OK, I’m lousy at updating my library pics unlike some of my fellow collectors on WP, but here’s a random sampling of stuff I’ve picked up through budget buys or a few trades. I’ve played all of the PS3 games in the photo previously on the 360, but as I have the worst luck with that console in terms of keeping them working after a few months (shakes fist at non-working 360’s sitting nearby collecting dust), I’ve had to pick the games shown up again. All are great in their own ways with El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron and Shadows of the Damned near polar opposites in weirdness, tone and impact (bot are good, but supremely strange). Warhammer 40K: Space Marine is a big, beefy kill-fest extravaganza that’s quite well done but fairly linear. It’s one of the more visceral action games I’ve played in that you’re going to be wading into packs of Orks and chunking up enemies by assorted means, all of them satisfying. It’s too bad THQ has been having assorted financial issues, as this one NEEDS a sequel or new installment (perhaps on other platforms).

As for the DS stuff, I really liked Blue Dragon on the 360 (with the exception of searching, no, SCOURING maps for items found much easier in other RPGs), so getting Blue Dragon Plus was something I wanted to do for a while. Fortunately, Canada’s best kept secret, online entertainment retailer, iNetVideo.com had it dirt cheap new, albeit with a HUGE sticker on the outer cardboard slipcase (argh). THe DS game is actually a RTS with RPG elements and takes a bit of getting used to. While searching for this, I found out there’s a second DS Blue Dragon game (Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow) that got released in the US. It’s a bit more expensive from what I’ve seen so far, so on the wait/want list it goes. I think I ran a pic of Magical Starsign a while back, but in case i didn’t – here you go. Developer Brownie Brown also worked on Blue Dragon Plus, but the games are so different that you can’t tell at all.

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