Review: Naughty Bear
Here’s the deal, I was a big fan of Conker’s Bad Fur Day for the N64, and absolutely loved the remake of it for the Xbox, Conker: Live and Reloaded. The idea of a cute, cuddly, and furry animal wreaking havoc in a peaceful world is so twisted that it’s awesome. What helped that game succeed was the humourous dialogue, varied level design, and satisfying, yet rewarding combat mechanics. Now Naughty Bear has arrived, and he is trying to cash in on the same idea. The problem with this is that Naughty only ends up succeeding in concept, and fails in getting everything else right. (more…)
Review: Heavy Fire: Special Operations
One type of game that seems to succeed really well on the Wii is the light-gun shooter. This could have something to do with the fact that the pointer functionality on the Wii remote is deadly accurate compared to the guns from the old school arcade machines from back in the day. It also gave opportunities for series like Resident Evil, and Dead Space, to try out something new and unique with their respective franchises. Teyon has decided to jump onto the bandwagon as well by releasing their own take on the genre entitled Heavy Fire: Special Operations, exclusively for the Wiiware service. Can a game like this succeed on the downloadable front?, let’s find out. (more…)
Gaming Night 7/30
It is time for another Rejected Gamer gaming night. It will take place this Friday at 10pm Eastern time on Xbox Live. Send me a message on there, to my gamertag MrB4 if you are interested in joining. You can also leave a comment here to let me know if you want to be a part of it or not.
I will be hosting one room for whatever game you guys vote for, and thats about it. Now all I need you to do is choose which game we should play by casting your vote below. Voting will close at 5 pm est on the day of gaming night. Hope to see you all on Friday.
Review: Match Fish
Sometimes appearances can be deceiving, which is the case when it comes to Match Fish for the IPhone. At first glance, this may look like an easy puzzle game that requires little to no skill whatsoever. The easy to understand controls, calming background music, and simple concept are all a decoy. Eventually the frustration will sink in, and you will realize that this is one of the most challenging downloadable titles ever made. (more…)
Nintendo Download of the Week: 7/26 Edition
The lineup this time around actually doesn’t look all that bad. Wiiware gets a couple of interesting new titles that look like they are worth checking out. DSiWare, as usual, gets an abundance of new releases with the possibility of only one or two of them being any good. Last, but certainly not least, the Virtual Console rises from the grave and gives us old school fans something to play as well. Recommending only one game might be a hard thing to do, but I’ll give it a shot. Here it is, my pick for Nintendo Download of the Week for July 26th, 2010. (more…)
Games that need to be on the VC
Checking out the latest and greatest in the world of video games game can be fun, but sometimes we need a reminder of why we enjoy them so much in the first place. Before there were high res graphics, leaderboards, and gamerscores all that mattered was having a good time. Watching your friend crumble after a punishing fatality in Mortal Kombat(SNES and Genesis), or hitting a homerun in Ken Griffey Jr.’s Baseball(SNES), or finally defeating the final form of shredder in TMNT 3 (NES) are events that can only be experienced in their original form, until now. (more…)
Making up our minds for us
Just because I am a gamer doesn’t mean that I don’t keep up with current events, especially when it’s related to video games. Back in 2005, California State Senator Leland Yee wrote up a bill that would propose a ban on the selling of violent video games to minors. It was signed into Law by the governator of California himself, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and would enforce a $1,000 fine to any retailer who would sell these types of games to minors, as well as make them place a two by two 18+ sticker on the front cover. In 2007, a Circuit Court judged said that the bill was unconstitutional, and last year, an Appellate judge made the same ruling. (more…)
Live – The Electronic Addiction
Won’t anti-video game lobbyist love the title of this post? The joke will be on them though because it won’t be what they think it’s going to be about. Now if you follow me on Twitter or if you’re on my 360 friends list, you already know that I’ve had a bit of bad luck as of late. First I had a serious tire issue on the way back home from vacation. Then last Monday on my way home from work, I check the mail like I always do and my truck wouldn’t start. Luckily it was only my battery – probably couldn’t take the heat from sitting so long, plus it was over five years old. And according to superstition, “bad luck comes in threes,” which brings me to the third bout of bad luck. During a typical afternoon thundershower, lighting had struck nearby and zapped part of my router and my Xbox 360 ethernet port. While losing connection to Xbox Live through an ethernet cable isn’t a total loss, it is financially when you consider the cost of an adapter and any possible future repair costs, to the price of a new console. But the real loss is losing a way to socialize with friends.
While there are many ways to socialize with online friends, like Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Myspace (if that even exists anymore), but nothing beats hoping on Live to chat with friends while playing some multiplayer games. There are folks out there that would say that myself, and many others in a similar situation are addicted to games, but honestly most of us aren’t. I think that most of us enjoy sharing the OMG moments with our friends. It gives us something to talk about for days on end until the next Kilimanjaro happens, or watching a friend take out a helicopter that falls on top of a tank and destroys that too in Battlefield Bad Company 2.
On the bright side to all this, I now have plenty of time to play all my single player campaigns. I can now finish Dragon’s Age, Bioshock 2 (that never really impressed me), Oblivion (that feels to be an ongoing game), and hey, I have loads of time to find all 500 Agility Orbs and 300 Hidden Orbs in Crackdown 2. My word of advice to all the complaints about Live, while it may feel that it costs a lot and we may feel that we’re getting screwed, either remember or imagine gaming without Live.
Review: Limbo
Very few games nowadays completely suck you into the experience to the point in which nothing else in the real world tends to matter that much. That is the case with Limbo, a puzzle platformer unlike any other in terms of style, presentation, and overall gameplay experience. Creative thinking, problem solving, and strategic planning will put even the most experienced players skills to the test here. Get those thinking caps ready, cause it’s time to jump into a world unlike any other. (more…)
Gaming Night 7/23
It is time for another Rejected Gamer gaming night. It will take place this Friday at 10pm Eastern time on Xbox Live. Send me a message on there, to my gamertag MrB4 if you are interested in joining. You can also leave a comment here to let me know if you want to be a part of it or not.
I will be hosting one room for whatever game you guys vote for, and thats about it. Now all I need you to do is choose which game we should play by casting your vote below. Voting will close at 5 pm est on the day of gaming night. Hope to see you all on Friday.
Nintendo Download of the Week: 7/19 Edition
Seems like everyone is living in the past as of late, because I keep on hearing them complain about how there are no Virtual Console titles being released onto the Wii Shop Channel. My answer to this is that maybe sometimes we need to give the newer games a chance. However, with that being said, this can be a hard thing to do, especially when week after week Nintendo releases nothing but shovelware crap for each of their downloadable services. As bad as most of them might be, there is a rare gem in there somewhere. So here it is, my pick for Nintendo Download of the Week for July 19th, 2010. (more…)
Vid Review: DeathSpank
(A) ” Hothead drops a bomb with this RAD action-adventure-hack & slash RPG. ” – Jeffrey d
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Microview: DeathSpank
Ron Gilbert does no wrong! He proves it time and time again with every project he puts his hands on. DeathSpank is Diablo meets Monkey Island in the best of ways. That alone is all that needs to be said in this Microview. Not only will you stumble upon loads of hilariously named loot, you’re also going to run into tons of hilarity — period. With little to no complaints in my first 4 hours of play, I’d expect nothing but a roaring review from QB. Full review coming soon!
Review: Quickpick Farmer
As the title of the game implies, Quickpick Farmer is one of those games that doesn’t last too long, but is still fun nevertheless. It’s a simple and accessible title that is perfect for people who are looking for something to do if they’ve got a few minutes to kill. The idea of putting sheep into containers, and using their wool to shoot into barns for points may sound like animal cruelty to some, but the light-hearted tone of the whole experience more than makes up for it. That being said, even the most experienced gamers reflexes will be tested here, so don’t let your guard down for one second. Get those sewing needles ready, because you’re going to need them. (more…)
Sanity Saving iPhone Games
I know last week I mentioned that I was going to share my thoughts on games that I have played during my hiatus, but because I had left my power cable at home during my vacation, I wasn’t able to share those thoughts. Now that I’m home, I want to share my thoughts on a few iPhone games that I have been playing the past few months. (more…)