Girlfriend Gaming – Wonderbook: Book of Spells

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?

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Sleeping Dogs Review

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.

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Skylanders Giants Review

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?

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Bayonetta Impressions

Not too long ago, I played through Lollipop Chainsaw. It was mediocre at best, but its humour and short length offset its failings just enough for me to play it through to completion. While Bayonetta in many respects is a better game, I don’t think I’ll ever get past its halfway point. What gives?

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Coming Soon: Street Fighter X Tekken Version 2013

Up to this point, this match made in fighting game heaven has been anything but. Having lost many of its potential fans through the on-disc DLC debacle, and a myriad of gameplay issues (among other things), this seemingly sure-fire hit has been the biggest bust in the genre for quite some time.

With that said, fighting games always evolve. From Street Fighter II to Super Street Fighter II Turbo, it can take a few iterations before perfection is found. Capcom is hoping that they get it right the second time with Street Fighter X Tekken Version 2013, which is a free major patch being introduced tomorrow.

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Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed Review

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.

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Check Out My Kickstart Guide to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition on Splitkick.com!

Striking while the iron is hot, here’s my Kickstart Guide to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition! Unlike my Universal Fighting Game Guide stuff, this is game-specific and a bit more simplified so that even beginners can gain a quick knowledge boost. Definitely worth a read if you’re looking to level up in the world’s hottest fighting game.

Check out my Kickstart Guide to Super Street IV: Arcade Edition on Splitkick!

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review

My love affair with the turn-based strategy games began after the original XCOM faded into obscurity. Advance Wars and Fire Emblem were my introduction to the genre, and for the most part, the only games in the genre I play. Not for a lack of desire, but for a lack of options. Sure, there are a lot of indie strategy games on PC/iOS, but when the big-budget strategy game market shrunk to nothing, the only real standout to me was Nintendo. Even then, neither of their strategy titles have lit up the sales charts or help revive the genre.

I’m not sure what compelled 2K Games to push ahead with a new XCOM now, but I truly appreciate the fact that they did. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is not only a fantastic turn-based strategy game, but easily one of the best games I played that came out in 2012.

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Check Out Vault Play: Rocksmith Now on Splitkick.com!

The best girlfriend ever got me the Rocksmith guitar bundle for Christmas. Since then, I’ve been shredding the six string in hopes of someday not sucking at guitar. If you have ambitions of learning, this might be worth looking into. Head over to Splitkick to read the full post!

Check out Vault Play: Rocksmith on Splitkick!

Dead Island Review

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.

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