Saturday, December 8, 2012

November Brewed - Coffees consumed, games played, & a Wii U game finished!


Coffee Beans
November is gone, and with it millions of turkeys. (For a few of those missing millions, start HERE.) If you had a busy November, here are a few posts you may have missed:
     1) Halloween candy laced with the t-Virus making people zombies? Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Data Report
     2) Vote? Don't vote? Gamers vote? Everybody votes? Did you vote? Everybody Votes Channel Data Report
     3) Nintendo's U.S. Wii U TV advertising. Marketing genius, or marketing failure?
     4) Call of Duty? Conduit? GoldenEye? Metroid? What is the most played FPS Wii game in the U.S.?
     5) Caffeinated Thoughts on the Wii U

While I didn't post as much in November as recent months, I did get a good bit of gaming done and drank lot of coffee during the month. What coffees did I consume, and which Wii U game did I complete? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
We finished using the Gevalia Espresso Roast very early in November, and enjoyed it while it lasted. November then consisted of us using our coffee grinder a good bit. We ground up some of the Kona Blend Coffee that was another birthday gift to me back in October, from my brother and his family. We have enjoyed the Kona Blend and have enough to last us a little while longer, if we start grinding it up. We finished the month of November using the Maxwell House Master Blend coffee and the Maxwell House Original Roast coffee; both the 200+ coffee cup containers.

Games Played
The skimmer list for games played in November is: Rage of the Gladiator (iOS and WiiWare), Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario Bros. 3, BIT.TRIP RUNNER, Mutant Mudds, Max & the Magic Marker, Nintendo Land, ZombiU, Trine 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.


Rage of the Gladiator - If you don't know, Rage of the Gladiator is now available for your iOS devices and soon to be Android devices as well. The game has a price of just $2.99, and has all of the WiiWare content/bosses included, with some improvements. The game was ported over by a different developer though, Gamelion, while Ghostfire Games remained involved in the process. Ed, from Ghostfire Games, contacted me over the summer and asked if I would be interested in helping test it out, and help some on the community front. Gamelion seems to be very active on the developer community front though, so I was able to more of less help out with the testing of it, and see how it progressed through development.
Mario Kart Wii - Bean 1 randomly requested this one I think in October, and he kept playing it early in November. He has now graduated to Mario Kart DS though, since our New Super Mario Bros. DS cartridge randomly freezes in levels now; which results in a very sad Bean and me randomly finding the game cartridge shoved under his door.
Super Mario Bros. 3 - This was another one Bean 1 and I randomly played early in the month, but not very much of it.
BIT.TRIP RUNNER - I. SURVIVED. THE GAUNTLET! So, I started this from Mrs. Coffee's gift from my birthday, the BIT.TRIP COMPLETE set, and I am in the third world so far (I think the last as well). I'm really enjoying my time with the game, and it is definitely challenging. I can see why some people might not like these type of games, due to the difficulty, but when everything flows together so well, it really is a great experience.
Mutant Mudds - Could I complete the main levels before IncompleteGaming? It wasn't meant to be! But, I am still enjoying my time with Mutant Mudds, and find myself randomly trying to beat the levels from time-to-time, sometimes with Bean 1 watching. Other times, I'll be voluntold by him to play the game; even if it's a delay tactic right before he goes to bed, sometimes I'll play a level a few times trying to beat it.
Max & the Magic Marker - This was one I hadn't played in a long while, but Bean 1 found it on our Wii's SD card and fired it up one day. I showed him a few things in the game, and he actually got the hang of drawing/erasing pretty quickly, and was soon off running around the level having fun. I didn't play it much, but it did make me hope that we get a Max & the Magic Marker HD sequel on the Wii U now. Not only could the game still support Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, but I think using the GamePad to draw in the game would work very well also.
LittleBigPlanet - This is another game, like Super Mario Bros. 3, that I find myself playing most often with Bean 1 watching and/or being voluntold by him to beat a level in it. We have made pretty good progress in the game, but Bean 1 has discovered how to find the user created levels, and watching him run around in the Nintendo-Mario themed levels is a lot of fun, and some of them are incredibly well designed.
Fat Princess - This is a demo I had downloaded on our PS3 for a long time, but never played it. Bean 1 randomly requested I give the game a try one night, so I did having no clue what to expect. After not winning the first night, and just running around the battle losing, I turned it off defeated. After figuring out what to do the second night, winning became a lot more achievable, and I can see why this game was pretty popular when it first released. If you haven't played Fat Princess, you should be able to still find a demo for it on the PSN store, and give it a try.


Nintendo Land - I briefly talked about my time with Nintendo Land in my Caffeinated Thoughts on the Wii U piece, and I have since played it a bit more. I actually put more time into Metroid Blast and The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest. I am really enjoying Metroid Blast, and The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest is surprisingly better than I was expecting using the GamePad controls. Bean 1 and I completed one of the Battle Quest missions together, with me using the Wii Remote+ and him using the GamePad. So, while he figured out the GamePad controls I was able to swing away and help keep us going for a bit. It was actually a lot of fun, and we completed the mission we did together.
ZombiU - This is the Wii U game I completed in November. It kept me coming back to it, night after night. If you can go into ZombiU not expecting it to be perfect, but expecting a different experience, I think you will enjoy it. Go in thinking survival horror, even with a sense of survival terror thrown in; and don't go in thinking you will be burning down rows-after-rows of zombies with guns, and don't think your melee weapon will be wielded like a lightsaber (for SHAME!) delivering you up 1,000 hit combos. I really don't understand the mindset of some of the early reviewers on ZombiU, complaining about things like the melee combat in the game, since the melee combat is one of the very things that helps deliver the mood of the game. It's as if the "reviewers" were expecting a guns-a-blazing game, grabbed the wrong game and perhaps realized they got ZombiU only after getting home. Reading some of the reviews appears they were expecting to get Resident Evil 5 or 6 action based game instead; I just don't know. Also, many of the early reviews have incorrect information (entire paragraphs in some), and leave out alternate, relative, information (if you tell me the game has "Low" replay value, but fail to tell me if you beat it, how many hours it took you, or how many survivors, I can't really judge much on the replay value). One even complained about scanning with the GamePad via motion controls, but FAILED to mention an alternative default control option for doing the same exact action in the game.
Trine 2 - Is this The Princess Bride of video games? It's told via storybook like the movie was, and the game definitely has a good assortment of characters from the start. The sense of humor in the writing is there so far, and the way the characters interact with each through dialogue randomly as you progress is a nice touch as well. Have I said how incredible the game looks? I really hope that NSMBU looks this good, or there might be a "Caffeinated Thoughts! Nintendo is LAZY!" post incoming. I actually now pretty much use only the GamePad when I'm playing Trine 2, not even looking at the TV. Perhaps once we get a new HD TV, that will be remedied? The GamePad play is really great though, and very convenient for lounge playing late at night on the couch. I haven't tried the online yet, but Bean 1 and I did complete the first section together, and I have since made pretty good progress in the game (I think), playing through about one section each night this last week. If any of you have Trine 2 on the Wii U and want to play it online, feel free to add my NNID to your Wii U friend list: Coffees.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - That's right. The future is black coffee, and Black Ops 2. I have been playing Black Ops 2 on the Wii U, though most of my time with it in November was the very last night of the month. I have played a bit of the single-player campaign and the multiplayer, and the streaming of the game to the GamePad is done very well. Now, I will say for some reason the game doesn't use up the entire GamePad screen display when it streams to it. I'm not sure why it displays the way it does, but it works very well nonetheless, and I found myself using the GamePad streaming feature quite often my first night with the game.

Questions
Did any of you get a Wii U in November, and if so, what games have you been enjoying on it? If you didn't get a Wii U, but have been gaming in general, are there any games you would recommend that you played during the month?

Again, if you missed my "Caffeinated Thoughts on the Wii U" piece, my Wii U ID is Coffees, and feel free to add that to your Wii U friend list, and I'll add you back!

As always, if you have any questions about the coffees I consumed or games I played during the month, feel free to leave a question below or send me an email to: Scott(@)CoffeeWithGames.com.

15 comments:

  1. Glad you completed Zombi U, and I think you killed one of 'me' heheh.


    I still haven't, and I'm somewhat frustrated with it. This is a game where its 90% suspense and 10% action. The problem for me is I panic and die a lot.


    I'm not great with these types of FPS games (must be in my genes). Really enjoying Nintendo Land though and I make a point to rate up my visitor's Miiverse comments when I invite them into my game.


    I always treat it as doing something nice for the day. It brings a smile to my face to log on Miiverse and see someone has put a 'Yeah' to one of my posts or drawings.

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  2. My Wii U gaming has been largely split three ways - Mass Effect 3 (which is a good port of a nearly endlessly replayable game), Warriors Orochi 3 (because local multiplayer makes up for the inferior port on a technical level) and Funky Barn (happy game!)

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  3. Sadly - no Wii U. I'll have to win one in a contest if I play to play it any time soon. :P Congrats on beating ZombieU though - I think it looks fun, despite many of the bad reviews so far on it.


    You had quite the list of games there. Obviously some like Mario Kart were bean-inspired. I liked the comments on Trine 2 and comparing it's story-like process to The Princess Bride - which is a family favorite with us.


    My games played is... I don't know - it seems lighter than usual:


    Madden 13 (ps3) (a lot, a LOT of this)
    Elminage (psp)
    Kid Icarus: uprising (3ds - finally beat it)
    Halo Anniversary (360)
    FPS Creator (PC)
    Guardian Cross (iphone)
    Marvel: War of heroes (iphone)
    Rage of bahamut (ipfhone)
    Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
    Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection (PS 3)


    I made a very conscious effort to try and get some time on all my systems this month, plus loads of time spent on Madden 13. Most of my franchises have died down, but I do have 1 trickling along and one that is rolling through its 4th season now

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  4. hey Scott! its been a while! this is Dustin from MyLittleGamer.

    finally got a wiiu for the boys.. they'll be cracking it open on christmas! we'll be starting out with NL and Mario... hopefully i'll have black ops 2 by january and be able to play a few online matches with you.. have fun playing the wiiu!

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  5. "I still haven't, and I'm somewhat frustrated with it. This is a game where its 90% suspense and 10% action. The problem for me is I panic and die a lot."

    Haha! If you don't have a few dozen survivors, is it really a survival horror game? I panicked a lot, and I now know to NEVER, EVER, play the game if Mrs. Coffee is in the same room. NEVER. EVER! For the longest time, I was trying to use just melee combat...no firearms. That did change though.

    As for Nintendo Land, I have been enjoying that a little bit more over the last week. I hadn't put a lot of time in it in November, but the Metroid and Zelda games are giving me some good challenges right now.

    Thanks for the comment and feedback! BTW, have you made any progress in ZombiU since the comment?

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  6. With the Mass Effect Trilogy perhaps making it's way to the Wii U, I think I'm holding off on that for now. As for Warriors Orochi 3, I have been looking at that one on Amazon in the last week...


    Funky Barn has crossed my radar as well, because it just got a major price drop, and I think Bean 1 might like it.


    Thanks for the comment and feedback!

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  7. I've also now picked up Chasing Aurora (urgh...) Little Inferno (... strange "game"...), Tekken Tag 2 (urgh...) and ZombiU (not bad!). I've had a fairly mixed launch lineup it must be said, but I'm pleased with the raw potential of the Wii U nonetheless.

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  8. "Congrats on beating ZombieU though - I think it looks fun, despite many of the bad reviews so far on it."

    I didn't realize there were bad reviews on ZombiU, just bad "previews". 0_0

    Speaking of Trine 2, I was playing that last night/early morning, and am currently stuck on a puzzle part...trying to figure out how to jump a gap. Even asked in Miiverse, and I think there was one response earlier today, haven't checked it tonight though.

    On your list of games, and knowing you enjoyed the past Punch-Out!! games, have you checked out Rage of the Gladiator yet for your iPhone? Also, Monster Hunter Tri...on the Wii!? Did you do just the single-player, or online?



    Thanks for the comment and feedback!

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  9. IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Good to see you around, and I think I see you from time-to-time over on GN as well. As for the Wii U and Christmas, that's awesome. We have a Wii U gift for Bean 1 for Christmas, which we have surprisingly done very well with keeping it sealed and not opened it up.



    If you get Black Ops 2, we can probably get some matches in, as I was playing it last night. It's running very well, and I'm really enjoying the online so far. Haven't tried the Zombie Mode though, that's next on my list for the game...even have a post planned for it, though with my posting schedule here recently it's kind of crazy!

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  10. Good morning.

    Yeah, ZombieU didn't fare too well on some of the main review sites. IGN had it at 6.3, Gamespot 4.5 and Gameinformer was 5.0 - all out of 10.

    Good luck with Trine 2 on that front - I recall I got stumped on a few Trine 1 puzzles near the end of the game (and admittedly used a walkthrough on one or two)

    I haven't yet - my iPhone's JUST about maxed for space. I need to beat a few more games and then pick that one up (I've thought about sneaking it onto my wife's iPad 'cause she has like 18 gigs of space atm).

    MH Tri - single-player. It's funny but I don't usually do multilayer cooperative. Even in World of Warcraft, I maxed level most of my characters without joining groups, lol. Not sure why.

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  11. Great to hear on the WiiU and completing ZombiU. Like Chalgyr, unless I win one I won't be buying a WiiU anytime soon.


    Also a pretty good list of games there.

    For November it was Melitta as usual and more Wii gaming with my new setup.

    Wii:

    - Fluidity
    - Nickelodean Dance
    - Super Mario Bros 2
    - Super Mario Bros
    - Rayman Origins
    - Wii Sports/Resort


    3DS:

    - NSMB2
    - Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (Demo)
    - Mutant Mudds - *NotSoIncomplete*
    - Mario Kart 7
    - Marvel Pinball 3D (Demo)
    - Rayman Origins (Demo)



    Overall a pretty good list for me and December is shaping up as well with Professor Layton.


    Oh yeah, booyah on finally completing Mutant Mudds 5-4. Sadly enough I think I completed 4-4 (and many of the hidden levels) in March which was only a month after I bought it. Stage 5 was pretty rough though and I ended up putting it down for awhile.

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  12. Interesting you solo a lot in games, as I leveled my character in the original Star Wars Galaxies pretty much by myself. I liked doing solo quests a lot, but battling with my friends against the evil Rebels was a lot of fun also.

    On ZombiU, as you may have now seen, IGN, GameSpot, and GameInformer's reviews all lacked certain information...or just had outright ignorant complaining to complain, or had incorrect information.

    Like I said in the other piece though in the comments, I don't really care about review scores, as much as the process and if the information provided makes sense with the score.

    On Trine 2, DEAR PUZZLES! It is a thinking game for sure, and I will sit there and try 50 different ways to solve something, before realizing what the solution is...which then usually makes me go, "I need to drink more coffee!"



    Thanks for the feedback again!

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  13. "Like Chalgyr, unless I win one I won't be buying a WiiU anytime soon."

    Ummm, last I checked, Chalgyr doesn't run a site called IncompleteGaming. YOU have no excuse to own another console with more games, to keep yourself incomplete. NONE. If I stopped drinking coffee, should I keep the site "CoffeeWithGames"? No. Well, unless Folgers/Maxwell House/Starbucks/Caribou/Dunkin Donuts etc. pay me to keep it...then we're talking business!

    I really need to play Fluidity for more than 10 minutes at a time. Bean 1 and I "play" it randomly, but never enough that I consider it "played" here recently.

    On the 3DS, glad to see Mutant Mudds getting NotSoIncomplete, and I attempted level 5-4 just a bit ago, but failed again.



    In Mario Kart 7, does the Eyerok make a return? Bean 1 is crazy good at beating that level, and seems to enjoy it and the Big Bully mini-levels a lot in Mario Kart DS.


    Thanks for the comment and feedback!

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  14. I know what you mean, where a new console has plenty of incomplete opportunities. Though when you're a pro like me it's easy to keep the backlog growing.

    Really glad I made it through 5-4 in Mutant Mudds and I do plan to 100% it _sometime_. Actually my pre-newyears plan is to finish 1 game a month. It's a bit ambitious and while I have a good start to the first Prof Layton I picked up on the 7th, I have a ways to go. Am hoping the holidays will yield a bit more time and energy.

    Honestly I had to look up what an Eyerok is, but to my knowledge it isn't in MK7.

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