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.

Fred's Friday's Ep.3!!!: "An Interview With the Developer"

Have I got at treat for you, my lovely readers! This time around me, and the developer (Adam A./@StickyDPadGames) of 'the upcoming XBLIG titles 'Dawn of the Fred', and 'Night of the Fred' decided to treat you guys & gals to a 1-on-1 interview. I think I managed to come up with some fairly good questions that may interest you, and Adam definitely gave some really good answers. Without further adieu I present to you the interview (that rhymes ^.^) ...

Robofish (XBLIG): "High Quality Shmup Gaming!"

If you have been following me on Twitter these past few weeks you have likely seen me have my meltdowns about the decline of the gaming industry, and the decline of the quality of video games in general. I have voiced my opinions many times on these matters, and I'm about at my breaking point. I was literally about to give up hope on video games until I got 'Robofish' for review. I'm not saying this to endorse 'Sparkrift (the developer)', or anything like that. I mention it simply, because I found a glimmer of hope in Sparkrift's game. I have finally found a developer who knows how to treat their customers right. I have played 'Robofish' for a good while at this point, and I can tell you that this indie game is top quality on many levels. The game is a dream come true in some regards. I don't want to go overboard with the praise though, so I shall continue on with my review.

Shoot Many Robots (XBLA): "It's Rated 'M' For A Reason ..."

I don't think I've ever seen a game quite like "Shoot Many Robots". This 4 player co-op run-n-gun RPG (as described in the press release) is brought to us by 'Demiurge Studios (Borderlands, Brothers In Arms, Mass Effect)', and Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, I AM ALIVE ...)'. Both game studios/pubishers have helped develop some pretty impressive games in the past. This game (Shoot Many Robots) in particular features an art style that most 'Borderlands' fans will recognize. While it's similar to 'Borderlands' in some minor ways it definitely stands on it's own. In my career as a gamer I've rarely seen any game developer/publisher push the envelope of the 'M' rating like 'Demiurge Studios/Ubisoft' has. When you start up the game you'll immediately notice the larger than life ESRB rating on the screen. It lets you know that you are about to experience a "Mature" game, and let me tell you this couldn't be more accurate. The fact that the ESRB notice includes warnings about sexual content, strong language, and the use of alcohol should make this fact perfectly clear. I ended up spending a good amount of time playing the game, and noticed a lot of "things" that I'll discuss in the paragraphs that follow. Prepare yourselves, cause this could get ugly ...

Street Fighter x Tekken (Xbox 360): "An Official Review"

I realize that a lot of my friends, and followers got an ear full from the ranting I did about "Street Fighter x Tekken". I sincerely apologize for that unprofessional banter, but I still stick by what I said in the previous review/rant. With that being said I would like to take the time, and breakdown the details of the game for you. In the following paragraphs I will go over the various modes that are available in "SFxT" as well as features of the game. This will be followed by graphics, and audio descriptions as well as details on the controller functionality. I hope that you can forgive me for the unorthodox path I took with my previous rants of "SFxT", and that this review will help you in your decision as to whether the game is worth buying or not. Without further adieu Ladies & Gents, I present to you my review of "Street Fighter x Tekken".