Toomanywires

The Best & Worst of:  2024 /  2023   /  2022   /  2021  /  2020  /  2019  /   2018  /  2017  /  2016  /  2015  /  2014  /  2013  /  2012  /  2011  /  2010 Are we sure it's been a year? It feels like I was writing my 2024 wrap-up just a few months ago. Gushing about Infinite Wealth, six months ago tops. Maybe eight? I may have lost the ability to accurately gauge the passage of time, but I know we certainly got twelve-month's worth of games this year. Good games, too. We even got a new console. Definitely twelve months, even if it felt a bit like eight. Maybe nine? 2024-me couldn't have predicted the games we'd end up discussing most this year. Surprise indies, rebounding AAA franchises, high profile re-releases, and even RPGs! The game of the year darling was widely compared to Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy XIII, and it wasn't meant as an insu...

When I was my daughter's age, I got a Mega Drive for Christmas.  This Christmas, she'll be getting a Switch 2. The GEO app said they had it in stock. At least one Switch 2 behind the counter at a local store, available last weekend without the need to reserve or enter a lottery that I'd be bound to lose. A rare thing, and only a twenty-minute drive away. I took a moment to consider whether I wanted a Switch 2. I hadn't planned to get one this year, but given that console prices go up nowadays, not down, waiting made little sense. I thought about my daughter, who'd be delighted to have one before the big Switch 2 exclusives drop, including new Splatoon and that Pokemon game that looks like Animal Crossing.  Good reasons to buy one, but it was the season that clinched it. The chance to put a console under the Christmas tree was too good to pass up, so I jumped in the car and prepared to massively exceed my festive budget. The journey was straight forward, but parking ...

1. Lumines - Arise a Contrarian I like Lumines.  Electronic Symphony is my favourite, and it lived in my Vita for years on end, and I put countless hours into the PSP originals, as well as the recent-ish remaster. However, I've struggled to click with Lumines Arise. In that respect, I seem to be in the distinct minority. My social media feeds have been full of gushing praise, from Lumines-heads and via Tetris Effect-converts alike.  By no means did I dislike Arise, it's just that it never got its claws into me, not how I hoped it would. I wasn't seeing falling blocks when I closed my eyes nor fighting off the urge to have one more go at silly hours. I was essentially done with it within a week or so, and that bugged me. So I decided to think really hard - really, really hard - and get to the bottom of why we didn't gel. And I think I got it. In Arise, the total marriage between the core gameplay and music is a hindrance to my enjoyment of Lumines. When defining that enj...

I'm not sure what I'll do with four spice orange GameCube controllers. It's highly unlikely I'll ever need that many. I very rarely have friends over, and I might not have four of them anyway. Four friends, that is. I definitely have four controllers (see pic), which is the point of this post. Four spice orange GameCube controllers. Even if I somehow convinced my family to join me in a GameCube session, we'd still be a player short of utilising all four pads. Still, having a full set just seemed like the right thing to do, which is why I bought a fourth a few weeks back. I wanted to use all the controller ports and get fully plugged in; I needed to gather all that orange, even if just for the visual treat. I bought my GameCube in early 2024 and, to be honest, I haven't used it much. I played a good chunk of Eternal Darkness, and have dipped into a handful of other titles, spending the most time with NBA Street Vol. 3 and Wave Race. I've been quite selective...

I finished Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles last week. I'm delighted to report that Tactics remains sublime and the upgrade is outstanding. While I was playing, I did something that I usually wouldn't: I snapped screenshots. When something struck me as poignant, interesting, funny or just pretty, I'd grab a picture. Some of those images now serve as the backbone for this blog post and will provide inspiration for a bit of Tactics talk. Obviously, this post will contain spoilers . If you plan on playing Final Fantasy Tactics and have yet to do so, I'd advise giving this blog a miss. I won't mind, and I trust you'll come back once you've played it. And you most definitely should play it, because it's an all-timer. Delita on a Chocobo - The Opening Cinematic I'm pleased that the water-colour cutscenes from the PSP port, War of the Lions, were retained. They're a lovely touch that add a softness and warmth to the otherwise harsh world o...

I'm drawn to colour. I love fighting games with big, bright colours and characters that fill the screen. I played Street Fighter II and then 2D Saturn brawlers in my formative years, and I've never grown out of the aesthetic preferences those experiences fostered. If I'm playing a fighting game in 2025, it's probably Street Fighter VI, IV Ultra, one of those recent-ish Capcom collections, or something on my Saturn or Dreamcast.  Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls wasn't initially on my TGS radar, but that changed when I walked by the Arc System Works' booth. I was drawn in by the vibrant colours, big character sprites, and fast-moving line. I decided to join the queue and was immediately handed a collection of laminated documents detailing the gameplay basics and info for all eight characters: Storm, Star Lord, Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Captain America, Ghost Rider and Spider-man. I felt like I was prepping for an exam, and as with most exams I take, I commit...