Puzzle Quest + Super Mario Bros. 3 + Metroid Prime 3= Addicting

so i’m not really sure how this whole blogging thing is supposed to work or what exactly i’m supposed to be writing about, so i decided to talk about two insanely kickass games that i’m currently playing. i first heard about puzzle quest in a penny arcade comic, but i didn’t actually get the game until just after my birthday, not too long before coming back to school. at it’s very basic roots, it’s a souped-up version of bejeweled, but the addition of spells and the fact that you only make one move at a time introduces elements of strategy that make it so damn addicting. i’ve lost literally entire afternoons to this game, and actually barely managed to turn it off to write this blog. apparently they’ve announced it for a plethora of platforms, including the ps2, xbox live arcade, pc, and wii. the versions on the first two platforms i can only imagine would be a little tough to play, since using the touch screen to move gems seems so easy. the pc and wii have a mouse or pointer, which would fit the game more. i guess only time will tell how successful the new games actually are (apparently the original game is the best-selling puzzle game on the ds in 2007).

the next one’s an absolute classic, and my personal vote for the greatest game ever made of all time. i literally grew up playing super mario bros. 3, and since we have a super nes and a copy of super mariuo all-stars in our house now, i’ve been playing that for the past couple of days. at this point, though, it doesn’t even feel like i’m playing a game anymore. i know every secret, every hidden path, every enemy, every obstacle, every power up, everything. the game (and its controller) simply feel like they’re extensions of myself. i picked up the controller two days ago and blew through the first 3 levels just for fun, while getting everything there was. it’s just such a blast to play, and i know it so well that it comes naturally to me. 

and speaking of games that feel like an extension of yourself, i’m almost done playing metroid prime 3: corruption, the incredible first-person adventure/shooter on the wii. because of the motion sensitivity and the nature of the control scheme, it feels more than ever like you’re inside samus aran’s varia suit. aiming, shooting, interacting, everything feels like it’s being done in the real world. i have and have beaten red steel, which was a first person shooter with swordplay, but prime 3 feels like an infinitely more polished game. it’s definitely going to be one of those games i don’t want to end because it’s so fun to play, but luckily for me there’ll be two additional difficulty levels to master. and i’ve got an hour before dinner, i think i know what i’m going to go do…