Category Archives: Game Commentary

The village isn’t the only thing that’s curious…

Posted by Jeanne
03.25.08

Greetings everyone who thought I was dead after not posting for a while. I have a pretty good excuse this time involving the stomach flu and getting caught up on everything that I couldn’t do while I had the stomach flu. But trust me, you don’t want the details.

The reason I even mentioned my recent ailment is that John very thoughtfully bought me a new game to help me pass the time: Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Some of you mentioned on the forum that you’ve played this game, and all the “It’s a really cute game” and “I like puzzles” type of comments made me think that this would be a fun, innocent adventure. Boy, was I wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

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What’s up Wednesday

Posted by Ryan
02.13.08

I never got into Camp DS, so I don’t know if something really awesome came out for the Gameboy recently, but over here in Wii-ville, I’ve been having a heck of a time keeping myself busy since I beat Mario Galaxy.

I mean, I totally gave in to nostalgia and bought Mario 64 for the Virtual Console and am loving the rusty shopping cart controls (they make Luigi Galaxy seem so easy — oop, spoiler alert!), but life just seems so EMPTY while waiting for the March 9 release of Brawl.

What kind of games have all y’all found to keep you busy this February? Anything you want to share with the class?

Gaykuten Saiban 4

Posted by Jeanne
01.23.08

I’m pretty sure I already used that title for one of my LJ posts way back when, but cut me some slack here — you have to admit it’s fitting.

Limited Edition box front

The other day I finished the Japanese version of Gyakuten Saiban 4, known to the English-speaking world by the not at all gay name of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. I bought the limited edition of the game when it came out last April in Japan, and played through the first day of the fourth case before I stopped. Since the English version is coming out here in the states in February, I decided I’d pick it up again and finish it before then.

I considered glossing over the reason why I stopped playing it, in the interest of maintaining some of my personal dignity. But I can’t lie to you guys, especially not when it gives you the the perfect chance for a laugh at my expense. Your humor, after all, is more important than my emotional well-being. You see, I got to a point where it was too emotionally depressing for me to continue.

Limited Edition box back

There, I said it. I got depressed over a video game. I suppose that’s somewhat understandable — as a 12-year-old boy, my emotions are not fully developed and I get upset easily.

(Behind the cut, no major plot spoilers, but if you don’t want to know anything about the game, you’ll probably want to skip this.)

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I love my dead gay son fruity pink DS

Posted by Sam
01.18.08

I’ll probably use this space mostly to talk about DS games. Between a general drought of interesting games on real consoles and the fact that the DS is pretty much the most awesome platform ever, that’s kind of all I play. Unless you guys want me to talk about World of Warcraft in this space, and I can almost guarantee that no one wants that.

Of course, if you’re not into brain teasers, Pokémon, or gay lawyers in fuschia suits, what does the DS have to offer you? Only the most enthralling gaming experience known to man: Cooking Mama.

Cooking Mama combines three of the things I love most in this world: videogames, cooking and amusing Engrish. Yeah, sometimes Mama makes me cook things like mustard-filled lotus root (and I just realized how that comes off) but it’s mostly making delicious food and seeking–no, craving–Mama’s bright-eyed approval. Actually, I realized that I deal with Mama the same way I dealt with my own mother. In the first Cooking Mama, Mama was all smiles and delight at everything I did, and when I did make a mistake, her angry disapproval just made me want to be better! So Mama wouldn’t be mad at me anymore! But in Cooking Mama 2: The Adolescent Stage, I decided Mama was being kind of a bitch. Whatever, Mama, I totally blew on that pot at the right time! I’m not perfect, okay? If you’re so fucking good at this why don’t YOU do it? You use ketchup in everything, anyway! You don’t know anything!!! Turning off the DS was as cathartic as slamming my bedroom door. So I’m assuming that Cooking Mama 3 will have me back to being best pals with Mama again, only with the stipulation that she’d like me to call her a little more often.

And if Mama is supposed to be my mom, I really don’t want to talk about unlocking new clothes for her to wear, like the cheerleader outfit. Dude, that’s my mom. Stop looking at her like that.