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 ...

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.

Dead Block (XBLA): "A Rock & Roll Zombie Survival Game"

Many of the gamers I've grown up with, and have made friends with have enjoyed some type of zombie game. My own obsession started with the old horror movies from back in the day, and was later rekindled by the introduction of the Resident Evil series. From that point on I have enjoyed many zombie games on many different consoles. Nowadays you can find the inclusion of zombies in about every form of media there is. On July 6, 2011 Digital Reality Ltd., and Candygun Games released a Zombie game that brought back that wholesome zombie goodness that had sparked my interest as a young lad. Their game which is titled 'Dead Block' takes old and new zombie survival elements and combines it to make a video game creation that pays tribute to to all that is zombie. I was extremely excited when they told me I was going to be able to do a review on the full game. Once I got the code from them I didn't hesitate to get started.