Old Grandma Hardcore

This blog is the chronicle of my experiences with Grandma, the video-game playing queen of her age-bracket and weight class. She will beat any PS2, XBox, GameCube, etc., console game put in front of her, just like she always has. These are her stories. She is absolutely real. She lives in Cleveland.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Grandma finishing up Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters in hospital


Don't panic; it's nothing serious. She had a breathing treatment (she uses a nebulizer for asthmatic bronchitis) on Saturday morning that didn't agree with her, so to speak, in that she was having difficulty breathing and a sharp pain in the middle of her chest that prevented her from moving; even standing too long made her feel dizzy. I took her up to the emergency room to see if there was anything they could give her to counteract the breathing treatment, and they decided to keep her for a few days until they could get her heart rate down and check for clotting. They're going to do lots of tests, apparently.

Needless to say, she wasn't too happy when she found out.

She just wants to come home.

At first she honestly didn't want her DS or her PSP with her in the hospital. She doesn't intend to stay for very long, and if someone takes a paperback or a magazine out of her little mini-closet while she's sleeping it's no big deal; whereas if someone takes or damages one of her handhelds, it'd be like losing a friend.

Also, as we've mentioned in the past, we're not exactly rich, either. Grandma's DS Lite and her PSP were given to her by Nintendo and Sony, respectfully. She's really careful about where she takes them.

But in the end, she decided the copies of Women's Day and Luxury Vacations Magazine (a little joke on my part) that Mom and I got her just weren't cutting it. She wasn't riveted to the television last night for The Soprano's finale like I was; the hospital doesn't have cable. She wasn't watching our beloved Cleveland Cavaliers led by fellow Cleveland Magazine 'Most Interesting Person in Cleveland' award recipient LeBron James get trounced by the Spurs, either.

She was silently cursing the controls of Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and wishing she had something to write on.

She wants to give a complete review.


In the meantime, however, I've checked out your game suggestions in the last thread and I'd like to buy her one as sort of a 'welcome home' surprise when she gets back to doing her thing in a couple days. (She couldn't yet get the Hospital's crappy WiFi to work with the PSP, so I hope it will be a surprise, anyway.)

Here's what you suggested:

Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Mario Party for the Wii
Tomb Raider Anniversary*
Odin Sphere
Portable Ops
Crackdown
MLB07
Dead Rising**
Rainbow Six Vegas
Pogo Island
Planet Puzzle Leauge

* I think Grandma would kick my ass if I got her another Tomb Raider game.
** She's already played Dead Rising to death.


So of the rest, which do you think I should go with for her? I'm not really leaning on any one game yet; I know from her Google Search History that she's curious about Odin Sphere. She's talked about Mario Party. She's looked into Ninja Gaiden Sigma trailers and I know she's heard nothing but good things about Planet Puzzle League. Hell, they are all decent choices, but I can only really get one.

So help me out here, which one do I get?

Thanks for your help everybody!

Game on.

48 Comments:

  • At 5:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hope Grandma is feeling better now.

    Crackdown is a really fun(ny) game. You just can't get enough of causing havoc!

    Wishing you all the best,

    VideoGamer from Finland

     
  • At 6:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Personally... I think Odin Sphere would be a bad choice. I rarely get frustrated with games, but Odin Sphere really, really frustrated the hell out of me. Whether it was needing to grind so much just to be able to withstand the cheap difficulty(which can be changed anytime within the game) or to find specific items for alchemy. The game was just too frustrating and wasnt very fun for me. I know that I'm in the minority, but I think it's hard for a lot of poeple to look past the beautiful graphics and music, unfortunately.

    I recommend picking up Crackdown or Earth Defense Force 2017 as both provided many hours of FUN criminal/alien insect ass-kicking.

     
  • At 6:26 PM, Blogger Little Rabbit said…

    Grandma I hope you get better soon!

    And I'd suggest Mario Party 8 for the Wii! I've been trying to get a hold of a copy myself, my boyfriend and his brother have a copy and they say it's a gas!

     
  • At 7:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I would go with Mario Party 8. Fun for the whole family, but I guess it could get repetitive perhaps, and if she didn't like previous Mario party games too much... definitely steer clear since it's more of the same except a wiimote controls the minigames.

    Odin Sphere takes a lot of time put into it to get very far. LOTS of grinding. If she liked Disgaea or other tactical games, go for it.

    If you truly feel those two wouldn't cut it, definitely Ninja Gaiden.

     
  • At 8:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Call Sony and get her in to the WarHawk beta.

    If you cant do that then get her Ninja Gaiden . If she has played the XBOX version then dont bother with Ninja Gaiden as it is the same game with better graphics.

     
  • At 8:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    This is my first response to a blog. But I think you should really try out Earth Defense Force 2017. You get to kick a lot of alien ass's in the game. I just resently got it, and I can't take my hands off of it.

     
  • At 10:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Thank heavens it isn't anything serious! *breathes easily now* I'm sorry about Barb being in hospital - I can honestly say that I know exactly how you feel right now. My Dad's still in hospital and they've apparently decided that they might operate on him any day now.

    Oh, and this morning I got the parcel you sent me! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! *dances around with little Mario and Wiimote figurines* You have no idea how much it means to me that you guys thought of me. Tim, make sure to give Grandma a HUGE hug from me, please?

    As for which game to get - I'm honestly not sure. I haven't played any of them and so I can't make any recommedations. The only thing I can think of is that with Ratchet and Clank, she's been playing a relatively lighthearted platformer, so she might like something a bit more challenging or atmospheric, maybe? Oh, and a hint - tell her that if she levels up ALL her weapons to their highest capacity and buys ALL the weapons mods in R&C: Size Matters BEFORE going into challenge mode, she'll have a much smoother time of it. Watch it, because the RYNO is 9,999,000 bolts. Yes, just under ten million. You read that right.

    Game on, and so much love and thanks it's crazy!
    Love, Jen

     
  • At 12:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I don't normally comment on pretty much anything... I usually just read your blog and wish I could be part of your family with grandma not only reppin' for her age bracket but also her gender. (I know I get excited when I meet another female who actually looks for gaming in a potential boyfriend, etc.)

    But I digress, my point is that I had to post because seeing Grandma, being my hero and someone I aspire to be like one day, in a hospital bed scared the piss out of me for a second until I read on.

    In any case.. my vote's for Mario Party, dude. I gotta say... it's funnnnnn.. but then again... Odin Sphere is so challenging it makes me sick, so.. if that's maybe what you're looking for, that's a good idea.

    I don't know man, I tried.

    game on, kids.

    <3el

     
  • At 1:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hope she's doin' ok... Anyway you said she doesn't really dig First Person Shooters right? So I think Rainbow Six is out of the question. I heard Mario Party isn't that great... So I think you should go for Crackdown...

     
  • At 8:16 AM, Blogger Crazy Raven Productions said…

    EEK. Best of healthy wishes to Grandma!!!

     
  • At 10:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I second the nod for crackdown! That game is pure entertainment! and getting achievements for that game is fun fun fun! Who doesn't want to juggle people using a rocket launcher?

     
  • At 1:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    animal crossing wild world, if she doesnt have it. its fun, it should give her something to do.

     
  • At 1:25 PM, Blogger Robbie said…

    Get well soon!

    Thanks for accepting my Xbox Live friend request by the way.

     
  • At 1:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Well, since I don't think she's really into sports games so you can probably just not include MLB07. But I still believe Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a good choice too.

     
  • At 1:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi grandma, i´m from Brazil and i hope you get well soon, i love the way you play videogames, and a would like so much if you add my gamertag in your frind list in the xbox 360

    Gamertag: SoraKHbr

    PS: Sorry my bad english ^^

     
  • At 4:29 PM, Blogger Mr. Fuzzypaws said…

    Does she already have Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree?

     
  • At 4:34 PM, Blogger Iván R. González said…

    Mi vote for Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The demo rocks!

    Best wishes for Grandma!

     
  • At 8:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Has she played Tomb Raider: Legend? Anniversary uses the same engine, and it is a really great action/adventure, this series is starting to come back, but if she doesn't like Tomb Raider, then she doesn't like Tomb Raider. Odin Sphere is not for casual gamers, it is very hard, but I think grandma could handle it and woulf really like it, especially its art style.

    Crackdown would be worth her while, now that the Halo 3 Beta has expired, if she liked GTA, though there is not much to it. Getting the achievements can be very fun, though. I would still vote for Portable Ops, once she finishes Size Matters, PO is one sweet game. Really, considering grandma's tastes, I would go for Odin Sphere, for $40.

    Call of Juarez is a good, western-themed shooter she might enjoy, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, when it comes out will inevitably be cool, especially if she has never played Ninja Gaiden before. Final Fantasy remake for the PSP? I forgot that one last time. Hope she gets well soon.

     
  • At 10:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Odin Sphere, most def. Get well soon, Grandma!

     
  • At 5:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    WHEW! When I saw that pic of Grandma in the hospital gown, my heart leapt into my throat - very glad to hear it's nothing serious! I hope she's out of there most speedily (and with some good hours logged in on R&C ::grin::

    Though it's got some frustrating elements - I'd still stand by my recommendation of Odin Sphere. It's fun, demanding, preposterously beautiful, and has a surprising amount of depth and charm to it - I think it would be appealing. There's a lot of really remarkable ideas in that game, and even though some systems can be frustrating (::cough::alchemy::cough::) it's really worth it, I think, to check it out. When you have a hell of a time with a miniboss and then trounce him the next time you see him - the feeling of badassitude is not one to be missed ::grin::

    (Oh, also - Puzzle Quest, if she doesn't have it yet. Very nifty)

    Gotta run, but I wish upon the OGHC a very speedy recovery, and hugs to the entire St. Hilare crew (and I have a surprise for you - about something I mentioned before ::grin::) Take care, be well, and GAME ON!

    -A!

     
  • At 6:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I highly recommend Planet Puzzle League. It's one of the best puzzle games hands down. The stylus controls are a huge breakthrough for the series, making it more accessible to anyone than ever before. That means less time mastering the controls and more time learning to create insane chains.

     
  • At 3:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Gears of war

     
  • At 3:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Glad it's nothing serious... whew! Get well soon, Grandma! :D

     
  • At 11:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hope grandma feel better soon bro she rules, my suggestion is portable ops, i have it myself, the cinematics are interesting, the story isnt all that great but for PSP its defenitely a top notch game, but the online multiplayer is what makes it shine very fun, you could easily spend hours shoving lead into enemies

     
  • At 5:34 AM, Blogger elegantloli said…

    Take care of yourself and feel better soon!

    Wishing you the best ♥

     
  • At 5:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    GraNma OMFG yOU RuLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! thats all ... wish u the best and GAME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN !!! peace

     
  • At 5:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I want a girl just like the girl that married your dear old grandad.

     
  • At 11:32 PM, Blogger SpacePirateFear said…

    rainbow six Vegas, definitely.

    get well soon ;)

     
  • At 12:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    i think u should get her tenchu z

     
  • At 3:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I see that Grandma is playing Earth Defence Force 2017. Good choice!

     
  • At 5:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Tenchu Z sucks major ass, sorry to say, $60 wasted for something that looks and plays worse than Wrath of Heaven for the PS2. The Darkness comes out soon, I think Grandma would like that.

    Also Overlord, which seems to be a lot like Fable, only with minions you can summon to do evil things. Has she tried the Shin Megami Tensei games? Hard, unique RPGs. But tough to find. For the price, I would still go with Odin Sphere, I know I have said that many times already.

    Did she ever finish Twilight Princess? I was wondering that the other day. Maybe a little late now.

     
  • At 11:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Don't worry -- I've seen OGHC come online a few times. She's out.

    --Michael Spencer

     
  • At 2:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Well, that's good to know, Michael Spencer. Damn, Tim you don't update your blog enough! People are starting to get freaked out! Including me! Lol.

     
  • At 5:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I love you grandma! I hope you are better now. Come visit me some time if you want to try 300 of the best online games !

     
  • At 9:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Never posted a comment here, but follow Grandmas trials and tribulations constantly. You are one lucky dude to have such a cool Grandma! Grandma Rocks!

    Wish I could help with suggestions on the games, but I've given up consoles well over a year and a half ago and am strictly a PC gamer (ok, except for guitar hero on my outdated PS2) these days. Which leads me next to the question, does Grandma play any PC games? Grandma needs to start her own clan.:)

    Lastly, please get well soon Grandma!

     
  • At 1:54 PM, Blogger Müzik Dinle said…

    supper site very good thanks
    müzik dinle mp3müzik dinle

     
  • At 12:11 PM, Blogger pika23 said…

    Oh No! Hopefully Grandma is feeling better...best of luck

     
  • At 10:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Is Grandma out of the hospital yet? How is she? I'm a little worries that you haven't updated because that might mean she's still ill.

    If she's interested, I have a few tips on how to get a lot of bolts for the RYNO and Titan weapons in challenge mode, and I also had another idea for a game she might like - Hotel Dusk for the DS. It's very much a thinking game with some nice art style and storyline.

    Good health to all the St. Hilaire clan, and game on!
    Jen

     
  • At 3:00 AM, Blogger Astral Complex said…

    I say you should totally go for Odin Sphere for the main fact that it's a pain. You'd get some great grandma in action videos from that one. Later.

     
  • At 4:57 AM, Blogger LadyValkyrie said…

    Grandma, we all hope Your health is coming back to normal, and even better, hang on there and keep warm, like in our hearts <3

     
  • At 12:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hope all is well with B!? left a couple of messages on her Wii but no reply yet. All the best.

     
  • At 5:49 PM, Blogger Unknown said…

    I love Odin Sphere, it's different. It's a beautiful challenging, LONG game. I've only gotten through 2 chapters, but so far so good.

    I've also been playing Etrian Odyssey for the DS. If she's into level grinding, an old school feel, it's a great game. I've played about 5 hours into it already and think it's great.

    ^.^

     
  • At 11:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Been over a month, I hope Grandma is ok.

     
  • At 12:28 PM, Blogger admin said…

    So good and funny

     
  • At 1:41 PM, Blogger Faithful 2 U said…

    Glad It's Nothing Serious! Big Fan!!

     
  • At 9:12 AM, Anonymous gih said…

    Haha.. Even confined in the hospital, still game on. :-)

     
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    I'd personally Cheap Diablo 3 items choose Mario Get together Seven. EntertainingD3 Gold for your family, however i imagine it could possibly get D3 ITEms repeated perhaps, if she did not just like earlier Mario celebration game titles a lot of... certainly stay away becasue it is numerous very same besidesCheap Guild Wars 2 Gold the wiimote handles the particular minigames.

     
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