Black Knight Sword (XBLA): "SUDA 51's Masterful Fairy Tale"

When it comes to vivid, and disturbing video games no one quite does it like SUDA 51. In the past this master of the macabre has given us such titles as the strange yet intriguing "Shadows of the Damned". I never in my life fathomed that this game developer would contribute to the XBLA library though. The fact that he did proves that he is out to impress the world with his talents, and in my honest opinion I think "Black Knight Sword" does exactly that. I spent hours sitting in front of the television mesmerized by the oddities, and WTF!? moments that populated the screen. Looking back I think I will definitely have a difficult time putting into words what I witnessed during my playthrough, but I will give it my best shot.

Bang Bang Racing (XBLA): "A Flashy Arcade Racing Game"

There are only a handful of XBLA game developers out there that really grab, and hold my attention with what they release. Digital Reality just so happens to be one of those said developers. While I've actually only played, and reviewed two of there titles (Skydrift & Sine Mora) those two games were so impressive that I ended up recommending them to my readers. When I caught word of "Bang Bang Racing", their latest XBLA title I hoped that the trend of excellence would continue. What I ended up finding was a flashy arcade racer that didn't play as well as I'd hoped. There were some elements that just didn't seem to work in the game's favor, and as a result kept me from enjoying the game to it's fullest. As I give the details of the game in my review I will try my best to explain what I mean, so sit back, relax, and prepare for the truth as told by yours truly ...

Blog Update June 8, 2012

I know you guys, and gals are probably wondering why my production of reviews has slowed down to a crawl. The easiest way to put it is that I'm currently caught up in reviewers limbo. I'm not only juggling two blogs now, but I'm also "patiently" awaiting a review code, and retail game. Some of you have probably seen me tweet about reviewing the new XBLA game "Bang Bang Racing". The delay behind that is due to Digital Reality's, and the PR's involvement in the E3 event. Hopefully I'll receive my copy soon though. In a slightly more depressing turn of events 7Sixty, the developers behind the upcoming "Phantom Breaker" fighting game have pushed back the release date yet again. Last time I checked Gamestop had the release date set as 8/1/2012. I'm not sure what's up with the game, but obviously something significant is going on to keep causing delays. I know from previous chats with the PR that they were making sure all of the bugs were fixed before the release. I honestly don't think there could be that many more bugs to fix, and that the developer/publisher is likely waiting for more pre-orders of the game. That of course is my opinion though. That's my update for now. I will strive to bring you more coverage of all things related to Xbox in the days, weeks, and months to come. Until next time feel free to browse my blog for any reviews that peak your interest!

- Brad (OtakuDante) -

Sine Mora (XBLA) Contest Winner!!!

I won't lie. I was a bit disappointed by how many of my readers chose to enter this contest. I thought the contest was a brilliant idea. With that being said I'm still thankful for those who chose to enter. The prize was pretty awesome this time around. As I mentioned in the original contest article the winner of the contest would get a code for the truly amazing shmup titled 'Sine Mora' (9.0 ign). The developer (Digital Reality) sponsored this very cool contest, and gave me the code to giveaway. My thanks goes to 'Digital Reality' for allowing me to do this contest. Not every developer out there is kind enough to do so. Now it's time to get down to business. I had only 6 official entries in the contest, and only one won the code ...

Sine Mora (XBLA): "Code Contest FTW!!! (CLOSED)"

I have to honestly say that there has been in an increase in the amount of good game releases this year. I have got to review some pretty cool games so far, and there are definitely more on the way ...  Recently I was allowed (by Digital Reality & Grasshopper Manufacture) to review an extremely impressive shmup (shoot 'em up) called 'Sine Mora'. It offered the gamer a detailed story like I have never seen in an XBLA game. It also featured some breathtaking visuals, a soundtrack from Akira Yamaoka, and even boss designs by Mahira Maeda. It included all the things that make a game memorable, and all the things that make a game fun/challenging to play. After talking it over with Digital Reality's PR representative I was able to secure an extra code to this amazing game, and the first thing I thought of was how can I make this into a contest for my readers? In the past my contests/giveaways have been very easy. I didn't want that to be the case with this contest though. I wanted to be able to give it to someone who would truly appreciate it, someone who was willing to go the extra mile just to get the code. I'm glad to say I've found a way to do just that, and the following paragraph/s will give you details on how you can enter this extremely cool contest.

Sine Mora (XBLA): "A Masterful Tale of Genocide & Revenge Told Through Shmup Style Gameplay"

Sometimes I really get excited for a game, and will send my request in early for it. As a reviewer I realize that the demand for review codes is rising as more sites are created around games from the Xbox LIVE marketplace. I jumped at the chance to send in my request the moment I watched the first trailer of 'Sine Mora'. As time passed by I kept a close watch for details about the game, because I knew this game was going to be something special. In one of the articles I read about 'Sine Mora' prior to the game's release I found out that two very awesome, and talented artists would be contributing to the game. The game's musical score was created by the extremely talented 'Akira Yamaoka (Shadows of the Damned & Silent Hill series). I also found out that the boss battles within the game were created by an equally talented anime artist, 'Mahiro Maeda (Final Fantasy Unlimited, The Animatrix sequence "The Second Renaissance Parts I & II", and the animated sequence from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol.1"). Sine Mora's story unfolds in a grand fashion that is beyond what most shmups try to express. I would say that it even exceeds most of it's competition within the shmup (shoot'em up) genre.

SkyDrift (XBLA): "Aerial Arcade Combat Racing"

SkyDrift is the second XBLA game that I have requested for review. It was recently released on the Xbox Live Marketplace by Digital Reality, the developer of the game. I'm actually familiar with racing games of all types, and have enjoyed playing many different types in my gaming career. If you've ever played games like 'F-Zero GX (GameCube)', or 'Mario Kart (SNES, GameCube, Wii)' then you'll understand what this game is all about. Aside from the similarities of the previously mentioned titles, this game is unique in that it uses combat planes as the racing vehicles. The game features a campaign, and multiplayer mode with a wide variety of tracks/areas to race in. This high speed aerial combat racer also features various types of gameplay that includes speed runs, and power races with the option of difficulty settings. The maps/tracks in the game are detailed with impressive graphics, and accented with a rocking soundtrack. It's included achievements, and badges add some goals into the mix. It's definitely a racing game that I have enjoyed playing.