Fighting games meet poker in this extraordinary product. (Editor's Note: "Unplugged" is what I call my series of articles for analog games. It's for card games, board games; really any game that isn't a video game. I hope you enjoy.) If you're anything like me, you don't have a head for fighting games. You want to get into them, they're a blast to watch pros play, and they each have unique char...
I'm really glad I got that Wii U. It's hard not to love a show that starts with executives fighting each other like Street Fighter characters. Iwata's flying headbutt, E. Honda style, was a better way to wake up than Folger's shot directly into my eyeballs. It didn't hurt following that up with some Smash Bros. footage showing off new Mii characters. It was a strong start for a strong show from...
All over the place, but with the right intentions. I feel like it's hard to pinpoint exactly what narrative Sony was trying to deliver at their keynote conference. Honestly, as far as presentations go, I thought it was kind of terrible. It was too long, too unguided, and generally hodgepodgey. They could have cut that comic book/TV guy out completely. There was no need for that "Millions of our...
Recent E3 "leak" has me pondering... With just a day before E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) starting proper, I thought I would have some fun with one of the supposed leaks going around. The craziest leak is a game titled "Mario Maker." As seen above in this suspiciously blurry picture (taken with a 3DS?), there may just come an announcement during Nintendo's digital E3 presentation featuring...
"You're a dumbass." News from Siliconera comes our way that Adachi, the defective detective from Persona 4 , will be joining the growing roster of fighters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax , the fighting game sequel due out later this year. We only have a few shots to go off of so it's hard to tell exactly what kind of fighter he'll be off the bat, but we know he's packing his revolver. It's safe to...
Fast, gorgeous, and full of online fun. Mario Kart 8 is probably one of the strongest Mario Kart's to have come out. It's gorgeous, fast, and entertaining. As far as Mario Kart 's go, you're not getting a bunch of new territory here outside of the brilliant zero-g racing. Riding upside down and on walls never fails to be fun. Above all else, come to this game for its gameplay, but while you're...
Push it real good. Nintendo announced today that Pushmo World, the sequel to Pushmo on the 3DS, will be coming to the Wii U on June 19th. In Pushmo, the goal is to get the adorable sumo wrestler Mallo to the top of oddly shaped structures by pushing and pulling blocks forward and back, ultimately platforming your way to the top. The original came out on the 3DS eshop a couple years ago, and was...
Still not sure what exactly is "Deluxe" about it. Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a strange game. It feels as though it was scientifically distilled in a vat somewhere. It's almost entirely inorganic and it ultimately left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth. Obviously, it's a video game, and of course they're all created in a studio somewhere so yeah, it's just as "inorganic" as any other game. I think i...
GameBoy Advance games being remade for 3DS, releasing worldwide in November. This November, Groudon and Kyogre return to Pokemon in Pokemons Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Today's announcement was little more than a teaser trailer, but history has shown that we'll probably see something coming up on Japan's Sunday morning Japan show in the next couple weeks. Or maybe this'll stay hidden until E...
That's right. I went there. The Wii U has been out for a week, and I've already started referring it to the Wii, having pretty much phased the original console out of my head. Fact of the matter is this: Nintendo has caught up to the whole "HD Console" after 6 years of leaning on the Wii for as long as it could. In a single week, library of games not withstanding, it has completely surpassed it...
The difference between critiques and reviews, how the games industry fails at both, and how New Super Mario Brothers 2 just might be the worst best game I've ever played. All the coins! A teacher once asked me what the difference between craft and art was, and at the time I had no reference to consider the answer. To me, they had always been the same. It's called Arts and Crafts, right? The ans...
A great game that might not be worth the price of entry. As a big Penny Arcade fan , it's hard not to jump at the chance for a game made by them. The duo of Gabe and Tycho know games inside and out from both the creative and the player side of things. I know I can expect interesting things from their unique brand of know-how and humor. Penny Arcade: The Game and it's stand-alone sequel/add-on i...
Customization is key The base Wii Interface is an entirely simple, yet strangely gratifying experience that allows users to set up their products in a way that they find aesthetically pleasing.. One of the things that works best for the Wii's interface is the Wii Remote itself, serving as a near-mouse interface and allowing you to point and click at exactly what you want. A D-Pad could work for...
When good ideas go bad. I'm not going to mince words here: Microsoft's console experience has been an exercise in alienation, confusion, and burying content under needless menus. But just how did it get to such a state? Logically, the interface should be improving, right? Well, unfortunately, it's only been getting worse since it started. The King of Blades I'm always blown away when I remember...
The Ups and Downs of the Cross Media Bar If there's one thing I'm kind of obsessive over in video games, it's the user interface . I like 'em snappy, stylish, easy to navigate, and easy to comprehend. The user interface, or UI, is the first experience beyond any cutscenes; it's what tells you a character's health, or ammo, or gives you a small map of the location. For this week, I'm going to be...
The Princess on High! And a Pokemon! This is it, the end of my standard Smash Bros. blog. I have some more ideas on the back burner. You might see a 'bonus round' shortly, so keep an eye out for that. Something with 3rd party characters, I'm thinking... Peach I think Super Princess Peach was a damn great platformer, and I think it's a shame that there was nothing borrowed from it for Smash Bros...
New Super Wario Bros! Attack on the Twilight Realm! Apparently I wasn't paying enough attention when I reached the end of my list, and totally stacked Wario and Waluigi together. So what the heck, I'm just going with it. On a quick side note, I'm kind of bummed that New Super Mario Bros. 2 on 3DS isn't actually "New Super Wario Bros." since it's all about gold-nabbing... but that's just how I w...
Solid performance makes up for the overall lack of newness. Word has it that Nintendo 's show was a bust; a disappointment. I disagree; I'm actually quite excited for Nintendo's newest system, and I'm patient enough to know that in time I will be rewarded with bigger and better things. But for now? I'm okay with not one, nor two, but three new Mario games, one of which is a sequel to my favorit...
Four press conferences in all give me plenty of material, so I beg of your pardon if I just whip through some of it. Microsoft - Showing Vulnerability A picture says a thousand words. Surprisingly, a picture summary for Microsoft's conference, just says the same word a thousand times. I don't know if anybody else has an experience that mimics my own, but over the last year, I have fallen furthe...
Life is But a Play! The Demon and the Knight! Sooo much E3... but first, I gotta talk Smash. The Veteran - Meta Knight Meta Knight was came onto the scene, and immediately everything was "Oh, well of course that's his special. Oh, and of course he does that." Aside from some potential balance tweaking, I don't really see what else they could add to him in a new Smash . A great alternate costume...
T Minus One and Counting... Nintendo's giving us a head start with a look into some of the features and tech surrounding the WiiU today, and there's quite a few talking points. But first, if you haven't seen it, here's the video: The Controller - New and Improved Unsurprisingly, recent rumors of the Gamepad redesign were true. The 3DS style slide-pads have been changed to proper sticks, complet...
Green, Red, and All The Other Colors! This is probably going to be a quick one because I also want to post a thought piece on the WiiU announcements today. The Veteran - Luigi Once a simple clone, Luigi spun off and became very much his own character in Melee . While he still has some comparable special moves, anybody who plays the game seriously knows that he and Mario couldn't be more differe...
Out of Their Element! The Boy Prodigy and The Red Flash! Hey, do you like awesome music? Of course you do. Well this has nothing to do with anything really, but I hope you enjoy. There's awesome Phoenix Wright animations to go with it. The Veteran - Lucas The kid from the game we'll never see localized, Lucas is somebody you're possibly more familiar with than me. I've finally decided to jump i...
The Quick Change Princess and the Mage! Also, a Robot! Here's something to listen to while you read this. Shiek/Zelda In general, I think Zelda and Sheik are fine. It's a unique character template to switch between the two, although I've seen some people that are interested in the idea of making them two separate characters. My trap card springs, and I reveal that they should be one character!...
The Prince Goes on Vacation! An Original Idea! I'm still a little behind so why not toss out another post today, hm? The Fabulous Veteran - Marth! Marth's not my favorite character. I still have no attachment to him or the Fire Emblem series, so he doesn't mean much to me. That said, I know he's got his fans, and he's a unique fighter so I have no issues with him. The real question is, what do...
The Angel and the Temptress! Sin and Punishment! I just wanted to give a shout out to one of my fellow Giant Bombers, RockmanBionics , for showing me this awesome collection of Game and Watch (and Russian rip offs) in fully playable form: http://pica-pic.com/#/zelda/ Check it out if you've got a few minutes to kill, it's awesome. The Newcomer Turned Veteran - Pit The hero of Kid Icarus: Uprisin...
The Monk and the Tower! What's Old is New Again! I had to peel myself away from The Mutant Mudds to write this. Seriously, if you haven't checked that game out, I highly recommend it. It's brilliant. The Most Veteranist - Mr. Game and Watch When he debuted in Smash Bros. Melee , I had no idea what a Game and Watch was. As it turns out, I was missing something, because if anything else, Mr. Game...
The Monk and the Prince! Battle Atop a High Mountain! I just finished watching one of the most balls out awesome trailers for Anarchy Reigns. Stay to the end for a special Newcomer announcement to this insane title. The Veteran - Lucario If I were a betting man, I would bet that we lose Lucario to a Generation 5 Pokemon, rather than cutting out Pikachu, Jigglypuff, or the Pokemon Trainer. I can...
Flying Through Space! Bound to Earth! More speculative thought and wishful thinking ahead. Captain Olimar The unlikely Olimar was a surprise, and welcome addition to the Brawl roster. Although he did highlight the problem with Nintendo's lack of new IP's in recent history. The fact that Pikmin was Nintendo's most recent IP, and as of Brawl 's release was already 7 years old, was a disheartening...
The Plumber Journeys West! OF Mice and Wolfmen! Plenty more to come right after this, so stay tuned! The Veteran - Mario The most malleable character in video games, Mario's done it all. He's been a doctor , saved the galaxy , been an environmentalist , been a sports icon , and this one time he was a plumber . In the most recent Smash they tried mixing him up by granting him the F.L.U.D.D. as a...
Blazing Fast! It's Always Darkest Before Dawn! I don't know about you, but I still love my stupid, Anime-themed titles. The Super Veteran - Sonic Captain Falcon finally got overshadowed with The Fastest Hedgehog Alive showed up. Probably for the best, that guy really needed to be brought down a peg. You blow up a galactic arm ONE TIME and suddenly you think you're the world's mightiest champion...
A Boy and His Ape! The Hunt for Treasure! Writing, writing; so exciting, 'citing. The Old Ape - Donkey Kong Another of the original Smash gang, Donkey Kong has been a great heavy-hitter. He's always had a decent range to help back up his muscle, which has kept him fairly effective, but I think a little more brute force and un-flinchable resolve might help make him a much more fearsome opponent....
Cartoons! Foreign Blades! A New City lies ahead! The more I see of it, the more I want to buy a device to hook up SD cards to my computer solely for the purpose of checking out "Project M." (Now with Skyward Sword ! It's actually a neat level idea that isn't terribly different than my own .) Should Have Been Called Kid Link - Toon Link If I had to give myself a main, a favorite, a go-to-guy, it...
Short circuited by the Scamp! Panic at the Holo-deck! Another fresh batch of speculation and wishful thinking for your enjoyment. The Vete-rodent - Pikachu Ol' Cheap-a-chu. Favored by newcomers for his surprisingly devastating Thunder attack, and pinchable cheeks, this yellowed vermin makes everybody's lives just a little more difficult. I say it's time to nerf his cute little tail off. Bring h...
The Captain, The Professor, and The Conductor. Welcome to the first of a series of catch-up articles! I'll be hammering a few of these out this weekend, so sorry for the influx, but I hope you enjoy! The Veteran - Captain Falcon Mon Capitan has has always been kind of a weird character to me. I wasn't even really aware of who he was when the first Smash came out, due to my limited knowledge of...
Of Mice and Wolves! Knocking on Death's Door! I deeply apologize for the interruption, even if nobody but me noticed it. I've been stressed to the bone lately with work. That's not an excuse, just an explanation with a hope that you won't mind. This may be a silly pet project that I owe to nobody, but I still take it seriously. Thank you. Here's an amazing Kirby tribute I found to make up for i...
Huff'N'Puffin: Running to Find Yourself! I finally managed to pry my eyes away from this beauty long enough to write this. I really wish Nintendo would go out of their way this much for some of their games. I love stupid swag. The Adorable Veteran - Kirby Kirby, Kirby, Kirby: he's the star of the show. There's not a whole lot here that Smash fans don't already know, and personally, I don't see...
Space Pirates ride Dinosaurs into the Colosseum. Servers are down, so I figured now would be the best time to get this drawn up and posted. Yoshi Smash Bros. Brawl took the right measures towards making Yoshi a viable combatant again, so there really isn't much left to do with him. His Final Smash of going into all his Super Mario World powers was awesome, so the only thing left for our dino fr...
A Bird's Life in the Kingdom: Starring You! The timer is ticking on this one, as the gates of Diablo await... But for now, we Smash! Veterans of a Feather - Falco Lombardi The bird with a bad attitude from the StarFox series, Falco's always been a contentious member of the team. The cocky 'do-everything-myself' loner that you either love or you hate, nobody can deny that he gets things done. Sh...
Psychic Warriors, Monsters in my Pocket, and the Fastest Stage on Earth! I took a break from playing Binding of Isaac in celebration of Mother's Day to bring you this special bulletin. Now would be as good a time as any to point out that you won't be seeing any (directly) third-party characters in my listings, and deliberately so. The only exceptions to this are Sonic and Snake who are already...
Ike Have Fury! Push to the Top! The Smash . Train breaks for nobody. The Veteran - Ike He fights for his friends! The strong-armed swordsman of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the GameCube will likely make a second appearance in the fourth Smash Bros. title. That is, unless, he's destined to meet Roy ... but that's not terribly likely given his completely different fighting style. I think if Magn...
Psychic Warriors and the Towering Fortress! This one's going to be kind of short. I'll be frank: I'm not dealing with subjects of my expertise. I've never had a chance to play Earthbound , I haven't had time to finish Kid Icarus: Uprising , and I've never finished a game of Fire Emblem . That said I've got something I feel is insightful on all 3, but what I would really love to see is some inpu...
Mad Scientist's Balloon Experiment Gone Wrong in the Old, Snowy Hills! I just wanted to take a time out here to thank you for reading this, and any of my posts thus far. Life's busy and there's a lot to read, so it means a lot to me that you take time out of your day to even give my articles a glance. The Veteran - Jigglypuff Man. So. Look, I don't know here. I think Jigglypuff is fun to play,...
The Kappa and The Witch! Unforgettable Vacation on the Island of Laughter! Hail to the Returning King: Bowser The devilish King of the Koopa Clan. The biggest, baddest bruiser of 'em all. The Turtle who fails and fails again, bound to an eternal destiny of failure. It's easy to find Bowser the sympathetic character, honestly, but he doesn't want your sympathy. He wants your women. But if the ex...
Who says evil doesn't have rhythm? Big wheels keep on turning. Veteran - Ganondorf It's time that Ganondorf stops being a Captain Falcon clone. It barely made sense from the beginning, and it should have stopped there. He has a taunt where he pulls out a sword that he uses in the most pivotal fight in Twilight Princess and then he PUTS IT AWAY! I don't? What? No. No more of that. That's why I p...
The Cold, The Prince and the Realm of Animals! Fortunately, I was somehow able to pull myself away from the greatest thing ever long enough to write today's entry, so let's get down to business, shall we? What's cooler than being ice cold? Ice Climbers Perhaps it's their non-assuming appearances, or perhaps they're strategically worthless, but I've always received the notion from the Smash Bros...
The Feudal Warrior! A Link to the Days of Old! Today I keep on keeping on with one of the Vet-est of the Veterans and one of Brawl's most requested characters. The Veteran of Time - Link So Link is an interesting ones because I've got two directions I could take on him. The safe direction is to keep him roughly how he is. Grant him the art style of Skyward Sword, maybe outfit him with something...
Bounty Hunters 'til The End: Night in the Big City! I'm going to put a big ol' spoiler tag on here for Zelda: Skyward Sword. If you have not finished it, and you care to, I'd recommend finishing it and then coming back. Alright, you finished it? How was that ending? Pretty sweet, aye? Too bad you had to drag your way through some sludge to get there, but I think it was well worth it. Moving on,...
Robotic Overlords and The Boxer: The Knitty Gritty Another late night batch of Smash Bros . wishful thinking. The Veteran - R.O.B. I think nobody liked R.O.B. because he was the last reveal, and he wasn't the one character everybody still had in their hearts, whomever that may be. I don't think that's fair to R.O.B. I like robots, and Smash. Bros. had a disparaging lack thereof, and our Operati...
The King and his Princess of the Sky. Now I'm doing ridiculous titles where I combine the three things I'm talking about. So there's that. Veteran - King DeDeDe The King made his debut in Smash Bros. Brawl, and was mostly met with lukewarm reception by the tournament scene. Well nuts to them, because I fucking love DeDeDe and I don't care how bad he is. I make myself better with him. I don't kn...
There are 35 days until E3, so I thought now would be an interesting time to start talking about the future of the Smash Bros . series. For the next 35 days, I will lay out one veteran character, one potential newcomer, and one stage idea with a list of accompanying tracks. Hopefully this will lead up to some sort of Smash Bros. info dump that I can write on, but if not, well it's just for fun...
"If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, then we'd all have a bowl of granola." Console wars are kind of a weird thing to even talk about. From an intelligent, and rational person's point of view, it makes sense to want all the consoles to do well. Success for every platform, while remaining competitive, means better games for us. It's fun to root for your favorite and condemn the obvious loser...
Music to save the galaxy by. With less than 4 days to go, and 4 weeks since I last wrote something, I figured now would be as good a time as any to bring back some music appreciation. This time, however, I wanted to bring something that hasn't been released yet, and since Mass Effect is about the only thing I can think of right now, I decided to dig around to see what I could find. As luck woul...
Developer Two Tribes plans to place the puzzle platformer where it started: with Nintendo. Ever since E3 2011, news about Wii U announcements have been the slimmest of slim. Today, Two Tribes has stated that they plan on bringing their creative platformer to Nintendo's newest system. "People who’ve followed us in recent years know we’re pretty big fans of Nintendo," reads the press release. "Th...
And here it is, the end of the end. The last 10 things about 2011 that were awesome. One of Kirby's many Super Powers that are just gloriously destructive sequences in the game. Kirby: Return to Dreamland - I love a good 2D Platformer, and Kirby never fails to deliver. Kirby: Return to Dreamland on Wii feels kind of like it would have been better turned into a 3DS game, especially given some of...
How have I not finished this yet? I swear that I did... Oh well. Here's 10 more, with the next 10 following soon, so stay tuned. I love these weapon designs. Shadows of the Damned - If there's one thing Western games still don't know how to do, it's be absolutely god-be-damned crazy. Thankfully, Suda 51 provides that in spades on his own. Mix in some decent gameplay (arguably, for once) with th...
And I'm back from feeling like junk. Here's the third part of my five-part series. There's an almost Yoshi's Island quality to the art style. Also, there's a disco ball buried under ground. Raskulls - I noticed when this game came out that there was a lot of dislike of it, but I happened to have an absolute blast with it. Half-Brick is quickly becoming one of my favorite studios for their charm...
Another day, another 10 great things about last year. Skyrim is full of delicious earth porn. Skyrim - I have always been apprehensive of open-world type games. I've always felt that something fine tuned and more narrow will always be a more polished and enjoyable experience. While I don't think I'm wrong on that point, I have come around on the whole open world thing thanks to games like Assas...
[NIFTY GRAPHIC HERE] 2011 is actually one of the better years I can think of, in general, for games. There weren't a whole lot of surprises, but I think everything came out just as good, and occasionally better, than I had expected. I wanted to take some time to highlight the best things in games. Not just the games themselves, but the grand industry surrounding them as well. I think the import...
Check that thumping bassline, sirs and sirrettes. So yeah, I'm a Nexus guy, so I'm just plain excited to see this phone. But more to the point: dat beat. Really that's about all I got for you. Enjoy.
Totally. Just posted on their official Steam pages and YouTube page, developer Two Tribes has announced that they are making a follow up to personal favorite Toki Tori 2. Not much is known at this time, although the teaser trailer hints at some new locals and power-ups, including one that totally buffs out the strangely tech-savvy chicken protagonist from the first game. Also announced is that...
Just a quick, crazy post. I downloaded this gizmo here http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/massaffinity-v0-2-released/ and watched the load times in Mass Effect 2 on PC (recently purchased on sale on Steam) from minutes to seconds. It blew my mind. In any case. Hi. How are you guys? I've started another blog elsewhere, hence my quietness here. At the risk of seeming shameless, I sha...
E3 is over and the dust has settled; now is the time for quiet reflection. With emotions no longer running hot, it's a fair place to examine what happened, and what this E3 really means for the future of games. It's hard to argue that motion controls were en vogue this year, and plenty have talked yin and yang on which company is doing what better. And I think that's fascinating, and certainly...
If you've never seen Video Games Live, you're missing out. Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall have put one of the greatest live shows together where your favorite video game hits are played by a live orchestra. There's stage performances, contests, and even a chance to play a live-action game of Space Invaders! I'm psyched to be seeing the show next weekend (Saturday June 12), and this news piece st...
WarioWare: DIY is a great way to find out how much you know about game development. After browsing the YouTubes and seeing some of the bi-weekly "contest" winners, that fact can become quite apparent. Now granted, programming and me go together about as well as two things that don't go well together, but I have spent a lot of time studying game design specifically. And I don't just mean playing...
Points - Gotta catch 'em all Craig Harris of IGN seems quite adaman t that Nintendo needs an achievement system, and there's little reason to believe otherwise. Maybe the Wii and DS don't need an achievement system, but to say it wouldn't be cool to have one seems a little small-minded. Achievements are big, and while achievement whoring is unsightly, there really is something gratifying about...
In a recent article (though not recent enough; thanks new job! (no, really, thanks.)) I listed off a few titles that I would love to see released. Among them, I mentioned Dotstream . At the media summit on Wednesday, Nintendo announced the upcoming title Light Trax , a part of their Art Style banner that is clearly one of the original 6 Bit Generations stepping up to the plate. The original Dot...
Dear followers and anyone else who finds this, Found this on the internets. Looked about right. I apologize, but Giant Bomb is a problem with copying and pasting, and honestly, I just don't feel like working around it by reinstalling other browsers or retyping my article. So I link now to my blog on The Examiner and ask that you humbly forgive me. From here I out I will to take into account my...
For the health of it Health. Shields. General well-being. Size. Sanity. There's a lot of ways a game can tell you how well you're doing, and even more ways it can display it. Sometimes it's a health bar, sometimes it's a number of HP (Hit Points), and sometimes it's how your character looks. I think it's time we sat down and talked about what really works, and what doesn't in a game. Now of cou...
Crafty Japanophiles have uncovered new information regarding two new Pokemon from the next generation of games, a project that was announced earlier this month. Supposedly they're going to be upgrading the mechanics and trying to give the series a more fresh set of improvements, but whatever. Let's talk new faces. Here they are: Part of me wants to believe these aren't even real based on two th...
Fellow Pokemaniacs, get your DS's charged and prepare to head down to your local GameStop. For two weeks, starting on January 30th (Happy birthday, me) you can get an exclusive in-game Pikachu -colored Pichu . I'm pretty sure they're the same colors, but hey, WHATEVS! In either case, that Pichu can then be taken to Ilex forest in upcoming Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (coming March 14 (Happy bir...
This image trimmed by Giant Bomb! I'm just throwing this out there, see where it goes. I want to S Rank Borderlands on 360, but that delicious top-hat wearing bitch Moxi stands between me and sweet, sweet victory. I don't trust the PUB for this... I need my fellow Giant bombers. Specifics are negotiable, but right now I've got a 50 hunter I'd probably prefer to use, but there's also a 27 soldie...
There has always been something... let's say kitschy about poppy anime music from the 70's. The funky guitars, the slapping drums, and the energy with which they're presented really appeals to me. So while nobody from the Tatsunoko stable of upcoming Tatsunoko vs. Capcom for the Wii looks immediately recognizable (save G-Force), I hoped they would be bringing with them some catchy tunes that wo...
http://www.giantbomb.com/silent-hill-shattered-memories/61-25707/user_reviews/?review=12311 For anyone that cares, I'm on a temporary "not writing a lot" kick because my computer fried and I've got issues with using other people's PC's. But I felt the need to write something, so here we go. I'll try and write a little more regularly, but not as much as I usually would, not until I get a new com...
Trying to brand one game the best game that came out this year is akin to trying to pin down the best fruit. In the end you're arguing apples against oranges, and while it's clear that there are a few rotten fruits, video games are far to broad of a medium for only one to be recognized so prominently. Of all the video game publications and websites I frequent, only Game Informer has ever figure...
Behind the Lenses Because I'm still trying to power through some top-notch candidates to uncover my Game of the Year, I've been a bit preoccupied. It's also been a terribly slow couple weeks. I've nothing to rant about! So between my love of video game fashion, and my burning need to post something, I present to you the 5 Most Fashionable Lense-Wearing VG Characters Number 5: Monty Mole BLAM! I...
If there's one video game franchise that doesn't get enough recognition for it's soundtracks, it would have to be Pokemon, and as much as I would like to talk about that, I think I'll wait until Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver is closer to coming out. So instead, we'll talk about a franchise who has one of the best soundtracks period, rhythm games not withstanding: Silent Hill. We're going to take...
Maybe it has been randomly distributed to your 360's ad-space, maybe not. In either case, here's a quick look at the new Fallout 3 Avatar clothing available for your... uhm... avatars. Yeah. So let's talk about the do's and dont's of avatar clothing design. For the most part, these are some of the better outfits. The full Vault Boy head and body is awesome and looks appropriately disturbing. Th...
I'm always interested by cos-play. It's always cool to see people dressed as their favorite video game characters, especially if they can slide their own special something to the look to make it their own. It's an interesting creative outlet for nerds like me. But I think it's fair to say this trumps them all. The Mother of All Big Daddy's A handmade replica outfit of the Big Daddy from 2007's...
Left 4 Dead's gameplay lends itself to spending more time running and gunning in order to escape hordes of zombies than it does allowing players to sit back and enjoy some of the finer details Valve has put into the game. One feature that might be overlooked more often than not is just how incredibly unique the games score is. Presented below are a few choice highlights from the soundtrack of L...
There needs to be a difference between reviews and critiques in the video games industry. Reviews need to be about whether or not a game works properly. What factors are in this game and how do they come together? A review should not be whether or not the game had fun. Critiques are about what designs could have, in a perfect world, enhanced the gameplay and are more about learning new philosop...
Super Smash Bros. Tennis Anyone? by Randy Marr Super Smash Bros. Brawl EU Limited Edition Box Art It's small wonder how the Super Smash Bros. franchise has done so well. It features everybody's favorite things about Nintendo, it's incredibly polished, and it's a fun and original concept. You don't have to be a fan of the Big N to appreciate it, but if you are, there's some deeper substance for...
Character Unlocked: Someone You Should Have Had 8 Hours Ago by Randy Marr Unlockable reward or waste of time? Because my boyfriend and I are creatures of a random nature, we picked Street Fighter IV off the shelf for the first time since April and had ourselves a few matches. Aside from the fact that the game's mechanics continue to be impenetrable, I began to question why half the game's roste...
Okay so this is a quick question/comment I have for everyone out there... Why is that when Valve decides they want to make a sequel to their wildly popular Left 4 Dead game, similar to how Guitar Hero , Rock Band , and Madden (among others) make year-out sequels, everyone throws shit at a wall like crazed monkeys. (By everyone I of course mean the people who acted like crazed monkeys, not the r...
Just a quick update for fans of old fashioned games: side-scrolling shoot-'em-up Earthworm Jim has returned on Steam. You can get the whole Earthworm Jim package including the original, Earthworm Jim 2 , and Earthworm Jim 3 for only $20. Never played the last one on that list, so if somebody out there has, leave a comment below, I'd love to know how it is.
I'm not quite sure if there's a word to define the sort of games in the Arkedo series, so I'm going to say it's New Retro. This phrase will be used to describe video games that are based on old 8-bit styles, but use modern visual technologies to spruce them up. Immediate examples would be Pac-Man: Championship Edition and Space Invaders Extreme . More recently released on the Xbox Indie channel...
Valve announced today on the Team Fortress 2 Blog that they will be, for the first time ever, crashing two Valve universes together. This is not fan fiction! This is not a dream sequence! The characters from Team Fortress 2 will team-up with Bill's hat from Left 4 Dead 1! That's right, Bill' s Hat has found it's way into the Team Fortress 2-niverse. Adding to the list of awesome deals like a fr...
If you wouldn't mind reading this article on my new location at examiner.com , I'd really appreciate it. Good Use of Dead Space By Randy Marr One of the best games of last year was Dead Space . It managed to prove that a good action-based game doesn't have to sacrifice horror, and that a game can be scary without forsaking good gameplay. Resident Evil hasn't been able to balance those aspects p...
This Just In: Players Play as Bad Guy in Modern Warfare 2; AP Ignores All Other Games That Happens In by Randy Marr Ok, so let's get this all out of the way first so we can have an honest discussion: No I'm not a bleeding heart who rests on one wing or the other. People that do are idiots, because you need to side with facts on a case per case basis, not play partisan politics for personal agen...
Atlus Sends Mad-Cryptic Warning Adorable, but still evil! by Randy Marr A hollered "Ia! Ia!" might be an appropriate response to Atlus's email, warning me that trouble is brewing in Demon's Souls. I'll tell you, I'm very intrigued by this game, but am also poor as fuck, so I don't have it. But it looks like Ol' Hallow's Eve might be a good time to grab it. Here's an excerpt from the warning, wh...
They're Not Fooling Anyone by Randy Marr Because it's almost Halloween, and because kids these days love lists, I decided that the two need to come together and grant me victory over The Internet. Everybody else has their "Top 10 Scariest Games" lists, but those are pointless. We all know that Fatal Frame is god damned terrifying, so let's move on, shall we? Pyramid Head might be a big, scary m...
"Warning... Incoming Game... That is all.
But I Just Can't Kill Him Help me out, guys. I want so very badly to beat Final Fantasy IV on the DS. I've tried my best but it appears my best can suck it, because after almost 15 tries, I just cannot get through Zeromus. His battle is easy breezy up until the part where it rains hot, meteor death from the sky. My party is in their 70's, but I just can't survive it. There's no warning to avoid...
"Your Assistance is Required" - Albert Wesker Dead Space is officially my first fully completed 360 game. 1000 sweet, sweet points are mine. (2nd S Rank after Age of Booty). With that down I look to the future for my next S Rank, but for that I may need the Giant Bomb community to assist me. My big 3 options right now are Fallout 3, Fable 2, and Resident Evil 5. Fallout I'm on my own, and that...
The Most Terrifying Flick Ever? by Randy Marr There's little chance you've heard of this film, a succesful indie flick struggling to make it's way to the big box office. So here's a trailer to help catch you up a little: If you like what you see, the official site for the film has a place where you can go to demand the movie in your area. Katie and Micah are a couple living in California, enjoy...
Let's RAWK! by Randy Marr Alright I'm going to do one of the two things I do best: talk about video game music. (The other is rant about the stupid things video gamers do that make us all look like the bunch of maladjusted sociopaths Middle America thinks we are.) My only problem here is that I unfortunately lack in any real background in music, so as usual I can just talk about my earnest feel...
Ma-Ma-Ma Misssles! by Randy Marr 'Splosion Man and The Maw creators Twisted Pixel have announced on their site that they will be showing off a 3rd game for Xbox Live Arcade at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Has this development house proven itself yet? Are people ready for another game? Do you think it will be cute? Lemme know what you think.
My Mind: Sufficiently Blown by Randy Marr I don't know if this game is yet hitting the forums but here I go anyway because I find forums to be a cesspool that must be avoided lest I succumb to the raging beast inside of me and become The Incredibly Bulk. What? I don't know, it's late and I'm tired. Where was I? Bit.Trip Void, yes. You've heard of the series? Bit.Trip this and that . Well here w...
The Most Grand Video Game Orchestral Event Gets Bigger by Randy Marr I'm not writing this as some half-assed attempt at just getting some news out there, I'm doing it because I legitimately and absolutely love this show, and am hoping that somebody else out there might have the chance to encounter it that they never had before. I know Giant Bomb has a pretty broad audience across the globe and...
You've Probably Already Seen This Just to add to a little fuel to the fires of unnecessary but ever-present fanboy stupidity... I mean discussions... The 360 Elite has been price-dropped by $100, according to the Spotlight on my X-Box 360. Don't believe me? I'd get a screen but there's no need too, you can check it yourself. See? Told you. Any case, it's obvious this is something that needed to...
But Mostly on Steam by Randy Marr Just a quickie, folks. The title kind of says it all. Pick up Droplitz, a puzzle game brought to you by Atlus, on Steam for just $1.99 or on iPhone for .99 cents. It's a steal, kids. I haven't played it myself but with a metacritic rating of 78, I think you could do worst. It looks interesting enough, anyway. Has anybody here played it? Is it really not worth t...
I know I do-oo by Randy Marr I'll make it short and sweet because it's still ridiculously early for me and I don't feel like writing a whole bunch. I know it's been a while (and moreso I know you haven't noticed), but perhaps I'll start rambling on about some stuff I played at GenCon this weekend. For now? I've stumbled upon the original soundtrack to Splosion Man . Including everybody's favori...
Prepare Your Kidneys for Ebay by Randy Marr But I don't have $200! I don't know if you're as excited for Champions as I am, but I've got some interesting news either way. It seems that they're trying to get some pre-launch funds. For just 200 dollars you can purchase yourself a lifetime subscription. No more monthly fees. Just 200 bones up front. That's roughly 14 months of game time at the sta...
Simply Put: The Best of the Bunch by Randy Marr For starters, I know there are quite a few people out there who have been down on the downloadable content for Fallout 3. If you haven't been at all impressed thus far, I'm not sure you should even be reading this. I can tell you it's a great change of scenery, but in the end, it's still Fallout 3. I don't understand how that could be, in any way,...
Coincidence or Not, This is Funny by Randy Marr Just a quickie, a friend sent me this the other day and I couldn't help but think about the clear connection this has to The Conduit, even if it was just a coincidence. I figured, in either case, this is a damn funny video and I think my Giant Bomb community should revel in it's hilarity. Obama Axes Pentagon Plan To Build Billion Dollar Tank In Sh...
How Did This Get Game of the Year? by Randy Marr Okay so first off, no I'm not a game designer. So I don't know the ins and outs of exact technical know-hows, but I do know a busted-ass game when I play one, and friends, Fallout 3 is as janky as it gets. I've been trying to play nice because, in the end, I did really like the game, but after playing Point Lookout... I can't keep quiet anymore....
Welcome to the Velvet Room... by Randy Marr One of the things that fascinates me most about a video game is the soundtrack and it's use. I feel that something as simple as the music of a game is perhaps the strongest tie you may have to a favorite moment or title. One such song, the "Aria of the Soul" (or if you will, "The Poem for Everyone's Soul"), is a staple of the Persona franchise. It's b...
It Fails to Transform the Regular Stacker Enough by Randy Marr So the new Transformers movie is upon us, and with it, MARKETING TIE-INS! WHOO!! And who better to hop onto the summer blockbuster band-wagon than Burger King? They've decided that a promotional give-away and new product were in order. Your typical Burger King "There's a sticker on your cup and maybe your fries!" contest is back, wi...
I've Better Things to Do by Randy Marr I wanted to like Henry Hatsworth , I really did. I love 2D platformers enough that I'm almost always willing to give one a try. Panel de Pon ( Planet Puzzle League, Pokemon Puzzle League, Tetris Attack ... take your pick) is one of my favorite puzzle games out there, and with it being the basis of the puzzle half of this puzzle-platformer (puzzle puzzle pu...
Reach for the Gold by Randy Marr Not as good as I wanted. Save your coins. Members of the " Club Nintendo " service have until June 30, 2009 to claim as many coins as they can in order to reach Gold or Platinum service. Doing so will make them eligible for a special reward. To earn a Gold status you need 300 coins and to earn Platinum you need 600. Coins can be earned by registering your games...
Perhaps One of the Most Inventive Games Ever by Randy Marr The problem with most games is that solving puzzles is limited to the game world. Maybe you only have certain tools, or maybe there's only certain ways a character can move through the environment. There are many times where games don't do what you think they should, but they have every capability too. (A certain ending to Fallout 3 com...
And Quit Being a Bunch of Ungrateful People There's not much for me to say here that Gabe Newell doesn't say in an interview with G4TV's Billy Berghammer. The interview is here . Left 5 Dead is still a better name. But here, I'll be nice and give you a few quick pieces that I think are sort of the focal point. Left 4 Dead 2 is the result of the original L4D team wanting to create more and great...
Or Maybe I'm Just Crazy? This E3 has brought one thing to my attention that I just can't let go. I don't know why, but I have to vent and maybe somebody out there can help me figure out what's going on in my head. Are the people in the "games media" giving the games out there a fair shake? I don't really know where to begin so I guess I'll just come out with the sort of biggest thing on my mind...
Yes, This is Me Hating on Natal The future for Natal? Think of me what you will. Don't read this article, just go ahead and start posting about what a "360 hater" I am, or how I'm apparently not allowed to have opinions on games I haven't played yet, or whatever you want. I'm here to have an honest discussion on why I think this camera, this whole Natal initiative, is not looking good. Who know...
Rabbids Go Home at IGN.com I was already sold on this game, but now I'm definitely in. I'm actually quite surprised how far the humor in this video goes. Watch it and I'm sure you will enjoy. YOU WILL ENJOY -Make it a good one Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
They're Gonna Make America Skinny Again, One Slap at a Time (That title has nothing to do with this article. I just can't get the Rap Chop out of my head.) Home sweet home. Atlus announced, today, the next in the line of surgery pseudo-sim Trauma Center franchise: Trauma Team . Despite having a rather generic and unpleasent name, the game promises to expand on the critically acclaimed gameplay...
Not to Be Confused with Goldust's Finishing Move, Shattered Dreams IGN UK Stallion Extrodinaire Matt Wales has taken another look at the Battlestar Galactica -fied Silent Hill for the Wii. I've tried embedding a video trailer below so you can just take a look at that, but I'm not sure if it'll work... (If it doesn't, please give me some hints on how to make the whole embedding thing work becaus...
is my new weapon! KABOOM!" Found a few videos that I think any TF2 fan could appreciate. The first is the TF2 Heavy selling Kaboom . The second is the Scout selling the Slap Chop . Freakin' unbelievable. As an extra bonus: The "Rap Chop" featuring Vince! Any good TF2 related videos out there anyone cares to share? Let's I'd love to see some. -Make it a good one. Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
"Whaaaaaa! Cry some more!" - The Heavy For those of you who may still have your panties in a tightly knit bunch, Valve has come out and explained the how's and why's of their new item earning system in Team Fortress 2 . After you've had a nice read there, I think that you'll find it hard to dispute what they said. Unless, of course, you're a thick-headed mouth breather. In which case, why aren'...
It's not Easus bein' Jeesus This is why I hate mainstream news . Really? This is news? At this point, just play a video of a squirrel on tiny water ski's over and over again, and call it a day. At least that's entertaining and doesn't remind me how much of a misanthrope I really am. Also: the new DSi game is really good. That is all. -Make it a good one. Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
In Case You Haven't Been Keeping Up Ladies and Gentleman, for the first time in Team Fortress 2 history! That crafty spy got sick of hiding in the shadows and is now smoking a fine cigarette right in plain view! What's with his change of heart? Apparently he couldn't resist the Sniper just sitting around, and like any good spy, he couldn't resist stabbing him in the back. The Sniper update is n...
But Is This One Game Worth It? Maybe... I'm just going to leave the link to this video of a Japanese Wii-Ware game titled "Muscle March" to speak for itself. Okay I gotta say something. I am in love with this game not just because it appeals to my baser homosexual instincts, but also because I enjoy crazy ass games. It's the best of both worlds! -Make it a Good One. Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr (Kee...
Hindsight is 20/20: This is Way Better than Knothole Fable II fans looking for some extended content might have been let down by Knothole Island . The story was kind of mediocre, and while it was nice to revisit a winter-clad terrain... overall, there really wasn't much there. A few potions and some new digs were your reward. With See the Future , that is no where near the case. Upon downloadin...
A Mother's Day Blog (a little late) I'm going to go ahead and steal this idea from regularly visited website gaygamer.net and ask the Giant Bomb community: Who is your favorite video game mother? My personal vote right now has to go to Mom from Animal Crossing. She always seems to send the best letters on the worst days, as if that game has some sort of empathy sensor built in. Her charming lit...
Two Quick Posts for the Price of One First off, the quicker of the two: Star Trek . I went and saw the movie and I would like to just say that it is probably one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I cannot find a single flaw in the film. It never dragged on, I was never bored. The range of emotions was amazing. I don't know what it is about J.J. Abrahms (or his underlings) but they ha...
In "Moon" For the Nintendo DS: Now $10 Cheaper As IGN Playboy Matt Cassamassina pointed out in his clever article , DS underdog Moon is now a full 10-spot cheaper. What does that mean exactly? It means that if you have a DS, and are a... hm, connesuier of excellent games, regardless of genre, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this under-the-radar title. It's attention to detail, smooth 60-...
Atlus' New Japanese RPGish Game Packing Heat I'm just going to show you the trailer. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier I'm a gay man and even I want this game. Is it because the tits are that spectacular, or is there just a really awesome looking game here? You decide. -Make it a good one. Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
A Perfect Fit The Hero of Bird and Beans. I'll say it now, this is what a DSi game in the $2 range should be. Bird and Beans , or Pyoro for those who are as obsessed with the WarioWare franchise as I am, is an addictive, yet simplistic arcade style game. You play as a little red bird with a long tongue and a never ending apetite for beans. You hop along the ground on the bottom while shooting s...
If It is Boring, it's Because You Are With the 2nd wave of DSiWare comes Mixed Messages from Activision . The game is essentially a refined version of the traditional Telephone game you might have played when you were younger. The first player is either given a phrase, or makes one up (depending on the number of players) and then must hand the DS over to a second player. That player then draws...
Not As Bad As My Colonoscopy Not mine, but certainly funny. I'm a huge fan of Dr. Mario games, I'll throw that out there right now. Take one quick look at my handle, if you want some evidence. I've played just about every version of the game that's come out, and I have to say, Dr. Mario Express does not stack up as one of the best of them, but it's so damn convenient. For those who've never had...
Robot Dinosaurs That Shoot Beams When They Roar Robot Dinosaurs That Shoot Beams When They Roar . -That is all. Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr Robot Dinosaurs That Shoot Beams When They Roar .
It's (Probably) Your Fault I apologize ahead of time, this is me venting. Please do not take it personally, but feel free to engage in reasonable conversation. The Wii, and I've said this time and time again, is a perfectly viable hardcore system. Saying otherwise is stupid, and clearly only dependent on the "logic" presented by brand loyalty to the other consoles created over the past couple o...
"Your submission to God has been approved. You can view it here: God . You've been awarded 2 points!" Awesome.
I Don't Care if You Have to Sell Yourself on the Street The flashlight is controlled with the Wii Remote IGN editor and all-around video game GQ Matt Cassamassina recently broke out a huge write-up on the new Silent Hill: Shattered Memories by Climax Studios . The article and interview are here, but I'll go ahead and give you a quick break down. Silent Hill is Watching You: this game has a uniq...
Presented by Cracked.com Here's something interesting a buddy of mine showed me, that I thought I would share with the rest of the internets. A list of 7 things that all video games should consider, and thusly all developers and publishers need to realize about making games. Personally I shouldn't say all games need to be this way, some are after all crafted to be exactly what they need to be,...
The Best DS Thus Far Cute Japanese Girls not included. Hey everybody. I've had about 24 hours to toy around with the new DSi and some of it's software, so I've finalized my impressions, and I also thought I'd give you a few tips on how to enjoy the system if you pick one up. First of all, the system feels more formfitting. It's a little bit wider, while being a little more flat. I'm not sure if...
Stop Me if You've Heard This Before... With the release of the DSi in mere hours, I thought I'd give my PSP a little love... because it might be a little while before it gets any further. So I picked up Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? . (review forthcoming, I hope.) Last night I saddled up, popped it in, and fired up the ol' Portable only to find it saying it wants an update. I went to give i...
Thoughts, but Not a Review The only real "Character" we got I figured I'd save my review because I want to finish checking out the extra content, but I also wanted to just take this time to share some more personal thoughts on the overall feel and story of Resident Evil 5 . Fair warning, Spoilers ahead ! Turn back now if ye haven't finished it or don't give a damn. I liked the story alright, bu...
Help Get New Friends to Celebrate the Scout Patch It's been a few months since we've seen a major update to Team Fortress 2 , mostly because of Left 4 Dead (So, you know, I'm okay with the delay), Need a dispenser here! but the new Scout Update is out. What does that mean? Well it means when you join a game of TF2 , there's going to be a 64% increase to the number of scouts running around as pe...
(Not that you care that it's Legit.) Always the propagator of video game music, especially when it's free, I offer you now the soundtrack to the little-known DS Gem Zenses . I've only played Zenses Rainforest , but I can tell you that it's actually not that bad. I grabbed my copy for 10 bucks, and it's not the worst you could do with that kind of cash. All you have to do is navigate the website...
Mehdoken Those knee-jerk responses I can almost hear in the future say "That's just because you suck at it." And, yeah I know. For the most part, I do suck at it. I'm not the best fighting game champ ever, and lord knows I have things like other games, friends, a job, and showers to take... so I don't have the most time in the world to dedicate to the fourth Street Fighter , although I kinda wi...
So is that Left 2 Dead? Quickie but a goody, Left 4 Dead is half off on Steam all weekend long. If you haven't already purchased this game, I can't recommend it enough. Perfect timing, with the extra DLC on the way. -Make it a Good One Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
If I Were 10, This Would Be Awesome Got home from class today to check my mail and found a giant envelope from Nintendo . Immediately I figured it was something about the club.nintendo promotion. I haven't ordered anything since my copy of the Game and Watch Collection (FYI: It's only 3 games and only worth it if you're a real die-hard fan. Stick with the Animal Crossing Playing Cards), so I di...
Just Sign Here! A couple of days ago I helped shine light on an awesome-looking Wii game that has been in deep, dark development for a couple years now. The game is called Winter, an interesting survival-horror title built from the ground-up to make use of the Wii. Unfortunately the developers have yet to find a publisher. Well we have a chance to make our voices heard. Just sign this here peti...
Just a Quick Service Maybe you've seen it elsewhere, maybe not, but I want to make sure I throw it out there just in case. The original soundtrack to critically acclaimed World of Goo is available here . If you haven't played it yet, close your browser, get on a Wii or Steam, and download it right now. That is all. -Make it a Good One Randy "Dr. Randle" Marr
It Just Got Colder in Here Chilling concept art. (See what I did there?) IGN happened to drop a great piece on a game that, at this point, will never see the light of day, called Winter . Built from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii's motion-capabilities and pressing the hardware for graphics, Winter was going to put the survival back into survival horror. This is a game about a girl l...
My Most Anticipated MMO of The Year Is Still Alive BEHOLD! The MMO business hasn't seen to many successful contenders lately. Conan and Warhammer: Age of Reckoning have been struggling a bit as WoW continues to cannibalize the market. Me? I've been hanging around City of Heroes / Villains for a while now. That's why I'm terribly excited for Champions: Online , Cryptic Studios ' newest super-her...
They're still in Kijuju. With Resident Evil 5 on it's way, Capcom recently released the second of it's Viral marketing videos . (Irony, no?) Today's video features live action Chris Redfield on a hot date. What hilarious antics does he get into? Does he invite a second lady to the same date? Does he accidentally burn the turkey? Or does he flip out? Find out! In case you missed episode one, her...
It's More Fable (But That's Not a Bad Thing) If you were the kind of person who just wanted to breeze through the main story of Fable II, and completely disregarded all of the awesome side quests, stop now. The Knothole Island content is, in essence, another series of side-quests that can be done at roughly any point in the game after you've visited Bowerstone Market . The quest takes your hero...
Should All Acquaintance Be Forgot? Well it's a brand new year, and things are already starting to get better. We just had a Sonic open up down the road and it is delicious, which is a good way to kick-start this fresh batch of 365 days. I thought it only right to wish you the best this year. Times have been rough for most folk, and considering gamers tend to have a hefty spending habit, it was...
I Received Home for the Holidays I recently received a PlayStation 3 for Christmas , completing my console collection. I'm only a few days into the PlayStation experience, and I have to say that I'm glad I didn't have to pay money for this. For starters, let's talk about what's in the box, or more to the point, what's not: an HDMI cable. I'm already paying a premium ( I pity the bastards who fo...
Game Damage Releases Pilot Anybody else have one of these in their bathrooms? If you're a fan of video game reviewers, you're likely familiar with Ben "Yahtzee" Crowshaw . His no-forgiveness attitude with the gaming industry has garned him a lot of fans, though anyone worth their weight in credibility would just enjoy his reviews for the comedy. In any case, him and some pals have cooked up a n...
Not So Edgey A competent first-person platformer with some promising ideas, Mirror's Edge eventually nose-dives off of a building and crashes into the pavement... if it's not gunned down by SWAT members, first. I appreciate it when a game takes a gamble. I always enjoy a new intelligent property, or a complete overhaul to an old property. Mirror's Edge was another of EA 's attempts at throwing...
Get it? Virus? Resident Evil? Hey gang, just wanted to drop this on ya: an awesome little viral marketing site Capcom whipped up for Resident Evil 5 . If you look around the creepy scrawling, you'll notice numbers. Click on the number one and a little piece of scrap paper unravels for you to fill in. I'll give you a hint: try the word "refinery" That's all I've got for now. Feel free to drop so...
*Clever Auditorium Pun Here* Hey all, I was just linked this from a friend of mine and thought you should take a look. It's a game called Auditorium , and it's a rather interesting music/puzzle game. Do me a solid and give it a glance, would you? It's one of those fine indy games on the net that could mean something when it's finished. Who knows, maybe somebody out there has the know-how or ide...
My Wallet is Left 4 Broke Dead Air: something you'll never hear on the Giant Bombcast. As if buying tons of awesome video games isn't strapping you enough, the good folks at Valve had to go and make a ton of different posters and T-Shirts centered around Left 4 Dead . The prices are actually quite reasonable, though; all 4 "movie" posters run up a total of $14.99. Plus they have free shipping i...
Good Gravy, Batman! Just saying hey. Wanted to wish everyone a pleasant Thanksgiving. Hope you're enjoying whatever festivities you have planned. Whether your alone playing Fable or with friends and family, you have my best wishes. So what are your plans? I plan on visiting my Animal Crossing: City Folk town and seeing what festivities they have planned before going over to my grandma's to eat...
Albion You All Night Long I'll be honest, I never got around to playing the first Fable so I was very quick to find a disconnect when playing Fable II . There was a lot of talk about old guilds and lands that I had no real idea of, and I mention that only because I'm saying that I have no prior Fable experience to base this on. That in mind... Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect, and was less sur...
Sort of... Hey gang, holidays are coming up and I know spending is tight this year. If you still haven't caught up to the Playstation 3, then here's a great deal: Buy a PS3 off of Amazon.com with a Sony Card and get $150 credit. According to an advertisement I received via the Playstation underground, all you have to do is apply for a Sony credit card . If you succeed, you can use that card and...
Didn't See That Coming While doing a little research into the voice actors of Fallout 3 , I came across the composer for the game, Inon Zur . Being the most awesome name I've seen today, I looked it up on IMDB and found quite an interesting repitoir: mostly that Inon has done the music for every Power Rangers since Turbo . Not only that, but Inon is responsible for the music for Beetle Borgs an...
Preface: Yes, I am a huge fan of the Silent Hill franchise. Does this qualify me more to talk about it, or am I "teh biased?" In short, it's a nice qualifier. I have enough presence of mind to not mindlessly go with one thing because I liked it's predecessor. If that were true, I would have liked G2, but all that is is a watered down version of (the already watered down) Gatorade. This review i...
Soul Calibur IV: Sexy as it is Shallow Imagine that $60 dollars was all it took to buy yourself a super model. She’d be available whenever you want and all you have to do is turn on your Xbox 360. That’s about what you get when you buy Soul Calibur IV : something that looks and plays great, but is about as deep as the disc is thick. Dueling in one of Soul Calibur IV's lush environments. The nut...
Space, the Final Frontier (of Horror) Cover of a Dead Space comic book Dead Space manages to borrow from genre specific games and movies, mix in an original storyline, and a chilling atmosphere to make one of the most compelling titles on the X-Box 360. It’s one part Resident Evil 4 , one-part Aliens , and a whole lot of awesome. The story of Dead Space starts long before Isaac ever sets foot o...
So Ridiculously Little Time And so little money. I'm now broke. In the past two days I have purchased Geometry Wars: Galaxies ($16), Dead Space , Cubello , World of Goo , and Dokapon Kingdom . Also, Eureka, Season one. Now on sale at Target. I will have to sacrifice much sleep between these and homework. But it will be worth it. I will try and have all of these games reviewed within the next co...
Players get to test the new comic book styled action MMO for the first time Los Gatos, CA – October 10, 2008 – Cryptic Studios™ announced today that players can now sign up for a chance to participate in the first closed beta for Champions Online ™, an action massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) slated for release in the spring of 2009. This PC specific beta begins in mid-November 2008 and...
I'm not a snob for movies, nor do I consider myself to have much place to tell you what to see. That being said, I still highly recommend that you see Quarantine if you have the same hard-on for zombie flicks I do. Don't let the trailer disguise it. This is a zombie flick, even if nobody ever actually says the 'z' word. It's told from the perspective of a journalist and her cameraman, shot a-la...
Crashing Friendships and Castles At The Same Time If you've ever played any given side-scrolling beat-em-up, you'll feel right at home. If you remember Donatello yelling "Ohhh, shell shock!," or Haggar 's big, burly self beating up the same pallet-swapped baddies for hours on end, or even if you've had a good round of Battletoads , you know the drill. But that's not to say it's resurrected busi...
A Dream Come True on DS Kirby Super Star Ultra - US boxart (Look, he's not angry like most US Kirby boxes!) Yes, this is a remake of the SNES classic Kirby’s Super Star , a collection of games all tied together into one homogeneous piece. I would rate Super Star as one of my favorite games of the 16 bit era, so it’s not hard to see I come to this version with a bit of a plus-side mentality. The...
Wario Land: Shaken, Not Stirred. Wario has come a long way from being a main Mario villain on the Game Boy. The Wario Land series had a slow start, as the first couple were just sluggish, enemy-tossing versions of the classic Mario formula. It wasn't until Wario Land 4 on the Game Boy Advance that the series really found itself, both in personality and in play. The attitude that became the biza...
Less Human Than Human I don't have a problem with Norse Mythology. I don't have a problem with awesome art design. I don't have a problem with epic soundtracks. And I don't have a problem with Crispin Freeman . So why do I have such a problem with Too Human ? In the end: It's worst than the sum of it's parts. Don't take that to mean it's bad, it's just not as good as the expectation set by thos...
With the Confirmation of Release Dates: Make a Pick! This one is going to be short but sweet. Mega Man 9 has finally found it's official release dates: WiiWare - September 22 Playstation Network - September 25 Xbox Live Arcade - October 1 So what is your platform of choice? Personally, I don't have a PS3, so that's out by default (though I probably wouldn't consider it.) Wii Ware does have a ti...
For the record... Stop your bitching, and just enjoy the games that come out. And if you just can't, shut up and go play something you can enjoy. I'm sick and tired of these console wars. The mudslinging, the crap, the vileness. Why is it so hard to just enjoy the best that every damn console has to offer? So many of you people are always so happy to just shit on every developer, or console mak...
...of a Mature Nature Friends, I do not have a lot of time, so let me be frank about this. Many people have complained and moaned that the Wii is severely lacking in mature titles. While I admit, it has been a rut since we've seen anything decent, I would have to put the blame squarely on the third party developers. But enough of the blame, allow me to help dismiss this idea entirely, and show...
Diving Back In a Year Later Last year a game called Bioshock took home a large portion of your general "Game of the Year" awards. It was praised for it's brilliant set pieces, it's remarkable art direction, and because many people believed that it was going to hail a new direction in the narrative of gaming. I, myself, was not so convinced, as much as the game was endearing to me. Something I f...
Ah Hell No So Rare thinks they thought of the Mii's first , eh? Look, I don't like getting into these console slap-fights but dude , that's a straight up lie. Now I'm not saying that whoever first pitched this didn't do it of his own free will, but if I may give you a brief history lesson of the Mii's... If you would please watch this , which I believe anybody who finds video game development i...
Forget the Game, I Want This Movie I could talk a lot. But I really don't want to after my original blog crashed 3 times before I could publish it. However, I couldn't go without posting this. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/38591.html Enjoy.
If We Weren't Doomed Before, We Are Now. If you've ever played Half-Life, you know the name Gordon Freeman. (Side note: if you haven't played Half-Life, you're just a bad person.) You know that Gordon Freeman is usually bad luck around large-scale scientific research projects. He was the one who flipped the switch that allowed The Vortigaunts into our world, and his attempt to teleport long-dis...
Does a License Really Matter? One of my favorite features in a video game is the capacity for creation. Be it stages, modes, or (especially) characters, I love to build stuff in my games. Little Big Planet, Spore, Blastworks, Smash Bros. Brawl... and so many more, have creative segments to them that make them a real treat, especially when you can share them with others. But one thing I tend to...
Do Bigger Production Costs Excuse In-Game Advertising? Yes, they absolutely do. The cost of games in recent years have sky-rocketed, for the most part, and to keep up with it, publishers and developers need to turn somewhere. Of course this doesn't give developers free reign to push the advertising in our face, as there are ways to get around being pervasive. Simple stats are always a great way...
Down Time There really is not that much going on in the industry right this very moment, so allow me to just chat some initial impressions of some games I've been playing. These are just some preliminary thoughts, not quickie-reviews. The full reviews will be coming at some point, some time. Too Human A game that has been in development for quite a while, Too Human shows less promise than some...
I know I have strange tastes, but I do love my Wii. Games like Boom Blox, Blastworks, Okami, and Nintendo's usual round up have me enjoying the system just fine. Frankly all of my consoles have been taking a backseat to my new addictions City of Villains/Heroes and Team Fortress 2. If Nintendo doesn't have any hardcore games for a while, whatever. I try and look at things from a more rounded pe...
Appetizer: 'Samba De Amigo' Maracas For those of you bored with wailing on guitars, there's another rhythm based series out there called Samba De Amigo. Originally released for the Dreamcast, it was a quirky take to the genre, bouncing maraca peripherals to very upbeat, generally Latin-themed music. The game is coming back for Wii, and Sega recently shared the new Maraca shell for your Wii-mote...
Killer Bunnies and the Journey to Jupiter (First off, an apology. This didn't publish like I thought it did last night, so here I am writing it again.) Games: Unplugged is my new segment where I bring you the best and brightest of games that don't require an outlet to play. (Maybe batteries, in the case of The Omega Virus.) This week I highlight the sequel to one of my favorite non-collectible...
Championing the Way for a Better MMORPG Math isn't my strongest suit, but I'd say that from a sheer examination of the facts, the numbers are looking good for Champions Online. City of Heroes/Villains was their MMO until they sold it off to NCSoft to start development on what used to be a Marvel MMORPG. Now we have a company with many solid core values, a larger team, an entire license to work...
Busy, Busy, Busy Packing up for an out-of-town trip to GenCon this weekend, so pardon my lack of blogging this week. Hopefully I'll have something great for Friday, though. I'm hoping for some hands on impressions of Champions, maybe some other games, as well as (fingers crossed!) an interview with somebody from Champions. Either Way, I'm as busy as a Smash Bros. screenshot, so pardon my quietn...
Let Me Show You Mine There has been a lot of hubbub, not just recently, but for a while about the whole line of ethics of video game reviewers and review processes. Most of it is just mud slung by know-nothings on the message boards, but some of it does have legitimate merit. With this in mind I thought I would take this otherwise slow news period to talk about my policies. I am fortunate enoug...
Criminally Entertaining One part CSI, One part first-person/survival horror, Condemned is a game that relishes in it's visceral delight and dense atmosphere, while trying to tell an interesting mystery teetering on reality and insanity. You play as Ethan Thomas, FBI crime scene investigator who is following The Matchmaker serial killer. You arrive at the newest crime scene and begin the first o...
Fortress of Awesometude Alright, I know I'm late to the party on this one. TF2 has been out for several months now. Here's the deal: I have The Orange Box on my 360, but I refuse to pay for a gold membership just yet. So not only did I not feel like shelling out another 20 bucks to play a game I already own elsewhere on my PC, but up until a few months ago I didn't even have a computer that cou...
Can one really be Too Human? I’m not sure how I missed this one, as I have been greatly anticipating the titles release, but in any case here I am to tell you, my faithful reader(s) my thoughts on the Too Human demo. Combat is fluid when you really get the hang of it. The combat is interesting, and certainly feels fresher than most games these days. You move about with the left stick and guide...
My Review of Space Invaders: Extreme ((Note: this is taken directly from my official review of the game, posted here just because. I am aware that the official review wanted a score, so I gave it one, but here I am free of such things. Please enjoy.)) Anybody who has the tiniest inkling of video game knowledge more than likely is aware of Space Invaders. It predates even Mario, back when a time...
Nintendo Touts Non-Existant Innovation At the recent E3 conference, The Regginator stated that Nintendo had to improve on ideas and innovate to pave a money-filled future. After all, the Wii's undeniable success right now has to be, in some part, due to it's innovative interface, right? Well here's the problem: if they want to innovate, why didn't they show anything innovative? First we had Sha...
Welcome To The International Blog of Pancakes Greetings my fellow Bombermen and Bomberwomen. A pleasure to introduce myself, I am Dr. Randle, but please, you can call me Doc. Allow me to tell you a little about the methods to my madness. I am a pretty simple guy to get along with. I love having debates on video games, both ridiculous and serious. However, I do not like guff. Maturity is essenti...