PixlBit

I love Steam and will buy games on there that are strictly digitally distributed. But for anything else, I still prefer grabbing the physical copy. Of course, I basically have a gaming shrine in my basement where all of my stuff is on display on huge shelves that line the walls.

But for anything I do buy on Steam, it needs to be extremely cheap, because I don't place much value on the digital version of these products. Maybe it's a bad mantra to have, but I guess I don't really perceive digital goods to be true products.

In the case of physical releases, I very rarely shell out the cash for just released games. Thanks to Cheap Ass Gamer I manage to get in on some ridiculous deals when games are long past their release for pennies on the dollar. At that point it's probably equivalent to the price on Steam, but like I said, I'd rather have the physical artifact, so at least in my mind, it's a superior deal.

I do expect that physical games will be largely phased out toward the end of the new generation, but I'm hoping that an option to buy at retail is always available for dinosaurs like me, even if it means paying a premium.

The big killer for me with the Vita is the storage. I mean, what a disaster that is. I still have the memory card I bought at launch (8GB, I think) and I refuse to spend a small fortune to grab a bigger one despite the fact that I absolutely need it. They really should've, for once, gone with something standard (like Micro SD) instead of pushing their shit proprietary formats.

My lack of space actively keeps me from playing crossplay titles in my library, which is a damn shame. I can't stand having to constantly "clean the fridge" and micromanage what games are on the system due to the small memory card. Even worse is the fact that I can't do the micromanagement on the device itself! I have to hook it up to my computer and back up everything there (rather than quickly deleting with the option to redownload later), just so I can preserve my save file. It's all so idiotic it makes me want to scream. I guess if I had PS+ this wouldn't be an issue, but Sony can fuck right off if that's how they choose to solve that problem.

Not to rant about Sony, but I hate how they leverage their gaming division to push proprietary formats that they hope to have adopted as standards across other mediums. It makes dealing with a lot of their products an absolute headache. The PSP is basically crippled due to this and I detest using the thing despite liking a fair number of games I have on it.

Despite all that, the Vita is a very nice piece of hardware, I really do like it a lot, but they need to start improving it fundamentally and doing something to get some support on the system. Even if they manage to get the PS4 streaming to work better, that's not the panacea the system needs right now. /rant

Nope. I think the whole Online Pass thing is history across the board at this point (seem to recall a Sony rep stating something to that effect recently).

I should have the official review for this one out the door sometime tomorrow or Friday. Just about finished the game last night (it's really good, but on the short side, and mostly like Tools of Destruction).

PS: I didn't beat it all in one night. We got a copy of the game from Sony on Friday.

The 2D Metroid games are all pretty small in scope. I think I can beat Metroid Fusion in around 4 - 5 hours at this point. To me, that's something that would be a small project, whereas something like a Metroid Prime is a huge project. Not that I'm saying I want them to do another MP (I wouldn't mind of course).

To be perfectly honest, I'd like them to make a new IP. While it's not the worst thing in the world to get more Donkey Kong Country, it just feels like an unambitious project for a highly talented team.

I'd definitely be up for more 2D Metroid, especially if they could do something interesting with it. Not sure if I'd want Retro on it, unless they were working it alongside some other more grandiose project.

For what it's worth, Metroid: Other M is kind of like a 3D Fusion (or at least that's how it's always felt to me). Not sure if you guys have checked that one out, but it's a fun romp.

Of course, it has the worst representation of Samus ever, but I guess you need to take the good with the bad?

Enjoy! I was going to play some more Demon's Souls tonight, but I might throw down on Costume Quest now that I got all hyped up talking about it again (after I take my kids trick-or-treating, of course).

Oh, it's also 75% off right now on Steam for their Halloween sale.

First and foremost, do you like Double Fine (and/or Tim Schafer)? If so, ignore the rest of everything I have to say and just buy the game. If not, please, let me continue.

It's Halloween and you're taking your little brother (or sister) trick-or-treating. See, you're a set of identical twins and based on your character choice, you will be the eldest (by a few seconds). This sets up a pretty humurous backdrop for the sibling interaction going forward during the events of the night.

You set out from your house into a pretty standard neighborhood filled with a bunch of kids all out trick-or-treating. As you go house to house, you either receive candy or discover a Grubbin who's in search of candy. At this point the game switches into an RPG mode that's reminiscent of a Mario RPG-style game.

Your costume determines your abilties in the RPG mode. The art style switches from a cartoony-thing into this ultra-detailed, "realistic" style. As you go through the game you unlock new abilities and can complete different subquests to obtain new costumes and new party members. Furthermore, the costumes actually have different abilities that must be applied during different fights. So it's a bit deeper than just being window-dressing.

An entire plot (that I won't spoil) unfolds that takes you to lots of different areas, but the whole trick-or-treating theme is applied throughout the game, regardless of where you go. It's a humorous romp that doesn't overstay its welcome. By the time the gimmick of it all starts to wear thin, it wraps up.

For more detailed thoughts, feel free to read Chessa's review.

No Costume Quest!? It's about trick-or-treating!

I know, I know, your list is more horror-oriented, but that's such a great Halloween game for obvious reasons.