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Early Impressions of Bioshock 2

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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.

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Sleeping Dogs Review

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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!

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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

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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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