* I'm currently playing:
The Witcher (2007) [RPG]
Deus Ex (2000) [Action/RPG]
Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island (2010) [Adventure]
Black Dahlia (1998) [Adventure/FMV]
F.E.A.R. (2005) [FPS/Horror]
Enslaved (2010) [Action-Adventure]
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (2010) [Fitness]
I know this looks like a lot, but I'm finally getting around to playing games that I bought years ago.
The Witcher is beautiful so far, but in order to play I had to download 2.5gb of patches, verify that I owned the game by entering a registration code and signing up on their website, then waiting over an hour for the patches to install. I can see why people use Steam and similar services, but I still prefer to own the discs. At least software developers seem to finally be recognizing that copy protection only hinders legitimate users of their software.
* I recently finished:
Dead Rising 2 (2010) [Action-Adventure]
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004) [RPG]
Drawn: Dark Flight (2010) [Adventure/Puzzle]
Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull (2010) [Adventure/Puzzle]
Dead Rising 2 was fantastic. Very similar to the original, but still good zombie bashing fun. I actually liked the prologue (
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero - available in the Xbox Live Marketplace for US$5) a bit more than the actual game. Not sure why. Maybe simply because the action didn't take place in a shopping mall.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines was one of the most immersive interactive gaming experiences I've had in a while. The open world and vast dialogue options, in addition to the ability to play through as various types of vampires (which significantly changes gameplay and how you interact with other characters and the environment), made it one that I will remember. Unfortunately, it's a tough game to find these days (I found my copy in a bargain bin at a used book store). However, it's still a fan favorite, and fans have continued to update/improve the game despite the company going under, so be sure to get the most recent patches if you do find it.
Drawn: Dark Flight (the second in a series) and
Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull (the seventh in a series) are both hidden object/adventure hybrids (more on the adventure end of things). I liked both of them quite a bit. They were creative, fun, and challenging.
13th Skull brought back the wonders of
FMV gaming (for better or worse). I love having real actors on screen, even when they can't act (that actually increases the entertainment value in my mind
).