Marvel Pinball 3D Review

Earlier this year Zen Studios released Zen Pinball 3D on the 3DS and I loved it, finding it to be one of the rare 3DS games I could play with 3D turned all the way up. After a decent wait, Zen Studios has finally added to their 3D pinball collection with Marvel Pinball 3D, a standalone collection of the four Marvel tables released previously on other platforms—featuring tables based off Captain America, Blade, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four.

The first thing I did when I loaded up Marvel Pinball 3D was push the 3D slider all the way up and, like Zen Pinball 3D, I had no problems playing the game with 3D at full power. And playing the game in 3D is the only way to play because it brings an extra layer of literal and figurative depth. The 3D makes the game feel as if I have a tiny pinball table in my hands and it's always a little jarring at first, but soon I find myself hours in the future wondering what happened to all the time as I enjoyed one of the few games I love playing in 3D.

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The Amazing Spider-Man First Impressions

Before I say anything else, let me say the most important thing: do not play The Amazing Spider-Man if you do not want the film of the same name spoiled. You will get spoiled in the first hour and there's no way of avoiding it, so think about that before you even think of touching the game before the movie's release. With that warning out of the way, I can now say the game itself is, from my first few hours, rather boring with good/bad controls.

By "good/bad" controls I mean some aspects are good and some are bad. I enjoy the simplicity of web swinging because it's automatic as long as the right trigger is being held. It allows me to freely look around and watch as Spidey swings through the air in his well-animated form. I'm sure some people might dislike the over simplification, but I like it and don't care about what the web is sticking to and if it makes sense—it's a game about a guy who has spider powers...sense was lost a long time ago. I also enjoy the two-button combat—one button for action and one for dodging—but it's already becoming repetitive and I only see that increasing with every minute played.

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Marvel Pinball Video Playthrough: "Fear Itself" Table

And now I present a video of me playing the "Fear Itself" table into a low-scoring hole! It's never been so fun to be so bad. Blah, blah, blah. You should most definitely pick up the Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles pack on whichever platform you prefer.

Marvel Pinball Video Playthrough: "Infinity Gauntlet" Table

If you follow the site, you know I love pinball and everything that Zen Studios creates. That said, I've never been that good at pinball, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying myself as I play with my balls. (Yes, I'm an immature child.) Anyway, below is a video of me playing the "Infinity Gauntlet" table—which is part of the recently released Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles pack (review) and my favorite table from said pack. I hope you enjoy the video and please ignore the occasional hiccupping at the bottom of the video, it shan't be in future videos (I hope).

The Greatest iOS Game Trailer Ever?

It may very well be, but I'll let you decide. The game is a little thing called Astronot and the creator is a fella named Wade McGillis. It's scheduled to release tomorrow, June 21st, on iOS, Mac, and PC, and seems to be a metroidvania-esque game. I don't know much, but I do know the trailer has be enthralled. (You'll be singing along in no time...I know I am.)

Review: Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles

Surprise, surprise, Zen Studios has just released some new pinball tables and they're all great. I don't even know if I should waste my time and yours reviewing the newest pack; I mean, if you're already a fan you won't need a review to convince you into buying it, and if you're not a fan I'd recommend a trip to your local psychiatrist. The latest addition to Pinball FX2 (or Marvel Pinball on PSN) is Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, a collection of four new Marvel-themed pinball tables—"The Avengers," "Fear Itself," "Infinity Gauntlet," and "World War Hulk."

Despite already releasing numerous tables, Zen Studios still somehow manages to throw in new elements that switch up the way one plays a table. The "Avengers" table has a team system in play where you get a choice between one of six character-based balls, each with their own powers. It adds an extra layer of strategy and kept me coming back to see how other balls played, as well as learning when to use a specific ball over the others. I did find it a bit overwhelming at first, but I quickly got the hang of it and ended up enjoying the "Avengers" table quite a bit.

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Review: Heroes Call (iOS)

Heroes Call is an action-RPG for iOS similar to games like Diablo, Titan Quest, Torchlight, etc in look and feel—the same 3/4 isometric camera; the abundance of loot; and the "click, click, click" replaced with "tap, tap, tap." It's a free universal app with in-app purchases for "gem" packs—which can be found in-game during quests—used to buy new characters, gold, identification scrolls, or speeding up in-game wait times. The only character available for free is the Blood Knight (use your imagination), and a Plague Wizard can be purchased with gems; two additional classes—Combat Alchemist and Shadow Assassin—are "coming soon."

My biggest concern with IAP-based games is whether I need to buy IAP or if I can get by—much slower of course—without paying a penny. Thankfully, I never once felt the need to buy gems for gold, scrolls—plenty can be found during quests (much more frequent than gems)—or for removing the wait time for new quests. And while I prefer playing as a mage, I didn't have a problem sticking it out with the knight. That said, I won't be spending much more time with game for one very specific reason.

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JAM Live Music Arcade Review

JAM Live Music Arcade is a peculiar game and I'm not even sure I want to call it a game—it does contain a game-like arcade mode, but the heart of JAM is in its, conveniently called, "Jam" mode. "Jam" mode gives the player the ability to mix and mash together up to five different instruments, including vocals, and then switch between five different tracks per instrument. It's a simple system and easy to learn—especially thanks to the game's thorough tutorials; however, while it's fun at first, it doesn't take long for the game to lose its appeal.

Before I go too far into JAM's faults, I do want to say the game supports whatever guitar peripheral you own and does seem to recommend the use of a guitar controller over a standard controller; that said, I found using the standard controller was much easier and more fun than using any of the numerous plastic guitars I own.

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Indie Game Music Bundle #3: Ilomilo, Frozen Synapse, & More

Do you like music? Do you like bundles? Do you like bundles of music from games one would call "indie?" If you said yes, you'll be happy to find out the "Indie Game Music Bundle #3" has just been released, and it's full of lovely music waiting to penetrate your ear holes. If you said no, would you kindly punch yourself in the face—that was from me.

Now, like previous bundles, you can get five wonderful soundtracks if you pay at least $1—Ilomilo, Frozen Synapse, Plants vs. Zombies, Terraria, Fastfall (Dustforce OST); however, if you feel so inclined to pay $10 or more, you'll also get ten additional albums—which is a fantastic deal no matter how you slice it. As always, I love supporting the little guys—I'm a rather little guy myself (not where it counts)—and I hope you find the time to contribute a little yourself; a little here and a little there goes a long way. Get the full details via linkage above or below; y'all have until June 11th at 3pm CST to contribute, so act fast and don't forget to spay or neuter your pets!

Indie Game Music Bundle #3

The 'Hitman: Absolution - Sniper Challenge' is Quite Lovely

I usually pay little attention to pre-order bonuses, not caring about a poster or some in-game outfit I'd never wear, but Hitman: Absolution - Sniper Challenge is a rare exception that grabbed my attention immediately. Sniper Challenge is a little mini-game, a non-demo demo, a taste of Hitman without representing the actual retail game, at least the majority of the retail game. It's not the first pre-order bonus of its kind—Fable II Pub Games says hi—but it's still a rarity and something I'd like to see more of.

Now the game itself is a single-level sniper challenge with leaderboards and about a dozen or so challenges that increase the score multiplier upon completion. It's extremely simple upon first viewing, but it's full of so many small details and different ways of accomplishing the various goals and challenges. You can shoot a guard as he's leaning over an edge to knock him off the building, taking him out and hiding his body in one quick shot—ignore the commotion that would come as said body hits the ground; you can shoot out this or that to cause a distraction; and plenty more I don't want to mention because much of the fun comes in trial, error, and the discovery of something unexpected.

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