Enjoying your summer so far? Most of us on the 4cr crew were so busy in June that fun and games were put on the back burner. Still, we managed to squeeze in a little Nintendo time here and there, and one of us (drum roll) even likes Mario Party 8! Read on for more, and make sure you let us know what’s been on your gaming plate as well.

Drew:

This month got off to a great start, but I haven’t even picked up a Wii-mote or stylus in the last two weeks thanks to work and life in general. Anyway, I’ve been playing SSX Blur, which is perhaps my favorite Wii game so far. Once you get the uber-moves and the carving down the game just opens up. I highly suggest it. I also returned to Zelda: TP (which I still have not finished). I’m so busy it’s tough for me to put aside time to get into that game. But the deeper I get into the game, the more I love it. I also picked up a used Wavebird and some GC games, From Russia with Love and Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike. Neither one has really drawn me in too much, but they are still decent games. It’s really odd switching from Wii to GC games…they feel hollow somehow. Anyway, I just hope that I can free up my schedule to finish some of these games.

Jody:

I started a new game of Twilight Princess recently, but I decided to quit. I have such a backlog of games that I need to play, I can’t spend what little free gaming time I have playing through games that I have already completed. I ended up starting up Shadow of the Colossus for PS2, as I have heard nothing but good things about it. I’ve finished 5 colossi now, and the game really is pretty fun. Reminds me of a certain part of Twilight Princess, but I won’t spoil it for those that haven’t played. So with the myriad of games that I need to complete, and after telling myself countless times that I need to finish the games I have before buying new ones, I went out and bought a copy of Wipeout Pure for PSP, as well as a new copy of Psychonauts for PS2 (I leant my old copy to a friend who in turn lost it) so I played Psychonauts for about 4 hours last night. Now I am tired. Damn you, Tim Schafer!

Greg:

Ah, summer! Finally time to kick back and play some games. Here’s what I’m playing right now:

Gears of War – This game is absolutely a treat to look at, and it has a surprising amount of atmosphere for a shooter. I also dig the online co-op.

Final Fantasy XII — I got distracted for a while, but I’m not putting in a good effort to finish this game. I’ve really been enjoying it, it has renewed my faith in the series after the last couple of disappointing games.

On the DS, I’ve also been switching back and forth a lot between Age of Empires, Tetris DS, and Picross DS.

Edgar:

This month was pretty much packing boxes and moving into my house. In my free time, I’ve been playing Brain Buster Puzzle Pack , a collection of different brain games including kakuro and sudoku. I’ve also been playing Sim City DS, this game brings back so many old memories. Even with its flaws, the game is still fun to play. Also, I’ve jumped back into Guild Wars this month.

Vinnk:

I know I have been saying this every month, but I am still totally hooked on Excite Truck and when I have friends over, that is what we play. But to tell you the truth, this month I haven’t had a lot of time for consol games so it has mainly been portable. I have been playing a lot of Ouendan 2. That game is so fun and it is the perfect title for short bursts. I have also been playing through the Pheonix Wright series (yet again) in preparation for the 3rd game which is coming out soon.

I also have a brand new addiction this month. I discovered the game GunPey for the Wonderswan. I bought a Wonderswan last week for $8 and I can’t stop playing the thing. Sure the graphics look primitive by today’s standards, but the system had a lot of good games. GunPey is one of those great games. Named after the late Gunpei Yokoi (the father of the gameboy), this puzzler is very challenging (like Meteos) and it took a while before I could play for more than a few minutes without loosing. But now I love it so much I can’t go to sleep unless I get a few games in before bed. I really need to track down the DS remake, but I fear for my social life.

In fact, I am going to go play now.

Kevin Caron:

June was the month to jump back into old DS titles I stopped playing a while ago. I’ve been playing some ACWW and The Rub Rabbits with my little lady, and I got back into the Ouendan groove. The original was SO much better :)

And surprisingly, Mario Party 8 is the bomb over here. Friends and roomates alike are mesmerized by the party game and we found ourselves playing every 2~3 days or so. It has its share of dull mini-games, but it’s still a blast to play with friends and booze :P

N Rumas:

I started off the month with two GC games that have been on my to-beat list for ages — Luigi’s Mansion and Viewtiful Joe. I know most people think Luigi’s Mansion sucks, but I still find it to be a pretty entertaining little game. It gets old quick, though, and I find that I stop playing. That’s probably the reason it’s taking me so long :P

Viewtiful Joe, on the other hand, is simply amazing. And amazingly exhausting. I’ve never, ever played a game that so drains me of energy, partly because of its difficulty and partly because of how dizzying its presentation is. Still, probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. No idea when I’ll end up finishing it, though…

Finally, like I mentioned last weekend, I picked up SSX Blur and Wii Play. They’re both fantastic (still not tired of Wii Play!), but I find the learning curve on Blur to be pretty steep. The more I play, though, the more I dig the controls. Carving, in particular, is simply amazing. Still, I have to say that the over-the-top SSX style just doesn’t sit well with me. 1080 N64 ftw :)