Might & Magic Clash of Heroes In HD Makes My Day

In a surprising turn of events, the under-the-radar “Might and Magic Clash of Heroes” DS game is being ported for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. What? You say you’ve never cared about Might & Magic games? Yeah, me neither, until “Clash of Heroes.” I feel like I don’t really need to explain myself after I state one simple fact: Capy made it. Therefore, it is awesome.

Dev Box Interview: Zoë Mode’s Producer Brynley J. Gibson

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 (developers, producers, artists, etc) that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. In this week’s Dev Box we are letting Zoë Mode’s Producer Brynley J. Gibson, who recently worked on the the charity game “Chime” for Xbox Live Arcade (which if you haven’t picked up yet, you totally should – it’s for a good cause) provide us some insight into who he is as a gamer, and how he ended up working in the game’s industry.

Name: Brynley J. Gibson
Title: Producer
Company: Zoë Mode
Job Description: Help facilitate making something beautiful with fantastic creative people.
First title worked on: “The Movies”
Most recent title worked on: “Chime” but before that “Art Academy” for Nintendo on DSi

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

The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom Looks Delicious

Later this week one of the most interesting looking titles to hit XBLA will be released. “The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom” follows around the titular character in his never-ending quest for pie. That’s right… pie! Everyone loves pie! Seriously, how can you go wrong with a game about pie! Supposedly there’s also some mystery and puzzles mixed in, but for me, it’s really all about the pie! Also, I’m a sucker for black and white games, and if someone’s got the balls to release one, I’ll give it a try. Also, I love pie!

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter Review: Heeeee’s Baaaaack

Releasing a remake of a game is always a tricky situation for a developer. What may seem like a simple concept of offering an updated versions of someone’s favorite game really boils down to how can you sell virtually the same product to someone twice. Such is the case for Majesco Game’s latest XBLA release, “Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter.” Based on the 2001 release “Serious Sam: The First Encounter,” this new release updates a handful of features, as well as adds a shiny new coat of paint to the original. But is that enough to get you to pick up this “classic”? [Continue Reading]

Space Ark Trailer Invokes Retro Classics

The press release announcing that Strawdog Studios’ upcoming creation, entitled “Space Ark,” called out three of my all time favorite Taito classics; “Rainbow Islands,” “Bubble Bobble” and “Arkanoid.” When you drop a heavy hitting list of names like that, you better have something to show for it, and based on the tiny bit of gameplay showed off in “Space Ark” trailer it looks like there is actually some addictive potential here. We’ll just have to wait and see…

Naughty Bear’s On The Hunt In His New Trailer

I don’t know what it is, but I really like when cute things go after other cute things with shotguns. Maybe I had a messed up childhood, but the thought of blowing the fluff out of stuffed animals is really appealing to me for some reason.

Does Naughty Bear Need A Hug Or A Knife?

Take one part cute, add in one part mean, shake vigorously, stab with a giant knife repeatedly, and you’ll have 505 Games’ upcoming XBLA and PSN game “Naughty Bear.” Check out the first trailer from the game and get to know the game’s titular star, Naughty Bear, and then feel bad for him as his friends laugh at him. It look’s like he’s going to have to do something about that ….

Oh, and if “LittleBigPlanet” didn’t convince you that the British should narrate everything, this trailer definitely will. [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]

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]

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