This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
The pun here is supposed to be 'Week In Gaming', but for the second time now I've only managed to power up my consoles on the 'actual' weekend. There just isn't enough time in my weekdays anymore as I come home from work, feed the kid, change him, put him to bed, have dinner then go to sleep myself.
On the weekends though, after I finish his 5am feeding and he goes back to sleep I'm able to squeeze in a few hours of gaming. Not optimal, as I'm extremely groggy from a lack of sleep myself, but hey – I'll take what I can get.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Xbox 360) by Firaxis Games
On my second attempt here with XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a strong indication that I'll be starting my third soon. Playing with 'Ironman' mode on means that when you lose a soldier (or a battle) it's a permanent loss and can adversely affect your game. This makes for some pretty brutal consequences, something that is very rare in video games and creates an added pressure/difficulty that I'm very much enjoying.
Despite my best efforts, I've sustained significant losses on the battlefield. Something I'll attribute to still being a bit too green to be in the command seat. There is a ton of tactics & mechanics to learn, especially if you want to keep your squads alive. I'm starting to get more comfortable with things, but with my current C ranking it's obvious I still have a lot to learn. Thankfully, even with the real consequences the game is addictive as hell, and easy to jump right back in after a loss. Defeats can be heavy & sad, but XCOM is still tons of fun to play.
Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) by Atlus
I'm probably around 6 hours into Persona 4 now and things are really shaping up. Like XCOM there is a ton to learn here, and I feel I only have a small handle on things so far. It's coming along though, and the action has been ramping up nicely.
Even if I don't fully grasp all the mechanics of Persona 4 yet, it's fairly obvious that there is a ton of game here. Between how you spend your time in the game, to how you develop your character & relationships. The six hours I've already invested feels like I've only scratched the surface of what is in store. Looking forward to spending some extended play time with this game as I'm traveling over the next few days. Provided the kid co-operates.
One more thing I want to mention is the… I dunno, call it 'multiplayer' of Persona 4. It's not versus or co-op, or anything like that (that I've seen yet that is). Instead, it's sort of a hint/assist system built upon the choices people have made at a particular point in the game. Tap the 'voice' button and a 'tag cloud' appears showing what others have done at that very same spot in the game. Helpful for when you are lost or just not sure what to do next.
There is also an SOS system where you can request help – but I haven't experimented with that yet. Again, there is just a lot of game here in Persona 4, and I'm beginning to see why people regard it so highly.
New Pickups:
To close out this edition of Weekend Gaming, I also picked up Rayman Jungle Run on iOS for 99 cents. Haven't had a chance to put it through the paces yet, but I've heard it's a good time so I grabbed it while it was on sale.
And that's a wrap two very deep, very different tactics games. Quite a handful.
How about you? What did you play this past week?
