“Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.”
– Sophia Loren

“You don’t have to specialize – do everything that you love and then, at some time, the future will come together for you in some form.”
– Francis Ford Coppola

10. Fishing Resort: This fishing game is surprisingly unique and refreshing! If you enjoy fishing in Animal Crossing, give this game a chance. There is quite a lot to do in the game, so it will keep you busy.

9. Kore Gang: You’ve probably never heard of this game. In development for eons, Kore Gang is a platformer-action game, and it’s a funny and bizarre one. If you enjoy Psychonauts or just looking for an out of the ordinary and colorful game, check this one out!

8. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland: Another Kirby game? This one is classic Kirby with a few new twists. While not sporting the beautiful graphics as last year’s Epic Yarn, it’s a great game all to itself.

7.  Jurassic Park: I love the movies, and this game certainly kept me intrigued! Divided into four episodes, the story and characters bring the game to life. The game plays out like a interactive movie, which kept the pace moving. If you like Jurassic Park or enjoyed Indigo Prophecy or Heavy Rain’s style of gameplay, this is something worth checking out.

6. Enslaved – Odyssey to the West: Released near the end of 2010, (particularly the downloadable content), I missed out on playing this game but did so this year. It’s a little easy to compare this game to Uncharted. The gameplay has similar elements, but the story and characters are completely different. If you enjoy Uncharted, check out this game!

5. Dead or Alive – Dimensions:  The story mode in this game was quite entertaining to watch. Having grown up playing the series, it was great to see the story compiled into one, in which it almost made sense! The graphics were great and there’s quite a bit of unlockables. If you’re not into fighting games, it’s worth at least trying it out to see what the 3DS can do.

4. Lost in Shadow: This game is quite lost indeed. Released in January 2011, Lost in Shadow’s existential story and peculiar gameplay is not for everyone. With a haunting soundtrack and memorable graphics, you could get lost into the game.. it certainly drew me in. Hudson, the developer, was absorbed by Konami, which further adds to its mysterious nature. Pick up and play one of Hudson’s last games.

3. Child of Eden: I’m a huge fan of Lumines. The developers behind this game created Lumines, so there would be a good chance I’d like Child of Eden… and I did! The graphics were out of this world, and the music really got you into the game. It’s a music-shooting game, and you can use the Kinect as well… give it a shot!

2. Uncharted 3: I’m not the biggest fan of the shooter genre, particularly if it’s realistic… but somehow the Uncharted series keeps me entertained. I think it’s the cast of characters and unique locations that keep me invested into the series… and the action helps too! Definitely one of the best games on Playstation 3.

1. Solatorobo – Red the Hunter: I love this game. The graphics are reminiscent of something you would see in a Studio Ghibli film (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, etc.) and the characters and story draw you in. It’s a lighthearted game and you can tell a lot of effort went into making this game. Who knew the aging Nintendo DS still had masterpieces being released? Check this out if you’re in the mood for something different.

Honorable Mentions: Tekken Hybrid (the included movie was awesome!), Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Mario Kart 7, Kirby’s Mass Attack, Steel Diver, AR Games

Over 1,200 posts over the years. This year was the least amount of articles posted, because I’ve been so busy with graduate college.

Hopefully later at the end of the month I’ll have my top 10 favorite movies and video games of this year.

Happy Anniversary!

Super Monkey Ball
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II
Wave Race: Blue Storm
Luigi’s Mansion
SSX Tricky
Super Smash Bros Melee
Pikmin
Simpsons Road Rage
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury
Sega Soccer Slam
Resident Evil
Eternal Darkness
Super Monkey Ball 2
Super Mario Sunshine
Animal Crossing
Star Fox Adventures
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Robotech Battlecry
Mystic Heroes
Timesplitters 2
Mario Party 4
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Plus)
Cubivore
Sonic Mega Collection
Resident Evil Zero
Metroid Prime
Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance
Evolution Worlds
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Lost Kingdoms
The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
The Sims
Medal of Honor Frontline
Splinter Cell
Ikaruga
Lost Kingdoms 2
Sonic Adventure DX
Wario World
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
F Zero GX
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Soul Calibur 2
P.N. 03
Simpsons Hit and Run
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Viewtiful Joe
Kirby Air Ride
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III
Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup
Mario Party 5
Mario Kart Double Dash
Metal Arms Glitch in the System
Go! Go! Hypergrind
Prince of Persia The Sands of Time
XIII
Pokemon Channel
1080: Avalanche
I-Ninja
Pacman Vs
Gotcha Force
Beyond Good and Evil
Goblin Commander
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Phantasy Star Online Episode III
Bomberman Jetters
Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes
Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life
Pokemon Colosseum
Warioware Inc
Custom Robo
Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures
Ribbit King
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Pikmin 2
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Baten Kaitos
Mario Power Tennis
Metroid Prime 2
Donkey Konga
Alien Hominid
Viewtiful Joe 2
Mario Party 6
Star Fox Assault
Resident Evil 4
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Donkey Konga 2
Killer 7
Geist
Sonic Gems Collection
Mario Superstar Baseball
Battalion Wars
Pokemon XD
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix
Mario Party 7
Gun
Viewtiful Joe Red Rumble
Super Mario Strikers
Chibi-Robo
Odama
Baten Kaitos Origins
Legend of Zelda The Twilight Princess

Solatorobo, one of the last great (and unknown) releases for the aging Nintendo DS, is being published by XSEED (responsible for publishing Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, one of my favorite games of all time). 

With a release date set for September 29 and the inclusion of a soundtrack in first-run copies, it’s an enticing purchase. The game, from what I’ve read and watched, is an action-RPG with anime cutscenes and with even more quests available to download online. Only time will tell if I’ll enjoy it but XSEED is known for great games (Little King’s Story anyone?)

Deepak Chopra “Leela” is a relaxing video game. Not many of those, so this can either be very good or dreadfully terrible. I’ll be starting graduate college at the end of August, and this might help to relax if things get too intense. The graphics look really cool (reminiscent of Child of Eden). Other than that, not really sure about it but I’m interested in trying it out.

The game is available for Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii and its release date is currently November 8. Maybe I can finally use the Kinect a bit more, it’s been collecting quite a bit of dust.

This Nintendo 3DS game has potential, it’s a ghost-hunting game using augmented reality. That is, your own personal living space. The 3DS has the ability to change whatever your environment is into a “virtual playground” – which is rather interesting. Props for originality, only time will tell if it’s good. The game is set to be released October 11.

Other mentions:  Kirby Mass Attack, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Uncharted 3, Mario Kart 7. There may be other games on the horizon that are good or seem interesting, though I’m probably just not aware of it. Time will tell!

This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part of this, please email him for details.

Other takes:
Gunthera1-Gamer, Zath, Game Couch

One thing I wonder is if any of the students have an innate sense that what they are being taught is wrong. This sense is obviously a difficult one because we see through history that people are susceptible to doing horrendous things, and even more so in a group. However, I am hoping that for everyone out there in this world, a person’s sense of intuition and the idea of thinking twice or three times about things being said may help in making this world a better place. Just because everyone else is doing something, does not mean it’s okay.  I imagine it would be difficult to come to this realization in extreme situations.

In June, I graduated from college and shortly afterwards got accepted to graduate college to obtain a Master’s.

In July, I worked on finally overcoming the fear of driving and got my license August 1.

Been spending the days reading self-help books, and working on learning languages. Finished 50 lessons in My Spanish Coach for Nintendo DS (in which after that, is no longer so great of a learning tool). Now set on learning from My French Coach. I originally decided on My Japanese Coach but after a few lessons decided to focus on French since it’s a language I might encounter more on a day-to-day basis. I would like to continue learning more Spanish but am unsure what the next step in doing that is.

In 3 weeks I’ll be starting graduate college and on to the next chapter in my life. The transition has not been the easiest, but one thing has been more clear than ever before.

The music and graphics are very unique, and everyone should try playing this game at least once. Although the game is not very long, it’s worth a purchase.