Racedrome City (XBLIG): "Quality Online & Offline Racing FTW!!!"

In the XBLIG marketplace you'll find many aspiring game developers as well as some game developers that produce near XBLA content. Rendercode Games just so happens to be one of the better developers who are known for consistently good game releases. In the past I've reviewed a variety of sports, and racing related games that were developed by them, and enjoyed each playthrough equally. I was always impressed by the rendering, and the overall professional look/feel of the games. In their latest release, Racedrome City the developer continues their trend of quality with possibly one of the best racing games to grace the XBLIG marketplace. With new features, and next-gen graphics this affordable racer might just be what you've been looking for ...

STRACO Episode 1 (XBLIG): "A Retro Tower Defense Game With Shmup Action"

It has become quite obvious to me over the past few years that the newer generations of video games are only bringing with them more problems. Things like annoying online gameplay, and poor presentation overshadow the possibility of any fun to be had. As a result I often find myself thinking about the times when games were actually fun, and worthwhile. Those days of course are long gone, but thanks to some classic XBLIG game developers they are not entirely lost. NVO (Not Very Original) for example has taken their time to develop a well balanced tower defense game that harkens back to the days when games were actually fun, and challenging. This game I speak of is none other than STRACO Episode 1.

Three Dead Zed (XBLIG): "Possibly the Most Unique Zombie Game This Year!!!"

Gentleman Squid Studio has created an amazing one of a kind zombie platformer that is both next-gen in quality, and old school at the same time. It's not often that I've seen a 2D platforming game that features zombies as the main protagonists along with puzzle solving themes all in the same package. Somehow the developer managed to create this game in exactly that way though. In the end I think the things that really drew me to this XBLIG title were the art style, and the fact that it was a platformer. I absolutely love platformers, and have been a fan of them since the days of the NES. Seeing 'Three Dead Zed' in the youtube trailer a month earlier really made me smile. It was filled with blood, and gore which made me more than excited about getting my hands on it. When I was contacted by 'Gentlemen Squids Studios' I played it cool, but I was honestly like a kid tearing into a really cool Christmas present.

Pinball FX2/Marvel Pinball: "Civil War"

In 2006 there began an epic Marvel mini-series that was unlike anything the fans of the longstanding comic book franchise had ever seen. This series was none other than Marvel's "Civil War". The event lasted through seven epic drama filled issues that involved many of Marvels best known superheroes, and supervillains. Standing their ground at the core of the conflict was Iron Man, and Captain America. The two popular Marvel superheroes found themselves on opposing sides of a newly proposed "Super Hero Registration Act (SHRA)" which was created after a deadly clash that resulted in the loss of many innocent lives. On one hand Iron Man was all for the proposed act, and on the other hand Captain America was very much against it. What spawned from this massive civil unrest was several instances of bloodshed, and the division of the Marvel Universe as we (the readers) had come to realize it.

Trailer Park King 3DD (XBLIG): "Zombies, Aliens & Porn!!! Oh My!!!"

In a true sequel fashion Freelance Games, the developers behind the XBLIG hit "Trailer Park King" series starts this newest chapter of King's adventure off with a brief flashback detailing what went on in the previous episode. When we last left King he was in the midst of a dilemma concerning Truck's "condition". The entire trailer park had deemed Truck as a zombie since he hadn't been acting like himself, and were insistent about finding out the truth. With the aid of his interesting lady friends (and a couple of redneck men) King has made it his priority to find out whether, or not Truck is really a zombie. Using Skinny's guide to zombies King sets out to free his nemesis from the hamster ball cage he is currently imprisoned in, so that he can regain access to his precious porn. Will we ever get to see the porn on King's tv? Will Truck be cleared of his inhuman label? What about the aliens? It's all up to you to find out. Be wary though as all is not as it seems in the good old trailer park ...

OtakuDante's Black Ops 2 Custom Emblems!!!

When it comes to video game customization options there's nothing I like better than something that allows me to express my artistic talent. Games like the original 'Black Ops', and 'Soul Calibur V' rank among the best customizable games. In the original 'Black Ops' they introduced a truly awesome emblem customization menu that allowed the gamer to create almost anything they could imagine. The emblem designs that spawned from this customization mode ranged from the mundane to the truly awe-inspiring. The feature added a more personal touch to the less than personal gameplay. In the case of 'Soul Calibur V' the character customization was just as detailed, if not more so. You could design some amazing custom characters that were each brought to life right before your eyes. Not only that, but you were also able to use the newly created characters in offline, and online gameplay. In retrospect it's features like these that really make a good game stand out even more.