Rock Band Unplugged Review: Who Needs Strings?

The “Rock Band” franchise has cemented itself as one of the best multiplayer party games ever released for a console. The proposition of being able to create a “band” with three other peopled, and be “famous” in under thirty minutes is unquestionably appealing, no matter how you feel about the music included in the game. So, what happens if you take the three friends out of that equation, and substitute the console for a portable system … can “Rock Band” still retain its entertainment value? Surprisingly… it can, and the release of “Rock Band Unplugged” proves that Harmonix can recreate an addictive “Rock Band” experience on the PSP just as well as they can on an Xbox 360, Wii, or a PS3. [Continue Reading]

E3 ‘09: E3’s Top 10 Underdogs

E3 2009 may be long gone at this point, but there are obviously still games that people are talking about. This isn’t a list of those games. E3 isn’t all about big announcements for even bigger games – it’s about the industry as a whole, both “big” and “little” games alike. Unfortunately, every year, a handful of really great games, with a lot of potential get swallowed up in the media storm that surrounds the “Halo”’s, the “Mario”’s, and the “anything-with-Snake-in-it”’s. This list is here to make sure you don’t forget the little games; you know the ones that might not make too many Top 10 lists, (I hear there’s only a certain number of spots on those) and hopefully don’t get picked over when their release date comes along. These are the Top 10 Underdogs of E3 2009 (or the best of what you didn’t see). [Continue Reading]