Sunday, December 29, 2013

"Online, the Ruination of the Gaming Industry"

Growing up I was privileged to have participated in the best era of gaming to ever grace this world. As a gamer of the 80's, and 90's I got to enjoy years worth of quality gaming content on the offline consoles of yesteryear. What made this experience so grand, and memorable was the fact that every game, and product released by Nintendo, Sony, and the likes were of the highest quality possible. Nintendo, for example knew that as a rising gaming company they would have to pour their heart, and soul into the product, and do so in a single fell swoop. You have to understand that game releases back then were a one shot deal. They were created on cartridges, or CD discs that could not be altered after they hit the store shelves. There were no such things as patches, or bug fixes available to the programmers who helped make the games. It wasn't until later years that the introduction of online features became a thing, and began to become a mainstay in the world of gaming entertainment. As year after year passed the simple cartridge, and CD based consoles that we loved, and admired became more, and more like the PC experience that we hoped they wouldn't be. Game developers were eventually able to introduce online play, online patching, and a digital marketplace that would make going to the local gaming store a thing of the past.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Zen Pinball 2 (PS4)

By now you know that I'm sold on Zen Studios' pinball related arcade games. I've covered nearly every table, and every set released on both the "Pinball FX2", and "Zen Pinball" formats. While last generation's offerings are still good to this day I have to say that next generation's is even more impressive than that. Not only are the graphics enhanced, but the gameplay itself is more fluid than ever before. Scoring high is now an easier task due to the next-gen upgrade, and the complimentary PS4 controller (which is truly a spectacle in itself). Sadly though not every table from the previous "Pinball FX2", and "Zen Pinball" iterations have made their way over to the new consoles. Sony ended up limiting the amount of tables Zen Studios could include. As such the developer had to pick, and choose the best from the lot.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

A GHOSTS-ly Xmas Gift From Yours Truly!!!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all of you! I hope your Holiday is grand in every way, and that you get to share it with those you care about! Since it is the season of giving I have taken it upon myself to find something worth giving to all of you. While I can't mail out individual presents like Sanity Clause I think what I have to offer you in it's stead is pretty darn good. Seeing as 'CoD: GHOSTS' is the go to game for most gamers, and will no doubt be so for the Christmas noobs I figured I'd spread some holiday cheer by sharing with you my super secret GHOSTS loadout. Awesome, right!? This loadout which I have named the "Panty Thief" will guarantee you some much needed holiday fun. Not only that, but if used correctly it can potentially up your k/d to a respectable percentage.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

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!!!