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'Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D' Review - Monkeying Around, Again

Posted 5/22/13 12:30 pm EST by in 3DS / DS, Reviews, Wii

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

While the exact date may be hard to pin down, the demise of the Wii was foreseen for years. With a decline in quality content, and minimal first party releases, the Wii went on life support long before the release of the Wii U. Some people (this reviewer included) might think that the 2010 release of "Donkey Kong Country Returns" signaled the beginning of the end for a variety of different reasons. It was the first time that Nintendo had really gone back to the Donkey Kong well since the original releases, and while Retro Studios were well equipped to create a quality title, it seems like the fad of the Wii had passed, and the game was released to significantly less fanfare than it deserved. Fortunately, Nintendo has made a business out of recycling ideas for new platforms, and "DKCR" is one of the rare software titles to get this special treatment. In an unprecedented first, Donkey Kong will be the first Nintendo character to have their game ported from the Wii console to the 3DS in the aptly named, "Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D."
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'Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move' Review - Mario's Pipe Dream

Posted 5/14/13 4:35 pm EST by in 3DS / DS, Reviews

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

The "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" spin-off games have always served a very particular subsection of Nintendo fans - the ones that like puzzle platformers. The games were a mix between Mario's traditional genre of platformers, and Donkey Kong's old school arcade-style, with a twist of puzzle-based gameplay that set them apart from Nintendo's standard fare. After four games, "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" has set a certain standard for being one of Mario's more offbeat games, but the latest entry into the series "Minis on the Move," takes the series' signature puzzle-based formula and shatters it into pieces.
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4 Things About 'Borderlands 2: Krieg the Psycho Bandit' DLC

Posted 5/10/13 1:35 pm EST by in Borderlands 2, PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

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The character that immediately reached out to me when the first "Borderlands" dropped was Brick -- a loud, explosive meatloaf of a man whose solution to all of life's problems (including difficult math) was punching it in its stupid face. Admittedly, not the best character in that game to solo but definitely right up my ally as far as playstyle is concerned -- run in, rage out, punch everything to death, and (sometimes) get revived by more prudent players. Learning that the original four characters wouldn't return, I was a bit dissappointed by the loss of my favorite vault hunter and his successor -- Salvador the Gunzerker -- just didn't quite click with me.

Here's where Krieg comes in to play. As the second DLC character, Gearbox goes out with a literal bang with a psycho killer that has a taste for blood. In my mind, he is the very essence of how "Borderlands(2)" was meant to be played -- balls to the wall, spitting in the face of sanity, and generally not giving a flying f*ck about life or death!
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'Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon' Review -- I Know Now Why You (Far) Cry

Posted 5/3/13 3:15 pm EST by in PC, PS3, Reviews, Video, Xbox 360

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"Blood Dragon" in a lot of ways is a perfect way to experience vanilla "Far Cry 3" without getting too invested. For 15 bucks (1200 MS Points), Ubisoft smartly detatches the main game and narrative threads of an island hopping, male power fantasy featuring a douchey 20 something for... a male power fantasy featuring a retro throwback of douchey action star. A mouthy look at some of the best (and worst) of what 80's and 90's action movies had to offer -- it's that mid-afternoon cable movie that you've just woken up to after passing out drunk on the couch, bathed in the dim glow of your TV set. Shirtless and confused, you stumble for the remote to turn it off but something compels you to perervere through your stupor because you just saw the most kickass and ridiculous action sequence of any action movie worth its salt.

"It's so bad it's good" seems to be Ubisoft's MO for "Blood Dragon" and it mostly works -- mostly.
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'Poker Night 2' Review - Betting Against The House, And The House Is GLaDOS

Posted 5/3/13 11:06 am EST by in Mac, PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Poker Night 2
In 2010 Telltale Games did the unthinkable, bringing a handful of random characters together to sit down at the same table, and play some poker. "Poker Night at the Inventory" had players face off against Tycho from Penny Arcade, Max from "Sam & Max," the Heavy Weapons Guy from "Team Fortress 2," and Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, in a PC only, Texas Hold 'Em tournament where poker was only half as interesting as the characters. "Poker Night 2" sends players back to The Inventory, and deals them in for another hand against some huge names from the worlds of video games, cartoons, and movies.
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Logitech G700s Wireless Mouse Impressions

Posted 5/2/13 4:16 pm EST by in PC, Peripherals, Reviews

Logitech-G700s

When I reviewed the G500s Gaming Mouse, I may have overstretched the idea that it would be the last gaming mouse you'd ever need. It's a fantastic little guy with tons of bell and whistles to meet almost any of you gaming needs; however, it does have one slight downside -- it's still wired. However, Logitech has your back with the G700s Rechargeable Wireless Gaming Mouse!
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"Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen" Impressions

Posted 5/1/13 11:40 am EST by in PS3, Reviews, Video, Xbox 360

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Late last week I got a surprise in the mail. I could tell immediately what was Within the familiar padded envelope as I noticed the rough outline of a thin rectangular object -- mostly likely a video game. However, I was more surprised when I discovered that it was the reissued version of "Dragon's Dogma" -- including the latest DLC expansion "Dark Arisen." Capcom's take on a western RPG passed me by the first go a round and, honestly, I haven't really given much thought about it since. Still, I was a bit curious about it as several of my friends quickly drew lines in the sand about it's quality. But I wanted to find out for myself.

I talked before about my one time love for JRPGs, and how they tend to lean on the older traditional view of video games; and for the last several years, there have been talks about the declining influence of Japan in favor of aggressive western developers and publishers. We've seen this mostly with the tidal wave of  FPS and TPS games this generation -- probably than almost the last 20 years combined. Somewhere down the line, Japanese developers have tried to capture that elusive western audience. So in order to stay relevant (and profitable) these devs have often had to make hard choices, or move in non-traditional ways. Unfortunately, these titles more often miss than hit, with one niche (but amazing) game for every dozen or so mediocre debuts.

This is where it gets a little interesting  for you RPG fans that favor western influences. "Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen" is, in a way, Capcom's reach for your attention. It's not perfect -- it's not even all that great; but it does have a lot of potential.
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'LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins' Review - Assembling A Whole World On The 3DS

Posted 4/30/13 12:25 pm EST by in 3DS / DS, Reviews

LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins

This March marked the first major release for the Wii U since launch, as "LEGO City Undercover" was unleashed unto the masses. The game was very well done, and featured expansive, open-world gameplay, as well as some thoroughly entertaining writing. As if to serve as a companion piece to that expertly crafted game, the same developer/publisher team of TT Fusion and Nintendo have come together again to offer up a prequel to "LEGO City Undercover," with "The Chase Begins" on the Nintendo 3DS.
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'Thomas Was Alone' Review - Blocks In The System

Posted 4/30/13 11:35 am EST by in PS Vita, PS3, Reviews

Thomas Was Alone

There's something to be said for simplicity. Not to start off on a rant, but a lot of "AAA" games today have a whole lot going on with them. Video games continually push the limits of what players can do in games, from multiple levels of character customizations, to intricately designed levels that force players to use every part of their brain, even going so far as to create entire worlds to explore: games today have a lot going on with them. Again, there is something to be said for simplicity. "Thomas Was Alone" is simple, still manages to be compelling, and is even beautiful at times.
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'Pandora's Tower' Review - Venture Outside The Box

Posted 4/24/13 12:22 pm EST by in Reviews, Wii

Pandora's Tower

Operation Rainfall is officially over. With the release of "Pandora's Tower," the grassroots groundswell that took place on countless fronts, from social media to an old school letter writing campaign, has come to a successful conclusion, as the final release that was petitioned for arrives in the United States. After the effective outpouring of community interest, the fans behind Operation Rainfall were able to influence the releases of "The Last Story," "Xenoblade Chronicles," and now "Pandora's Tower," as the final three JRPGs for the Wii. But, was all that effort worth it? "The Last Story" and "Xenoblade Chronicles" seemed to live up to the hype, but can "Pandora's Tower" complete the cycle?
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