I love May. It’s not only the greatest month of the year to spend outside, but there’s also no better time to open the windows, grab a beer, kick back, and enjoy some games. Read on to find out what the 4cr staff was playing in May, and be sure to chime in and let us know how you spent your precious Nintendo time in the last month as well.

Mitch:

Unfortunately, it’s been another dry month for me when it comes to gaming. On top of working, planning some major purchases and sleeping ’til noon, I haven’t had a lot of room for fitting anything else in. However, between naps, I’ve managed to squeak in some time with Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSX. There’s no better game.

Hopefully my gaming frenzy will pick up next month when Wii games start popping out of the woodwork again.

Vinnk:

I have been enjoying Ouendan 2. It is every bit as good as the first one. I also got Elite Beat Agents, it’s a fun game, but it just doesn’t give me the same vibe.

My friends and I are STILL into Excite Truck. I have played that game more than all my other Wii games put together. I bought Super Paper Mario while I was in the states but I haven’t played it much yet. The little I played was very good, but I will wait until I have a bigger block of free time.

Meanwhile, my bride to be has really gotten into the game Project Hacker and is looking forward to Gyakuten Saiban 3.

Drew:

It’s a been a dry month for gaming for me, too. But things are looking promising for now. My awesome wife just bought me SSX Blur as an anniversary gift. I’ve only had time to play it a little bit, but so far so good. Ah…reminds me of the good old days of 1080 Snowboarding on N64.

Also on my shelf without any time to play is Tiger Woods. What I’ve played so far is really really hard….in a realistic way. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean, is it a good thing to bring right into your living room the frustrating chore of learning to drive a golf ball straight? I’ll give this one some more time and see how I feel about it.

Jody:

I’ve been playing Chrono Trigger. Fantastic game. No matter how many times I play it, it’s still great. If you don’t have it go get it now. Aside from that I have been playing Futurama for Playstation 2. I absolutely love Futurama so I was excited to try the game out. The game is incredibly fun, but very hard. Well worth picking up by any fan of the tv series though, especially since they got all the original voice actors for it. The animation style is a little bit weird, but once you get past that it’s a very fun game. Just be prepared to get frustrated!

Edgar:

I’ve been playing Etrian Odyssey on the DS. This game brings back so many fond memories of oldschool dungeon crawler RPGs. If you miss those kind of games, do yourself a favor and get Etrian Odyssey. The other game I’ve been playing is Dungeon Runners on the PC. This is another game that brings back memories…. all those sleepless night playing Diablo 1 & 2 online. Check out my post about Dungeon Runners here.

Greg:

Now that it’s summertime, I have a little more time to play games. Here’s what I’ve been into:

Final Fantasy XII — I’ve been steadily losing faith with the main Final Fantasy series. None of the recent ones have lived up to the Super Nintendo era. Final Fantasy XII changed all of that. This is the best Final Fantasy game since VI. It’s an absolute joy to play, the characters are compelling, and the graphics are beautiful.

Picross DS — I already reviewed this one, but I’ll admit that I haven’t quite finished it yet. I keep unlocking more and more puzzles. I’m not complaining, it’s a fantastic game. This is the puzzle game to get.

Tales of Symphonia — Can you believe it? I haven’t played this before. Luckily, Jody gave me a good deal on it. I like it so far, the battle system is fairly interesting and I dig the anime look. It’ll probably take a backseat to Final Fantasy XII for awhile, though.

Nick:

Twilight Princess – Yeah, so I’m still playing. You have a problem with that? What I have a problem with is the fact that I ever stopped playing this game. I’m only now at the Zora water temple and am in awe. Just picking the game back up and running around the gorgeous world and getting into a more involved, fleshed out and mature Zelda world is amazing. Plus, how cool does the Zora armor look? Sweet!

Super Paper Mario – The game started off slow and I almost didn’t want to keep going, but much like both previous Paper Mario games, once you get a couple hours in the game picks up and the charm grabs you and doesn’t let go. And this is a perfect game for me right now as the puzzles are clever, but it never gets too challenging. It keeps things light, airy and tons-o-fun.

Pokemon Pearl – Bought this when it came out and I am slowly putting time into it. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Pokemon, but this is fun. In a few more hours I will probably (knowing my game playing history) put this down and never pick it up, but the fact that I live with two other Pokemanics might keep me playing a while longer.

Other than that I have been playing a few games after work just to wind down for a few minutes. I’ve played a little Advance Wars DS, Battalion Wars, the new Rainbow 6 on the 360, Guitar Hero 2 on the 360 and a few other odds and ends. I’m glad that I am finally able to work gaming back into my schedule. It’s been far too long.

Benny:

Puzzle Quest (DS) — I know I’m late to the train, but this game is utterly addicting. It’s so addicting in fact that I had to stop and reassess y playtime on it. It’s definitely the type of game where you just grind and grind and grind and end up 3 hours later not know where you time went. Love it.

Daxter (PSP) — I’ll admit it, I loved the N64 days of the collect-a-thon platformer (expect DK64… ugh). Dater harkens back to the good ol’ days without all that cross-platform action mumbo-jumbo that platformers need to come with today to sell (Ratchet and Clank… I’m looking at you). It also helps that the game is BEAUTIFUL.

Super Paper Mario (Wii) — Screw the haters, this game is a fantastic, crazy combination of Paper Mario’s awesome RPG sensibilities and old-school platformers. Yeah it makes me want a new Paper Mario RPG, and yeah it makes me want an old-school Mario 2d platformer… but it sits SO comfortable and confidently inbetween those genres in a way that has truly gripped me. I also love the fact that it not only makes fun of videogame cliches through dialog, but through actions. I’ve sat there and laughed merrily as the game has made me grind through menial tasks that should be boring… but are done with the tongue plated so firmly in cheek that I can’t help but laugh.

Michael Tucker:

Halo 3 Beta – Don’t worry, this temptress’ touch isn’t as good as the touch of a Wii. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Ehhh, anyway, the Beta has it’s own set of strengths and weaknesses, the pinnacles of each being playing with friends on Xbox Live and playing with everyone else on Xbox Live respectively. Let’s just say that before the beta I was only interested in getting the game for its campaign experience and after the beta it still looks like that’ll be my primary motivation.

Earth Defense Force 2017 – Another XB360 title, this game is sure to be a classic. Earth Defense Force, or EDF, is the equivalent of a terrible Japanese sci-fi flick with “aliens” that are really giant ants and spiders that live deep inside the earth(I still don’t get how that works) and huge stinkin’ hilarious piles of bad dialogue. I’m sure it’s obvious that I’m not gonna praise this game for its depth, but somehow, despite all odds, it actually manages to be fun if you have a friend. I dunno, there’s just something enjoyable about killing hundreds of bugs with explosives and machine guns while you and a friend are either cursing the cheap shots the enemies get on you or killing your AI controlled teammates who always manage to run right in front of you as you fire a gigantic rocket. This game is terrible, this game is great, all said, it manages to be terribly great.

Bombs:

Fallout (Mac OS X) — This is a great RPG for the PC/MAC. It is a bit old, but it had a distinct style to it that makes it very memorable. Think of it as a Baldur’s Gate with guns and nukes, and some nice ’50s touches.

Moero Nekketsu Rythm Damashii Osu Tatakae Ouendan 2 (DS) — This game is great. I didn’t really like Elite Beat Agents compared to the original Ouendan, but this game is definately as fun as the first one.

Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3) — This is the latest in a great fighting series. Aoi Umenokouji is kicking ass and taking names in the quest mode!

Beyond Oasis (VC) – I never got around to finishing this great game back in the day since I never got a Genesis. One of the best action RPG that was released on the Genesis, get it now!

Rumas:

It was a Super Mario World VC month for me. Using my incredibly amazing controller mod, I managed to beat the game with almost total completion. What a brilliant platformer. Back in the day, I never actually experienced much of it because of the high level of difficulty. I really sucked at games when I was a kid :oops:

Having played it all the way through, I must say I think it’s the greatest game of its kind. Most of the 4cr staff (and most everyone in general) ranks Yoshi’s Island as the best, but for me, SMW is ever-so-slightly better. Absolute perfection, and a pure joy to play from beginning to end.

After I beat Mario, I busted out another relic of the past — Rogue Leader for Gamecube. It’s a game I’ve had for ages, but one that I gave up on long ago because of the totally frustrating level of difficulty. I decided I’d give it another try, and after getting creamed nonstop, I cracked under pressure and used every secret code to get all the upgrades, ships, etc.

That was a good choice. With all of the extras, I was actually able to have some fun with the game, and I was still just barely able to beat it by skin of my teeth. I completed the final mission recently after countless tries, and it was quite a rush. Six years later, I’m still in absolute awe at what Factor 5 was able to pull off at GC’s launch, and my hat is off to anyone who’s ever managed to beat the game (let alone get the medals) without cheating.