Zen Pinball 2 - "South Park" (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

For many years, and through several seasons the cult television phenomenon "South Park" has appalled, stunned, and intrigued viewers of various ages, and moral standings. It has pushed the limits of common decency on occasion, but has continued to thrive on late night television as a beloved cartoon classic to many despite the controversy that surrounds it. Movies, merchandise, and even video games have spawned from the main series that started it all giving fans more options to enjoy the cast of characters who make the show so appealing. Who would have thought that some imaginative foul mouthed children from the rough side of town would have stirred up such a response, but thankfully they did as it has brought much needed laughter to our otherwise dreadful lives. Regardless of your take on the "South Park" series, and what it entails you will be glad to know that through their signature pinball table designs Zen Studios has brought the series to life in video game format yet again, but in a milder version that still stays true to the nature of the show's creative direction. Cartman, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and most of their wacky friends from South Park return in full-on glory as they spout mindless banter taken from various well known episodes. Their obscene, and often times laughable actions, and reactions litter the playing field making your high scoring efforts all the more entertaining. Trust when I say that this is one 'Zen Pinball 2' set not to miss out on!

SHORT PEACE (PSN/PS3)

Back in 2013 Grasshopper Manufacture, and Crispys! amongst other co-contributors took on an ambitious anime inspired project combining two highly popular forms of entertainment. One being that of anime, and the other being that of video games. In one part of the project there was a short length anime cartoon compilation that was something along the lines of "Robot Carnival", and "Heavy Metal". This five part anime collaboration titled "SHORT PEACE" pushed the limits of it's mature rating, and oozed with creativity while tying in a game separately from the actual anime collection. The game that accompanied the release of the film which was titled "Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day" also contained several anime sequences of it's own created by various well known anime artists along with heavily influenced Japanese gameplay directed by Suda 51 himself. In it's entirety "SHORT PEACE", which is now offered up in this all inclusive edition comes complete as an imaginative journey with pure Japanese influence not usually seen here in the states. As such you will find that despite the $39.99 digital only offerings it is a true gem in all regards. You'll find that Suda 51's "Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day" comes to brilliant life with his personal touch, and delivers a solid yet frantic experience that will have you exclaiming "WTF!?" in the most positive way imaginable. Even the "Short Peace" anime will have you at full attention as you see the imagination of Japanese directors unfold on your television screen. The fact that the anime, and the game finally come in one complete package definitely makes the purchase more worth it than it ever was before.

Natural Doctrine (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

I was truly baffled by this particular NISA release. It was about as simple in design as it gets in the area of story development, and gameplay. While the game did have it's slight visual perks in the way of art options, and in-game character design the lack of the usual NISA cutscenes really hurt the game's potential. The added fact that the gameplay was geared around long dull fights against a handful advantageous of enemies at a time also did the game a huge disservice. I will however say that the RPG mechanics were innovative enough to grab my attention, and for what it's worth they worked pretty darn well. I just wish that the character's were more fleshed out, and that their story was equally as so.

Arcana Heart 3 Love Max!!!!! (PS3/PS VITA)

Oddly enough this was my first time playing an 'Arcana Heart' game. I had often times thought about paying $29.99 for the former digital PSN release, but never did due to nature of the gamble I'd be taking. Forking over $30 dollars for a digital fighter can be sort of iffy, if you know what I mean? Regardless of my choice not to get the game at the time though I still thought that it looked interesting enough for a fighter. The fact that it featured an all girl roster comprised of the wackiest sort of anime characters definitely had my attention. The rarity of the game itself even intrigued me. It's not often that you get to see anime fighters such as the Arcana Heart series released here in the states, and when they are released they are few, and far between. I think that fact alone played a huge role in my seeking out of this latest re-release for review purposes. I was definitely curious to see how it stood up against modern fighting games, and was anxious to find out if it was a solid experience in regards to the genre. The gaming gods know I've seen my fair share of failed fighting game creations, and I was hoping that this would not follow that trend. Thankfully after giving it some time I think I've grown to like it quite a bit, quite a lot if I do say so myself!

Fairy Fencer F (PS3)

Abounding in compelling content, and vibrant with attention getting art "Fairy Fencer F" aims to draw the gamer in with a new story built upon old standards. Like 'Neptunia', and 'Mugen Souls' you will find that this latest JRPG has some elements slightly akin to those previously mentioned series. Along with the old does come the new though. This time around the main protagonists are bound by mystical relationships that harken back to an epic battle between a Goddess, and a Vile God. Ending the fight in a stalemate eons before the main protagonist came to fulfill his role both deities were left impaled by hundreds of furies (swords), and were imprisoned by each other's actions with only the fairies that were left behind to share their tale. Fencers who prove worthy to carry the furies are destined come to the aid of the imprisoned fairies contained within, and in doing so form a mutually binding relationship meant to free one of the two deities. Of course it goes with out saying that there is a wish to be granted as well once the said deity of choice is freed. In the end it is up to you, and those you choose as companions to release either one deity, or the other. Thus letting the world's fate be decided by those who added that spark to life in the first place.

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Ed. - "Hints & Tips"

For those of you just now jumping into Diablo 3's hellish adventure there are a few hints, and tips you might want to consider when facing off against the lesser, and greater evils of the burning hells, and the high heavens. The world of Sanctuary, as it is known in Diablo lore is a treasure trove of equipment, weapons, gold, and other items of value. While you can collect a lot of items on your epic journey into the maelstrom the amount you can carry with you, and can store away are limited. As such choosing what to keep, and what to do away with will take some educated management on your behalf. Aside from item management I'll also be disclosing details on how to score the most gold as well as which character is best for beginners. Keep in mind there's a lot that goes into a Diablo 3 playthrough, and that you can invest an exceptional amount of time experiencing all that the game has to offer. It's best to make the most of each, and every playthrough as your in-game rewards can be grand in scale should you choose to do so.

Zen Pinball 2 - "The Walking Dead" DLC (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

These days the zombie apocalypse, or thoughts of it seem to be on everyone's minds. It has spawned real concern of a worldwide zombie pandemic amongst the peoples of the world as well as given us American citizens some noteworthy entertainment opportunities. Amongst the more well known zombie related entertainment offerings the televised series "The Walking Dead", which has it's own brand of zombies (aka, Walkers), seems to reign supreme above all else these days. It's practically everywhere you turn. Bookstores, DVD retailers, and department stores are all selling, and promoting items related to the popular franchise. The television series itself has gained some serious notoriety since it's debut, and has in turn inspired everyone from toy makers to video game developers to give their own personal spin on the long running, and still unfinished television show. Not long ago TellTale Games, also dazzled the Walking Dead fanbase with an interactive novel style game that took in account a new cast of characters, and survival situations not shown in the original series. We got to fall in love with the characters that TellTale provided, and watch in horror as some of our favorites lost their lives in a truly grisly manner. Ultimately TellTale's story concluded with young Clementine being left without the father figure she had found with Lee leaving the gaming community shocked in disbelief. Like the series, the game of the same name was episodic in nature, and offered many twists regarding the surviving civilians of the world's populous. It is this aspect of storytelling, and provided plot material that Zen Studios has harnessed, and utilized in a pinball tribute that is not unlike TellTale Game's own creation ...

Zen Pinball 2: Guardians of the Galaxy (PS4/PS3/PS VITA)

Like many of Marvel's reinvented comic book series the "Guardians of the Galaxy" storyline was rebooted years after the original was printed, and was named after the origin story which debuted many years before it (1969). Taking heed of the comic book's, and the film's growing popularity Zen Studios chose a design that was ultimately centered around the 2008 "Guardians of the Galaxy" lore. At the core, the 2008 comic book reboot tied into the previous "Annihilation: Conflict" storyline, and included a newly comprised cast of  known villains, and superheroes which you'll also see, and recognize within the film as well as on the table itself.

On the flip side the movie which also seems to have given Zen Studio developers some inspiration took only a portion of the tale that was being told. It included characters that would more, or less capture the audience's attention as well as a portion of the story that was more action packed. While the character offerings are somewhat limited on Zen Studio's pinball table rendition of the movie's events the oddly paired heroes of the story that are included still hold their places as important pieces of the story being told. Characters on the table, and within the movie include "Star-Lord", "Drax the Destroyer", "Gamora", "Rocket Raccoon", "Groot", "Yondu and the Ravagers", "Nebula", and "Ronan the Accuser". As far as the story goes the tale being told incorporates the heroes' escape from Kyln prison, and their rise to fame as the fabled "Guardians of the Galaxy". As you can probably imagine the heroes face off against many foes, and perils as they try to make a name for themselves in one of Marvel's most unique settings.

Abyss Odyssey (PS3)

With a hint of Harry Potter, a sample of Soul Sacrifice, and a clip of Castlevania the development crew over at ACE Team weave a dream-like tale of a slumbering warlock, and those who would dare to oppose his ever-spawning nightmares. The tale which follows a Chilean lore begins with the underground trek of a dreamt of female warrior named 'Katrien", and follows her as she travels down into an Abyss where her creator lies in sorrowful slumber for the past choices he has made. Katrien, who was once the Warlock's love caught wind of is secretive lifestyle, and turned on him forcing him to silence her. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned, and for the sins that followed the nameless Warlock submitted himself to an eternal sleep in which he hoped to escape the forever torment of his unrelenting nightmares. Despite his efforts though the Warlock's nightmares continued to occur, and began manifesting themselves into reality. A part of him, which is Katrien aims to right the subconscious wrongs that are currently taking place. This is where you, the gamer steps in ...

One Piece Unlimited World Red (PS3)

Eiichiro Oda, and the development team at Bandai Namco once again grace the Playstation consoles with a tribute game designed around Eiichiro's fantastical world of pirates, and marines. Eiichiro's epic adventure known as "One Piece" boldly began in 1997 as a manga exclusive, later became an anime, and has since gained six seasons (over 600 episodes) worth of maritime lore surrounding the 'Straw Hat Pirates', and their quest for the ultimate treasure known as 'One Piece". With the addition of video games such as 'Unlimited World Red' making their debut on current generation consoles the 'One Piece' mythology continues to expand even further reaching an even broader audience than before. Staying faithful to the series, and expanding upon it Eiichiro Oda contributes to this latest One Piece game with additional plot based scenarios, and characters not yet seen in the anime series. You'll find high seas adventures in the form of a vastly constructed story mode, and a coliseum mode in which the "One Piece" battles mean everything. There are plenty of colorful characters to play as, and team up with as you take on the quests, face insurmountable odds in epic battles, and complete tasks that are asked of you. Much like 'Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker' you will be spending hours upon hours interacting with island residents, and expanding upon the island itself. There's lots to do, and plenty of fun to be had as you join Luffy, and his Straw Hat Pirate crew in their latest set of misadventures!

My Connection Is Not Sh*te, Get It Right pt.2

Some of you my have caught my Twitter talk about my connection last night, and saw that my connection failed the speed test miserably. This in itself puzzled me, because the in-game online connection stats on the games I play all reflect a perfect 4-5 bar connection depending on the game's standards. I got to thinking about the speed test this morning, and then it hit me. I had run the test on my wifi enable PC which was feeding off of the signal of my main PC which was hooked up to the Broadband DSL. On top of that the wifi enable PC that I tested, and frequently use has a low 512MB memory making it pretty darn slow by itself. Of course things started making more sense after that. To ensure that it was not my connection that was the issue, and that my connection was not sh*te I decided to run the speed test on my main PC.

A Comprehensive Review - BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (PS3 / PS VITA)

In the world of fighting games you'll find that not all games are created equal. You have your easy to play, and understand fighters such as that of the "Street Fighter" series, and then you have the more elaborate fighters such as "BlazBlue", and "Marvel vs Capcom" which demand so much more from the player. While BlazBlue, in general utilizes the same core practices as that of 'Street Fighter', or "King of the Fighters" including things like special button inputs to release certain attacks, and combo oriented fighting it still stands apart from the rest of the fighting game genre's offerings by making the applied mechanics more meticulous in nature.

Additions such as BlazBlue's exclusive 'OverDrive', 'Astral Heat', and 'Break Bursts' greatly alter the gameplay at hand. In doing so it demands dedicated attention from the player in order for that said player to come out victorious amongst the top tier players that make up it's faithful online community. Another huge thing that sets Arc System Works latest fighting franchise apart from the rest is the massive amount of content that comes with every game. A fully fleshed out 'Story Mode' with it's own in-depth character mythology as well as intricately laid out character specific interactions are among the many features that make the setting, and it's inhabitants all the more realistic, and relative.

Zen Pinball 2: Deadpool (PS3, PS4, PS VITA)

Since February of 1991, in the pages of "New Mutants #98" Deadpool (aka, Wade Winston Wilson) has been making guest appearances, and solo debuts within the Marvel Comics universe, video games, and even movies. This fan favorite anti-hero which has made himself known through his many superhero, and super villain encounters carries with him a signature brand of slapstick humor, killer martial arts skills, and some complimentary super powers. His gained powers, or abilities which were gifted unto him during the Weapon-X program include, but are not limited to regeneration, resistance to telepathic powers, immunity to toxins, and extremely slow aging. His scarred appearance which was revealed through the comic books, and X-Men movies came about as a result of the adverse effects that the Weapon-X regeneration capabilities brought along with it. Before undergoing a surgery slightly similar to that of Wolverine's, Deadpool's cancer overtook his body, and scarred it in the process severely disfiguring him. That is why he is always shown wearing his signature mask, and full body costume.

As far as battles go Deadpool has seen his fair share of fights both onscreen, and offscreen. The Hulk, Daredevil, Cable, and Wolverine are amongst the unlucky ones to have encountered this lunatic assassin, and lived to have told their tale. At one point in his timeline Deadpool had his head bashed in by the Hulk, and was even decapitated by Wolverine. Even with these mortal wounds though he was able to regenerate, and continue doing what he does best. In the early years of Deadpool's comic book history you'll find that he was more of a serious character with a bit of psychosis, and didn't develop his unique brand of humor until later on. It is this latter iteration of the anti-hero known as Deadpool that you'll find in Zen Studio's kid friendly 'Deadpool' Pinball table. Even with the "E" rating though you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that Deadpool works his way around the rating system quite nicely, and that in doing so his sarcastic charm never fades as the pinball bings around the table hitting the intended targets triggering his wacky actions, and reactions as it does so.

Battle Princess of Arcadias (PS3)

Complicated, and demanding are two adjectives that immediately come to mind when I think of "Battle Princess of Arcadias". The game which is a blend of strategy, and action starts off smoothly with the usual character, and plot introductions then quickly escalates in complexity with the introduction of an overbearing battle system. It is this battle system, and the applied character/unit leveling that more often than not will leave the player ill-prepared for the sieges, and skirmishes ahead. Before I jump the gun with gameplay explanations let me explain the story behind the fairy tale title ...

At the start of "Battle Princess of Arcadias" we find Princess Plume (who looks a lot like the princess from "Child of Light"), the proclaimed "Battle Princess" tending to the fallen princess brigade members who each have been fatally wounded by a dragon that looks as if it were ripped straight from Pokemon lore. Despite the overwhelming odds Princess Plume stands her ground against the beast, and scares it away for the time being. Unfortunately even after the gained momentary victory the remaining fallen soldier that the Princess had aimed to save prior to the epic fight dies leaving a final request that a man by the name, "Raltz" should take his place as her protector. Soon afterwards the transformed goose king, and other whimsical characters come into the picture adding depth, and variation to the ever-growing story. The story, as it were is one of betrayal, medieval espionage, and outright conquering. Some of the characters involved play a behind-the-scenes role while others are main players within the game's story, and battles. Additional elements such as NISA's signature naughty humor, and fun loving RPG antics are all thrown in the mix as well as a part of the game's core experience. While the Princess is brave enough to face the threats ahead you will find it will take some morale boosting as well as proper recruiting, and equipping to take on the more challenging confrontations that are in store for the kingdom of "Schwert".

A Solution to the Escalating "USFIV" Problem ...

Capcom, this is a letter that is wholly directed at you. Whether you want to acknowledge it, or not your latest "Ultra Street Fighter IV" upgrade is being thoroughly exploited by hackers. There's more than likely bootleg copies going around as well as modded copies with built in cheats. Extreme lagswitching is also a growing issue in the online lobbies of the game. Not only that, but Sony's unwillingness to deal with the hacker threat on their own turf further poses problems for you, and your fighting game franchises. Trust me when I say that if this hacking trend is allowed to continue no legit gamer will be buying your games. They will eventually realize that it would be a waste of money to pay for the new experience even at a discounted price. All is not hopeless just yet though. As the title of this article suggest I do have a plan to beat hackers at their own game, and no hacking is involved.

Ultra Street Fighter IV (PS3)

By now many of you have likely seen me ranting & raving on Twitter about this particular fighting game upgrade. While I have had some issues with the offline of "Ultra Street Fighter IV" the core of my complaints revolve around the online experience. With the freshness of a new fighter, and the growing popularity of the fighting game genre amongst the hacking community it has made for a mostly unpleasant encounter online. I get that that most people doubt my fighting game credibility, and that they believe most of my opinions aren't justified, but what I have to say has a solid grounding in reality. Not only do I know the online state of the PS3, and what goes on when it comes to hacking incidents due to prior personal encounters with hackers, but I also know fighting games. Believe it, or not I've spent a majority of my years as a gamer playing fighting games. It's the one genre besides RPGs that really captured my attention, and held it. I have personally played at least a dozen fighters in my time if not more, and have spent quality time learning each one. One fighter amongst all those titles though will always have a special place in my gaming history, and that game series/franchise is "Street Fighter".

USFIV Hackers: "Fact or Fiction?"

It bothers me when people do not take me for my word about Street Fighter hackers. There have been hackers, and lagswitchers in the game since the vanilla SF4. In fact I remember having to call up Sony personally to report a hack when I had my first PS3 (before the infamous hacking incident). The player who had hacked the match I was in in SF4, took total control of my PS3, and forced me to spectate a mirror match in which I had no control of my Vega. The real sh*t kicker was that he had even changed the color of my Vega's outfit before making me spectate the match. Needless to say hacks, and hackers do exist in fighting games such as that of the SF4 series whether you want to stay ignorant about it, or not. Today while playing some USFIV (Ultra Street Fighter IV) I noticed something odd pointing to the presence of such hackers in the ranked lobby I was trying to join. I'm here today to share some photos that I took of the lobby to let you decide whether, or not hacking was involved. As for me I personally think the coincidence definitely points to hacking. That is me though.

Drakengard 3 (PS3)

In the beginning of this Hack 'n Slash JRPG prequel by Square Enix we find a fantastical land divided by chaos, and a populous overburdened with the conflicts of war. It isn't until the five divine female Intoners (songstresses) descend from the heavens, and calm the warring civilians with their song that true peace is finally realized. Unfortunately for the five Intoners, and their newly devoted worldly followers a sixth Intoner by the name of "Zero" arrives abruptly on the scene shortly thereafter ready to kill her fellow Intoner sisters, and rule the world as she sees fit. It is Zero's story that is being told for the duration of the game, and it is through her actions, and reactions that we slowly come to understand why it is she is doing what she's doing. The bloody revenge plot that ensues is filled with a Tarantino style kill frenzy, 'Devil May Cry' combat mechanics, and a comedic nature that takes in account over-the-top sexual innuendo as well as some mature trash talk not meant for younger ears. Zero, her faithful dragons, and her soon to be disciples will ultimately delve deep into a callous, and emotional story of pure bloodshed coating themselves with the crimson stain of those who would dare stand in their way.

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3)

Whether we want to acknowledge it, or not the world of gaming was built upon a gender biased foundation. Game developers either exploit the human anatomy in order to make characters such as that of females more appealing to a male audience, or take a purely girly approach not taking in account the fact that female gamers would love to see a strong willed female protagonist. There's even the fact that there are gamers who are gay who would be willing to support games more if only their own gender preference was deemed as important as everyone else's. I think in a haphazard sort of way Aksys Game's/Ideal Factory's "Hakuoki" series actually goes out of their way to provide such an outlet for both the female audience, and gay gamers alike. With a shojo artistic style, and a story geared towards giving the feminine characters an empowering voice the game sheds a unique light on the samurai era. One that's unlike any other. Not only does it contain plenty of historically true elements in it's fictitious storyline, but the game also includes a romantic nature with some reverse harem activity for the gamers who are into that sort of thing. While it is geared more towards a female, or gay audience you might find as I did that it's enjoyable regardless of it's feminine appeal.

Mugen Souls Z (PS3)

Spanning across multiple universes, and multiple world groupings NISA/Compile Heart aims to continue their wacky series about female gods, demon lords and their quests to rule the multiverse. Having won over the "Seven Shining Worlds" in the last battle against Belleria, the undisputed god of the universe 'Lady Chou-Chou' sets her eyes on an even bigger prize. This prize just so happens to be 12 other worlds ruled by demon lords. During her trek across space with her peons, Belleria, and her hero partner Ryuto, Lady Chou-Chou runs into a once slumbering goddess with a huge rack as well as a recently acknowledged female hero named 'Nao'. Through some interesting events, and a ton of dialogue the unusual group finds themselves in dire need of each other's help. The once powerful, and undisputed goddess Lady Chou-Chou is turned mini-sized compliments of a mishap with Syrma's (The Slumbering Ultimate God) special coffin. The coffin which is meant to recombine the Ultimate Gods into a single form unfortunately drains the power from Lady Chou-Chou, and forces her to side with those she initially wanted to conquer. Thus is the story so far ...