Just four titles, but one is a compilation which adds a lot more.
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds - I played my way into the pro ranked tournaments and then lost a close one to Sonia. You play a series of tournaments to unlock Match play against a character. If you win, you can play as them and move on to the next rank and a new set of tournaments. There are a good number of different courses, some more difficult than others. I enjoyed the variety and challenge of them. I switched back to the advanced mode of play where you watch the club movement instead of a meter. I find there's a better rhythm in it and I can control it better. It also feels more natural and realistic than staring at a meter. I'll return to the game sometime. I'm also looking for a physical copy of World Invitational, the next game in the series. I saw it digitally in the PSN store, but I want physical if I can.
God of War Ascension - It certainly has even bigger and more epic battles against giant foes than ever before, but I find myself staring at the corners of the screen for button prompts instead of enjoying the action. Sometimes, you don't get a prompt and have to just fight normally, which throws me sometimes and results in me pausing for a moment wondering what is going on. The normal fighting with similarly sized foes is good. I like fighting those elephant-human creatures. However, I got to a point where getting surrounded in small spaces was really annoying me. My favorite thing was grappling foes and throwing them, but you have to think up other strategies when surrounded. Maybe I was just tired though, and needed a break. I'll return to it sometime.
Zen Pinball - The first Zen Pinball from the Pinball FX makers, circa 2008. I had to dig into my download history to get it again. Only Zen Pinball 2 is in the store. Also, tables for it are unavailable. It comes with four tables. I replayed them all and even unlocked a trophy on one of them. That's 17 years after I first played it! I noticed I downloaded the game in 2009, but I forget if I ever bought any additional tables before Zen Pinball 2 came out. I should scroll through my downloads again to see if any are there. Fun tables in a style designed for video games, faster and on a smaller table space.
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection - One of the best collections ever in my opinion and so I had to have a copy for my PS3. I'm going through every game I don't have trophies on and attempting them. I surprised myself with deep patience and accomplished quite a few new trophies. Here's what I tried and my results:
Altered Beast - Fail. How to get 100K points on the first level is beyond my comprehension.
Bonanza Bros - Fail. 40K on the first level. I did, however, develop an appreciation for this game. It's a side-scroller. You are a theif who has to steel stuff and avoid the guards. Makes me think of a cross between Exit and Elevator Action.
Columns - Success! 20K points is not difficult.
Comix Zone - Fail. You just have to complete the first episode. I got farther than ever and actually enjoyed it this time but It'll take some more plays to get farther along. One life only. I would play most of these games three times before moving on.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Fail. I got stuck on the third opponent, Humpty. Lost three times to him. Puyo Puyo with Sonic characters. I love the game, I'm just not good at it.
Ecco The Dolphin - Success! Just talk to another dolphin. Why didn't I already have this on PS3?
Ecco Tides of Time - Success! Eat 200 fish. I did a lot of circling schools of fish. I tried to follow the story, but what do you do with those crystals anyway?
ESWAT - Fail. Couldn't figure out how to get to the first boss fight. You had to beat mission 2 for a combat suit. Kind of like Contra with the same sort of difficulty.
Fatal Labyrinth - Success! Had to get to level 5 in this rogue-like. I'd bounced off this title several times before, but it clicked for me this time. I really enjoyed it.
Flicky - Fail. 80K points to get. I appreciate this game, like Mario Bros meets Joust, I guess. Save the chicks and throw potted plants at enemies as you jump and flutter up and down platforms. Neat, but I was bad at it.
Golden Axe - Success! Got the 20 magic potions.
Golden Axe III - Success! Use magic 10 times. Just grab a lot of potions and let 'em rip.
Kid Chameleon - Success! Get the Maniaxe mask. This is a like a Mario Bros. platformer but you can collect masks, or armor, that give you different special abilities. The Maniaxe looks like the Splatterhouse character and can throw axes. I surprisingly enjoyed this game.
Ristar - Success! Gather five life stars. Of course you lose some by getting hit so don't get hit. It's a beautiful platformer with a grabbing mechanic that has some surprising uses as you navigate the levels. I enjoyed it.
Shinobi III - Success! Complete the first level without a continue. I surprised myself again by staying with it until I won the level. It's a gorgeous game, just tricky. Made me think of a very roots of Souls games when I battled a boss. Learn it's moves to beat it.
Sonic 3D Blast - Success! Rescued the 20 flickies. It's a Sonic game but set in a Marble Madness style environment. Beat the robots that are hiding flickies within them, then lead them to the exit ring. Also, collect the rings for points. I liked it!
Sonic The Hedgehog - Fail. Get the Chaos Emerald. I stayed with this longer than ever but it still frustrates me to no end. I need to see farther ahead while playing it.
Sonic Spinball - Success! 10M points in the first level. This is a fun pinball game flipping Sonic around the screen. I'm not sure how to beat the first level, Toxic Caves, but I think I got close.
Streets of Rage - Success! Use all three characters through the first level. Easy peazy.
Streets of Rage 3 - Success! Unlock Roo the Kangaroo as a playable character. I had to look it up because I beat Roo when I found him and nothing happened. You have to beat his handler, Bruce, and Roo will leave the screen and become a playable character.
Super Thunder Blade - Success! 1.5M points in the first level. It's a combat helicopter game very like Space Harrier where you move in 3D environments head on. I had to reverse the controls to get the agility I needed to avoid all the bullet hell and get those points.
And that's what I got to this week. I'm still playing Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection but probably nearing the end of the games I can try for trophies.
Purchases
I got the Disney Infinity portal for PS3/PS4/Wii/Wii-U. The Xbox ones are labeled such, but the other is not. You just have to look up the serial code, but basically anything not labeled Xbox 360 or Xbox One is for the other systems. I also got a PS3 copy of the first Disney Infinity and Skylanders Giants. I'm only replaying the first DI game and the first two Skylanders games on PS3/Wii because the ones after that are primarily designed for the next gen of systems (X1/PS4/Wii-U), even though there are copies for 360/PS3/Wii.
And that's it. Can't wait 'til next week. I'm getting near the end of my PS3 collection.
I know I have that PS3 Genesis collection but I think I got it super cheap somewhere a couple years ago. I did, however, buy the PS4 one when it launched because it was the first time Treasure's game Alien Soldier got an official US release. I played and beat that and really liked it but I did stick with the collection enough to Platinum it. I remember there being a few tougher trophies but nothing too crazy.
I'm going to have to pick up physical copies of Sega Genesis Classics for X1/PS4 in a few months. Alien Soldier looks very interesting.
Hot take: I like Ristar better than Sonic.
I do too.
