Undead Empire: Hellfire (XBLIG): "Sequel to Big Rook Game's Apocalyptic Horror-Survival Shmup!!!"

During my time as an XBLIG journalist I've played a handful of noteworthy top-down zombie shmups (shoot'em ups). Whether it was "Claustrophobia", "Block Zombies", or "Attack of the Zombie Horde" each game stood alone as a somewhat unique experience that entertained me for quite some time after my initial review. Big Rook Game's latest sequel, "Undead Empire: Hellfire" also provided such fun induced playthroughs as the previously mentioned games did. While I have never played the original title I was definitely glad to see that the developer included recap of the last game's plot during the intro sequence. It helped me to understand what exactly it was that my chosen character was fighting for. In this particular series it turns out that the zombie apocalypse was started by a mad scientist whose plan was thwarted by 6 unique individuals who were trying desperately to save mankind from the threat. As you can imagine the story did not end with the first game. The fight began anew as the reality of six heroes situation presented itself in a very unlikely manner.

Undead Empire: Hellfire (XBLIG) Release Contest!!!

This morning I received some Awesome news from the PR who works with Big Rook Games, Andrew Peggs. The email detailed a release contest that involves their latest XBLIG release "Undead Empire: Hellfire". The prizes are plenty, and some of them are surprisingly quite expensive. I figured I would share the original email with everyone since it better explains what the contest is all about. You'll also find a link to the contest within the copy & pasted email. I hope that you will give the game a chance, and try your hardest to win some of the prizes. I wish you guys & gals the best of luck. May the best zombie slayer win!!!

Special Forces: Team X (XBLA): "An Impressive Mashup Of Various Shooter Genres"

Atari, and Zombie Studios have worked together to bring us what could be best described as a third person cover based shooter. The game itself seems to borrow what's great from other popular shooter titles, and make a unique experience with the well known game mechanics. There's definitely a hint of games like "Borderlands", "Call of Duty", and even a tiny fraction of "HALO" thrown into the mix. If I had to compare it to any shooter series though it would definitely be more like that of the "Gears of War" series. The cover-to-cover combat is definitely the game's more prominent feature, and focal point. While the game definitely borrows some ideas it still stands alone as a unique gaming experience.

Good Morning Everyone!

I thought I'd do things a little differently this morning. I know I usually give you guys & gals a greeting via twitter, but I thought Doing a greeting from my blog would work just as well. In the mornings I find that I'm quite the handsome devil. As conceited as that may sound it's the truth. I find that snapping photos during the daytime tends to show my more hideous side, so a morning mirror image works out much better. I'm not sure if it's a curse or what, but looking in the mirror in the morning shows a reflection of the beautiful me while snapping a direct photo displays my more horrific self. Different mirrors also show different reflections (^.^). I guess the reason I'm saying all this is it's about time for a new "OtakuDante" photo to be released. Aren't you guys & gals so lucky (^.^). Anyways ... I hope you enjoy this new photo, and the morning greeting that accompanies it ...

Arcadecraft (XBLIG): "Run Your Own Virtual Arcade!!!"

As a youngster I often took advantage of family trips to Kmart, the movie theater, and the local mall. These were the only arcade sources that were available in my area unfortunately. The good thing was that these sources kept some impressive up-to-date arcade cabinets in stock for shoppers to enjoy. I was able play games like Street Fighter Alpha, Tekken 5 & 6, Soul Calibur, Killer Instinct, and even Samurai Showdown III: Blades of Blood. I ended up spending a sh*t ton of quarters whenever I got the chance to do so. It was a public outlet that allowed me to compete against other gamers I never knew of. Keep in mind this was long before online gaming ever came into play. Looking back those were definitely some of my greatest gaming days. I guess my point in reminiscing is that Arcade venues are becoming a thing of the past. These days you only hear about the stories from gamers who actually lived their lives playing at the arcades. Thanks to 'FireBase Ind.' though we now have a cool little indie game that breathes life into the arcade legends of old. While it may not mirror the experience it offers the gamer a peek into what it was like to run such a business. In essence it's an homage to an almost extinct genre of gaming.

Skulls of the Shogun (XBLA): "The Arcade Game That Could Have Been An Indie"

You guys have heard me complain about PRs in the past, and having to deal with them, so I will not got into a rant about dealing with 17Bit. I will however say that thanks to my good friend WOLFZKRIEGER I was able to gain a code for this latest XBLA title. 17Bit totally ignored me, so they will not be getting any credit from me. If it weren't for my friend you would not be reading this following review from me. As such my thanks goes out to my friend WOLFZKRIEGER for being so generous. I hope that one day I can share a code with him as well. With all of that aside let us delve deep into the world of the interesting XBLA strategy hybrid that is "Skulls of the Shogun"!