Games Rebels Play — September

We’re heading into what’s bound to be a legendary holiday season, and with a number of heavy-hitters already released, September proved quite the month to kick it all off. Read on to find out what the 4cr crew was playing in September — mostly Metroid, naturally — and be sure to let us know what titles kept you busy during the month, as well.

Michael Tucker:

Two Biggies for me: Metroid Prime 3 and Halo 3. I’ve beaten ‘em both on their respective hard modes and now am running through both on their respective extreme modes. I initially thought it was funny how they were both third installations of a sci-fi trilogy but as I played through them, not to give anything away, I noticed some pretty big similarities between certain levels. Nothing too dramatic, just some funny coincidences. They were both great and unique games though so I’m not complaining at all.

Even though it’s an itch that will never be scratched, these games really make me wish for a canonized tale where Master Chief and Samus meet.

Drew Kora:

No MP3 for me…not yet at least. I have no time for such an intense, immersive game this month so I chose not to tempt myself by purchasing it. I did, however, purchase Lego Star Wars II for some pick-up-and-play, lighthearted Star Wars action. I was not disappointed. I love this game and it’s been a great escape from the past few hectic weeks. If you haven’t picked this one up, I highly suggest heading to Target where it’s $20 or less, or find yourself a used copy.

Greg:

I’ve been playing entirely too many games for my own good. I’m still playing through Metroid Prime 3. For some reason, I can’t spend hours at a time on it, I just sit down for a few minutes every now and then. My Xbox 360 just got its first RROD, but before that I was playing lots of Hitman: Blood Money, Lego Star Wars 2, and Eternal Sonata. Like Drew, I couldn’t help but grab Lego Star Wars 2 at $20. It’s easily worth it for the co-op action. The game has a great sense of humor too. Eternal Sonata is an amazing game. I think it may be the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. On the DS, I’ve been finishing up Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations. Pick it up when it hits US stores if you’ve liked any of the previous games. This is the best one in the series.

Jody:

I’ve been working on planning a wedding and doing stuff with my band, so the only thing I’ve been playing lately is Bubble Bobble on NES and Duck Tales 2 also on NES.

Bombs:

Like Greg, I’ve been playing a lot of games lately and my 360 is slowly dying. Sadly, since it’s not doing the RRoD (Red Rings of Death), it’s not covered under warranty. On the 360 front, I’ve been playing Bioshock, Blue Dragon, Stranglehold and Medal of Honor Airborne. Having finished all of those games, I have to recommend them all. On the PS3, I’ve been extremely disapointed in Lair, not bothering to finish it (good thing it was a rental). I haven’t gotten around to renting Heavenly Sword yet. I’ve also bought and finished MP3 like most of the 4cr staff, and I have to say I found it better than the first two games in the series.

On the portable side of things, I’ve been playing Phoenix Wright 3: Trials and Tribulations for the DS, as well as catching up on older PSP games like Pursuit Force.

Vinnk:

This month I have been very busy moving and haven’t played any console games at all in my house. However last week at TGS I played a LOT of games (some good some bad). Due to all the train rides around Tokyo and various flights, my DS also got a workout this month.

I am playing through the first Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright) game again. It’s like a good book. Once enough time has passed that you forget the details of the story, it’s fun to play through it again. True, you go a lot faster in subsequent plays but you may notice new things as well. I do the same with the Lucas Arts games. Every few years I play through Monkey Island.

The other games that have been taking up my time are the more pick up and play games. I played Tetris and Panel de Pon with other people waiting in lines at TGS, and when my brain gets fried from work I like to chill with Electroplankton hooked up to my stereo system.

Metroid 3 hasn’t come out here in Japan yet, so I haven’t played that. I never really got into the first 2 titles despite the fact that I believe them to be very, very high quality games. Just not my type of game. But I hear that with the new control scheme, even people who didn’t like the first two games love this one. I am wiling to give it a try.

Edgar:

I’ve been playing Metroid Prime 3 on the Wii and Etrian Odyssey on the DS. Etrian Odyssey is a must own for old school RPG fans, the game is really hard but enjoyable to play. There’s a ot of character development branching in different class trees depending on what you want your characters to be/do.

And like every other month, I’ve been playing a lot of Guild Wars. Lately I’ve been doing tons of AB (Alliance Battles).

N Rumas:

It was all Metroid Prime 3 for me. A number of times, I found myself tempted to play something else just for a change, but I resisted. Good thing, too, because if I’d given into the urge, I probably would’ve forgotten what I was doing in MP3 and gotten all messed up like I did with the GC original.

Ultimately, I managed to beat the game yesterday, and I found it to be an awesome experience overall. The quality of the visuals is truly amazing; kudos to the sources (like 1up) that recognized that fact and praised it accordingly.

The only negative for me is that I feel the quality of storytelling just isn’t all that great. It’s not bad, but it’s decidedly corny. As such, and for other reasons, Twilight Princess (which was also corny, but a lot better) remains my favorite Wii game thus far. Still a truly solid title that no one should be without.

Starting today, I go back to Super Paper Mario and Punch-Out before having my life taken over by Phantom Hourglass. Ahh, I love Nintendo games