Monday, April 30, 2012

Launch Station: TERA

2012 looks to add some big competition to World of Warcraft's reign over the MMORPG genre in the first full year of Star Wars: The Old Republic and the release of the highly anticipated Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft.  One MMO that has fell to the sidelines, so much that this writer among other gamers did not even know that it will be releasing tomorrow.  The game in question is Bluehole Studios' TERA (short for The Exiled Realm of Arborea).

After a divine world between Gods and mortals, the realm of Arborea has been left in ruin as a new metallic treat emerges from the underworld.  This threat is known as the Metallic race, Argons and there sole purpose is to destroy the realm of Arborea for good.  The remaining seven races, the Amani, the Barakas, the Castanics, the Elins, the High Elves, the Humans and the Poporis, must band together to stop the Argons and save their world.  TERA is a lot like many other MMORPG as it includes features such as questing, crafting and player-versus-player action (PvP for short), but it has many features to make it standout from other MMORPGs on the market.  TERA's biggest feature is its' fast-paced real-time battle system that has players targeting enemies with a crosshairs rather than clicking or tabbing each enemy individually.  Players also must actively dodge attacks than rely on a hidden dice roll to determine it for them.  This battle system immerses the player more as you feel more engaged than repeatedly clicking on one enemy until it is dead.  TERA offers a few different ways to control your character from the keyboard and mouse combo to a USB controller.  In order to deter gold farming, Bluehole Studios worked with CCP Games, the maker of the popular EVE Online, to create a currency called Chronoscrolls that can be purchased for real money or in-game gold.

As I am not a huge PC gamer or fan of MMOs, TERA does not really excite me personally.  For huge PC gamers and MMO fans, TERA looks to offer all the depth of a traditional MMORPG with the instant gratification of real-time combat and control.  It would have been nice if TERA got some much needed publicity as it will most likely pass by the radars of many gamers due to the lack thereof.  It almost passed right by me.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Bit by Bit: April 22-28

Much like I expected this week was more or less a write off gaming-wise.  Other than picking up quite a few games for cheap this week, I have not played a game since Wednesday.  Not like I have not attempted to.  I have actually tried playing a couple today, but the stars did not align for me.  Hopefully with things not being as busy as this past week I will be able to play more games this coming week.

Game of the Week
Well Xenoblade Chronicles has been dethroned.  Why?  Because I did not have enough time to sit down and play it for this entire week.  Instead I stuck to games I can play in smaller chunks.  As a result my Game of the Week goes to 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, which I picked up the over a week ago.  I have only played the original Kid Icarus once a long while ago and I cannot remember much of anything about it.  After playing Kid Icarus: Uprising, I had an urge to play Uprising's predecessors.  While Kid Icarus: Of Myths & Monsters still has not been released for the eShop, I was left with the original and I am not disappointed.  When I first started out Kid Icarus, I died a lot and found the experience to be a little grating.  After some time with Kid Icarus, I started getting a hang of things and found that the platforming was great and the shooting was great.  I am not that far into Kid Icarus, but when I get a chance to play for 10 to 20 minutes, I find it is hard to put down.  It is a great download for the 3DS and must-own for those who enjoyed Uprising.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
Got some big announcements this week ranging from Pikmin 2 finally coming to Wii to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for PS3.  No announcement was bigger than the leaked trailer for Ubisoft's sequel to Rayman Origins and for the Wii U no less.  Rayman Legends, even in such an early state, looks to be a worthy successor to the platforming masterpiece which was Rayman Origins.  From the trailer, it looks like Ubisoft made a significant update to their UbiArt Engine for the first game as the beautiful 2D graphics look to be even better than the first.  Also the game looks to have some Wii U exclusive features such as using the tablet controller to interact with the environment and even scan in certain figures like a heart or a rabbid.  Take a look for yourself and see why this game has shot up my list of highly anticipated games for the Wii U.


Videos of the Week
Screwattack and the Game OverThinker strike again with two great videos that deserve to share this award.  From Screwattack is their Top 10 Franchises that Should Die and from the Game OverThinker is AfterMass, his look at the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy in the light of the DLC announcement.  Both videos deserve to be watched by gamers everywhere for both personal enjoyment and to get you thinking and discussing.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 228

Two editions of Off the Newsstand in one week, well that is a first.  Got both issues of EGM and Game Informer on the same day so immediately after I breezed through EGM, I breezed through Game Informer.  The bad part of that breezing through both magazines was that I had nothing to read until this past Tuesday when I got my newest issues of both Nintendo Power and Game Informer.  After an underwhelming March issue of Game Informer, let us see if Game Informer can bounce back with a good April issue.

In short, Game Informer Issue 228 is a better than Issue 227.  It is not the best issue out there, but a solid nonetheless.  With Ubisoft's announcement of Assassin's Creed III releasing this coming October, Game Informer has new protagonist, Connor gracing the two special covers.  While the Assassin's Creed III cover story is a much more informative and a better read than The Last of Us cover story from the last issue, it did nothing to get me excited for the fourth Assassin's Creed game in four years.  Honestly, I was more excited for Assassin's Creed: Revelations after reading Game Informer's cover story back last June than for the newest entry in Ubisoft's cash cow.  Maybe it is franchise fatigue or Assassin's Creed may not  be my cup of tea.  If you are a fan of Assassin's Creed, you will definitely eat up everything that is reveled in Game Informer's good cover story.  If you are not a fan of Assassin's Creed, this issue of Game Informer is packed with good articles.  Some of the articles you can find in this issue are an interview with Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, the man responsible for a little indie game by the name of Minecraft, coverage of the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas, a roundtable interview with Marvel Comics' top writers about video games, comics and Avengers vs. X-Men, a look at Zen Studios, makers of hit downloadable game Pinball FX 2 and a interview with the designer of the Flash game tribute to the 8-bit era, Abobo's Big Adventure, Roger Barr.  Those all come with another solid round-up of previews on upcoming games such as Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3 and reviews on recently released games like SSX and Syndicate.  One article I could personally do without is Game Informer's annual April Fool's tradition, Game Infarcer, a fake magazine within Game Informer.  It will illicit a few laughs here and there, but there are much better ways to use those few pages on a stupid jokes about the gaming industry.  I will say it is funny watching somebody skim through Game Informer only to stumble upon the Game Infarcer article and believe everything on those few pages.

Overall, Issue 228 of Game Informer is a solid issue.  The cover story will only excite fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise, but it is still an enjoyable read.  If you do not enjoy the cover story, the other great articles will more than make up for it.  You will not be disappointed if you pick up Issue 228 of Game Informer at your local book store or library.

On the Download: April 22-28

A little later than usual.  It was a busy Thursday, so got to double up today.  Right now is your weekly dose of On the Download and much later today another edition of Off the Newsstand will be up.  Just been reading a lot of magazines between work, blogging and free time.  While this week's On the Download is not as packed as last week, there are things for console, handheld and smartphone/tablet gaming will enjoy this week.  In a trade-off for no new eShop release, Nintendo 3DS owners got a system update this past Wednesday.  With the update, you can now create folders to organize all the apps and games on your 3DS, download patches and updates for retail games and a nice little re-design of the Nintendo eShop, which makes it a little easier to navigate.  If you have not downloaded it already, make sure you download it after reading On the Download.
Well Capcom did not listen to me when Soul Calibur came to iOS and I said fighting games do not work on iOS as they have just re-released Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for iOS.  Considered one of the best, most popular and intricate fighting games in video game history, it is hard to think of playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 with a touch screen, but no matter what we say Capcom has done it.  Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has been optimized for iOS tablets and mobile devices featuring everything you will find in any previous release in arcades and on consoles.  Exclusive for the iOS release, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 features local multi-player through Bluetooth and a new control feature called the Flick Button, which makes it easier to pull off complex moves with the touch controls.  If you are a Marvel vs. Capcom superfan or really want an inexpensive fighting game for your tablet or mobile device, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for iOS will be a perfect purchase especially at the current sale price of 3 dollars.  If you like playing fighting games will actual controllers, better stick to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for XBLA and PSN.
Since resurrecting the Monkey Island series for Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale Games has become known for creating great adventure games for this generation of gamers.  Telltale's newest episodic adventure game project is a game adaptation of popular zombie comic and TV show, The Walking Dead. Unlike typical zombie games such as Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil, The Walking Dead is more focused on character development and emotion than action and extreme tension.  The Walking Dead: The Game puts players in control of a whole new character in The Walking Dead universe by the name of Lee Everett.  Lee is a convicted criminal who is given a second chance at life after the zombie outbreak.  In a world where the undead are walking the Earth and the remaining humans have gone insane trying to keep themselves alive, protecting a orphaned girl by the name of Clementine might be Lee's only chance a t redemption is this hell on Earth.  Telltale has tried out some new features with their Walking Dead adventure game.  These features include having the actions and choice you make in each episode affect how your story plays out throughout the entire series and a time limit for making decisions in order to further immerse the player into story.  Currently you can pick up the first episode, "A New Day" on XBLA, PSN, PC and Mac, but it will be later available for iOS as well.  New episodes will release each month up to the fifth and final episode.  If you enjoy Telltale Games other adventures or love The Walking Dead, Telltales new game will definitely be a great download.  You can find individual episodes on XBLA and PSN for 5 dollars with a Season Pass running you 19 dollars.  For PC and/or Mac users, you will only be able to pick up a Season Pass which will cost you 25 dollars.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hump Day Music: One Final Effort

Usually I like to tie in the music I highlight on Hump Day Music with what I am currently playing or a big piece of news.  It is just a coincidence that I thought of highlighting what is commonly known as Halo's theme just a week after Microsoft announced Halo 4's release date of November 6th this year.  My little brother is going to love me for this one, seeing his a huge fan of the original Halo trilogy.  This week on Hump Day Music, I share with you my favourite thing about Halo, One Final Effort.

Personally, I have never been a huge fan of first-person perspective in games other than for Metroid Prime and Half-Life, a lot due to those games' amazing atmospheres and the fact you are rarely taken out of that first-person perspective.  I have always enjoyed playing Halo with friends from time to time as it is actually a pretty fun party game, but nothing more than that.  I have played a bit of Halo 2, ODST and Reach, but the only one I have completed is Halo 3.  Funny enough, my favourite version of One Final Effort comes from Halo 3.  This amazing orchestrated piece of video game music really accentuates Halo's gameplay.  One Final Effort makes you feel like you are in a superhero that nothing can stand in your way.  Every moment you hear it play throughout Halo 3, especially in the final mission, you feel like a champ.  This piece of music is an example why Halo's music is held in such high regard by both the gaming industry and gaming community.  It will be nice to hear how Halo's new audio director, Sotora Tojima, interprets this Marty O'Donnell's classic gaming theme for Halo 4.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Off the Newsstand: Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 254

The last little while I have been quite upset with Electronic Gaming Monthly.  Being a follower of this magazine for many years now, I followed EGM before Ziff Davis shut it down all the way through the magazine's glorious resurrection back in 2010.  After just starting a new subscription with EGM, I went a good few months without issues.  I tried contacting EGM's customer service and looking at forums online to find an answer, but nothing.  I along with hundreds of other loyal subscribers were left in the dark for a good few months as the EGM staff worked on their website EGMNow.  This incredibly dumb move along with the switch to EGM releasing on a bi-monthly schedule really ticked off this loyal fan, who had stuck with this magazine through the thick and thin, to the point that I considered cancelling my subscription and moving onto another magazine.  Cooler heads prevailed as this fan gave EGM to the end of this subscription one more chance to turn things around and win back my trust.

Waiting for Issue 254 to come in the mail felt like forever.  I was starting to worry that EGM decided to not to tell subscribers about a possible delay like they did last year, but those thoughts dispersed when I got the magazine in my hands.  The EGM team spent the last two months really revamping the magazine and it really shows.  This issue is a much better magazine than the last few issues I have read.  The returns of the classic EGM three-man reviews and awards system along with a new focused previews that opt to ask the harder questions about the games covered rather than rehashing the same old-info you see in every gaming magazine out there.  Being an apocalypse-themed issue, EGM Issue 254 features great apocalypse-themed stories such as a look at Wasteland 2 Kickstarter, THQ's troubles, a roundtable on the next wave of consoles and a list of the Top 20 Apocalyptic Games.  The Borderlands 2 cover story is pretty good as well featuring new information on this highly anticipated post-apocalyptic shooter and a great interview with the co-founders of Vigil Games, the developer behind the Darksiders series, David Adams and Joe Madureira.  It all amounts to possibly the best issue of EGM I have read since it's rebirth back in 2010.

I was pleasantly surprised by Issue 254 of EGM.  It really turned around my whole attitude towards EGM and made me forget about the mishap from last year.  This is the EGM I remember and I hope to see more great things from this magazine in the future.  If you have 7 dollars to spare, EGM Issue 254 is an excellent read that should make any self-respecting smile from cheek-to-cheek.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Launch Station: Prototype 2

Releasing around the same time Sony's superhero adventure Infamous back in 2009, the original Prototype had some game competition.  Ultimately Radical Entertainment's first foray into the next generation did not live up to the hype people placed on this open-world adventure.  The original Prototype fell into video game obscurity.  Honestly do you remember anything about the original Prototype?  Well it must have sold well enough for Activision to give Radical another chance at this franchise.

Prototype 2 follows the events of the original.  14 months after the initial outbreak of the Blacklight virus nearly brought New York to the brink of destruction, a second one has broke out causing mass panic and distress.  In Prototype 2, you play as Sergeant James Heller, a soldier who has been infected by the Blacklight virus thanks to the original's protagonist, Alex Mercer.  Heller balmes Mercer for the death of his family and with his new found powers, seeks revenge against his maker.  Much like the first game, Prototype 2 offers players a whole open-world to explore with their incredible powers.  New York City is broken up into three zones that are increasingly more dangerous.  The Green Zone is controlled entirely by the military, the Yellow Zone is filled with refugees and the war-ravaged Red Zone is overrun by the Balcklight virus and Alex Mercer.  Heller's new found powers offer a lot of ways to experience this virus ravaged world.  Heller can disguise himself as anybody from a refugee all the way to a soldier.  Heller can also absorb innocents and enemies thus acquiring their memories and gaining new abilities.  Heller's shapeshifting powers allow him to unleash incredible tendril powers that allow him to lift vehicles as small as a car to as big as a tank, ensnaring infected beasts and other enemies and even rip large groups of enemies to shreds.  Unlike the last game where you got a huge laundry list of abilities thrown at you every time you leveled up, Prototype 2 gives you a chance to customize James Heller into the killer you want him to be by equipping different perks each time, which you earn by leveling up.

For those that remember the first game and enjoyed it, you will most definitely enjoy Prototype 2.  For the rest of the gaming community, I personally say to try before you buy because I do not think Prototype 2 will really be worth 60 dollars to everyone.  I can see some people who love running around open-world games as over-powered beings of awesomeness enjoying Prototype 2.  In my opinion, Prototype 2 does not look like a game that will ever appeal to me and gamers much like myself.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Bit by Bit: April 15-21

Between my two jobs, I am going to be extremely busy this coming week as I am working my shifts along with my fellow co-worker's shifts, who is alway this coming week.  With how busy I will be, I probably have only enough time to write posts for this blog in the coming week.  So my time spent gaming will drop to dangerously low levels, but hopefully I can squeeze in some time here and there.

Game of the Week
Considering I spent the most time with it this week, Xenoblade Chronicles is my Game of the Week for the second week in a row.  Now I am about 19 hours into the game and have completed a great number of story and side quests, but still feel that I have yet to scratch the surface of this RPG of epic proportions. The story is getting very intriguing as I have continue to trek across the body of the Bionis.  The world is incredibly, beautiful, vast and bursting with life be it plant-life, animal-life or Hom-life.  I really am enjoying the huge exploration aspect of Xenoblade as I scour ever corner to find new items to collect, new things to interact with, new side quests to complete and new monsters to slay.  I will say that the lip syncing in the game is pretty bad, but can be easily overlooked.  Also I am hoping more characters are able to learn more Healing Arts as right now I have only one medic and it kind of limits my party because that leaves only one spot to switch out party members.  Other than those little quips, I am enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles a lot and hoping to play it more in the few chances I may get this coming week.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
Nothing really jumped out at me this week until Nintendo had their Nintendo Direct conference yesterday.  At the conference, Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, announced a new update for the 3DS, a Kirby compilation for the Wii to celebrate Kirby's 20th Anniversary (now where's Metroid's 25th anniversary celebration?) and a surprise nobody saw coming.  This surprise is my Most Anticipated Game of the Week and it is New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS.  Officially announced for this August, all Nintendo showed of the game was a few screenshots, but that is enough to get this gamer excited.  Will most definitely be picking up New Super Mario Bros. 2 when it comes out this August.  Nintendo, how you spoil us.

Video of the Week
If you have not noticed, I have been really high on Xenoblade Chronicles as I think it is a great game that hardcore Wii owners should go out and support.  If people are looking for a review to watch as you wait for my eventual review once I complete the game, check out Pro Jared's video review on Screwattack.  Screwattack's reviews are very fair and informative.  While I do look at multiple reviews, I really enjoy hearing what they think about certain games.  So I hope this review helps those who may still be on the edge about Xenoblade Chronicles.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Darkadia: Start Your Collection

Ever the collector, I like to keep tabs on everything from wrestling DVDs to movies to TV seasons to video games that I have bought over the years.  For my personal record, I have Excel documents listing everything I have in my vast collection along with my ratings on each.  Back last year, I saw an article online about a neat web application called Darkadia.  Darkadia is a free application that lets you share all the game's you own or have played with the rest of the world through a virtual shelf.  Darkadia has a very slick interface that makes it easy to keep track of all the games you own and/or have played, all the games you have completed and all the games you love.  The virtual shelf also makes it easy to show off your collection to friends and family.  I personally have been using Darkadia for close to a year now and I love using it.  There are a good number of games that are not in the immense library provided by Giant Bomb such as Okami and the entire Pokemon series, but as Darkadia is still in alpha these issues will be fixed in the coming months along with whole new additions.  If you are a collector like myself, I highly recommend creating an account on Darkadia (darkadia.com) and starting your collection today.  If you are not a collector, but still interested, give it a swing, you might like it.  Also you check my collection out at darkadia.com/member/AJSilver22/library.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

On the Download: April 15-21

It has taken a little while for the downloadable game scene to really get going again after a pretty solid start to the year.  With a full-order last week and now a full-order this week, I no longer have to desperately search for big downloadable games to talk about as they seem to be falling right into my lap.  Without any further ado, let us dive right into the biggest downloadable games of the week.
Earlier this week, the Free-to-Play successor to Uber Entertainment's Monday Night Combat, Super MNC leaked onto Steam before its scheduled release.  Instead of immediately taking the game down, Uber decided to make the leak Super MNC's official release date.  From those who have not played the original Monday Night Combat, Super MNC is a strategic multi-player shooter.  Super MNC blends intense tactical combat, a deep RPG-like metagame, ever-expanding roster of characters, a huge amount of customization options and humorous play-by-play commentary into one all encompassing package. On top of all that, Uber will be updating Super MNC every week.  Each update will continue to balance the game, make improvements to the gameplay and add more content such as new characters, maps, weapons and attire.  With a dedicated developer and the ever great price of absolutely free, Super MNC is a game every PC shooter fan should download and try.
Trials HD was a critical and commercial success for XBLA back in the Summer of 2009.  Close to three years later, RedLynx and Microsoft Studios are back with the sequel to Trials HD called Trials Evolution.  Trials Evolution is a 2.5D platform racing game that sees the player control a rider of a trial motorcycle with exaggerated physics as you navigate past various skill testing obstacles on the way to the end of the level.  The main goal of each level is to complete the level as fast as possible and with the fewest number of faults.  Trials Evolution offers a whole new multi-player mode that can be played up to four people on the same system or over Xbox Live.  Trials Evolution also includes 60 single-player levels to compete, online leaderboards and a fully featured level editor.  For 1200 Microsoft Points, Trials Evolution looks to be another great XBLA exclusive that 360 owners should check out.
In the States when you pre-ordered Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, you got a free download code for 3D Classics: Kid Icarus.  While up in the Great White North, we got the short end of the stick in the form of special AR cards.  After a little less than a month, Nintendo has finally brought this once pre-order exclusive to the Nintendo eShop.  Along with the new 3D visuals, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus has all new backgrounds that make the game's visuals pop off the screen a more than the old NES version did.  The original Kid Icarus follows Pit's first adventure as he fights from the pits of the Underworld to the skies of Angel Island in order to save the goddess Palutena from Medusa's evil grasp.  Journey through all of Kid Icarus' worlds to gain possession of the Three Sacred Treasures, which are needed to take down Medusa once and for all.  For those interested on taking a trip down memory lane or want to experience Pit's first adventure for the first time after play Uprising, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus will be 6 dollars well spent.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Why I Play

Thinking about topics to write about can sometimes be very easy or very hard.  Managing two blogs and writing a post for one of them each day of the week can exhaust your creative juices very quick.  Yesterday was one of those days where I could not figure out what to write while on top of that spending most of my day working, which left me with little time to write.  Instead of putting together a big piece, I decided to move Hump Day Music up a day and save my big piece until today as it would give me more time to think of what to write.  After bouncing around topics like my thoughts on the ending of Mass Effect 3, the Used Game Debate and many other big topics, I decided I wanted to write something simple and straightforward.  A topic that I would feel motivated to sit down and just watch the words flow because honestly I am not in the mood at this very moment to write about the ending of Mass Effect 3 or the Used Game Debate.  I will save those for a later date.  A topic that might inspire others to do the same and a topic that will shed some light on who this writer is as a gamer.  Unless you are a personal friend reading this post, many of you on the World Wide Web don't know the man behind the keyboard.  You get tidbits here and there in my posts.  So the topic that I am addressing today is Why I Play.  Why I love video games.  Why I spend most of my free time playing them.  Why I love this form of media more than film, music or literature.

Why do I play?  It is a simple question, but a question that really makes one think and reflect.  For as long as I can remember, I have been a gamer.  Since the moment, one of my childhood friends let me play his Sega Genesis, which promptly introduced me to Sonic the Hedgehog, I have loved this interactive media to the point that I once strived to make games for a living.  So why do I play?  I play to be entertained.  I play to immerse myself in long-off fantasy worlds that only exist in this medium.  I play to be immersed in rich, character driven stories.  I play to experience simple, innovative ideas that I can find no where else.  I play to achieve things that I could never achieve in real life.  I play to experience games to their fullest.  I play to spend quality time with friends and family.  I play to feel like a little kid with no cares in the world.  I play to save the world from utter annihilation.  I play to save the galaxy from killer machines.  I play to save all the cute little animals from a mad doctor with a body shaped like an egg.  I play to help a cute green alien taste a delicious piece of candy.  I play to defeat all eight robot masters.  I play to defeat every space pirate.  I play to defeat Dracula.  I play to beat the high score.  I play for the Companion Cube.  I play to stomp on Goombas.  I play to collect all pieces of the Triforce.  I play to catch them all.  I play to throw fireballs out of my hands.  I play for space.  I play for combustable lemons.  I play to defend the innocent.  I play to hear amazing music.  I play to eat mushrooms that make me grow taller.  I play to ride rainbow-coloured dinosaurs.  I play to be a Italian plumber.  I play to be an elf in green tights.  I play to be a monkey with a tie.  I play to be a blue weapon-stealing robot.  I play to be a blue hedgehog with super speed.  I play to be an angel that cannot fly on his own.  I play to be a defender of the galaxy.  I play to be a superhero.  I play to be an anti-hero.  I play to be a rockstar.  I play to be an athlete.  I play to be an amazing anime character with gravity-defying hair.  I play to laugh.  I play to smile.  I play to feel anger.  I play to be happy.  I play to relax.  I play to cry.  I play to be disgusted.  I play to feel.  I play to have fun.

These are just a small dose of the huge number of reasons I play video games.  If I had all day and all the space in the world, this list with be so much longer than it currently is.  So I hope you enjoyed and got to know me a little bit better.  While I have already gave many of the reasons why I play, I would like to hear your reasons.  You can comment below, post a video or even write your own blog on the topic.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Hump Day Music: Ice Cap Zone

It has been a little while since I highlighted a song for Hump Day Music.  So I thought I go with one of the most iconic pieces of music from my favourite franchise in gaming, Sonic the Hedgehog.  Any true Sonic fan knows what pieces of music I am talking about today.  It is the Ice Cap Zone.

Easily the best tracks in Sonic 3, Ice Cap Zone has a melody that is so soothing and peaceful, but a beat that lies under the melody and is constant and blood pumping.  A few moments after I start listening to this track, I start bopping up head back-and-forth.  It perfect fits the icy winter-like environment that is Sonic 4's Ice Cap Zone.  The Ice Cap Zone like most levels in Classic Sonic games are split into two acts before you fight that level's boss.  Each act shares the same theme, but with some variations for each act.  While the theme for Act 1 of the Ice Cap Zone is the one everybody thinks of when you mention the music of Ice Cap Zone, I personally enjoy Act 2's theme a little more than Act 1's theme.  Act 2 has a little more of a sharper sound to the music than Act 1 and the additions to the song really make the track sound that much better in my opinion.  I will be sharing both tracks (Act 1 and 2) below, so you guys and gals can choose for yourself which is the better theme, but there is no doubt that no matter which theme, Ice Cap Zone is one of the best pieces of video game music ever made.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Launch Station: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

Released just under a year ago, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings quickly became the best PC exclusive of 2011 with an incredible amont of critical success as the game went on to win 50 Game of the Year awards.  Now close to a year later, CD Projekt RED has brought their 2011 fantasy RPG epic to the Xbox 360.  For the Xbox 360 release, CD Projekt RED has added more content to deem adding it the Enhanced Edition to the name.  For those who has already bought The Witcher 2 for PC, do not worry that you are going to be missing out as you can download the Enhanced Edition update for free.

You control Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining Witchers (monster hunters in this fantasy world).  Caught in the political struggles of the kingdom of Terneria, Geralt has to pick his sides and make hard moral decisions in order to find King Foltest's assassin and clear his name.  The Witcher 2 for the 360 is not just a straight port of the PC version.  CD Projekt RED has worked hard to tailor the whole Witcher experience for the console.  The controls, targeting, camera and interface have been re-designed to best use the 360 controller.  Being the Enhanced Edition of Witcher 2, CD Projekt RED has added a lot of additional content to the game's console debut.  New adventures, new locations, new characters, new monsters and new mysteries, which add more hours of gameplay and expand the Witcher 2's rich story.  The Enhanced Edition of Witcher 2 also features a whole new opening cinematic that depicts the the events which sets-up the story for Witcher 2.

For those hardcore gamers such as yours truly that does not own an extremely powerful PC, the Enhanced Edition of Witcher 2 is the only way you are going to get your hands-on this critically acclaimed fantasy RPG.  If it was not for how much money I spent on video games in this past month and the fact I cannot play two huge RPGs at the same time (focusing on Xenoblade Chronicles at the moment), I would be picking up The Witcher 2 tomorrow.  Having heard great things about it and having tried the PC demo through Screwattack's streaming demo service, I have been looking forward to this game for a while now.  Before the end of this year, I will most likely pick up The Witcher 2 for my family's 360.  If you missed out on The Witcher 2 when it released a year ago and you own a Xbox 360, there is no better game that releases this week.  If you already have The Witcher 2 for PC, you are better off downloading the new update than picking it up for the 360.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Bit by Bit: April 8-14

Another week, another recap.  Been another busy week for me with everything going on.  Did not get as much gaming as I wanted to.  Also my rechargeable battery for my Wii lost all of its charge before I even got a chance to use it tonight when I wanted to play my Wii, so I am a little annoyed to say the least.  If everything works out, I will hopefully spend more time playing this coming week.

Game of the Week
With Kid Icarus: Uprising finished (check out the review posted earlier today), I have now moved from my 3DS to my Wii to play Nintendo and Monolith Soft's epic RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles.  While I have been working on the game for a week now, I am only eight hours in.  Like I said, I have been busy.  Most of my time with Xenoblade so far has been completing the game's incredible amount of side quests.  Ranging from kill a certain enemy to collect a certain item to simple fetch quests, these quests are not as extravagant as those found in a Western RPG like Mass Effect 3 or Skyrim, but I find them just as fun.  It always feels like you are accomplishing something in the game no matter how small.  Also the Xenoblade's world is awe-inspiringly huge.  From the very outset of the game, you can explore as much of the opening area as you want.  In a smart move, you receive experience points for completing side quests and discovering new areas and landmarks, which will gives players the incentive to explore every corner of Bionis.  I have not even gotten to the combat and the story yet, which are both great.  The story  is really good and the opening offers one twist that left me in utter disbelief.  The real-time combat does take a bit to get used to all its intricacies.  Once you get the hang of it, the combat becomes almost second nature.  I have to thank Nintendo for bringing Xenoblade Chronicles to North America.  Now Wii owners need to do their part and pick buy this game immediately, it is that damn good.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
When Pokemon Black and White 2 were announced earlier this year, some thought it would be a rehash of Black and White with a few additions much like every third entry in a Pokemon Generation.  The first trailer and screenshots went live today and Nintendo and GameFreak look to be making two Pokemon games worthy of being the sequels to possibly the best Pokemon games out there.  Black and White 2 take place in the Unova region, but is set two years after the events of the originals.  Thanks to the legendary ice Pokemon Kyurem, a good chuck of the Unova region is frozen in ice, while other areas have been altered as well.  You will play as one of two new protagonists with a whole new rival to battle and a new professor to set you on your way.  Black and White 2 also features new cities and new gym leaders.  So far Black and White 2 look to be full-on sequels to the excellent Pokemon Black and White, which is making me excited.  I still want to see more from these games.  If it is more like what Nintendo and Game Freak have already shown, I will be getting this game when it releases this fall.


Video of the Week
This past Tuesday saw a whole lot of media coverage on Capcom's Captivate event go live.  One of the pieces of media coverage was the updated release date for Resident Evil 6, now October 2nd, along with a new trailer.  The newest trailer is just as epic as the first.  It documents the new C-Virus, reveals the new protagonist along with Chris and Leon to be Wesker's son, Jack Muller, has a woman that highly resembles Ada Wong and ends with a standoff between Leon and Chris.  Man, the more Capcom shows of Resident Evil 6 the better.  This games looks to shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of the year.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Review

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”  The first line of dialogue in Kid Icarus: Uprising is an apology to fans that have been waiting close to 20 years for a new Kid Icarus game.  Uprising serves as one hell of an apology from Nintendo.  The fast-paced action, witty banter, fun story and solid multi-player far outweigh Uprising’s few shortcomings to create one of the best games available for the Nintendo 3DS.

Medusa is back and it is up to Pit and the Goddess of Light, Palutena to stop her and the Underworld Army.  Kid Icarus: Uprising’s story mode is one hell of a ride containing some great twists and turns that keep things fresh and exciting.  When you think Uprising is over, Nintendo and Project Sora throws an amazing twist that has to be seen to understand how great it is.  Every character in Uprising is completely voiced and unlike Nintendo’s other attempts of adding voice acting to their games, the voice acting in Uprising is superb.  The almost constant banter each of Uprising’s levels, which may be a turnoff for some, is highly enjoyable as it breaks the fourth wall early and often, which makes for some truly hilarious and memorable lines.

As an aid to fight Medusa and her Underworld Army, Palutena grants Pit the “Power of Flight”, which allows Pit to fly for five minutes at a time.  This story element plays right into the gameplay as each level is broken into sections, air battle and land battle.  Air Battle plays much like an on-rails shooter such as Sin & Punishment as you control Pit’s projectiles and position on the screen while he flies through the environment.  Land Battle is fairly linear, but offers Pit more freedom to move around the environment and battle enemies.  This simple formula might get tedious in lesser games, but Uprising’s levels are so diverse and unique that it keeps things from getting repetitive.  Plus playing on higher intensities, which can be adjusted by offering hearts (Uprising’s currency) to the Fiend Cauldron, opens up new rooms to explore and better items to collect thus creating many reasons to replay Uprising. 

Aside from the story mode, Kid Icarus: Uprising includes a full-on multi-player that is much more than tacked on.  You can play locally with friends or online over the Nintendo Network in either Free for All or Light vs. Dark.  Each multi-player mode plays out much like the Land Battles in the single-player, but in a big non-linear arena.  Out of the two modes, Light vs. Dark is the most compelling.  In Light vs. Dark, you are split into two teams, the aforementioned Light and Dark.  Each time a person dies on either team, you lose a portion of the team life bar.  Once a team’s life bar is completely gone, one member of said team becomes either Pit or Dark Pit, depending on if the team is Light or Dark.  Once Pit or Dark Pit loses their entire life bar, the match is over.  Overall, the multi-player is just as fun and frantic as the single-player and ran without any hitches for this writer.  Like some have said, you initially buy Uprising for the story mode, but stay for the multi-player.

The biggest polarizing feature of Kid Icarus: Uprising is the game’s controls.  You either love them or hate them.  For veteran handheld gamers, Uprising’s controls are very similar to those of Metroid Prime Hunters for the original DS.  You control Pit’s movements with the Circle Pad, the camera and aiming reticle with the stylus and attack and/or fire projectiles with the L Shoulder Button.  It takes a bit of getting used to and might cause a few hand cramps if you play for long periods of time.  The key point is that you can play Kid Icarus: Uprising, even in 3D, without the stand that comes packaged with the game.  After a little time with the game, I adjusted to the controls and found them very intuitive even if the few instances they do make things a little more complicated.  Other than a few shortcomings with the game’s controls, the game’s Augmented Reality features feel tacked on and more or less completely useless.

While Kid Icarus: Uprising has a couple of shortcomings with the controls and the useless AR Card Battles, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and solid multi-player sure make up for those shortcomings.  It is one of the best games you can find for the 3DS and one incredible apology to those who have been waiting for a new Kid Icarus since Game Boy days.  Hopefully Nintendo won’t make us wait another 20 years for the next entry in the Kid Icarus series.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

On the Download: April 8-14

Finally got quite a bit to talk about this week for On the Download.  It seemed things have picked up yet again in the downloadable space with quite a few big releases this week.  Got a full order of games to talk about today, so let us dive right into the biggest downloadable games of the week.
When I first opened up the Nintendo eShop today, I was upset that Nintendo had yet again not add anything to the 3DS Virtual Console.  I turned off my 3DS disappointed only catching a glimpse at this week's biggest edition, Ketzal's Corridors, scrolling through the eShop's main menu.  I would soon see that to be a mistake after watching the trailer and reading a few things on Ketzal's Corridors as it looks to another unique original title for the Nintendo eShop.  Ketzal's Corridors is action-packed puzzler which sees the player quickly rearranging their guardian in order to pass through the hole in each wall.  It looks like an ancient version of Hole in the Wall mixed with Tetris as the guardians are shaped like Tetriminos.  Ketzal's Corridors features a story mode, which contains over a hundred levels, and a couple multi-player modes.  You can play multi-player by sharing one 3DS or through local wireless connection.  The two multi-player modes offered are Tower Trial, which can be played either with one or two 3DS's and has you battling your friend to see who can match their silhouettes to ten holes sooner than your opponent, and Ruin Run, which has players compete to see who gets the most hearts in a head-to-head run through the ruins.  If you looking for some high speed puzzle action, Ketzal's Corridors looks to be the 3DS downloadable title for you and it costs only 7 dollars.
The last couple of years have seen fighting game genre rise from the ashes of obscurity to new heights.  Following the big wave of interest in fighting games is a 2D fighter you can download on XBLA or PSN called Skullgirls.  Skullgirls allows players to face off with a different amounts of characters per team up to three fighter limit.  Teams are balanced by numbers, so single-player teams are stronger and possess more health, but larger teams can perform character assists and tag in and out on the fly.  Skullgirls has various features that makes it standout from other fighting games.  These features are infinite detection, which allows players a chance to break out of a loop combo, easier inputs for complex actions and protection against unblockable attacks.  Skullgirls has 8 fighters for you to play as with more coming in the future as DLC.  Done with Street Fighter, Tekken or another fighter, give Skullgirls a chance it will run you 15 dollars or 1200 Microsoft Points.
Coming to XBLA this Friday the 13th is this year's Grand Prize winner at the Independent Game Festival that took place at the Game Developer's Conference early last month, Fez.  Fez is a platformer developed by Polytron, which features 2D to 3D perspective shifts very similar to Super Paper Mario and Crush.  A catastrophic event changes Gomez's, the main fez-wearing protagonist, 2D world forever and it is up to our hero to set things right.  You will have to flip levels from 2D to 3D and back again in order to traverse each beautifully realized level.  It is hard to describe Fez into words it is a game that you have to see in motion to really get how great a concept and how beautiful the graphics are.  Fez looks to be a one-in-a-kind game that Xbox owners should go out and download.  You will be able to pick it up tomorrow for 800 Microsoft Points.

Hump Day Music: Bits of Me

Well it is a good thing I delayed Hump Day Music to today.  This morning Brentalfloss, a musician famous for adding lyrics to beloved video game music, announced his second album is available for pre-order.  This album is called Bits of Me and contains 18 tracks of video game music parodies, 14 classic tracks with new instruments and vocals and 4 brand new tracks just available on the album.  If you are interested, you can pre-order Bits of Me at levelupstudios.com/bitsofme for 13 dollars plus shipping and handling.  Also as an added bonus for those who pre-order, Brentalfloss will autograph each pre-ordered copy.  Personally as a fan of Brentalfloss' work I would love to pre-order Bits of Me, but I spent a lot of money the past month and I am going to limit my spending for the time being and start saving a lot of money for school, which I starts this fall.  If you have some cash to spare and enjoy Brentalfloss' music, go and pick Bits of Me up.  If you are still on the fence, you can find the track list at the website listed above and I have the announcement trailer below for everybody to enjoy.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Rocket Knight Review

Note:  As I am participating in a math contest tomorrow, I am going to be very busy studying today.  So I have dig up an old review I wrote back in 2010 for Rocket Knight.  Hope everybody enjoys.

After sixteen long years, Sparkster dons his rocket pack once again to protect the kingdom of Zephyrus from the evil wolf army.  Today I am reviewing Rocket Knight for the PC, which you can get through Steam, but it is also out for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. 

Playing Rocket Knight brought back memories of the first time I got my hands on Rocket Knight Adventures back on the Sega Genesis as they both share the same game mechanics.  The best feature of Rocket Knight is the use of the rocket pack.  By pressing the Z key on the computer, Sparkster launches himself into the direction in which he is looking.  You can do so many things with the rocket pack such as bounce off of walls at 45 degree angles, dash at enemies or combine it with other moves to launch Sparkster to some hard to reach places and power-ups.
    
Like Rocket Knight Adventures, Rocket Knight has phenomenal level design.  Each level has different unique challenges and events.  No level is alike in any way; there is always some new fun challenge that keeps things feeling new and fresh.   The game is broken up into four worlds each with three to four levels.  Each world consists of the standard platformer level, side-scrolling shooter level and a boss fight.  One of the most enjoyable levels in Rocket Knight had to be the Cyberswine Lab.  The level puts all your platforming skills to the test as you dodge energy barriers, clear certain sections before a timer runs out and much more.  Then when you think you beat the level by destroying the labs’ main generator, you have to escape the oncoming explosion.  It was a very exhilarating level. 

Even though the game has great level designs, it is over before you know it.  Rocket Knight is just too short.  You can breeze through Rocket Knight in three to four hours.  There are online leaderboards, unlockables and free play mode to extend your time with the game, but in the end you are just left wanting more. 

If you are playing Rocket Knight with a controller, you will be in heaven as the controls work perfectly.  If you are using a keyboard like me, you will have quite a bit of a learning curve and some frustration while getting use to controls.  Some of the keys are not mapped that well to the keyboard.  For example, I would accidently hit other keys on the keyboard that would either minimize the game window or perform some action that I did not intend to do when trying to play the game.

With Rocket Knight, Sparkster has truly been reborn in the 21st century.  Konami has brought everything you loved about the previous Sparkster games and integrated it into Rocket Knight.  If you are willing to pay the 15 dollars for the game, you will not be disappointed.  As Rocket Knight is a great downloadable game for anybody who loves any kind of platformer in the vein of the 2D Mario and Sonic games.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Launch Station: Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir

Each year there is a Friday the 13th and each year something be it a movie, CD, book or even video game tries to capitalize on this superstitious date.  This year only one game is capitalizing on such a fantasized date, Nintendo and Tecmo Koei's Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir for the Nintendo 3DS.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir is a portable spinoff of Tecmo Koei's popular survival horror series Fatal Frame.  Spirit Camera uses the Nintendo 3DS's augmented reality features to create a survival horror game like no other.  Spirit Camera comes packaged with a notebook known as the Diary of Faces.  Players use the notebook in junction with the 3DS camera, which serves as the in-game item known as the Camera Obscura.  Spirit Camera has three main modes that use the 3DS camera and the Diary of Faces in different ways.  The first mode is the Story Mode, which has the players exploring the interactive pages of the Diary of Faces finding hints and fighting spirits transposed on the environment around them.  Your main goal in Story Mode is to fight off the Woman in Black and other spirits before they steal your face.  The second mode is Haunted Visions.  Haunted Visions contains three different camera challenges that test your skills with the camera.  The third and final mode is Cursed Pages.  Cursed Pages has you participating in four minigames that use characters and settings from the main mode such as a game of hide-and-seek with a ghost you meet in the Story Mode.

The 3DS's augmented reality features have more or less been used as a gimmick up to this point in the handheld's life.  So it is refreshing to see a game finally come out that utilizes this unique feature of the 3DS.  While I personally am not that excited to pick up Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir as I am not a huge fan of survival horror games outside Resident Evil, I can see other gamers looking for a good scare gravitating to this game.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Bit by Bit: April 1-7

Happy Easter to all and to those who do not celebrate this holiday, happy long weekend!  In between work, church, family get togethers and blogging, there will be little time for me to play games.  I only got to playing Xenoblade Chronicles, which I picked up on Thursday, today.  Not that it is a bad thing, I am just a normally busy guy.  With the considerable lack of big games releasing this month, you will see the amount of Launch Stations cut in half.  There will still be one Launch Station a week until things start to pick up again.  Now let us get down to the bests of the week.

Game of the Week
Much like last week, I sunk all my time gaming into Kid Icarus: Uprising.  This week I got sucked into Uprising's amazing story mode.  The constant back-and-forth between Pit and the other characters in the game is extremely entertaining and made me laugh many times through the lengthy story.  The dialogue does an excellent job of breaking the fourth wall and parodying other genres of entertainment such as anime on a regular basis that it will be hard not to crack a smile.  While the story feels much like that from a Saturday morning cartoon, it offers some great twists and turns that will have players glued to their 3DS much like I did.  Even though I completed Uprising, I will be keep coming back to it as I want to play each level on higher intensities, collect more weapons and powers and unlock more achievements.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is among some of my favourite games for the 3DS and deserves the honour of being my Game of the Week for the second week in a row.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
Funny how Pit has a repeat showing as Game of the Week.  Well our beloved blue hedgehog is back as my Most Anticipated Game of the Week for the second week in a row as well.  This time not for the Sonic 2 HD fan project, but for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II.  With a release date and new trailer, my excitement for Sonic 4: Episode II is at an all-time high.  Sega looks to have created a game that adds to the great groundwork they made in Episode I (yes, I liked Episode I, chill out crazy Sonic fanboys).  I am really looking forward to how the levels optimize using both Sonic and Tails together to overcome unique obstacles.  Also the inclusion of Episode Metal, where you can play as Metal Sonic in four exclusive levels, for those who already own Episode I is amazing.  Cannot wait to play it.  Hopefully it comes to Wii U.

Video of the Week
Speaking of Sonic 4: Episode II, my Video of the Week goes to new trailer Sega just released for the game.  This exciting trailer gives fans such as yours truly a great glimpse at the co-operative action between Sonic and Tails in a new level that looks to be a cross between Oil Ocean from Sonic 2 and Sandopolis from Sonic & Knuckles.  The trailer also reveals Episode Metal, which I explained above.  So sit and enjoy.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Launch Station: Xenoblade Chronicles

It has taken close the two years, but Xenoblade Chronicles has finally reached the shores of North America.  For hardcore Wii owners, Xenoblade has been on the radar for a couple years now.  Released originally in Japan then Europe, Nintendo originally had no plans of bringing Xenoblade to North America as they thought gamers would not buy it.  They were wrong as a whole lot of hardcore Wii gamers banded together to create an online petition known as Operation Rainfall to bring Xenoblade Chronicles along with  The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, three high-caliber Wii RPGs, to North America.  At first, it did not look like Nintendo would ever bring these games over to our shores, but with a little help from Gamestop Nintendo decided to bring Monolith Soft's huge RPG over the pond in exchange to making Xenoblade exclusively available at Gamestop in the US and EB Games in Canada.  With Xenoblade Chronicles on store shelves and Last Story coming this June, it is time for hardcore Wii gamers to put their money where there mouth is and buy Xenoblade Chronicles.  I did.

In the beginning, there were two titans, Mechonis and Bionis, engaged in an eternal battle.  These two titans fought until their lifeless bodies remained.  As time went on, life flourished on Bionis with a race of Human known as Homs while a race of Machines known as Mechon came to inhabit Mechonis.  Much like the titans they live upon, the Homs and Mechons are locked in a seemingly endless war with one another.  After the prologue, you take control of the main protagonist, Shulk.  Shulk lives in Colony 9, which is located at the foot of Bionis.  When Colony 9 is attacked by the Mechon, Shulk obtains the Monado, the legendary energy blade thought to be the sword Bionis used eons ago, in order to fend off the Mechon threat.  The attack on Colony 9 launches Shulk and friends into a grand adventure across the two titans to delve into the conflict between Homs and Mechons and uncover the secrets of the Monado blade.  Unlike most RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles puts an emphasis on exploration and a real-time battle system than on the story.  Right from the beginning of the game, the majority of the world is open for you to explore, complete side quests, discover secret items and uncover hidden areas.  The scope of Xenoblade's world is comparable to that of a MMORPG.  Xenoblade Chronicles institutes a real-time battle system where the player controls one character while the rest of the party is controlled by the computer.  You are able to switch between characters on the fly and you can manually activate special attacks known as Arts, which replace the RPG trope of magic attacks.  Unlike magic attacks in other games, Arts do not use up a character's mana as there is no such thing in Xenoblade instead they will need to recharge once used.  Arts can be modified out of battle using the Battle Palette.  Xenoblade's battles have a couple of other features such as the Aggro Ring and Vision system.  Each character has an aggro ring.  The bigger the ring around a character, the more enemies will focus their attacks on that one character, which frees other characters up to attack enemies from the side or the rear for more damage.  Finally, the Vision system allows Shulk to see glimpses at enemies' future attacks such as warning Shulk about a fatal attack against a fellow party member.  You can then use this knowledge of the possible future to brace yourself to react to it or prevent it from even happening.

There are so many features in Xenoblade Chronicles that I could fill pages, but I know you guys and gals do not have all day.  Personally, I have been looking forward to Xenoblade Chronicles for quite sometime considering how barren the RPG scene has been on the Wii.  For all those who insisted Nintendo to bring Xenoblade over to our shores, like I said in the intro, time to put your money where your mouth is.  If you do not support Xenoblade Chronicles now, Nintendo may not be so inclined to bring games like Xenoblade over to North America in the future.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

On the Download: April 1-7

Well it has been two weeks since the last On the Download.  With the surprise release of Ridge Racer Unbounded and about one big downloadable game to be released last week, I decided to not have On the Download this week.  As we move from March to April, it seems to be fewer noteworthy downloadable games to talk about.  While release of downloadable games may be slow, the news keeps flowing.  Super Meat Boy The Game was announced for iOS, Double Dragon Neon was announced for XBLA and PSN and free Extended Cuts of the endings for Mass Effect 3 will be coming as DLC this summer.
More of an application that an actual game, Colors! 3D is a simple yet robust painting app for the 3DS.  Tailored to the 3DS's touch screen, Colors! 3D caters to everyone from the most serious artists to the most aimless of doodlers.  Colors! 3D is your canvas to create whatever your heart desires and view it in eye-popping 3D.  For those with a wireless internet connection, Colors! 3D allows you to share your paintings with other players.  You can even paint together with a friend on the same canvas using the 3DS's local wireless capabilities.  Colors! 3D even offers players an assortment of pictures to colour if you are not feeling creative at the moment.  For 7 dollars, Colors! 3D is the perfect digital sketchbook for aspiring artists or even free-spirited children who just feel like doodling on their 3DS.
Saturday Morning RPG is an episodic role-playing game for the iOS.  You play as Martin "Marty" Hall in a setting truly inspired by the iconic Saturday Morning cartoons from the 1980s.  Marty is an average high school kid who has been given the ability to channel magic through everyday objects.  Marty's powers attract the ire of super villain, the evil Commander Hood.  Marty must thwart Commander Hood and hi minions and save the world multiple times over the course of this episodic game.  At it's core, Saturday Morning RPG is a Japanese RPG (JRPG for short).  Through battling enemies in turn-based encounters, you will build Marty's powers through multiple stand alone episodes.  All the stats you gained, items you have in your inventory and story decisions you have made will carry over from episode to episode.  Saturday Morning RPG looks to be a very unique game for iOS, which anybody who owns an iDevice should check out considering the first episode is free.  If you enjoy it, you can pick up the second episode for 2 dollars.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Hump Day Video: The Definitive 50

Late last month EB Games announced that come April 9th, they will no longer be taking Gamecube games for trade-in.  This announcement has sparked an interest in me to search all local EB Games stores for any of the few Gamecube games I am still looking for (Pikmin 1 & 2, Skies of Acadia Legends and Wario World).  I have searched Cambridge and Kitchener to no avail, but there is still hope some people will trade in their Gamecube games before the deadline.  With all my searches for old Gamecube games, I stumbled upon a great Youtube channel called The Definitive 50.

The Definitive 50 is a Youtube series hosted by Newbs from Splodinator.com that countdowns the top 50 games of a certain console.  The first season was the Definitive 50 Super NES games.  The current season is the Definitive 50 Gamecube games.  Each episode is around two to three minutes in length and has host Newbs explaining each games significance as one of the top games of its console generation.  The short episodes make it easy Youtube show to watch in small chucks and the informative nature of the show makes it a great watch for older gamers and younger gamers just starting out.  If you have any interest in classic games, check the Definitive 50 out.  It might just introduce you to an old Gamecube or SNES that may interest you or remind you a classic game that you forgot about.

The Definitive 50 Gamecube games is still in progress.  Number 21 on the Definitive 50 should be up in the coming days.  Below is Number 22 on the Definitive 50 Gamecube games, Beyond Good & Evil.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe to the channel and watch all the other episodes.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Off the Newsstand: Nintendo Power Issue 277

With all that came out this past March, there has been no room for yours truly to look at the latest issues of the various gaming magazines I read.  Also for a good few weeks in March, I was without a magazine to read.  That was until this past week when I received the newest issues for all my subscriptions (Nintendo Power, Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly).  Now I at least have some reading material for the coming weeks.

With Epic Mickey: Power of Two announced earlier in the week, it came as no surprise that the exclusive Nintendo Power teased in Issue 276 was no doubt Mickey's return to the Wii.  Well Epic Mickey: Power of Two was not the only Epic Mickey to be covered in this huge cover story.  Nintendo Power got the first details on Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the 3DS, which is the spiritual successor to Castle of Illusions for the Genesis and will release alongside Power of Two this fall.  While nothing too in-depth, this cover story was very enjoyable.  It gave readers a nice look of what these Epic Mickey games will be about when they release later this year.  This cover story had two really good interviews with the creative directors on these games, Warren Spector and Peter Ong, which are both interesting reads.  Like most issues of Nintendo Power, Issue 277 is 96 pages packed with great content.  Apart from the cover story, you got a retrospective look at The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to celebrate 20 years since its North American release, an extended hand-ons look at Mario Tennis Open with accompanying interview with the game's producer and lead designer, a look back at the Nintendo 3DS's first year and an in-depth profile of Hironobu Takeshita, producer at Capcom and creator of a little Wii gem known as Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.  Issue 277 also has reviews on two big Nintendo games, Kid Icarus: Uprising for 3DS and Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii.

Another all around solid issue from Nintendo Power.  Nintendo Power has been on a roll as of late and personally I hope it keeps going.  While Nintendo Power does cater more to the big Nintendo fans such as myself, it does provide a great read for anybody who owns a Nintendo system or handheld.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Launch Station: Star Wars Kinect


The Kinect has been a great success for Microsoft.  Capitalizing on the success of the Wii and motion gaming, Microsoft suckered a lot of casual gamers into their motion-sensing camera.  Other than the Dance Central games, Child of Eden and a few other games, there has been next to nothing made for the Kinect that has justified it's over-priced 150 dollar price tag.  Championed by Microsoft as the Kinect's killer app, Star Wars Kinect looks to get Kinect owners to dust off their camera and fulfill motion gaming's ultimate fantasy, swinging a lightsaber with a flick of your wrist.

The main hook of Star Wars Kinect is using your body to control the various characters and vehicles from the Star Wars universe.  You can also use your voice to issue additional commands.  The game mainly takes place during the events of Episodes I through III, but there is one level that takes place during the events of Episode V.  In the game, players will be able to face the infamous Sith Lord, Darth Vader in a one-on-one lightsaber duel.  Star Wars Kinect is broken up into five campaigns.  These campaigns are Jedi Destiny (use your lightsaber and the force to take on the evil forces of the Sith), Rancor Rampage (control a Rancor to destroy various environments), Pod Racing (self explanatory), Galactic Dance Off (a Dance Central rip-off) and Duels of Fate (fight in one-on-one lightsaber duels).

From what I have seen on Star Wars Kinect, it would make any self-respecting Star Wars fan weep.  It is a stupid mini-game collection targeted towards younger kids yet it is rated T for Teen (think about for a few moments).  Since it was initially showed off at E3 2010, it has been the laughing stock of the game industry and some gamers will realize why tomorrow.  I can see younger kids enamored with Star Wars looking past the game's many debaucheries of this legendary universe (just look at the gameplay for the Galactic Dance-Off).  I honestly cannot see any self-respecting gamer playing this game for longer than a minute before quitting in a fit of rage.  At least the only good thing that may come from Star Wars Kinect is that amazing Star Wars Xbox 360, which also releases tomorrow.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Bit by Bit: March 25-31

This week was pretty nice as it was not as busy as the previous months.  Being that the cold reality of early spring has set in, I have not had to work much of my one seasonal job.  That has meant more time to write.  As game releases slow down to almost a crawl, this next week will be interesting.  All I know for sure is that you will see two Launch Stations, one on Star Wars Kinect and one on Xenoblade Chronicles, this coming week.  Before we head right into the week in front of us, let us take a look at the best of the week that was.

Game of the Week
Everyday this past week, there has been one game that I have been playing non-stop.  Making my way through the lengthy single-player mode, playing some online multi-player, collecting tons of weapons, powers and idols and looking at the various achievements I have unlocked.  Yes, Kid Icarus: Uprising has completely sunk it's teeth into me.  It has not left my 3DS since last Sunday.  Also I have barely touched Monter Tale, which I bought with Kid Icarus.  It is a shame because Monster Tale is a good game.  Sorry, Kid Icarus: Uprising has sucked me in thus making it my Game of the Week.  The single-player mode is great.  When you think you have Kid Icarus' single-player beat, Project Sora throws one hell of a curveball that made me smile ear to ear.  This moment could quite possibly go down as one of my favourite gaming moments of 2012.  While the single-player is great, the multi-player is no slouch either.  Nintendo has hit it out of the park yet again with the online multi-player for another first-party 3DS exclusive.  Uprising's multi-player is crazy, but oddly addictive.  You way die a lot when you first start out.  Once you play a few matches, you will start to get the hang of all the fireworks that goes on in Kid Icarus: Uprising's multi-player modes.  The control scheme will take some getting use to, but it is not unplayable like some reviewers have said it is.  Long sessions may cause your fingers to cramp, but I had no huge problems with the controls.  If you own a 3DS and are a huge Nintendo fan, there is no reason for you not to pick up Kid Icarus: Uprising.  It is just that great.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
Well my Most Anticipated Game from last week turned out to be not what everyone had speculated.  Instead of a Final Fantasy game, Square Enix announced a Japan-only game for the web browser called Crystal Conquest.  Were we ever wrong.  This week I am not going to get excited over wild Internet speculation.  I am excited about a little free independent fan project.  This little independent project is Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD!!!  Considering that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is my favourite game of all-time (I am a huge Sonic fan if you have not noticed by now), I have been really excited for this project for quite sometime.  The special thing about this week was that the great developers working on this project just released the Alpha for this game.  Just one level long, you can now experience finally experience Sonic 2 in gorgeous HD graphics and see why I am very excited for the final product when it eventually releases.  If you want to download the Alpha, just go to s2hd.com.

Video of the Week
If you have been following Silver Bit for a while now, you know I enjoy everything Screwattack produces.  They have a little show called Death Battle, which pits two or more beloved characters in an all out fight to the death.  There have been some excellent bouts in the past such as Mario vs. Sonic, Goomba vs. Koopa and even Starscream vs. Rainbow Dash.  The newest episode dropped this last week and saw Nintendo's two iconic princesses square off in a very intense fight.  Zelda vs. Peach, watch the video to see who wins this epic confrontation.