December 2009
11 posts
Ben There, Dan That! - First Impressions →
Let me describe a scene from this game. Two buddies are pulled into an alternate dimension, where zombies have swept through the world. They find an empty church, and below the altar is a hidden stairway. It leads to a room with a priest, who has just slaughtered hordes of the living dead, making him kind of bad-ass. But, he couldn’t bring himself to destroy his zombie son, so he chained...
Shadowgrounds: Judgment →
Ever had a box of snack food in your hand, and kept eating it despite the fact you knew it wasn’t good for you? Despite the fact it wasn’t as delicious as you hoped, but just tasty enough to reach in and grab another handful? That’s Shadowgrounds in a nutshell: snack food.
Holiday Game Binge 2009
Like a fat cow at the feed store, I stocked up during sales at Gamestop and on Steam. Seriously, four classic LucasArts titles for $2.99 is damn ridiculous. Other games entered the household by other means: Santa got some games for the kids, I won a game at the company Christmas party, etc. etc. Crikey. What a list.
N+ (DS)
Torchlight (PC)
Shadowgrounds (PC)
Windosill (PC)
Ben There, Dan...
Shadowgrounds: First Impressions →
I am playing through Shadowgrounds at the moment, a top-down action game with light adventure and RPG elements. I do mean “light”: there are keys and locks (Adventure!) and weapons to upgrade (RPG!). It also has a “light” mechanic where your flashlight scares scuttling bug aliens, but it only comes into play at the beginning of the game. After that, it’s basic...
Gamasutra's Games of the Decade: Honorable... →
It’s me again, writing about Resident Evil 4. Down at the bottom. Don’t be too impressed: an ability to cogently summarize a game was the only real requirement. I did somehow work a personal angle into it, though. Seems to be my “thing” when writing about games.
One more game for 2010: 3D Dot Game Heroes →
Add it to the list. Also, add a PS3 to the cart! One with PS2 emulation, por favor, so I (and my spawn) can enjoy Odin’s Sphere and Okami in HD resolution!
Gaming Slate 2010
There is an uplifting swell of indie games, emerging from every crack and space on the internet, but the problem is you can’t look forward to them… it’s just… there they are. Oh! I guess I’ll play it?
No, the only games I list are ones I can make appointments for. And for now, the list is short:
Bayonetta (Jan 5) - The demo and early review scores indicate this...
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii) →
I randomly noticed this game today. I really like the creative direction. I’ll try to fit it in, but with the the AAA releases on deck, it probably won’t happen for a while!
“After decades of constant war and fighting, the world has finally come to a lasting peace. But with war being an integral part of their lives for so long, the citizens of the world are having trouble...
Reasons why it’s worth to be a PC Gamer in 2009 →
Holy crap. Talk about laying out a multi-ethnic, five-star buffet for a famished gamer. My mouth dried out from hanging open as I realized how broad and vivid this list is.
Brink and SMART environment interaction →
Brink is a team-based FPS due in 2010. This specific video demonstrates the basics of their “SMART” environment interaction system, which maps player intention to avatar action. For example, you can slide under or vault over the same object depending on where you are looking.
Developers are generally scared of one-button solutions, because they love to come up with edge cases that...
Games Workshop fits nicely in the slot marked... →
Here’s the thing with my people (geeks and nerds): a lot of them live in worlds defined by fantasy tropes, worlds that their pastimes literally revolve around. And the biggest “hook” of fantasy is a clearly defined good and evil. So: imagine you’re a company that serves this market. What do you think happens when you curb-stomp fans who keep your out-of-print material...