Three games I'm attempting to play in the run-up to Halloween

Every year (or nearly every year) I say I'm going to play through a handful of seasonally appropriate games in the run-up to Halloween, and every year I fail to make much of a dent in said wish list.

This year, I decided to make things easier on myself by scaling things back a tad. In fact, all I've committed to playing this month--other than Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Hometown Story (which releases tomorrow, by the way) and Pokémon X, of course--are the following trio of spook-tacular titles:



1. Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun (Famicom)--I've been meaning to give this cute Castlevania spin-off for ages, but for all sorts of dumb reasons I've never gotten around to it. So, I'm going to do my best to do so in the coming weeks. And who knows, maybe if I can get through it quickly enough I'll be able to try its GameBoy-based remake-slash-sequel, which was called Kid Dracula outside Japan, as well.



2. Costume Quest (Xbox 360)--I actually played through a bit of this charming, Double Fine-developed RPG this time last year--and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Sadly, I don't believe I got anywhere near its end credits. So, this year I've decided to try again. Although I doubt I'll stick with it long enough to tackle the extra "Grubbins on Ice" chapter, maybe I'll come back around to it after winter hits the real world, too.



3. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)--Despite the fact that I pre-ordered Dark Moon far in advance of its release, I didn't even unwrap it until a week or so ago. I've since played it for a few hours, and already I'm satisfied with my purchase. My only issue with this 3DS game so far: it seems to be less of an open-ended affair than its GameCube-based predecessor. Of course, that's also likely to make it a better portable experience in the end, so maybe I shouldn't complain just yet.

Are any of you also playing any Halloween-ish games this month? If so, which ones?

LTTHTGP: Costume Quest (XBLA)

LTTHTGP means "Late To The Halloween-Themed Game Party," by the way. Just in case any of you were wondering.

What does that mean, you ask? It means that I finally picked up (the XBLA version of) Double Fine Production's trick-or-treat-centric RPG, Costume Quest, earlier this week.

I've been meaning to do so since the game was released nearly two years ago but, well, you know how it goes sometimes (especially when you have a backlog as extensive as mine).

Anyway, none of that matters now. What matters is that I'm playing Costume Quest. Finally. And not only that, but I'm enjoying it. It's so completely cute and charming that it's all I can do to keep myself from puking (you know, because everything's so damn adorable) while working my way through Tasha Harris' wonderfully creative and nostalgic tale.

The only aspect of Costume Quest that I'm not absolutely in love with at the moment: The QTE-heavy battle scenes. I wouldn't say I dislike them, but I also wouldn't say I like them as much as I would if they were, say, more traditionally turn-based. Oh, well, you can't have everything, right?

Have any of you played through the PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 version of this game? If so, what did you think of it?

Raise your hand if you'd like to play a game as a Russian nesting doll

The folks at Double Fine are busily readying their second downloadable gem (with their first being last month's Costume Quest), according to the crew at IGN.com.

It has me tingling (in a good way) for two reasons: 1) it's set in 1930s Russia and 2) it puts gamers in control of matryoshka (or Russian nesting) dolls.

I'd highly recommend watching the following teaser trailer if that description has you tingling, too.



The game--titled, appropriately enough, Stacking--is expected to hit both PSN and XBLA next spring.

'Battle horrible monsters and their menacing minions'

When I first watched the following trailer--the latest for Double Fine's Costume Quest, which is now available on PSN and XBLA--I thought the narrator said "mincing," rather than "menacing," minions.

As such, I was a bit disappointed when the game's baddies appeared neither dainty nor delicate.



Oh, well, I'm still interested in this Halloween-focused RPG--despite the fact that I don't (yet) own a PS3 or an Xbox 360.

See also: 'After this, I hope the folks at Double Fine develop a game about Christmas'

Costume Quest unwrapped

Gamasutra's Christian Nutt recently chatted up Tim Schafer, creative director at Double Fine, and thankfully the bulk of their little tête-à-tête focused on the developer's soon-to-be-released trick-or-treat RPG, Costume Quest.

Unfortunately, neither Nutt nor Schafer reveal in the interview (read it here) the general length of this Halloween-inspired game. Will it take two hours to "beat" or will it take 20? That's the only question I'd like to have answered at this point. (Well, that and what's the girl in the pink (below) supposed to be dressed as?)



Anyway, Costume Quest will hit PSN and XBLA next week carrying a price tag of $15 (or 1200 Microsoft Points). I'd pick it up in a heartbeat if I owned a PS3 or an Xbox 360, but since I don't I'll do what I usually do in such circumstances and obsess over screenshots and videos of the game until something else catches my attention.

See also: 'After this, I hope the folks at Double Fine develop a game about Christmas'

After this, I hope the folks at Double Fine develop a game about Christmas

"This," by the way, is Costume Quest, the trick-or-treat-themed RPG that will hit the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on Oct. 20. If this is the first you've heard of this Halloween-inspired game, check out the following "Quick Look" from giantbomb.com:



By the way, I'm seriously considering picking up a PS3 after the holidays (more on that in a later post) and if I do Costume Quest surely will be one of the first games--along with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX and Valkyria Chronicles--I buy for it.