Monday, October 21, 2013

Three games I'm attempting to play in the run-up to Halloween

Every year (or nearly every year) I say I'm going to play through a handful of seasonally appropriate games in the run-up to Halloween, and every year I fail to make much of a dent in said wish list.

This year, I decided to make things easier on myself by scaling things back a tad. In fact, all I've committed to playing this month--other than Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Hometown Story (which releases tomorrow, by the way) and Pokémon X, of course--are the following trio of spook-tacular titles:



1. Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun (Famicom)--I've been meaning to give this cute Castlevania spin-off for ages, but for all sorts of dumb reasons I've never gotten around to it. So, I'm going to do my best to do so in the coming weeks. And who knows, maybe if I can get through it quickly enough I'll be able to try its GameBoy-based remake-slash-sequel, which was called Kid Dracula outside Japan, as well.



2. Costume Quest (Xbox 360)--I actually played through a bit of this charming, Double Fine-developed RPG this time last year--and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Sadly, I don't believe I got anywhere near its end credits. So, this year I've decided to try again. Although I doubt I'll stick with it long enough to tackle the extra "Grubbins on Ice" chapter, maybe I'll come back around to it after winter hits the real world, too.



3. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)--Despite the fact that I pre-ordered Dark Moon far in advance of its release, I didn't even unwrap it until a week or so ago. I've since played it for a few hours, and already I'm satisfied with my purchase. My only issue with this 3DS game so far: it seems to be less of an open-ended affair than its GameCube-based predecessor. Of course, that's also likely to make it a better portable experience in the end, so maybe I shouldn't complain just yet.

Are any of you also playing any Halloween-ish games this month? If so, which ones?

16 comments:

Justin Difazzio said...

Oh! I should push through Costume Quest, too! I have it on Steam. Admittedly, I probably won't get to it, since I'm neck deep in GTAV and about halfway through Pokemon X (which I am LOVING).

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, well, at least I'm not alone RE: Costume Quest :)


As for you loving Pokemon X: YAY! How are you liking GTAV so far? And are you playing it on PS3 or PC?

Justin Difazzio said...

Oh, PS3. The PC version isn't out yet. I'm enjoying it way more than I thought I would, honestly. The characters are great, the missions are FAR less tedious than in previous iterations, and the world is GORGEOUS.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, I didn't know that. I'm not exactly the most educated person when it comes to this series, if you couldn't tell already :) Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

michaelstearns said...

I gave Kid Dracula a try! It's a pretty fun game, and young Alucard's has some charming animation (his upward attack is adorable!) though I found the slow walking speed pretty maddening. I didn't finish it, I'm sure I could have made it (not sure how long it is) but in the desert level I decided I'd had enough. I haven't tried the GB one, I wonder if it's a little faster?


By the way, if a translated rom exists, I'd recommend playing with that (or otherwise be playing via emulator), one of the bosses is a quiz show that has very easy questions, but you do have to read the questions and answer quickly!

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, I didn't realize the game featured slow walking speed. That is a bit maddening sometimes, isn't it?


As for the GB version: I'm going to doubt it's faster. Heck, it could be slower! You know how GB games could be sometimes...


I'll definitely see if there's a fan-translated version on the Internet. I would guess so, but who knows? Anyway, thanks for the warning there :)

michaelstearns said...

It's about an 8-bit Castlevania walking speed, which makes sense given that it's Castlevania (sorta) but with such a large character it feels even slower. It's not a deal breaker (it's not like you have to backtrack or solve puzzles) but it feels to me like moving a little faster would be appropriate. Anyway I'll look forward to your impressions later. :)

thegaygamer.com said...

I hear ya, Michael. I'm guessing it the game were made today, it would feature a run button or something, but of course at the time such an option wasn't as obvious an inclusion as it is today. Anyway, I'll give it a try sometime this week or weekend and let you know what I think of it!

apricotsushi said...

Kid Dracula is adorable! I've always wanted to play it.
The closest I'll probably get to playing a game to get in the Halloween spirit is the All Saints' Wake holiday event in Final Fantasy XIV. I'm just too busy! Haha.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, you're still obsessed with FFXIV, eh? I love it!


And are you busy with your studies now that you're back from vacation, or busy with gaming stuff? Or both?

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, I completely forgot that you were interested in Rune Factory 4, Anne. Have you played any of it at all at this point? If so, what do you think of it?


Hey, are you getting Hometown Story, or are you passing on it (at this point at least)? I should have my copy by the end of the week, and I'm really looking forward to trying it.


Of course, by then I'll also have Pokemon X, so it'll be interesting to see if Hometown Story gets any play this weekend or if it has to join my backlog pile with Etrian Odyssey IV and SMT IV...

retr0gamer said...

I'm doing pretty bad myself with October horror games. I'm slowly getting through Project Zero 2 but between work and then deciding I really needed to finish Ninja Gaiden 2 it's been slow going.

retr0gamer said...

The XBox version actually. I must pick up the Wii one myself before it becomes next to impossible to find.

thegaygamer.com said...

Huh! I completely forgot this game was even released for Xbox...

Zaphod65 said...

I like it. It always surprised me that kid-friendly Nintendo would allow an NES title where the children you're trying to protect can get killed off.

apricotsushi said...

I've played a bit of Rune Factory 4, yes! Not far enough to make any major statements, but I'm definitely enjoying it :)


As for Hometown Story, I really wish I could like it but the art style kind of bothers me :( I'm sure it's fun to play, though! I imagine I might pick it up eventually but it's not high on my list right now.


AND now you've reminded me that I've also started Etrian Odyssey Untold, haha! Need to get back to that one.