zwolanerd

It used to be that when I got a new game, that’s the only one I played.  These days there are so many more options that only playing one game feels like a waste of time. Here’s what I’m playing these days, organized by platform and focus:

Xbox 360 (Current Gamerscore: 69,342)

• Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars – This is the only Lego game I hadn’t played yet. I’m enjoying it as much as I’ve enjoyed the other Lego games, but there’s some strange stuff in it. I’ve 100% completed all previous Lego games (except for Star Wars), and I plan to on this one as well, but it’s going to take a while.
• Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime – I’m stuck on a particular level and don’t know if I’ll be able to beat it :(
• Puzzle Quest – I’ve ahd my eye on this one for a few years and it finally got cheap this past December.  It’s an RPG where battles are decided by playing a Bejeweled-like minigame.  I’m kind of bad at it, but I really like it.
• Wreckateer – A free Kinect catapult game. Now that I’ve had to move the coffee table back, though, I don’t have enough room to play this anymore.
• Virtua Fighter 5 FS – Another cheap download. The VF series is one of my favorite fighting game series.
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – I had been looking for the Metal Gear HD Collection for a while. Once I finally found it and started playing, I realized just how boring the MG series can be at times :/  Long unpausable cut scenes intercut with short frustrating playing sequences. I intend to finish it, but it’s been backburnered.
• Fire Pro Wrestling – You can use your avatar as a pro wrestler!  Way more fun than you might think.
• The Walking Dead – I’ve finished the first two chapters, but I don’t play this one when my wife’s around, as I don’t want to disturb her with the zombie gore, so it might take a while to get to the other chapters.
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD – This one also got cheap during the December sale. It’s the third time I’ve bought the game (previous buys were for the PS1 and the Dreamcast), and I’ve gotten much, much worse at it in the intervening years.
• Rock Band 3 – There’s always the threat of me busting this one out. They’re still releasing new DLC songs for it every week, and there’s rarely a month that goes by where I don’t buy some of it.
• Mass Effect 2 – I’m in the middle of a playthrough on Insanity, but I’m having a hard time of it.

Windows Phone (these have achievements that go towards my Xbox total)

• AlphaJax – I currently have 6 active matches. I accept any challenges that I get.
• Angry Birds: Star Wars – This game just got the Hoth update this week, so that’s renewed my interest in it
• Assassin’s Creed – A free download this week. I’m not sure what to make of it just yet (A hat? A scarf? A pterodactyl?)
• Breeze – Tap or tilt the screen to get a flower from one area past traps to a landing spot. Sounds very easy/Zen, but it’s more frustrating than anything.
• ilomilo – I’ve been sort of working on this one for 2+ years. I’m not a very good puzzle-figure-outer.
• Plants vs. Zombies – Playing through this one again because I changed phones
• Wordament – Boggle-type game that you can now play online

Surface (these also have achievements that go towards my Xbox total)

• Microsoft Solitaire – It’s got Pyramid, Klondike, Spider, Tri-Peaks, Golf,a nd Freecell, so there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Tablets were made for card games.
• Microsoft Minesweeper – It’s got the regular version, but there’s also an adventure mode that has you raiding tombs for treasures while avoiding traps. More fun than I expected.
• Adera – A puzzle/adventure game geared towards kids, which means that I can actually figure out most of the puzzles on my own. Not all, but most.

iOS

• The Sims Freeplay – I started this on my Android tablet, but it runs so much more smoothly on the iPad that I restarted it. I need more neighbors, though, because I can’t get some of the coolest stuff. Start playing and friend me!
• The Simpsons: Tapped Out – You already know how much I’ve been playing this. I have 26 more days until I can harvest my corn crop on Cletus’s farm, and I just today got the Ralph Wiggum character.
• Ghostbusters – I’m enjoying this game, but I’m not very good at it. I absolutely love the “Destructor Events,” where the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man shows up and you have to defeat him 10 times in one day to earn a special piece of equipment. He comes back one hour after you beat him, so I ended up setting a timer so I wouldn’t miss out. Good thing I was home sick that day, I guess!
• Scrabble – I don’t know why anyone keeps playing me, because I’m getting worse :(
• Draw Something – I have 6-7 active games
• Fairway Solitaire – This thing will suck you in, I’m telling you. basic solitaire rules, but with goals and different setups, all with a golf theme.
• MovieCat Trivia – Movie trivia with characters replaced by cartoon cats.
• Downloaded but haven’t played (or haven’t played much): Ascension, Bard’s Tale, Infinity Blade

Looking forward to

• Tomb Raider (March 2013) – This is my favorite series of all time, and while I’m worried that this reboot won’t be “actual Tomb Raider,” I’m still looking forward to giving it a shot.
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (Fall 2013) – Spidey! Thor! All those other guys!  Looks awesome and I can’t wait.

What are you playing these days?

Tags: WIP

Written by: Mark