PixlBit

If the title wasn't a dead giveaway, Gamescom 2012 is the main focus of our conversation. But that's not all!

After a hiatus due to vacations and general life stuff, Nick, Chessa, and Jason reunite for the seventy-fourth episode of PixlTalk. We kick things off with a bit of conversation on the Zelda symphony and segue into what we're all playing. The bulk of the cast is dedicated to the various announcements at Gamescom 2012, primarily Sony's news.

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The upgraded support is accompanied by a few other relevant tweaks.

In addition to introducing Cross Buy, Sony dropped some other relevant Vita information. Version 1.80 of the system firmware will bring with it support for PSone Classics. Though the feature was planned and announced before the release of the system, it wasn't ready for the release or in the months following. On August 28 that will change as the company begins incrementally rolling out full support for the hefty catalog.

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They just don't make 'em like they used to.

There's little more important when creating an HD remake than ensuring you've at least duplicated (even better, exceeded) the functionality and feel of the original title. Apparently Robomodo didn't get the memo when creating Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, which represents a remix of the first and second game in the series. The HD "upgrade" is noticeably clunkier and more cumbersome, not quite matching up to the extremely fluid titles on the PlayStation, N64, Dreamcast, and Xbox.

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This bare-bones offroad racer isn't worth your dollars.

It’s hard to really leverage any complaints against Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad. It’s an inoffensive racer that’s pretty easy to pick up and play. For experienced racing fans it skews easy, but there are fleeting moments of joy while overtaking your seven opponents and dealing with the various tight turns, dips, and humps of the track. Most of the time, it’s a fairly mundane experience, requiring very little effort or struggle to win.

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No need to wait on Portal 3 to get your first-person puzzle-solving fix.

When Portal hit the market, it took gamers by storm. Never before had the world experienced such a game – the unique portal mechanic was tied to a first person perspective, complex puzzles, and a compelling story and antagonist. Quantum Conundrum, the latest work of Valve alum, Kim Swift, captures at least part of Portal’s essence, but comes up short in the character and story department. First person puzzle solving takes the center stage and the Inter-dimensional Shift Device (IDS) proves to be an interesting tool/concept to drive the complex dimension-shifting puzzles; however, the lack of an overarching concept and vision disallows Quantum Conundrum from reaching the cult stature of its influencing material. Despite this, the interesting mechanics and the well constructed “test chambers” make for a fantastic game that shouldn’t be missed.

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