Bastion -- All-In-One.

I've completed Bastion for Xbox Live Arcade earning the full two hundred points. Bastion is the first release in the 2011 version of Summer of Arcade. Bastion was developed by Supergiant Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Bastion is an action RPG with a gimmick. Yes, I'm using the word gimmick here as it didn't really work for me. The game has a narrator going throughout the entire game. An overly slick voice is commenting on everything you do and provides the story as you go. The voice is very mismatched to the in-game character it's supposed to be which also works against it. I found the narration to be mildly annoying. Especially where it tries to be smart and provide you with a little fourth wall breaking goose. They never really worked for me and I found myself saying I wasn't thinking that. I believe I probably would have had more tolerance for the narration had the story been more than it was. I wasn't impressed with the story. It didn't give me any sort of epiphany that it seemingly so wants to do. The biggest complaint I have against the story is that it just comes off as trying way too hard. The gameplay is solid and fun but not exactly deep. They do offer up eleven weapons to use so you can come up with a pair that let you play the game the way you want to play it. You're able to level up the weapons adding new power and abilities. The game also features passive skills tied to your levels to mix and match as well as numerous sidequests. Graphically the game is gorgeous. Hand drawn art abounds. It all animates rather well. But it does lead to some collision detection issues and being hung up on edges here and there. Musically the game is a mixed bag. The soundtrack is rather good. There are two songs in the game however and again I came away with the impression of the game just trying too hard. Especially with the ending song. Bastion is an all around solid game, but ultimately nothing special. I'm giving Bastion a 7.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon - All-In-One.

I've been playing Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon for the Xbox 360. The game is the fourth title in the series and the second game released in North America. It's my first entry into the series. This entry in the series was developed for the first time in America by Vicious Cycle Software and published by D3 Publishers. The first three titles were developed in Japan by Sandlot. The original games were developed under the Simple 2000 series, which makes them $20 budget releases. The third was released on the Xbox 360 as Earth Defense Force 2017, again as a budget priced title. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon retains the budget price aesthetic but essentially provides a full-fledged game including online co-op for three players through the campaign and six-player online co-op through survival mode. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a third-person shooter versus thousands upon thousands of bugs. Through the game's fifteen levels you'll constantly find yourself swarmed by bugs and it's even more intense with three players in co-op. The game offers four distinct classes that truly play different from each other. The game also offers over three-hundred weapons that truly offer a rather impressive variety of unique graphic displays. Far more impressive than Borderlands, that's for sure. Graphically the game is solid. While clearly budget based the graphics are clean and the bugs animate well. The game's sound effects work well. The bugs pop with a satisfying sound and the weapon sound effects also prove satisfying. What's probably most surprising is the story and it's decidedly humorous take on things. The game is truly funny. The game is aware of itself as a video game and constantly mocks itself. The true ending, which can only be seen on the hardest difficulty level, especially mocks video game endings. The game isn't flawless though. I would say that the grind is a bit on the extreme side. Leveling your characters and killing set numbers of bugs for achievements takes way too long. Other than that though, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon proves to be great solid fun and I'm giving the game an 8. We're essentially taking a break from the game and expect to return to it to finish said grind and earn those achievements. It might take a a year of playing on and off. Yeah, the grind is like that...

Trenched -- All-In-One.

I have completed the Xbox Live Arcade title Trenched. The game was developed by Double Fine and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game is a hybrid of tower defense and third-person shooter with a small dose of action RPG leveling. I liked this game more than I was expecting to as I'm not the biggest fan of the tower defense genre. Two factors come into play here as to the why of my enjoyment. The fact that the game leans closer to a third-person shooter and that the game offers four-player online co-op. The game works well in co-op and is easily the preferred way to play. It's a really solid fun little game. I'm giving Trenched an 8.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D -- All-In-One.

I have completed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D with a time of thirty-seven hours and twenty-one minutes. The game was developed by Grezzo and published by Nintendo. The original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released in November of 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and it went on to become the highest rated video game of all time. Was it worth playing it again all these years later? Easily, yes. The game is still a true classic and is as fun and rewarding as it ever was. Is it worth buying again? The 3DS version features updated graphics and a much improved frame rate as well as improved control. The 3D effect when looking around at each new area or cutscene is definately cool. The only real flaw here again is in the system itself and not the software with the limited window for the 3D stability. I spent the majority of the game playing in 2D. Which is unfortunately shaping up to be the norm for the system. I would definitely say that it's worth purchasing for a second time. I'm giving it a score of 9.5.