Saturday, December 3, 2011

November Brewed! Coffees Consumed, Games Played

Coffee Beans
     First, if you are the proud owner of a 2011 Club Nintendo Original Calendar, don't forget to change your month to December!

     Now, November was a great month! Not only was it Thanksgiving, and we have a lot to be thankful for, but we also had a family member visit us for a week. I was able to play a good bit of games, and consume coffee and caffeinated products throughout November. So, without further delay, let's take a look at the games I played and the coffees I consumed in November!

Coffees & Caffeinated Products Consumed in November
     Community Coffee Medium Roast - This was a bag I discovered buried in our pantry. Now, when was this first consumed by us, and how long had it been hiding in our cabinet waiting for discovery? 4 MONTHS! Mrs. Coffee's mom brought this up when she visited us in July, and it had somehow gotten stowed away in the back of the pantry. We finished the rest in November though, so no more Community Coffee, at least probably not until later this month...
     Folgers Black Silk Coffee - This was one of my birthday gifts in October from my wife, and we finished the container in November. I enjoyed it while it lasted, which sadly wasn't very long.
     Chick-Fil-A Coffee - More random cups during work days when I would get off. As usual, I would grab a cup when heading out the door to drink on the way home.
     Yuban Original Coffee - This was another birthday gift from Mrs. Coffee for me, but I had held off on opening it until some of the other blends were finished. We not only opened the Yuban blend in November, we also finished it! We went through a lot of containers in November. I enjoyed the blend, and thought it had a good strong flavor.
     Maxwell House Gourmet Roast - This was a big 270(maybe 240) cup container Mrs. Coffee purchased for us in November, but we finished it about midway through the month. It was a new coffee blend by Maxwell House that I don't think she had seen at the store before, so she decided to give it a try, and we both enjoyed it as a daily brew.
     Trader Joe's Joe's Dark Coffee - Remember Charlie from NicodemusAtNite.com? He sent me this container in August, and I had some of this still stowed away in the cabinet, but like the Yuban, Folgers, Community, and Maxwell House blends, we finished off the remaining bit of Joe's Dark Coffee in November as well.
     Starbucks House Blend - I purchased one cup of Starbucks House Blend during the month, when I needed to use their WiFi to locate a post office. I'm one of those people that feels like if I use their "free" WiFi, I should at least support the business with a purchase of some sort. So, a cup of coffee it was!
     Variety of Ed Hardy Energy Snacks - I'm still eating a few of the Ed Hardy Energy Snacks, all in moderation (sort of!). The Coffee Rocks get consumed more than the other Ed Hardy Energy Snacks, but I'm finding their use very good. If I forget/don't get my coffee at Chick-Fil-A, I'll usually chew up five of the Coffee Rocks when I get in, to help give me a slight boost of energy, so I don't pass-out!

Games Played in November
     Super Mario Bros. - Playing this game is becoming almost a nightly occurrence now. Our oldest little bean requests "Mario!" right before bed, basically as a delay tactic, but I usually give in and allow him to hop around. He has now progressed a little, and can actually walk and jump...and survives jumping over Goombas, which always surprises me. He doesn't quite understand how to press "2" hard enough for the higher jumps, so getting over pipes and higher blocks are difficult for him, but he still loves hopping around and the words "Mario epic fail!" are still said occasionally.
     Chess - I played a few matches of chess early in November, but not many after the beginning of the month. I still enjoy the games though, and will probably play some later this month.
     Tenchu: Shadow Assassins - I have been playing this one for more consistently since October. I think I'm at least half-way through it, but not really sure because I'm not sure how long these games typically are. The quick-time events are still fun, though a bit more variety with them would be nice this far into the game.
     PAYDAY: The Heist - This was the FPS released in October on the PlayStation Network, for the PS3. I have enjoyed my time with the game, and have almost finished the main campaign, which is relatively short, but I'm still finding it enjoyable and polished for a downloadable FPS. I have a video project I have had "in the works" for a bit now on this one, hopefully it will see the light of day!
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - I completed the single-player campaign in the game on November 20, and I enjoyed my time with it. I can even see myself playing it again, and trying to find certain items that are scattered around the levels. The game's online multiplayer has been patched twice already, and the last time I played it, it seemed to be running pretty well.
     Wii Sports Resort - The biggest surprise of the month, would be this game. My father-in-law visited us early in November, and he was here for a week. He mentioned how he had played a game on the Wii, that one of Mrs. Coffee's brothers had. He described it, and it sounded like Wii Sports Resort, and interestingly enough, we had it in our collection. Why is it interesting? Well, we don't own Wii Sports Resort, but we had borrowed it from our neighbors way back in July, and NEVER PLAYED THE GAME. When he mentioned it though, I broke it out along with the Wii MotionPlus unit, and that resulted in hours upon hours of bowling and frisbee each night. The verdict? My father-in-law is amazingly good at bowling and the frisbee games, and I didn't/haven't beat his high scores yet.

Filtered Thoughts
     I consumed seven different coffee blends in November, and we finished off five different coffee blends we had in the house during November. You should be expecting a game-play video from Wii Sports Resort later this month, and also a video of PAYDAY: The Heist. I'm also working on a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 video, but this one may take a bit longer because of what I'm HOPING to show with it.
     Also, we have had a bit of a coffee emergency the last 2 days, we are out of coffee! I know, how does "Mr. Coffee" run out of coffee? Well, luckily I found another hidden stash in the cabinet, that lasted through this morning with rationings being divided between me and Mrs. Coffee. She is actually at the store right now as I'm typing this, getting more coffee (and supposedly those other important food items).

     As for the games I played, if you own a PS3 and are looking for a unique take on the FPS genre, I recommend giving PAYDAY: The Heist a try, and it's also available through Steam as well. If you enjoy the FPS genre and own a Wii, you would probably find Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 enjoyable, and I'll be sharing more thoughts on the game throughout December.

Question
     What games did you play, and coffees (or other drinks) did you consume during November?

19 comments:

  1. Good to hear kids are still being raised on Mario games!

    In November I mostly played:
    Zelda: A Link to the Past
    Project Gotham Racing 4
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1
    Mario Kart 64
    Fable 2
    Left 4 Dead 2

    Didn't drink any coffee but did have quite a few cups of hot chocolate!

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  2. November wasn't a busy gaming month for me but I did manage to complete both Kirby's Return to Dream Land and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

    As for coffee it's mostly been Melitta Traditional with a Large Tim Hortons here and there

    I also have to thank you for the reminder to change the Club Nintendo calendar to December lol.

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  3. I'm with Rob C, good to hear the kids get to experience classic mario. I hope to introduce mine to the classics at some point.

    It was the same routine with Melitta (classic and columbian) and green tea. Only change was some inclusion of hot whiskey, honey and lemon as a cold remedy after wasting my co-pay..

    Anyway, here's the November round-up. Surprisingly it's been a pretty good gaming month despite adjusting to our new living situation, being out of town some on business and having a baby. Hand-held gaming, even in the house, is working really well for me.

    3DS:
    - Ocarina of Time
    - Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition
    - Donkey Kong (VC)
    - Super Mario 3D Land

    PC/Steam:
    - NightSky

    No calendar for me (is that one of those elite member gift things?), though I should have a good bit of coins with my 3DS stuff for at least another mario pouch. That thing is really handy for what it is.

    (and no, I haven't picked up MK7 today; perhaps sometime this week)

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  4. It's been about 2 or 3 weeks for me without coffee. I know, that last statement is blasphemous on this site. But I've switched to green tea (energy type) by yogi tea.

    But games I've been playing in order of importance to me:\

    PS3:
    Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition
    ICO and Shadow of Colossus HD Remake
    Batman Arkham City

    PC:
    Left 4 Dead 2

    Emulator ZSNES:
    A Link to the Past
    Final Fight:Guy

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  5. My coffee routine doesn't change much. :P Basically whatever I grab from Bigby in the morning on my way to work.

    My games list from last month didn't change a ton either - but I've been digging through some hefty rgp/strategy fare for the last couple of months.

    Xbox 360:

    - Risen (done with that one now, but disappointing really)
    - Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition (because clearly I am not rpg-heavy enough lately)
    - Castle Crashers (with my son and youngest now and then)

    PSP:

    - Lunar (just an rpg to poke at when I'm in bed)

    PC:

    - Neverwinter Nights 2
    - Grotesque Tactics 2
    - Gyromancer
    - King's Bounty - Crossworlds
    - Plus just semi-games (RPG Maker and working on my MUD)

    PS3:

    - Record of Agarest War (finally beat this and got the perfect ending)
    - Hydrophobia: Prophecy

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  6. Miguel Andre de CastroDecember 5, 2011 at 8:45 AM

    I prefer drinking Starbucks while playing COD:MW3.

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  7. I've been playing a lot of games lately and I blame school work. There's nothing better than playing games instead of doing your homework.

    WiiWare
    Bomberman

    3DS
    PilotWings Resort (a little bit of free flight)

    3DS VC
    Yoshi (I've become addicted to this game)

    PC
    Portal (second play-through)
    Mirror's Edge (there's a level I like to go through again and again)
    XIII (I've had this game for years but never really got around to playing it and I really like it)
    Myst 4 (again I've had this game for a long time and I'm almost through now)
    URU Myst (played through the beginning, again, hopefully more soon)
    Runaway: A Road Adventure (halfway through now)
    NFS Undercover (I had a couple of races to do to get 100%)
    NFS Most Wanted (slowly getting through it)
    BulletStorm demo

    I think that's it. I've really been enjoying playing PC games again since I got my new PC, it feels great.

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  8. @Jonath - to your last remark? That was me to a T last year when my wife bought me a new PC for Christmas. It was like a whole new world of gaming opened up again, which was amazingly fun.

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  9. Im not such a huge coffee drinker but saying that I did grab a hot cup of joe when playing Batman Arkham City on the PS3.

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  10. @Rob C:
    Yea, we played it again last night. He's getting just a little better at walking/jumping simultaneously, but jumping over brick/stone pillars is pretty difficult for him when there are a lot in a row, and that happens quite often in some of the levels. He hasn't completed a level on his own yet, but the more he learns to walk/jump, it will become better I think.

    @Robert Park:
    Wow, great job on completing both Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Skyward Sword! That's some hours of gaming dedication there.

    As for the Club Nintendo calendar, I meant to do a "reminder" each month in these posts, and yet the LAST month of this year is the only one I remembered to "updated".

    @Robert:
    I still haven't tried the Melitta blends yet.
    "No calendar for me (is that one of those elite member gift things?)", yea, I actually did a giveaway of one earlier this year.

    @Charlie:
    YOU KNOW!
    "It's been about 2 or 3 weeks for me without coffee." I think this could be an IP bannable offense.

    Glad to see Super Street Fighter still getting a lot of play-time, seems like it's a worthwhile investment for fighting fans.
    As for ICO and Shadow of Colossus, I remember hearing/reading about them, but never playing them. What do you think of what you have played so far?
    Batman Arkham City is on my "I want to play this sometime before 2020" list, but I have "Batman Arkham Asylum" on my "I want to play this before 2015" list first.

    Left 4 Dead 2. I wonder if Left 4 Dead 3 will be announced for a 2012 release? Won't it be 2 years in 2012 since L4D2?

    @Chalgyr:
    "My coffee routine doesn't change much. :P Basically whatever I grab from Bigby in the morning on my way to work."
    The fact you can make it out of your house without coffee, speaks volumes!

    I have witnessed some of your signing on for Gyromancer here recently, but as for your other games listed, are reviews planned for all of them?

    @Miguel:
    Do you know what blend of Starbucks you brew? Also, what version of MW3 are you playing; it's not the Wii version is it?

    @Jonath:
    "I've been playing a lot of games lately and I blame school work. There's nothing better than playing games instead of doing your homework."
    Haha! "Put off today, what you can do tomorrow!", Procrastinators United motto.
    I don't own a 3DS, so I haven't played either of the games you mentioned for that; but I have played Mirror's Edge on the PS3, and I enjoyed my time with the game. I am hopeful that a sequel will address a few issues I had with the first game, but overall I thought it was a good game.

    @Richard:
    Did you play Arkham Asylum first? The neighbor that we traded DKCR off to, has/had Arkham Asylum and said I could borrow it; but I haven't had the time yet with my schedule/backlog.

    Thank you all for the comments/feedback so far!

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  11. @Coffee - I'm in a pretty zombified in the morning. Luckily, my work place is pretty awesome. Free soda from vending machines, juice, water, tea and coffee (and also an espresso machine). So they do their best to make sure we're suitably twitchy and not taking mid-afternoon siestas. :)

    Definitely will have some reviews coming, but I usually try to beat the games before I review them (or in the case of risen - I just finally lost interest and quit playing after 25 hours or so).

    As for another of those titles, Grotesque Tactics 2 - I did review it - but not for my blog. If anyone's interested, it's up at Digitally Downloaded here:

    http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2011/12/review-grotesque-tactics-2-dungeons.html

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  12. @Jonath: Now you've piqued my interest in Yoshi (VC).

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  13. @Coffee - //Glad to see Super Street Fighter still getting a lot of play-time, seems like it's a worthwhile investment for fighting fans.//
    Yeah, and the 2012 edition/update is coming out Dec 13, can't wait for that.

    //As for ICO and Shadow of Colossus, I remember hearing/reading about them, but never playing them. What do you think of what you have played so far?//
    ICO was fun...for a bit. But I found it boring. It was just like Zelda but ICO only had the puzzle aspect. And I think SoC would have been fun but I only played that for 30 minutes before I got stuck on the first boss. So, I sold it! Shows my patience level huh?

    //I wonder if Left 4 Dead 3 will be announced for a 2012 release? Won't it be 2 years in 2012 since L4D2?//

    Yeah, that would be awesome if L4D3 comes out. I'd get it. And L4D2 is just a little older than 2 years. It came out Nov of '09.

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  14. For the sake of HL fans, I'd hope HL3 or HL2-ep3 comes come before L4D3. Many already feel the HL timeline progression has really been kicked to the curb by L4D, Portal and possibly DOTA2.

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  15. Hmm November. I was working on finishing up some games from my backlog. I finished up Okami Wii in the first few days of the month. Then I finished The Legend of Zelda. The original one on the NES. Then I think I played a little of Mario and Luigi 3:Bowsers Inside Story for the DS. Then I picked up Skyward Sword and am slowly working through it. Of course it goes without saying that I still play Tri off and on.

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