shopping

How I Use Metacritic to Inform My Gaming Purchases

Jett1 Comment

Metacritic as a service is viewed as divisive among gaming enthusiasts. On one hand, it’s the major site that gives you an easy-to-find aggregate of numerous major gaming reviews for one game in one place. On the other hand, critics hate how it marginalizes full reviews into a number, its methods for aggregating reviews, and the significance certain entities place on the final Metacritic score.

My stance on Metacritic is a bit from column A, and a bit from column B, but I do oftentimes refer to Metacritic to inform my gaming purchases. I’m sure everyone has a way of interpreting the data, though I thought I’d share how I use it.

Continue reading →

October 9, 2012 Pick-Up Post

JettLeave a comment

This could have easily been a Borderlands 2 month. Having beaten the game, I could have simply hunkered down and played Legendary Vault Hunter to completion. However, a bunch of titles I’ve been eying went on sale, and a chance playthrough of a demo led me to go out and buy the latest entry in a series I haven’t played since 2000.

Continue reading →

Coming Soon: Marvel vs. Capcom Origins

Jett1 Comment

In just a few days, Capcom is scheduled to open the fighting game vault once again and release Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 1 together as Marvel vs. Capcom Origins for XBOX Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Though this pair of vs. games may not have the legacy that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 does, they were considered great for their time.

Continue reading →

I Pre-Ordered a Wii U

Jett10 Comments

Wii UAfter months of waiting for release info, Nintendo finally revealed most of it at their September press event. With the launch date and pricing info out there, and pre-orders running out fast at GameStop, I decided to throw my name in the pre-order hat for a deluxe set.

Continue reading →

To Buy or Not to Buy: Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Set

Jett3 Comments

I have a hard time abstaining from purchasing items with the Street Fighter name on them. I’ve bought figurines, t-shirts, posters, fightsticks, and over 20 Street Fighter games – including Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight. I’ve always joked with my girlfriend that if Capcom released Street Fighter branded rocks, I’d probably buy those too. As a life-long fanboy of the franchise, the purchase of Street Fighter merchandise rarely gives me pause.

But then I saw the gargantuan Street Fighter 25th Anniversary set.

Continue reading →

Coming Soon: The Nintendo 3DS XL

Jett9 Comments

In just a few days, Nintendo is aiming to make a big splash in the North American portable handheld space with their super-sized Nintendo 3DS redesign. This new iteration features a screen that’s 90% bigger than the original, a sleeker design, and longer battery life. I want one really bad, but I’m having a hard time justifying the purchase of another 3DS when I bought the original at launch for $250, I haven’t played it much since, and the size increase kills its portability for me. Still, old habits die hard, and the urge to have the latest Nintendo hardware in my hands is strong.

Will you be picking up a Nintendo 3DS XL? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Out Now: Persona 4 Arena

Jett11 Comments


Over the past few months, Persona 4 Arena has been building a lot of buzz in the hardcore fighting game community. Created by the same team that brought us Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, the early word-on-the-street has been very positive. I have no prior experience with the Persona franchise, but I’m always interested in trying out a good fighting game.

Continue reading →

Bulletstorm and the Economics of the Single Player First-Person Shooter

Jett1 Comment

A few days ago, I picked up Bulletstorm. It’s clear that the developers behind it really wanted to push the bounds of what a first-person shooter could be. Everything from the weapons, to the level designs, and the enemies themselves, have been tuned for you to pull off fancy juggle combos, and kills that would make Devil May Cry jealous. However, it’s also clear that their single player innovations don’t work within the context of traditional multiplayer deathmatch. Instead, the game offers its own version of horde mode that feels like a throwaway mode meant to to meet check multiplayer off as a feature on the back of the box.

Though the game was a critical hit, the it didn’t live up to sales expectations, and its sequel was shelved. Did Bulletstorm fail as a commercial product because of it’s de-emphasis on multiplayer?

Continue reading →

Has 2012 Been a Slow Year for Video Games, Or is it Just Me?

JettLeave a comment

The last few have been tremendous for gamers. It seemed like we were getting top-tier releases all year long. This year, I feel like I haven’t played much of anything. I went many months without buying any games, or seeing anything on release lists that piqued my interest. Sure, there have been a few marquee releases already, such as Mass Effect 3 and Diablo III, but the 2012 release line-up to date has seemed pretty underwhelming to me.

Continue reading →