Best of the rest: Ross' picks
On a big screen with surround sound, Q Entertainment's Lumines Live was easily the most-played game in my library (if you stretch the definition of library to digitally distributed titles). Although I railed against how microtransactions were implemented in this title and still think the extent to which they disclosed the dearth of features was misleading, both the Basic and Advanced Pack got more than enough play time, as did the multiplayer. It is the best Xbox Live Arcade title since Geometry Wars.
Curse you, Dr. Kawashima, for making intelligence-building a competition, and a wag of my finger to only letting me test once a day. Big Brain Academy held my interest longer, as I could retest over and over again to my heart's content, constantly going for the high score.
You Don't Know Jack! Online
I've missed the You Don't Know Jack series, and these daily Dis or Dats have given me another way (Text Twist notwithstanding) to waste time when I wake up. The added bonus of the format is that the Dis or Dats feel somewhat topical. Now how about a Jack Attack, some multiplayer, and a full-fledged release?
Having been fortunate enough to play the game on HDTV, the tiny text didn't bother me. Nor did the oft-discussed save system, which I actually enjoyed. The game was fun, and the enjoyment only increased the further I got into the game. It's sandbox with a purpose, and a plot as campy as most zombie flicks. Besides, how often can you play an entire game wearing a teddy bear mask? Despite Dead Rising's numerous flaws, the full package is well worth the price of admission -- if you're gaming in High Definition, that is. And if you're still hesitant to pick up the full game, you can thoroughly enjoy the demo for free.
Michel Ancel's Wii launch title wavered between here and my list of disappointments. I love those adorable, psychopathic hares and do think they fit perfectly in a collection of minigames. However, the quality of the minigames was inconsistent and the multiplayer aspect was implemented poorly. Had more time been spent perfecting what worked (the shooting gallery, the disco dancing) and less on throwing in ideas for the sake of variety (e.g., "Bunnies don't like open bathroom doors"), the game would have been a top contender. In the end, the amount of good games outweighed the bad; we hope this isn't the last we see of the rabbids.
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) - So you're telling me that I spent 80 hours on one character, only to lose it all because of a glitch? Having this scenario happen to me on more than one occasion, for more than a few bugs, ultimately made me despise this game. (PC users would have much less of a fuss since the mod community could help to ad hoc fix all issues.) Let's hope their Quality Testers are up to par before they screw up my beloved Fallout series.
- Tetris DS (DS, duh) - The multiplayer was fun but a tad limited, and the other additions weren't as fleshed out as I'd have liked. The first time you play standard Tetris and "beat" it via destroying 200 lines caused a vein of anger to sprout from my forehead. (To be fair, after "beating" standard Tetris you are given the option to play "endless" mode.)
- GRAW (Xbox 360) - Clunky controls and bad AI aside, how aggravating is it that these super soldier can't seem to climb pebbles on some multiplayer maps?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
diskoboy @ Jan 1st 2007 4:05PM
It's about time somebody gave Lumines Live the respect it deserves. But MS may wanna re-think that whole 'micro-transactions' thing.
Ryan @ Jan 1st 2007 4:49PM
What a horrible list.
Graw and Oblivion are two of the best games on 360. How does Burger King Games get an honorable mention? I don't want to pay $4.00 to play an advertisement.
David004 @ Jan 1st 2007 5:04PM
I'm glad someone mentioned Chibi Robo. It's just a crazy fun Japanese game.
Andy @ Jan 1st 2007 5:22PM
So, Oblivion, that being everything that preceded the glitch that apparently deleted your character is a disappointment because of the unfortunate incident which occurred following your having an amazing time?
Orangecoke @ Jan 1st 2007 5:24PM
Cool to see Bookworm Adventures on the list - I found that game thoroughly addictive...great way to spend lunch hour :)
Brian @ Jan 1st 2007 5:51PM
Why all the GRAW hate on these lists? Is this some kind of social experiment? Put a near universally acclaimed game on all your disappointment lists and laugh while the comments section goes nuts. It's Halo 2 redux. Why does everyone have to be so damn contrary? When your non-conformity becomes this comic, you need to lay off it for a while.
Pete C @ Jan 1st 2007 6:30PM
How did you lose your entire character in Oblivion? What, did you only have 1 save game with no backups? That's a pretty stupid move. Always rotate at least 3 save games. I have never had the game glitch on me anyway, and it is possibly the best RPG I have ever played.
NoiseTankNick @ Jan 1st 2007 6:51PM
re: #2. Ryan:
You should at least try the BK games. They're amazingly full-featured for $4, and the multiplayer is fun. Plus you're almost guaranteed to laugh a few times while playing them.
Rallion @ Jan 1st 2007 9:12PM
I wholeheartedly agree with Oblivion and GRAW being disappointments. I loved the predecessors of each game, but hated the newest incarnations.
Oblivion is...well, overrated. It's buggy. The enemies level up with you. And it seems much more action-oriented than Morrowind. I think it's funny that people talk about how BIG the world is, when the world in Morrowind was actually much bigger, and had more personality.
GRAW's mostly annoying because I can't get my squad to do what I want. In previous GR games, it just wasn't an issue, because the AI was very simple and when it came down to it the best thing to do was to just take control of the point man (or the sniper...) and take care of business yourself. Squadmates would really never do something stupid and get everybody killed. In GRAW, though, they do, at least for me -- and combined with the annoying checkpoint system, it makes the game way too aggravating to play. (I'm only talking about single-player, here, multiplayer tactical games like that don't really appeal to me.)
Sponge @ Jan 1st 2007 11:37PM
Yes You Don't Know Jack Online in fun. I'm on everyday and hope that the have a new online multiplayer one coming soon. I still play YDKJ: The Ride every once in a while, but only if I have 2-3 friends over.
Dracula Jones @ Jan 2nd 2007 11:57AM
Chibi Robo is my game of the year. Glad to see someone else give it some recognition.
pixelator @ Jan 2nd 2007 1:40PM
"intelligence-building a competition"
Marketing hype ftw: Train your Brain isn't fun and doesn't 'build intelligence'.
It takes a true Sony-hating blog like Joystiq to mention Lumines as a 'Best of' title and not make a single mention of the PSP versions.