Maintaining pole position in the kart racing genre isn’t as easy as it used to be for Mario and friends. Mario Kart 7 was a lackadaisical cruise around the block, while Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed ate its lunch through the use of dynamically-changing tracks that required your vehicle to transform between a go-kart, jet plane and hovercraft. Sure, it’s framerate could have used some work and it doesn’t fully execute on all of the ideas it brings to the table, but it was built with a level of passion and innovation that Nintendo’s 3DS kart racer sorely lacked. Mario Kart 8 may not pack enough fresh ideas to completely close the gap, but it makes up for it with great track design, quality online play and a level of polish that makes this game sparkle.
Killer Instinct Review
Meant to be a graphical showcase for Nintendo’s Ultra 64 hardware, the original Killer Instinct clearly prioritized style over substance. It’s rendered visuals were ahead of anything else at the time and its gameplay allowed players to pull off combos that routinely featured dozens of hits. For the most part, that was all it needed to be a success at the arcade and on the Super Nintendo.
With so many great fighting games out now and a community of players that is smarter than ever, it’s going to take more than pretty graphics, a loud announcer and flashy combos to make an impact. Luckily for us, Killer Instinct returns with some bite while retaining the essence of what made the original fun in the first place. Continue reading
Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick Review
I don’t know if “courage” is the right word here, but it surely took some effort on my part to give Sex Criminals a chance. Despite the fact that it’s not a story that exists for the sake of arousal, and the fact that it’s nominated for best ongoing comic series of the year, overcoming the stigma that comes with the subject matter wasn’t easy. Even after buying the book and deciding to read it on the train, it got immediately weird to read this when Steff left my side and a stranger sat beside me. Going forward, I’ll probably read this at home, but I’ll gladly keep reading the series if it can sustain this level of quality.
Mad Catz Killer Instinct Arcade Fightstick TE 2 Review
Sporting a new and improved d-pad, The Xbox One controller is the most viable Microsoft controller for fighting games yet. However, for those who would prefer to fight the old-fashioned way, Mad Catz has you covered. If this was simply a standard Mad Catz Tournament Edition fightstick with new art, that would be great. However, they’ve gone the extra mile to evolve this fightstick to the point where this is their best one yet.
New X-Men Book 5 Review
For a series that has made its mark by bulldozing its way through conventions that have defined Marvel’s mutants since their inception, Book 4 in the New X-Men series was kind of a letdown. By spreading the team out across the world to handle different missions, the end result was a book that wasn’t very cohesive, meaningful or entertaining. Maybe cognizant of the way the last installment played out, Grant Morrison’s New X-Men Book 5 is not only a return to form, but is also one of the most outside-the-box X-Men tales I’ve read yet.
Jett Plays Titanfall
Lots of things get shot at in my time with Respawn Entertainment’s futuristic shooter. I try my best to discuss a bunch of different things related to the game, but I get caught up in the action pretty quickly. Also, whenever you’re making a let’s play video on the Xbox One, never say Xbox One because your system might think you’re talking to it!
All New X-Men Vol. 4: All Different Review
Still reeling from the chaotic events that took place during the Battle of the Atom, the time-displaced X-Men and Kitty Pryde complete their side switch in All New X-Men Vol. 4: All Different. They don’t get much time to settle down though, as a distress call from Florida takes them to a modern X-Men member in need and the evolution of a past threat.
Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #1 Review
Up until his appearance in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Iron Fist was an unknown quantity to me. Even in that game, his presence is scarce, as he’s widely recognized as being one of the worst in the game. Still, his appearance in that game was enough for me to try out Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #1. This issue establishes the troubled past of Daniel Rand while throwing him in the mix of a conflict with ninjas. It’s by no means bad, but I don’t think it’s all that great, either.
Jett Plays Mario Kart 8
New X-Men Book 4 Review
The war against Cassandra Nova may be over, but there’s still much work to be done if you’re one of the X-Men. In New X-Men Book 4, the team is split up into different parts of the world to help bridge relations between man and mutant. This book in the series bucks the trend of tight casts and focused stories for shorter arcs and way more characters. The more, the merrier, right? This sadly isn’t the case here.
In Third Person 