through the game...I expect it to be a long, long time before I even get close to the end.

At the moment im playing MW2, Black Ops, Dead Rising 2, Assasin´s Creed 2, Mafia 2, Borderlands, Fifa11 occasionally with some friends.

NightSky. But it's to short.
Portal "I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster."

Final Fantasy X (Playstation 2) - It's been almost ten years since I last played it. I wasn't a huge fan of it back then, honestly. I felt it was a good game, but it just wasn't what I wanted from a franchise I had grown to love. I'm giving it a second try now. We'll see if time has made me appreciate it more.

Mortal Kombat (Playstation 3) - I don't think I've enjoyed a Mortal Kombat game this much since Deception came out with its Konquest mode. The story mode in this game I just found to be fascinating. I thought it was really neat to see subtle little inclusions of the history of some of the fighters and why you're fighting in the locations that you're fighting in. Plus, I'm enjoying the return of Babalities.

Stacking (Playstation Network - PS3) - I love the concept. I love the personality that the game spews out. I love the art style. I pretty much love everything about this game...But for some reason, I found it to be just so-so as far as gameplay goes. After a few hours, I started to get into it a little more...But this is not a very long game, so by the time I got into it, the game was almost over. But still, it's worth a play, if nothing else, just to play something quite a bit different from the norm.

Fresh out of a six month-long comic book phase, I'm back into video games (hopefully for at least as long)!

Sonic Colors (Nintendo DS) - Went back and got all the red rings (thus unlocking Infinite Boost) and Chaos emeralds without the help of strategy guides, walkthroughs, etc. It actually wasn't that hard. All I really learned from the internet was that you have to do a time attack after getting the first six emeralds the normal way and you'll access the seventh emerald challenge. You can imagine my (and, undoubtedly, others') dismay at finding out while getting the sixth emerald that before losing you can simply pause and restart it without having to complete the level with fifty rings all over again! At least I found this out in time to get the two hardest emeralds challenges over with. Once all this was accomplished, I fought Mother Wisp. To be honest, that battle was the only weak part of the game in my opinion.

Super Metroid (SNES) - Now this I needed a little help with. But only in getting through a couple of the bosses, the n00b bridge (which had me laughing once I went online and figured it out), and figuring out two stupid things I probably would have gotten on my own anyway. This is the second Metroid I've been able to complete with minimal help (first was Return of Samus), and I must say even though I ended up missing one of the energy tanks and some of the missiles and miscellaneous stuff, it felt pretty good getting almost everything on my own. I'll try going it without reliance on others' wisdom for the next three games as well (except that I'll HAVE to go online and find out what exact part I'm supposed to avoid in Other M where players can get stuck as a glitch). It's really a groundbreaking game, too. I hope both the Metroid and Castlevania series can do something to really wow us for the next generation, though I'll concede that Metroid probably needs it more at the moment. Oh, and speaking of "Mother _"s, this game has one at the end as well.

See a more complete review HERE.

Tails Adventure (Game Gear) - I've never played a better Game Gear game. Maybe one as good as this one, but not better. The speed of the Sonic the Hedgehog series is abandoned for Tails's solo quest, and in its place is Metroid-style free-roaming platforming. It's probably deeper than any other Game Gear game. The graphics are bright and colorful - because, really, can you imagine any of the great Sonic games without color? I (and I'm sure many a Sonic fan) would love to see a sequel to this game which does everything its predecessor did while updating it and perfecting the formula for a modern video gaming world, like Risky's Revenge did for the original Shantae.

See a more complete review HERE.

Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance) - This was the first Metroid game I played, only two years ago. Having played the other games and done a lot of work reviewing titles in this genre, two things have changed since my first playthrough: A) I only needed a walkthrough guide at one or two instances this time, and B) the inability to explore at my leisure made this game a lot less fun than Super Metroid or Return of Samus (my two favorite titles in the series, in that order). Still, it's good handheld Super Metroid, and a great early title to get people interested in the GBA. I only wonder how I'll respond to Metroid: Other M, which garnered WAY more fan outrage this this one ever did.

See a more complete review HERE.

Fallout: New Vegas (Playstation 3) - I checked to see if an update was available, in hopes that the horrible bug issues had been fixed. There is one, and it's installing as I type this...Hopefully it'll fix the game freezing up at random points and all that fun stuff that made me rush through to the end the last time I played. I suppose I'll find out shortly.

Koudelka (Playstation) - It's a survival horror/RPG hybrid...It's not great, but it's not bad, either. I'd consider it a passable game. There are plenty of flaws to it, but I enjoyed my time with it. It's also the game that Shadow Hearts spawned from, so if you enjoy the Shadow Hearts games, you might want to give this one a try. Roger Bacon is even here...But not quite like how he was in Shadow Hearts hehe.

Zombie Turtle Defense (iPhone) - If I see a game that looks weird (and free) on the iPhone/iPod Touch, I usually get it. This is one of those games. It's basically another Robotron/Geometry Wars rip-off...Except it's extremely slow and not that easy to control. Also, if you enter the water, you're unable to fire...Which I actually enjoyed as it adds some strategy to the game. It's honestly not that great of a game...BUT, it is free. So if it sounds interesting to you, I suppose you've got nothing to lose by trying it out.

Speaking of which - I was so excited when my older brother said I could use his iPod Touch, which he hasn't "touch"ed for three years. I come to find out, it's first generation. I don't know how to set the Mail application so that it goes to my mail and not his (that might make it slightly useful). I don't know how to adjust the sound (it doesn't make any sound beyond the opening clicks). I don't know how to get more applications on there, especially video games (which I'm not sure would work on this device anyway).

Just three years was all it took to make a device irrelevant to the current advances. This ever changing world in which we live in (delete your pick of either of the preceding "in"s) sucks.

I don't know how to get more applications on there, especially video games (which I'm not sure would work on this device anyway).

A guy I work with has a 1st generation iPod Touch. There are some games and apps that he can't use, but it seems like a large majority of the ones out there still work on the older models. When you're in the App Store and click on a link to get to the download option, scroll down and look at the details...they'll usually tell you if the game will work with your iPod.

And in an update to what I'm playing. Take out Zombie Turtle Defense and add..

Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS) - I finally broke down and got a 3DS. Happened to stop in at a Target...They've got a sale going on where if you buy Ocarina of Time 3D, you can take 50% off any other 3DS title in the store. So, I decided to give Dead or Alive Dimensions a go. I like it so far. I enjoy that I have to unlock characters...I feel it adds replay value to the game...But, I'm just unlocking them WAAAAAY too quickly...6 characters in the span of 20 minutes.

3D Classics: Excitebike (3DS) - Until July 7, this game is free to download on the 3DS Store...Or whatever the online store is called. It's nothing special from what I've seen so far...Just the original NES Excitebike with 3D textures added in. It's still fun and all, but I guess I was hoping for at least a few new features to be tossed in.

I been playing Final Fantasy Dissidia and Zelda OoT 3D.

Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS) - I finally broke down and got a 3DS. Happened to stop in at a Target...They've got a sale going on where if you buy Ocarina of Time 3D, you can take 50% off any other 3DS title in the store. So, I decided to give Dead or Alive Dimensions a go. I like it so far. I enjoy that I have to unlock characters...I feel it adds replay value to the game...But, I'm just unlocking them WAAAAAY too quickly...6 characters in the span of 20 minutes.

I was wondering about Dead or Alive Dimensions. It looks fun, but I'm not sure I can really get into a fighter where you pull off insane button combos and respond to the enemy with lightning quick agility... That's just not my style.

Wario Land 3 (Game Boy Color) - I'm a big fan of the Wario series, and this one was made in the style of R&D1's other big series (Metroid), so I was in. I was pleasantly surprised, as the game is very deep and has so much to do in its puzzles and progression. I enjoyed not having to worry about losing coins (or health, as the later games in the series have Wario keeping track of), though I think it would have been completely crazy for this game's levels to have some sort of consequence to getting hurt other than being stalled and pushed back a bit. This game does go on and on to the point that it should probably be put down and picked up to play again later. I haven't collected all the treasure and unlocked Time Attack, but I have defeated the final boss and gotten through all the levels at least a three or four times.

See a more complete review HERE.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (Wii) - This one was criticized for borrowing the Super Smash Bros. formula. I want more, I say! A Castlevania Smash Bros.-esque fighter! A Godzilla Smash Bros.-esque fighter! And another TMNT one! I love the levels, even though a couple of them aren't very relevant to the franchise (the Cruise Ship, the Western Town). The characters play great, and I love the zany alternate costumes. If there's one complaint I have it's that there should have been more characters. The three Rabbid ones are funny, but I'd rather have had Usagi, Baxter Stockman, and a Triceraton warrior. Maybe some more levels as well. I did enjoy all the things that remind one of the earlier incarnations of the Turtles, like the 1987-esque theme of the Turtle Base, the water tank which can be opened up to let water spew forth in the city level, and the Underground area that again hearkens back to the 1987 series as the Shredder's base is in the background. The game could have featured a few more famous franchise characters and some more levels, but what's there is high quality and there's always (my) hope for a sequel.

Just wondering with as much gaming as you guys seem to do, do you all ever experience any of those symptoms in the warning section of the game manuals? I'm not being a smartass. I'm actually just curious, because sometimes I do, usually when I'm sitting 12ft or less from the TV. Although, once I had some weird visual auras after playing the DSi for a few hours, and that's usually held, what, about 1-2 ft from your eyes? Very unpleasant if you've ever gone through something similar.