It's okay to smile. We won't judge you here.
Nintendo made many an inner child quite happy this morning by announcing that the main series’ first official foray into 3D will arrive this October in the form of Pokemon X and Pokemon Y.
Dear Diary: Today I beat up a tree.
From the moment Code of Princess was announced, comparisons between it and Guardian Heroes were inevitable. Videos quickly showed that the gameplay was extremely similar, and quite a few members of the staff that previously worked on Guardian Heroes were on the design team. It's a fair comparison, and a rather impressive one considering Guardian Heroes did a lot for the brawler genre at a time where it was at risk of becoming irrelevant. It’s chief contributions included the inclusion of RPG elements like leveling, stat management, and magic, at a time when this practice wasn’t nearly as mainstream as it is today.
We're going streaking!
It’s 2013 and somehow we survived the apocalypse! Time to ring in the new year in style, with a new episode of Nerds Without Pants. This week we’re a nerd down, as Patrick is convalescing after minor surgery. Filling in is the one and only Ty “Fighter”, who long time listeners will know as Rob’s oft-mentioned buddy. Since every podcast is doing their game of the year lists we decided to buck that trend and instead take a look back at the year that was.
Improved controls and extra content make this the must-have version of last year’s puzzle-platformer.
Like many games featured in the Wii U launch, Trine 2 saw release on other platforms at a much earlier point. However, with its release on Nintendo’s new hardware it seems to have found its true home. Through combined use of the Wii U GamePad’s touch screen and its traditional controls, players have the most effective means of interacting with this beautiful game yet. With the addition of the Goblin Menace expansion and the exclusive Dwarven Caverns level, there’s little question that the Wii U edition of the game is the one to get.
This isn't the Blue Bomber's triumphant return, but it is a good way to waste an afternoon.
I love Mega Man, and have ever since I played Mega Man 2 at a friend’s house in elementary school. Even now I’ve been known to pop the Xbox version of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection into my 360 from time to time to replay some of the better games in his 8-bit career. Needless to say, when I heard Capcom had picked up Street Fighter x Mega Man—a reportedly well-made and interesting fan project— to release to their fans for free, I was understandably excited.
This should have been a simple port, but something went awfully wrong along the way.
The Warriors series caters to a very particular type of gamer. It’s the gamer that enjoys the most simple of things when it comes to their hobby. The level of entry needs to highly accessible – mechanics relegated to a few basics that can be picked up with ease, even if mastering them takes some practice. The gamer needs to feel powerful – the ability to take on huge swathes of enemies at a time with little effort. There should be collectables of the low hanging fruit variety, with the larger goal of “completion” nestled at the end, just out of reach, but completely attainable.
The douche bag sim you never knew you wanted.
I never expected to become so enamored with a game where you inhabit the body of the hugest douche bag to ever visit the South Pacific, but it happened. After suffering through a fairly irritating opening sequence, you eventually find that you are free to explore the Rook Islands at whatever pace you desire. In some of my early self-paced explorations, I decided to stealthily capture an enemy outpost. Hiding in the bushes and taking stock of what foes lay within the compound, I heard the loud roar of a tiger that charged into the outpost and slaughtered everyone inside while my knife and gun remained completely unused. I conquered that outpost by letting the game’s systems collide and work in my favor. These types of situations happen continuously in Far Cry 3 and whether they were to my benefit or demise, it’s always a blast to witness. It’s these interacting systems that make Far Cry 3 a special experience that is worth playing, despite the grating narrative.
Nothing of import detected.
On this, the final episode of Backloggers Anonymous covering Too Human, we discuss the final two missions, the overall plot and story, and dig a little deeper into the issues we had with some of the choices the game designers made. Joaquim gives up on his quest for dragon armor, Julian explains his love/hate relationship with Denis Dyack, and I, now free from pain meds, discusses my difficulty understanding Baldur as a character. Finally, we say our goodbyes and offer our final opinions of our journey though Too Human.
Final Fantasy leaves Nintendo and goes 3D
Welcome to the third part of our comprehensive look at the history of the Final Fantasy series, celebrating 25 years of role playing goodness. In the last edition, we cast the spotlight on three of the most highly regarded games in the series. This time we break into the third dimension and watch the franchise move into the mainstream. Join us now as we look at the PlayStation Years!
It's hard to see the line when it's drawn in the shifting sand...
When the creative minds of game designers come up against the practical, business-focused minds of game publishers it can lead to endless frustration. This frustration is shared by the consumers, wanting a unique gaming experience but also needing that experience to be something that they can instantly click with. This frustration is the crux of my feelings for Spec Ops: The Line, a game that pushes narrative into some refreshingly interesting places, but stumbles with game mechanics that smack of publisher homogenization.
