DUST: An Elysian Tail (XBLA): "A Visually Stunning Masterpiece!!!"

Last year during my rise to reviewer fame I found a youtube video featuring a future XBLA game release that attracted my undivided attention. This game of course was none other than Humble Hearts (The Developer) debut title "DUST: An Elysian Tail". I put in my request for the game immediately after watching the teaser trailer. I knew this game was going to be something special, and I could not wait to get it even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket. Thankfully the developer spared me the expense, and kept true to their word giving me early access to this totally amazing fantasy rpg/platformer. Today I bring to you my review of this breathtaking masterpiece that could very well be the best "Summer of Arcade" title this year!

Street Fighter x Tekken (Xbox 360): "Revisited"

I never thought in my wildest imagination that I would be so bold as to give "Street Fighter x Tekken" another shot. The game just isn't that great to be honest, but I figured I'd give it a second chance since it was rather cheap with all the discounts I got from Gamestop. Most of you know where I stand on the matter of SFxT. You probably also know of my rant, and review that are here on this blog. You've likely even read them. As harsh, and unrelenting as both articles were they were quite true at the time of posting. To sum things up the two articles detailed my complaints about how terrible the online was as well has how money hungry it made Capcom seem. While most of my opinions concerning those issues have somewhat changed since my recent playthrough of the game parts of those complaints are still very valid.

HYBRID (XBLA): "A 3rd Person Hybrid Shooter"

If a developer were to apply similar gameplay concepts as those from games like "Killzone", and "Gears of War" they'd most definitely wind up with a game like "HYBRID". Staying true to it's title, "HYBRID" seems to borrow a little something from such games as the before mentioned titles. In that sense it's a lot like a hybrid itself. This 3rd person tactical shooter revolves around the scenario of an intergalactic fight for resources that includes an invading alien (Variant) army, and the humans (Paladins) who were thrust into a fight for survival as a result of the invasion. Alongside this reminiscent "War of the Worlds" plot is a unique online 3rd person multiplayer that combines cover-to-cover combat, and territorial domination strategies.

Rock, Paper, Lazers (XBLIG): "A Whimsical Shmup With A Unique Twist"

When it comes down to reviewing XBLIG titles there are certain things that I look for. The most significant thing of all though is originality. As we all have noticed by now there are copies  upon copies of indie games plaguing the XBLIG marketplace. Very rarely do I see an entirely unique, and well developed game on there. It's a sad situation that has become more prevalent as time has passed. Thankfully all is not lost. There are some indie developers such as Cubegg who try to at least put a new spin on an old genre. With their newly released title "Rock, Paper, Lazers" they have added some spice to the dull appetizer that is the XBLIG marketplace.

Murder For Dinner (XBLIG): "A CLUE-like Murder Mystery"

Indie games seemed to have once again picked up in popularity among aspiring game developers. I'm not only seeing more unique XBLIG titles coming to light, but kickstarter programs have also spawned featuring entirely unique video game creations by never-before-known developers. Recently a new XBLIG developer called Detroit Game Studio contacted me about reviewing their latest creation, "Murder for Dinner". In their email they told me a little about the game, and described it as an Agatha Christie/Clue style murder mystery. Needless to say the idea of the game definitely caught my attention. As a reviewer I try to cover games that are truly "unique", and this game fit the bill. I set out to see what the fuss was all about, and find out why it warranted a 240 msp price tag.

Pinball Arcade (XBLA): "Update"

Well it seems that the developers over at 'Farsight Studios' may have actually been listening to reviewers such as myself. This morning during my routine browsing of the Xbox Marketplace I found a fairly significant update for the "Pinball Arcade" game. This update was 88+ MB in size, and included fixes for the game's visuals, and other things that plagued the quality of the game. After downloading the update I set out to see just how much had changed since the last time I played the game.