Kirby's Dream Land

Short but sweet

Game no: 233
Genre: Action (100th Action Game)
Platform: Game Boy
Factory Sealed: 106

  

Does this game holds up?
- There is nothing special about this game. Its a Kirby game.
- Kirby can't take any powers of the enemies he swallows. Probably in a later game.
- Short... less than 3 hours.

Status: Finish the game and beat Dedede
Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time.

Kirby Block Ball

Breakout done right

Game no: 232

Genre: Action 

Platform: Game Boy

  

Does this game holds up?

- This is like a no brainer for Kirby. He is a ball and you can break blocks with it

- Use Kirby's power ups to beat the game. Power ups such as the Rock, Fireball, Electric Ball, and Spike 

- Unique bosses for every world 

- Bonus stages that test your skills to gain more points.

Status: Finish the game until the end. It turns out there is another new game plus to this game 

Fun Factor: One of the good Game Boy games. Worth to be played.

Uncharted The Lost Legacy

The summer blockbuster event is back

Game no: 231

Genre: Action

Platform: PS4

What is it about?

Uncharted is back but this time you play as Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. It takes place after the events of Uncharted 4 so don't expect seeing Nathan Drake in the adventure

What's Great

- As any good Uncharted game, the gameplay is exploration, platforming, driving and shooting. 

- What makes is different from the previous entry is that on Chapter 3 you are given a small open world to explore.

- There are 3 main quests and a lot of side quests in the open world which extends the playtime significantly.

- Driving comes back in full swing here. Controlling the jeep is awesome and you need to find the best route over water, mud and rocks to get to your destination. 

- What makes this game better than Uncharted 4 is the characters. Chloe and Nadine have a lot of banter with each other and by the end of the game you will feel that you will want more of the adventures together 

- Chloe is the master of unlocking and there will be doors and crates scattered throughout the environment for her to unlock.

- There are more puzzles which provides the occasional brain teaser. The are a lot of rotating disc puzzles which is very fun to solve

- There is a new silencer gun which provides stealth takedown with ease. The issue is that after you are done with that that gun, you only get get it back with the crates.

- The adventure takes place in India and only India so it is a tight and close adventure which I don't mind since India does provide with beautiful scenery

- Photo mode is awesome. Anytime in the game you can pause it and take a picture. You can change Chloe's facial expression which is often hilarious. 

What's not so great

- It's a short game. The core story could be done in 7 hours. Wish there were more of it. But it is also a cheap game retailing at $39.99 

- Bad camera angles during fire fights. This is where you will die multiple times since you can't see where are the bullets coming from. 

Great for: Those who loves a single player action adventure with awesome naarration

Not so great for: Those who wants a long game play experience with a lot of stuff to do after you complete your adventure.

Status: Finish the game 

Fun Factor: Spectacular... One of the best games for 2017. 

Fun filled weekend

I really need to make sure that I blog at least once a day. I am getting way behind on my blogging now days.

So over the weekend I got invited to celebrate my good friend Harivnder's wedding. The wedding itself was a bit of a rush job so I got the invitation like 3 days before the event. Going there is was like a mini reunion with my office mates. Everyone is happy to see me and I was happy to see everyone (except the CEO, no idea why he was invited). We were seated with a couple of our friends. My wife made some new friends as well. This Indian wedding was great since that dinner did not start late. After 830 the groom gave a speech and around 9 everyone starts dancing on the dance floor. Indians do love their dancing. The hall was transformed into a club where the spin beats all around. The issue is, it get's difficult to talk to the next person. A funny moment in the wedding is when Harvin came to our table and wanted to take a picture with the whole group. He was holding me in his arms and was shouting "where am I" not realizing I was under him. That is what happen when you are 6' 6 (He is very tall)..

On Sunday we went to go for a bit of shopping and visited my wife's uncle in the hospital. He is suffering from Parkinson's Plus. Normal Parkinson effects the brain and it will cause you to shake uncontrollably but Parkinson's Plus will effect the nerve. From the outside you look normal but actually from the inside, everything hurts. He went for an operation to install a device so that he could have the urge to go to the toilet. But there were complications in the surgery and ti doesn't seem to work. To make matters even more depressing, we found out that he was terminated from his job, the company insurance is not covering him and the doctors says he only have another 3 years life expectancy. That is not a fate I want for even my worse enemy. I do salute my aunt (his wife) who is beside him most of the time. With all the family issues right now, the wife still have a positive outlook on life itself. A normal human will crack under the amount of stress.

Back to the week and I really need to start doing some work. I've finished Uncharted so there is no m ore excuse not to work.

Killer Instinct

Another rare game

Game no: 230
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Game Boy

   

Does this game holds up?
It does work even with 2 buttons
Execute 30 hit combos but in the end it turns out to be button mashing
The sprites looks digitalized, so I am hoping that the SNES version would be better

Status: Finish the game with one character. Seen all of the other characters has to offer.
Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time.

Kid Dracula

Castlevania jr...

Genre: Platformer 

Platform: Game Boy

  

Does the game holds up?

You play as Dracula kid and you need to beat all the other monsters 

The kids are in a type of daycare where they don't die but cry when getting hit. Which is super sweet

You get different abilities like homing, bomb, bats, walking on ceilings.

The bosses are quite challenging as well as the platforming is hard 

Status: Played until stage 4 and died. YouTube the ending 

Fun Factor: Great game if you like platformers with a difficulty curve 

Hammerin' Harry - Ghost Building Company

Where did this game come from... Never heard of it but it was great

Game no: 229

Genre: Action

Platform: Game Boy

   

Does this game holds up?

The game is based like a stage theater. You play as Harry that is equipped with a hammer 

Your hammer can go in 4 directions with Dpad down will make all the enemies stop. 

For each side scrolling stages you are treated with flying stages. 

Great power up. 

The game is highly difficult. You will die constantly due to missed jumps or gets hit by the bad guys.

Status: Finish the game until the end credits 

Fun Factor: One of the Game Boy gems but difficulty is a bit steep 

Game & Watch Gallery

The original Gameboy game

Game no: 228

Genre: Other (No idea what is it)

Platform: Game Boy

   

Does that game holds up?

All of the original classic game and watch games remastered with new gameplay mechanics 

Gets harder after every 100 points 

4 different games with specific gameplay. My favorite is the platform walking 

Status: Finish all the stages in easy

Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time 

So now I am 33

Happy Birthday to me... Yesterday

I was not an eventful day. I stopped believing in celebrating birthday but I am a stern believer of having fun on my birthday by myself. Sadly... due to a lot of unforeseen circumstances, I didn't get to do any much of that... So in the end it was just like any other day, with the only difference I got to play a bit of Uncharted for a while... I have a new birthday resolution which I need to try to make it for at least a year... Hopefully I can do it...

Back to reality... Another 364 days to my next one. God willing.

This is sad

It's been a while since I've blogged about  stuff that is happening.

Today I'm blogging as a reminder that life is short and you need to take care of your bodies as much as you can. I went to see my wife's grandmother's sister lying in bed. Doctors say she is on her last legs and everybody should come and say their goodbyes. No matter how many times I see people on their deathbed. It always hurts inside... 

Baywatch

A rehash of a classic series missing the mark 

What is it about?

Classic TV show Baywatch reimagined as a comedic movie. 

What's good?

The Rock and Zac Efron really carry the movie. 

Lots of Boobs which I guess made back the money for the movie.

Some jokes are funny. 

What's bad?

The movie tries to be serious and funny at the same time. Which makes me feel that this movie doesn't know what it wants to be. 

Some jokes are just plain dick jokes 

Efron is used a like jackass punching bag. 

The bad guy is not that menacing enough.

The Ugly

The plot needs work. What makes Baywatch great is the heart story and the saving of people 

The didn't use any budget for the CGI effects. It looks like it was done by a low budget company. It makes you don't feel any stakes for the characters 

The acting is soooooo cheesy and cringy to watch 

After credits:

Nope but there is a blooper reel while the credits roll back

Verdict: 

Not worth the cinema experience. Watch it once and delete from hard drive.

Donkey Kong Land 2

This game is ok I guess

Game no: 227
Genre: Platformer
Platform: Game Boy

  

Does this game holds up?
- They say this is a port of Donkey Kong Country 2. Haven't played DKC2 I can make any comparison or judgement towards it
- Controls are good enough. Action is fluid
- Since the hardware of the Game Boy screen is small. You will end up falling in endless pit due to the fact you can't tell where you are going.
- There are animal buddies who oin you in the fight.
- The graphics are quite good for a Game Boy game.

Status: Played the game and rescued Donkey Kong
Fun Factor: You'll end up dying a lot. Still a great way to waste your time

Donkey Kong

What an awesome experience

Game no: 226

Genre: Platformer 

Platform: Game Boy

Does this game holds up? 

- At first glance you think it's a port of the  original Donkey Kong. But after you played through the first 4 stages than its a totally different experience 

- 9 worlds with different environments to master 

- Special power ups that lets you create platforms, ladders or springs 

- Enemies that you can carry.

- The hammer is back and it does more than just knocking the enemies. 

- Mario can do a triple flip (I think this is the first Mario game to do so) 

- Bonus levels to collect lots of 1-up

Status: Finish the game and beat Donkey Kong 

Fun Factor: Spectacular. One of the best games of the Game Boy and one of the best games I've played this year 

Dig Dug

One of the classics

Genre: Action
Platform: Gameboy

  

Does this game holds up?
- Basic dig dug formula. Go underground and use the pump to blow up animals
- There is a Dig Dug plus mode where you need to travel deep underground, treasure hunting for keys  and through doors.

Status: Played a good chunk and did not win the game
Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time

Contra - The Alien Wars

Awesome Contra game not from Konami

Game no: 225
Genre: Shooter
Platform: Gameboy

  

Does this game holds up?
- This game was design by Factor 5 which went on to make the Star Wars Rogue Leader Series
- Basic Contra formula but you fight aliens instead
- The Soldier can hang on ledges and climb
- Bosses are difficult and requires precise movement
- After the usual side scrolling stages, there are top down view stages with a free roam movement

Status: Defeat the final boss
Fun Factor: One of the Gameboy greats. Worth to be played

Blades of Steel

Ice hockey is a weird game

Game no: 224
Genre: Sport
Platform: Gameboy

 

Does this game holds up?
- Its fun and that what matters
- Controls are good and responsive.
- There is an animation for each time you score a gold but its that same animation over and over again.

Status: I got 18 points and the away team got 8 points. Good game
Fun Factor: Great way to waste your time

Battleship

Who knew this board game translated well on to the Gameboy

Game no: 223
Genre: Board
Platform: Gameboy

 

Does this game holds up?
- It plays like the normal battleship but with added tweaks
- You have only 4 ships and each ship has their own unique weaponry.
- Battleships can shoot harpoons, Destroyer can shoot 3 missiles, Freight can shoot 2 missiles and submarines can use radar to scan for enemies
- Computer cheats in my opinion

Status: Played till level 3
Fun Factor: Great way to waste your time

Battle Arena Toshinden

The first fighting game on the Gameboy that does not suck

Game no: 222
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Gameboy

 

Does this game holds up?
- Fighting is face paces. Plays like the PS port
- Each character has their own unique storyline
- Different victory speech of each character. Unique to each character
- Since its 2D, you have 3 bars of ring out. When the bars are finished you will fall to your doom. Complete with funny animation
- 2 extra bosses to fight

Status: Finish Eiji and saw the ending. The story doesn't make sense
Fun Factor: Great Gameboy fighting game. Worth to be played.

Batman Forever

I have a lot of memories playing this game. But on the Game Gear

Genre: Action
Platform: Gameboy



Does this game holds up?
- This game plays more like a fighting game than a batman game. You fight hordes of henchmen with funny names
- You have a punch and a kick button. Jump is done by a up button on the D-pad
- You solve puzzle like disarming bombs and saving bank hostages
- The issue with playing it on the Gameboy is there is only 4 shades of grey to work with. That means you have some difficulty seeing the background and such

Status: Played until the 2nd stage. Even in easy it keeps on beating me
Fun Factor: I had tons of fun playing this on my Game Gear. Will revisit it on that console again.

Batman - The Animated Series

Another great Batman game but this time its the animated version

Game no: 221
Genre: Action
Platform: Gameboy

  

Does the game holds up?
- Play as either Batman and Robin. Batman can grapple while Robin can hang on walls.
- Fight iconic Batman villains in the animated series. Fight the Joker, Scarecrow, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and The Penguin
- The game is hard and you only have 2 continues. So you have to time your jumps and punches properly.

Status: Beat the game until the 3rd episode and Youtube the rest.
Fun Factor: Another great Batman game.

Batman - Return of the Joker

Black and white really brings out the Batman atmosphere.

Game no: 220
Genre: Action
Platform: Gameboy

  

Does this game holds up?
- This game have you wall jumping, grappling hook, and punching your way towards the Joker
- The game ramps up difficulty after the first stage. The enemies takes more punches to kill
- Since the Gameboy only has two buttons you only can punch but not kick.
- No iconic Batman villains except the Joker.

Status: Finish the game and beat the Joker
Fun Factor: One of the Gameboy great titles. 

Amazing Penguin

Is a wired game but I enjoyed it 

Genre: Puzzle 
Platform: Gameboy

    

Does this game holds up?
- Is a hybrid of pac-man and dig-dug.
- Guide a penguin while avoiding other obstacles.
- You can only move in a line so guiding the penguin while collecting coins can be challenging

Status: Played for a couple a stages

Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time. 

Adventure Island

Its a port of Adventure Island II for the NES


Game no: 219
Genre: Platfomer 
Platform: Gameboy

   

Does this game holds up?
- Sprites are bigger due to the small Gameboy screen
- You have access to 4 different dinosaurs to help you throughout your journey. The best is the pterodactyl
- Plays like the NES version.
- The timer is based on more fruits you eat. Which always keeps you on your toes.

Status: Finish the game and beat the final boss
Fun Factor: A great way to waste your time.