Sword of the Stars: The Pit

 Posted by at 7:52 pm  Reviews
Mar 172013
 
Publisher: Kerberos / Developer: Kerberos / Platform: PC

Publisher: Kerberos / Developer: Kerberos / Platform: PC

Its always a strange feeling diving into a series that has already established itself, especially if you had no knowledge of it beforehand. Sword of the Stars was a series of two space RTS games that somewhat mirror the likes of Homeworld or Sins of a Solar Empire. The Pit, a crowdfunded offshoot of the original series, is a sci-fi roguelike set in the same universe. While I don’t really know much about the SOTS universe, it is interesting to play a game that already comes packaged with a rich backstory in which to surround itself.

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Tomb Raider (2013)

 Posted by at 12:35 pm  Reviews
Mar 122013
 
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Crystal Dynamics / Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Crystal Dynamics / Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360

By guest reviewer Joshua Altstadt

Crystal Dynamic’s reboot to the popular Tomb Raider series has been long in the making, but the wait is finally over and Lara Croft is back. Was it worth the wait? Read on to find out. Continue reading »

Medal Wars: Keiser’s Revenge

 Posted by at 10:25 pm  Indie Reviews, Reviews
Mar 032013
 
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Publisher: Retro Army / Developer: Retro Army / Platform: PC

Something about top-down games has always grabbed my interest. Some of my most fondly-remembered games from my childhood are games like Grand Theft Auto (and its sequel), Alien Breed, Chaos Engine, and some sci-fi shooter I remember my dad playing but can’t seem to find anywhere. Medal Wars: Keiser’s Revenge attempts to bring back some of the more classic aspects of a top-down shooter and add in some more contemporary features. While the end result isn’t a perfect game, it is still something I ended up enjoying.

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Pinball FX2 / Zen Pinball 2: Star Wars Pinball

 Posted by at 8:27 am  Reviews
Feb 282013
 

Publisher: Zen Studios / Developer: Zen Studios / Platform: PSN, XBLA

Pinball FX2 surprises us once again with another IP nobody ever thought they’d see as a pinball table: Star Wars! (Well, yes, there are real Star Wars pinball tables, but I’d never imagine it in a video game.) Zen Studios gives us another reason to boot up the fantastic Xbox Live pinball game and try out three new tables: Clone Wars, Boba Fett, and Episode V. Continue reading »

Special Forces: Team X

 Posted by at 9:27 pm  Reviews
Feb 122013
 

Publisher: Atari, Inc. / Developer: Zombie Studios / Platform: PC, Xbox 360

While a lot of people may complain about Call of Duty for being the shooter equivalent of Madden, I have to give it some respect for essentially revolutionizing first-person shooter multiplayer. While forcing the player to play match after match to unlock the next weapon, gadget, or lethal doohickey in the game’s arsenal is pretty par for the course by now, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare‘s multiplayer was pretty groundbreaking when it first introduced the concept. Now, nearly every game has some kind of unlock system in place to keep players coming back and obtaining the next reward for their skills, with many games adding their own little twist to the formula. Special Forces: Team X seems to be the latest culmination of many of the more popular multiplayer shooters’ additions to the now-standard multiplayer shooter formula.

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Trine 2: Director’s Cut

 Posted by at 8:31 am  Reviews
Feb 122013
 
Publisher: Frozenbyte / Developer: Frozenbyte / Platform: Wii U

Publisher: Frozenbyte / Developer: Frozenbyte / Platform: Wii U

Trine 2: Director’s Cut on Wii U is hands-down the definitive console version of the game…and that was even before this month’s patch that brought additional controller support, the ability to use the gamepad’s built-in mic for voice chat, and improved gamma levels to a game that already looked visually superior to the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions. Continue reading »

5 Reasons You Should Be Playing Anarchy Reigns

 Posted by at 9:22 pm  Reviews
Jan 152013
 

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Anarchy Reigns is the best game you’re not playing. After a long wait thanks to publisher Sega’s unwillingness to bring the game over from Japan to the US, Anarchy Reigns was met with mixed reviews, nonexistant marketing and a small fanbase off the bat. Admittedly, the game does have a few rough edges, but it still is one of the best – and most unique – multiplayer experiences I’ve had in a long time. Here are a few reasons to hopefully convince you to join in on the fun. Continue reading »

By Its Cover: The Worst Box Art Of 2012

 Posted by at 7:15 pm  By Its Cover, Features
Jan 012013
 

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Now that we’ve done the best, it’s time for the worst. Most “worst box art” round-ups just post a bunch of funny-looking covers that lend themselves to a single sentence of snarky commentary. But not this one.* Our list aims to point out box art that’s bad from a design perspective, and attempts to explain why.

*On the other hand, if you were funny-looking images with snarky commentary is what you were looking for, there’s also a little of that at the end of the article. Continue reading »

By Its Cover: The Best Box Art Of 2012

 Posted by at 9:35 pm  By Its Cover, Features
Dec 302012
 

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Welcome back to the only annual box art round-up that attempts to explain why each image is successful from a design perspective. They say you shouldn’t judge a book (or movie, or videogame) by its cover, but that doesn’t keep us from doing it anyways. Not everyone keeps up with the daily videogame news and reviews, and for them a striking or intriguing image is the quickest way to get them to check out the back of the box – or to click for more information. A good cover will at least get someone to look into whether a game is good or bad, while a bad cover can cause a lot of people to completely overlook a good game.

Here are ten covers that are both stylish and attention-getting. Continue reading »

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