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Wednesday
Mar312010

Play N Trade: Selling Games on CD-R

Gamestop is the recipient of much hate and I can understand said hate, but at least they are noble enough to not sell an illegal burned copy of a game. I went to a Play N Trade today – I honestly never heard of the chain prior to this day – and I was initially impressed with the layout, but the prices on newer games were not particularly desirable. I did, however, find a copy of Power Stone 2 [best 3D fighter in the history of all that is sweet and holy] in what seemed to be good condition for $14.99 [if it is too good to be true, it usually is].

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Saturday
Mar202010

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond (XBLA) Review

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is the game we wanted from Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard. Eat Lead was not a terrible game – the writing could be quite funny – but it never lived up to its potential [it had Doogie Howser, Doogie!]. Blood Bath and Beyond tops the first game on all levels with its consistently funny writing and the fact it is actually fun to play.

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Friday
Mar192010

Perfect Dark (XBLA) Review

I never played Perfect Dark when it originally came out back in 2000. I never owned a Nintendo 64 and therefore; I have no pleasant memories of playing Perfect Dark as a wee boy. I have spent a lot of time with the game and it seems rather obvious that nostalgic memories are key to enjoying the game. It is not a terrible game, but when comparing it to games coming out nowadays – which fans will frown upon as unfair – Perfect Dark falls behind and feels far too dated.

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Wednesday
Mar172010

An Interview With Paul Bellezza of The Odd Gentlemen

Not long ago I wrote a review of the Xbox LIVE Arcade title, The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom. Recently, I got a chance to ask some questions about the game and gain some insight into The Odd Gentlemen, the studio that developed this quirky adventure. Below is the Q&A I had with Paul Bellezza. Paul is listed on the site as Producer/CEO & Janitor. I guess being multifunctional is a plus in The Odd Gentlemen.

 

I have read that the idea for P. B. Winterbottom started as a student project at USC. Can you tell me more about that?


PB: The project was a graduate thesis project of our creative director, Matt Korba, at the University of Southern California's Interactive Media Division in Los Angeles. Matt originally obtained his undergraduate degree in Film, and wanted to bring his love for old silent films into games.

...Click for full interview

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Wednesday
Mar172010

Lazy Raiders (XBLA) Review

I’ll be honest; my first impression of Lazy Raiders was horrible. It was not that the game was bad, but my shallow mind had different expectations based on only ever seeing a few screenshots. I expected a game of exploration with direct control over the character, but Lazy Raiders is exactly the opposite. Lazy Raiders is a clever puzzle game where you control the maze and use that to guide your character to its goal. Once I accepted this fact, I found Lazy Raiders surprisingly fun and challenging.

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Monday
Mar152010

An Interview With A Man Named Dan [He Dizzles]

I was lucky enough to gain an audience with Daniel Macias, who you may know from such podcasts as Obviously Oblivious and the BAESTCast [also an employee of Pixar Studios], to discuss his trilogy, which he has never openly discussed until this moment. I must say that it was a great experience and I believe most people will quickly find themselves intrigued by what they read in this interview. Now sit back, relax, and teach yourself a little something about a trilogy that aspires for greatness. For clarification purposes, my questions are in bold and Dan’s responses are not [obviously].

 

First, who are the main characters of your trilogy and what is the general story of said trilogy?


DM: The story revolves around Xavior, and a character later introduced in a very bad ass way, his antithesis, if you will [Gabriel].

At the core, it is a case study about love in its many forms (want, need, loss, unrequited, etc) and its effect on people. One of the tag lines for the film is "What would you do for love?” which leads to the ad campaign for the film. It will center over ambiguous questions that we can all relate to.

My goal is to engage the audience in a way that is unique to every person. One question can mean something to someone while entirely something different to another person. I want to tap in to the idea of how complex life really is. These two characters are driven by some interesting motives; it would be a nightmare if the majority of the people side with one "side."

...Click below for the full interview.

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Sunday
Mar142010

Toy Soldiers (XBLA) Review

It’s rare to find an Xbox LIVE Arcade title that feels like a steal at $15, but Toy Soldiers is indeed one of those games. Toy Soldiers is a tower defense-esque strategy game, but at the same time, it is something completely different. The familiar theme of defending against a specific number of enemy waves is still apparent, but now you can actually take control over towers, tanks, and airplanes.

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Friday
Mar122010

Scrap Metal (XBLA) Review

Scrap Metal doesn’t bring anything new to the table; it is Micro Machines in HD with more of a focus on weapons and upgradable vehicles. Seeing that Scrap Metal is brought to us by the developers of N+, the great Slick Entertainment [though the N series was created by Metanet Software - who co-developed N+], you can expect a bit of frustration while playing, but sadly it is not rewarding frustration. It doesn't help that the game is free of exploding ninjas.

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Friday
Mar122010

The Xbox 360: Teaching the Youth About Marijuana

It is a well known fact that video games are to blame for all the world’s problems. If someone shoots another person; it was because of video games. If kids join together to perform an underage orgy; it was because of video games. If you have Aids; it was because of video games. These statements are obviously all true and I have proof that Microsoft is teaching kids the wonder of marijuana in the recently released Risen for the PC and Xbox 360.

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Friday
Mar052010

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (XBLA) Review

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a new independent game exclusively for Xbox LIVE Arcade [as of right now]. Winterbottom follows the escapades of a mischievous, time-bending pie thief. Winterbottom is the warped brain-child of developer, The Odd Gentlemen. It was originally created as a USC student project and now it is one of the first downloadable games published by 2K Games.

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