The Bridge (XBLA)

Puzzles exist in all kinds of forms in the gaming world. You'll find puzzle oriented games like Tetris, and even games such as RPGs that incorporate puzzle solving as a means to further move along a story. Things like 'Resident Evil', and 'The Legend of Zelda' come to mind. While those are all good examples of what puzzle solving can do to benefit a game I think Ty Taylor's vision takes that genre one step beyond. In "The Bridge" you'll find a protagonist that is a lot like Sir Isaac Newton. His mind is constantly busy solving riddles, and puzzles even in his dreams. Like Sir Isaac's classic tale about discovering gravity this particular game opens up with the main man resting under a tree as an apple abruptly knocks him on top of the head. Upon awaking (or not) this man of vision is plummeted head first into a surreal world filled with labyrinthine puzzles that would rack even the most intelligent mind to the point of breaking. Not only is he trapped in this M.C. Escher-inspired nightmare, but there's also a menace pursuing him as well as locked doors preventing his escape.

Double Dragon Neon (XBLA): "The 80's Reborn"

The 80's were a magical time in history when the entertainment industry was at it's best, and most original. There were all sorts of awesome movies being released, the music was arguably the coolest, and video games were truly awe-inspiring. I grew up in the 80's myself, and was able to partake of the greatness that it had offered. Those who were as lucky as me will often tell you that they miss such days, because everything seemed so much simpler. As a gamer I spent most of my spare time in the 80's playing on my family's NES with my brothers. We played what seemed like hundreds of games, and never grew tired of doing so. We would revisit some games on a constant basis while certain others we would just conquer, and move on. One game we often revisited was "Double Dragon". I remember getting in fights with my brothers over the game, but looking back we did have our fun moments as well. It's memories like these that I cherish so dearly. Being able to do a review on the latest installment of the 'Double Dragon' series gave me a trip of nostalgia that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Download The "Double Dragon: Neon" Official Soundtrack For Free!!!

Most of you who now know me understand what sort of a music fanatic I am. I love all kinds of music, and listen to songs on a frequent basis. If you were allowed to hang with me at my place you'd likely hear an odd mixture of music ranging from classical music such as that Beethoven provides to more hardcore German Industrial bands that are anything but kid friendly. Aside from my vast, and unsual taste in music genres you'll also find that I also enjoy gaming soundtracks as well. In my collection I have a 4-Disc KOF compilation, "The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings" soundtrack, and the "Dark Souls" Artbook + Soundtrack combo. Video game music is quite frankly one of the best genres that one can find in the world. Some game soundtracks include epic symphonies befitting of royalty while others have a more hardcore sound. Video games arouse such a wide spectrum of emotions that all sort of music genres can be applied to them.

Without beating around the bush too much longer though, I'm here to let you (my readers) know about the "Double Dragon: Neon" soundtrack that is currently available for download at no cost. You heard me right. The soundtrack is free, and can be downloaded via a website which Ben has provided. If you are into 80's tunes, and want to partake of this one of a kind hand out then simply click on the link/s included in the following email.

BloodRayne: Betrayal (XBLA): "A Game That Will Have You Seeing Red"

Majesco recently released their third installment of the BloodRayne video game series on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This newest game titled 'BloodRayne: Betrayal' is different from the 3D styled games you may have played previously. Majesco's decision to make the game into a 2D platformer definitely appealed to me. I love 2D platformers, and the cel-shaded anime style they chose to go with caught my undivided attention. As far as the story goes, I'm not quite sure if this is a continuation or not since I have never had the opportunity to play the other games in the series. It did seem like there were some story elements that suggested that the plot was connected though. If you've played BloodRayne, or BloodRayne 2 then you'll likely be familiar with what is going on despite the change to 2D gameplay.