{"id":1160,"date":"2014-06-27T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T17:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2014-06-27T10:40:00","modified_gmt":"2014-06-27T17:40:00","slug":"backlog-blitz-the-games-of-may-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1160","title":{"rendered":"Backlog Blitz: The games of May 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20140627_ghg_backlog_may_2014\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I stopped the bleeding (somewhat) in May. I bought 7 games and finished 6, so I was pretty happy about that. June is not looking pretty by any stretch of the imagination though — 9 bought and 2 finished with only 3 days left this month! — but I’ll hopefully be able to squeeze in one or two more before the year’s half over. Do or do not, there is no try, right? Anyway, the format,\u00a0like before<\/a>, is\u00a0Game\u00a0Title<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(Platform, Purchase Price, Play Time).<\/p>\n

Games purchased (-7, $108.25 spent):<\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. \"20140627_ghg_child_of_light_wallpaper\"<\/a>Child of Light\u00a0<\/i><\/b>(PC, $12.00)
    \nDeveloped with the UbiArt Framework engine, I’ve been looking forward to this RPG ever since I first saw it. Getting around to actually playing it is proving to be a bit challenging, but it’s one of those games I know will be a wonderful experience, and wanted to make sure I bought it at launch.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles<\/strong><\/em> (PS3, $10.00)
    \nSony had a good 50% off sale on PSN this month, and since I read that the original Tales of Symphonia<\/em> was one of the better ones in the series, I picked this up. I haven’t played or finished a Tales<\/em> game since Tales of Destiny<\/em> on the original PlayStation, so I’m sure I’m in for a surprise!<\/li>\n
  3. Sonic Hits Collection<\/strong><\/em> (PC, $7.50)
    \nNormally $30, I couldn’t pass up this nice discount on the Humble Store. It includes more Sonic<\/em> games than you can shake a stick at:\u00a0Dr. Robotnik\u2019s Mean Bean Machine,\u00a0Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed,\u00a0Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing,\u00a0Sonic 3 and Knuckles,\u00a0Sonic 3D Blast,\u00a0Sonic Adventure 2,\u00a0Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, \u00a0Sonic Adventure DX,\u00a0Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed: Metal Sonic & Outrun DLC,\u00a0Sonic CD,\u00a0Sonic Generations,\u00a0Sonic Generations \u2013 Casino Nights DLC,\u00a0Sonic Spinball,\u00a0Sonic the Hedgehog,\u00a0Sonic the Hedgehog 2,\u00a0Sonic the Hedgehog 4 \u2013 Episode 1, <\/em>and\u00a0Sonic the Hedgehog 4 \u2013 Episode 2.<\/em> Whew!<\/li>\n
  4. Saints Row IV<\/strong><\/em> (PC, $10.00)
    \nAnother 75% off title during May’s Humble Store sale. I never did get around to picking this up when it first came out — perhaps I was still feeling bitter about THQ’s demise — but I still have friends at Volition, so this one’s for them. If I remember right, IV<\/em> was originally supposed to be DLC for Saints Row: The Third<\/em>, so I’m curious to see how it holds up as a standalone product.<\/li>\n
  5. \"20140627_ghg_rogue_legacy\"<\/a>Rogue Legacy<\/strong><\/em> (PC, $3.75)
    \n75% off seems to be the sweet spot for me and most digital PC games. I remember my friends talking about this one last year, and I finally got around to buying it. It looks like just the kind of game I’m going to love and sink many, many hours into. Crazy-good animation and good, tight controls.<\/li>\n
  6. The Humble Bundle: PC & Android 10<\/strong><\/em> (PC\/Android, $5.00)
    \nAnother solid bundle to help build up my Steam and mobile gaming library. Good games, good cause. This one includes: Breach & Clear, Draw a Stickman: EPIC, Fieldrunners, Fieldrunners 2, Frozen Synapse, Galcon Fusion, Galcon Legends, Ittle Dew, METAL SLUG 3, Skulls of the Shogun<\/em>, and Symphony<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  7. Mario Kart 8<\/strong><\/em> (Wii U, $60.00)
    \nI don’t buy too many games full-price at retail, but in this case, I couldn’t help it. I started playing it immediately, and it’s easily the best\u00a0Mario Kart<\/em> game since the original SNES version, particularly after my disappointment with Mario Kart 7<\/em> on the 3DS. I still have a lot to do and unlock in the game, but it’s been so much fun, and getting the free game (I selected Pikmin 3<\/em>) was a very generous 2-for-1 gesture by Nintendo.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Games finished (+6, $83.00 value):<\/span><\/h1>\n
      \n
    1. Persona 4 Golden <\/strong><\/em>(Vita, $40.00, 60 hrs.)
      \nThis was the main reason — perhaps the only reason — why I originally wanted a Vita. I loved <\/em>Persona 3 Portable<\/em> on the PSP, and wanted to play its sequel in handheld form. I had some problems with it, even starting over on the easiest difficulty, and it still took a very long time to finish. I think these games are just a bit too long for their own good, but they’re still a lot of fun with great style, music, and gameplay. Overall: B+<\/strong> (      Review Link<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
    2. \"20140627_ghg_tearaway_wallpaper\"<\/a>Tearaway<\/strong><\/em> (Vita, $40.00, 10 hrs.)
      \nI’m about to throw in the towel for the second time on <\/em>LittleBigPlanet<\/em> because of its awful controls, but Media Molecule got that part right with <\/em>Tearaway<\/em>. The camera isn’t very good when it needs to be, but the total experience is just beautiful and very original. It’s my favorite game on the Vita. Overall: A<\/strong> (      Review Link<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
    3. Monument Valley<\/strong><\/em> (Android, Free, 2 hrs.)
      \nCriminally short, but a totally essential game on mobile. Wonderful use of color, an atmosphere that will remind you of <\/em>Journey<\/em> on the PS3, and mind-bending design all combine to deliver one of the best games I’ve played this year on Android. Overall: A-\u00a0<\/strong>(      Review Link<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
    4. The Room Two<\/strong><\/em> (Android, $3.00, 5 hrs.)
      \n<\/em>The Room<\/em> was a fantastic game, and its sequel is at least its equal, doing some things better and some things worse. I liked that it’s bigger, scarier, and of the same high quality that made the first game so memorable. However, making the game bigger means you have to move around more and get out of that zen-like dive into these puzzles that was so darn cool in the original. This makes puzzles more elaborate, but in a way, less intimate. Overall: A-<\/strong> (      Review Link<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
    5. \"20140627_ghg_castle_of_illusion_1990\"<\/a>Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse 1990<\/strong><\/em> (PS3, Free, 3 hrs.)
      \nJust as good as I remember from the Sega Genesis days. Inspired animation, a classic soundtrack, and lots of gameplay variety. The game is short, and the controls feel a little too rigid, but at least they’re accurate. Overall: B+<\/strong> (      Review Link<\/a>)<\/li>\n
    6. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse 2013<\/strong><\/em> (PS3, Free, 3 hrs.)
      \nThey had the right idea with this one, and I think in the hands of a better developer, it could have been something truly special, proudly standing next to the original. It has nice art, music, and level design, but the atrocious controls, lousy hit detection, and mediocre performance make it an average experience at best. Overall: C<\/strong> (      Review Link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      A -1 finish overall for the month, and I ended up $25.25 in the hole, which isn’t too bad. If I just had to pick one or two games to recommend to my readers, it’d be\u00a0Tearaway\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Monument Valley,\u00a0<\/em>two very unique gaming experiences that you won’t soon forget.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I stopped the bleeding (somewhat) in May. I bought 7 games and finished 6, so I was pretty happy about that. June is not looking pretty by any stretch of the imagination though — 9 bought and 2 finished with only 3 days left this month! — but I’ll hopefully be able to squeeze in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[428,427,267,116,9,77,102,109,16,74],"class_list":["post-1160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backlog-blitz","tag-android","tag-backlog-blitz","tag-genesis","tag-nintendo","tag-pc","tag-ps3","tag-sega","tag-sony","tag-vita","tag-wii-u"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4yrob-iI","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=24","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":0},"title":"The Backlog Blitz","author":"Mike","date":"April 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A few years ago, I realized that I was buying way too many games. Actually, this has been true for at least the past two decades, and well, I've known it all along. I mean, it's very easy to amass a large collection of games than you have yet to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"+12 for the year so far","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20140414blitz.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20140414blitz.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20140414blitz.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20140414blitz.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1030,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1030","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":1},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The games of April 2014","author":"Mike","date":"June 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I slipped in April. What can I say, there were some good sales! April was also the month I created GHG, so that ate significantly into my game playing time. I would make up for it in May, but June's not looking great so far. Anyway, the format, like previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140619_backlog_blitz_april_2014","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/20140619_backlog_blitz_april_2014-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1494,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1494","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":2},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The Games of July 2014","author":"Mike","date":"August 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After a huge drop in June, I nearly got myself back to May levels in July. I only bought one game, thanks to lackluster or nonexistent sales and a dry month at retail. I finished seven games, netting me a +6 total for last month. Anyway, the format,\u00a0as with previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140801_ghg_bb_july","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140801_ghg_bb_july-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1677,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1677","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":3},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The Games of August 2014","author":"Mike","date":"September 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Where does the time go? I can't believe it's already mid-September! It was a pretty even month, even though I did buy more than I finished. However, a couple of the games I finished rank as some of my favorites of the year so far, so I'm OK with that.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140916_ghg_backlog_aug_14","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140916_ghg_backlog_aug_14-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1712,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1712","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":4},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The Games of September 2014","author":"Mike","date":"October 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Hmm, going from a peak of +14 back in March to a +2 in September is not a good omen. After a good recovery in July and August, I've once again slipped into near-negative territory. As you'll see, several nice bundles are to blame, but I did finish a couple\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20141006_backlog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/20141006_backlog-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1210,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1210","url_meta":{"origin":1160,"position":5},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The games of June 2014","author":"Mike","date":"July 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"June hurt. A lot. Although I didn't spend a lot of money ($63.75), I only finished 2 games worth $20.00. With the year already halfway over, heading into July with only a +2 advantage isn't the most positive of omens. Let's hope the rest of the year turns things around!\u00a0Anyway,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140701_backlog_june","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/20140701_backlog_june-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1160"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1170,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions\/1170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}