Progress...

Since my last post, I've picked-up a few more Game Gear, PSP, Dreamcast, and Windows games.

The Game Gear acquisitions entailed browsing the local independent specialty shops, and included Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Chaos, Shinobi, Virtua Fighter Animation, and Super Smash TV. The Sonic games are all solid, Shinobi is akin to the corresponding Genesis titles of the same era, Virtua Fighter's kinda dull, and Smash TV is an atrocity... But then I should've suspected that. Smash TV is a classic franchise, due largely in part to its control scheme (two independent directional controls, one for movement and one for attack). For whatever reason, the Game Gear's lack of buttons didn't register with me when I bought the game. Ergh.

On PSP, I've just-about finished Puzzle Quest (did everything but searching for runes/forging weapons) and LocoRoco, so something new is in order. Daxter and Crush are on deck, but I picked-up Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Marvel Trading Card Game. Ultimate Alliance is kind of boring so far and I haven't spent much quality time with the card game, but it's safe to say that neither has thrilled me.

As a nice follow-up to scoring NHL 2K2 for Dreamcast, I came across Tennis 2K2 just a few days later! This game is the best in its genre for the generation, and has been ported to the PS2 and PSP... And it was only $4.99! I suspect that the price may have been so low because the disc was kind of dodgy, but upon closer inspection, there was just some gunk on one section of the surface; so a quick wipe later, all was well.

On Windows, I've gotten back into Tomb Raider Anniversary, and I'm loving it. Croft Manor, specifically, is a wonderful gaming experience, and really sets an example for what I think episodic gaming should be like. I also snagged a copy of Overlord, and it's too much fun :) The mouse is a little weird (especially for "sweeping") after being introduced to the game on XBOX 360, but it's probably the better controller in the long run. The gameplay does seem to get a little stale after extended play sessions, but the graphics, writing, and pick-up gameplay is top-notch. This is the kind of title that should keep me wholly entertained for at least a couple of weeks of casual play.