I'll show you mine if you show me yours

I sadly can't remember exactly who it was, but someone on Twitter last week prompted me to take a look at the amount of time I've spent with my most-played 3DS titles.

I was a bit surprised by what I found. So surprised, in fact, that I decided to snap and share a photo (or two) of it. Here are the first three results:

And here are the next three:

In case you can't make out the game titles and play times showcased in the admittedly crappy photos above, here they are: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (488.26 hours--uh, yikes!), THE "DENPA" MEN (42:51), Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (33:38), Mario Kart 7 (32:32), Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (22:22) and THE "DENPA" MEN 2 (17:30).

What are all of your most-played 3DS titles at the moment, if you're willing to share?

My Month with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, Part 3

Hold on to your hats, folks, as what I'm about to say may just may blow them of your pretty little heads. I ... have ... finished one of my "Bye-Bye, Backlog" games!

I finished it--Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, that is--yesterday, in fact.

And when I say I finished it, I don't just mean that I beat the final boss; I also mean that I rescued all 100 of my slime-napped friends.

As for how long it took me to accomplish this feat: putting the game's antagonist, Don Clawleone, in his place, once and for all, pushed my playthrough past the 20-hour mark.

This post nearly wasn't so celebratory, by the way. That's because I was this close to giving up on Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime early in the week--after I became hopelessly stuck on a specific late-in-the-game tank battle.

I sped around that bump in the road after re-tooling my tank and re-configuring my crew, though, and then gleefully raced through the rest of this wonderfully captivating game.



Or maybe I should say "through the fight with the final boss," as the game never really seems to end. (A handful of side quests and a "Tank Masters Tournament" can be completed after the credits roll, plus every stage and tank battle can be re-played to your heart's content.)

Unsurprisingly, I'm still playing the game, even though there are no more slimes to rescue and no more tanks to beat to smithereens (well, other than those that are part of the Tank Masters Tournament). That's how much it has wormed it's way into my heart.

I'm going to continue enjoying Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime--and Fire Emblem: Awakening (which I have to sheepishly admit I've yet to start)--through the end of this coming week, and after that I'll switch to my next "Bye-Bye, Backlog" selection, which at the moment I'm thinking either will be Half-Minute Hero (PSP) or Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube).

In the meantime, feel free to share your heartfelt opinions of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime in the comments section below.

See also: Previous 'Bye-Bye Backlog' posts

My Month with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, Part 2

Let's start this "Bye-Bye, Backlog" follow-up post like the last one, shall we? Here are the relevant stats related to my monthlong playthrough of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime so far:

*Playtime: 11 hours, 19 minutes
*Slimes rescued: 75
*Locales opened: 6 (Backwoods, Callmigh Bluff, Flucifer's Necropolis, Forewood Forest, Mt. Krakatroda and Tootinschleiman's Tomb)

I'm not going to share the number of tank-on-tank battles I've completed to this point because, honestly, I lost track long ago. Suffice it to say, I've taken part in a fair few in the nearly nine hours I've spent with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime.

An interesting note about those aforementioned tank battles: although I wasn't a fan of them during my first week with this DS title, I've come to adore them in my second. That's chiefly because I finally progressed far enough in the game to unlock the ability to add a few crew members to my trusty Schleiman Tank--which not only makes these battles more mentally manageable but also more strategic and even fun.

(The highlight of these tensely tactical tête-à-têtes for me thus far: letting my trio of baddies-turned-goodies buds load ammo into my tank's cannons while I infiltrate the opposing vehicle and keep its crew from sending any projectiles in my direction.)

Aside from that, I'm still thoroughly enjoying Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime's charmingly realized graphics, cheerful soundtrack and of course the rest of its captivating gameplay (which is centered around the slippery protagonist's "Elasto Blast" move and ability to stack friends, enemies and items on his pointy little head).

As such, I now know without a doubt that I'm not going to stop playing this game until I see the credits roll, and I have a pretty good feeling that's going to happen sometime in the next week.

Can you believe I may actually finish one of my "Bye-Bye, Backlog" selections--and possibly before the month is up?

See also: Previous 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' posts

My Month with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, Part 1

I thought I'd take a more straightforward approach to this month's "Bye-Bye, Backlog" follow-up posts. For instance, here are a few stats related to my playthrough of Square Enix's Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, which was released for the DS in late 2006:

* So far, I've played the game for just about three and a half hours.
* In that time, I've saved 24 of my kidnapped (slimenapped?) buddies.
* I've only opened up two locations: Forewood Forest and Tootinschleiman's Tomb.
* Unfortunately, I can't remember how many of the game's tank-on-tank battles I've experienced up to this point, although I want to say I've completed four or five.

Other than that, what do I like and what do I hate about Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime right now? Actually, I can't say I hate any part of it. On the contrary, I like pretty much every aspect of this adorable overhead action-puzzler.

My favorite aspect has to be the core gameplay, which mainly involves slamming into enemies (with the titular Rocket's "Elasto Blast" move), popping them into the air and then catching them on your back (or should I say head?). That captured baddies can be stacked--three high--and tossed at their cohorts is the icing on this pixelated cake.

That only makes up a portion of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime's gameplay, though; with the other part consisting of the above-mentioned tank-on-tank battles. Surprisingly (to me, at least), I'm not enjoying these sequences as much as I'm enjoying the overworld (for lack of a better word) ones. Too often they feel like a chaotic mess, with me flinging bullets and rocks and whatnot at the enemy tank without much rhyme or reason. Maybe I'm just missing some heretofore strategic element of these encounters?

Other than that one stumbling block, though, I'm having a lot of fun with this game and I'm very much looking forward to unlocking additional locations and rescuing more of my slime buddies. As such, expect me to put another few hours into the game this week and look for me to publish a second "My Month with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime" next Monday (if not before).

See also: Previous posts related to the 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' project

And February's 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' selection is ...

... Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for the DS.

I know this will shock some of you, but I've already started playing this TOSE-developed, Square Enix-published title. I haven't played enough of it to share any worthwhile impressions, of course, but I will say this: I knew I was going to enjoy it as soon as I encountered its adorable title screen (below)--what with its explosion of bouncing, grinning slimes.

Also, I'm already in love with the game's pixel-perfect graphics and the protagonist's "Elasto Blast" move. I'd previously been "warned" (in a good way) about the addictive properties of the latter, but even then I wasn't fully prepared for just how fun it would be to launch Dragon Quest Heroes' Rocket every which way.

Anyway, expect to see an impressions post (titled something like "My Month with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, Part 1") pop up this coming weekend. In the meantime, have any of you played this one? If so, what did you think of it?

See also: Previous posts related to the 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' project

Five favorites: North American DS box art

As much as I'm enjoying my 3DS systems and games at the moment, I can't help but feel a bit misty-eyed about the recent passing of their 3D-less predecessors. So, I thought I'd perk myself up a bit by penning a post about five (more) of my favorite pieces of DS box art.

Because I highlighted a handful of Japanese DS box arts in this previous blog post, I thought I'd focus on North American examples in this one. Look for a post about my favorite European DS box arts to be published late next week.

1. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime--You really can't go wrong with a piece of cover art that features the ever-adorable Dragon Quest slime, can you? That's not the only reason I like this one, though; I also like its bold use of color and its depiction of abject chaos.

2. Electroplankton--I've often been accused of being a bit too minimalist when it comes to home decor and other such things, so I guess it isn't exactly out of character for me to say I like this experimental game's rather austere box art.

3. Etrian Odyssey--Would you believe this has long been my favorite piece of DS cover art? I think that's mainly due to the fact that it's seemingly designed to look as though you're peeking into the pages of a most adventurous novel.

Bye-bye, backlog

My blogging friend and podcasting cohort, Anne (aka apricotsushi), recently mentioned on Twitter that her husband challenged her to pick one game from her backlog each month this year and play it through to completion.

Considering the depressing size of my own gaming backlog, I thought it might be wise of me to do something similar over the next 12 months.

So, between now and the end of 2013 I'm going to choose one of my many woefully overlooked games and play it for an entire month. If I'm able to "beat" any or all of these games, great, but if not, that's OK, too.

As of now, here are the games I'm considering tackling as I work my way through this so-called challenge: Chulip (PS2), Corpse Party (PSP), Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360), Dewy's Adventure (Wii), Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS), Half-Minute Hero (PSP), Inazuma Eleven (DS), Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (DS), Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS), Romancing SaGa (PS2), Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) and, finally, Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii).

Full disclosure: as some of you are likely aware, I've already started a few of these games (namely, Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition, Dewy's Adventure and Xenoblade Chronicles). None of them were played for more than a few hours, though, so I think it's OK to include them here.

Also, know that the list above is not in any way set in stone. Well, other than Chulip, which I've already decided will be the game I'll tackle this month. OK, so Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition and Xenoblade Chronicles should be considered "sure bets," too, but the rest are just possibilities at the moment. (For instance, already I'm thinking of replacing, say, Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits with another PS2 title I've been meaning to play for ages, La Pucelle: Tactics.)

I'm not yet sure how I'll update all of you in regards to my progress, by the way. Maybe I should try to publish weekly blog posts (titled something like, "Bye-Bye Backlog Diary Entry #1: Chulip") to keep myself in check?

Five games I have to rip from their shrink-wrap and actually play in 2013

Anyone who thought yesterday's post--about the five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2013--was shameful is sure to flat-out swoon (in a bad way) as a result of today's post, which shines a forlorn light on a handful of games that I've not only failed to wrap up, but failed to unwrap.

Once again, I'll focus on just five games in this post, although I sincerely doubt that's the extent of my still-shrink-wrapped backlog.

1. Chulip (PS2)--Of all the games I own but have yet to play, this obscure PS2 release is the one that pains me the most. After all, it's completely "my cup of tea," as they say--it's Japanese, it's quirky (which often goes hand in hand with being Japanese, I know), it's cute ... oh, and it involves kissing people in public. Why have I not played this again?

2. Dewy's Adventure (Wii)--Full disclosure: I've actually opened this one. Not only that, but I've played a tiny bit of it. Just a tiny bit, though--probably just 15 minutes or so. Even then, it was quite a few years ago, so I hardly remember what it was like. I do recall being at least mildly (if not mostly) turned off by its motion-controlled gameplay, though, so I'm feeling apprehensive about picking it up again. Don't worry, I'll "take one for the team" sometime next year just so I can finally review the damn thing.

3. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS)--I only bought this Square Enix game a few months ago, so I don't feel as bad about this unopened game as I do the others included here. Still, you'd think I would've at least freed it from its plastic wrap and checked out its manual--especially given my love for the Dragon Quest series' slime character. Would you believe me if I promised to boot it up in the next few months?

4. Hot Shots Golf (PSP)--This is a fairly recent acquisition, too, if memory serves. Given my overwhelmingly positive experience with its sister title, Hot Shots Tennis, though, I'm shocked it's remained imprisoned in its original packaging for so long. Does this mean my love affair with my PSP is almost over? Say it ain't so! Maybe the spark would be rekindled if I picked up a pink or purple (lilac, really) PSP in 2013.

5. Pilotwings Resort (3DS)--Note: I could have included another 3DS game, Steel Diver, on this list, too, but since I decided to focus on just five unfortunately overlooked titles I had to make the tough decision to focus on just one of them. That said, I'm not sure why I went with Pilotwings Resort. Maybe it was because I was far more interested in it than in Steel Diver when I bought both games from Best Buy for $10 total late last year? Regardless, I'm sure I'll get around to playing them eventually, although I'd be lying if I said I'm currently excited about the prospect.

Now that I've had my say, I have to ask: Are any of you in the same boat? Are there unwrapped or simply unplayed games in your collections that you'd like to spend some quality time with in the coming 12 months?