In the end, I am glad I did. This game is one not to be missed.

A world ruled by Heavy Metal

So let me get one thing straight from the very beginning: this game is weird. Now that may not be too much of a surprise when you consider who created the game. You enter the twisted world of Brutal Legend as Eddie Riggs, the best roadie in the world stuck in a dead end job working for what passes as a metal band. A stage accident draws you into a world run by metal music ruled by Doviculus, Emperor of the Tainted Coil and his Glam Rock minion General Lionwhyte. Opposing them are Lars and Lita Halford and Ophelia, who meets Eddie when he first appears in this new world. Working alongside this motley crew (pun fully intended), Eddie forms Ironheade, a rag tag army of head banging youth forced to work in the mines, rocker girls with long distance arsenal, bass playing healers riding hogs and numerous other “warriors” taken from a metal motif.

Schafer has created an entire world based on Heavy Metal…as only he can.

If you think the storyline is twisted, wait till you play the game itself. Brutal Legend is primarily an open world brawler akin to God of War. You control Eddie, whose primary weapons are his enchanted axe and his guitar, which, when played in combat, can create various effects combining lightning and fire and allows for some rather serious combos. There’s more to it, however. Add in part rhythm game as you come across different “sacred solos” to play on the guitar, doing anything from raising relics to rallying the troops in battle. Another one of the solos calls forth the Druid Plow, and upgradable hot rod that not only allows you to traverse the the open world areas more quickly but also get involved in races and vehicular combat. Then come the stage battles: a mixture of brawler and real time strategy in which you and your army must complete the task at hand, be it just survive the battle or take down an enemy stronghold. To power your army, you draw energy from “fans,” geysers of spirits in the earth. You draw this energy from them by “Playing to the Fans,” a solo that erects a merch booth that becomes both your source of power and your weakest point in battle. Basically, Tim has attempted to bring several game play styles together on on package.

Does it work?

Brutal Legend is a kind of a hard game to score. On the one hand, it is a rather brilliant amalgam of gaming styles. The combat is strong, and though the real time strategy elements are simplistic, they are well done. On top of that, Schafer has constructed an impressive world around this unusual game. The storyline runs deep. with plenty of back story to be found by the curious. Then there is the humor in the game, something that really sets Schafer apart as a game designer. Brutal Legend contains a dry wit that, while it rarely gets you to laugh at loud, keeps you in a bemused state that makes the game rather enjoyable. Everything from the cloaking roadies, who hide in the shadows and tend not to be seen, to the Lord of Metal from whom you can buy upgrades, voiced rather appropriately by Ozzy Osbourne, just seems to fit within the twisted yet ultimately clever design.

On the other hand, the game is not all fun. As the saying goes, jack of all trades, master of none, and Brutal Legend suffers from thisat points. While the combination of styles is well done, none of them feel quite fully fleshed out. The open world is nice, but as often happens in these kind of games, you start to run out of things to do. The game starts to take on a little bit of the “Been there, done that” feeling. On top of that, Schafer seems to fall prey to to some of the trappings of games of this ilk, including really bad escort missions and some rather poor side quests.

Most gamers will find themselves enjoying the game despite its flaws.

It’s still worth it

In the end, Brutal Legend is neither as good as many people have said it is or as bad some of my criticism may lead you to believe. Most gamers will enjoy this game, which is a departure from the norm, something Schafer is known for doing well. Add to that the rather nice feature of built in censors for those of us who would rather not see all the gore or hear all the foul language, dealt with in a rather humorous flair worthy of the famous game designer, and you have a game I can recommend in spite of its flaws. Brutal Legend gets a 4 out of 5.

Hosts In: Eric Bouchard and Chris Maeurer

EDG Podcast Episode #37

Even though the art direction is totally different the gameplay still holds true to the original game. As you may have heard the game does not take advantage of the Wii’s motion controls which is a good thing because that’s usually more of a gimmick than anything else. The main concept is that you feed a white blob different jelly beans to make him change in to different objects. For example a red jelly bean makes him change into a hole in the ground or a black jelly bean turns him into a ladder. There are 15 total objects the blob can transform into. Each level is preset with certain jelly beans and this forces you to think about the steps you need to take to collect the three treasure chests that are in each level. There are 10 levels in each world and there are 4 worlds. If you collect all three treasure chests for the level a bonus level is then unlocked for you to play. The concept of trying to collect the treasure chests kind of reminded me of the puzzle piece collecting in Braid.

ABAHB’s controls do take some time to get used to. Not because they are mapped poorly but because the game is kind of tedious…switch to the black jelly bean, throw the black jelly bean, climb up the ladder, switch over to the red jelly bean, call the blob, throw the red jelly bean, jump through the hole, etc. It is this reason alone that made me get a little tired of the game after playing longer sessions. The repetitive nature takes its toll after a while. Other than that minor gripe I would say A Boy and His Blob is a perfect remake of the classic NES title. It’s polished, fun, and challenging. I honestly couldn’t ask for more in a remake of this game. Hopefully ABAHB will inspire developers to remake the more unique NES titles we’ve come to know and love.

If you haven’t dusted off your Wii in a while and you are looking for a solid game to play on the system then I would highly suggest A Boy and His Blob. The game is very cute so it will definitely attract younger kids but don’t let the game fool you, it is not easy.

Why, you ask? Because iPhone is not the only smart phone out there with games and apps that have helped make it so much more than it is coming out of the box. As a matter of fact, there is one platform that is starting to take the cell phone market by storm. It’s called Android, and it is the platform behind my smart phone, the G1.

What is Android?

At this point many of you may be asking just what exactly is Android. While I could go into  long technical definition about it being an open source program running on a Linux Kernal for mobile phones and other devices, it would probably be better to just explain why Android came about.

Android was originally a small company making software for mobile phones. Not much was known about them when Google purchased the company back in 2005, but when Google buys anything, it gets noticed. Speculation began to surface that Google was looking to get into the mobile phone industry, but the company denied that, saying instead that it was the platform it was interested in.

In late 2007, the Open Handset Alliance was formed. The alliance, comprising of several cell phone makers and carriers including  HTC, LG,  Motorola, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and of course Google, has been working on developing an open standard for mobile devices. Their first product was Android, an open source platform for mobile phones.

The G1 was the first Android Phone on the market. It is the one I own.

So what exactly does all of this mean? Since the debut of Android, more and more carries have started releasing Android phones; there are 18 different phones running the platform due out by the end of the year. Being open source, anyone can download the developer software and write applications or games for Android. In other words, anyone with programing knowledge can develop software that can be used by multiple phones on multiple networks, making Android a rapidly growing market. While no one phone may be able to compete with the iPhone in terms of popularity, the Android Platform as a whole may have a chance of actually competing, and as we have mentioned before in the console battle, competition is a good thing.

Why are we focusing on Android?

Now you may be asking why we are focusing on Android? Well, the obvious answer is I want to talk about my phone, but there is more to it than that. No, seriously, there is. I promise.

As I mentioned earlier, Android is starting to be adopted by several different cell phone makers and carriers. T-Mobile has 2 Android phones on the market, and if you have been watching sports recently, you have probably seen commercials for Motorolla’s upcoming Droid. Android is a growing platform, and just as we were among the first to really embrace reviewing iPhone Gaming, Everyday Gamers wants to be among the early sites to be discussing Android apps and games.

Besides, it gives me a chance to share why I really like the G1 and why you as a reader may want to consider purchasing an Android phone (okay, yes, there is a little bit of the selfish reason in there).

So be on the lookout for discussions on Android in general and the G1 in particular. I’ll be sharing some of my insights on the phone and the platform as well as reviewing some of the Apps and Games available on the Android Market and other areas. My hope is to share some of my growing knowledge of the platform and what it can do and hopefully get some input from others who have Android phones as well.

With all the phones and other devices (Acer is about to release a laptop that dual boots into XP and Adnroid), Android is definitely here to stay. While I do not claim to be an expert on the platform or the apps, I hope I can share what I have learned and help other Android users get the most out of their phones.

Hosts In: Patrick Adams and Kurt Roberts

EDG Podcast Episode #36

Hosts In: David Lange and Eric Bouchard

EDG Podcast Episode #35

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe is definitely the ultimate version of PJM. It brings new music, new enemies, new towers, challenge modes that unlock goodies, all the maps that were included in the original game and the expansion pack and even a whole new island. While the graphics of PJMD have been redone for the PSP it still looks beautiful. The art style is what makes PJM stand out and it continues to shine, even on the PSP. I was really impressed with how they kept the total download size under 70MB, that’s crazy for how much stuff is packed into the game.

If you would head on over to the About page of this website you might notice that PJM is currently #4 in the list of my top ten favorite games of all time so maybe I am not the best person to be reviewing this game. This is why I am going to cut my review short and say this: If you like tower defense games then you should definitely play PixelJunk Monsters, it’s the game that took tower defense genre to the next level. If you’ve never really given TD games a try PJM is the best one to bring you into the genre. And for all the TD haters out there it may be the game that changes your standpoint. Bottom line – If you have a PSP buy PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe no matter what. It’s awesome. If you don’t have a PSP and you do own a PS3 then make sure you at least buy the PSN version of the game.

Below is a video so you can see PJMD in action:

Hosts In: Eric Bouchard, David Lange, and Chris Maeurer

EDG Podcast Episode #34

Hosts In: Eric Bouchard and Chris Maeurer

EDG Podcast Episode #33

Hosts In: Eric Bouchard and Chris Maurer

EDG Podcast Episode #32

WET reminds me a lot of Stranglehold, the emphasis is on slo-mo and acrobatic kills. Basically you do certain actions like jump, wall-run, or slide which then trigger slow motion that lasts about 5 seconds. One of your guns aims automatically and you aim the other gun manually, this makes it possible to kill two people at the same time. Combine this acrobatic gameplay and a highly stylized art direction and you have the basis of WET. WET reminds me of the Kill Bill movies and I think it was made like this on purpose. You will even see drive-in commercials in between some of segments. The whole art direction, I would say, was made to make WET look like a movie.

Rubi Malone, the main character, wields guns and a sword. Guns are for slow motion combat and the sword is for close combat. There are certain areas in the game that I like to call “battle areas” and you will know you are about to enter one of these areas when a cut-scene of Rubi doing some gun-slinger tricks plays. In these areas you are to destroy the enemy spawn points by slashing them with the sword. Once all spawn points are destroyed you are to defeat the rest of the enemies. After you complete a level you are taken to a screen where you can purchase new moves and perks. You gain “style points” in each level based on how well you do. Once you complete a chapter of the game you are taken back to your “junk yard” which is basically where you can practice all of your skills. There are also challenges to be completed there. I wasn’t sure I actually liked the idea of the junk yard, I felt like the game would be better suited as a campaign with no stops from start to finish. There are also other sequences in the game that stick out from the rest and make you go “Wow” like the “Rage Mode.” Rage Mode happens at random points in the game and basically just makes the graphics look similar to MadWorld but with red, black, and white. To watch Rage Mode in action check out my video here. There are also quick time sequences in the game. One of them took place on a highway during a fast paced car chase while Rubi leaped from one car to the other shooting enemies in slow motion. It was these sequences that made the game feel unlike any other game I’ve played.

WET is a great looking game, the art direction is fantastic and I was also impressed with how gritty the game is. Usually I am not a fan of intense violence but it fits well in WET. Again, WET feels like a movie and I almost wish they would turn it into one as I think it could be very enjoyable. One last thing I want to add is that the soundtrack to the game is stellar. It fits the game perfectly and really adds to the action on the screen.

I was a little surprised to hear that Bethesda decided to take on publishing WET but I can see now they made a great choice. Hopefully WET will get the attention it deserves. The bottom line is that I really enjoyed it,  it’s pure fun, very artistic, and I would recommend picking it up if you like Stranglehold or if you like the idea of a Kill Bill game.

If you are interested in WET check out my play-through of the demo here. You can also download the demo on Xbox 360 or PS3.

Gameloft has done a great job with Modern Combat, first off, the controls work great. There are three control options and the only problem I had with them was the fact that all of them worked so good and this made it hard to just choose one and stick to it. I decided to stick with the default control scheme. This control scheme has a left virtual thumbstick which you use to move forward, backward, strafe left, and strafe right. The way you look around, what would normally be the right thumbstick, is by touching anywhere on the screen, the best place to touch is right by the cross-hairs, this is where you get the most accuracy. Then you touch a button located on the right side to shoot. There are other actions like crouch, throw grenades, zoom to cross-hairs, reload, and switch weapons. All of these controls feel great and never once did it feel like I was struggling (like when playing an FPS on the PSP). My only suggestion is to turn the sensitivity the whole way up. This was the only way I could play.

Modern Combat is an FPS similar to the console versions, everything we’ve seen before but nothing we’ve seen on a mobile device. I was playing it on a 3GS so there was no lag at all, everything ran smooth, the graphics looked great. The gameplay has a lot of variety, at one point I was using a sniper rifle to take down enemies on a ledge in an underground passageway, the next moment I was defending a palace from tanks and RPG’s. The gameplay definitely gets switched up and it’s easy to get sucked in. There are 10 levels total and most of them are completed in 15 minutes on average.

Overall Modern Combat: Sandstorm is a must buy for FPS fans. Gameloft put a lot of effort into the game and it came out very polished. Not only is it a lot of fun but it’s a great game to show off to people and say “Yea, my phone can do that.” The thing is though, this phone doesn’t really feel like a phone anymore. With games like these the iPhone is a tough competitor to the handheld gaming market. Modern Combat is currently $6.99 in the app store and I also hear there is a multiplayer mode in the works as a future update.

Check out some footage of the game below:

Hosts In: Patrick Adams, Eric Bouchard, and Matt Lenz

EDG Podcast Episode #31

Hosts In: Eric Bouchard and Chris Maeurer

EDG Podcast Episode #30

App Store Link