October Brewed! Coffees Consumed & Games Played

A boar, from Full Bore! From partial sketch to sprite.

Coffee Beans
Saying October was a busy month for us, would be an understatement and I could probably be put on trial and convicted of perjury if I was to testify under oath that October was only "busy". While I aged another year in October and the beginning of the month was busy as usual, the second half of the month is when we were out of the house and the busiest. We were out of the house for more than half of October, visiting our families in another state.

I do 99% of my web related work from my desktop PC. So, while I thought I might get a few posts done using Mrs. Coffee's laptop while we were out of town, that just didn't happen. I did bring our Wii U with us though, and it was played a good amount on the first part of our trip.

What coffees did I consume and games did I play in October? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
Traveling out of town for much of October resulted in many more coffees being brewed up and consumed by me, than in a normal month. In October, I consumed Beaumont Coffee Classic Roast, Beaumont Pumpkin Spice Coffee, K-Cup Breakfast Blend, K-Cup Italian Roast, K-Cup Black Silk, and Community Coffee Medium Roast. I also had one or two cups of McDonald's Premium Roast Coffee, as well as some random gas stations' coffees in October during our long road trip.

We don't have a Keurig Coffee machine, but my mom does. She has a wide assortment of the K-Cups, and I probably consumed more than the K-Cup blends I have listed above, but those are the ones I remember for sure. The K-Cup Breakfast Blend is nice medium blend coffee, while both the K-Cup Black Silk and the K-Cup Italian Roast coffees are more like a dark roast. The Italian Roast was the strongest, I would say it is close to tasting like a regular Starbucks house blend from stores, but not quite that strong (or, burnt I would say). Mrs. Coffee and I both consumed A LOT of the K-Cups while we were visiting my family on the first part of our trip, and it reconfirmed my thoughts of why I can't have a Keurig Coffee machine in our house. We would be bankrupt!

The Community Coffee Medium Roast was the coffee with consumed morning, noon, and night on the second leg of our trip. We have brewed up some Community coffees in the past, and it is a much milder medium roast coffee.

Games Played
The "Instant Coffee" list of games I played in October is: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Super Metroid, Pushover, Mutant Mudds Deluxe, Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Pure Chess, F-Zero, LEGO City: Undercover, and Full Bore.

Super Metroid - Bean 1 enjoys watching me play this one, and earlier in the month he requested I play, "Super Metro!" He now says the name properly, but I did laugh to myself at him calling it Super Metro the first few times he did it. I am completely stuck in this one though! I am not sure if I have hit a glitch, but I can't figure out how to progress in the game anymore. As mentioned above, we took our Wii U with us when we went out of town and a friend of mine started playing my file. Even he couldn't figure out how to progress in the level anymore! Perhaps once I look up how to continue my game, I will play it some more.

Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition - I borrowed this game from my neighbor in early October, and played it some before we left. I have enjoyed my time with the game, though I did get stuck on one part that took me a while to figure out what I was doing. While I haven't beat the game or gotten super far into it yet, I do think the use of the Wii U GamePad is very well done. The game makes great use of the GamePad in regular play (playing with the TV as the main screen), such as using the GamePad's screen as the city's map while traveling about, and using the GamePad's touch-screen for scanning segments, where you move your finger on/around the screen looking for radio signals. And the can be played completely on just the Wii U GamePad, via the Off-TV Play feature.

Full Bore - I found out about this game, after following one its developers on Twitter and being offered a copy of it. I let them know before I received it from them, that I don't do reviews or game coverage in typical fashions around here. But I said I would give the game a try and provide some feedback. I haven't played it very much due to getting it right before leaving town, but what do I think of it so far? If Samus was ever bored and looking for something to play, I think this would be a game she would play. You play as a boar, and the gameplay mechanics keep with that aspect pretty well. It is a 2D puzzle adventure game, and you can dig, push, and climb/hop your way through the world as you explore. There are items spread around different parts of the map that you can collect if you seek them out (not quite sure what they do just yet), and many require some puzzle solving to reach. From my very short time with the game though, it seems like there is a lot to do and many areas to explore. The game's 2D pixel art reminds me a lot of Mutant Mudds' retro style, and I like what I have seen so far. I'm hoping to get through the rest of the game this month, and do a more detailed piece on it. If you want to know more about the game, check out the trailer below and visit its webpage HERE:

LEGO City: Undercover - I mentioned in last month's "September Brewed" post that I had "encountered a serious issue with the game". I had to send the game off for repair, and I did get it back before we left town. And I'm glad I did! As I mentioned above, I brought our Wii U with us and LEGO City: Undercover was the biggest hit with the younger kids. They enjoyed just roaming around the city, driving vehicles, and riding on the trains. New Super Mario Bros. U (NSMBU) was played a little bit by them because they could still play it while the TV was being used for something else, but not nearly as much as they played LEGO City: Undercover.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II - The first weekend we arrived at our first destination of the trip, my best friend growing up came to town to visit. Late one night while our wives and my mom were talking, we fired up Black Ops II on the Wii U. It was his first time really seeing the Wii U's GamePad features in action, other than briefly playing NSMBU and Super Metroid earlier, and we played multiple online matches. He played on the TV using one of the Wii U Pro Controllers I had just picked up, and I played using the GamePad with Off-TV Play. It was the first time I had really put Black Ops II's splitscreen mutliplayer option to the test. And I was super impressed with how well it worked, throughout all of our matches. Dear Nintendo of America, Please start advertising these type of features and games on the Wii U...

Caffeinated Thoughts
I did purchase one new Wii U game in October, Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Amazon put the game on sale for just $9.99, and being an Amazon Prime member, I got free shipping on it!

I still haven't opened it up yet, but have a solution for my lack of gaming woes that I'll be implementing here shortly.

Questions
If you purchased or got any new games in October, like I got Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Full Bore, what games did you get and what do you think about them (if you have played them). If you didn't get any new games in October, what did you find yourself playing during the month?

Being that October was the first month with some cooler weather (for many of us in the U.S. anyway), did any of you perhaps try some new coffee blends or drink more coffee because of the cooler weather?

CONNECT WITH COFFEE

Mutant Mudds Deluxe, easy enough for kids, hard enough for parents? One big difference between the PC and Wii U versions.

Not all images are from Mutant Mudds, but one is inspired by it.

Coffee Beans
Mutant Mudds Deluxe released today on the Wii U and is available to purchase from the eShop for $9.99. The game was developed and published by Renegade Kid, and has an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Fantasy Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

I purchased the PC version of Mutant Mudds last year when it released, and you can read some of my impressions of that version HERE. Bean 1 (our oldest son) started playing the PC version, after watching me play it, and considering his age he is pretty good at the game using mouse and keyboard controls.

I was planning on buying the Wii U version today so he could play it with a more standard controller and button layout (like what he's used to with the Mario games); plus, I really enjoyed the PC version and wanted to play the new levels added to the Wii U version.

I saw that Renegade Kid was doing a contest giving away copies of the Wii U game. It was a drawing/art contest, but they even made it possible for a "non-artist" like myself to be able to enter, giving us an option to create a digital image or collage using existing images.

Did we win one of the contest giveaways? Brew yourself some coffee, and hit the jump to see the image I created (if you missed it already) for the contest, and a video of Bean 1 playing one of the levels in Mutant Mudds Deluxe on the Wii U!

Coffee Shop! Game deals for the PC, PS3, 3DS, & Wii U!

Coffee Beans
Amazon.com is running some pretty incredible deals on a good number of PC games right now, and along with highlighting some of those, there are a few PS3, 3DS, and Wii U deals you might be interested in.

When I say incredible deals, I don't just mean 10% off titles. No, I mean some PC titles 75-88% off their "List Price" on the site. You also don't need any special coupon(s), special code(s), or special pass phrase(s) to get the deals.

Brew yourself some coffee, and hit the jump to see what games you can find!

April Brewed! Coffee Consumed & Games Played

Coffee Beans
April was a busy month for gaming around here, and while the amount of coffee consumed in the month stayed the same, the number of blends brewed in the month was pretty low from previous months. There was no April Fools post, like one in a previous year, but there was a debut data report, a WiiWare Wednesday post, and even one of my more rare opinion pieces!

If you only skimmed occasional posts here in April, here's what you may have missed:
1) Do you enjoy playing darts? You might want to download the free WiiWare demo for Dart Rage and try it out, and you can see its official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report, HERE.
2) Want a highly rated Wii fishing game? If you own a Wii or even a Wii U, you should check out Fishing Resort. Its official Nintendo Channel debut data report, HERE.
3) Was Xenoblade Chronicles good? Apparently so, and it had a solid number of hours reported over its first year. You can read its official Nintendo Channel data report, HERE.
4) How many hours can you expect to play Red Steel 2 before beating it? You can see the average hours reported "Per person" for the game in its official Nintendo Channel data report from last month, HERE.
5) Have you been interested in getting a Kirby game, but wanted to know how many hours you could expect? If you own a Wii or Wii U, I would suggest starting with Kirby's Adventure from my short time with the game so far. See how much the Wii version was reported to have been played since it released, in its official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report posted last month, HERE.
6) Yes, I covered a darts game and a fishing game in April, but I also covered one of the Wii's best racing games (my opinion, I know) where you could play darts and fish randomly, DURING races. If you skipped ExciteBots: Trick Racing, you can see the average hours you might expect from the game, HERE.

Now, what coffee(s) did I consume and games did I play in April, even seeing the credits roll in one? Brew yourself some coffee (seriously, wall of text below!), and let's take a look!

Coffee(s) Consumed
This is short, and simple. During April we only brewed up Maxwell House Gourmet Roast coffee. We did go through one full container of it in April though, and the second container which we bought in April is about empty. Mrs. Coffee enjoys the blend a lot, and I think it has a nice, solid, flavor as well.

Games Played
Assassin's Creed III - Why did the colonists win the Revolutionary War? One going theory is because they threw a tea party, and chose coffee as their drink of choice during the war instead. The very first night I played Assassin's Creed III, I noticed a coffee reference in the game and even took a picture of it. I don't remember another coffee reference in the game, but that doesn't matter. I ended up putting a good number of hours into the game in early April, and on April 14th I tweeted the following out:

Credits now rolling in Assassin's Creed III, on the GamePad! 90%+ of the game played on just the GamePad. @ubisoft @nintendoamerica#WiiU
— Scott (@CoffeeWithGames) April 15, 2013

Speaking of putting in a good number of hours into the game, I'm a little confused on what my play time with the game actually was. My Wii U's Daily Log channel shows one number, while my save file shows two different times (I didn't notice this until today). You can see in the image below two times shown on my Assassin's Creed III save file, as it appeared after I beat the game:

39 hours, or 20 hours? Which one was it?

I did leave the game paused/on quite often, so being near 40 hours overall doesn't surprise me (the Wii U cut off several times due to the game being paused for an hour). I just wonder if the 20 hours shown are more of a direct reflection of when I was actually moving in and playing the game? I thought that perhaps my play time was around 15-20 hours when I had completed it, before even looking at the time(s) on the file. Overall though, I enjoyed my time with the game, and it offers a lot of content (notice in my save file image, I finished the game with only 37% of it complete).
LittleBigPlanet - Bean 1 really enjoys this game, and laughs hysterically when certain things happen in it. It could be Sackboy falling in a hole, getting pounded by something in the level, or just racing vehicles in levels and watching them make jumps. I am volunteered by him to play some of the levels every now and then, and this is how I ended up playing LBP in April. I didn't play it a lot, but I did beat a few of the levels when I would randomly sit down to play it. I'm not sure how much we have really progressed in the game, but I do enjoy it when I play it.
Nintendo Land - Bean 1 and I played some matches of Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and Mario Chase. We also attempted a few rounds of Metroid Blast, so he could start learning the controls in that mini-game as well. Bean 1 played Donkey Kong's Crash Course on his own, and I showed him a trick (a few months ago) to get around the blowing in the microphone aspect, which results in hilariously loud "GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" phrases at the Wii U GamePad. It works, and if you don't like blowing into the GamePad's mic, or have little kids that may run out of air quickly, just teach them to talk to it loudly. Bean 1 also played Yoshi's Fruit Cart, and is incredibly good (for his age!) at Pikmin Adventure! I think Nintendo Land will continue to be a slow burner for us, with some months where it's played a lot, and other months perhaps not at all.

Rabbids Land - Last month in my March Brewed post I asked, "How many hours does it take to unlock all the mini-games in Rabbids Land?" I already had more than 10 hours of play time logged for the game, but still didn't have all the mini-games unlocked. Well, I unlocked the rest of the Rabbids Land mini-games in early April, and my current play time is now 12 hours 21 minutes.
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - I'm making some slow progress in this one, but still really enjoying the game. I'm working my way through the game's career mode and unlocking new tracks, and leveling up some of the racers in the game (slowly, but surely).
Toki Tori 2 - I ran out to Best Buy in early April to grab a Wii U eShop card. Why? We had some saved up Best Buy Reward Zone coupons, that almost covered the price of the eShop card, which I planned to use to grab Toki Tori 2 and other Wii U eShop games. I did end up getting Toki Tori 2, but without having to use my eShop card! I have enjoyed my short time with the game, and some of the puzzles I have encountered so far are incredibly well designed.

Do you know the names of these characters?

Trine 2: Director's Cut - If you have played Trine 2, you may remember how the levels in the game have hidden items scattered about. After I finished the game's main campaign (saw the credits roll) a few months back, I had been going back and attempting to find the items I had missed in the different levels. In April, I found all of the hidden map pieces, and finally unlocked the Wii U's exclusive level!
World of Goo - Bean 1 can start this one up on his own, and he is even beating some of the levels in it. I played some levels in the game with him watching, and I'm not really sure how many more levels we have left (if any), because we have reached one, and I'm not really sure what to do in it. It's gotten a good bit of play time though, and was well worth the price of admission I paid for it, which I think was around $1.

Mario Kart DS - I don't how many times I played the different mini-games in this one during April, but it was a good bit. One thing I am learning though, Bean 1 will probably soon be able to beat me in a race! He's doing power-slides, finishing first in many races, and even completing entire cup races in first. Having Mario Kart on the go is a nice option for him in the car, and it's gotten a lot more play time these last few months from Bean 1 (and I) playing than it ever did in the many years before.
Mario Kart Wii - We have had Mario Kart Wii in our collection for a few years, like Mario Kart DS, but I think because of Bean 1 the game has actually been played more recently, than the past years combined as well. I really enjoy just listening to the music in some of the levels, and I think Moo Moo Meadows is probably my favorite track right now because of its tune. Bean 1 is pretty good in this one, but the items in the game are pretty ridiculous. He'll often be in 1st place approaching the finishing line in the last lap, then get hit with by a Spiny Shell ( the evil blue shell!), sometimes followed up by consecutive hits from Red Shells. He sometimes gets frustrated when it happens, because he's understanding finishing the race in different places gets different points now, and I get frustrated for him when I see it happen! I really hope Nintendo balances Mario Kart U, more than Mario Kart Wii.

New Super Mario Bros. U - I beat the last level in New Super Mario Bros. U, again, in April because Bean 1 had attempted it a few times on his own. We usually run around in the game just playing random levels now, and Bean 1 actually enjoys running around the world map, launching from the cannons randomly placed around it. We started playing some of the "Challenges" and "Boost Rush" levels under the game's "Play with Mii" section, and even Mrs. Coffee attempted a few of the Boost Rush levels. How many hours have we played New Super Mario Bros. U? According to our Wii U's Daily Log channel, our play time is currently 30 hours 13 minutes, over 20 "Times Played". If you finished the main campaign of New Super Mario Bros. U, have you found yourself going back and playing the game more?
Super Mario 64 - I still haven't finished this game! We have collected 20+ stars though, and the file has not yet been deleted, so we are making some progress. Bean 1 enjoys running around the castle and different levels, and can even complete a few of the hunts for stars in the levels. This one seems to be a slow burner for us, played pretty randomly, but we definitely enjoy it when its played.

Kirby's Adventure - I never owned Kirby's Adventure on the NES, but I can remember watching a friend play it. When Nintendo put Kirby's Adventure on sale for only 30 cents to help promote the Wii U's Virtual Console service, I bought it the first day it became available. I think that Kirby's ability to suck up an enemy and copy its power is really awesome. I have really enjoyed my time with the game, and Bean 1 has enjoyed playing the game as well. Here is a video (again) of him playing in a few of the levels:

Kirby Mass Attack - This is a new one that is now in our collection! With how much Bean 1 was enjoying Kirby's Adventure on the Wii U, I took advantage of an Amazon.com sale on Kirby Mass Attack last week and grabbed it for him for just $12.72. Not only have Bean 1 and I played the game, but Mrs. Coffee has as well. So far, we're enjoying the game and the touch screen mechanics haven't really given Bean 1 any trouble. Seeing how well the touch screen controls work in the game (from my time with it anyway, not sure if the later stages represent any problems?), I think it'll be interesting if Nintendo releases a Wii U Kirby game like Mass Attack, where the GamePad's touch screen is the main (or, even only) way of controlling the game.

The quick "Instant Coffee" list of games (also including demos) I played in April is: Super Mario 64, Assassin's Creed III, World of Goo, Rabbids Land, Toki Tori 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Mario Kart DS, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, Mario Kart Wii, LittleBigPlanet, Kirby's Adventure, Trine 2: Director's Cut, Kirby Mass Attack, Fat Princess, Rayman Legends Demo, Rayman Legends Challenges App, and Nintendo Land.

Questions
Did any of you perhaps get a new game in April, like how Kirby Mass Attack joined our collection? If so, what game(s) did you get, and have you enjoyed it?

As always though, what games did you play in April (even if not necessarily "new"), and coffees did you consume during the month?

March Brewed - Coffees Consumed & Games Played!

Coffee Beans
March saw several new Wii U releases, the most in quite a while actually. I mentioned some of the new Wii U games that released in March, HERE. While I ended up not buying any of those, yet, all of them have landed in my current "Wish List".

If you only skimmed posts or stopped by only occasionally in March, here's what you might have missed:
1) One reason I find Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's multiplayer addictive, HERE.
2) What is the most played Mega Man game on the Wii, based on Total Hours reported? You can read that report, HERE.
3) Why you should never give up in a Black Ops 2 online multiplayer match, HERE.
4) What is the Wii's most played Need for Speed game, based on Total Hours reported? Find out HERE.
5) What are current Wii U trade-in values, for both the Basic Set and Deluxe Set? Find out HERE.
6) A new feature, done twice in the month, Movie Magic Monday! If you like dragons, you might like this one. If you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you might find this one interesting.
7) ZombiU has been patched! You can see the full patch notes and details I gathered on the ZombiU patch, HERE.

Now, what games did I get around to playing in March, and what coffees helped me make it through the month? Start brewing yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

January Brewed - Coffees Consumed & Games Played

Coffee Beans
January. Another month, but the one that starts off a new year. With January rolling around, I decided to take the month slower, and do some planning. I like the idea of, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." a lot, but more on that later.

With January now history, what coffees did I consume and games did I play during the month? Can you guess (without looking!) what my most played game was during the month? Brew yourself a nice cup (or two) of coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
The Folgers Black Silk coffee started us off for the New Year, but didn't last us very long since it was a smaller container of coffee that we used most of when we went out of town in December. The Folgers Black Silk is a "Dark" roast coffee from Folgers, and if you enjoy bolder coffees, you would probably enjoy it.

After the Folgers Black Silk ran out, we went to our typical 200+ coffee cup container, that being the Maxwell House Daily Brew. It's more of a medium roast coffee, on the lighter side, but not as light as the Starbucks Blonde Veranda Blend we have brewed in the past.

After we ran out of the Maxwell House Daily Brew, I opened up one of Mrs. Coffee's Christmas gifts to me, the Café Bustelo Coffee Espresso. It was finely ground, to a powder, dark roast coffee. I believe it was originally aimed at the Hispanic market, after researching it a bit, but in recent years has started trying to grow its brand. I'm not sure if Mrs. Coffee knew about the coffee before buying it, or if she saw it at the store browsing and decided to get it for me on a whim. The coffee is definitely a stronger blend, and we enjoyed it while it lasted.

The last coffee we brewed in the month was Maxwell House French Roast. We have brewed this multiple times over the last few years, as it is one of the regular Maxwell House coffees purchased by Mrs. Coffee. While the description for it is "Medium Dark", I still tend to feel this is more of a "Medium" roast. Being a "Medium" roast is not a bad thing, and we really enjoy the coffee, but it's just that if you like the typical French Roast "Dark" roasted flavor, this isn't as strong as you would probably expect.

Games Played
Here's the "Instant Coffee" list for the games I played in January: Trine 2: Director's Cut, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Mutant Mudds, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, Nintendo Land, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart Wii, Assassin's Creed III, Rabbids LAND, Rayman Legend Demo, ZombiU Demo, and World of Goo.

Mushrooms, a staple for platforming success since the 80s?

Trine 2: Director's Cut - Last month I reported I had finished the main campaign, and since then I have been going back through the game attempting to find all the hidden pieces in the levels, and also attempting to unlock the Wii U's exclusive level (I think). With more than 40 hours in the game, I still haven't found everything just yet, but am hoping that I can finish it all up this month. If you have a Wii U and Trine 2, please add my Nintendo Network ID to your friend list, Coffees, and hopefully we can play a few levels online sometime.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Multiplayer. Multiplayer. Multiplayer. I put many hours into Black Ops 2's multiplayer in January, mainly Team Deathmatch battles. As I commented on the "Black Ops 2 Wii U patch available." story, I have not had any issue finding a match to join when I hop on playing Team Deathmatch battles. If you enjoy the basic Team Deathmatch battles in FPS games, and particularly the Call of Duty games, I can easily recommend you adding Black Ops 2 Wii U to your collection. I still greatly enjoy using the GamePad to play off just of it, while using our original Wii to "watch" a show on Netflix.

My Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 combat record, as of January 30th.

New Super Mario Bros. U - I beat the single-player campaign in January, after only about 12 hours of play. Now, I didn't finish the campaign with all the hidden Star coins, but right now there are a few things about New Super Mario Bros. U that I like, and a few things that I don't like. I'll give you one of each for now. I like that the game-play is solid as ever for a Mario platformer, and that is a positive. I don't like that the GamePad cannot be used in multiplayer, except in Boost Mode. That screams of programming laziness and nickel and diming of consumers to me. I can only imagine Christmas morning in some houses, opening up the Wii U and New Super Mario Bros. U with one Wii Remote, only to find out you actually need two Wii Remotes to play multiplayer. It basically makes New Super Mario Bros. U a $140 game to play local multiplayer, because you can't use the GamePad for it (see: the controller that came with the console). We have multiple Wii Remotes, but the fact that one of us couldn't use the GamePad for multiplayer and we had to unsync one from the Wii to the Wii U was a bit odd, and makes me wonder why they didn't just program the Boost Mode to be activated with a button press from the menu, still allowing the GamePad to be used for regular game-play.

Another version of "CoffeeWithGames", and why physical is better than digital...sort of.

Mutant Mudds - I wrote last month that I had "completed the main levels of Mutant Mudds on December 31st." Well, on January 8th I tweeted, "@JoolsWatsham @mutantmudds Just finished a little something. "Brewing" reference for the win! #100% #WorthEveryPenny". I had completed every single level in Mutant Mudds. The V-LAND levels. The G-LAND levels. The CGA-LAND levels. All of them, finally! Even after completing them, I am still being voluntold by Bean 1 to play the game some. Until Mutant Mudds Deluxe releases for the Wii U later this year, and Mutant Mudds 2 sometime later (maybe for the Wii U?), I'm sure I'll be playing levels randomly on the PC version, and maybe even some on the iOS version I grabbed for free last week on Mrs. Coffee's iPhone.

"...something new brewing."? Coffee? Has to be coffee!

NBA 2K13 Demo - I downloaded this demo from the Wii U's eShop, and played through 2 or 3 demo periods. I lost all of the demo matches I tried. This is not an arcade NBA Jam type basketball game, but I imagine that once you learn the ins/outs of the game-play elements and setting up passes and shots, that it could make for an interesting and realistic simulation of the sport. I have never really gotten into the NBA video games, other than NBA Jam in the 90s, so I can't see myself picking this up just yet, but I am glad to see Wii U owners with the option to pick it up.
Nintendo Land - This wasn't played much in January, but I did play a bit of the Yoshi's Fruit Cart mini-game and made some decent progress in it; the farthest I had made it yet. I still want to finish the Battle Quest and the Metroid Blast mini-games, but I think this will be a slow-burner game over the next several months.
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - I still haven't played this one much, but what I have played of it, I have enjoyed. Early in January, Jeremy (from NintendoFuse.com) and I hopped online in the game to try out the online races. He beat me soundly in every race, but the game ran well. We even experimented with the Wii U Chat, but didn't have much fortune getting a solid connection (we found out it apparently requires a higher speed broadband connection, than just the lower end speeds that some ISPs offer). This is a game I'm hoping to get through this month, and possibly provide some video coverage of as well.

Super Mario Bros. - We are still using our Wii. We use it almost daily for Netflix, and we still use it quite often so Bean 1 can play some Virtual Console games when he wants. Super Mario Bros. was one of those games in January. While he attempts different levels, if he gets stuck in a level by falling in a hole or hitting Goombas too many times, I'm quickly voluntold to beat the level. We didn't finish the game in January, but I did notice something in one of the levels that reminded me of a scene from Finding Nemo...
Super Mario Bros. 3 - This is another Virtual Console game I played randomly with Bean 1, or with him watching. I really hope that Nintendo figures out the Wii U Virtual Console quickly, and gets as many of the older Mario titles up on it sooner, rather than later. We didn't beat Super Mario Bros. 3 in January, as our play sessions usually don't last very long, but we make decent progress when we play...until Bean 1 resets the save file and we usually have to start over from the beginning. I'm still amazed that this game was released on the NES, and I think it is just one of the many games helps with the "game-play over graphics" debate.
Super Mario World - Another Virtual Console game, and another one Bean 1 would randomly select and I would end up being told I needed to play it. We beat a few levels at a time, like the other Virtual Console Mario games, and then usually move on to something else.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - This is another game that Bean 1 requests to play, or watch me play. He actually gets around the world pretty well, and can attack and kill enemies, and knows where the secret entrance to the dungeon is and how to get into it. We were making decent progress in the game, completing the first dungeon, but then Bean 1 figured out the magic disappearing file act, which he thought was absolutely hilarious. Basically he would delete every single file and say, "It makes it disappear!" This happens quite often, so we have started over from the beginning several times. I'm hoping his magic act will stop soon, and perhaps we can make good progress in the game, because I don't ever remember beating this one when I was younger!
Mario Kart Wii - This is one Bean 1 requests to play occasionally, and it's one he enjoys and can now even complete races; sometimes finishing 1st! I actually enjoy the music in some of the levels, A LOT. Moo Moo Meadows is probably one of my favorite levels because of the music in it, at least right now. Bean 1's favorite level right now is probably Wario's Gold Mine, because is has "train tracks" throughout the level, which are really the tracks for the mine carts.

Every good assassin needs coffee?

Assassin's Creed III - What happens when you join GameFly trying to get one game, and they don't have it? Well, they automatically send you the 2nd game in your queue. This is how Assassin's Creed III ended up in our Wii U collection, and is still around. I haven't played it much, just one night really, but I did enjoy what I played of it. There has even been a coffee reference already spotted in the game (seen in the image above), which of course makes this a GOTY contender already, because finishing games doesn't matter around here, just how many (or any) coffee references are in the game.
Rabbids LAND - I started playing this in January, and so far have put a little over 5 hours into it. This is definitely a different Rabbids mini-game experience from the Wii titles, because of the board game setup. I haven't had the chance to play it with Mrs. Coffee yet, or Bean 1, so I don't know how the multiplayer adds to the craziness of it all, but I have enjoyed the ability to play it using just the GamePad with off-TV play.
Rayman Legends Demo - I downloaded this demo when it become available on the Wii U eShop, and have enjoyed it sporadically, as has Bean 1. He has almost completed one of the levels in the demo, twice now. He is close, soooo close, like one jump away from beating it close; but usually gets hit by an enemy right before making the jump.
ZombiU Demo - My neighbor has my copy of ZombiU right now, but I did download and completed the demo for the game. I was interested to see what Ubisoft used from the game for the demo, and I was a little surprised by their choice, but it definitely gives players a good overall feel for the game I think. If you are interested in ZombiU, but not sure about the game-play and style, the demo for the game will give you a good idea of what you can expect.

World of Goo - I decided to try and get Bean 1 interested in another PC game, other than Mutant Mudds. I have had World of Goo on my Steam account for a while now, but never really played it. I fired it up the last day of the month, and showed Bean 1 what it was about. Every time I would beat a level and the container would fill up with goo and the Goo Balls at the end, he would say, "It's coffee!"; which the goo does have a dark coffee appearance, so I can't blame him there. We have completed 3-4 levels so far, and if I install it on our PC like Mutant Mudds (I have the file from a Humble Bundle I think), then I think Bean 1 will start playing it more.

As for what my most played game in January was, that would be Black Ops 2 (or II) for the Wii U, as the image below shows!

1. and 2. were not games!

Caffeinated Thoughts & Questions
As always, if any of you have a Wii U feel free to add my Nintendo Network ID, Coffees, to your friend list. If you have any questions, or thoughts, about the games that I played during January feel free to share them below in the comments section, or even email them to me if you prefer.

Were there any coffees you consumed in January that were perhaps new for you, like the Café Bustelo Coffee Espresso blend was for me? Also, what games did you find yourself playing in January, and did any of them stick out to you particularly more than others?

December Brewed - "Coffees Consumed", "Games Played", & "Caffeinated Thoughts"

Coffee Beans
Did Santa Claus come to your town? I hope everybody had a great holiday season, and has gotten the new year off to a great start so far. December was a bit busy around here, maybe the total of "3" posts for the month was a clue? If you're reading this and missed the posts in December, there are basically 2 you might be interested in:

     1) Are you interested in ZombiU, but not sure about the game because of a few reviews you have read, or maybe things you have heard about it? You might find "Critics vs. Customers! ZombiU reviews, or zombie reviewers?" an interesting read.

     2) Want to see Bean 1 throw a Mario fireball? Watch the video embedded in the "Merry 'Mario' Christmas!?" post.

With another month (and year) gone, what coffees did I consume and what games did I play during December? You know the routine, brew yourself some coffee and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed

Maxwell House coffee blends were the "go to" coffees for us during the month, with us finishing off a Maxwell House Original Roast container and a Maxwell House Daily Brew container as well. The Master Chef blend was a smaller container of coffee that Mrs. Coffee purchased for us in the middle of the month, but it didn't last us about a week with one of the Maxwell House blends.

I also brewed up some our Kona Blend Coffee, which is one of the coffee blends I received for my birthday last year. We still have some of the Kona Blend Coffee, as it's whole bean coffee and I use it as a "backup" coffee when the others run out, or start running really low. When we went out of town for a long weekend, Mrs. Coffee purchased us some Folgers Black Silk coffee in a small container to bring with us, and we enjoyed it while it lasted.

Games Played
Here's the "Instant Coffee" list of games I played in December: Trine 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, ZombiU, Nintendo Land, Rage of the Gladiator, Mario Kart DS, Mutant Mudds, BIT.TRIP Runner, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, and New Super Mario Bros. U.

Many games would be green with envy over Trine 2's graphics and art style.

Trine 2: Director's Cut - I have completed the main campaign in Trine 2, which took me right around 20 hours, and I am now working my way through the Goblin Menace levels. Like I mentioned last month, I'm still pretty much playing using only the Wii U's GamePad and not even looking at our TV. The graphics and art style have continued to impress me throughout the game, and I enjoy the slower paced design of the levels with puzzles scattered throughout. I have found that Trine 2 is an excellent game to have a pot of coffee brewed while playing, because of how often I stop to think of how to keep progressing through the levels.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Black Ops 2 could really be used by Nintendo to help "sell" the Wii U to the "hardcore" players, especially those that are married and/or have roommates they have share a TV with. The ability to play Black Ops 2 on just the GamePad, is absolutely awesome. I completed Black Ops 2's single-player campaign on just the GamePad early one morning, while Mrs. Coffee was using our Wii system (not the Wii U) to watch a show on Netflix. I have also enjoyed quite a few multiplayer matches using just the GamePad, while she uses the TV to watch something on Netflix.
ZombiU - I completed ZombiU's single-player campaign in November, but attempted Survival Mode a few times in December. I haven't made it far, or lasted very long at all though. I have now loaned out ZombiU to our neighbors, but I'm not quite sure how far he has made it now. Last I checked, he had made it to Buckingham Palace. If you own a Wii U, and haven't played ZombiU but are interested in the game, European Wii U owners just received a demo of it, and it might be hitting the North American eShop on Thursday. So, make sure to keep an eye out for a ZombiU demo possibly hitting the eShop this week if you have been interested in the game. If you missed the ZombiU post in December, here's a video of Mrs. Coffee and I playing one of the game's multiplayer modes:

Nintendo Land - I played this early in December, and then when we visited some family out of town one weekend later in the month. My cousin and I played Battle Quest together, with him doing the sword fighting and me using the GamePad for the bow and arrows. I still want to finish off the Metroid Blast levels here soon, but I have a few other Wii U titles to finish before the.
Rage of the Gladiator - I played a few rounds of this on Mrs. Coffee's iPhone early in the month, and when we were traveling out of town. It did get an update though, and I need to get that downloaded and see what it changed/updated.
Mario Kart DS - Bean 1 has made some incredible gameplay progress in this one. He can beat the Eyerok boss in the Level 1 mini-games (I think Level 1). He can now even do "power slides" in the game, and complete one of the mini-game challenges that require 4 power slides in a lap. When we were out of town visiting family, as we were leaving a parking lot, he said, "Daddy, can you power slide?" While it caused me to laugh, because I'm sure he was 100% serious, I had to sadly inform him we couldn't do it in our car. My time with this game during the month was helping Bean 1 beat the mini-game challenges. I think we have made it to the Level 4 challenges so far, but I think he erases them after he takes over, or they auto-erase when you leave that section of the game; I'm still not sure about it.
Mutant Mudds - I completed the main levels of Mutant Mudds on December 31st. When I finished the last level, I had 24/40 levels completed. Bean 1 started playing Mutant Mudds a good bit in December, and volunteered me to play the game all the time. Mutant Mudds released for iOS devices in early December, and is available to purchase for just $0.99 on them. While I don't own that copy of it, I am looking forward to learning more about Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the Wii U in the next few months. If you haven't played Mutant Mudds, but enjoy platformers, I do recommend it.

Max and Grannie will thank you for playing, too!

BIT.TRIP RUNNER - Even though we own a Wii U, I still have not done the Wii to Wii U data transfer. One reason is because the Wii U does not have the Nintendo Channel, so I still use the Wii weekly to access and record game data; another reason is because I know some of our game save files won't transfer over to the Wii U. So, for now we are using our Wii as we were before we got the Wii U. Bean 1 voluntold me to play BIT.TRIP RUNNER one night, so I put it back in the Wii and gave it a try. I still haven't beat it yet, but I am close. I think a good solid day (or two, or three) of playing might be the solution to beating it.
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - One weekend we were heading out of town to visit family, my cousin that enjoys games a good deal said that Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed would be one of the Wii U games he would be interested in playing. So, I checked Redbox to see if it was available to rent from one in our area. It wasn't. I checked with Blockbuster in our area and online, thinking they might have it to rent. They didn't. Next, I decided to give GameFly a try and put Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed first in my queue expecting it to ship out and arrive before we left. What I didn't realize is that GameFly does not follow the typical queue order, and they don't ship from the top down. No, they ship the first available game in your queue, even if it's not the first game listed. So, this game joined our Wii U collection right before our weekend trip, when I purchased it. While my cousin played it a good amount, Bean 1 wasn't really aware of the game being "ours", so we hid and "re-gifted" it to him as another Christmas gift. We haven't played it a whole lot, but I really do like how each level seems to be designed around the three transformations: driving, flying, and boating. It really seems to keep each race fresh, and the courses seem to be well designed from those I have played so far.
New Super Mario Bros. U - This was a Christmas gift for Bean 1, and we left it sealed until he requested to play it (or, requested me to play it). That day wasn't until December 31st, so I opened it up and he attempted the first level and I thought he was going to beat it. After he tried a few times, I was voluntold to play it. I completed World 1, saved the game, and Bean 1 took over again for a bit. He ended up finding the magic "erase" button, and deleted the file in short order. Fortunately, World 1 isn't that challenging. While playing through World 1 though, I did find the background in the game, how it's layered anyway, a bit disorienting at first. I will say that I haven't been "wowed" by the graphics in it yet (our HD TV is not hooked up yet, so that may help); not like I was/have been with Trine 2 anyway. The gameplay is solid though, as is probably expected in a Mario platformer, but I noticed something in World 1 with a pipe that has me wondering if it changed from the older Mario games. I may have to put on my investigation gear, and see if the difference is what I'm thinking it is, or if I just don't remember the older pipes systems correctly.

Caffeinated Thoughts
I have really been enjoying our Wii U, and the games on it so far. I'm still debating on whether or not to keep the GameFly subscription going, or end it after the first month. You also may remember me commenting randomly about our HD TV hunt that started during the holidays, and we ended up purchasing one Christmas Eve (yes, I'm THAT kind of shopper). The TV is still in its box though, as we have been a little busy as I mentioned above. After getting some painting done this past weekend, and ordering the mount today, the TV should be going up on Thursday if everything arrives as planned.

While 2012 ended slower than I was planning here on the site with posts, and I have a few posts "in the works", I'm debating on a few things for 2013 that may change the frequency of posts (and type).

If any of you received a Wii U for Christmas, or are planning on buying one here soon, feel free to add my Nintendo Network ID to your Wii U friend list. My NNID is Coffees. As always, if you have any questions about the games I played, feel free to ask me in the comments below or by sending me an email at: Scott(@)CoffeeWithGames.com.

Questions
Did any of you perhaps get a Wii U, or other game related items, during the holidays? If so, did you get anything you would recommend?

If you perhaps didn't get anything new, what games did you play during December, and did you find yourself drinking any coffee during the month?

Coffee Shop - Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for $9.99 (PS3, 360, PC)

Coffee Beans
If you have been interested in Fallout 3, but have never bought it, now may be a great time to grab it. The Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC is currently on sale for just $9.99.

The game is eligible for Amazon.com's "FREE Super Saver Shipping" which applies to orders totaling over $25, and is also eligible for free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

If you have played Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, do you recommend one over the other?

You can purchase the Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3, HERE. The Xbox 360 version, HERE. The PC version, HERE. Or, by clicking on their boxes below:

October Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played, & Site Notes

Coffee Beans
October has vanished like Halloween candy from a kid's basket! If you skimmed here occasionally during October, here are some posts you might have missed:
     1) Is Okami for the PS3 worth $20? How many hours can you expect from Okami? Data Report
     2) Can the Wii U GamePad be charged with a USB port on the console? Nintendo answers, sort of...
     3) Nintendo says no, then yes, now no AGAIN on LEGO City: Undercover's multiplayer feature.
     4) New Super Mario Bros. U to have online multiplayer? "Online Interactions Not Rated..."
     5) What is the most played Just Dance Wii game?
     6) STAY CALM! Wii U's Miiverse details before launch, & all Wii U features and functionality ready at launch? Nintendo's Bill Trinen and Scott Moffitt
     7) "Black Ops II will just be on Wii U", Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 not releasing for the 3DS, DS, or Wii.

November is now brewing, and what coffees did I consume and games did I play during October? Brew yourself some coffee and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
Maxwell House coffees were the main coffee blends for us in October, with us finishing off a Maxwell House Gourmet Roast blend container, as well a Maxwell House 100% Colombian blend.

Another coffee that we brewed quite often in October, one Mrs. Coffee gave me as one of my birthday gifts, was the Gevalia Espresso Roast. The name says it all really, "Espresso Roast" and it is a nice, super dark, roast. I enjoyed it a great deal, but it was a tad too strong for Mrs. Coffee's liking.

Games Played
The skimmer list for games I played in October is: Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Rage of the Gladiator, New Super Mario Bros. DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mutant Mudds, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Double Dragon Neon, Punch-Out!!, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, BIT.TRIP COMPLETE, Mario Kart Wii, and LittleBigPlanet.

All Super Mario Games - I'm still playing these with Bean 1, randomly. The Mario game(s) he selects to play can vary each day, but in October Super Mario 64 was a favorite of his, as well as New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We have made decent progress in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and when he requests me to play through a level with him, I am instructed to carry him through the entire level. He doesn't want to bubble necessarily (he did enjoy doing that for a while), he just wants me to carry Toad, Luigi, or Mario (depending who I'm playing as) through the level and survive. He recognized and called out New Super Mario Bros. U in the first Wii U system commercial Nintendo released yesterday, then went back to his snacks.

Rage of the Gladiator - I'm just going to leave the following link for a site that covers a lot of digitally downloaded titles: http://www.facebook.com/RageOfTheGladiator.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Our neighbors are gamers, and we have loaned/traded games over the last few years. The last loan-trade was me giving him Metroid: Other M, and me getting Batman: Arkham Asylum in return. I completed Arkham Asylum in October, and I enjoyed my time with the game. Being that the game can be found for under $20 new, if you have been interested in this title but not played it, I can easily recommend the game.
Mutant Mudds - I'm still playing through Mutant Mudds, and enjoying it. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, if you enjoy challenging platformers, I recommend you give the game a try. Bean 1 had discovered the start menu on my PC and I have randomly found him attempting to play the game a few times, and he will tell me sometimes to play "Mutant Mudds" so he can watch me. I'm waiting to learn more about Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the Wii U, before I worry with buying the Xbox 360 controller to make it easier for Bean 1 to play it on my PC.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - Mrs. Coffee gave me this as a gift a few months back, but it wasn't until October that I actually opened it up. I have completed the first movie's levels so far, and have enjoyed my time back in a LEGO video game world. I think the developers did a great job making LEGO Captain Jack run/walk like he does in the movies, and I like how in certain levels there aren't hidden/invisible walls to keep you from venturing further than they want, but an actual LEGO shark in the water to help keep you where they want you.
Double Dragon Neon - I won this in a contest/giveaway over on Chalgyr's Game Room, and played through the first level, and almost finished the second level (maybe third?). The game plays well so far, and the boss I'm currently on though was giving me quite the challenge my first night, and after a few attempts I had to get that thing some call sleep. I haven't been back to it since, but I do plan on trying to finish it up this month.
Punch-Out!! - I'm slowly making my way through the game's Title Defense Mode, and I believe Bear Hugger was the last boxer I was able to get my belt back from. Yes, he pummeled so many times while I was trying to figure out the new timing of his attacks.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - Did you miss the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 data report post? If so, you can see how many hours the game has been played, as well as gameplay video I uploaded from one of the FPS minigames in it. Bean 1 enjoys one of the plunger FPS levels a lot (the one in the video), and can make his way through it. Every time the Rabbid shows up with a camera, he says, "Cheese!" Bean 1 also found the Rabbids LAND trailer on the Wii's Nintendo Channel earlier this week, and played it 3-4 times in a row laughing at the Rabbids in the trailer. I'm interested in Rabbids LAND on the Wii U, as I mentioned in the data post, because of Ubisoft's history/support on the Wii.
BIT.TRIP COMPLETE - If you missed my birthday post, Mrs. Coffee gave me this game(s) as a gift. I have just played BIT.TRIP RUNNER on it, but I have enjoyed the game so far. I'm up to world 1-11, I think? Considering I burned through almost the first world my first night with it, I may finish this one sooner than I was expecting. I am looking forward to hearing more about Runner2 on the Wii U, so hopefully I finish this one up soon, and perhaps be ready for more endless running when the Wii U launches.

Screen grab from Bean 1 playing.

Mario Kart Wii - Bean 1 randomly, out of nowhere, asked to play the, "Mario Wii Racing" game one day. I was surprised he remember the game from his time with it from over a month ago, and broke it out for him to try. We have both played the game, sometimes together, but often times with me watching him, or him watching me. He surprised me earlier in the week when he finished 2nd in a race, which means he's made some great improvements since he first started off by driving in circles and often in reverse.
LittleBigPlanet - This is Bean 1's final game delay tactic at night. The PlayStation 3 is the console closest to his room, and to play LittleBigPlanet is his last request/delay tactic. He enjoys finding a lot of the user created levels, and just running around in them. He completes many of them though, and I'm impressed with how he has learned to grab and hold onto items since he first started playing the game not that long ago.

Site Notes
Changes are brewing! If you haven't noticed, there's a tab that has now been removed from the top section. The "Reader Points" tab has been removed, but the "Reader Points" that were there are stored (across three emails!), and if I can get over my reluctance to go to the Post Office again, I can mail the rest...yes, they are sitting on the table, and Bean 1 has been looking at them this last week.

Also, gameplay videos (of myself playing and even Bean 1, and Mrs. Coffee occasionally) and impressions of games will become more standard on the site, and the "Critics vs. Consumers" posts will continue. Data posts will continue, but probably slow down once the Wii U releases, unless the Wii U provides the same type of data for Wii U games...PLEASE NINTENDO! I have even been experimenting, a little, with a podcast idea...

There's a few other features/ideas/changes I have been roasting for a while now, and one should be popping up at the end of next week.

Questions
What video games did you play in October, and are there any you would recommend to others? Also, were there any new coffee blends or drinks of choice in October, perhaps even while gaming?

As always, if you have any questions about the games I played, or the coffees I consumed in October, please me in the comment section below, or by sending me an email.

"Zombies. Groovy." Black Ops 2 Live Action Trailer

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops II will soon land at retailers nation-wide and be available to purchase on November 13th. Treyarch and Activision are busy getting Black Ops II ready for launch, and like last year's release of a live-action trailer for Modern Warfare 3, that has now been followed up with today's release of a live-action trailer for Black Ops II. Brew yourself some coffee, and enjoy the trailer (a few times)!

*NOTE! Apparently the beans spilled out of the bag too soon, and someone released the trailer earlier than it was supposed to be release! Coming from a follow up email, "The explosive :60 second high-octane piece, titled 'Surprise,' will be unveiled on network television in the U.S. tonight on Monday Night Football and will rollout worldwide across high-profile telecasts including elite European football matches."

September Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played!

Coffee Beans
Like coffee in my cup, the month of September is gone! If you skimmed an occasional post here and there during the month, here are some posts you might have missed during September:

• Caffeinated Thoughts on Mutant Mudds!
• Underrated? Overrated? Must Play? Muramasa: The Demon Blade U.S. Data Report
• Wii U's Release Date, Price, Games, & Features - Caffeinated Thoughts
• Is Kirby's Dream Collection worth $40? What do Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards' hours suggest?
• Time for Wave Race Wii U? Time for Wave Race 64 - Data Report
• Critics vs. Customers! Madden NFL 13 - PS3 & Xbox 360 Reviews Averages
• Grounds for Celebration! Award - LEGO City: Undercover

With October already brewing, what coffees did I consume and games did I play in September? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed

Maxwell House coffees were the dominate coffee blends in our house during September. We had three Maxwell House coffee blends in September that we enjoyed, those being:

• Maxwell House House Blend
• Maxwell House Dark Roast
• Maxwell House Gourmet Roast

For the first time in a few months, we purchased some Starbucks coffee during the month, but it wasn't just for brewing. I had been wanting whole coffee beans to record the grinding sound with our grinder, for the Grounds for Celebration videos. Mrs. Coffee was out one day early in September, and I messaged her asking if she could grab some whole coffee beans before coming home. She purchased the Starbucks Blonde Veranda Blend, and it is an extremely light blend. If you don't like your coffee dark and very strong, this would be a good blend to try.

Over the last weekend in September though, Mrs. Coffee and I packed our bags and loaded the car with the boys, and headed off to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee with some friends. While we were in Gatlinburg, I searched for a local coffee shop that I could perhaps grab a cup of coffee from on National Coffee Day. I found a local shop, Coffee & Company, and tried their house blend for the day (either the Costa Rican Tarrazu or the Le Conte View roast).

Games Played

The short list for the games I played in September is: New Super Mario Bros. DS, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, LittleBigPlanet, Mutant Mudds, Rage of the Gladiator, Blacklight: Retribution, Batman: Arkham Asylum, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Bros., and BIT.TRIP RUNNER.

New Super Mario Bros. DS - Bean 1 is still playing this, even with a barely functioning bottom screen. He'll ask/tell me (or, I'll be volun-told as Chalgyr said) to play few of the levels from time-to-time, and we are currently back in World 3. I have been tempted to take apart the DS Lite, and see if I can figure out the touch screen problems; I even looked up a few YouTube videos on how to do it.

Super Mario World - Not much new here to report, but Bean 1 and I are still enjoying this one on the Virtual Console like most of the other Mario games.

Super Mario 64 - This one became Bean 1's Mario game of choice in September. He has improved GREATLY in the game. I have attempted to record footage of him in the levels a few times, but usually start recording a little late. He beat Koopa the Quick on September 9th, and enjoys running around the castle and levels; but like NSMBDS, I get asked/told to play a few levels and do a few things in it from time-to-time.

LittleBigPlanet - Bean 1 asks to play this as his last delay tactic before bed usually. He is pretty good at getting through levels in the game now, and he has found some incredibly designed player created levels, with Mario themes and even a Phineas and Ferb level that I was really impressed with. Like the Mario games, I usually get asked to play a few of the levels to help out, and show him how to get through certain areas.

Mutant Mudds - I purchased Mutant Mudds for my PC the first week of September, and I have really enjoyed my time with it so far. The game is definitely challenging, and platforming fans should enjoy it. I have been using the default controls in the game, but you can adjust them or use a separate gamepad if you want. Bean 1 has even attempted to play a few of the levels, which I found amusing to watch.

Rage of the Gladiator - I played a few matches again, and realized that there are quite a few bosses I haven't recorded/uploaded any footage from yet. I may do that for an October post, or two.

Blacklight: Retribution - I decided to give this one another try in September, and enjoyed my time in a few matches one night in September. I actually placed 3rd in a match, which I think is the highest I have placed so far. I just started attempting to change out my gear, and once finding where to look, it seems like a pretty easy process once you have the points and the required level in the game to use better equipment. If you have a Steam account and enjoy FPS games, I would easily recommend you giving Blacklight: Retribution a try considering it is free-to-play.

The game shows the top three players at the end of each match.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - I'm not sure how close I am to beating the game, but I think I have made some decent progress in it so far. Perhaps before the Wii U releases, I can finish Arkham Asylum, then give Arkham City a try on the Wii U. I'm still enjoying my time with the game, and I like how the game is challenging and makes me think of ways to clear rooms of enemies. Batman is not invincible!

2 Fast 4 Gnomz - Bean 1 clicked on this WiiWare demo from the SD card menu on our Wii. I ended up being volunteered by him to play it, and completed the demo. The game is insane, at least from my time with the demo. Think BIT.TRIP RUNNER style where you don't stop moving forward, but the graphical style kept making me wonder if I was going to have a seizure! One thing I did like that 2 Fast 4 Gnomz provided in each level was the number of times you had attempted it. So, if you hit spikes, fall in holes, or just miss your jumps 20, 30, 40, or 50 times, you know exactly how many times you have been tortured by the level. The level of difficulty might be too much for your average gamer also, but if you enjoy tough challenges I do recommend giving the demo a try.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Another Virtual Console game that has shown to be a great value for us. Bean 1 is still running around in some of the levels, and can complete World 1-1 and World 1-2 now usually without any/many issues.

BIT.TRIP RUNNER - On National Coffee Day, I started with the Maxwell House Gourmet Roast, then the house blend from Coffee & Company, then a cup from McDonald's, then I ended the day/night with another cup(s) of the Maxwell House Gourmet Roast. Right before sleep took over Saturday night, I played BIT.TRIP RUNNER on Mrs. Coffee's laptop.

Questions

Did you have a coffee blend/roast of choice in September?  What video games did you play during September, and would you recommend any of the ones that you did play?

Also, if you have any questions about the games I played or the coffees I consumed in September, feel free to ask in the comment section below.