VIRTUAL BASTION

[Revisited] Trophies: My Final (Late) Gripe of 2018

The crotchety re-posts continue! Trophies and achievements have been a standard feature in games for a long time now. I realize that, and I realize that many people enjoy them. I still don’t think they’re a great innovation though, and I still feel that they could at least be done better. The year of 2018…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #144

Up this week: Kirby Super Star (SNES, 1996) – it’s eight games in one in this classic collection featuring everyone’s favorite round, pink alien…Kirby! Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii, 2009) – it’s Samus vs. Space Pirates vs. the Phazon Corruption vs. herself in this series’ thrilling conclusion Nostalgic Notions (multiple consoles) – our periodic feature…

A Quick Guide to Grand Theft Auto Online’s Modes of Play

When our duo of a household decided to start playing Grand Theft Auto Online, the first thing we had to figure out was how to play together. While the game appeared to spell out its different modes of play, when entering the game for the first time, things weren’t as clear as they seemed. Going…

Resonance: Ghost House

Super Mario World was the Mario game that I grew up with. Though it took many years before I was ever able to actually beat it myself, I still looked back on it with (mostly) fond memories, as a symbol of my childhood, alongside such classics as Donkey Kong Country and The Legend of Zelda:…

[Revisited] Rushing to an Early Ruin

The following is a re-post of a piece from last year. Now that BioWare has finally admitted that the game needs a major overhaul and is going back to the drawing board, I felt it was important to remember that it was their attitude and approach that made this mess in the first place. I’ve…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #143

Canceled: E3 2020

In “old” new news, word has spread like wildfire that the biggest and most-anticipated video games conference of the year, E3, has been canceled due to the Coronovirus outbreak. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) posted an official announcement to its site yesterday (March 11th), which reads, in part:

Metroid Prime Trilogy: A Comparison

With Metroid Prime 4 sure to be a reality…someday and a full playthrough of the entire Trilogy now in my recent past, I thought it would be a good time to compare all three games and discuss where each game excels and where each falls short. Though I’ll admit that the first game is by…

The Final Fantasy Remake Demo Was Impressive

We might not be getting Final Fantasy VII Remake this month, but Square Enix at least let us have a taste by releasing what I assume was the demo they were showing at the likes of E3 and PAX last year. And…I have to say that I was quite impressed with it, more so than…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #142

Up this week: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii, 2009) – it’s Samus vs. Space Pirates vs. the Phazon Corruption vs. herself in this series’ thrilling conclusion Nostalgic Notions (multiple consoles) – our periodic feature showcasing various classic and retro titles Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS4, 2018) – tag along as we play the third…

The Sims 4, or, What the Heck am I Doing and Why am I Doing it

As proof that the universe works in mysterious ways, I have made the potentially questionable choice to dive into some personally uncharted gaming waters and play…a Sims game. The Sims 4, to be exact, and not just because it was a free PS Plus game last month. But…okay, mostly because of that, but for another…

Trials of Osiris Returns in Destiny 2 – Season of the Worthy

They finally did it. After what feels like an eternity of waiting, Bungie is finally bringing Trials of Osiris back to Destiny. I don’t really get why it took so incredibly long for them to implement it since it only took four months for the mode’s original iteration to show up in Destiny 1 but…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #141

A Few Thoughts on the Xbox Series X

With the next gen looming, and while Sony has kept things close to the chest with the PS5, earlier this week Microsoft released some new bits of information about its latest flagship console, the Xbox Series X. In an Xbox Wire post titled What You Can Expect From the Next Generation of Gaming, Phil Spencer…

Hollow Knight Was an Unforgettable Experience

Having limited money to spend on games, the two main times when my gaming library is allowed to grow is my birthday and Christmas. And so, by the time these special dates arrive, I have a selection of games already on my wish list. I’ve been able to largely keep up with my gaming wants…

Resonance: The Spirit Dias

I’m honestly not sure how the overall soundtrack stacks up against the rest of the Fire Emblem series since I’ve only played two other games so far. Even so, I can at least say that this is personal favorite since so many of its songs are still bouncing around in my noggin. As I mentioned…

Top 4 Worst Challenges in Spyro: Year of the Dragon

I’ve already discussed the top six worst challenges in Spyro 2, so it would only be fair if I complained a bit about the more aggravating parts of Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Though I only have four items in this list, two of them are a doozy. As before, I’m only counting challenges that…

Chillin’ in the Ol’ Backlog

I remember a time when I absolutely hated the winter and summer slumps of game releases. For whatever reason, these were (and still are) the times when barely anything new or interesting would come out, leaving me with no choice but to play old games (eww!). I used to count the days until March finally…

Anthem’s (Not Quite) Dead

For many Bioware fans out there, Anthem was perhaps the most disappointed release of 2019. It released half-baked, with little to none of the promised features, bugged and unsatisfying loot, a non-story, and hardly any interesting content. The game was (rightfully) raked over the proverbial coals upon release and largely abandoned by gamers only a…

I No Longer Fear Change AKA A Thank You Letter for Naughty Dog

If you’re familiar with the Jak and Daxter series from the PS2 era, then you’ll no doubt be aware of the drastic departure in tone the series made beginning with Jak 2. The first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, was a lighthearted collectathon not unlike Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64. And then Jak…

Resonance: God Shattering Star

Usually when time comes to pen a “Resonance” post, I think back on music I’ve encountered while playing through one game or another. Game music usually grabs my attention when I hear it in context, so it’s those tracks that tend to get Resonance posts. This time is different though. This time I’m featuring a…

Platinum Games Teases Four New Projects

It’s already been a busy week for Platinum Games, and it looks like the upcoming months will be even busier still. On Monday, the developer launched their Kickstarter for The Wonderful 101: Remastered and saw it immediately get fully funded. So that’s awesome, but they’re not done yet! The developer’s also launched a teaser website…

Spyro: Year of the Dragon Review

At last, I have completed the entire Spyro Reignited Trilogy with 100% in every game, including trophies and skill points. That means it’s time to finally review the third and final game in the trilogy, Year of the Dragon…and provide just a little overview of my general experience with everyone’s favorite purple dragon.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore: It’s Good to be Back!

After about three years of waiting, I’ve finally gotten the chance to return to one my favorite games from the Wii U: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE thanks to the new enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch. Mind you, there was nothing preventing me from playing it again on the Wii U. In fact, I’d just…

Metro: Exodus Gets Second Major DLC on February 11th

The story of Metro: Exodus continues next month with the release of another DLC expansion. Dubbed “Sam’s Story,” this chapter follows former US Marine Sam Branskill as he sets out in search of a way to return to America and reunite with his family. As is to be expected in a Metro game, his journey…

The Ni no Kuni Movie Suffers from the Same Problems as Revenant Kingdom

Many months ago, I wrote a post concerning the announcement of a Ni no Kuni movie. Originally, I thought the movie was only going to be released in Japan, but a few weeks ago, I learned that it was actually going to be available on Netflix! So now that I’ve seen the movie for myself,…

Tossing an Hour to My Witcher

I was one of those who didn’t really pay The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt all that much attention when it first release in 2015. I initially wrote it off as yet another open-world game suffering from the same lack of depth as every other open world game at the time (and arguably since), but my…

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is Coming to the Switch

The most recent installment of the Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series will be heading to the Switch sometime this spring, so I guess now’s the time to catch up if you’re keen to jump into this ongoing story. It seems Switch-owners will be getting a healthy helping of extra cosmetics too, though…

The Duck’s Top 10 Games of the Decade!

The last decade has seen the release of some pretty awesome games spanning indie titles, remakes of classic PS1 games, Nintendo’s comeback with the release of the Switch, and everything in between. It’s now the Duck’s turn to honor my top ten games of the decade (not including remakes because that doesn’t quite seem fair). …

Persona 5 Scramble’s Opening Movie is Pretty Stylin’

It may still be a year away, but I’m actually kinda psyched for Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers. It’s not so much because I’m dying for yet another Dynasty Warriors-style beat-em-up game, but rather another helping of the world of Persona 5. I’m told this game takes place after the events of Persona 5…

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore – Getting Hyped All Over Again

I’m not really sure how it’s happening, but one of my absolute favorite Wii U games has an enhanced port releasing for the Switch next week! It goes by the ridiculously long name: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore and is about as outlandish as it sounds. This isn’t a bad thing though, quite the opposite…

The Road to Resistance is Paved with Good Intentions in The Outer Worlds

I must admit that I had pretty high hopes for The Outer Worlds when I started playing it late last October. I mostly ignored whatever the big gaming sites had to say about it, preferring, instead, to read the blogosphere’s judgement. Which was roundly positive. Well, mostly. In the midst of reading, I penned a…

Dreams Has Gone Gold

Free-form game-making uh…game has gone gold! This means that the game is now feature complete and mostly polished. All the developers have to do now is chase down minor bugs and work on further optimizations for the game’s launch on February 14th!

Top 5(-ish): Favorite Games in 2019

Happy new year everyone! At last the holiday season is over and we can all get back to our normal lives with a little more pep in our step. It’s a new year filled with new possibilities, but I’ve still got one more list I’d like to share before getting back into the full swing…

Listmas 2019: Games For Christmas-time

Hey everyone! I hope your Christmas season was filled with fun times and good cheer! I know this is coming a little late, but we’ve still got New Year’s this week, so maybe you’ve still got enough quality time with your consoles coming to really enjoy some your favorite games. I definitely do, and these…