Games of 2006
€1 = $1.29580


I never bought as many games as in 2006. One shop had to close down, so they gave a 50% reduction on all games. Another shop cleaned out their Gamecube-collection, which resulted in laughable prices. Then I bought three new consoles. I know, pathetic. Some new, some second-hand. (Not) all money well spent.


New

Nintendogs by Nintendo [DS]
Raise your own dog. Hurrah. Came bundled with the Nintendo DS. My first handheld since the original GameBoy in 1992. (€148.50)

Mario Kart by Nintendo [DS]
Extremely addictive racing game. (€32)

The Fighting by ESP [GBA]
My first import game ever is a Japanese GameBoy Advance boxing affair. Hilarious and unplayable. (€23.70 instead of €79)

Ashen by Torus Games [N-Gage]
Mediocre first-person shooter for the flopped Nokia N-Gage. (€10 instead of €49.99)

The Land Before Time by Conspiracy Entertainment [GBA]
My favourite dinosaur and his pals in an enjoyable, but too short adventure game. (€11 instead of €22)

Prince Of Persia The Two Thrones by Ubisoft [NGC]
Extremely playable threequel at a walletfriendly price only 5 months after its release. (€15 instead of €30)

Ultimate Spider-Man by Ubisoft [DS]
Not the best Spider-Man game ever, but nice nonetheless. (€10 instead of €20)

Syberia II by MC2-Microοds [PC]
Sequel to one of the best adventure games in a long time. Epic storytelling. (€4 instead of €8)

High Seize by RedLynx [N-Gage]
Great strategy game, exclusively for the N-Gage. Came bundled with the console, plus a headset and a protective pouch. (€125)

Second Sight by Free Radical Design [NGC]
One hell of a ride with a gripping storyline. Using psychic powers has never been this fun. Made by ex-Rare coders that worked on "GoldenEye". (€9)

Doshin The Giant by Nintendo [NGC]
Bizarre "Black & White"-esque God simulation. Very Japanese. (€2)

Eternal Darkness by Silicon Knights [NGC]
One of the most underrated games I have ever played. An exclusive to Nintendo's purple box, this is daunting from start to finish. Plus a great story to boot. Get yours now! (€3)

New Super Mario Bros by Nintendo [DS]
The first new traditional Mario platformer since 1992's "Super Mario Bros 2". A welcome return. Not the longest game ever, but sweet while it lasts. (a birthday present)

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon by Ubi Soft [N-Gage]
Pretty bland shooter, but I received it for free. A friend of mine had an N-Gage which broke down, so he could not play the game anymore. (€free)

Wii Sports by Nintendo [Wii]
Came bundled with a Wii! Normally, I would have bought the new "Zelda" as well, but that's would have been stupid with the exams looming. "Wii Sports" is a perfect introduction to Wii's control scheme. (€247.50)


Second-hand

Treasure Planet by Bizarre Creations [GBA]
Licensed titles have a tendency to stink, but this Disney feature-turned-platform game is surprisingly good. (€7.5)

The Pagemaster by Virgin Interactive [MegaDrive]
My favourite GameBoy game is equally amusing in its 16bit version. (€free)

Moonwalker by Sega [MegaDrive]
Aged platformer/adventure game starring Michael Jackson. A triumph for a game based upon a movie! (€7.5)


Bought but then sold on eBay

GUN by Activision [NGC]
Not a total disappointment, but I expected more from this western. Pity.

Resident Evil by Capcom [NGC]
This remake is gorgeous to look at, but the controls make it unplayable. Shame.



Julian, 21 January 2007