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April 17, 2011 1:08 AM

Oh, I should probably mention that I named my PS3 Cesàro, if I didn't already. I tend to name things on my network after mathematicians >_>

Also, I bought a spare-spare DS Lite! Well, I'm not sure if it's going to be my spare or my spare-spare, but the point stands that I'm up to three now. They don't have names, either. I should do something about that.

I know I'm supposed to update this blog properly, but... portatoes! I must get them. Actually, I'm epically terrible at getting them, so far I just have the one from joining the Steam group. BIT.TRIP BEAT is dizzying me. I am looking forward to Portal 2, though; my best friend gifted it to me as a super-early birthday present (my birthday is not for another four months) so we can play co-op together.

Which robot should I take?

I've heard a couple of differing opinions on Portal 2 in the lead-up to its release - in 70 hours or less, thanks to GLaDOS@Home (that evil mastermind). One camp is really excited about the game and all the new features, while the other thinks adding new things will clutter the game and spoil the simple but brilliant gameplay of the first instalment. I'm mostly with the former - I trust the developers to build another excellent game and am looking forward to new complexities formed by the extra gameplay elements. I think there's the possibility of going overboard, but fingers crossed that won't happen.

And of course, the co-op mode! This is probably the thing I am most excited about in P2; playing the first one by myself was fun (if a bit scary - shut up, I scare easily) but being able to play with a friend is even better! We haven't decided which robots we are going to play as yet, though, since we're both short and playing as a tall thin robot would feel... odd.

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April 7, 2011 1:27 AM

In something completely unrelated to the subject of this post, I discovered this morning that my precious DS Lite has a crack in one of the hinges :( I know it's a common problem, but... my baby! At least my purchase of a spare is vindicated >_> (but now I kind of want a spare spare...)

Anyway, so. I have this addiction to rhythm games. If there was a Rhythm Gamers Anonymous, I'd probably be its founder (which is perhaps why there isn't one, because I'm too lazy). I'll buy pretty much any rhythm game, no matter how bad - as long as it's relatively cheap, anyway. Which led me, the other day, to the worst game I've ever played, and possibly the worst game ever:

Oh, baby, baby.

Yeah, I went there.

Continue reading 'Beating Up on Britney'»

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November 19, 2010 5:43 PM

Sup guys, long time no see. What's been happening?

- My copy of K-ON! Houkago Live!! arrived about a month ago. This game is the whole reason I bought a PSP. It's a pretty standard Japanese press-buttons-in-time music/rhythm game, based on the same engine as Project Diva 2 IIRC, but it's a spinoff from my favourite anime ever - using the songs from the band in the show - so yeah, I guess you might say I'm a bit obsessed. I haven't really been playing anything else on PSP since that arrived. Sorry, Disgaea! I'm pretty sure I've unlocked all the songs now, but I have to beat every song on every instrument...

- In the world of DS, I gave Beat City a spin, quickly got distracted by Cooking Mama and eventually started on The World Ends With You, since I got sick of Esposch's nagging. I like the music, and the art is gorgeous, but the battle system is pretty confusing and makes me a bit dizzy, concentrating on two screens at once. I suspect it's something I just need to get used to.

- I put down a deposit on a PS3 slim, and I'm going to pick it up next week. This means I'm selling all my Guitar Hero/Rock Band stuff on Wii, but more importantly I NEED A NAME. And it has to be cute! My friend Anto's is named Shuttlebus and I want a name that is as adorable as that.

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September 11, 2010 1:11 AM

Degree is Not Going Well™, there may be further delays. Which is a pity, because I was going to blabber on about tower defence for a bit :( I finished LocoRoco though (finally! - although not properly, just beat all the worlds) and have started on Disgaea. It's good, and interesting, but a bit different from what I expected.

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September 2, 2010 12:18 AM

And I'm not dead! Just, uh. Kind of failing school right now. BRB IN THREE WEEKS ONCE MY 6-MONTH REVIEW IS OVER and I know whether I'm going to get kicked out of my course or not (looking kinda likely at the moment okay. I hope my parents don't read this blog).

P.S. Wii instrument count is back up to three guitars, two drumkits, three mics. Derp.

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August 3, 2010 2:14 AM

I ran out of alcohol swabs tonight. That's probably not unusual. I'm told, however, that the reason why I ran out of alcohol swabs is a little more unusual. You see, while I originally bought 100 swabs to clean walls before attaching poster strips (hey, the instructions for the strips say to use rubbing alcohol!), I ended up using approximately three of them for wall-cleaning, and the other 97 to clean up games.

I'm slightly obsessive about the condition of my games. I like to buy games sealed, and if I happen to buy a game unsealed or second-hand (which is quite often, really, as I'm also a total cheaparse) I can't put it away with the rest of my games until I've cleaned it up thoroughly, which usually involves going over the case with alcohol swabs to scrub away dirt and sticker residue, plus a quick swipe over the cartridge or disc itself. Somehow I've managed to amass enough games in the last few months that I've made it through 100 swabs D:

Also, eucalyptus oil works a treat on stubborn sticker residue. I'm told tea-tree oil is great too, but we don't have any in the house :P

What game should I write about next? Have a look at my list, let me know what you think.

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July 29, 2010 12:41 AM

I've already fallen behind with posting >_< But I haven't forgotten about this blog! I've just been busy with RL work, and all I've been playing is, uh. LocoRoco. New post soon, I promise!

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July 14, 2010 2:50 AM

I feel like when you start at the very beginning, a very good place to start is the game you're currently playing. Tari recommended LocoRoco to me a while ago, and it was one of the dozen games I picked up before grabbing a PSP a couple of weeks ago. (Only slightly insane, okay? SLIGHTLY.)

I think there are two kinds of games that work really well on the PSP: simple pick-up-play-put-down, and complex, beautiful, involved games. The latter category includes a bunch of JRPG ports; LocoRoco falls into the former. It's a platformer that puts a new "tilt" on the concept (bad puns! I warned you!) - instead of controlling the character, you tweak its movement by tilting the entire world. There is a story of sorts, but it doesn't really hold any importance aside from cuteness.

Gameplay itself uses only the shoulder buttons (to tilt the world and make the LocoRoco jump) and the O button (to break apart and collect together groups of LocoRoco). It's this simplicity that makes it addictive.

Sometimes a big LocoRoco needs to be broken into its components to squeeze through tight areas.

LocoRocos are singing gelatinous blobs which can join together to make a large LocoRoco or split apart into individual LocoRocos. The goal of each level is to make it through to the end where a sprout grows, waiting for the LocoRocos to sing to it and make it grow. Each level starts with a single LocoRoco, which will eat red berries to increase its size, gather pink Pickories to play minigames, and find Mui Muis and parts for the Loco House along the way, while fending off the tentacled black Moja. LocoRocos come in several different colours, but the choice of colour affects only the song they sing, not gameplay.

Some events need you to have collected a certain number of berries.

I'll admit it - I'm not too familiar with video game music, since I usually play games when I'm out of the house and audio eats up battery way too quickly. That said, music is pretty important to this game - it's possible to play muted (and I've done so while on public transport without my headphones), but you won't get the full experience. As well as the supercute theme song, which is incredibly catchy and tends to get stuck in my head for days at a time, each colour of LocoRoco sings its own song. As you collect berries, more voices are added to the choir - each individual LocoRoco plays a part. Each level also has its own background music, which does a great job of setting the scene.

Mui Mui are LocoRoco's friends!

I adore LocoRoco's graphics. They're completely 2D and flat-coloured with no shading at all, giving the game a childlike feel reminiscent of kindergarten. Colours vary from muted in some levels to vibrant in others, depending on the setting. LocoRoco is the kind of game that proves visuals don't have to be complex to be stunning.

There's a vast range of landscapes represented in the 40 levels - tropical paradises, icy tundra, and everything in between (including the inside of a creature's body!). There are enough elements used that every level is refreshing and feels different. I'm particularly fond of the spongy, squishy masses from which you can bounce.

What I love about this game is that it's simultaneously accessible and challenging. It's easy to race to the end of a level and unlock the next if all you want to do is play through the game, but properly completing the level (gathering all items and finding the Mui Mui) is harder, due to hidden paths and occasional puzzles. At times it's not possible to backtrack - it's incredibly frustrating to see a berry just after you've jumped into the airstream that takes you past it!

Hidden paths and areas often contain Mui Mui, berries or Loco House Parts.

I tend to play my handhelds on the move, so being able to pick up LocoRoco for five minutes on the bus and run through a level has great appeal.  I'm only on World 3 (of 5) right now, but LocoRoco 2 is in the mail, so I'll have plenty of gelatinous goodness to last me a while! Not to mention the added longevity that comes with trying to finish every level completely. (Except that Patapon 2 is coming in the same package, and, well. Patapon!)

LocoRoco is available at Play-Asia. If that's not enough, grab LocoRoco 2 as well!

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July 12, 2010 8:25 PM

Well, every time I load up the front page it tells me I'm looking for something that isn't there, so have an introductory post to fill up the space! :D

I've tried blogging before (apart from my personal blog): a couple of times on music (one made it to four posts!), a couple of "general" public blogs and, most recently, on anime at INFINITY☆→ZERO, but being lazy and easily distracted I always forget to update after a while. Not this time. This time I paid for a domain name. o_o

So welcome to My PSP's Not Pink, aka NP-PSP (not-pink PSP)! The nice and slightly geeky acronym was provided by Rob as a way to avoid having "snot pink" in the URL, while the name itself came from my buds at #palgnchat, who keep claiming my PSP's pink - it's lilac, goddammit.

Since I have too many games I haven't played, this blog is aimed at forcing me to try more of them. If I write about a different game every week, eventually I'll have to start playing ones I haven't played before, right? >_> So I'm hoping to have a mix of ramblings/reviews about games, excitement about upcoming stuff, and general gaming-related randomness. Despite the domain, this is not a PSP blog - I have a DS, Wii, GBA SP and very old PC too, so you'll be seeing posts on whatever I feel like playing each week.

Wish me luck on the ride!

STAGE CLEAR

(P.S. I have a tendency to make bad puns/jokes.)