Showing posts with label ps3 games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ps3 games. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

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

Working in collaboration with the development team at Valve, Zen Studios has designed a pinball table that is more or less a tribute to the events that occurred in "Portal 2". For those of you who are unaware of the events that happened in said plot you'll find that the main protagonist, 'Chell' (a female Aperture Science Lab employee) awoke from a deeply induced sleep only to find Aperture labs abandoned, and in disrepair. Realizing that Chell was now awake the resident A.I., 'GLaDOS' ran Chell through the virtual ringer like a lab rat in order to test her logic skills. In order to escape, and make it to the surface Chell had to solve a series of mind bending puzzles using a portal gun which functioned as it's name suggests. The portal gun effectively opened up portals of a blue, and orange color allowing entry, and exit points through walls and other structures. With this tool Chell was ultimately able to trip switches, and guide lasers to activate once useless mechanisms as well as pass through said portals herself. In the midst of her trials Chell also met a seemingly friendly A.I. bot known as Wheatley who intervened trying to help her through the massive maze by giving her hints, and assisting her with some problem solving. Eventually though Wheatley became an opposing force himself, and posed threat alongside GLaDOS. Chell eventually made it to the surface only to find herself in a vast desert-like environment with only a companion cube to accompany her. Thus ending the sequel to the stellar first game.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Shovel Knight (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)



Imagine, if you will a game that takes everything that was great in the 8-Bit glory days including the chiptune music, the 8-Bit 2D graphics, and the puzzle platforming greatness from a few well known series. Put it all together in a virtual rock tumbler, and out pours "Shovel Knight". This game, which obviously takes tribute material from games like 'Castlevania', 'Mega Man', The Legend of Zelda II: A Link to the Past', and 'Super Mario Bros. 3' presents it's gameplay in an innovative yet comparative new way. You'll find in place a map not unlike the one in 'Super Mario Bros. 3', towns with vendors like those found in 'Legend of Zelda II', and platforming level designs that are a mixture of the 'Castlevania' series, and the 'Mega Man' series combined. Outside of all of those similarities lies a simple yet engaging story that features a protagonist known simply as, "Shovel Knight'. After an adventuring mishap with his female companion, 'Shield Knight' this treasure hunter of sorts finds himself at a crossroads of choices that is abruptly interrupted by the invasion of an Enchantress, and her knights of the "Order of no quarter". Once again, as the hero of his own tale the valiant knight takes up his trusty shovel, and sets out on an adventure of a lifetime in order to find out what happened to his partner while dealing with the threat of his newly found adversaries.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late (PS3)



Out of Japan's arcades, and onto the PS3 home console French-Bread's spiritual successor to "Melty Blood' aims to capture both the casual, and hardcore gaming community with it's easy to pick up, but hard to master build. At the heart of it is a story about a once a month event known as the "Hollow Night" in which 'Voids (creatures who feast upon EXS/Existence)', and 'In-Births (Individuals who have become infected during an encounter with a Void)' battle throughout the night in order to sway the balance of order, and chaos. There are a handful of different rival factions, and lone individuals who end up getting caught in the fray. Each of them must fight their way through a kill, or be killed tournament the likes of which could change the outcome of life (or the lack thereof) as they know it. You'll find the order of the Night Blade, Licht Kreis, Third Reich, and a few others are amongst those who find themselves drawn to fight in the bloody battle. Each faction of course has their own views on the situation, and intend on going about things as they see fit. In total there are 16 hard hitting fighters who each sport their own weapons, and unique fighting styles. Whoever comes out on top at the end of the ten man/woman tournament will go home the victor only to await the next Hollow Night, and it's many unusual encounters.

Monday, December 8, 2014

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

Zen Studios could have gone so many different routes with the design of this table, but in the end they chose the table itself to feature locales from the venom symbiote lore as it's core playing elements, and placed the main character role players in said settings. I had honestly expected something more venom-like in it's stead, perhaps with a black & white theme, but it just did not end up that way. Aside from my disappointment though I think Zen Studios did a stand up job in relaying the comic book stories associated with Venom, and all the other symbiotic spin-offs. Even Spider-man got his debut appearance on the table. For those of you who don't know of Venom's origin story it began with a man named Eddie Brock, and his chance encounter with an alien symbiote that had ultimately adhered to him in a parasitic fashion. Having had prior issues with Peter Parker (aka, Spider-man) Eddie Brock, and his now split symbiotic personality sought to destroy the web slinging superhero, and rid himself of the threat. Of course later on, and through many comic book issues, and series the alien symbiote chose to take on different hosts with different physical results, and even spawned some offspring of it's own at one point. While this latest table does touch base on a lot of the Venom tales, and tie-ins it still does not include it all. One could understand that though, because of the ridiculous amount of content that the table would have to include to be "All Inclusive".

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Blood of the Werewolf - "Impressions" (PS3)

I hate to do this to you readers, but I'm going to have to go the "impressions" route with this game. Not only does it look as if Sony implemented the timed trial review codes that I mentioned earlier but I will not be repeating the second stage one thousand times to see what's beyond it, nor will I ever be able to complete the game far past that stage in the timed limit. The fact is that there's a point when a developer's game design pushes the limits of difficulty decency. Making the game difficult just for the sake of making it difficult is not the way to go, period. Unfortunately that's exactly what the developer, "Scientifically Proven" chose to do in "Blood of the Werewolf". A lot of the level design within the game, and the accompanying character mechanics conflicted so much that it made the playthrough truly unbearable for me. Difficulty in that respect was geared solely towards a precisely performed playthrough that gave the player only one viable course of action that was damn near impossible to achieve a majority of the time ...

Saturday, September 27, 2014

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.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

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 ...

Saturday, June 28, 2014

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.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

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".

Sunday, June 8, 2014

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".

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

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.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Zen Pinball 2 / Star Wars Pinball - Heroes Within (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

Zen Studios continues to release the greatest arcade pinball games to this day. The tables always look stellar, and virtually feel smoother than any other pinball experience outside of them. In the latest pinball set we are given the opportunity to nab with our hard earned money some of the best Star Wars themed pinball tables yet. Just when I thought Zen Studios could not outdo what they've already done they go, and prove me wrong again. This latest set known as 'Star Wars Pinball - Heroes Within" contains four distinctly new tables that each take on some fan favorite subjects. You have a table dedicated to the rough, and tough Han Solo. you have a table dedicated to the Jedi Masters, and Sith Lords. You have a table designed after everyone's favorite droids, and you even have a table themed after the fourth episode in the original Star Wars Trilogy. Each table comes jam packed with intricate detail designs, 3D interactive objects/models, a ton of on-table mini-games as well as plenty of scoring opportunities. It's truly Star Wars pinball at it's finest!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (PS3)

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.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Zen Pinball 2 - "Super League Football" (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

Over the years Zen Studios has done good to bring to us gamers a wide selection of quality pinball tables ranging from wholly unique designs to comic book themed experiences, video game oriented adventures, and even tribute tables based on classic movies. Each of these offered tables have carried with them Zen Studios' signature arcade style of design filled with super cool special effects, awesome audio soundtracks based on applied content, and an overall engaging experience that has drawn in the players time after time. In this latest 'Zen Pinball 2' debut you'll find that the team over at Zen studios has decided to tackle sports in a grand fashion not unlike their past releases. While soccer may not be that popular to some people out there there's no denying that it is a widely recognized sport that has taken many countries by storm. Europe, and the surrounding countries in particular have grown fond of it, and have spawned teams who have competed in such prestigious events as that of the Olympics. Let us not forget those in the United States, and other Spanish speaking countries who also take the sport seriously.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Contrast (PSN)

Compulsion Games, and Focus Home interactive take us on a video game journey so deeply involved that it's many layers reflect the Einstein theory that the gameplay is based upon. Like Einstein's theory of the multiverse the heart of the story at hand which involves a little girl, and her parents' dwindling relationship is explored in many different yet similar ways. Didi, the game's main protagonist, and her shadow traveling circus friend named Dawn traverse the worlds between light, and shadow in order to make sense of their broken reality, and ultimately make peace within Didi's broken psyche. In a way Didi's story borders both on psychological interpretation similar to the offerings in American McGee's "Alice: Madness Returns" as well as the metaphyiscal theories of other dimensions past our own, like an eerie episode of "The Twilight Zone". As you travel with Didi, and Dawn you'll unlock the secrets behind Didi, and her family as well as gain a peek into their world behind this fantasy of sorts. Through Didi's shared dialogue, and her interactions with the shadowy figures found within her fractured fairytale will ultimately become fully merged in a way that all can understand, if they only take the time to look beyond it's facade.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS3)

If you know me then you'll know that each year I swear up, and down I will not be getting another CoD (Call of Duty) game. You'll also know that I usually don't make good on my word, and that I end up getting the game anyways. In all honesty part of me loves the arcade style FPS experience that CoD has to offer, and the other part of me loathes it's repetitive bad points. Playing a game that requires one to camp instead of "run & gun" in order to stay on top of things doesn't exactly make for a fun experience. Unfortunately over the years, and through several releases this is what CoD has evolved into, a camping, and sniping competitive multiplayer battle that caters to the worst of online participants.

I could complain all day about CoD's long list of faults, but we all know about Infinity Ward's, and Treyarch's stance on the whole thing as well as the poor efforts they apply to making each release an enjoyable one. I also know that you've probably heard everyone share their concerns about the game via the social sites. Opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one. Even so I'm here today to let you know what I think about the whole thing, my two cents worth as it were. I'm going in unbiased, and will try to explain everything in a thorough, and professional manner, so that you can better understand what you're getting into if you have not already bought the game. Without further ado let us get into this ghastly review of the arcade shooter known as "GHOSTS"!!! ...

Monday, October 7, 2013

Battlefield 4 Open Beta (PS3) - "First Impressions"

I fully realize that this game is still in the "Open Beta" state, and that changes are likely coming in the days leading up to the game's release date. Even so what I have experienced while playing the Open Beta leads me to believe that many more patches will have to be put into place following the game's official release in order for it to even be a near flawless experience. As far as complaints go I'm finding a lot of glitches pertaining to the use of the knife as well as the sensitivity of the knifing effect. Other gripes include the poorly rendered map (Siege of Shanghai), and the less than current-gen look of the game as a whole. I know that some of you will disagree about the graphics, but in all honesty the game's visual points are basically glamorized current-gen lighting, and reflection applications. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Diablo III (PS3): "A New Playthrough"

When it comes to starting a new playthrough in 'Diablo III' there are some things I feel you should know. The first thing is that whether you choose to continue your adventure with the character you just beat the game with, or choose to go with a new character there will be some things brought over into the new playthrough that will definitely be helpful to you. For example, If you choose to continue with your previous character things like your earned gold, your blacksmith/jeweler mastery, and even your chest full of collected equipment will carry over into your next playthrough. The catch though is that if you choose to go with the character you did your first playthrough with you will have the option to go into the game with the next difficulty setting in place (Normal, Nightmare, Hell, Inferno). If you choose the latter option, and go with a completely new character you'll still be blessed with all the same perks (gold, blacksmith/jeweler mastery, equipment), but will do so in the initial difficulty setting.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Dragon's Crown (PS3/PSN)

The skies opened up, angelic voices sang, and the gods and goddesses of old bestowed there blessings upon me the day that I received the code for the upcoming release of "Dragon's Crown"! Just kidding, but even so it was a blessed event to me. I've been longing to get my hands on this game for what seems to be an eternity, and to be lucky enough to get early access to it was a privilege indeed. Both myself, and the staff at Atlus have been dropping hints for the past two months (or so) about how cool of an experience it was going to be. The fact that the pre-order bonus comes with a most excellent artbook is alone a testament to the effort Atlus has poured into the marketing/creation of this game. Keep in mind that Atlus, and Vanillaware titles are few, and far between so getting them while you can is definitely a wise decision. Most of you out there will know that Atlus's game releases/co-releases are usually gems, and end up with cult followings becoming harder to find as time passes. This is why I stressed so much to pre-order the game. Not only will doing so get you the game (PS Vita/PS3) itself, but by pre-ordering it you will also get a limited edition artbook with art by Vanillaware's George Kamitani. It's a win-win situation.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Do Not Fall (PSN)

During my playthrough of XPEC's latest release of "Do Not Fall" a couple of things kept on popping up in the back of my mind. One such thought was that the main character "PiPi" reminded me an awful lot of the old "Nestle Quick" bunny from the animated television commercials, and secondly that the name "PiPi" reminded me of something I ought not mention here (Childish Laughter Follows ^.^). The game as odd as it is revolves around some interesting characters/creatures, and their pursuit to make the ultimate drink via the inside worlds of a vending machine. Some of you may not be sold on such an off-the-wall idea, but it's these out-of-the-box creations that generally gain most of my respect when it comes to video game offerings. The developer definitely knew what they were doing with the design, and theme of the game, and executed it all in what I like to call a "Perfect Storm". Do Not Fall, as cutesy as it may appear is a hardcore mind !@#$% that will have you returning for more, and cussing as you try your hardest to perfect your playthroughs. While this description would likely turn away a lot of you it's certainly not a bad thing.