There comes a time in seemingly every franchise’s life when things start to get stale. As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 proves, not even the hottest video game franchise in the universe is an exception to this old adage. While it’s meant to be the epic conclusion to Infinity Ward’s branch of the franchise, it ends up feeling like just another one in the pile despite its best efforts.
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.
Disappointment is the one word to best describe my thoughts on Dead Island: Riptide. The first game was enjoyable and showed a lot of upside, which Techland failed to capitalize on. Instead, this is a game that falls short of the bar set by its predecessor. For the full review, check it out at Splitkick!
Check Out My Dead Island: Riptide Review At Splitkick.com!
Buy Dead Island Riptide [Online Game Code] Now On Amazon.com
Ever since my subpar experience with Call of Duty: World at War, I’ve had a chip on my shoulder against Treyarch. To me, they’ve been the B-team that made filler titles while Infinity Ward crafted the games people really wanted to play. Though this perception among the Call of Duty enthusiasts washed away with the release of Black Ops, I coincidentally stopped playing the series just before then. In a Black Ops II world, I only now finished the campaign of the original.
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?
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.
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 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.
The original Dead Island trailer – as amazing as it is – ultimately did much more harm than good for my perception of the game. After watching it, I had high hopes that it would have more emotional weight to it than your run-of-the-mill zombie slaughter-fest. Then the preview coverage ultimately revealed that the contents of the trailer had virtually nothing to do with the actual game. Feeling burned by the misleading ad, I refused to buy or play this until it hit the bottom of the clearance bin. Maybe the trailer did little to reflect the final product, but that’s not to say the final product is bad. In fact, I’m actually really impressed with how the game came together.
In the year 2027, cybernetics are challenging the definition of humanity. On one cybernetmic hand, there are powerful corporations who want nothing more than to profit from the sales of such augmentations. On the other fleshy hand, the idea of humans turning into any form of robot rubs some people the wrong way. You, as the new security director at a biotechnology firm, find yourself embroiled in a war over this, as an initial attack on your company almost takes your life. Now outfitted with augmentations – a necessity after the damage done to your body – your search for answers uncovers a plot far grander than a one-off terrorist strike.
In Third Person 