Beat Hazard Ultra (XBLIG)

As a gamer I've never quite encountered a game series such as that of "Beat Hazard". Being the shump (shoot'em up) fanatic that I am I gave the original version a try years back when I had first got my Xbox 360. It had set me back five dollars which is definitely not chump change by any means, but seeing as it was liked by the online gaming community I thought I'd give it a proper chance anyways. From the moment I began playing the game I was hooked. I had never imagined that a developer such as "Cold Beam Games" would be able to implement a system which thrived solely on the music that I owned outside of the core game. Being able to use my own collection of music to engage in such a solid gaming experience was awesome. For those of you who are unaware of the game, and it's offerings it literally takes music from your collection, (whether you upload MP3 files via a memory card, or rip your CDs directly to your console) and applies every beat, melody, and tune contained within the tracks to make the onscreen shmup action to come to life.

ZENO CLASH II (PSN)

When it comes to originality in the RPG universe hardly anyone does it like Square-Enix. Sure you'll have the occasional RPG developed by a developer who can think outside of the box (NIS America -"Time and Eternity"), but for the most part they all follow a very similar pattern. You heroes, or heroines usually come in the same RPG related classes (Barbarian, Wizard, Dwarf, Mage ...), and the enemies in an equally similar selection. Often times said hero, or heroine must face insurmountable odds against an evil army, empire, or all powerful creature or character. To say that the genre has become repetitive would be an understatement. Thankfully though the guys, and gals over at ACE Team have created a unique RPG experience like no other. Their previous release of the arcade RPG "Zeno Clash" which was hailed as a "Stonepunk" experience ended up being mostly overlooked by the gaming community, but did gain that cult following that gaming companies such as Atlus are known for. Zeno Clash had it's own mythology which was filled with interesting creatures, and characters who looked as if they were ripped from the pages of "The Island of Dr. Moreau", and rooted within a more science fiction type of world. The game's design even had an interesting Jim Henson flair about it (Dark Crystal, Labyrinth). It's the type of creative effort that would easily compete against Yoshitaka Amano's Final Fantasy creations.

CastleStorm: From Outcast to Savior (XBLA)

When last we left our fabled friends of "CastleStorm" Sir Gareth had been separated from his troops, and continued to seek out vengeance against the viking leader Chief Ramhorn. With the aid of the lovely viking princess Freia he continued on into viking territory in order to put an end to the evil ruler's reign. If you took my advice, and purchased the game you would know that the first chapter ended quite abruptly leaving the story open ended. Lord Rufus, the devious King's adviser who had been giving ill advice all through the plot of the first chapter convinced the King that Sir Gareth was a traitor, and that he had joined forces with Chief Ramhorn. This is of course where the core game ends, and the DLC picks up.

Dragon's Crown (PS3/PSN)

The skies opened up, angelic voices sang, and the gods and goddesses of old bestowed there blessings upon me the day that I received the code for the upcoming release of "Dragon's Crown"! Just kidding, but even so it was a blessed event to me. I've been longing to get my hands on this game for what seems to be an eternity, and to be lucky enough to get early access to it was a privilege indeed. Both myself, and the staff at Atlus have been dropping hints for the past two months (or so) about how cool of an experience it was going to be. The fact that the pre-order bonus comes with a most excellent artbook is alone a testament to the effort Atlus has poured into the marketing/creation of this game. Keep in mind that Atlus, and Vanillaware titles are few, and far between so getting them while you can is definitely a wise decision. Most of you out there will know that Atlus's game releases/co-releases are usually gems, and end up with cult followings becoming harder to find as time passes. This is why I stressed so much to pre-order the game. Not only will doing so get you the game (PS Vita/PS3) itself, but by pre-ordering it you will also get a limited edition artbook with art by Vanillaware's George Kamitani. It's a win-win situation.

Online Injustice, Martian Manhunter & A Steaming Pile of ...

Like many enthusiasts in the world gaming journalists, and gamers themselves are often times compelled to voice their opinions about certain things that concern the subjects that they are most passionate about. I find that this moment in time I'm at that particular boiling point when I too have to get something off of my chest. This "issue", as I'm going to call it pertains to Netherrealm Studio's own unique brand of bullsh*t. Anyone who has been playing "Injustice: Gods Among Us" online these days will admit (assuming they are not doing it themselves) that the online lobbies are filled with lagswitchers, hackers, and cheap ass gamers. The game is broken as hell, and the guys over at Netherrealm Studios seem to be doing diddly squat about it. Sure Microsoft deals with most of the online BS (supposedly), but damned if I don't keep running into the same jackasses I report over, and over again. Something's not right here folks. Someone, somewhere is not doing their damn job.

Do Not Fall (PSN)

During my playthrough of XPEC's latest release of "Do Not Fall" a couple of things kept on popping up in the back of my mind. One such thought was that the main character "PiPi" reminded me an awful lot of the old "Nestle Quick" bunny from the animated television commercials, and secondly that the name "PiPi" reminded me of something I ought not mention here (Childish Laughter Follows ^.^). The game as odd as it is revolves around some interesting characters/creatures, and their pursuit to make the ultimate drink via the inside worlds of a vending machine. Some of you may not be sold on such an off-the-wall idea, but it's these out-of-the-box creations that generally gain most of my respect when it comes to video game offerings. The developer definitely knew what they were doing with the design, and theme of the game, and executed it all in what I like to call a "Perfect Storm". Do Not Fall, as cutesy as it may appear is a hardcore mind !@#$% that will have you returning for more, and cussing as you try your hardest to perfect your playthroughs. While this description would likely turn away a lot of you it's certainly not a bad thing.