Cross-posted from Brain Scrap House.

It's that time again! Here is my fifth annual overview of the games I played in the preceding year. Previous roundups: 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

All games are listed in the order played and/or beaten; the “Endless Games, etc.” section is from memory and may be out of order and/or incomplete. Linked titles go to that game’s Review, Impressions, or Game Love entry, though many of the unlinked games are discussed elsewhere on this site. Icons were made from press images poached from various places all over the internet. Thanks as always to namatamiku for the initial inspiration, and an additional shout-out to Clidus for writing his own roundup posts this year.

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Completed/Beaten:

World of Goo (PC via Steam) - This indie puzzler, which I'd been meaning to play for some time, did not disappoint. Features...

Many CAGs probably know that I've been looking for a new job for over a year now. Some may wonder why I was looking for a job despite being employed. I finally got an offer yesterday with only a few days to accept it.

Basically, I graduated with a 4 year Bachelors in an Electrical Engineering type major from a great college. I was one of the top performing students getting around a 3.6 GPA. Due to jobs I had locked up going away (due to layoffs), I had to start again from scratch. Finding a job in the Midwest was painful (I use to live in Indiana). Before getting my current job, I only had three interviews total where two were on the phone, and the last one was the one I landed in Maryland. Let's just say I had a friend (who I went to college with) was able to get a job working as an Electronic Technician in the Baltimore, MD area. While the job only required a 2 year degree, he felt it was something since he felt he could eventually move up. Since many technician...

VG Confidential is going to be recording the first episode of 2012 and with the gaming industry as a whole taking a little break over the holidays, the amount of things to talk about is a little lite. With that in mind, what better time than now to go some listener interaction!

If you want us to discuss anything specific this month or have us answer questions, just leave your suggestion or query in the comments here, tweet us @BGamingBureau, or email them to bgbcast@bgbureau.com.

Be sure to look out for the newest episode of VG Confidential later this week and check out old episodes while you wait at www,BGBureau.com.

Yay, sickness!

I wanted to push out a new episode of BevNerd as soon as I could in this new year. Unfortunately, I have been sick since it's begun. I then got the bright idea of picking up some Therflu from Walgreens. I then thought, "Hey, this sure is a beverage!" So I decided to review it. It's definitely a beverage, has a function and a specific flavor, Apple Cinnamon.

I thought that reviewing an actual soda wouldn't do the product justice, since my tasting ability has been lacking while my nose has been really stuffed up.

So here's the review, maybe it will help out others during the winter funk season.

Question: What do you take for a cold/flu?


Please pardon the Facetime camera work, lighting and my hair.

More BevNerd at BevNerd.com/Facebook/Twitter

It's a little weird (read: stupid) that this game is coming out 4 months after the season started, but here it is: NFL Blitz. Today I downloaded the demo... and, as a fan of the arcade classic, it's a little "out of bounds".

Graphics: They're great and capture the essence of NFL Blitz overall. Although they do look a little "Madden-like" instead of the steroid-fueled player models of yesteryear, The isometric view is still there and is still over-the-top in animations (although it is quite toned down in one area, but more on that later). Instant replays are there, but I feel that they bring down the game, even though they're not seen on EVERY touchdown....

Well after the last Steam sale, I thought of how I am going to spend this year, and I came with a solution. I have realized that I need to become more of a cheap ass. It's not that I don't have money, but I found that I tend to enjoy a game more if I end up spending less money on it (due to getting my money's worth). So I been thinking about it and I figured I would set up some boundaries from when I am going to buy a game.So I have essentially set up price points to what price I will buy a game.

$60 (only for special collector's editions) or if it is absolutely required because of no deal or friends want me to play it. Although I do not want to spend $60 on a game this year (only exception would be Mass Effect 3).

$20- If I have a real interest in the game, and it's a console game. If it's a PC game I will wait unless I really want it right now (something like Serious Sam 3).

$10- My price point for console games that I want to hit. I really want...

Some end of the year stats:

New Games: 248
Games Beaten: 208
# of the above 100% Complete: 128
Games sold, given away, trashed, deleted: 34
Net progress: -40

First game Beaten: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (NDS) on 1/1/11
Last Game Beaten: Dead Space (iPhone) on 12/29/11

Total Games: 1333
Games I still need to beat: 265
# of the above I have not played at all: 185

So someone comes up to you and tells you there is a movie where Keanu Reeves wears a fake goatee and acts in a play. What do you do? Obviously you make watching the movie your #1 priority.

That's actually a true event that happend to me today. It all started when I was chilling out, maxing and relaxing all cool and shooting some b-ball outside of the school when a couple of guys who were walking out of the woods walked up to me and told me of the goods. They said "Have you ever heard of Keanu Reeves fake goatee?" I said "how could such a badass thing be?"

They explained the jist of the movie to me and needless to say I rushed out to my local video Redbox store and rented this film.


I started watching it and got to see Keanu Reeves acting like a normal person, working a tollbooth and driving a truck. The wonders of movies, letting us imagine...

Macs to me seem to be the computer for people who just want to do simple everyday tasks like surfing the web, checking email, watching video, sync music to ipod. They look very well built and I'm sure some people prefer the interface. But, here is the thing. The target market for for macs is exactly the group that shouldn't be spending $1000 on a computer. Why would I pay $1000 for a mac when a $500 computer is more than capable of doing basic tasks nowadays? And what features of the os make it more appealing? Expose/Spaces? Both of which can me duplicated in compiz fuzion on linux. The file edit view at the top instead of per window is cool but harldy worth paying that much money for. Windows 7 dock/taskbar is far more functional than the osx dock in my opinion. Stacks is pretty cool but hardly worth paying the mac premium for. Photoshop/Adobe suite is also available on windows for people who need those kind of apps. Since windows has such a high market share...

I'm cleaning up around the house and keep finding useless things to me. Anyone want a Forza 3 game add-on content code. I'll PM someone who comments to this blog.

Please check it out:


http://legacy-control.com/2012/01/02/bein-productive/


The Strip: Yeah…this is all true with no exaggeration at all. Creepy I know.

Gaming: I have joined the Companions…A little late I know…but so far I am loving it.

TV/Movies: The wife and I watched THe Ides of March today, with a one Mr. Ryan Stare Face McLooky guy Gosling. He stares a lot is what I am saying. Pretty good film and it was cool to see all the local Cincinnati sites up in lights. Cool and very very strange.

Music: My son now has to have a constant rotation of the following songs: Sexy Chick (Akon), The Club Cant Handle Me (Flo Rida), Poker Face (Ga Ga), The Best Day Ever (Sponge Bob). He has taken a real liking to Dance Central 2. He can also perform a majority of the moves at this point. I may post a video.

Life: I may have mentioned it, but dammit am I sick. I should be getting better at this point...

If you played either of the first two games in the series then you have a pretty good idea of what's in store for you in the third installment. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception throws you right into the story and the cutscenes between each chapter really hook you and keep you wanting to play. The combat can be a downer at times but if you like the first two, the tomb raider series or just treasure hunting books or movies its worth playing. Also the game is less supernatural than previous two in the series but does turn down that road at the very end. So if you had a problem with that part of the story, especially with the first game like I did, they did a much better job of incorporating it this time around and it almost leaves you wondering wait when is the crazy stuff coming.

The only real detraction from this game and its kind of a step back from the second game, which was a major improvement combat wise over the original, is the AI. The AI is almost too good...

Decided to take a break from my research project only for my xbox of 2 months old to die after 5 minutes of play. Just lucky I am well inside the warranty period.

Honorable mentions
18. Young Statues – Young Statues
17. Charlie Simpson – Young Pilgrim
16. Into It. Over It. – Proper
15. The Dangerous Summer – War Paint
14. Thursday – No Devolucion
13. Eisley – The Valley
12. White Wives – Happeners
11. The Moth and the Flame – The Moth and the Flame
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10. The Cinema – My Blood is Full of Airplanes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLYVrZ6swZo
9. Priory – Priory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tEmAKGsvn0
8. A Lot Like Birds – Conversation Piece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD_UqMJIV0
7. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-QEA...ature=youtu.be
6. La Dispute – Wildlife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa9mi5Pd8aY
5. The Story So Far – Under...

... There is food and solar power and a LCD tv. But you can't escape, its impossible ok? Which 3 Video games would you want to have on this Island if you know that these would be the only games that you would ever play again and why? (There is no Online capabilities)


My choices are

Yakuza 4 (Game has tons of mini Game/side quest content that wouldn't get old)
Persona 4 (This game is 100+ hours plus with different difficulty settings it would last me least a year)
Final Fantasy XII (Game is long as hell with side quests)

Honorable mentions (Monster hunter any version)

I have one to give away.

If you could tell me why people want these things all the time, ill PM you the code.

Or ask nicely works too.

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't bloged in a few days as you have been anticipating the result of that night out I had with this girl on new years eve. If you haven't read my story yet here are the links to the first two parts

Part 1
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/blog.php?b=23233

Part 2
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/blog.php?b=23266


Alright now we got that out of the way let's get to it ! Did I get the girl or Did I not ?


Well it was new years eve and I was at work and she was too. I was really looking foward to our get together later and I couldn't wait for our shift to be over. As I looked at her she was looking depressed and distracted. I was looking at her with an inquisitive look on my face thinking "hey aren't we going out later to have a great time and start off the new year the right way ? man this can't be good for my chances if she's looking like our arrangment didn't even exist"....

First off for those to don't me, I am a really proud gamer so this list is extremly genuine and true and I've played all of these games(not completed all because I only have certain amount of time) I will go from 10 to 1.

10. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Excellent deep game. I can never explain how excellen this game is. BUT... any game with such severe issues on a console will have punishments from me because I have family members that don't have internet access and are stuck with the bugs they have released.

9. Skylanders - This game was the shock of the year for me. Ok, I've spent over $100 on a kids game but it's that good, if you havn't played this year, you will be amazed in a good way with this game.

8. Gears of War 3 - Boy, I hated the first 2 games of the series but since the game is that epic that it must be played and completed to enjoy it.

7. Little Big Planet 2 - They fixed all the main issues with the first game, made...