Earthworm Jim HD is now complete. As usual, I had most of my trouble getting through the last level, Buttville, because of those stupid bugs that hide in the darkness and come out waiting to snap Jim in half (which is an instant kill if they do). The only way to get past them is to keep moving as fast as you can. If you hesitate for even a second, they’ll get you.
And thus ends my journey through the world LittleBigPlanet. A shame that I had to cough up $10 to play a game I already owned in order to play it for three days and beat it. At least now, I can worry about sampling all of the user-created levels once I get my own copy back.
I bought Blast Works for the Wii for less than $20 (I think it was released at $30 when it first came out, because it was made by small-time publisher Budcat Creations), but I think I got a pretty good value for my money. The game is a souped-up version of independent programmer Kenta Cho’s TUMIKI Fighters, a freeware game where the enemy ships you shoot down can attach to your ship for added firepower. It’s weird-looking (all of the ships, bullets, and backgrounds are constructed from polygonal shapes), but can be a fun time for those of you who are fans of the “bullet hell” subgenre of shoot-em-ups. By finishing missions in the campaign mode, I was able to unlock the original version (which, frustratingly, I’m not quite as good at), and there seem to be three more that you can play (I only have Torus Trooper right now…)
I finally took some time out to finish the last case in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney yesterday and today. When the last case wound down (the one that introduced the experimental “jurist system”), I found myself wondering if that would be a factor in the upcoming Ace Attorney Investigations spinoff starring Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright’s rival from the first game. It would be nice to see some of the old gang again, after only seeing Ema Skye (the new detective, replacing Dick Gumshoe) and Mike Meekins (demoted cop, only seen in a flashback), both of whom showed up in the bonus case in the DS version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
After about fifteen tries and just as many levels to close the gap between myself and Chaos, I sealed the deal late last night. Beating him is no easy task, as he’s gotta be taken down three times in succession (without healing) before you can claim victory. In addition, he also has a unique summon-stone called Shinryu, which either boosts Chaos’ bravery, or cuts yours in half every second it’s active. He pulls this out repeatedly during the fight, unlike any other opponent, who can only use them once. Chaos also attacks surprisingly quickly for a big hulking four-armed demon. You’ll have to move fast and dodge a lot if you want to get a hit in on time.
