I’m smitten with Bioshock Infinite. The game does such an amazing job of pushing the boundaries of what game worlds, characters and stories can be. Though it also does its combat really well, it also feels like the most antiquated and gamey part of the experience. For a game that pushes so many aspects of the medium forward, what if it could push the gameplay as well?
Capcom announced at PAX East that Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was getting another balance patch. Though I’m mostly fine with the game in its current state, it’s a smart way to keep the competitive scene active, which has proven critical to the success of this game.
The sour taste in my mouth from BioShock 2 washed away within minutes of booting up BioShock Infinite. Unlike its predecessor, which reeked of cash grab from every pore, Infinite feels like a genuine attempt at artistic expression, while pushing the video game boundaries of storytelling and gameplay. This is the sequel I’ve wanted all along and it’s awesome.
Next on the list of fighting game HD ports for Capcom is Darkstalkers Resurrection. This compilation features the second and third games in the series, as well as many of the modern trimmings found in their previous HD ports. Unlike Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins before it, the source material holds up much better and the modern features are really well integrated into the package. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would.
Just over 3 months ago, I got Rocksmith as a Christmas present from Steff. My initial impressions of it were generally positive, though something like this really takes time to pass judgment. Have I made any progress since?
Forget Bioshock 2. The real successor to Bioshock is finally here! Set in a whole new world with new characters, I am ready jump in. Should be picking up my copy today and will likely cover it soon in posts and as a discussion point on The Recurring Bosscast.
I’m a huge fan of the Gears of War series. The original was the game that inspired me to buy an Xbox 360, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with its sequels. It’s built a lot of good will with me, which sort of makes it weird that I’m currently abstaining from the latest entry in the franchise.
War doesn’t always have to be presented in the style of Call of Duty. It doesn’t have to be about first person shooting. Or summer-blockbuster action. Or earning perks by playing endless amounts of team death match. It’s easy to hate on the military theme in video games because of ‘Call of Duty syndrome’, but there’s still room for military games to innovate. Valkyria Chronicles, released early in the PlayStation 3’s life-cycle, is easily the most unique military game of this generation.
I responded to the news of a Bioshock sequel with disgust. The original was such a magical experience for me and one that concluded in a way that made a sequel unnecessary. However, I can’t blame 2K for not wanting to leave money on the table in order to maintain artistic integrity. With that said, I think I would have handled the thought of a sequel if it came from the right place. On paper, Bioshock 2 totally didn’t. Some of its selling points included:
“Return to Rapture!”
“Play as a Big Daddy!”
“Now with multiplayer!”
“…oh yeah, it’s also not made by the original creators, who ended up making the true successor to Bioshock.”
Due to its existence being blatantly rooted in focus groups and business executive boardrooms, I avoided this like the plague. However, with Bioshock Infinite on the way, and a Bioshock-themed episode of The Recurring Bosscast scheduled for the very near future, I figured that playing at least a bit of Bioshock 2 would be worth it for the sake of the show.
Steff is the biggest Harry Potter fan I know. She’s read all the books. She owns all of the movies. She’s brought me to platform 9 3/4 in England. She can even claim that the actor that plays Draco Malfoy was totally checking her out when they met for a photo-op a few years back at Fan Expo. I’m still a bit bitter about that last part, but I digress.
When we saw Wonderbook: Book of Spells at Sony’s E3 2012 press conference, she made it clear to me that this was something she needed to play someday. Having been a good girl this year, she received it from Santa for Christmas. Though I didn’t play much of it myself, I did watch her play a bunch of it. Was it as magical of an experience as its source material would imply?
In Third Person 