Scramble to the Shadow Planet

A sort of review of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. I was reminded of time spent at Round-Up Ranch and playing a side scroller called Scramble. 

Five Things at E3 2011

This was my first E3. It was a very good time. This was the 5 coolest things I saw. Check it out!

Danger Dudes take on Matt Hazzard!

Duke Nukem
Commander Keen
B.J. Blazkowicz

These names strike a tender chord with gamers of another time. A time of shareware and buying game really cheap at Radio Shack. A coming of age of video games, of these characters some when onto great things and some faded into obscurity. Some of these characters are forgotten and some will live forever.

Matt Hazard is not to be forgotten or taken lightly.

With a return to current consoles Matt Hazard is really to blow you to 8 bits with fire power, gusto and voice talent from Neil Patrick Harris. NPH, most recently seen on Intenets' Dr. Horrible, as the main protagonist.















Will Arnett is also lending his talents to the classic game series as well. Arnett, most recently seen in the hospital with his recently born son and that lady who is not Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live.

Be sure to check out the Matt Hazzard websites!

www.matthazardofficialunofficial.com

www.doyouremembermatthazard.com

NHL 09, excitement from Dave!

Our friend Dave likes 3 things in this world. He like boobs, sandwiches, and hockey. Sports games aren't just for jocks.

NHL 09 Review

If you were a fan of last year’s game, then there is no doubt that this years game will blow your balls off. NHL 09 is bigger and it’s hard to think that after NHL 08 EA could step it up for 2009, but wait for it….they did. Wow. Excited? Yes. Maybe? Yes. Read on.

First off the home screen is a great addition to the blue abyss that whored it self all over 08’, not to say it bothered me but the flawless animations that transition you from screen to screen in 09’ accompanied by photos and graphics are well received on my end. The menu system is unchanged since last year so navigation is very easy.

The features that they introduced this year surpassed anything I could have wanted or anything I would have thought of. “Be A Pro” mode, which allows you to create yourself (or play as a established NHL star if you’re a pussy), or someone who looks slightly like you, pick your gear and your subsidiary AHL team to play on. They drop you in as a 3rd line player and your goal is to ascend the ranks and ultimately join your NHL brethren and repeat until you are considered a hockey legend.

The be a pro mode is challenging only allowing you to control you, therefore if you are out of position and a goal is scored against you, you’re gonna hear about it from the coach. After each shift/game, you are graded and essentially given experience points to use to level up anything from aggressiveness to awareness. But don’t get to sure of yourself, for what ever position you choose to play be it a wing, center, defender or even the goalie, you are given expectations to meet in order to succeed. So with intense AI learning, and getting comfortable skating by yourself, gaining experience points can be slow. The bars are raised by increments so small that at first I didn’t know I actually increased anything.

With the be a pro mode, prepare for the long haul of becoming a legend, its going to take a while. Look for this feature to spring up in all of next year’s EA sport games such as Madden and NBA Live. Other features include a revamped media HUB that allows you to customize your team’s goal music as well as the game music. So if you really want to create an authentic game, load up your team’s goal music into the USB port, upload and assign to the team. Now each time you score you can play whatever you want! Nothing says goal like “I Cum Blood” by Cannibal Corpse, great goal guys!!

Another great addition that's been added is allowing you to create highlight reels of your favorite goals and plays to be saved for later viewing. Thus allowing every douche bag with a YouTube account to upload their “amazing goal of the year” to be played in Super. Slow. Mode.

The last upgrade I want to talk about is the revamped checking engine. In NHL 08’ nothing was more frustrating then squaring off they opponent for a huge hit only to bounce off them as they skate by worry free. So for 09’ the hitting engine is more realistic and REALLY responsive. Players react different according to how and where you hit them on their bodies. There is spinning, flipping, diving and sometimes it almost looks like you have killed them as their bodies go limp and crumble to the ice. Its one of the most rewarding aspects to 09’ that I believe really makes the games that much more fun.

My hats off to you EA, So in conclusion NHL 09’ kicks ass.
Grade: A Verdict: Buy it/ Trade in 08’

Did the Scifi Channel make Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3?

With a cast mighty enough to bring basic cable to its knees! The only person missing is William "man-tit Rambo" Forsythe. At least the effects look similar to the old games, and I know that the cut scenes are not the game. I'm not being a cynic, I'm just enjoying the B-movie feel.

This is why Alan Moore hates you!

Hey the Watchmen movie is coming out! I am excited, despite the venom people have for Zack Snyder with his long music montages and brown colour palate. I am still excited! Really I am!

However. Episodic content downloadable Watchmen video games as prequels to the movie? This sounds not only hack but probably awful. Rorschach and Nite Owl in what are more than likely to be a glorified brawler game.

Nothing is special anymore. The Watchmen were on the cover of Entertainment Weekly last week, that is the opposite of what the Watchmen stand for. More people have only heard the name The Watchmen than have actually read the book.

My point is rather than cash in and make a "tie in movie video game prequel" why not just make a good game. Why does it all have to a part of the plan? The big picture? Why can't it just stand on its own. Why choose the easy way out? If the game announced was Rorschach point and click type detective mystery adventure, I would very excited, but it is not. There is something to be said about not writing down to your audience and hacky beat 'em ups are the most common denominator.

Nothing quite like a good adaptation!

Who remembers the original Ghostbusters game? Enter your name as Owen and you could get a boatload of money.

Here is the new Ghostbusters game. The trailer at least and what looks like the few seconds of video surrounding the already released screen shots, oh and a lot of movie footage.

I don't think as many people have seen Ghostbusters as one might think. As much as I might think that everything related to 80's pop culture is known by the average bear, it certianly hasn't happened. I know a girl that has a geek blog that had never seen the Flash Gordon movie until recently, the one with the Queen soundtrack! So it is possible that there is a percentage of America has not seen Ghostbusters. It is possible I tell you. The movie came out in 1984, and well that is a long time ago. I hope there is still an audience for this movie. Don't embarrass me game developers, you made a Scarface game, and a Godfather game. In the grand scheme of things those games are a footnote. It's one thing to make games on current franchises, it's almost shameful to go back an tarnish a good name.

Explode Like A Blood Sausage! New Fallout 3 Trailer and Gameplay!

Looking forward to this post apocalyptic adventure. Hopefully the black and dry humor will be enact, seems to be so far.

Game play footage and a new trailer!

If this is anything like Oblivion, get your divorce papers ready.

Mirrors Edge! The Running Woman!

Swedish game developer, DICE, is making what looks like will be a first person runner. No this is not the long awaited sequel to 3D Battles of World Runner, it is a game called Mirrors Edge, and it looks really neat.

Having already had a slew of successful FPS military shooters, and making what could be the COD4 killer, Battlefield: Bad Company; now they are going out to make a game about big brother, big business, big problems. Ironically DICE is now owned out right by EA, and some say that EA is the devil. They are the ones that were the start of in-game advertising, and securing the rights to the NFL to be only used in Madden games.

From the Dice website:

"In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called runners carry sensitive information on foot via the rooftops and skyways. Usually the police leave them alone - they have bigger fish to fry - but now something has changed...

Play as Faith, the best and most agile of all runners, in an adrenaline-fueled race to save her sister’s life as she unveils a bigger plot involving the whole city and the runners. Mirror’s Edge is an action-adventure game that revolutionizes the genre by introducing a full body experience with dynamic 1st person movement and combat, in an immersive modern-day universe and with a socially charged storyline."

New back story trailer.



Original trailer



Dice Official Site

Great Game Makers in History! Eric Chahi!

In 1991, Eric Chahi, created one of the most impressive games ever made, this game was called Another World. Another World had a different title in the United States, it was called Out Of This World, it was released on several platforms including PC, Mac and Amiga. What some might call a puzzle platformer, the game play was simple, yet challenging. The story was told only through the actions on the screen, there was no reading and this was a time before voice acting.

The intro sets up the game completley, you are a scientist, something happens and you disappear to this other place. A classic idea, and a truly classic game. It can be downloaded for 8.99 dollars from the developer himself.




In what looks like it could be an early grind core band album cover was the cover to 1987's Profanation. This is an earlier game by Eric Chahi. The game play screen shots are not as awesome as this picture, but this picture is awesome. Like porn movie covers; the girls on the covers never look as the video on the inside. Needless to say this is an intense picture.

Another World official site translated into five languages!

Saboteur! France is awesome!

Pandemic studios will releasing a sexy game, full of sexiness, and noir. Saboteur looks damn cool. The site has nothing to offer than girls giggling, some French music, the sound of cobblestone streets, with a heady smell of wine passing through the streetlights.

Right so it has atmosphere, Nazis and girls in their underpants. A stealth game, where the stylized look is a game play tool; areas that are in Nazi control have limited color or are generally black and white, and resistance controlled sections are colorized. Coming out some time after Mercenaries 2 I'm sure.

Official site

1942 is coming! Bionic who?

Six or seven months ago Capcom showed us footage, of fun looking game play in a redux version of Bionic Commando called, Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Terrific, awesome, great. They even gave us a date for the release, sometime at the end of May.

Just a few months before Bionic Commando: Rearmed was to be released, Capcom announced that it was making another reskinned game, a new version of 1942. Alright! Our special weapon is flipping in the air! High-fives!

So now we have 1942: Joint Strike. The airplane flipping game. Which looks really cool and will be released in the near future. By announcing, 1942: Joint Strike, Capcom is able to give the consumer the impression that it is going create a line of reskinned games. "You gave me a release date for Bionic Commando: Reamed, you even are going to release a soundtrack.I love this stylized look you have for Bionic Commando! It's so cool! TF2 is an awesome game! How could I possibly not trust you? Are you ever going to make up for the mistake of Dead Rising?"

Bionic Commando is not coming out on time, and for all the hype the game had, you can barely find more than, "it will be out when it is ready, and let us never speak of this again." They already released the soundtrack to the game, back in May, when the game was supposed to come out.

So in a few weeks what will we get? We will get the airplane flipping game of 1942: Joint Strike. It is being hyped like it is a gift from God himself. We don't get more chocolate, we get less chocolate. Let's just compare the past versions of 1942 and Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando is cooler, you have a robot arm, and that is better than your B button letting you flip in the circle.

I'm not saying that this isn't how they might have intended it all along, get us hooked on an idea, take it away and give us the dumber down version of the idea first, like you were going to do anyway. We don't get more chocolate, we get less.

WGA awards PSP game with first time ever Video Game Writing award.

I have never heard of this game, Dead Head Fred, by Vicious Cycle Software. I just asked my roommate if he knows anything about the game, "picked it up with my hand, but then put it down again," he said. I don't think this game was on most peoples watch lists.

Video games getting awards for writing, which is great. Not all programmers are writers and certainly no writer is a programmer. The one thing I wish is a game I played won an award, or one that I had some knowledge of.

There are some serious games that came out in the last year with some incredible stories. I am going to have to add Dead Head Fred to that list of games I need to check out. So if you have a PSP dust it off and see if you can find this used.



More information here.

Everyones favorite arrogant European on MSG4.

"This game a suck. I think that Hideo whats his name, lost his mind. The game is ridiculous, I do not like." So says Spaniard and Metal Gear Solid expert, Jose Santos.

Oh boy, Hellboy.

The Hellboy: The Science of Evil is not awesome.

However that doesn't mean it should not be considered if you are a fan. I have no problem with that kind of thinking.

Beat and repeat, that is your game play, enjoy.

The graphics are only ok. That doesn't really cut the mustard anymore. The God of War games are on PS2 and have more depth in the level design. Some reason there is an excessive amount of glowing green accents on the boards, they confuse me, so much so that I felt the need to make a note of it. I have a certain standard when looking critically at a game, and it is water effects. If you are going to make a game where the character can run through a puddle or splash around in water, you need to make the water look good. If you are not going to do water right, don't do it at all.

This game could have been made for the previous generation console. For some reason Hellboy seems to do that. Hellboy: Asylum Seeker was released for PS1 in 2003. Why would you allow that to happen?

The comics are great, the story and idea it self are great, but for some reason once it tries to venture into other forms of media all momentum is lost.

This game is not by any means a total loss, but in a time of crazy ninja game part 2, and wiggle, poke and shake your ass games, it would be nice if this game filled the void it is supposed to a little better. Granted there are unlockable characters, of which I have yet to unlock, and there is a co-op multilayer ability which is always a plus. I will though continue to play this game, but i know what is in store.

Buy this game, used, and well can play together online.

Special Editions taken too far.

Yes, I spent 80 something dollars on the GTA Eye Vee, special edition, and I got a duffle bag that I used the other day, and a little lock box that I can put things in. I think the Fallout 3 one comes with a bomb shelter and a gieger counter.

I think Command and Conquer: Kanes Wrath, might be a little bit of a strech considering the subject matter of the game.

So if there was a World War 2 RTS, could we get bobble heads of all the Axis powers?

Left 4 Dead! "Explicit Co-op!"

November 4th can't come out soon enough. Mike Booth discusses some of the ins and outs of Valves newest fun fest. It ships for the PC and the 360. Sorry PS3. This game looks quite the bad ass.

By the way, do you understand the title, the 4 means four players. A motley bunch if I say so myself.

Lets try not to have this game suck.

Spider-Man had a short run of awesome. The last few Spider-Man games were really bad and inexcusable. Much like that last movie. The past few Spider-Man games showed is that that sandbox games does not always make for great game. With great environment comes great responsibility.

At the New York Comic Con they had a huge booth showing off the new game, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. A big screen with really vague images and obvious cut scenes from the game played all day at the booth. They showed no game play at all. But they did free posters, I got one it is even autographed. Some Spanish guy, he was friendly. His name was not Jose. I will remember when I finally put up the pictures from the NYCC. The above picture is what he signed.

Nothing like listening to game creators talk about their games (every Bourne Supremacy game trailer), but if the game play is going to be this fluid, I am going to give it a shot, hopefully we will see a demo soon.

Ninja Gaiden 2

Team Ninja has released Ninja Gaiden 2 and with lots of blood, dismemberment, hot anime boob girls, incredible graphics, and acceptable voice acting. Team Ninja, is like Volvo. They make good cars, but you can always tell it is a Volvo, there is no hiding certain things.

Taking place 6 months after the events of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Ninja Gaiden 2 continues to follow the exploits of Ryu and his trail of dismembered dead foes. I can't stress enough how much dismemberment there is.

A quality button masher, platformer with a high attention to detail in its platforming elements. The auto camera leads you where to go, like most games these days, if you are not particular to show reverence to the high level of detail, you will miss things. Nothing like having highly frenetic ninja game guy fighting lots of dudes and bathing in their blood to then out of the corner of your eye you see what looks to be a hallway behind a potted plant, you leave the battle and run down this hall just to find a box with a ginseng root in it. Hunting for treasure is an important part of the platformer, but when you start to think about it, it gets is a little ridiculous. There is no office building that would have little ninja looking boxes three floors up from a boss battle. Why not just smash a desk and get some health. I am sick of looking for unrealistic boxes. In all honesty I am being trivial, it's not like you have to collect glowing orbs, no they are attracted to you automatically. 3 types of glowing orbs; one orb is used like money, another is for health, and the other is the "magic" one, pretty standard if you ask me.

The original Ninja Gaiden was a tough game. I don't know anyone that could say otherwise. I played through the first few chapters of Ninja Gaiden 2, and I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. When does this game get mind blisteringly difficult. A European Spaniard I know that hails from a small fishing community off the coast of the Mediterranean said to me this the first game, "you must take risks and play the game with reckless abandon, or you will fail." I still feel like I am waiting for that moment in the game. I don't feel like a ninja, I just feel destructive.

Little Red Riding Hood's Zomibe BBQ!

Gammick Entertainment is releasing a fairy tale zombie game. It's not just a zombie game, it's a fairy tale zombie game. Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ takes place in Storybookland, where something awful happens and classic characters turn undead. A Marvel Zombies of fairy tales stuff.

Little Red Riding Hood, armed with cuteness and a hand cannon, must save the day. Coming soon!



Official site