Rayman Legends

Keen and I picked up Rayman Legends a few days ago — it’s crazy fun! Usually Keen is pretty awful at console games but he is, surprisingly, not so bad at this. He’s actually getting better over time. Who knew? Anyhow… just dropping by to throw out some thoughts about the game.

rayman legendsSo Pretty…

This game looks nuts. I don’t think too many games use the hand-drawn graphics style these days but it looks fantastic and runs totally smooth. We’re playing on the Wii U version, arguably the definitive version, and it looks great. I can’t imagine the visuals being any different on the other systems, though. The game isn’t quite as nice looking on gamepad-only play but it’s still good. It’s unfortunate that there’s no online multiplayer, though, ’cause I’d love to see how the game runs with 5 people playing at once.

I Bet There’s A Secret In That Bottomless Pit

Running through levels together is a blast and looking for all the collectables is actually something we’re doing together. Usually Keen can’t be bothered to collect everything or doesn’t have an interest but there have been several instances where he says “Let’s replay that level I think I can get them all”. Playing co-op is great because usually I’ll be the first person to run off an edge or into a hazard in search of hidden stuff and I have the fortune of having the more cautious player to reel me back in.

So far from what I can tell the game mechanics are the same. You run, jump, slide, etc. We haven’t unlocked any new abilities yet, if they even exist. Even so it’s an incredibly fun game and the levels are really well done. Especially if you love trying to speed through them. We actually really love the music-themed levels. As you run through, all of your actions (i.e. jumping, sliding, hitting) are timed to the music and beat. It’s really thrilling and we find ourselves humming the tunes even when we’re not playing. (more…)

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The Beauty of FFXIV

Today has been a rather quiet Sunday for us in FFXIV.  We reached a point in our story questing where we could not progress until level 40.  That meant we had to do some Fates and other quests to get us nearly a full level.  I don’t mind Fates, personally.  I think they are a lot easier to zone out to than having to constantly go from one quest objective to the next.  Graev truly hates them, though.  We kind of butted heads on the subject, as Graev feels they are completely out of place in the world.  I see his point, but I see the sidequests as the same thing only more annoying.

We’re moving along nicely.  I think we’ll probably be 50 in a week or so, and then we’ll begin either leveling alts or thinking about some end-game activities.  I know our guild is busy doing all sorts of fun things like leveling crafters, running high-level Fates, and just enjoying the game for what is has to offer.  FFXIV is a themepark, but the atmosphere and presentation are so dang good.

Anyway, I thought a nice way to end tonight’s little post would be to show off some of my favorite looking locations in the world of Eorzea thus far.   Enjoy! (more…)

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Disney Infinity: Cars and Lone Ranger Playsets

Whenever I can't get into FFXIV (Which is a lot) I play Disney Infinity. After spending quite some time with the Cars and Lone Ranger play sets I figured it's…

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FFXIV Launch Issues

Well, this has been one absolutely awful launch.  Only WoW's launch was worse, but at this rate FFXIV may take the crown if circumstances do not change soon. Despite some…

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Disney Infinity Is Amazing

Disney Infinity PortalHere I am again, despite my best efforts, caught up in some new toy / video game combo. I’m quite happy to say, however, that there is indeed something special about this one. While Disney Infinity may seem like a Skylanders rip-off from the outside it is anything but  that. Really the only similarities you can draw between the two would be the use of physical figures placed on a portal. I’m not going to declare that it’s better or worse than Skylanders because I still really love those. It’s just different.

Anyway, Keen and I have spent several hours with the game and I would love to share some of my thoughts.

The Starter Pack and the start of something magical.

The majority of Keen’s and my experience with Disney Infinity has been with the basic starter pack. With it you are able to play the game’s remarkably well done toybox mode along with 3 play set adventures: Pirates of the Caribbean, Monsters U, and Incredibles.

We first started the game up, and as soon as the flashy intro/tutorial started we were immediately thrown back to being little kids. We both really love almost all things Disney so everything they presented was right up our alley. As various Disney properties sprung up and familiar characters graced the screen we were shouting, clapping, and squealing with delight like a couple of idiots. As soon as the tutorial ended we were dropped into one of the game’s toybox worlds featuring sprawling fantasy terrain and a rather lovely Disney castle. I placed a Davy Jones, Pirate (not Monkee), figure on the portal and Keen opted for Barbossa. Our characters came to life in game and we spent several minutes just running around, smacking each other, and just generally exploring. The toybox offers some pretty robust play options but we opted first to try out the Pirates of the Caribbean play set. (more…)

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DuckTales Remastered

This game was one giant nostalgia rush. Not because I had ever played the original but because I grew up watching DuckTales. Actually, DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp is…

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