BIT.TRIP RUNNER Trailer Proves Platforming Is Tons-O-Fun

I don’t know if it’s possible for me to express just how amazing the BIT.TRIP series from Gaijin and Aksys Games is turning out. Four games in, and it’s still a bastion for creativity. Check out the trailer for the next game in the series, “RUNNER” and check out what looks like it’ll be a possibly the best platformer since “Canabalt.” Best of luck getting the high score on this one.

bittos+ Review: On The Heels Of Giants

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if two of the greatest puzzle games of all time have an illegitimate child, you can stop trying to figure it out, because the world now has an answer. “bittos+” is the latest block dropping puzzle game to find its way to WiiWare, and it’s very clearly inspired by the grand-daddy of any block-based game, Alexey Pazhitnov’s masterpiece, “Tetris” and a modern day reinvention of virtually the same formula, “Lumines.” Pulling from such impressive (and addictive) source material, it seems like “bittos+” has lofty aspirations to keep gamers playing for hours on end with its simplistic and familiar look and feel, but can it satisfy gamers’ need for yet another block-based puzzle game?

Yeah, it can. [Continue Reading]

2009’s Best Retro Revivals: What’s Old Is New Again

2009 wasn’t just the year of big name releases; there was also a very obvious attempt to revive some of gaming’s longest running franchises. While that’s not necessarily a new idea, it seemed like in this past year developers actually attempted to keep the feeling of the original games instead of just taking the name of a franchise and slapping it on something completely new. Take a look at some of the classics that received some nostalgic love this year, and reminisce about the good old days as you cross your fingers that 2010 holds the same retro goodness. [Continue Reading]

Top 10 Most Overlooked Games of 2009: The Hidden Gems

It happens every year. Hundreds of games are released, and only a handful go on to be blockbusters. There are numerous reasons that contribute to games being overlooked; everything from little to no marketing budgets, to coming out on the same day as a much bigger title. However, as we all should know, the size of a game’s marketing budget doesn’t directly correspond to the quality of the game, which means that every year there are good games out there that go unplayed. Here are some of this year’s best: [Continue Reading]

Dev Box Interview: Abylight Studios’ Co-Founder Alberto González

It usually takes a small army to create the video games that we play, and, most of the time, all of the focus gets put on the game itself, and not on the people that came together to make it. Our Dev Box interview series takes a look at some of the unsung heroes that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. In this week’s expanded Dev Box we are letting Abylight Studios’ Co-Founder and Design Director Alberto González provide us some insight into who he is as a gamer, and how he ended up working in the game’s industry.

Name: Alberto González
Title: Abylight co-founder and design manager
Company: Abylight Studios
Job Description: My job usually involves game conception, design and supervision. I’m also in charge of all sound related works, except for music composition which has been handled by another guy in our latest games.
First title worked on: “Hostages” for 8 bit computers
Most recent title worked on: “Stop Stress: A Day of Fury” (WiiWare)

What game has most influenced you, and why? [Continue Reading]

Bit.Trip Void Review: Into The Darkness

“Retro” video games are just about on the verge of becoming a marketing tool, instead of an artistic choice, where games are crafted to sell specifically to certain audience’s tastes, instead of developers making interesting games. Fortunately, we aren’t there just yet, as 8-bit graphics and chiptunes are still a hard sell to a lot of gamers out there. However, the relatively new “Bit.Trip” franchise that just released its third game this year that should be at the forefront of changing gamers’ minds about retro style. The most recent release “Bit.Trip Void” continues to proves what many old school gamers already knew; that you don’t need to have realistic gameplay to be fun. [Continue Reading]

Play Theater: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Gameplay

Last year, when the service launched, “LostWinds” was one of the groundbreaking WiiWare launch titles. It proved that you didn’t need to be a major publisher to produce something that people wanted to play. Additionally, it validated the potential of WiiWare early on, and set the bar high for indie games on the platform. Well, since it’s sequel was released only a few weeks ago, you may left wondering if it was a worthy follow up, or if it was just more of the same. We’re here to help. Check out our Play Theater which features some extended gameplay footage from “LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias” and perhaps you can figure out if it’s game enough for your Wii points. [Continue Reading]

Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 2: Siege of Spinner Cay Review: Avast Ye Matey

I made a lot of mistakes poor choices when I was growing up; they led to bad decisions and regrets. Some say that’s part of life, and this is the process that helps us to learn about almost everything. We all have regrets big or small some are harmless some are more severe some we don’t even know about.

The “Monkey Island” series is one of my regrets. [Continue Reading]

Groovin’ Blocks Review: Keep The Beat

About a year ago, Empty Clip Studios released their first game on Nintendo’s WiiWare platform called, “Groovin’ Blocks,” and, even though it is one of the highest rated games on the service, there’s a good possibility that some gamers (like myself) may have missed it, not having a chance to play it. Well, if there are any Wii owners that didn’t catch it the first time around, and are fans of the whole falling-block genre, you’re in luck; Empty Clip and Zoo Games have released a version 1.5 of the game at retail, and you can give the enhanced version of the game a shot, at a discounted price. [Continue Reading]

Bit.Trip Core Review: What Rhythm Games Would Have Been Like On The 2600

“Keep it simple, stupid.” It’s a phrase that’s been guiding the way for innovation for many, many years, and sadly, it’s also one that’s frequently overlooked when it comes to video games. Fortunately, the Bit.Trip series from Aksys Games is a new franchise that is looking to define itself with that exact phrase, and its latest entry, “Bit.Trip Core” manages to keep very true to that mindset. [Continue Reading]

Next Page »