Ridiculous Fishing is the latest iOS game to catch a ton of positive buzz from the gaming press. Had I not heard this game talked about on every podcast I listen to over the past few weeks, I probably would have let this one slip by. Then again, sometimes the gaming press has led me astray. Did this one win me over like it supposedly won over every gaming journalist on the planet?
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.
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.
Since its release, Fire Emblem: Awakening has been tough to track down in stores. Though I’ve heard reports of the game being under-shipped, there’s also the fact that it’s really good. I enjoyed it so much that I beat it twice before finalizing my review for Splitkick. If you can find it, the game is definitely worth tracking down!
The Earth is screwed. Or at least that’s how things seem when you boot up Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. Our planet has been attack by a giant race of ant-like aliens, and it’s up to you and the Earth Defense Force to stomp them out.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is not a triple-A title. Nor does it have any ambitions of being such. It’s budget price and low-quality production values clearly indicate that notion. With that said, B-movie experiences can be enjoyable in their own way (I’m looking at you, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand). Does Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon provide a fun experience at a budget price?
The Sleeping Dogs origin story has been documented ad nauseam, so I won’t do that here. Nor did it matter to me much, anyway. I’d never played a True Crime game before, and even after it came out to mostly positive press, it still wasn’t a game on my radar. Had it not been for its awesome demo, I probably would have let this one slide. Though I can’t speak to the game’s quality before it came out, the end result is pretty rad. This is one of the most fun open world games I’ve played since Grand Theft Auto IV, and might be my favourite one yet.
Size matters, or at least that’s what Activision wants us to believe with Skylanders Giants, the follow-up to the smash-hit Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. Besides providing gamers with an all-new adventure, some new characters and new figures, it also introduces the concept of giant Skylanders, which are larger figurines that manifest into larger in-game characters. But does the age old ‘bigger is better’ adage apply here?
Great. Another zombie game. We don’t already have enough of those yet, right? While I’m more than tired of the zombies in video games and other forms of fiction, I’m willing to let my fatigue slide if a particular piece of media brings forth a new twist on the trope. From Plants vs. Zombies cutesy tower defence, to the human drama of The Walking Dead, there’s still room for growth.
ZombiU draws heavy inspiration from Dark Souls, while making great use of the Wii U GamePad’s defining features to create a survival horror experience unlike anything out there. Though it has its quirks, and the overall gameplay may turn off some, it’s very cool for what it is.
Call me stubborn, but I’ve been a staunch believer in the fact that nothing can top the Mario Kart franchise. Besides the fact that it created the genre, the vast majority of kart racers haven’t even come close to matching the series’ quality, regardless of which version of Mario Kart you put under the microscope. While I’ll always have a spot in my heart for the franchise that started it all, Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed takes a serious run at the crown.
In Third Person 