It’s been a few months since the final episode of The Walking Dead left me in tears. While Telltale Games isn’t quite ready to roll out the next full season, they’ve provided us with a special episode to bridge the gap between the two. Though The Walking Dead: 400 Days as an experience is rather short, it’s an interesting tease for what’s to come.
While we knew that Capcom was working on an update to Street Fighter IV, they announced at EVO that the update would be meatier than originally expected. In early 2014, the latest update will include five new characters, six new stages and new modes.
Much of my time with The Last of Us wasn’t pleasant. Granted, some of that unpleasantness is by design, since this is a survival horror game in many ways. However, some of the displeasure I felt playing the game wasn’t intentional. After starting things off with a bang, the pace drags to a crawl as it establishes its core gameplay. Worse yet for me, that gameplay is primarily stealth-based, which generally isn’t my cup of tea. On top of that, I had a hard time investing into the moment-to-moment action when the gameplay and context balance just felt off during its first half.
Having said all that, it eventually hits its stride to provide one heck of a closing act.
Stealth games and I generally don’t get along. Most games in the genre require its players to figure out the ideal route through every scenario and execute to perfection. Anything less leads to instant failure. Even if you’re a stealth game savant, most of these scenarios require a ton of trial-and-error to master. This is a process I cannot stand.
So why would I even bother with Splinter Cell: Conviction; the latest instalment of arguably the premier stealth series? Over the last year or so, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mark of the Ninja warmed me up to the genre a bit more. I’ve heard that this latest Splinter Cell has a more action focus to it, which is definitely a selling point to me. Also, it didn’t hurt that I scored it at the bottom of a bargain bin for a mere $10. Did the gamble pay off?
As an 80s baby, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is my childhood fever dream come to life. Everything from the cheesy sci-fi, pixelated vignettes to the nonsensical use of ninja stars in a world with laser weapons are here. This tongue-in-cheek spin-off is a novel way to extend the Far Cry 3 experience. Even though I’ve yet to play the source material, I couldn’t pass on this $15 downloadable title. While the humor starts to wear thin, this short and punchy experience ends before it becomes a problem.
Since his release as a DLC character in Injustice: Gods Among Us, Scorpion has quickly risen in popularity. This is partially due to him being the most recognizable character from Mortal Kombat, but also because he seems unstoppable. At this point in the game’s life, you’re bound to run into a ton of Scorpion players that are all abusing the same stuff. With this mini guide, you won’t have to just sit there and take a beating from this demon ninja. Instead, give him hell with these tips!
My experiences with Sony’s Play, Create, Share line of games have been mostly negative to-date. I wanted to love LittleBigPlanet, but couldn’t get over how floaty the jump was. Then I tried Mod Nation Racers, which ultimately turned me off due to its generic karting action and some of the worst load times in this generation. Knowing that, I figured that a LittleBigPlanet karting game made by the Mod Nation Racers people was doomed for failure in my eyes. Yet, when LittleBigPlanet Karting went on sale for dirt cheap through a PlayStation Plus sale, I couldn’t help myself.
(one of many hate messages I received from a salty Deathstroke player in Injustice: Gods Among Us)
I hate the word ‘cheap’. In the world of fighting games, ‘cheap’ is most overused and misused word in the vernacular. It is a word that does more damage to the fighting game community than most people think. When someone takes a loss, many are quick to dismiss their own mistakes and learning opportunities by using the word as a flimsy crutch. With that mentality, most players will never get anywhere in a fighting game.
Losing to something ‘cheap’ isn’t the problem. Odds are, what you lost to wasn’t cheap at all. Heck, if you were willing to put in the time and effort to actually improve your abilities, you probably could have a viable counter ready for any tactic that is perceived as cheap. In this edition of the Universal Fighting Game Guide, we’ll talk about the word cheap, what it means and why you should stop using it immediately for the sake of your growth as a fighting game player.
While Injustice: Gods Among Us might be the new hotness, it doesn’t mean that Street Fighter X Tekken is chopped liver. Heck, after the major balance patch earlier this year, it is more worthy of your time now than it ever has been. If you’re looking to get into the genre’s ultimate mash-up, may I suggest you take a look at my
Check Out The Kickstart Guide to Street Fighter X Tekken At Splitkick.com!
In Third Person 