Its been a while since I posted an update on the games I’ve been playing. Well, as I mentioned before, I’ve been playing quite a bit of World of Warcraft, but I’m pretty sure most of you aren’t exactly interested in hearing about it, much like I really have no interest in writing about it (its more of a “have to be there and in it to understand” type game I guess).  Unlike some people, I never get entirely sucked in by MMO games, and always crave fresh experiences to hold my attention.  Here’s what has been holding my attention recently:

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 [Xbox 360: Live Arcade]

This is a game which I have a love/hate relationship with ever since its predecessor hit Live Arcade (funnily enough called Retro Evolved, without the 2).  I hate it in that it frustrates me to no end, because quite frankly I’m pretty God-awful at it.  My reactions and control just aren’t good enough.  But behind all that rage and frustration is a giggling little boy enjoying the hell out of himself.  If you never played the previous games, the concept is simple: control your ship with the left stick of the controller, and fire in whichever direction you please with the right stick.  The aim is to destroy all the enemies without bumping into any of them, and boy does it get hectic.

This sequel brings 5 fresh new gameplay modes to the table, as well as the original retro evolved game which is still there.  The new modes are fantastic, and offer great variations on an already solid gameplay premise.  You can find out more about each individual mode in Eurogamer’s review (how lazy am I today?! – thats rhetorical).  The graphics in the sequel are also hugely polished in comparison with the original game, something which I wasn’t really expecting since the game is merely a series of simple vectors and particles.  I’m guessing that the Pac-Man CE remix style was highly influential on this, shown by the glows emanating from each object in the game, as well as the music which timely builds tension as the clock counts down towards 0 in ‘Deadline’ mode.

The game is extremely fun to play as a single-player, with online leaderboards shown extremely clearly for each mode to encourage competition amongst friends.  This sequel also offers local co-op or competitive multiplayer, a feature which I have as yet to try.  Overall: the game is without doubt worth 800 Microsoft points, as its one of the best pick up and play games out there right now.

Rock Band [Xbox 360]

Since the summer season is home to a nice break away from work, it was the ideal time to invite around friends to enjoy the co-operative rock out experience that is Rock Band.  Pretty much any get togethers, parties or pre-night drinks have been accompanied with Rock Band, and its gone down a treat with gamers and non-gamers alike.  The game allows for up to 4 players to take up the role of drummer, lead guitarist, bass guitarist and vocalist/singer in order to attempt to complete songs in the game.  The tracks which come with the game are of various genres: rock, synth-pop, country, and umm… yeah… rock.  The game also allows for the download of extra content, the library of which is growing by the week.  With the promise of Rock Band 2 around the corner with a very promising tracklist (Jimmy Eat World in there, woohoo!), this franchise should continue to thrive as a popular fun social gaming experience for the foreseeable future (Guitar Hero 4, you say? No interest here…).

PixelJunk Monsters [PlayStation 3: PSN]

I mentioned this game in passing in a previous game update, but now it definitely deserves a bit more than a mention.  PixelJunk Monsters is a game which has recently been providing entertainment, often accompanied with alcohol, for myself and a friend in the evenings.  The game presents you with various levels in which you will must protect your base from the incoming waves of monsters by strategically placing various weapons in place of the trees in the level.  Originally I started playing this as a single-player endeavour, but it was when I started playing it along with a friend (locally, not online) that it really showed its appeal.  Constant shouting, tactical thinking, pointing and planning (as well as finding time to take a drink) made the game a rousing success between the two of us.  We recently completed all levels from the original package and have now moved on to the Encore pack, which is available as a downloadable add-on.  To quote [Alan Partridge quoting] Shakin’ Stevens, “Lovely stuff”.

The next game in the PixelJunk series, PixelJunk Eden, may very well be on my to-do list.

Space Invaders Extreme [PSP]

I’m a big fan of old-skool arcade games such as Pac-Man, Tempest, Robotron, etc., so when I heard that a remix of Space Invaders was coming out for DS and PSP and that it was actually really good, I got pretty darn excited – and I wasn’t let down.  Space Invaders Extreme takes the original concept of Space Invaders and extends it into a more psychedelic fast-paced level-based shooter, complete with remixed versions of the original Space Invaders soundtrack.  To be fair, I haven’t delved too far into this game (portables don’t actually get that much time in my schedule) but the game seems extremely fun, and I’m a huge sucker for crazy graphics (hey, I actually liked Space Giraffe!) and a good soundtrack.  It is pretty hard though (its not that I suck, oh no..).

God of War: Chains of Olympus [PSP]

This isn’t so much “currently playing” as “have completed”.  Now, having just said that portables don’t get much time of day with me, this game is an exception. Something you should know about me: I love God of War.  The first game on the PS2 still stands as one of the greatest games of all-time to me, as I had such a great experience playing it.  Its worth mentioning that it was actually in the time of this generation of consoles that I got round to playing the original game – thats just how good it was!  If you’ve never played a God of War game before, I suggest you go do so right away.  The game is just so stunning impressive, from its fantastic graphics, its never-ending “wow!!” moments, to its consistently challenging yet not frustrating (mostly) gameplay, matching the theory of flow perfectly.

The handheld port of God of War is probably the most graphically impressive game you’ll see on the PSP, let alone on any other portable system.  The mechanics in the game are totally adherent to that of the original two PS2 games and the storyline is set 10 years prior to the first God of War.  The game itself takes about 8-10 hours to complete, so not as long as usual, but just right in my opinion for a portable game.  Unfortunately, while the game’s world is still as beautiful and well designed as ever, the challenges presented do become somewhat repetitive, with the same enemies appearing over and over.  Nevertheless, this is still a very worthwhile game, a must for any fan of the series and definitely the best game to show off your PSP.

P.S. The last boss did my freakin’ head in.  Took me ages to work how to beat he/she/it.

And the rest…

Other games which I have dabbled in over the summer include Mario Kart: Wii [Wii], Super Smash Bros Brawl [Wii], The Darkness [360], and Grand Theft Auto IV [360] (I don’t get it!). Still need to get back to Oblivion on the 360 to play the Shivering Isles expansion.  Argh!

All images courtesy of Eurogamer.