Pickups June 2021June 30, 2021 admin

A load of good stuff added to the collection this month. Lets dive in.

Micro Arcade – Tetris

Retro Arcade Games the size of a credit card!
Never before has a full-size arcade game been played in an incredible compact credit card size! Measuring only 3.25 x 2 x .375 of an inch, MicroArcade is the ultimate travel game and easily fits in your pocket! Each game comes with a full color screen, cool sound effects, and directional control buttons, with a micro USB charger included. MicroArcade Series 1 features Pac-Man, Tetris, and an Atari Combo Card including Missile Command and Centipede, plus a bonus surprise game all in one! The MicroArcade games play just like the iconic full-size arcade versions with hundreds of levels.
This fast pace, tile-matching puzzle game will keep you on your toes! Seven different types of blocks continuously fall from above and you must arrange them to make horizontal rows of bricks. As you increase your skill, so does the pace of the falling bricks!

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £12.49 (HMV)

Tiny Arcade Q*bert Mini Arcade Cabinet

Go back in time with Tiny Arcade. All the original gameplay you loved in the 80’s are back… at your fingertips! It’s up to you to save the planet and galaxy, or maybe just avoid those pesky ghosts with the new Tiny Arcades! The most iconic arcade video games are back in a size that will fit in the palm of your hand! The screen size is less than 1.5 inches and the overall cabinet sizes are 4×2 inches. Each Tiny Arcade comes with the complete gameplay, full-colour, hi-res screen, authentic game sounds, joystick and two control buttons in a backlit arcade style cabinet. No coins or small change is needed!
Get ready to run and jump as you try to change the colour of the cubes by hopping onto them. When all the cubes in the pyramid have been changed to the destination colour you will advance to the next round.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £12.49 (HMV)

Tiny Arcade Frogger Mini Arcade Cabinet

An arcade golden age classic, Tiny Arcade Frogger is addicting and a must-have game for those long commutes. Players must guide Frogger from the bottom of the screen to the home at the top by hopping along perilous roads and rivers. At 3.5″ tall and 1.5″wide with joystick and button controls; it’s the smallest, fully-functional arcade game around!

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £12.49 (HMV)

Banjo-Kazooie – Nintendo 64

Banjo-Kazooie’s fairy tale back story is reminiscent of Snow White’s. A gnarled, ugly witch named Gruntilda asks her magical cauldron who is the fairest of them all. Of course, the pot’s answer doesn’t please the hag: he singles out Banjo’s sister, Tooty. When Tooty turns up missing, Banjo and his birdie buddy Kazooie set out to find her.
The worlds in Banjo-Kazooie are vast, and contain a variety of items to collect. Musical Notes, Puzzle Pieces (“Jiggies”), Mumbo Tokens, and Jinjoes are just some of the swag that Banjo must stuff in his backpack to complete his adventure. While some of the necessary items are simply stashed off the beaten path, others will require puzzle solving skills to turn up.

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £12 (Cash Converters)

Bust-A-Move 3 DX – Nintendo 64

One day, Dunk, the magic magician of Bubble World, releases a spell that transports eight characters from their home worlds to Bubble World. Now it is the player’s turn to bring them back home!
In Bust-A-Move 3, you must try to remove all the bubbles in each stage by connecting three or more of the same colour. The Nintendo 64 version also includes two and four-player modes.
Five playing modes are available:

  • Arcade mode.
  • Challenge mode: in this mode the player’s performance is evaluated and the game adapts to it.
  • Win Contest mode: challenge all eight characters.
  • Collection mode: a collection of levels created by Bust-A-Move players. Each round carries the designer’s name.
  • Edit mode: players can create and play their own puzzles.

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £16 (Cash Converters)

F-Zero X – Nintendo 64

Famed SNES racer F-Zero gets a 64-bit update. Gameplay remains essentially unchanged, race in a futuristic racing tournament on tracks levitated miles up in the air, against a selection of devious opponents.
While the original had 4 cars to choose from and race against, F-Zero X has no fewer than 30 vehicles all with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, a choice of colours, and customisable power/acceleration ratios for each track. At the beginning you are limited to choosing from 6 cars and 3 tournaments (each featuring 6 tracks each), but in true Nintendo fashion, more cars and tracks are unlocked as you progress through the game. As well as the cups, you can also race in time trial mode, against a ‘ghost car’ recording of your best previous lap, a lá Mario Kart 64.
Gone are the entirely flat tracks of the original, having been replaced with tracks that twist, turn, loop, rotate and basically contort into the most crazy shapes you could imagine. One unique feature amongst almost all other racing games is the “X” tournament, where courses are totally randomly generated each time you start.
One of the most important changes to the format is the inclusion of multiplayer support for up to 4 players. The various combat moves are especially important against aggressive human play.

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £8 (Cash Converters)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest – Nintendo SNES

Donkey Kong has been “kongnapped” by the nasty K. Rool and the Kremlings, and it is up to Diddy Kong and his girl-friend Dixie Kong to save him.
All the familiar enemies and helpful friends return, along with some new characters, including the wise Wrinkly Kong who will teach you some important lessons in gameplay. Again the emphasis is on banana collecting, where as every one hundred bananas makes one extra life. Apart from beating K. Rool and rescuing Donkey Kong, there are extra missions that can be completed. Collect enough K. Rool Kremkoins to open up the routes to the Lost World, while every level has a hidden Hero Coin to collect.
The Game Boy Advance version also includes a bonus game mode with three minigames (Expresso’s Racing, Funky’s Flights, and Bag a Bug) plus a time attack mode called Diddy’s Dash (complete levels as fast as possible as Diddy Kong). This version of the game also includes an additional boss (Kerozene) and two more collectibles (Golden Feathers that increase Expresso’s stats in the Expresso’s Racing bonus game and photographs that fill out a scrapbook). Due to the addition of the bonus games and the scrapbook 28 more Hero Coins were also added.

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £9.60 (Cash Converters)

Mario Kart DS – Nintendo DS

Mario Kart DS is the continuation of the long running racing game series that began on the Super Nintendo. It features 16 new tracks as well as 16 tracks from the previous 4 games, with each set split up into the Nitro and Retro Grand Prix respectively. Eight racers are initially available, each with two go-karts to choose from. A number of characters and additional karts are also available to unlock. New items have been added to the arsenal, including a Blooper squid that squirts ink onto the screens of other players and a Bullet Bill power up that transforms the player into a giant, fast-travelling bullet on autopilot.
I already had this game loose, so it was nice to upgrade that copy to a complete one. This game is also part of my top 10 quest.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £12 (Cash Converters)

Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 – Nintendo Gameboy Advance

Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 is a conversion of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, which stars the dinosaur Yoshi as the main character. It includes six secret levels not found in its SNES counterpart Following the same style in general as other Mario games, this is a platform game which involves you trying to get to the end of the levels while keeping Baby Mario safe from enemies.
This game contains Mario Bros., which is also available on Super Mario Advance and Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2.

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £6.40 (Cash Converters)

Nintendo Classic Mini NES Controller (Nintendo Wii and Wii U)

Now you can even enjoy playing many of these classic NES games together by attaching this second Nintendo Classic Mini: NES Controller. The Nintendo Classic Mini: NES Controller can also be used to play Virtual Console NES games on a Wii U or Wii console

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £9.60 (Cash Converters)

Nintendo Switch Lite

Please see separate page here

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £120 (Cash Converters)

Minecraft – Nintendo Switch

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures.
Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles. Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armour to fend off the dangerous mobs. Create, explore and survive alone or play with friends on all different devices.

Rating – Loose

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX – Nintendo Switch

A Legend Reborn – Dive into a stunning recreation of Alex Kidd in Miracle World with striking new art and tighter, more fluid controls.
New Modes – New modes such including ‘Classic Mode’ and ‘Boss Rush Mode’ will be available for players alongside the standard game.
New Levels – Experience new levels which expand the lore of the original game.
Alternative Boss Fights – New and improved boss fight mechanics with more intuitive combat.
Classic Mode – Experience the original game with boss fights, dialogue, levels and functions the same as the original Master System version.
New and remastered music – A wide array of reimagined music tracks as well as remastered tracks from the original classic game!

Rating – Complete, Including Keyring
Price Paid – £29.99 (Amazon)

Assassins Creed III: Remastered – Nintendo Switch

Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered is a remastered release of the 2012 game Assassin’s Creed III.
Released for the first time on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms, this version includes the main game, all three parts of The Tyranny of King Washington (The Infamy, The Betrayal and The Redemption) and the game Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD.
Aside from the removal of all multiplayer content, several improvements added in later installments of the Assassin’s Creed series have been implemented. Players can now whistle from inside bushes, instead of only from behind cover. It has become easier to double assassinate people, and Connor is now able to free-aim his long ranged weapons. The UI has been optimized for color blind people, several weapons have been added and and the game features a new in-game economy.
Several legacy outfits were added to the game. It is now possible to dress up Connor as Edward Kenway, Arno Dorian, Bayek of Siwa, Alexios of Sparta, amongst others.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £13 (Cash Converters)

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Sony Playstation 5

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a 2021 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. It is the sixteenth instalment in the Ratchet & Clank series. The game takes place following the events of Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus.
The game shares many gameplay similarities with Ratchet & Clank (2016) and other entries in the series. It retains elements of previous Ratchet & Clank games, such as strafing, gunplay, collection of bolts, automatic weapon and health upgrades, manual Raritanium weapon upgrading and gadgets. The main playable character is Ratchet. He is accompanied by his robotic friend and sidekick Clank, who is hung on his back. Additionally, the game has a playable female Lombax named Rivet. The player navigates Ratchet and Rivet through diverse environments across a multitude of levels, defeating enemies with an array of varied weapons and gadgets, and traversing obstacles to complete key mission objectives.
The game introduces to the series the concept of real-time near instantaneous travel between different areas, planets and other worlds within gameplay scenes via a system of inter-dimensional portals. In order for the player to utilize this feature, a new mechanic dubbed the “Rift Tether” is introduced in Ratchet and Rivet’s arsenal that pulls them from one side of a portal to another, allowing them to move quickly between points. The game features the return of planets explored in previous entries with a dimensional twist, through their alternate counterparts, alongside new planets not seen previously in the franchise. The game features enhanced mobility and traversal options with the addition of moves such as dashing and wall running. In addition, the game’s arsenal features a mix of brand new weapons and returning classics from prior instalments.

Rating – Sealed In Box
Price Paid – £0 (Came With PS5 Bundle For Sons Birthday)

Resident Evil: Village – Sony Playstation 5

Resident Evil Village is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. The sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017), players control Ethan Winters, who is searching for his kidnapped daughter; after a fateful encounter with Chris Redfield, he finds himself in a village filled with mutant creatures. While Village maintains the Resident Evil series’ survival horror elements, the game adopts a more action-oriented gameplay style compared to its predecessor.

Set a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard, the all-new storyline begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living peacefully in a new location, free from their past nightmares. Just as they are building their new life together, tragedy befalls them once again.

• First-Person Action – Players will assume the role of Ethan Winters and experience every up-close battle and terrifying pursuit through a first-person perspective.
• Familiar Faces and New Foes – Chris Redfield has typically been a hero in the Resident Evil series, but his appearance in Resident Evil Village seemingly shrouds him in sinister motives. A host of new adversaries inhabiting the village will relentlessly hunt Ethan and hinder his every move as he attempts to make sense of the new nightmare he finds himself in.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £25 (Family Member)

Watch Dogs: Legion – Sony Playstation 5

Watch Dogs: Legion is an action game and the third instalment in the Watch Dogs series, and the sequel to Watch Dogs 2. The game is set within an open world, fictionalised representation of London, and features the ability to take control of any character that is encountered. Characters can be recruited across the game’s setting and can be permanently lost during the course of a playthrough if players have the permadeath option enabled. Each character has a different background and abilities that allow for a large amount of different approaches to completing missions working for the hacking group DedSec with a narrative that focuses on fighting back against a surveillance state. The game has action both on foot and using vehicles. The game features cooperative multiplayer that allows up to four players to work together.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £25 (Cex)

Google Stadia: Premiere Edition

Please see separate page here

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £20 (Cash Converters)

Microsoft Xbox Series X

Please see separate page here

Rating – Complete (Includes 3 Months Games Pass Ultimate)
Price Paid – £486.97 (Very.com)

Commodore Amiga 500+ Bundle

Please see separate page here

This computer bundle came with 26 games, they are,

  • Street Fighter II (Complete)
  • Bubble Bobble (Complete)
  • Gemini Wing (Complete)
  • Viz (Complete)
  • Quadralien (Complete)
  • Powerplay: The Game Of The Gods (Complete)
  • Shufflepuck Cafe (Complete)
  • Datastorm (Complete)
  • Tower Of Babel (Complete)
  • Soccer (Complete)
  • Dungeon Quest (Complete)
  • E-Motion (Complete)
  • Grand Monster Slam (Complete)
  • Push-Over (Complete)
  • Space Station (Complete)
  • Frost Byte (Complete)
  • Karting Grand Prix (Complete)
  • Hotshot (Complete)
  • Striker (Boxed No Manual)
  • Pinball Dreams (Complete)
  • Zool (Complete)
  • TransWrite (Complete)
  • Deluxe Paint III (Loose)
  • Captain Planet And The Planeteers (Complete)
  • Lemmings (Complete)
  • The Simpsons: Bart Vs The Space Mutants (Loose)

Rating – Boxed No Manual
Price Paid – £160 (Cash Converters)

Bundle Of Wii U Games

I was browsing the Cash Converters Website and noticed that they had a listing for a Wii U console with games for £100. I quickly realised that if I ordered it, then when it came, sell the console, I could then have the games for considerably less than if I was to buy them separately. So that is exactly what I did.

Super Mario 3D World – Nintendo Wii U

Super Mario 3D World is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U in November 2013. It is the sixth original 3D platform game in the Super Mario series and the sequel to Super Mario 3D Land (2011) for the Nintendo 3DS. The game follows Mario and friends attempting to rescue fairy-like creatures called Sprixies from Bowser, who invades the realm known as the Sprixie Kingdom. The gameplay is similar to previous instalments of the series, with players passing through individual levels to reach Bowser. The game features a character selector as well as introducing a power-up called the Super Bell, which turns the player into a cat, enabling them to climb walls and use a scratch attack.
The game levels play similarly to those of Super Mario 3D Land, which combine the free-roaming gameplay of the Super Mario franchise’s 3D games with the mechanics of its 2D side-scrollers, including a timer and a level-ending flagpole. Up to four concurrent players may control player characters, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, and the unlockable Rosalina. Similar to their appearances in Super Mario Bros. 2, each of the characters possesses unique abilities and controls differently: Mario has balanced running speed and jump height; Luigi jumps higher and falls slower, but has slightly lower traction; Peach can jump and briefly float through the air, but runs slowly; Toad runs the fastest, but cannot jump as high and falls faster; Rosalina can use the spin attack move as seen in the Super Mario Galaxy games, but has the slowest running speed. The player can select any of the five characters to use before beginning a level, and up to four players may explore the same level simultaneously, sharing from a pool of lives. Players are also able to pick up, carry, and throw each other.

Rating – Boxed No Manual
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo Wii U

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[b] is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles. Breath of the Wild is part of the Legend of Zelda franchise and is set at the end of the Zelda timeline; the player controls Link, who awakens from a hundred-year slumber to defeat Calamity Ganon and save the kingdom of Hyrule.
Similar to the original The Legend of Zelda (1986) game, players are given little instruction and can explore the open world freely. Tasks include collecting multipurpose items to aid in objectives or solving puzzles and side quests for rewards. The world is unstructured and designed to reward experimentation, and the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Nintendo Wii U

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube home video game console. The tenth instalment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in 2002.
The game is set on a group of islands in a vast sea, a departure for the series. The player controls series protagonist Link as he attempts to save his sister from the sorcerer Ganon and becomes embroiled in a struggle for the Triforce, a sacred wish-granting relic. Aided by allies including pirate captain Tetra – an incarnation of Princess Zelda – and a talking boat named the King of Red Lions, Link sails the ocean, explores islands, and traverses dungeons to acquire the power necessary to defeat Ganon. Wind, which facilitates sailing, plays a prominent role and can be controlled with a magic conductor’s baton called the Wind Waker.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

Assassins Creed III – Nintendo Wii U

Assassin’s Creed III is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth major instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series, and a direct sequel to 2011’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. The game was released in 2012
The plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles who, with the aid of a machine known as the Animus, relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The main story is set in the 18th century, before, during and after the American Revolution from 1754 to 1783, and follows Desmond’s half-English, half-Mohawk ancestor, Ratonhnhaké:ton aka Connor, as he fights the Templars’ attempts to gain control in the colonies. Connor’s father and the leader of the Colonial Templars, Haytham Kenway, is also playable during the first portion of the game.
Assassin’s Creed III is set in an open world and presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on using Desmond and Connor’s combat and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. Connor is able to freely explore 18th-century Boston, New York City, and the American frontier to complete side missions away from the primary storyline. The game also features a multiplayer component, allowing players to compete online to complete solo and team-based objectives including assassinations and evading pursuers.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham – Nintendo Wii U

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is the third LEGO game based on DC Comics characters. While it prominently features Batman and his supporting cast, as indicated by the subtitle it moves beyond Gotham City into all corners of the DC universe, featuring the Justice League, the Legion of Doom and several Lantern Corps, with all sorts of heroes and villains making an appearance, and the story moving from Earth to outer space and several other planets.
The story picks up from the teaser at the end of the previous game, with Brainiac approaching Earth. He captures several Lanterns to gain possession of their power rings, which he plans to use to shrink the Earth and add it to his collection. Meanwhile, the Legion of Doom, led by Lex Luthor and the Joker, plan to capture the Justice League’s Watchtower space station. However, faced with this new threat against the entire planet, both heroes and villains must team up to defeat Brainiac.
The game follows the template established by earlier LEGO games: players control several characters, and must use their special abilities to fight enemies, overcome obstacles and solve environment-based puzzles. Abilities include the use of projectile weapons, explosives or grappling hooks, x-ray vision, various beams (laser, sonic, ice), mind control, smashing walls, illuminating dark areas, and many more.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition – Nintendo Wii U

Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum and once again stars the masked superhero Batman as the protagonist. The game takes place a year and a half after the events of the original game. After Joker was stopped from taking over the asylum, the asylum’s former warden Quincy Sharp claims the responsibility for having averted disaster and he uses the popularity to become mayor of Gotham City. To suppress crime further, an enormous open-air prison called Arkham City is built. Citizens (as well as journalists in particular) are under strict supervision and the slightest disturbance is sufficient to be transferred to the prison. Sharp is assisted by psychiatrist Hugo Strange and hires the armed forces of the rogue security firm TYGER Security to maintain order. The story for Batman starts when he, as Bruce Wayne, is sent to Arkham City after declaring his opposition to the facility in a press conference.
The game has an open world environment for Batman to explore with secondary objectives and paths next to the main storyline. Just like the first game, Batman has access to a large amount of melee fighting moves that can be chained into combos and throws, as well as a large arsenal of gadgets used in combat, to solve puzzles, or to travel through the environment. Most situations offer the choice to go head-on, or move more silently by gliding and using stealth. At the start of the game Batman has all the gadgets from the first game, with improved abilities, and new ones become available later on.

Rating – Boxed No Manual
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

Lego Jurassic World – Nintendo Wii U

LEGO Jurassic World is an action game based on the four Jurassic Park movies and released alongside the 2015 movie Jurassic World. As with many other Tt Games titles it adapts a licensed franchise to a world built up out of LEGO bricks. The game consists of 20 levels, five for each of the movies, played in succession. The game borrows many iconic moments from the films using the original audio clips and often adds a humorous twist.
The game uses the typical gameplay where each level is played with a different group of characters that smash objects and solve environment based puzzles, often by switching between characters to use specific abilities. These include digging, cutting through foliage, gliding, climbing up walls, grappling, interacting with technology panels, scanning tracks, shooting targets, examining dung, grow vegetation, shatter glass, taking pictures, opening locks and more. There are over 100 characters to unlock, including 20 playable dinosaurs also with specific abilities.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £6.28 (Cash Converters Online)

F.E.A.R. Bundle – Microsoft Xbox 360

F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon is a horror first person shooter (FPS) that resembles a cross between Doom 3, Half-Life, and the Ring horror movies. Demons are replaced by cloned soldiers and the element of horror revolves around an image of a spectral girl always appearing when least expected for a few fleeting moments.
The player sets out as a member of a specialized strike force dealing with unknown threats. Initially, the player starts with mundane weapons, which are well presented, and progress gradually towards more sci-fi ones as the danger increases. The player can also call upon a bullet-time ability which slows down time around the player and is realised with impressive visual and aural effects by the game engine.
The game takes place in a certain multi-billion aerospace installation which has been hijacked by an elite team of cloned soldiers gone rogue and an unknown supernatural force (which is likely controlling or affecting them in some way). Both threats must be identified and countered.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £1.60 (Cash Converters)

F.E.A.R. 2

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is the sequel to F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon and continues the series’ trademark blend of supernatural horror and suspense. Many mechanics from the original first-person shooter have made their way into the game, like slow motion bullet time, and intelligent AI. New gameplay elements have also been introduced, like grab and drag movable cover, combat mechs, and iron sight aiming. The environments are now more open and less linear than those in the first game, and are also more diverse.
Point-Man, the protagonist of the first F.E.A.R. has been replaced by a new playable character, Michael Becket, a Delta Force operator who has been sent on a mission to arrest Armacham president Genevieve Aristide approximately 30 minutes before the ending of the first game. Alma, the strange little girl returns to give you scares and also assist you at some points.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £1.60 (Cash Converters)

F.3.A.R.

F.3.A.R. (or F.E.A.R. 3) starts with an introduction explaining the events of the previous games. The antagonist of the first game, Paxton Fettel, frees the Point Man from an asylum, where he was interrogated by the Armacham security. Together with Fettel, the player is tasked with finding a fellow operative Jin Sun-Kwon, and uncover the truth behind Alma and the evil Armacham corporation that created her. The story can also be played in co-op mode which allows a second player to play as Fettel and use psychic abilities to fight alongside the other player.
The player has to use several guns varying from pistols to rocket launchers to fight off enemy soldiers, monsters and a hostile cult who used to be the residents of the city. Just like in other F.E.A.R. games the player can use his own psychic ability which slows everything around him down, so he can shoot the enemies without them firing back as much. A new option for the player is to hide behind cover and wait for an opportunity to fire at enemies. Another returning feature are the sequences when the player steals a combat robot and can massacre the enemies with rockets while they fire hopelessly at him or her.
Very often there is nothing to shoot and the game instead focuses on scaring the player. This often happens in areas marked by blood on the walls, broken lighting, etc. There is a variety of monsters that can stalk the player as well as the earlier mentioned cult. Alma Wade also tends to show herself and jump at the player before fading away.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £1.60 (Cash Converters)

Resident Evil – Nintendo Gamecube

Special forces S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team’s helicopter malfunctioned and crashed during their mission, disappearing into the Arklay Mountains. This and what happens to them is told in the story of Resident Evil Zero. Now, S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team is sent on a mission to investigate a series of murders around Raccoon Forest. Spotting the Bravo team’s helicopter, or what’s left of it, they land nearby and investigate the surrounding area. Unaware of what they might expect, one member is attacked and devoured by zombified Dobermans. The rest of the team, with a little bit of luck, find shelter in a nearby mansion, not knowing it was probably better to stay out.
The GameCube and the later Wii versions are largely a remake of the original Resident Evil for the PlayStation, with some additions. While the floorplan of the returning locations is almost entirely unchanged, several new areas have been added in, extending your stay in the mansion. A new enemy, Lisa, has been added to the game, making your trips outside of the mansion much more dangerous. Finally killing a zombie is now no longer good enough to put them to rest. They must be destroyed totally with fire or else they will rise again; faster, deadlier, and madder than before.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £4.99 (Cash Converters Online)

Pikmin – Nintendo Gamecube

After crashing on a strange unexplored planet, Captain Olimar must gather the thirty missing parts of his space ship, before his life support runs out in thirty days and he succumbs to the planet hostile atmosphere. Luckily the Pikmin, a plant/insect life form native to the planet, are there to help him. Olimar must gather and lead the Pikmin in this real time strategy game to collect the missing pieces of his ship while combating the planet’s strange and sometimes hostile flora and fauna.
The Pikmin come in three varieties with each a special ability. Red Pikmin are immune to fire while blue Pikmin are able to swim and yellow Pikmin can be thrown far. Aside from the story mode there is a Challenge Mode that is unlocked after all the types of Pikmin are discovered in the story mode. The goal in this mode is to grow as many Pikmin as possible in a single day.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £14.99 (Cash Converters Online)

Fathers Day Gifts

As it was Fathers day this month, I was given a few gifts, a couple of games to add to my Top 10 Quest and a messenger bag I’ve wanted for a while.

Virtua Fighter – Sega Saturn

Virtua Fighter is considered one of the progenitors of one-on-one fighting games with fully 3D environments and characters. The fighters and arenas are rendered in flat-shaded polygons. Unlike many fighting games, Virtua Fighter focuses on gameplay based on actual fighting styles, rather than outrageous special moves and storylines.
There are eight fighters to choose from in Virtua Fighter, and an equal number of fighting backdrops in which to compete. Each fighter has a distinctive fighting style, and their own set of signature moves.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £0 (Fathers Day Gift)

Virtua Fighter 2 – Sega Saturn

One year after after the first tournament Akira, Wolf, Pai, Jeffry, Kage, Jacky, Sarah and defending champion Lau are invited to the World Fighting Tournament, and are joined by the master of drunken Kung-Fu Shun-di, who wants to prove he’s more than an old geezer and Lion Rafale, who’s fighting for his freedom. Each fighter has his own style, from the lightning fast attacks of Pai to the powerful slams of Jeffry.
Game modes include classic arcade mode, 2P vs mode, Expert mode (where the computer character progressively learns and counters players’ technique), Ranking Mode (similar to Arcade, but at the end, a fighting style analysis is shown based on number of specials and time to knock down an opponent), Team Battle Mode (two teams composed of five fighters go against each other, the first to beat five characters being the winner) and Watch mode (allows choosing two fighters and then see them fighting). Gameplay keeps the same style from the first game, adding more moves to each fighters’ roll. Using a three-key layout (block, kick and punch, being possible to assign button combinations to the extra keys) the player is able to control their fighter, aiming to knock or push the opponent outside the rink inside the time limit. Combo moves range from the quickest, which require the player to push up to five buttons quickly, to strong moves that require more button presses along d-pad nudges to be successful. As with the previous game, fighting is realistic (except the physics-defying leaps), and each fighter has nothing but their body to harm the opponent.

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £0 (Fathers Day Gift)

ATARI Messenger Bag

ATARI Messenger Bag with Japanese Logo, Crimson Red
Show your love for Atari and classic retro gaming with this great high quality Atari messenger bag. With spacious interior, perfect for carrying all of your old carts and discs or even just for school. Adjustable straps make it suitable for all ages and the zipped inner pocket makes a great space for keeping things secure.
Key Features:
Crimson red messenger bag with white Japanese Atari logo
Large interior and zip-up front pocket
Dual lock system
Shoulder strap
Made from polyester

Rating – Complete
Price Paid – £0 (Fathers Day Gift)