Microsoft’s recent announcement of the Kinect no longer being required to make the Xbox One work is the latest in an unprecedented series of flip-flopping before the console’s release. On one hand, it’s great that they’re proactively addressing many of the issues that more discerning consumers have with the platform. However, this sequence of events also highlights how off-base the original vision for the console was while giving me cause for concern going forward.
I don’t even know where to begin.
It’s been a few months since the final episode of The Walking Dead left me in tears. While Telltale Games isn’t quite ready to roll out the next full season, they’ve provided us with a special episode to bridge the gap between the two. Though The Walking Dead: 400 Days as an experience is rather short, it’s an interesting tease for what’s to come.
Stealth games and I generally don’t get along. Most games in the genre require its players to figure out the ideal route through every scenario and execute to perfection. Anything less leads to instant failure. Even if you’re a stealth game savant, most of these scenarios require a ton of trial-and-error to master. This is a process I cannot stand.
So why would I even bother with Splinter Cell: Conviction; the latest instalment of arguably the premier stealth series? Over the last year or so, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mark of the Ninja warmed me up to the genre a bit more. I’ve heard that this latest Splinter Cell has a more action focus to it, which is definitely a selling point to me. Also, it didn’t hurt that I scored it at the bottom of a bargain bin for a mere $10. Did the gamble pay off?
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.
Though I’m generally quick to throw Tekken under the bus, I feel like that disdain primarily stems from a lack of understanding. I actively avoided the series during its heyday, and my few encounters with it haven’t been overly positive. I bought Tekken 6 a few years ago, but quickly got rid of it when it became apparent that it wasn’t going to work out.
At one point, I thought I just had it in for 3D fighters in general, but then I fell in love with Dead or Alive 5. Maybe Tekken is the problem after all? After finding Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on the cheap, I gave the series another shot.
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
At this point, Dark Souls is viewed upon as legendary among the gaming community for it’s unapologetic difficulty. Taking heavy cues from action and adventure games of yesteryear, it brutally punishes mistakes and is a rather obtuse experience to comprehend. With virtually no context given, the game gives you a key to free yourself from your cell and it’s essentially up to you to figure out the rest.
This style of game is generally not my thing. Even as a child, my tolerance for difficulty was relatively low. However, it’s crossed that point where as a gaming enthusiast, I just have to play it in order to experience first hand what everyone’s been talking about. Also, I started playing ZombiU, which many people say takes influence from Dark Souls, and I didn’t have that experience under my belt to say otherwise. Did I make it out alive?
Inspired by a training session with Ben over at Splitkick, I began exploring The Flash in Injustice: Gods Among Us. With one bar and his trait fully charged, he can pull off some crazy combos through trait cancelling. This video is by no means meant to capture maximum damage or maximum swag, but for me to explore his potential. Check it out!
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.
In Third Person 