Aaron and Tyler have each crafted ingenius methods to deal with PSN being down, while Doug has continued to play old games because that’s what you do with limited resources. Of course, this being life, not everything has gone perfectly well, but to say any more would spoil the fun!

And with that, to the Backlog!

Aaron

Aaron honest-to-god accidentally bought this game in his sleep. Seriously. Doesn't make Section 8 any better, though.

What a week. I had a schedule shift at work, which meant that I had three days off, worked two days and then had another three days to relax. I love it when computer-based schedules cause strange occurrences like that.

I’ve been in a holding pattern with Portal 2, mostly due to the ongoing PSN debacle. Eventually I will finish the singleplayer game I began on my console, and even though nothing involving the mega-hack is preventing me from doing that I just don’t feel like turning on my PS3 right now.  When I look at that console, I feel very let down.

Yet I haven’t stopped playing those silly ol’ vidyagames. On Tuesday I picked up DJ Hero 2 at Toys ‘R’ Us for $19.99. What a beautiful deal — it even came with the turntable!

So far I’m very impressed at how the second DJ Hero is presented, which is as an accessible and polished rhythm game not caught up in the overburdened feature set common to the contemporary Rock Band and Guitar Hero titles. I’m not an expert on a lot of electro/trance/techno-pop, but the soundtrack is diverse while being recognizable. It’s also an easy-to-learn-yet-nigh-impossible-to-master experience for the halfhearted fake music game enthusiast like myself.

And in an astonishing newsflash filed under “Aaron is fucking stupid,” I fell asleep this past Monday evening all delicately (and dare I say sexily) sprawled on my bed, unaware of the mischief that would soon ensue. At some point during my slumber I managed to roll onto my Xbox 360 controller, turn on the console and, using some unknown appendages, purchase Section 8: Prejudice from one of the dashboard’s promotional windows.

I woke up an hour later and heard the console purring away — the hard drive processing all its new, bullshit data. When I saw my 1600 points had dwindled to 400…I flipped. Then I tried playing the game, and flew into a deeper rage. Apparently no one told all of the bromigo fans of Halo and Call of Duty that they shouldn’t waste their years studying programming and game development to make a horrible, bastard clone of said franchises.

Section 8: Prejudice is so, so bad.

Like…really bad.

Doug

Previously, this was about as far as Doug got playing through Link to the Past. Clearly, this needs to be rectified.

Some weeks you don’t do much gaming at all. Other times, you play the hell out of just one game. This week, though, I’ve been all over the proverbial board, playing a wide range of games.

Most of this week’s contributions can be found here, in the LIGHTNING ROUND *thunder clap sounds* Retrospective Overdrive article. I plan to do this at least once more, FYI, so please send any suggestions you may have in to the proper authorities. I don’t want to be too redundant but man, the early Sonic the Hedgehog games are still damn fun to play. I may love Sonic 2 over the others thanks to nostalgia, but they’re just flat-out great games. Hard to complain there.

I’m also making good on the promise to finally legitimately dig into Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Now if I can only survive making a run through the East Palace I’ll be farther into that game than I’ve ever been. It’s a fantastic playing game so far, I can’t imagine how fun it will be once more abilities open up.

However, this week has also been a bit frustrating. In doing research for that article, I surfed my way down a k-hole and wound up trying to set up MAME on my computer. Or, rather, to get MAME to behave on my computer. I’m hardly inexperienced running emulators, but this felt like trying to work on an Italian car or something else that blends frustration with confusion. To finalize the comparison, I think my computer even had an electrical fire.

Okay, so maybe that’s a lie. But still, once I figured out what the stupid thing wanted me to try and do things got a bit better, but then the emulator wouldn’t read some of my games? Oi. I’ve since thrown all those files in the bin but I’d like to start fresh again eventually.

Lastly, in further news regarding frustrations, I tried to get a copy of the Utopia boot disc for Dreamcast working. All I succeeded in doing was turning three perfectly good CD-Rs into coasters. I know there are some tricks to doing this via OS-X, but dang, I just want that to work. If anyone can lend some expertise, I promise this is for a good (and legal!) cause. If you know your Sasquatch history, you might be able to figure out why I’d be looking to get this working…any help will be repaid with effusive praise for your efforts on our site.

Tyler

Pictured above is Tyler's Destroyer, Charles, and his faithful canine companion, Barkley. That's not turrible!

There was a good five years of my life I might have classified myself as a ‘PC Gamer’. I built my own machine, went to LAN parties (remember those?) and preached the superiority of mouse and keyboard controls over joypads. During that same period, however, in my vocabulary RPG still referred to Final Fantasy and while I experimented (like we all do at that age) with Forgotten Realms games such as Icewind Dale, none of them really stuck with me. My friends and I mostly rotated between Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament and the occasional game of Starcraft. Unfortunately, I’m terrible at real-time strategy games in general so my first exposure to Blizzard’s triage of PC franchises left a sour taste in my mouth so I stayed with shooters.

The last time I lived in Japan was the end of my PC gaming days. I couldn’t afford to keep my machine up to date with the latest parts and games, and I needed a laptop for a summer study abroad program I was enrolled in at Nihon University in Tokyo. A friend was nice enough to loan me his Powerbook G4. For those unfamiliar with Apple’s history, this was before they switched to Intel processors, so Boot Camp and Windows were not an option. My only gaming outlets for that summer were my Gameboy Advance SP and the Blizzard games my friend had previously installed on his computer. This is where my love for Diablo II began.

In retrospect, I think it might be the same factor that hooks me in achievements or trophies badges that appeals to me about the Diablo style of games. It is of course naturally dependent on how you play and on what difficulty level, but these games are never about story or strategy. Watching someone else play, it appears terribly tedious. It just looks like you’re clicking the mouse…a lot. No, these games are all about one word: loot. Most of it’s imitators adapted the Diablo-esque color-coded system of item classification: common drops are white, enhanced are green, rare are purple and uniques are orange. Similar to Sony’s tiered trophies and Microsoft’s point-value achievements, it’s easy to deduce value. It becomes even more rewarding when you can see the equipment on your miniature avatar slicing or spell-casting their way through the hordes. These are constant reminders of your progression. Once hooked, a player can spend literally hundreds of hours playing through these games and never feel the tedium because of that constant sense of achievement and the thought that you’re always just five minutes away from finishing a quest, leveling up, or getting enough gold for that next weapon.

With the PlayStation Network down, rather than rage against Sony, hackers and the world *cough* Aaron, I took the opportunity to jump into some old Steam-Play games I have on my MacBook. Runic Games’ Torchlight is the latest Diablo-style RPG to sink it’s teeth into me. Though to call it Diablo-like is being modest, Torchlight is essentially bargain-brand Diablo. Granted, it at least has authenticity as original Blizzard team members started Runic, but the title’s imitation could not be more blatant. With no release date currently given for Diablo III, however, I don’t mind the plagiarism; in fact I welcome it. Torchlight scratches the itch for a loot-focused RPG cilck-a-thon in all the right places. The only ways it is lacking should be fulfilled in the sequel, which is set for release this summer: these shortcomings include co-op play, new classes and some more variety in towns and characters. I still hope the troubles facing PSN will be adequately resolved soon but in the meantime I just need one more level before I can equip these boots.

Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.

Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.

Anyway, let’s get down to it.

Sam and a friend practice their headbanging skills for next year's Death Metal Expo in Finland

Aaron

What a low-key week for my gaming escapades — let me tell you somethin’. I finally capped off my time with Mass Effect 2 by beating the Insanity playthrough I started last month. I’m glad to put that game to rest for a while, despite my adoration for it. Or I was glad: Word hit the blogs yesterday that another DLC mission is coming. Knowing that I’ll buy this “Overlord” pack, even though I’m moving on to greener gaming pastures soon (Red Dead Redemption!), makes me a bit sad. What is free will if I choose not to exercise it?

Maybe I should have dubbed this Backlog entry “Aaron is a Hardcore Machine Fueled by Sex Appeal and Intelligence.” Why? Well, in addition to beating ME2 on its highest difficulty, I also completed Splinter Cell: Conviction on Realistic, which is the pinnacle of Sam Fisher-ness. Yeah, I pretty much did it for the achievements. There’s a bit less shame when I admit that fact to everyone.

Also, contrary to my statement above, I’m not a hardcore machine fueled by sex appeal and intelligence. I thought that needed some clarification. No, in reality I’m a soft-core primate fueled by carbohydrates and self-deprecation.

And on a final note, I’m receiving personal compensation from the insurance company from the accident I mentioned in the last Backlog to the sweet, sweet tune of $300. Because I’m going to be working this summer anyway, I’ve decided that this check will be used irresponsibly for the purchase of a new gaming console. Now I need your help in choosing either a PS3 or a Wii. I have my own pros and cons for each, but additional perspectives would be welcome. I’d like to read about why you yourself enjoy either console, and not such arguments as the following: “Lulz Ps4: it haz betur gaimms THAN teh Wii-nis!1111!!2

One…more…game…just one more, I promise, then I'll write my Backlog…

Doug

Sorry, too busy to write a Backlog contribution this week. Nah, it’s not homework. Nah, not finals. Nah, not family.

What’s that? Oh, sorry, was too busy playing Bejeweled Blitz to hear your question.

Yes. You may scoff; you may laugh. I am absolutely addicted to Bejeweled right now, and it’s actually not because of the game. It is a well-designed PopCap game, this is very true. However, the reason why I’m addicted to playing the Blitz mode both on my iPhone and on Facebook is because of the meta-game that’s been crafted.

If you tie in to your Facebook account, it will compare your score to your friends. The leaderboard resets every week, but amongst my grad school friends, it is a hotly contested timekiller right now. Yes, there is Bejeweled smack talk going back and forth, for what it is worth. I just know that I’m absolutely terrible and getting my ass routinely kicked by a group of Thai girls. My sense of nerd pride is somehow not okay with this.

I’m also still battling Nick and a few others on Words with Friends — still open to challenges! The more games of Scrabble, the better.

In more hardcore gaming news, I’ve spent some time again this week in Forza Motorsport 3 preparing for a racing series hosted on one of the forums I’m on, and also a bit with PES 2010. For PES, I’m still working on my Master League saves, but I’m also trying to go get some of the low-hanging achievements to help boost the ‘ol gamerscore.

I’ve also been playing Super Street Fighter 4 some more as well. I tried going back to a little SSFIITHDR earlier this week (a friend in grad school wants to throw down on some old-school SFII) and it was very hard to go back to, simply because I feel like SFIV (and Super in particular) is such a great evolution of the Street Fighter gameplay style. I played for damn near an hour online with Nick last night, and though he kicked my ass most of the time, I was improving…and still having a ton of fun. What a game. It’s well worth the $40.

Lastly, since Steam is now available for Mac, I’ve gotten my account set up and downloaded a few titles. Apparently I can’t run Portal on my era of MacBook, which makes me sad…but at least I’ve got Torchlight! I need to spend some time on that; between class, SSFIV, and not bringing my wireless mouse with me, I haven’t spent any time with it yet at all.

Oh well; I wasn't too attached to living anyway

Nick

My mind may be working overtime to learn the nuances of Super Street Fighter 4, but my heart belongs to Demon’s Souls — and maybe not in a good way. I recently picked up a copy of the hard-as-nails RPG expecting to stand a fighting chance against its ruthless challenges and devious traps, but man, I really wasn’t prepared. No amount of playing Diablo 2 on hardcore could have prepared me for the frustration that comes with losing half an hour’s worth of progress because of one stupid misstep or late parry.

But the strange thing is that I love the game. It’s got that sort of slow-burn enjoyment that requires a hefty investment into its learning curve up front, but after a few hours things start to click. You learn from all your mistakes, and eventually you develop the skills to explore and defend yourself without dying every few minutes.

After six hours of play, during which I started the entire game over with a new character three times, I finally took down the first demon and progressed onto the second area. If you make it this far — if you stick with it, despite its valiant efforts to batter you into submission — you’re in for an absolutely top-notch game.

I also want to mention that I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the English translation of Mother 3. It’s been about 15 years since I finished Earthbound, and I never imagined I’d get the chance to play a game that maintains the same strange feel and wit that made Earthbound so distinct. Mother 3 is better than Earthbound, and if that’s not reason enough to play a game, I really don’t know what is. It proves that no story is too difficult to portray in a believable, immersive way on even the most limited hardware. If you have the means to play it, it’s absolutely worth the effort.

Apparently the original image was unceremoniously stolen from someone's Flickr account. Sorry about that!

Intrigue! Wonder! SCIENCE! There is no time for pre-break paraphrasing of the vast and riddle-laden mysteries nestled within this week’s backlog. They are too great. Too fragile, perhaps. Inadequate minds would be at a loss if I just threw out the summarized refuse of what might possibly be our worst best backlog ever. I, a humble scribe of purely narratorial (new word) intentions, can barely contain myself during this soon-to-be historical moment; all of this feverish typing is done so with the tight, icy hand of anticipation musing its bony little fingernails into my literary jugular. It commands more words, and bigger and longer and shorter verbs; it shrieks, “More! And faster, and BETTER punctuation, FEWER dashes, that is a GERUND, now use that exclamation point here, stop with the italics because no one likes those! ADVERB!” This entire paragraph is simply devoid of any merit, but I’m still writing!

The tension is building, dear reader. Do you dare click the “Read the rest of this entry” link? Do you? Horrors never seen, never smelled or touched, wait beneath the artificially tranquil whiteness of the CRT monitor in front of you — a beacon of glory with its Bauhaus collage of cat hair, flakes of skin and Taco Bell Fire Sauce fingerprints. You’re expecting something now, something major — possibly even satisfactory or mildly amusing. Do not. Don’t. Placing trust in our ability to “journal” is foolish, and the oily gremlins of disappointment will suck you through that humming, buzzing radiation box to a world of malcontent and pointlessness. But, I ask again, are you nevertheless prepared?

No? You’re not going to click it? After I birthed all of that fluffed up prose — 13 minutes of my life to be clear — above? Wow. Thanks. Really cool of you, man. I’ll be over here kicking rocks with my hands in my pockets, and hanging my head in disappointment.

Anyway…I lied. Here’s the summary: Doug’s M.I.S. (missing in school), Nick’s manifesto has been uncovered by baffled authorities, and I spew some less ridiculous bull and talk about what I played. Hooray! We’re a bit strange this time around.

The deceptive, siren-y beauty of Dragon Age: Origins has cracked Nick

Nick:

Editor’s Note: We thank our readers for their unwavering support over the last week. Thankfully, after having been missing for six days, Nick was discovered by Humboldt County police huddled between two dumpsters behind the Burger King clutching a foam broadsword between his limbs. A search of his apartment yielded the following journal entries:

Hour 1 — I just bought Dragon Age, and I’m already wondering just what I was thinking. Baldur’s Gate was awfully boring, and this is practically the same thing. I mean, c’mon — magic? Dragons? Long-winded conversations with one-dimensional characters? Puh-lease.
Hour 7 — It is now 5:20 in the morning and I haven’t left my desk chair for any reason other than to relieve myself. The last two hours were spent in my party’s camp trying to sweet-talk Alistair into having sex with my elf rogue. Should I have ethical qualms about seducing such an earnest person? I mean, he’s so sincere and charming and…and…He’s an excellent tank. I’ll need to keep an eye on his strength stat, though. Yeah.
Hour 19 — I’ve completed 23% of what the game has to offer. It occurs to me that content will probably be release faster than I can finish it. Fortunately, my aspirations died months ago and I wasn’t really planning on doing much else.
Hour 38 — Still not sure how to parse my feelings about Alistair. Spent a long time staring at the mirror this morning.
Hour 43 — Tried to explain to my significant other why bringing Dragon Age into our household could be good for both of us. Frustrated to discover my master persuasion skill doesn’t apply to reality. I don’t think she’ll be back.
Hour 92 – I need to know everything. All of Ferelden’s secrets; every conceivable outcome; every nuance of every party member. What makes them tick? What happens if I change my behavior ever so slightly? Dell shipped another six computers today. Expensive? Maybe. But a mere pittance for the opportunity to multi-box this game.
Hour 112 — Alistair body pillow arrived from Etsy.com.
Hour 170 — Police here.
Hour 294 — It’s done. I have become the alpha-geek. My jeans lie in tatters; my muscles have atrophied; I’ve even grown a hint of a disreputable mustache. And I’m really, really hungry.

Artist's interpretation

Doug:

Unfortunately, Doug has been absorbed into the Portland State University hivemind this week. We expect he’ll resurface soon with a decidedly more Borg-ish makeover.

Water effects!

Aaron:

Even after the credits had stopped, Assassin’s Creed II kept me glued to my most comfy seat — though most of that extra time was spent scratching my head in confusion. The series is taking quite the epic/weird turn according to the various plot details unveiled in the sequel. I can’t imagine what other “WTF” moments the AC team will conjure up for the third game. All I know is, at this very second, I can’t wait for it. Everything about AC2 was wonderful. It was lengthy without being overwhelming, and that struck me the most. Most games either go on for far too long (Metal Gear Solid 2…and perhaps 4), or they miss the important climax moments in the story and character development departments by ending abruptly (screw you, Halo 2). It’s rare that a game can be perfectly paced and satisfying at the same time.

Torchlight was my second fancy this week. I’m intending to finish the game I so lavishly praised in past articles, because if I don’t my credibility will find itself even more bankrupt than it currently is. Would anyone out there in cyberspace like us to review the game? It’s a question I continue to raise to myself (who is frankly uninterested in what I have to say, oddly enough), and the pros and cons of the situation aren’t exactly clear, or existent. Someone just tell me to do it so I’m more motivated.

Guess who finished Ghostbusters: The Video Game: me! A shocker, I know. It was a fun distraction overall. A few awkwardly off-time cutscenes, over-repeated contextual dialogue lines from Bill Murray and a couple poorly designed levels to ‘bust in don’t make a strong case for purchasing this title, but it’s still hilarious at times and a nostalgic trip for all of us wannabe Ghostbusters out there. I do own it though, so the possibility of playing through to get more achievements is quite likely; I’m just not sure if right now is a good time to start a second playthrough. What with Mass Effect 2: Collectors’ Edition (oh yes, I roll deep) destroying my existence come Tuesday.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

With December and its myriad holidays out of the way, everybody’s got something to keep them busy. Doug’s back to work on his master’s program, Aaron has transformed into a job-applying machine, and I’ve thankfully found a job once again. Unfortunately, that means we all have a whole lot less time to be playing games, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to turn a blind eye to our sacred obligation to Silicon Sasquatch. Don’t worry! We’ve got a couple great articles that are almost ready for publication, and we’re anticipating a full run of content next week.

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with.

Aaron wouldn't say 'I ain't afraid of no ghosts': he has much less bravado toward specters than you might think.

Aaron:

Now, the game I actually have something say about is Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Maybe it’s because I only paid a meager $12.99 at GameFly’s used game store (with free shipping), but I can’t help but like what I’ve seen. I’m perhaps halfway though the story now, and while the camera and controls are a bit rough around the edges, Ghostbusters is pure fun for fans of the movies. It’s by no means perfect, and that’s fine. The humor is there, the attention to detail in the firehouse headquarters is there, the proton packs are spot-on and the thrill of catching a ghost in a trap still makes me giggle just like my 6-year-old self used to with my toy Nerf proton pack and authentic jumpsuit. Ghostbusters is simple fun layered over a strong IP, and I truly hope Atari gives Terminal Reality another shot in future sequel. Maybe when the third movie finally (maybe) sees release next year, a tie-in game could coincide with the film’s debut.

In case you'd like some added context, here's what's happening. Man on the left: "Colonel! What have you been hiding from me!?" Man in giant robot: "Snaaaaaaaaaaake!"

Doug:

Much like Aaron, I’m just going to list out most of what I played over our holiday break because, being a degenerate graduate student, I had almost nothing productive to do between Thanksgiving and this week, when classes re-started up in earnest. Because that means a lot of time to play games, I’m just going to cut the fat and go list-happy.

I finished Brütal Legend (which seemed like it lost its storytelling steam a bit at the very end) and am close to finishing Batman: Arkham Asylum (trap-laden gargoyles are my kryptonite right now). I almost have what the gentlemen at Giant Bomb would term an “S-rank” (or 1000/1000 achievement score) on Forza Motorsport 3, which I also did a lot of online racing on during the break. I was definitely happy to hit Level 50 in that game and get the last gifted car.

The only game really worth the meagre Xbox Live sale over the holiday break was Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which was marked down to almost 60 percent off the regular list price and is worth every penny. Better than arcade-perfect, with every character unlocked from the start and online multiplayer capable? Yes, please. I also received a kind gift in the form of Shadow Complex, which scratches my Metroid-vania itch in so many ways. Definitely one of the best Xbox 360-only games of last year.

Lastly, my sports game fix has come in two forms — first, as part of multiple trips to downtown Portland old-school arcade Ground Kontrol, I’ve fulfilled my basketball jones by playing a bunch of NBA Jam. Nick and I (and friend of the site Andrew) went to GK on New Year’s Eve, and besides crushing the X-Men 6-player arcade game, the most fun had was running the two-man game with the Blazers on NBA Jam. The other sports game I picked up was, finally, Pro Evo Soccer 2010…which definitely lives up to the expectations I had for it based off my playtime with the demo. It may not be as pretty as FIFA 10, but it provides a much more challenging and fulfilling soccer experience. Crank the difficulty all the way up and enjoy smart AI in a sports game for once.

The story of a witch, her hair, and gratuitous almost-nudity. This is gonna be awkward.

Nick:

As a test to see who’s interested in the blog, I offered up a vote on our Facebook page to ask people which game they’d rather see me purchase and review first: Demon’s Souls or Bayonetta. Although there was support for both, Bayonetta got the nod and I picked up a copy last night. While I’ve only had time to play about ten minutes of the game, those ten minutes were extraordinarily promising. I just hope the game’s rampant, bizarre sexuality doesn’t weird out my friends and loved ones.

The majority of my free time has been spent on — yeah, you guessed it — Dragon Age: Origins. I keep thinking I’m getting close to the end, and then another 15-hour sequence of quests pops up. I’m absolutely enamored with the game, so I think I won’t have any complaints if it turns out the game just never ends.

While our Top 10 Games of 2009 deserve attention for their overall excellence, we can’t neglect this year’s other fantastic games — titles that just missed the final cut. Be it their charm or presentation, our Honorable Mentions were simply hard to forget. We now present a five-part series of articles, one from each member of the Silicon Sasquatch staff. Today, Aaron brings us our penultimate installment in this series with his list of honorable mentions.

The Maw

January — Xbox Live Arcade, Windows

Twisted Pixel Games knows how to have fun with its projects. Instead of filling a crowded gaming market with more of the same, Twisted Pixel created The Maw — a wonderfully original title that made me laugh without needing a single complete sentence of dialog. The Pixar-like scenario of an alien (Frank) teaming up and becoming friends with an insatiably hungry purple blob (Maw) made for a refreshingly heartfelt downloadable game. Little things like watching Maw express emotions — panic when it was burned, pain when it ate a bad creature and fear when it hid behind Frank — were fantastic visual treats, and demonstrated the development team’s knack for working in a cartoon style. While the game’s controls and light platforming segments were average, watching Maw grow to the size of a planet by the end made up for the less-impressive aspects. Charm makes all the difference in an industry that has resorted to provoking reactions through gore and realistic graphics.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

February — Windows

If it’s a real time strategy game, I’ve more than likely played it. At one time I enjoyed only RTS titles; incessant in my collection of resources and conscription of soldiers, I would double click and hotkey my adolescent nights away. So I might be a habitual RTS player, but I’m ready to break tradition and openly thank Relic Entertainment for its innovative and decidedly non-traditional Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. Instead of micromanaging a base, the game granted intimate control over a squad of four unique (and upgradeable) characters. Dawn of War II is still a strategy-intensive game played in real time, but it feels more like a merger of Relic’s light squad mechanics from Company of Heroes with the intensity of a cover shooter like Gears of War. The RTS die-hards and Dawn of War I fans were somewhat upset by the big changes to a tried-and-true genre, but I’ll take innovation over stagnation any day.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

July — Xbox Live Arcade, Windows

It’s a good thing I first experienced the Secret of Monkey Island in its Special Edition form. While I’m confident the original would still have captivated me with its self-referential humor and sharp wit, it was simply brilliant to discover such a timeless story intact underneath the drastic makeover. I might not have grown up playing any of the classic LucasArts adventure titles, but I’m happy the genre is experiencing a period of revivalthanks in part to Telltale Games’ work on the Sam and Max and Tales of Monkey Island episodes. The Special Edition’s updated art was gorgeous, and fit with the series’ style in the opinion of a Monkey Island newcomer like me. The numerous jokes, gags and one-liners are relevant 19 years later, and the characters are memorable enough that I hope Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge gets the same fresh coat of paint that Secret did.

Battlefield 1943

July — Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network

DICE won’t win any awards for shrinking the Battlefield formula into a petite downloadable package, but that doesn’t mean 1943 was anything less than a solid summer distraction. The concept of ground, sea and air forces clashing over control points to keep decreasing the enemy’s reinforcements is still the best option for multiplayer chaos. Other games’ online deathmatch modes have their limits, so I gladly accepted Battlefield 1943′s break from the monotony to laugh maniacally while I flew numerous Japanese Zeros into hapless Sherman tanks. And sure, the game had a meager selection of four maps (which as of this writing are still the only available maps), but at the end of the day I felt my money was well spent. DICE might be guilty of milking its franchises a bit, but it says something about the team’s capabilities and the strength of the core Battlefield product that I can continue to purchase the same game indefinitely and have an absolute blast, each and every time.

Torchlight

October — Windows

Is it unethical that I decided Torchlight would be one of my honorable mentions long before I even played the full game? Sometimes a demo is all you need, and Torchlight dug itself into my brain the moment I loaded its trial-sized world. Now that I own the full Torchlight experience, I feel much better about giving it a spot on my list. Call Torchlight Diablo Lite, but don’t say it isn’t addictive and well-designed. The art direction alone is worth the price of admission. Diablo may still be the boss in the world of isometric action RPGs, but Torchlight deserves recognition for its lighthearted attempt at being different in a sea of familiarity — and because it proves that, as far as gameplay is concerned, an expanded color palette won’t ruin Diablo III.

The headline says it all, friends. Steam is running one of its beloved Weekend Deals on Torchlight, a game we at Silicon Sasquatch hold very dear to our hearts — even though we’ve only played the demo (a lot). But now everyone can have the clever action RPG from Runic Games for just $9.99 (normally $19.99) until Monday! It’s a steal, so go grab it right now. Don’t have Steam? Get it. Don’t have a PC? Buy one — or at least put Windows on your Mac. Linux…sorry?

And did I mention that you can have a dog or cat companion cart your loot back to town for you? I’ll let Penny Arcade explain.

Read after the break for more details.

Critically, Torchlight has been given its fair share of praise. Called “the best Diablo clone in years,” it’s no shock considering the developers’ pedigree. Runic employs some key staff who worked on the Diablo series. But Torchlight is still its own unique and refreshing experience, despite its strong resemblance to Blizzard’s franchise.

If you miss this weekend’s sale, there’s a chance that Torchlight will be going for $9.99 again on Direct 2 Drive during their “24 Days of Christmas” extravaganza. Check out this Cheap Ass Gamer thread for potential evidence (scroll to “List of possible upcoming deals” and click the “show spoiler” button).

I’ll stop writing now, and let the official Torchlight website detail the rest:

The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.

Players will choose from among three character classes, and venture from the safety of the town of Torchlight into randomly generated dungeon levels, with a huge variety of creepy monsters, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. The endless randomization ensures a long-lived gameplay experience.

KEY FEATURES

• Randomization – Our level layouts are randomly created, so each adventure is unique. Monsters, treasures, puzzles, and items are also different each time you embark on an adventure.
• Easy, approachable interface – Torchlight is designed to be easy to play right from the beginning. The intuitive interface gives players easy access to a rich and varied world.
• Retirement System – Once characters are sufficiently leveled up, they can “retire” and bestow specific benefits and perks to new characters.
• Pets – Players will choose a pet to accompany them. Pets can level up along with the player, and will help in battle, carry items, and perform a variety of helpful services.
• Character Classes – Players will create and customize a character and choose an animal companion. Through cosmetic choices, skill path decisions, and the treasures they acquire, each character will be custom-tailored and different.
• Fishing – Players can take a break from the high-energy pace of adventuring to visit one of the fishing holes and relax and see what they can catch. Fish have interesting benefits for the player and pet, and other rewards can also be discovered
• Editor – Runic Games is embracing our modding community by providing an editor so our players can create and design their own content.

Note: We aren’t being paid for this at all. We just really like Torchlight.