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 ...

Blog Update June 8, 2012

I know you guys, and gals are probably wondering why my production of reviews has slowed down to a crawl. The easiest way to put it is that I'm currently caught up in reviewers limbo. I'm not only juggling two blogs now, but I'm also "patiently" awaiting a review code, and retail game. Some of you have probably seen me tweet about reviewing the new XBLA game "Bang Bang Racing". The delay behind that is due to Digital Reality's, and the PR's involvement in the E3 event. Hopefully I'll receive my copy soon though. In a slightly more depressing turn of events 7Sixty, the developers behind the upcoming "Phantom Breaker" fighting game have pushed back the release date yet again. Last time I checked Gamestop had the release date set as 8/1/2012. I'm not sure what's up with the game, but obviously something significant is going on to keep causing delays. I know from previous chats with the PR that they were making sure all of the bugs were fixed before the release. I honestly don't think there could be that many more bugs to fix, and that the developer/publisher is likely waiting for more pre-orders of the game. That of course is my opinion though. That's my update for now. I will strive to bring you more coverage of all things related to Xbox in the days, weeks, and months to come. Until next time feel free to browse my blog for any reviews that peak your interest!

- Brad (OtakuDante) -

Heroes of Hat (XBLIG): "A University Project Well Done"

I have been extremely fortunate to have the support that I've gotten from my readers, and game developers. Like I mentioned in my "Special Thanks" section this blog would not be as successful as it is without the support I have received. Between being able to convince retail developers that I can post a proper review, and the several requests I've gotten from XBLIG developers about doing reviews things have really started to improve for "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno". In all honesty I never dreamed my blog would take off so well. It makes me really happy to know that game developers such as "Utah Game Forge" are interested in what I have to say about their game. While I don't review every game that is requested of me though I do my best to pick ones that I think have something special about them. I try my best to stay away from the clones though, because I believe that even an indie game developer can create original games if they are serious about what they do. In this review I'll be covering my thoughts on "Utah Game Forge's" "Heroes of Hat". I tried my best to do a full playthrough of the game, but ultimately I fell short due to the game's co-op requirements. As the game suggests this is a (Up To) 4 player co-op game, and it is best suited for multiple players.

Bureau - Shattered Slipper (XBLIG): "Sequel to Twist-Ed Game's Sexy FBI Thriller"

Guy Galer of 'Twist-Ed Games' is one of the more unique indie game developers to grace the XBLIG marketplace. If memory serves me well he has created four beautifully rendered titles including 'Colonies: NeoCiv', and 'Bureau - Agent Kendall'. It was by mere chance that I happened upon a Youtube trailer of Guy's game 'Bureau - Agent Kendall' late last year. My initial thoughts were that the game look interesting, and that there was a sexy quality about it, specifically some semi-nude sequences. It sparked my interest enough to request the game for review. During my playthrough of 'Bureau - Agent Kendall' I found it to be a very involved game. It utilized realistic FBI tactics including suspect interrogations, relationship building with various persons involved in the given cases, and action packed interactive sequences where the Bureau agents involved had to fight for their very survival. The game ultimately ended with a cliffhanger that was reminiscent of the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Months have passed since the first game was released, but finally the sequel is here. I was very anxious to see how/if Agent Kendall got out of her dire situation, and if the gameplay was similar to that of the previous title.

PDP Versus Fighting Pad (Xbox 360)

As a fighting game enthusiast who is used to playing with a standard controller I have found some serious issues gaming competitively on the Xbox 360. Microsoft's game controllers just don't cut it when it comes down to owning other players in online fighting games. The DPad does not function as well as it should. As a former PS3 gamer I was able to actually pull off some cool wins simply, because the PS3's controller functions much better with fighting games. It's a sad fact, and Microsoft definitely needs to fix on future controllers if they hope to win over more customers. There are third party developers out there who produce better functioning controllers, and as a result gain more buyers.

Throughout this year I've been observing the various types of fightpads available at the local GameStop, but none of them really looked that impressive to me. It wasn't until my friend @MasterBlud told me how awesome PDP's versus fightpad was that I truly became interested in getting such a controller. I honestly believe @MasterBlud knows his stuff when it comes to video games, and I trusted his judgement. After a recent trip to GameStop I picked up PDP Gaming's Versus Fighting Pad for a cheap $14.99. When I got home, and tried it out I found out exactly how good it was.