Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? Review: That Title is Long Enough!

Ant farms are boring. When I was a kid, my friend begged his parents to get him one for months. Eventually, they caved, and I raced over to his house to experience the feeling of playing God to a bunch of insects trapped in maze. 15 minutes later, we decided we could have more fun by watching the latest episode of Walker: Texas Ranger. At first glance, “Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?” is a lot like an anthill. You’ll dig tunnels beneath ground, micromanaging units, in hopes of creating the perfect ecosystem, but unlike an anthill, “Badman” has tons to offer, and anyone willing to try this experimental take on the creation/sim genre may never look at ant farms the same way again. [Continue Reading]

Dissidia: Final Fantasy Review: A Massive Battle On A Tiny System

“Dissidia: Final Fantasy” is the gaming world’s ultimate amalgam. It not only takes characters from ten different entries within the “Final Fantasy” universe, but throws them into a game that’s a combination of both the RPG and fighting genres. While that mixture may seem a bit odd, “Dissidia” seems to have something for everyone, and the end result is a delicious “Final Fantasy” gumbo, that will have fans of either genre battling it out for months to come. [Continue Reading]

Crystal Defenders Review: A Frustrating Trip Down Memory Lane

I’ve never been one to get excited about tower defense games. I had a brief stint with “Pixeljunk Monsters,” and, for the most part, enjoyed it, but aside from that, my history with the genre is brief. Then along came “Crystal Defenders”; A tower defense game from Square Enix that borrows heavily from the “Final Fantasy” universe (most notably “Tactics”). Yet, while people will buy the game simply because of its association with the franchise, only serious tower defense enthusiasts need apply, as “Crystal Defenders” too often becomes a mundane and monotonous process of trail and error. [Continue Reading]

Livin’ the Dream(cast) On PSN

With the upcoming release of the PSP Go, and the already released PS3 Slim, Sony is seemingly reinventing themselves in attempts to further their position in the current console war. But with all this new hardware debuting, it’s easy to lose track of Sony’s other ace-in-the-hole; the PlayStation Network.

While many gamers in the U.S. feel they’re getting shortchanged when comparing PSN in the U.S. to that of Sony of Japan’s online division, stateside support for Sony’s free, online service seems to be improving. Earlier this week, a member of the NeoGAF forums came across an article entitled “SCEA Meeting Aug. 5th Notes,” via Sega’s PR site, and if all things listed in the document come to fruition, PS3 owners can look forward to a myriad of improvements across the PSN. [Continue Reading]

A Pineapple Under the Sea: Revisiting BioShock

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps, at the bottom of the ocean) for the past five years, you’ve likely heard of an underwater, dystopian adventure by the name of “BioShock.” The 2K Games epic in which you traverse an abandoned, decayed metropolis at the bottom of the ocean has won numerous Game of the Year awards and has been the central topic when speaking on the matter of injecting fresh, original ideas into a FPS-market plagued with been-there-done-that gameplay and sequelitis. Recently, my roommate picked up “BioShock” for the PS3, and even though I finished the game on the 360 (again, with my roommate purchasing that copy… sorry 2K) I couldn’t wait to take the plunge all over again. Now, I’ve finished the game twice, on two different systems, and it remains one of the freshest, most satisfying gaming experiences I’ve had in the last decade. So, with the recent announcement of a February 9th release date for “BioShock 2,” I’ve decided to revisit what made the original so special, and provide things I look forward to in the sequel. [Continue Reading]

Skate Returns in 2010

I grew up with the Tony Hawk franchise. Like many gamers around my age, I can remember hearing about the game from various friends, and how cool it made you feel shredding insane lines. When I finally got my hands on the game, I was hooked, along with millions of others. Sadly, in true Activision form, they knew they had a hit on their hands, and over the next ten years they would milk the Tony Hawk franchise to death, thus opening the door for other, more innovative skating titles.

Enter the “Skate” franchise, one of the freshest takes on a genre since “Metroid Prime” took the gaming world by storm. The success of “Skate” is no secret and “Skate 2″ was hailed by some as one of the best follow-up sport games of all time. Now, not to be outdone by Activision, EA is trying to get as much out of their successful skating franchise as quickly as possible, and earlier today, they announced that the newest entry in the “Skate” franchise, entitled… “Skate 3,” will be available for retail in May of 2010. [Continue Reading]

Batman: Arkham Asylum Review #1: This Dark Knight Shines Brightly

This is part one of our two part “Batman: Arkham Asylum” review series. Check out MarkyX’s take on the game.

Months ago, DC Comics killed off Bruce Wayne. A three-part mini-series, entitled “Battle for the Cowl,” followed his death, in which multiple heroes and villains from the Gotham universe battled to wear the suit of the famous, Caped Crusader. Now, a new entity dons the bat suit, and a total reinvention of the Batman storyline has begun. While “Batman: Arkham Asylum” still has you exploring Gotham’s most storied penitentiary from behind the eyes of Bruce Wayne, it draws many parallels with it’s comic brethren, as it’s a total reinvention of Batman in the gaming realm, and brings with it many innovative features that should be mainstays in the third-person, action genre. [Continue Reading]

Kratos Gets A Hi-Def Makeover

Are you having trouble finding things to do while waiting for Kratos’ next outing on the PS3? Well fear not Sony gamers, as it looks like Kratos will be making his way to the console much sooner then anticipated… just in the form of games you’ve already played. [Continue Reading]

Batman: Arkham Asylum Demo Impressions

The history of the caped crusader in games is not one to brag about. With a few exceptions, most of Batsy’s forgettable forays into the gaming realm have been met with underwhelming reception, but all that may be about to change. Finally, after waiting for what has seemed like an eternity, the release of a downloadable demo for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 owners now, finally, have the chance to sample “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” and this ain’t you’re daddies Batman. [Continue Reading]

Starcraft 2 Officialy Deleayed Until 2010

Earlier today, “Starcraft 2″ joined “Bioshock 2,” “Splinter Cell: Conviction,” and “Bayonetta” (among many others) as games that won’t see release until 2010.

Citing it as a delay so that the game may release alongside Blizzard’s relaunch of their network service Battle.net, Blizzard also acknowledged that they will use the extra time to polish the game is various ways. [Continue Reading]

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