Castle Crashers, is it any good?

(tags game, Xbox 360, arcade, side scroll, beat-em-up)

I didn't really understand the hype for this "delayed" XBLA game, Castle Crashers. The hype did motivate me to make sure to download the demo, though. So I play through the demo once and yes it felt like Final Fight, with upgrade elements. Actually only the hint of upgrades, because the demo timed out on the boss encounter. Stick and run, stick and run, over and over again. At least this game isn't designed to bleed you of your quarters. Eventually I decided it's not worth the 1200 XBLP, for now.

It reminds me that I still want to get that XBLA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game only available in the US (well at least not in Japan).

Some "new" games: Touhou and The Warriors

(tags game, PlayStation Portable, Windows, shmup, beat-em-up)

I was bored going home Friday night so I made a quick stop into Tora no Ana. Hey I was in the neighborhood to pick up the Koge Donbo telephone card for 30 Gamers in-store points. I saw that Team Shanghai Alice's return to regular vertical shmups, Touhou Fuujinroku Mountain of Faith (東方風神録　～ Mountain of Faith) finally hit the stores, and though I wasn't planning on buying it, here I am already wanting to end this post to play it again.

(BTW, Melon Books had a meter-tall swiveled, stacked tower of the Touhou game cases. Store displays FTW.)

But unfortunately I was restless so when I retired from the computer last night, I started to play The Warriors for the PSP in bed. Wow I am impressed, even though I have to suppress the comparison to a GTA game. I must say I am uncomfortable when the NPCs tell me to steal this or beat this up or mug that, but when actually seeing it (in game) and doing it myself, I have no qualms. Its crazy. Perhaps breaking polygonal glass and ganking floating items or joint-locking a mark or kicking downed bodies to see the blood squirt out just doesn't seem real to me. I am visually desensitized.