Game Review: Split/Second (PC, PS3, 360)
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Posted on May 26th, 2010 by
Split/Second is a new explosive (literally) arcade racer for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 (360 version reviewed here). Play as a contestant on a new racing reality TV show. The makers of the program have designed a whole city just for racing—and explosions! Not only must you compete with the fastest cars, but you must also avoid treacherous obstacles and fiery blasts at a moment’s notice.
Game Review: Bit.Trip Runner (WiiWare)
Posted on May 22nd, 2010 by
The Bit.Trip series of WiiWare games feature a few common themes. They’re rhythm based and have a retro look and feel. The music in the Bit.Trip game are ‘chiptunes,’ which are 8-bit sounding electronic songs written by modern day artists. Past games in the series also had old-school gameplay ideas, like ball and paddle or classic shooter elements. And the newest game in the series introduces 2-D platform jumping to the mix!
Once Upon a Time in Red Dead Redemption
Posted on May 20th, 2010 by
In the vast expanse that is New Austin there’s a lot to do. Most of involves killing but hey, this is the wild west as seen through the lens of Sergio Leone. The Italian “Spaghetti” Westerns, starring Clint Eastwood, loom large over Rockstar’s latest playground and I couldn’t be happier about the result. They nailed it. From the man-of-few-words hero/villain that has a name (Marston) to the endless parade of classic and homage ridden sidequests. I haven’t delved far into the main quest but the desert and I have more than a passing acquaintance. It’s a dangerous place, not as lonely as it should be, but there’s something interesting around every corner. Thankfully, the pace, except for the main missions, is yours to make.
Alan Wake Part 2: Twin Peaks
Posted on May 19th, 2010 by
I’ve delved much further into Alan Wake and have to say the writing gets worse – not the “hey look at that thing you can plainly see” narration, but when you start collecting pages of Alan’s manuscript you quickly realize that Alan is not the Joyce Carol Oates or even the Stephen King kind of novelist – he’s sub-Dan Brown (DaVinci Code). Not good. Also, the story is telegraphed pretty obviously and I’m pretty sure how it will end. NO SPOILERS here though and I want to emphasize – the game is admirably well made. It’s also slavishly devoted to referencing another Pacific Northwest mind-f**k that admittedly most of its audience has likely never seen. The “began brilliantly but ended badly” cult TV series (I was a fan) TWIN PEAKS. more…
Alan Wake
Posted on May 18th, 2010 by
A good horror game knows how to balance darkness and light for effect, mood or even gameplay. I’ve never seen this concept executed better than in Alan Wake, a new Xbox 360 exclusive that hit stores today. Though I spent more time with another new game, Red Dead Remption today, Alan Wake made the bigger impression – which is not something I would have predicted before heading out to the store this morning.
Sam & Max Season 3: The Devil’s Playhouse: Episode 2: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak (PC, iPad, PS3)
Posted on May 18th, 2010 by
Sam & Max aren’t your regular police force…they’re the Freelance Police. Sam is a no-nonsense dog detective and his pal Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity thing. For more than 20 years they’ve been serving their brand of justice on the pages of underground comic books, on a Saturday morning cartoon, and in some popular computer adventure games. Now they’re ready for their third season of crazy madcap episodic point and click adventures! (PC version reviewed here)
Game Reviews: Armored Core: Last Raven Portable (PSP)
Posted on May 16th, 2010 by
Armored Core: Last Raven is a PlayStation 2 classic in the long-running robot mech battle series. Now you can play it on the go with the PSP via the PSN store. But does it hold up well on the portable handheld game system? Read on to find out.
Game Review: Chess Challenge (WiiWare, DSiWare)
Posted on May 14th, 2010 by
Chess Challenge is a downloadable game for WiiWare and DSiWare (WiiWare version reviewed here). As the title suggests, you can challenge computer players in Novice, Intermediate, and Expert skill levels. You can also play against another human player on the same Wii, but the biggest selling point is all the many ways you can play chess online.
Free Game! Photo Dojo (DSiWare)
Posted on May 13th, 2010 by
If you’ve ever wanted to be in a fighting game, now’s your chance! Photo Dojo for DSi lets you take pictures of yourself and friends in various fighting poses for use in a simplistic beat-em-up. Best of all, if you have a DSi and can connect wirelessly to the Internet, you can download Photo Dojo for free up until the beginning of June! After that it’ll go up to 200 points, but that’s still not a bad price to pay for one of the best uses of the DSi camera.
iFrogz EarPollution CS40Headphones
Posted on May 10th, 2010 by
People send me stuff. It happens. I have one simple rule because I don’t take advertising. If I LIKE what you send, I’ll mention it here. If I DON’T Like it, I won’t. That simple. Now, I normally don’t talk much about hardware but I have developed a habit of writing in an easy chair, legs crossed, with the laptop comfortably on my lap. I can do this because the kids are at school, the house is quiet, the dog is laying on top of the couch in a sunbeam – Snoopy style – and, if a nice day, the breeze is nice and breezy. Of course, its a long summer and there are these things called Weekends and during those times the kids are usually in and out, the TV is on, the Wii is on, the computer is on, etc., So what’s a habit formed GamerDad to do? Headphones, duh. iFrogz recently offered to send me a sample pair of their newest model and I figured: “Why not?” Luckily, this past Saturday, I had the perfect opportunity to test them out. Yes, my daughter and my son both had friends over and it was a crappy day. Me in my chair, them screaming, could I get any work done?
