A sad tale

I suppose this isn't so much a sad tale but rather more of a realization that as a parent my habits can be easily, unknowingly, be passed down to my kids.

I finished LEGO Harry Potter this morning.  I realize that the game is over a year old but I finally got around to getting the platinum on the game this morning.

I had rented it when it first game out to write a review for a site (which never published it--grumble grumble) but never got the chance to clean up the last 6 or so trophies I needed for the plat.

My son borrowed it from my nephew the other day and discovered something that is the reason for this post.

Rock Band....now in LEGO

The core game is nothing more than Rock Band.  Story Mode unlocks new venues by earning LEGO studs instead of money as well as earning fans and stars (based on the performance of each song played).

Each new venue is unlocked by buying a unique vehicle (that becomes more and more extravagant as your band gains popularity).  In addition to the new vehicles for each venue, a specific challenge is unlocked as you earn more stars.  The specific challenge then opens with the iconic Travelers Tales LEGO humor and character work, in which you either battle ghosts (aptly playing Ray Parker Jr's Ghostbusters)  or recharge an alien ship's power source (playing Europe's Final Countdown) without the benefit of using the Overdrive boost.  Each new set piece is a great creation to look at, unfortunately there aren't enough different audience member models or skins so after a few sets the rocking hordes of fans look very plastic and drone like (perhaps intentional given the source material--but compared to Rock Band 1 & 2 is very noticeable and someone disappointing).

When songs are completed, studs are earned which can then be spent on the band's clubhouse as upgrades.  The clubhouse has a TV viewing area which allows you to re-watch unlocked cut scenes, a practice stage (for practicing of course), a music shop (which allows you to purchase better looking instruments--which unlock as songs are compeleted) as well as several other unique areas for hanging out doing what LEGO characters do best....act silly.

Along with buying new items for your clubhouse, you can hire members in your entourage.  The entourage will boost fans and studs earned after each gig.  The benefit of hiring all of the entourage members becomes apparent the further into the game.  The tally screen at the end of each song takes longer and longer to count up the fans and studs earned as the bonus from each additional entourage member multiplies the number accordingly.  The way that LEGO Rock Band implements the entourage makes a lot more sense than how hired help is utilized in Rock Band 1 and 2.

My biggest gripe and praise for LEGO Rock Band stem from the same thing.  Song selection.  If you were playing LEGO Rock Band without ever having played Rock Band 1 or 2 (or downloaded songs for those), then the song rotation in LRB becomes weak very quickly.  However one of the greatest things about LRB is the fact that it recognizes most the library that you may have created by downloading songs for Rock Band 1 and 2 (or imported RB1 for RB2).  This definitely gives LRB some additional milage.

As a music game LRB really shines for younger kids who want to play the game but may not have the co-ordination to play even on easy.  Harmonix has added a Very Easy mode which to many veteran RB players would consider having all of the fun taken away, but for really young players who have taken a shine to the indomitable litte brick, this is a fantastic addition.

Fun for the whole family, LEGO Rock Band is a great game for trophy hunters as well.  If you already have plastic instruments in the house (and kids as well), LEGO Rock Band is worth picking up.

Trophy count update

Well two weeks have gone by since I last posted about my trophy count and I can that compared to the folks over at IGN my could pales in comparison.  However I can't complain because I have been enjoying the games that I've been playing (not torturing myself with bad games that are easy trophies).

For the first week I picked up 13 bronze and 3 silver for a total of 95 points.  During the second week I picked up 7 bronze and 6 silver for a total of another 95 points.  Now compare that to even the 6th place contestant during the first week of IGN's contest (82 trophies for 670 points) and it looks like I won't even come close to Greg's first week for the entire month.  But I don't mind because as I said I'm enjoying the games not the collection of trophies.

For a full breakdown of trophy hunting check out the forums at TotalPlayStation.com

In my journey for trophy hunting this month I finished inFamous this week and I'll post my thoughts shortly.

Trophy count

As my "About Me" describes, I am a trophy hunter.  IGN has taken the idea of hunters or whores to a whole new level by creating a contest within their own ranks to see who can come out on top after a full month of gaming on the PS3.  They are calling it The Great IGN Trophy Whore War.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I prefer the term hunter over whore.  Playing games simply to collect trophies defeats the purpose of playing the game--so you basically become a whore.  I'll admit to going a bit out of my way to boost my trophy count (cough cough--Hannah Montana) yet a large majority of my trophies are earned from playing the games that I actually enjoy.  Trophy hunting does add a certain compulsion to try different tactics or explore parts of a game that may otherwise be overlooked, but in the end I have to say that I like knowing that I have paid for a game and gotten my money's worth.  What better way to validate that than by looking at a column of shiny, bronze, silver, gold and platinum trophies?

I've decided to keep track of my own trophy hunting for the month in the same vein as the IGN staff and I'll give a weekly recap of my efforts.  At the end of January my count totaled 769 trophies which breaks down to 4 platinum, 31 gold, 131 silver and 600 bronze.

Currently in my gaming rotation for potential trophy collection are inFamous, Dragon Age: Origins, God of War Collection, Borderlands, Star Wars The Force Unleashed and GTA 4.

Stay tuned for the least important aspect of gaming, trophy hunting!

You're such a girl

Over Christmas one of my co-workers got a PS3 from his wife along with a few games.   One night while comparing his trophies I noticed that he had Hannah Montana The Movie the video game.  I'll admit that I'm a sucker for trophies.  I prefer the term Trophy Hunter while others I know enjoy likening me to a "trophy whore".  In the end it doesn't matter because the trinkets are basically meaningless but to my mind add a bit of extra game play value.  Hannah Montana The Movie the video game (sounds so silly to say that five times fast) is a trophy hunter's dream.  The game is an easy Platinum-- Platinum being the highest trophy earned on a PS3 game after earning all others offered in a game.  Some games are brutally hard to earn a Platinum trophy. In the end when you look at the collection of trophies it is pretty cool to have some a few of the higher value.

I asked if I could borrow Hannah Montana The Movie the video game.  The initial reaction was, "Are you serious?  That's a kids game."  Hey I've got 3 kids.  I'm borrowing it so they can play it.  Again the response, "Are you serious?"  So I had to reveal the truth and say that I really only wanted to play it for the trophies.  My gamer cred (if I even really had any) was slowly dropping with my co-worker.  But after a few days of pleasantly asking if I could borrow the game he relented.

Thursday night I came home with Hannah Montana The Movie the video game.  I had dinner and then went downstairs to play the game.  My son (who is 9) came downstairs a few minutes after I had started to play, looked at the TV and realized that I wasn't playing Assassin's Creed II or Dragon Age: Origins and with a very incredulous tone asked, "What are YOU playing dad?"

"Hannah Montana The Movie the video game"

Blank stare back from my son.  He looked at the TV again and then looked at me and said, "You're such a girl sometimes dad" and promptly ran upstairs to tell the rest of the family.  "Dad's playing Hannah Montana!"  Several muted laughs could be heard through the basement ceiling.

Shortly after that however my son came back downstairs and asked if he could play now.

My son, being 9, has watched many episodes of Hannah Montana.  As a father I'd like to think that he is watching the show for the wholesome family friendly messages that are a part of each episode.  In reality I think it is a combination of him enjoying the slapstick nature of the kid centric hilarity on the show but also a bit of a young boy crush on Miley Cyrus.

Regardless of this I relented and let my son play because I had to go pick up my 11 year old daughter from dance practice.  Upon returning from picking up my daughter from dance I went back downstairs to find my son was completely sucked into the game and he would let me have the controller back.  My younger daughter came down to join us and after my son admitted that he couldn't figure out how to do the dance moves that are required during the musical numbers I took control and showed them both how to play.

Soon after that, we began to pass the controller round robin between the three of us and continued our time with Hannah Montana The Movie the video game. 

While some might poo-poo the game because it is a kid game, I have to suggest that those nay-sayers give the game a chance.  It isn't a complete wasted effort of a licensed property and tells a decent Hannah Montana story (I've been forced to watch enough of the show over the years to see the predictable formulaic outcome).  It apparently is good enough that my son even commented that he wants to watch the movie now.

The game revolves around the Miley being able to collect items to decorate her touring bus, fetch items to help out friends and relatives, and perform songs at various venues as the title character Hannah Montana.  (For those who don't know, in the fictional world people believe that Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are two separate people.  "Comedy gold" ensues in pretty much every episode as Miley struggles to keep the facade up).  In this day and age of musical rhythm games it feels a bit odd to play one without any actual instruments, but as Hannah Montana sings throughout the game you are prompted with various movements that correspond to different stick movements with the controller.  The game also utilizes the SIXAXIS motion controller capabilities as you can shake the controller to activate some of the on screen prompts.  Overall the controls work fairly well as the challenge is not aimed at a parent of my age, but rather the 7-11 year old demographic that has made the show as popular as it is.

As songs are completed and items are found, credits are put into a little piggie bank.  This allows for the other game play aspect to kick in.  Shopping and playing dress-up.  The on screen likeness of Miley Cyrus is basically a walking talking paper doll that once clothes have been purchased (don't for get the jewelry too!) you can spend hours upon hours trying on various wardrobe styles.

Overall I have to say that I'm impressed with this game.  Two out of three kids in the house have really enjoyed it.  While it isn't a blockbuster AAA title like Uncharted 2, it is a game that is appropriate for kids that isn't too simple, has an engaging story (to a kid), and looks and sounds good.  Voice acting is done by the actual actors from the show and you can clearly tell who each character on screen represents as well.  Toss in a few carnival mini games, mix with the musical numbers and paper doll dress up and you've got a solid kid game.

If you have kids that enjoy the show, Hannah Montana The Movie the video game is worth picking up.

Pixel Junk Shooter

Where did the time go this weekend?

Most of it was spent zooming around lava and magnetic oil.  Pixel Junk Shooter is the fantastically fun new game from Q-Games.  The object of the game is to save workers that have managed to get themselves into fairly hazardous locations which include the aforementioned lava and magnetic oil, as well as ice and explosive gas.  Navigating through the cavernous areas is simple to learn and there is little penalty for doing something wrong.  The catch to the game is two-fold, one playing through to save every worker, and two collect the diamond treasures hidden in the rock and lava.  Added to this is the leader boards that Q-Games have for all of their PSN games and you get an addictive game that is simple to play but challenging enough to make you want to play through again and again.

The majority of my play through this weekend was with my son.  At 9 he tends to enjoy the super hero games more, but as soon as he saw that he could affect the lava and water (by killing my ship no less) he was hooked as well.  The coolest part about playing local co-op is the sheer enjoyment of getting caught up in frantic battle, surviving, and being able to give each other a high-five at the end.  Also my son is a trophy hunter in training so as we progressed along through the levels he would be quick to nab up any diamonds that I might have missed.  Team work pays off in spades during the boss battles.  Once we figured out the patterns for second boss and the third we had a blast making short work of both.

Each level is unique and you can tell that the crew at Q-Games has spent a lot of time refining each section to maximize enjoyment.  As soon as you think you've seen everything that the Lava hazard has to offer you suddenly get the Inverter suit, which makes Lava your friend and water the hazard.  Magnetic oil is also another genius environmental hazard that caused many a tense moment as we tried to squeeze through the levels avoiding the various enemies that spawn when you save a worker or overheat from getting too close to any one of the beautiful hazards.  One of our favorites though has to be the Magnetic suit which repels the magnetic oil as you get close enough to.  The fluid dynamics really show off just how amazing the game engine is when you finally get that suit on.

While the game is fantastic both for single player and local co-op, there are a few points that I want to momentarily squabble about.  First of, if I'm playing a level solo there is no pop-in co-op.  Not a big deal as each section can be completed rather quickly or exited out (and any found diamonds or workers fore-fitted) but something worth noting.  Another squabble my son and I had was the fact that each player's ship could be pushed/shoved/bumped off course and into a fiery death if the other isn't paying attention.  I think this is intentional to stay true to the physics of the game (thankfully bumping into a wall doesn't cause damage) but certainly caused a few deaths between the both of us as we would try to stay close for the benefit of the magnetic suit.  A final squabble we had was the fact that there are only 3 areas and then the game is done.  As I stated earlier there is definitely plenty to do for replay but after the final boss was killed there was a sense of, "That's it?"  That is until we sat through the credits and watched final "To be continued..." and then we both started speculating on what new areas we would be able to explore and shoot.

Shooter is by far my favorite of the Pixel Junk games (mostly because I could actually see the end game and WIN!).  All of the Pixel Junk games hold true to a style of game play that is unique in a world of current gaming that crams hyper-realism down the collective gamers throats.  While Eden and Monsters start out relatively simple, mastering them is entirely beyond my reach.  Sadly I've never earned enough rainbows to even unlock the 2nd half of Monsters.  I have seen all 10 of the original gardens in Eden, but not all of the gardens in Encore.  Many gamers fall into the same boat with the Pixel Junk games, and may be hesitant to pick up Shooter.  Don't be hesitant with this game.  I can honestly say that Shooter is worth the money.  Even if it comes back to bite me in the arse, I'd love to see an Encore or Second Course (to play off on the ending) that adds a little more of the "Pixel Junk challenge" that we've seen from their previous games.