Rofaxan 2089 A.D. (XBLIG)

Rofaxan 2089 A.D., there's a lot of things that come to mind when I mention the title of this game. In a way it reminds me of the oldschool arcade shooters I used to play at the local mall, and in another way it sounds like I'm talking about some kind of futuristic mind altering drug when I say it out loud. The fact of the matter is that this is indeed an oldschool shooter (shmup), and is so in more than one way. In it you'll find plenty of 16-bit retro goodness, and Gradius style gameplay that pays tribute to shmups of old. Even the soundtrack harkens back to the retro arcade era where the game's origins were likely inspired. Angry Gam3rs, the development studio behind this project definitely incorporated what I like to call the "Gradius Formula". That is a given. If you've ever played a Gradius shmup you'll know that it's a hardcore side-scrolling shoot'em up that utilizes an upgradeable power-up system. Like Gradius this 16-bit shooter will have you controlling a small ship as you guide it through various areas shooting alien ships out of the sky. Of course as you do so the enemy ships will drop power-ups in the form of different projectile types, shields, speed boosts, orbiting satellites, and even energy refills. With these upgrades your Rofaxan ship will become a formidable force against every opposing enemy including the screen filling bosses.

The Holiday Greetings Just Keep On Coming ...

It seems the holiday spirit among developers is catching on. I was actually surprised to have received two new holiday greetings from developers I have never done reviews for. I guess someone was actually reading my articles, eh? Anyways, I'd like to once again thank the people who took the time to send these artistic holiday greeting cards my way. Thanks goes out to Marcin of Techland, the Hellraid development team, and the Monster Madness Online team. It actually means a lot to get such heartfelt season's greetings from developer's I've barely even met. I hope that as my readers you too enjoy these holiday greetings, and masterpieces. Have a Merry Christmas & a Happy Holiday everyone!!!

The Inferno's "Top 10 of 2013"

2013 has been an eventful year to say the least. The world has witnessed many tragedies, many political catastrophes, and has even seen some worldly war threats. Amongst all the chaos though I, as many of you have found a safe retreat in the world of gaming. Game developers, and console makers alike have worked their asses off to bring to us these noteworthy experiences which were worth our time, and our hard earned money often time gambling their own hard earned money in the process. While there was the occasional flop gaming for the most part has been truly exceptional this year. Being the privileged journalist that I am I was lucky enough to experience a lot of these noteworthy offers that the developers brought to the table. As such I feel obligated this year to bring to your attention my "Top 10" list, so that you can seek out the games for yourself, or for your loved ones. I feel that narrowing the list down to 10 makes the list more special for the developers who sought out my critiques, and that it helps you to narrow down your choices when you go to the local game retailer for your holiday shopping. Along with the "Top 10" you will find that I have also included some honorable mentions as well. I feel it is only fair to do so, because I have played and reviewed many games this year. While the honorable mentions will be more of a list, and less than an explanation as to why I chose them they will serve as a reference in case you want to go back, and check out the reviews I have given. Without further adieu though let us get into this list, so that you can get those presents that need to be gotten!

More Holiday Greetings From the PR & Devs I Work With!!!

After typing up my article about the digital holiday greeting card I got from Fabian Florez (Gentleman Squid Studio) I received a few more digital greetings from other PR, and game developers. I love the fact that these men, and women of the industry don't mind sharing a little holiday spirit with me, and the other journalists who have poured our hearts out this year trying to promote the products that they make. It lets me know that someone out there in the game making/promoting industry actually cares about what I do. As such I'd like to take the time to share with you these images, and links so that you too can partake of the acts of kindness. I do understand that they were meant for me, but I think you'll enjoy them just the same. Thanks to Atlus, Neocore Games, and Reverb for the Awesome holiday greetings!!!

POS - "Piece Of Silver, Less Than Gold"

This my friends is an open letter to the online gaming community, and the companies that make the online gaming experiences possible. I have personally reached the point to where I'm about to give up on fighting games entirely, and possibly even online gaming. This possible future decision of mine is due to the POS (Piece of Shit) gamers out there who think it's alright to ruin the online experience with their BS antics. The fact is that many people in the gaming community have begun to think that this hacking, lagswitching, and cheap play is an acceptable thing since it has become so commonplace. I see more an more gamers giving into the cheaper side of gaming as a result. It's like a bad f*cking pandemic that's spreading like wildfire. Well I'm here to tell you differently. IT IS NOT OKAY! Just because a million gamers across the globe choose to act like trolling jackasses doesn't make it an acceptable trend. I don't think it's alright, and you shouldn't either. In fact as consumers we should be bitching about this with our wallets, and with our words. Until something effective is done about the matter no one should spend one damn cent. Someone in the industry needs to step up to the plate, and do something about this growing problem. I, myself have given advice on numerous occasions as to what could be done, but sadly my expert advice is falling on deaf ears. I believe it would take a million of us saying the same thing to get the point across, and unfortunately that sort of percentage lies with the ones causing the issue.

Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God (PS VITA)

In the world of gaming you'll find plenty of copycat ideas, and blatant rip-offs. Most of the gameplay mechanics that are copied, and combined with these new game creations end up making for a complete mess. In other instances the mixture of old gameplay features, and new plot material works in the developer's favor. In the case of Compile Heart's "Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God" the mixture works out quite nicely for the most part. It contains some LOL humor mixed with memorable characters, and a lighthearted story that is entirely unique to it. On top of the new also comes some features that definitely seem inspired by previously released PS3, and PS VITA RPGs. Among the inspired tidbits you'll find dungeon crawling turn based mechanics very similar to that of NISA's "The Guided Fate Paradox". There's also hint's of other NISA RPGs thrown into the mix such as that of the "Atelier" series. While I could pick at the game all day for containing such content the fact remains that I think Aksys Games, and Compile Heart came out smelling like roses with this JRPG release.