Plug and Play

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review

2013-05-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

Overview:

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Platform(s): XBLA, PSN, PC

Every so often a game comes along that attempts to turn its genre on its head. Rarer still is a game that attempts to turn itself on its head. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the new standalone expansion for last year’s Far Cry 3, does just that. Blood Dragon changes the setting from tropical island to the far flung 80’s action movie cyberfuture of 2007. You play as Cybercommando Rex Power-Cult, and must fight your way through a post-apocalyptic world of neon lights, electronic music, and scan lines as you aim to take down Colonel Sloan, who may or may not be working with “the Reds”.

Everything here has an 80's flare,
even the old-school cutscenes.

If this all sounds like a movie you might see on TV at 3 a.m. on FX, that is kind of the point. Everything from the weapon design to the dialogue screams corny action, and the team behind the game nailed it. The joke here is more than just on the surface, you feel like you are an old-school action hero. You can run incredibly fast and fall from great heights, having zero effect on your health. Even the more ambient lines seem like something Ahnold himself might utter. For example, pilfer a cyber-heart from an enemy and you might here Rex mention how he is a “real heartbreaker”. If you are a fan of things that are bad in a good way, this game’s style will be right in your wheelhouse.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon just oozes style.

Stylistic changes aside, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon plays a lot like Far Cry 3. You obviously have your main story missions to do, but there is a whole open world to explore. There are garrisons to liberate, side missions to complete, and collectibles galore to hunt down. There are only a couple side mission types, and they usually involve either hunting and killing a specific animal on the island or rescuing a scientist that the cybersoldiers are holding hostage. These missions reward you with upgrades for your weapons that you can apply as you see fit. Your options in mission types may be a bit limited, but you can tackle them however you see fit. Want to run around all stealth like and use takedowns on all the guards in a garrison? Want to take down the shields and have one of the world’s dangerous blood dragons take out all the enemies? Both of these are valid tactics and are rewarding in their own ways.

Unfortunately, while the open world leaves a bunch of gameplay options open, the story missions are much more linear. Sure, you can sneak around instead of going in guns blazing, but you will be eventually heading towards the same spot down the same hallways. It would have been nice to see some of the missions set in more open areas, allowing for a consistent gameplay experience throughout your time in the world. Regardless of how you decide to approach a combat situation, though, one thing has not changed from base Far Cry 3; the bow is still the way to go.

Much like in base Far Cry 3, the bow is still the best weapon in the game.

While the story missions themselves are maybe not as interesting as the rest of the open world, they are still worth the price of admission. The writing is mostly witty, although they run with their jokes for a bit too long at times. This is especially the case in the tutorial, but it does show up in other spots as well. In traditional cheesy action movie fashion, the story itself goes some pretty crazy places, so even if the side content is more your speed, they are still worth doing. Blood Dragon is a relatively short experience, with the main story clocking in at around 4 hours, but there is enough side content available to keep you playing for at least twice that, if not more. It is not nearly as much content as base Far Cry 3 contained when it came out last year, but for $15, one cannot really complain. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is an experience worth having for fans of all things dumb yet amazing, and the fact that you do not even need to own Far Cry 3 proper to play it is a smart move and a nice bonus.

8/10

BioShock Infinite Review

2013-04-04T17:33:00.001-04:00

Overview

Developer: Irrational Games

Publisher: 2K Games

Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC (Steam)

BioShock Infinite, the third game in the franchise and second from Ken Levine and Irrational Games, is a game that truly understands what it means to set a scene and establish a world. For someone such as myself who plays games to escape and to visit places that would otherwise be impossible to explore, the floating of city of Colombia could not be a more perfect setting for the story that Infinite aims to tell. This is truly a game that grabs you immediately and refuses to let you go, even after completion.

As mentioned above, the game does a great job of letting you know what is going on in its world as soon as you step off the boat. In the early stages of the game, Columbia seems like a giant World's Fair, with fireworks popping off to celebrate The Prophet, Zachary Comstock, the newest technologies being shown off, as well as lines upon lines of ambient dialogue that give players a glimpse into what is going on. The pomp and circumstance of it all may seem overbearing to some players, but it is really done to drive home the points the game is trying to make about society in the city. As the game goes on, the setting changes to reflect the mood of the level, each area different yet same enough to be recognizable as part of Columbia.

Columbia is truly a beautiful city in the sky

In addition to the setting changing as the story moves forward, Irrational has filled Colombia to the brim with little tidbits of information. One of the reasons I took over 12 hours to complete the game while some people are taking 8 or 9 is because there are simply so many little nooks and crannies to explore. Almost every room has something like a newspaper or a painting to really set the mood, and the voxophone audio logs really help to flesh out the world as well as the story set within it.

Oh boy, that story. In BioShock Infinite, you play as Booker DeWitt, a man who is sent to Columbia to “Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt.” The debt he has acquired from years of gambling, and the girl is Elizabeth, a young woman trapped in the top of a tower, guarded by the mysterious Songbird. Where the story goes from there is really best discovered by the player. Overall, the story is very good, and achieves its goal of making you want to carry on throughout the campaign. However, it is the last chunk of the game, let’s say the last 30 minutes or so, that elevates the story from well above average to one of the smartest and one of the best stories ever seen in the medium. Ken Levine is a masterful storyteller, and BioShock Infinite is his magnum opus. It truly has to be witnessed to be believed.

Story aside, Infinite is still a video game, specifically a first person shooter. The good thing is, it is a really fun one. In addition to your standard mix of rifles, pistols, shotgun, and heavy weapons, you have access to an arsenal of special powers called vigors. These act similarly to plasmids from the original BioShock, except this time around they are just activated with a separate button kind of like grenades in most shooters instead of being equipped like a gun. The vigors range from a simple fire bomb to things like my personal favorite, “Bucking Bronco,” which lifts enemies up in the air, leaving them vulnerable. Most of the vigors have a secondary function such as leaving a trap, but I didn’t find most of them to be useful in most situations. Elizabeth can also open tears in combat that do things like spawn a friendly turret or make health kits available. You can only have one of these tears open at a time, but they definitely allow you to really change the flow of a battle.

The themes tackled in the world of BioShock Infinite make it a world completely worth getting lost in.

The combat overall is mostly fun, but seems to rely too heavily on the environment in which the battle is taking place. Indoor and corridor shoot-outs are still satisfying, but it is in the open areas that feature multiple tears and skylines that things really get hectic and incredibly enjoyable. I was playing on the Hard difficulty for most of the game, and having to run and jump to and from skylines while popping off shots and grabbing supplies in brief windows of opportunity is some of the most fun I have had in an FPS in quite some time. The indoor and more restricted fights do make it somewhat easier to get into a boring rhythm of using the same weapons and vigors, but if the player makes a conscious choice to mix it up, the combat never gets stale. It is a combat system where the more you put in, the more you will get out. As a personal note, I really felt that playing on a harder difficulty made even the more mundane fights interesting, but that is obviously not something every player is willing to do.

There are good games, and then there are great games. Similarly, there are great games, and then there are games that really remind you why you enjoy games in the first place. BioShock Infinite is definitely one of the latter. It is experiences like Infinite that remind me that the industry is not just nothing but predictable sequels and annualized franchises. It may have taken 4 more years to make than your average Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, but the extra time and care that went into creating the world clearly shines through. As someone who plays games to get lost in another world, I can think of few more interesting worlds to enter than the floating city of Columbia. BioShock Infinite is a masterpiece in almost every way, as well as the most modern game I have played it years in terms of thematic impact and story. Since the original BioShock was released, there has been some discussion about where it stands among the best games of all time. Now, with Infinite added to the mix, there will be discussion about whether the original is even the best game in the franchise.

10/10

The Great PAX East 2013 Image Dump

2013-03-30T22:17:00.001-04:00

Pax East 2013 was in Boston last weekend (March 22-24), and I took a good amount of pictures. Want to see them? Click here! I'll include a few of my favorites below. Also, here is a short list of games that I played. There will probably be a short write up on a couple of them, if not all of them since there are not that many, at some point next week.

Games I got to play at PAX:

Transistor
Divekick (also known as DIVE-A KICK-A)
Ms. Splosion Man for iPad
Wildstar
Metro: Last Light
Battleblock Theater
Soda Drinker Pro
Saints Row IV (saw the presentation)

Some select images from the PAX album:

Plug & Play at PAX East!

2013-03-20T22:30:00.001-04:00

PAX East is this weekend, and PnP will (mostly, sorry Scott) be there in full force! There are a handful of games that I cannot wait to try out, and a bunch of panels that I'm seriously looking forward to sitting in on. Expect a full report when we return, including tons of images and maybe some video.

Speaking of video, there will be a live Lincolncast Saturday evening at midnight. The Linconcast/Scotchcast is a thing I do with some guys from the Giantbomb.com community. You should check it out, if you feel so inclined. To clarify, that is midnight eastern Saturday going into Sunday. You can catch the stream at my twitch channel here. Subscribe and you will get an email notification when we inevitably go live later. Have any games you really want me to check out? Yell in the comments below. PAX, YO!

I cannot wait to play Transistor at PAX this weekend.

SimCity Review

2013-03-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Overview

Developer: Maxis

Publish: EA

Platform(s): PC

SimCity, the newest offering in Maxis' long running franchise, is in many ways the best and the worst in the series. It can be eternally frustrating, yet minutes later extremely satisfying. There are a bunch of decisions that may frustrate players, and while some of them sour the experience a tad, there is no denying that the core city building mechanics are still really solid, and that the game is still really fun.

The main feature that Maxis was talking up prior to the release of SimCity was the detail of the simulation; how every single Sim in each City was being simulated. Continuing the theme of good and bad, this is both the best and worst part of the game. It lends an immense amount of detail to cities, and allows a ton of information to be available to the player. Players can get in close and watch as their citizens head to work, get on and off buses, and just generally go on with their lives. However, the way each sim is simulated is fairly annoying. They are treated as "agents", similar to water and power. Without getting too technical, this means that when heading somewhere, they all will take the shortest path to the nearest opening. For example, when heading off to work in the morning, a medium wealth sim will not head to "his" job. He will simply take the shortest path to the nearest available medium wealth job.

This way of simulating people as "agents" is not limited to just regular citizens. Services such as police, city buses, and firemen follow these rules as well, meaning that all firemen will head to the nearest fire and will stay there until it is out instead of spreading out or at least heading out to the biggest fire. While this may not seem like a big deal if there are enough officers or firemen, this way of simulating leads to one problem that I have experimented with and still have been unable to avoid: crippling traffic. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to avoid a backup heading into my city, leading to services and trade not being able to enter my city.

Traffic seems to become a problem, no
matter how hard I try to avoid it.

The "agent" method of simulating also means that the size of cities in this SimCity has been significantly reduced. While, this would not be an issue (if handled correctly), the game seems to keep forgetting that the cities are as small as they are. No matter how densely packed your 2km² city is, the game's advisers will keep yelling to zone more of this or that. As I played, I kept saying to myself, "I would if you gave me more room, video game!" Also, some of the buildings are monstrously huge, and often take up more space than they are worth.

While it seems like I have been super negative so far, there is still a lot that SimCity gets right. In a game like this, there is a lot of information that has to be processed and expressed to the player. SimCity handles this in a great way by simplifying the way information is shown to the player, rather than dumbing down the systems that calculate everything. Want to know which areas of your town are most polluted or have the highest population density? All of that info is available in the form of a color coded graph within a few clicks. It is a clever and simple way to give the player lots of different information without seeming overwhelming.

These charts make information easy to digest.

In addition to simplifying the information, the way players actually build their infrastructure is a lot easier this time around. Gone are the days of laying pipes for water and running power lines. Because everything is an "agent," everything is tied to the road. Laying down a new road also lays down water and power lines for that road. Managing things at a city level has gotten easier, allowing for more complex multi-city regions for players to manage.

That is right, regions. SimCity is built around multi-city regions. This means that if a player wants to do it all, they are going to need multiple cities. This region system is part of the justification for a required internet connection (I'll speak to that later), and it changes how the game is played at a fundamental level. Not every city has the space or resources to handle every situation, so players are going to need others in the region to help them out. Neighboring cities can do everything from volunteer more cops and ambulances in a pinch or sell utilities like power and water. Things like volunteering police are handled automatically, but other players can send their extra vehicles manually in return for some cash. In addition, mayors can choose to pay other mayors for utilities, provided one has excess to offer and the other has money to afford it.

The region system is where the game can get really interesting, and in my opinion, the most fun. If you are like me and have a good group of people to make a region with, coordinating who is building what to unlock buildings and buffs for the region is a ton of fun. For example, in one region, the city next to me was making a large excess of power using wind, a lot of which I was buying to power my own city. I built a university and had it research better wind turbines, which the other mayor used to create even more power to light both of our cities. We both built specific structures that benefited both of our cities in the long run. This is a relatively small scale example, but it gives you an idea of how people can work together to create successful cities.

Sharing among cities makes sure you are
covered if you need anything.

In order to have decent synergy between cities in a region, the city specializations must be used. This system is basically a way of organizing buildings that fit certain industries in the same tab. They are flexible and can be mixed in each city, but synchronizing them across a region is key. If a player has a bunch of cities specializing in gambling, there will be plenty of money to build the game's Great Works (basically large scale projects best handled by multiple mayors), but an equally high amount of crime. Finding a nice balance among things like oil drilling, high-tech product manufacturing, and other specializations like tourism ensures that regions will have varied enough cities that if someone starts to struggle in one aspect, the other cities can pick up the slack. It is best to decide what specialization one wants to get into before picking a plot of land, that way you can make sure the needed resources are available. Players can also start designing a city that supports their chosen specialization. Deciding to plop an oil field in an already densely populated area may not be the best idea is all that I'm saying.

Of course, this region play requires a connection to the SimCity servers. When the servers are up, it works flawlessly. When the servers are not up, things can get a bit rocky. If someone is already playing and loses connection to the servers, the game does not boot them right away. However, connection is lost to other cities in the region, and with that, any interactions that might exist. If a city is buying power from another, there is a good chance they will lose that power. Want to pay a neighboring city a visit to laugh at how poorly they are doing? Not going to happen when the servers are down. While it is understandable that the multiplayer was busted on launch day, the fact that it prevented people from playing all together was a pretty big bummer.

Being able to zoom in and see what's going on at ground level
is one of the coolest features in SimCity.

All that said, SimCity is still a solid and, quite frankly, pretty fun game. While a lot of the design choices seem to disagree with each other at times, what Maxis was shooting for is mostly realized. Region play can be an absolute joy when played with the right people, and giving someone shit for repeatedly having an arsonist from their city light buildings on fire in your city is the kind of multiplayer experience that only this entry in the series can offer. If this type of game is your thing, and you have a good group of players to make a region with, there should be enough here to keep you entertained. I myself have had a few moments where I thought I was playing for an hour, and it turned out I had been playing for five. If you are on the fence, I would recommend waiting to see where Maxis takes this game. If nothing else, I'm sure it will be interesting.

7/10

Antichamber Review

2013-02-13T14:19:00.000-05:00

Overview

Developer: Alexander Bruce

Publisher: Alexander Bruce

Platform(s): PC

Have you ever wanted a reason to use "non-euclidean" in a sentence? No? Well, too bad, because now you have one! Antichamber, the first-person puzzle game spawned from one Alexander Bruce, uses non-euclidean geometry in order to change the world around you, which is used for many of the game's mind-bending puzzles. What does non-euclidean even mean? I could try to explain it to you, but that would take too long. Instead, I recommend you just play Antichamber and see it for yourself, since it offers a puzzle-platforming experience unlike anything you've seen before.

You got all that? Good. Get to it!

As soon as you launch the game, you are instantly dropped into what looks like the holodeck from Star Trek TNG, where you must figure out how to reach the "Exit". The visuals are immediately striking, mixing white borders with black outlines to create a vacant atmosphere. It's not all black and white, however, since primary colors play a big part in the puzzle solving. It's important to pay attention to the color of whatever room you are in, since it will help you remember where you need to go next. Color also plays into the non-euclidean aspect of Antichamber. In short, the game uses perspective to change the geometry around you. For instance, you will be walking down a hallway where you will have to go back the way you came, only to find a completely different room behind you. Despite areas changing around you, Antichamber is still fairly linear, with each area eventually leading you towards a specific path. Many areas will also be inaccessible until you find items that help you progress further.

One of the earliest examples
of non-euclidean geometry
used in puzzle solving

There's no real story to speak of here, but that's OK. Your main objective is to solve the puzzles that are presented to you as you discover the intricacies of the game. You'll receive hints along the way in the form of signs that give you clues as to how the rules work. Still, it's pretty much up to you to figure out how the hidden mechanics can be used to solve each puzzle. Once you discover these mechanics either by experimenting with the world or obtaining items with added abilities, you will quickly adapt to the game's formula of puzzle solving. In fact, if you discover these mechanics early on, you can blow through Antichamber in a matter of minutes, as long as you know where to go. This is ill advised, though, because part of the fun of playing it is solving each puzzle in order to find various secrets. While some of the puzzles may result in you banging your head against the wall for a good while, when you finally do solve them, the pay off is pretty satisfying.

Why, hello there!

Although the act of trying to solve each puzzle is fun in its own right, how much enjoyment you will get out of Antichamber depends on how much you are willing to put into it. You are not required to solve every single puzzle in order to beat the game, which is nice. However, simply burning through the necessary puzzles to see the end may result in diminishing returns. Also, some of the puzzles require a fair amount of platforming, which can be frustrating since the game currently only supports keyboard and mouse controls. Another problem is that while I appreciate that some of the game's mechanics aren't blatantly telegraphed, it's not always clear how you are supposed to discover them. One mechanic, in particular, is revealed to you at several moments, but understanding how to utilize it can be confusing. Though as you progress and gain more skills, many of the puzzles will become trivialized, resulting in a more rewarding experience.

The map is the closest thing to a friend you have in Antichamber.

Antichamber may not be as open ended or crazy as it would appear, but I still had fun exploring the world and finding every little secret. The game's look and style of puzzle solving is unlike anything else out there, and solving each puzzle is rewarding on both a psychological level and in terms of gameplay. Even if you don't find every secret it has to offer, playing Antichamber on its own is still a great time.

8/10

The Cave Review

2013-02-04T20:38:00.002-05:00

Overview

Developer: Double Fine Productions

Publisher: Sega

Platform(s): XBLA, PSN, PC, Mac, Linux, Wii U eShop,

The adventure game genre has seen a bit of a resurgence over the past few years, thanks to the downloadable, episodic format many of them have employed. The Cave, the latest game from Double Fine and Ron Gilbert, may not be episodic, but is yet another example of how adventures games are still totally viable in the modern era. For those of you who don't know, Ron Gilbert is essentially the "father of adventure games", responsible for such classics as Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island back in the day. While his most recent project may not change the way we think of modern adventure games, The Cave has enough charm and unique puzzle solving to be enjoyed by fans of the genre.

Visuals/Presentation

"Welcome to The Cave! Better get used to looking at it!

The Cave's art style is about as cartoony as you would expect from a Double Fine game. That's not a bad thing, mind you, since the cartoon inspired look of most of their games matches their sense of humor and overall aesthetic (I got a definite Psychonauts vibe). Graphically, the game looks good for 2013 standards, mostly getting by on it's art style. Some of the generic cave areas become a bit repetitive to look at, which is pretty much to be expected (The game is called THE CAVE after all). Thankfully, the character specific environments each contain their own unique look and feel. You will explore such areas as a medieval castle, a Victorian mansion, an ancient temple, and even travel through time. These areas offer a good amount of visual variety to an otherwise bland looking game.

Score: 7/10

Music/Sound

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

There's not a ton of music to speak of here, and what little there is constantly loops. None of it is even all that memorable either, which is slightly unfortunate. Still, this is a game that doesn't rely on having an amazing soundtrack, and instead offers a fair amount of voicework. The game's narrator is the Cave itself, and he will comment on your progression from time to time. His comments range from genuinely funny to slightly ham-fisted. The good news is that he is reigned in just enough to avoid becoming overused or annoying. It also helps that he is balanced out by several minor characters that you'll meet along the way. The voicework is well done, succeeding in delivering Double Fine's unique brand of humor. In addition, this game features some of the best footsteps sounds I've heard in a video game!

Score: 7/10

Gameplay

Our heroes find ourselves gather 'round a campfire wondering
why those twins are CONSTANTLY HOLDING HANDS!?

At its core, The Cave is an old-school style adventure game baked around a 2D platformer. You choose up to three characters from a group of seven, each with their own distinct abilities. The basic premise of The Cave involves seven unlikely heroes each searching for the thing they most desire in the depths of The Cave itself. Each hero explores their own unique area, requiring that character to use their specific ability to solve various puzzles. If you want to see all of these areas, though, you'll have to play through the game no less than three times. The character specific puzzles are by far the most interesting and engaging, requiring a decent amount of ingenuity from the player's part. The standard puzzles in the generic cave zones, however, are not quite as enjoyable. Most of these puzzles involve moving your three characters to different parts of the environment one at a time. This becomes incredibly tedious, and makes some of the puzzle solving feel more like a chore than anything else. The game does support local co-op for up to three players, which could help relieve some of the tedium. Another issue is that there's no penalty for dying, since you simply respawn on the ledge you were last standing on. Although this helps prevent massive amounts of frustration, it makes you wonder why the designers even made death a mechanic in the first place.

An example of using multiple characters
to solve a single puzzle

The Cave might not be the next revolutionary step for the modern adventure game genre, but for what it is, it does a good enough job in delivering that kind of experience. Thanks to some clever puzzle solving, a variety of different locations, and the Double Fine brand of humor, Ron Gilbert's latest addition to the adventure game space is one that deserves a look at, provided you are at least somewhat interested in the genre.

Score: 7/10

TL; DR

Visuals/Presentation: A cartoony art style compliments the game's sense of humor, and the character specific zones contribute to the visual variety. The generic cave areas become repetitive, though.

7/10

Music/Sound: Funny voicework almost makes up for the forgettable music.

7/10

Gameplay: While tedious in nature, many of the puzzles are engaging and satisfying to solve.

7/10

Score: 7/10

Guild Wars 2 Karaoke Night

2013-02-02T01:02:00.001-05:00

Every so often, my Guild Wars 2 guild (the GiantBomb.com community guild, Lincoln Force) decides to have a little fun while running dungeons. The most popular way to spice things up is to have a Karaoke Night. Above is the video for our most recent Karaoke Night. I have a little intro where I go over the build that I am running, but a few members of the party may or may not have been drinking some adult beverages, so it is up to you whether or not you want to use it as a proper guide. As for the rest of the video, you just have to watch it to truly appreciate the madness.

Nintendo Directs U Towards New Announcements

2013-01-23T14:49:00.001-05:00

Nintendo might have failed to make a huge splash at last year's E3, but they certainly seem to be kicking 2013 off with a bang. Last week featured a major bombshell (for me, anyway) in the form of Pokemon X and Y for the 3DS, being the first fully 3D game in the series for handhelds. Following today's Nintendo Direct centered around the Wii U, a smörgåsbord of announcements give reasons to believe that the Big N won't sit this year out quietly. If you care to watch the entire 30 minute video, check out the embed at the top.

"Also, more blue bars!"

After a lengthy summary of how Miiverse works, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that there are two Wii U systems updates coming, one in the spring and summer. Iwata promised that the updates will improve the amount of time it takes to launch software as well as returning to the Wii U menu. I don't actually own a Wii U, so I can't attest to how bad the response time is on that stuff, although I've heard it's pretty bad. Hopefully these updates will improve on these issues.

Discounts!

Next, Iwata revealed that Nintendo's Virtual Console will be making it's way onto the Wii U after the spring update, and will feature games from the NES, SNES, and GBA (FINALLY!) Wii U VC games will feature back up saves, the ability to play them on the Wii U gamepad off the TV, and Miiverse support. As an added bonus, NES and SNES games that were previously purchased on the Wii Virtual Console will be discounted at the low prices of $1 and $1.50, respectively. While it's kind of a bummer that players who want to play Wii U supported VC games that they already own will have to buy them again, it's nice that they are at least heavily discounted.

30 is the new 25.

Speaking of old games, Iwata announced that as part of the Famicom's 30th anniversary, Nintendo will be offering a Virtual Console "Trail Campaign", making select NES and SNES games available each month from now until July at the low, LOW price of 30 cents. You can actually buy the first game, Balloon Fight, right now if you so desire. Too bad you'll have to wait a few months to play it on your Wii U.

Iwata then went into upcoming first-party games that will feature Miiverse support, including Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U, as well as the ability to take screenshots in Pikmin 3 with the gamepad. Iwata also revealed that you will be able to browse the Miiverse on your fancy shmancy smartphones/tablets this spring, with a dedicated Miiverse app coming sometime in the future. This is good news if you're super into the Miiverse, but if you're like me and don't own a Wii U or don't care about the social aspect of the console, then you probably don't care very much about this.

New, as in an actually new Mario game. Not "New Super Mario Bros", which stopped being new three games ago.

What you SHOULD care about, however, are new upcoming Wii U games. For instance, how would you like a new 3D Mario game!? Well, the team that brought you Mario Galaxy and 3D Land are working on one AS WE SPEAK, and will most likely be playable at this year's E3. As if that wasn't enough Mario for ya, a new Mario Kart game is also in development for the Wii U, and will most likely feature a stupid title (i.e. Mario Kart U, Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart: Kart Harder). But forget all that, because a sequel to Wii Party is coming at you fast and loud, which is....awesome, I guess? At least it looks to be using the Wii U gamepad in some interesting ways, so there's that.

"Yoshi's Epic Yarn: A Better Game Than Yoshi's Story"

Probably the two most interesting and totally out of left-field announcements were for a Yoshi game from the people who made Kirby's Epic Yarn, and a crossover between Shin Magami Tensei and Fire Emblem, which in the wake of this and Megaman X Street Fighter has resulted in me coming up with other random game crossovers:

Half-Life X Harvest Moon
The Elder Scrolls X PaRappa the Rapper
Dead Space X Cooking Mama
Metal Gear Solid X WarioWare

Maybe having a map on the gamepad will make finding the
triforce pieces bearable.

Lastly, The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that not only is the Zelda team working on a new installment of the series for the Wii U, but a remake of Wind Waker will be coming to the system this fall, with updated visuals and gamepad support. Honestly, I am excited to see "THE BEST 3D ZELDA GAME SCREW YOU FANBOIS!" get updated for the current generation, since the art style would benefit greatly from HD visuals. It is also both awesome and sad that I am more interested in the updated 10 year old Zelda game than a brand new one. If this new game actually succeeds in rewriting the Zelda formula like Aonuma says in the video, maybe it will get me to play another new game in the series (I still have not played Skyward Sword and am not exactly itching to play it anytime soon).

So there you have it. Is now the time to finally buy a Wii U!? Probably not. At least, not right his second, anyway. While I'm still waiting for Nintendo to put out games that will convince me to drop the money on the system, the lineup they have for this year so far looks more and more compelling, making me seriously consider picking one up this fall. I'm sure there will be even more juicy announcements at E3 this year, so stay tuned until then.

Oh, and the Xenoblade people are making a new game. I should probably play Xenoblade at some point...

Why I Want a 3DS; and Why That Means Nintendo is OK

2013-01-21T17:08:00.003-05:00

I have no interest in mobile gaming. Like, at all. I have a bunch of games available to me on my Galaxy Nexus and Kindle Fire, but I rarely play any of them. Even when I do, it's usually for no longer than 5-10 minutes. I have not purchased a handheld console since the Game Boy Advance. Not an SP, a GBA-ass-GBA. I could go on, but I think I made my point that I am really not into portable games. Why is it, then, that I really really want to buy a 3DS, and probably will in there near future? Also, what does that say about the current state of Nintendo?

I still don't know what that title means.

I think the number one reason I'm interested in a 3DS is perhaps the most obvious reason; the games. As someone who thinks a lot of the Big N's core franchises have been in a slump for the last few years, I would argue that the best Zelda and Mario games of the last few years have appeared on the 3DS in the forms of Ocarina of Time 3D and Super Mario 3D Land. The e-shop has actually blossomed into a decent place to get games as well, including the likes of Pushmo and Crashmo. In addition, just in the next few months the platform will see a new Fire Emblem, a re-release of the beloved Monster Hunter Tri (called Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate), and even a long awaited sequel to Luigi's Mansion. Fans of the original Luigi's Mansion have been asking for a sequel for about 10 years now, and the fact that Nintendo decided to release it on the 3DS instead of the brand-spanking-new Wii U tells me what platform they are still more confident in.

Let's be honest here, this is the real reason we
all love Nintendo's handhelds.

Some may see Nintendo's decision to release so many games for the 3DS when they just launched a new home console as a sign that they are struggling. While numbers may show that the Wii U is not performing as well as the Wii did, and even if Nintendo does have more confidence in its portable, that does not mean the end is nigh. In case people haven't noticed, Microsoft (and to a greater extent, Sony) are not doing so hot either. Don't get me wrong, I am no Nintendo fanboy. I actually think a lot of their core franchises are really overrated, and often state that Okami and Darksiders are my two favorite "Zelda" games. However, I think that they are still capable of producing solid hardware with above average first party support. If they can convince me, someone who really does not want to lug around another "thing" in a world of "things" to lug around, to want to buy a 3DS, I'm sure they will be just fine. Plus, it is going to have new Pokémans, how can I not want one?!?

Matt's Top 5 Games of 2012

2013-01-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Here we have my personal Top 5 from this year in vidja games! Looking over this list after I finished putting it together made me realize just how varied this year was in gaming. All of the games on this list are from different genres, and they are all great for different reasons. I think it really speaks to just how diverse the gaming scene has become. There are truly great games to be played no matter what you enjoy about games as a whole, and I think this year, and this list, represent that.

5. Scribblenauts Unlimited

Scribblenauts oozes with charm. From its art style to its quirky characters and tasks, everything has a pleasant feel to it. While the franchise has been around for awhile, Unlimited is the first entry that I have personally played. I knew the general premise of using a magical notebook to summon objects or people to accomplish tasks, but I never knew just how many different things you could create. The addition of an object editor as well as Steam Workshop support for the PC version means that the list of things you can place in the world is constantly expanding, to the point where this Scribblenauts is truly Unlimited.

4. Spec Ops: The Line

Like I said before, I knew that Spec Ops was well known for its dark and messed up story by the time I played it, yet was still completely blindsided by it. The game was stuck in my head for a few days after I finished it, and I could not stop thinking about its final moments and the decisions I made. Including the player’s gamertag at the very start of the game in the opening credits is a nice little touch that makes it feel like you are the one making the decisions, not the characters you are playing, and that can make a difference in the storytelling. On a gameplay side, the shooting was mediocre. Perfectly fine, yet at the same time preventing the game from being higher on this list.

3. Darksiders II

Darksiders II is everything I could want in an action game. The combat is fluid and fun, and if I mess up I almost always feel it was my fault, rather than the fault of wonky mechanics or a clunky camera. The platforming and exploration feels equally good, with most sections having enough room for error to compensate for the fact that the platforming is not the main part of the game. The story is good enough to keep me wanting to move forward and doesn't get in the way of the action. The looting and upgrading of gear is also super fun, and allows for a good deal of customization when it comes to stat spreads (although admittedly lacks in terms of customizing looks). You can even feed your weapons into Possessed weapons to make them more powerful! I really don’t understand some people were down on this game, because I really enjoyed it and the bits of DLC I played.

2. Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet’s MMO Sequel may not be the complete 180 degree turnaround from traditional MMO design that a lot of the internet hype train made it out to be, but there are a lot of interesting design choices here that make it stand out from other popular games in the genre. You are still going to be killing monsters and collecting items to complete quests, but the whole process has been streamlined, allowing you to stumble upon these quests and complete them without having to talk to an NPC with an exclamation point over their head. You will still have to complete instances multiple times if you want gear from there, but multiple paths per dungeon and the lack of a holy trinity keep these dungeon runs feeling relatively fresh. Pile that on top of epic WvW PvP components as well as tournament PvP, and you have a game that I will be playing a lot in the future (and already have, with around 900 hours already clocked). To put it briefly, I like to say that Guild Wars 2 is “An MMO without the MMO bullshit”.

1. Journey

Read my review

What can be said about Journey that has not already been said elsewhere, both on other sites as well as in these awards. Journey is a beautiful experience in every way, and something that I think every person who owns a PS3 should try to take part in. Perhaps the most overlooked, and perhaps most impressive thing about Journey is that if you strip away the great art style and visuals, as well as the award-winning music, you still have a very solid puzzle platformer with a really neat and innovative way of handling co-op. Although the shortest game I played to completion this year, Journey managed to leave the largest impression, and that is why it is my Game of the Year.

Honorable Mentions:

I realized I really didn't play that many games this year, or at least ones that came out this year. That is why I do not have any runners up. It is not anything like “There were no good games this year” or “This was a down year for games” or anything like that, I just did not have the time or resources to play as many new games as I would have liked.

Tyler's Top 5 Games of 2012

2013-01-01T17:28:00.000-05:00

Here it is, y'all. My personal Top Five Favorite Games of 2012. You might notice that all five of these games are downloadable titles. Actually, most games are downloadable these days, so I guess that doesn't exactly apply here. What I mean is, all five of these games were released digitally between the prices of $10 and $25, and are not your average AAA blockbusters. The fact that these games can stand on their own as some of the best experiences in video games this year is heartwarming, making this an exciting time for the medium. It is also slightly depressing in that big budget $60 titles need to start stepping things up, especially with the next generation of consoles creeping up on us. With all that being said, enjoy sifting through my five favorite games of this year.

5. The Walking Dead

Telltale knocked it out of the park with The Walking Dead, both in storytelling and in giving the the player a true sense of ownership. The choices you are presented with are some of the toughest I’ve had to make in any game, with there being no real right or wrong decision. It also doesn’t help that your choices are based on a timer, resulting in the game making a choice for you if you take too long. As if making meaningful decisions wasn't enough, The Walking Dead has some of the most memorable and realistically depicted characters in any story based adventure, further enhancing the overall storytelling. It may not be the greatest adventure game in terms of gameplay, but the story and characters more than make up for it.

4. Mark of the Ninja

I hate stealth in games. More often than not, the game is either not designed around being stealthy, or the ones that are make you feel incredibly underpowered as a result. Mark of the Ninja, however, makes stealth gameplay fun and empowering with its tight controls and genius use on screen messaging. The game makes you feel like a total badass as you sneak around and dispose of enemies with ease, thanks to the brilliantly designed environments and rewarding upgrades. The way the game telegraphs whether or not the player is hidden as well as the enemy's lines of site also make playing stealthy feel fun, rather than a chore. Even if you hate steal games, you should still give Mark of the Ninja a stab (hehe).

3. Fez

Read my review

If Fez was simply just another indie platformer with a unique gimmick of rotating the world wrapped around a retro art style, it probably would have still been a decent game. The reason why Fez ranks so highly on this list, though, is because of everything surrounding the core gameplay and aesthetic. While it isn't too hard to figure out that the game is trying to tell you something about the world, it’s not entirely apparent what that thing is. When you finally do discover it for yourself, either through the internet or pure ingenuity, you will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying revelations in gaming history. The game feels as though you are journeying through the mind of creator Phil Fish as you enter his warped reality, and it is an adventure you won’t soon forget. Fez is truly more than the sum of it’s parts, and anyone with an Xbox owes it to themself to see it firsthand.

2. Dust: An Elysian Tail

You probably would have never known that Dust: An Elysian Tail was created by one guy unless I either told you or you finished the game and watched the credits (or, more appropriately, credit). Aside from the music, Dust is the brainchild of one Dean Dodrill, and the game itself feels like a love letter to all of the things he loves about the medium. After five years in the making, Dodrill delivered a product that felt like it was made by a team of 30 + developers. With a surprising amount of mechanics, such as crafting, leveling, and character upgrades, along with exciting combat and beautiful visuals make this Metroid-vania style experience rank among some of the best in the downloadable space. A depressingly dark story and organic voicework also contribute to an impressive example of what the hard work and passion of one man can produce.

1. Journey

There was not a single game I played this year that reached the same level of quality that Journey did. Thatgamecompany’s magnum opus achieved a level of greatness I did not think was possible in a downloadable title. Everything from the gorgeous visuals, engrossing gameplay, and amazing soundtrack made Journey feel like a complete package, clocking in at just under two hours. The reason why this game is such an incredible *ahem* journey is that you feel a deep emotional connection with the character, resulting in the player feeling as though they are actually going through everything the character is as he travels towards his destination. You will go on an emotional roller coaster as you move closer and closer towards the looming mountain ahead, feeling varying levels of joy, sadness, and wonder along the way. All of these feelings are achieved without a single word of dialogue spoken, which is truly impressive considering the amount of dialogue present in most modern story based games. The way the game handles multiplayer also contributes to the amount of emotional resonance Journey evokes, with unnamed players accompanying you on your adventure and helping you along the way. After I had completed the game, I remember thinking to myself, “why can’t more games be like this?” Hopefully, more titles will strive to be like Journey in the future, whether it be from other developers or Thatgamecompany themselves.

Honorable Mentions:

Borderlands 2: While not as fresh or exciting as its predecessor, Borderlands 2 is still a ton of fun with it's unique blend of shooting and RPG mechanics. The game's four player co-op and DLC add-ons are also reasons why the game is sure to stick with me for months to come.

Read my review

Halo 4: 343 Industries successfully created a worthy sequel to Bungie's beloved FPS series, and made one of best shooters of the year. A compelling single player with the best graphics in the series and a fleshed out multiplayer give reason to believe that the Halo name was left in good hands.

Read my review

Sound Shapes: Sound Shapes use of music as a core part of its gameplay results in one of the most unique experiences I had this year. Colorful visuals and well designed levels make traveling through each stage a pleasure. Custom user made levels are another reason to check out Queasy Games latest.

Read my review

Game of the Year Awards 2012: Part Deux!

2013-01-01T16:48:00.005-05:00

Today we continue with Part 2 of the Plug and Play Game of the Year Awards! Today's awards are for Best Music/Sound, Best Game I Didn't Play Last Year (But Did This Year), Game I Wish I Played, and a special award: Metalarmory.com Presents: Most "Metal" Game. Have at it!

Stay tuned for both Tyler's and my personal Top 5 games of 2012!

Best Music/Sound

Tyler

Winner: Fez

I know what you’re thinking. “More chiptunes in video games? Seriously!?” While I can understand the fatigue associated with chiptunes used in modern games, the soundtrack in Fez is one of the best examples of this style of music being used correctly. The reason why the music in Fez is so memorable is that it succeeds in complementing each environment’s aesthetic and tone, while standing out as fantastic music on its own. There were several times where I would listen to Fez’s soundtrack and find myself getting lost in the arrangements and different sounds. If you haven’t bought it already, DO IT NOW!

Runner Up: Journey

Matt

Winner: Journey

Journey is that rare example of a game that has a soundtrack that both perfectly compliments the gameplay and story, yet can stand on its own as its own achievement. The highs and lows of Austin Wintory’s score perfectly correspond with both the highs and lows of the story, as well as the emotional state of the player. The thing is up for a Grammy, for Christ’s sake!

Runner Up: Guild Wars 2

Best Game I Didn't Play Last Year (But Did This Year)

Tyler

Winner: Bastion

For whatever reason, I didn’t play Bastion when it came out last year. I probably had so many other games that I wanted to play at the time that it became one of those games where I said to myself, “I’ll get to that eventually.” Thankfully, “eventually” came sooner rather than later, and I finally got around to playing this great title several months back. Not only is the art style vibrant and colorful, but the way the floor materializes as you traverse is one of the coolest effects I’ve seen in any game. The combat is fluid and dynamic, making every enemy encounter as exciting as the last. The way the story is told is also incredibly well done, with a narrator who never becomes irritating or worn out. Despite the majority of primary weapons feeling useless (I used the hammer for almost the entire game), Bastion remains one of the best downloadable experiences I've had this generation, and I can’t wait to play through it again in New Game +.

Runner Up: Saint’s Row: The Third

Matt

Winner: Trackmania 2: Canyon

Although it was released in the middle of 2011 and I heard a good deal about it around that release time, I did not pick up TM2 until the beginning of 2012. As soon as I loaded up the game and hopped onto the GiantBomb Official Classic server, I immediately kicked myself for not buying this game earlier. The racing is fun and competitive without being cutthroat, and the music pumping over the server can be worthy of its own reward, depending on the community picking the playlist. I wish I had gotten into TM2 in 2011, if only because that is when its already small community was most likely at its strongest and most active.

Runner Up: Rayman Origins

Game I Wish I played

Tyler

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles

There are a bunch of games I could have chosen for this category, i.e. Darksiders II, Spec Ops, Far Cry 3, X-COM, ect. The one game that I felt was most deserving, however, was Xenoblade Chronicles. Why? First of all, I was always interested in this game ever since people demanded its release in the U.S. When Nintendo finally decided to release the game in the States, I quickly scooped it up with the full intention of playing it in the near future. Sadly, Xenoblade remains unopened in my stack of Wii games. This hurts me not not only because I obviously want to play the game, but I would feel totally awful never playing a game that so many people clamoured to see a U.S. release for. Maybe some day...

Runner Up: Sleeping Dogs

Matt

Winner: Fez

I wanted to play Fez right when it came out. I really really did. All of the ARG stuff all over the internet was so interesting to observe, I can only imagine how fun it was to be a part of. Sadly, I do not have a 360, so I could not partake in the madness. Hopefully I will be able to if Phil Fish ever decides to release a Steam version.

Runner Up: The Walking Dead

Metalarmory.com Presents: Most "Metal" Game

Tyler

Winner: Guild Wars 2 Norn Character Creator

As the editor-in-chief, managing editor, CEO, and head chef of Metal Armory, I feel that I am the most qualified to award the Guild Wars 2 Norn character creator as the Most Metal Game of 2012. As soon as you enter the character creation screen, you are greeted by a model that could easily pass for a member of Amon Amarth. As if the default character wasn’t metal enough, you can give your Norn more metal hair, beards, and armor colors to increase its metalocity. Only cool kids play as Norn, and Norn represent all things metal! \m/

Runner Up: Mark of the Ninja

Matt

Winner: Darksiders II

Darksiders II has everything one could want in a “metal” video game. Everything about it screams heavy metal. The combat is violent and over the top. The bosses are massive in scale, and the story is as fantastical and epic as any good power metal concept album. Plus, you play as Death for crying out loud. How much more metal can you get!?

Runner Up: Spec Ops: The Line

Game of the Year Awards 2012: Part 1

2012-12-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

Hey, you. Look alive! It's time for the 2012 Best-of Year End Awards Type Thing! For the first installment, find out what Tyler and I chose for Prettiest Game, Biggest Disappointment, Game That Got More Hate Than It Should Have, and Biggest Surprise. Have at it!

Just as a side note, if you happen to notice that we neglected to mention certain games, it was most likely because we did not play them. We honestly would love to play every major release when it comes out, but we unfortunately do not posses the time or money. However, this might become less of an issue in the near future, hint hint wink wink.

Check back later for Part 2!

Prettiest Game

Tyler

Winner: Journey

While plenty of games stood out graphically this year on either a technical or artistic level, no game impressed me on both levels the way Journey did. This is probably a result of the game’s art style and graphical presentation complementing each other so seamlessly, creating environments that look almost lifelike yet totally abstract at the same time. Simply traveling through the game’s various areas and discovering new locations is a pure delight, giving the player an even greater incentive to reach their looming destination. Also, dat sand. DAT SAND, DUDE!

Runner Up: Halo 4

Matt

Winner: Guild Wars 2

Everything about ArenaNet’s long awaited return to Tyria is pretty. From the characters to the landscapes to even the concept art that makes up the loading screens, everything comes together to form a strong artistic realization of the world. Even the skill effects adhere to the painted look that the game strives for, and in my opinion, pulls it off perfectly.

Runner Up: Journey

Biggest Disappointment

Tyler

Winner: Deadlight

In a year of some of the best download-only games of this generation being released, let us not forget that some not-so-great ones managed to slip through the cracks. First time developers Tequila Works attempted to create an atmospheric 2D side scrolling-puzzle game with their debut title, Deadlight. Despite having a good deal of potential, what came out was a mediocre zombie-survival game with clunky combat, bare-bones puzzle solving, and laughable voice acting. Although the developers managed to create some decent atmosphere, the frustrating gameplay and lack of depth resulted in an experience that completely missed the mark. Let’s hope the Spanish company can produce something better with their next title.

Runner Up: Mass Effect 3

Matt

Winner: Borderlands 2

Let me preface this by saying that Borderlands 2 is not a bad game. It is solidly made, and its core mechanics are still fun. I just feel it was simply more of the same, and that developer Gearbox was complacent with the formula of the first game by creating a new story without working on expanding anything core gameplay wise. Some may argue that it would be impossible to recapture the fresh feel of Borderlands 1, but to me it feels like Gearbox knew that, and therefore didn’t even try. That being said, I will probably jump back into BL2 once all of the DLC is out and have a great time, because while I didn’t thoroughly enjoy the 20 or so hours I put into the game, there was nothing about it that I felt was actually really bad. Except Tiny Tina. Tiny Tina fucking sucks.

Runner Up: Dishonored

Game That Received More Hate Than it Should

Tyler

Winner: Dust: An Elysian Tail

Ok, guys. I get it. Furries are totally weird. That being said, I don’t understand the vehement hatred towards this group for simply embracing something they are passionate about, be it sexual or not. The truth is, my philosophy with furries as well as most other groups of their ilk is to simply live and let be. I honestly didn’t even put the whole furry connection together with this game until people started complaining about it. I actually got more of a Don Bluth, The Secret of NIHM vibe from Dust, with its use of anthropomorphic animals to tell a story that is darker than your average fairy tale. So, seriously guys. Chill out!

Oh, and the game is also pretty good.

Runner Up: Borderlands 2

Matt

Winner: Darksiders II

A lot of people claim that everything went wrong with Darksiders II when comparing it to the first game in the series. I think they simply went in with the wrong expectations. The combat is as good as ever, and in my opinion, so is the game as a whole. The two Darksiders games are good for different reasons, and I feel a lot of people didn’t see that. Darksiders is good because of its structure (very Zelda-esque), and Darksiders II is good because of its systems (the skill trees, loot systems, and more hectic combat). So get over it!

Runner Up: Journey

Biggest Surprise

Tyler

Winner: The Walking Dead

Telltale Games weren't exactly in the best position leading up to their adaptation of The Walking Dead series. Their previous adventure game, Jurassic Park, was panned by critics, and the idea of another zombie themed game (an overcrowded genre) in the year 2012 probably put off a lot of people, myself included. Color me surprised, however, when I heard nothing but nice things being said about each episode both around and following their releases. With the amount of critical acclaim the overall series garnered throughout the year, I decided to take it upon myself to play the entire game in the span of about a week. After experiencing its engaging story and believable characters, I can safely say that The Walking Dead surprised me more than any other game this year.

Runner Up: Fez

Matt

Winner: Spec Ops: The Line

I did not play Spec Ops until the very end of the year, after many people had discussed it’s interesting take on storytelling, as well as the story itself. The fact that it still managed to take me by surprise with just how fucked up and dark everything got is a testament to just how well put together the narrative is in the game. It is a case where I thought I knew what I was getting into with a generic 3rd person shooter with a decent story, yet it still managed to blow me away.

Runner Up: Frog Fractions

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Review

2012-12-14T22:11:00.002-05:00

*This review was originally posted on theverge.monmouth.edu*

I have been waiting for the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit since I read the book when I was nine. This was before Peter Jackson's highly acclaimed The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was released, and reading the prequel to the series helped me prepare for those movies. In fact, The Hobbit remains my favorite book to this day, with its engaging fantasy setting and grand sense of adventure. After being such a huge fan of the original story as well as Jackson's versions of LOTR, it only made sense that I would be excited for his return to the director's chair (after Guillermo del Toro stepped down from directing) for his adaptation of my favorite book. So, did the big screen version live up to my expectations? Well, that's hard to say, since the squealing fan boy in me set my expectations for this film unrealistically high. Still, I can safely say that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a worthy adaptation of the original book that fans of Tolkien's story and the LOTR films will greatly enjoy.

Our journey begins with an older Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) recalling his adventures 60 years prior as well as giving some history on the events leading up to them. The proud dwarves of Erebor lived peacefully under the Lonely Mountain for many years, with their vast riches and mighty armies. This all ended when the evil dragon, Smaug, ravaged the city and drove the dwarves out of their home. Fast-forward years later, when the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) visits a younger Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and offers him the chance to go on an adventure. Bilbo is reluctant to accept his offer, preferring the safe and quite life in his hobbit hole of "Bag-end". This changes when 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) reveal their plan to reclaim Erebor by using Bilbo as a burglar, much to Bilbo's dismay. After finally deciding to join Gandalf and the dwarves on their quest, Bilbo's adventure begins in earnest.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.

An Unexpected Journey features some familiar faces from The Lord of the Rings in addition to several new characters. Martin Freeman captures the essence of Bilbo Baggins perfectly, portraying him as a reluctant hero with a kind heart who will do whatever he can to help his friends. While Bilbo gets a fair amount of screen-time early on, he takes a bit of a backseat to the dwarven company, and especially Thorin. Most of the dwarves were given fairly minor roles in the original novel, and while they have a bit more to do in this version, that is still mostly the case. Thorin, however, if featured pretty prominently throughout the story, which is both good and bad. While it is nice to see his character more fleshed out, it is somewhat at the expense of the other characters. I honestly would have liked to see Bilbo take more of a center stage to the story, since it technically IS him telling it.

(Sir) Ian Mckellen reprises his role as Gandalf, and although he sounds noticeably older here (which is odd considering his character is 60 years younger), his portrayal as the Grey Wizard is just as good as it ever was. This is also true of Hugo Weaving as the elven lord, Elrond. The returning character who stole the show for me, though, was that of Gollum. Andy Serkis's live-action performance mixed with CG is arguably better than his portrayal in LOTR, and the famous "Riddles in the Dark" scene between him and Bilbo is handled expertly. The majority of the character's in An Unexpected Journey are memorable and contribute to the overall story. However, a few of the characters not featured in the book feel shoehorned into the movie, such as Galadriel (Kate Blanchett), the White Wizard Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee) and ~~Tom Bombadil~~ the Brown Wizard Radagast (Sylvester McCoy).

Rivendell, in all its computer generated glory!

One of the things Peter Jackson's adaption of The Lord of the Rings did so well was engaging the audience in the almost real looking Middle-Earth, which The Hobbit also succeeds in doing. Everything from the lush green fields of New Zealand to the CG representations of Rivendell and Erebor make the world of Middle-Earth feel totally believable. Speaking of CG, An Unexpected Journey features much heavier uses of digital effects than the previous movies, with somewhat mixed results. The digital depictions of Rivendell and Erebor are absolutely beautiful, while the computer generated Wargs and goblins can look slightly out of place, especially compared to the real life extras used in LOTR. Although I can understand from a logistics standpoint why Jackson would favor using CG monsters over hiring extras, it slightly detracts from the film's sense of realism. On a minor note, there are several instance of slow-motion during action scenes that feel unnecessarily and come off as distracting. This movie also takes advantage of modern 3D, and despite me not being a huge fan of 3D, this is one of the best examples of the effect done right.

Meet Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bashful, Grumpy, Dopey, Paul, George, Ringo, Donner, Blitzen, and introducing Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson.

Part of the reason The Hobbit remains my favorite book is how it made the reader feel like they were truly going on an adventure with these characters. Jackson's version certainly maintains this theme, as well as capturing many of the elements that made the original story so great. Bilbo's role as the reluctant hero who later becomes a valuable asset to the company is present here, and his journey as a character is enhanced by Martin Freeman's excellent performance. Another part of what made the book so great was the way the varying locations were given a full attention to detail. As I stated earlier, the different environments in An Unexpected Journey are beautifully represented, and contribute to the story's sense of scope. Many of the iconic scenes from the book are fleshed out and translate incredibly well to the big screen. Unfortunately, the overall pacing is slightly hampered by the scenes that were not originally in the book. The early parts of the movie favor uses of flashbacks and side-cuts in order to give some context to the world and characters. Even though I was fine with the actual content of these scenes, the way they were inserted into the movie made the pacing feel uneven at times and seemed to stray too far from the story at hand.

"What does it means we won't be in the sequels,
precious!?"

I also feel I should express my feelings on this film being the first in a trilogy of movies. I was honestly skeptical of the original decision to turn The Hobbit into two films, and the announcement that there would be three made me even more worried. There are times where it feels obvious that scenes were stretched out in order to fit everything into a two hour and forty minute running time. Despite some scenes dragging a bit, I didn't have any real problems with the overall length of the film. In fact, I wish some scenes were even longer, which I'm sure will be addressed in the inevitable extended edition release.

Peter Jackson's return to Middle-Earth is an exciting adventure, and a must-see for fans of Tolkien and the LOTR trilogy. The incredibly engaging world in addition to the endearing characters and excellent recreations of iconic scenes from the book all make this a tale worth investing in. While it may not be on quite the same level as the Lord of the Rings movies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey captures the spirit of Tolkien's universe and creates an engrossing experience, making it one of the best films of the year.

TL;DR

+ Great performances

+ Incredibly imaged world

+ Gollum, "Riddles in the Dark"

+ Sense of adventure

+ 3D

- Bilbo underused

- Pacing slightly uneven

- Characters shoehorned

Overall: 9/10

Achievement Unlocked?

2012-10-08T17:48:00.000-04:00

From Xbox Live to the Playstation Network and every service in between, achievements are everywhere in the world of gaming. They have become part of the gaming culture, and the unveiling of the achievement list is sometimes just as anticipated as a new trailer or announcement of a new gameplay feature. Even if I game or console does not support something like XBL or PSN achievements, you can pretty much bet on some sort of internal system being included.

Yup, that is an achievement list...for a compiler.

Steam is one such platform that support achievements for pretty much every game on the service through their Steamworks platform. In addition to games, Steam recently began selling software such as GameMaker: Studio and 3DMark 11. Oddly enough, just like any large game that launches on Steam, a lot of this software launched with Steam achievements. Most of these are similar to anything you would see in a big game title, such as GameMaker having achievements for reaching a certain amount of compile errors. This may seem like a crazy idea, especially for something that is basically a compiler, but it in fact is something that has been done before. The precedent was actually set a little while back, when an extension to Microsoft's Visual Studio added achievements to that. That being said, while Valve is certainly not the first to do this, they are probably in the best position to popularize it.

Imagine this replacing that
Xbox logo for that pop-up you
cant wait to see.

The next question is, will it catch on with other companies? And if adding achievements to non-games does in fact catch on, where will companies take it? One company I can see really running with it is Apple. They already have a bunch of hardware as well as software being used by millions of people, as well as millions of accounts already created to use that software. It would make a ton of sense if Apple decided to add achievements to something like iTunes. It could help promote sales as well as giving people more of a reason to actually use that software. Achievements for something like creating a playlist with X amount of songs or buying Y number of albums on launch day. Add a system of points to your Apple account like Microsoft does with Xbox Live, and they actually might be on to something. Also, with Microsoft recently launching a pseudo rewards program for people with high gamer score, I can see Apple doing something similar. For example, I do not feel it is much of a stretch to see something along the lines of "Earn 5000 Apple Points, receive a $5 iTunes gift card!" Mind you, Apple is just being used as an example here. Any company with an existing ecosystem (such as Google) could do this with relative ease.

That being said, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Half the fun of going for achievements in games is that you are actually playing a game. Having to drop $10 on an album a few times just to earn a few points that, in reality, don't mean a thing seems kind of dirty, while just sitting down and playing a video game for a half hour or so seems pretty normal. However, most of these companies are creative enough to find a way around that problem. It will be interesting to see if people follow Valve's example, and if so, what they do with achievements.

Borderlands 2 Review

2012-10-01T17:23:00.002-04:00

Overview:

Developer: Gearbox Software

Publisher: 2K Games

Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC

*This review was originally written for theverge.monmouth.edu*

Do you like guns? Do you like shooting guns? Do you like shooting A LOT of guns? If you answered yes to any of these questions (in the context of a video game, mind you), then Borderlands 2 is probably the game for you.

Just like the original Borderlands, the sequel combines all of the great things about loot driven RPG’s like Diablo with the conventions of a modern first-person shooter, all wrapped around a cartoony, cell-shaded coating. These elements work together seamlessly, making for an overall engaging experience whether you are playing solo or with up to 3 friends. That, along with an improved menu system and story make Borderlands 2 a worthy, if not slightly familiar, follow up.

After a humorous and stylized intro cutscene, you are forced to choose from one of four classes, each with their own unique set of perks and abilities. The Commando can deploy a turret which can be upgraded by leveling, while the Siren can utilize “phase” abilities such as freezing an enemy in its tracks. In addition, the Gunzerker can duel wield weapons once the skill meter is full, allowing the player to use different combinations of weapons including a sniper rifle in one hand and a rocket launcher in another. Finally, the Assassin can deploy a holographic decoy while entering a stealth mode. Each class has their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, so it makes sense to have a diverse team if you decide to play cooperatively. I decided to go with the Commando, since I was used to the Soldier class from the first game.

Meet Sir Hammerlock. He was probably never knighted.

In terms of story, your character is hunting down the evil leader of the Hyperion Corporation, Handsome Jack, and trying to stop him from taking over Pandora. Jack will frequently taunt you as you progress, which can get a bit grating at times. Thankfully, once you begin to discover some of his backstory, he becomes a more interesting villain. You’ll also encounter new characters such as Sir Hammerlock and Ellie, as well as some familiar faces including Marcus, Madd Moxxi, and the playable characters from the first game. Oh, and Claptrap is in it too. The story is serviceable, which is much more that can be said about the original, since it practically had no story. There is enough motivation to stay at least mildly interested in what is going on during the story missions, and there are enough audio logs scattered throughout Pandora to help flesh out the world.

The improved menus let you compare weapons more easily.

Still, this is a game that isn't overly concerned about telling a compelling narrative. As I mentioned at the top, Borderlands 2 is all about guns. Every weapon you find contains a unique set of attributes, whether it is a higher fire rate, larger magazine size, or elemental effects such as corrosive and shock damage. Each combat scenario allows you to utilize whichever type of weapon you want in an effective way, either sniping from at a distance or fighting up close and personal with a shotgun or sub-machine gun. The shooting in the game is enhanced by the leveling system as well as the upgrades you give your character, making for a rich experience. A new system added to the game is a series of challenges that contribute to your “Badass Rank”, allowing you to upgrade your current character which can carry over to additional characters. The rewarding progression system keeps Borderlands 2 from becoming stale, which is a good thing considering the amount of things to do in the game.

Despite being deep and rewarding, fans of the first game might feel as if they have done all of this before. The developer, Gearbox, decided to play it safe here rather than fully expand on the formula from the original Borderlands. While keeping an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach may sound fine on paper, it results in Borderlands 2 not feeling as fresh or original as its predecessor. The early parts of the game can feel a bit dull for veterans of the first games, resulting in an underwhelming first impression. That being said, most players will probably find that the game truly get its hooks in them when they reach level 20 or so.

Get used to doing this. A lot.

Even though the core gameplay has stayed relatively the same, several small changes were made to the surrounding elements, with some working better than others. The menus have been improved, allowing you to compare weapons and equipment more easily. You also pick up money and ammo dropped from enemies automatically, rather than having to manually hovering over everything. Gone are the health packs from the first game, in favor for more frequent health drops. Although it is nice to not have to constantly pause the game to use a health pack from your inventory, it results in the player going down more frequently. This is even more apparent when you realize that the game is more difficult than the first one, especially early on. The enemies are much smarter this time and will no longer charge right at you, instead rolling in and out of cover at times. The game also suffers from a fair amount of texture pop-in (probably as a result of running on Unreal Engine 3), particularly on the 360 version. This ends up being distracting to an otherwise crisp looking game.

Whether you were a fan of the first game or are jumping in for the first time, Borderlands 2 has a whole lot to offer. The rewarding progression system on top of the engaging gameplay and interesting world makes this an enjoyable experience that is sure to eat up countless hours of your time. Stylized visuals and a good sense of humor also help the game stand out from the crowd. It may be more of the same, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

8/10

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition Announced

2012-09-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

Nobody expects the Dragon Age Inquisition!

Today EA and Bioware officially announced Dragon Age III: Inquisition. I say officially because we have known this game was in the works for quite some time, with Bioware even mentioning it a few times. Anyway, other than the new subtitle, we learned a few small details about the game. There's nothing particularly mind blowing or surprising in the details, although it will be running on a new engine based off of DICE's Frostbite 2 and is currently due to release late next year.

I hope this one is good. The first Dragon Age is a fantastic RPG while the second one was kind of a disaster. Bioware is trying to make it seem like they talked to the fans and have learned from the mistake that was Dragon Age 2, but we shall see when the game finally comes out.

Nintendo Announces Things, Stuff Confirmed!

2012-09-13T11:47:00.001-04:00

Here are the two versions of the Wii U you may or may not be buying this fall.

Following the announcement of the Wii U launching in Japan on December 8, Nintendo announced during their Wii U Preview event in NYC today the console's date in price in the good ol' U.S of A.

The system will launch in North America on November 18 in two sets. The Basic Set includes 8 GB of memory, an AC adapter, a high speed HDMI cable, and a sensor bar. Oh, and the console and controller, obviously. The Deluxe Set includes all that stuff along with 32 GB of memory, a charging cradle for the controller, stands for the console and gamepad, and NintendoLand packed in. The Basic Set will run for $299 while the Deluxe Set will cost $349. Basically, all you're getting with the Deluxe Set is more storage space, which is good considering Nintendo's initiative to launch their major titles day-and-date digitally. Still, the prices for both sets seem a bit steep, although I like the fact that they both include HDMI cables.

Next, Nintendo held a demo for "Metroid Blast," a new attraction for NintendoLand. I actually went to the bathroom during this part, so let that be an indication of the excitement level for this game. That wasn't the only new "game" announcement at the event. A trailer for Bayonetta 2 was also shown, as well as a logo for Monster Hunter 3, which I'm pretty sure is just to get the Japanese audience to care about the system. Perhaps the most surprising part of this whole showing involved the aforementioned Bayonetta 2, which is apparently a WiiU exclusive. While Nintendo didn't announce a full launch lineup, they did confirm that New Super Mario Bros. Wii would be a launch game. Everything else will be released either at launch or in a 5 month release window.

You can't hear me groaning, but I still am.

Aside from game news, Nintendo announced a new feature for the Wii U, called Nintendo TVii! Yes, that's how it's spelled, and yes, I want to now murder everyone at Nintendo. The feature allows for users to integrate their Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and TiVo accounts with the system, which is good news for the 5 people who are still using TiVo. The Wii U controller acts as a remote and can be used to favorite, record, and switch between shows. This is obviously a step in the right direction considering how much the current consoles have put an emphasis on being an entertainment center rather than just a game system, even if the name is stupid.

As far as the price and games are concerned, I think it's safe to say that the response is tepid at best. If Nintendo is marketing their console to the mainstream the same way they did with the Wii, charging $299 for even the Basic Set is not going to win them over, especially in this economy. Plus, the games they showed aren't generating a whole lot of excitement. The only game I'm remotely interested in is Rayman Legends, and that's not enough to get me to buy a Wii U at launch, let alone the mainstream. Nintendo really needs to turn things around if they hope to get people to buy this thing before the next wave of consoles are released. Maybe we'll see a price cut 6 months in like with the 3DS since that worked out pretty well for them. Regardless, it will be interesting to see where the Wii U is at a year from now.

Oh, and one more thing. FUNKY BARN WII U CONFIRMED MOTHER F'ERS!

Apple Announces Stuff, Things Confirmed

2012-09-12T16:20:00.003-04:00

Also, EAR BUDS!

Apple held its annual "Announce New iPhone Event" today where they, you guessed it, announced a new iPhone, among other things. The iPhone 5 will be launching on September 2, and preorders will be taken on September 14. Assuming you already have a contract, a 16 GB model will you run you $199, while a 32 GB model will cost $299 and a 64 GB one will cost $399.

Now, I know what you're all thinking, and that's disgusting you filthy pervs. I'm also guessing you're wondering what's new with the new iPhone. To answer your question, not a whole lot, actually. Aside from being made completely out of glass and aluminum, the screen size has been increased to 4", allowing for a fifth row of apps to be displayed on each page. The new phone also sports an A6 chip, which Apple is claiming to be "2X faster in both CPU and graphical performance." Finally, the iPhone 5 will support a "lightning" connector, replacing the 30-pin connector used for all previous Apple handheld devices. The connector will be reversible, and a 30 pin connector will be available if you wish to hook up your phone to your car or something. There are obviously more, smaller bits of information regarding the phone, so you can check them all out on Apple's official site if you so desire.

Finally, the thing iPod Nanos needed. A FREAKING SCREEN!

Believe it or not, that's not all Apple announced today. Along with their hugely successful line of smart phones, the company announced a new line of iPod Nanos, which are essentially shrunken down iPod Touches. A 16 GB version will be available sometime next month in 24 great smelling colors! Speaking of iPod Touches, a new version of the device was also announced, featuring the A5 chip that was present in the iPhone 4. In addition, the new iPod Touches will feature a build-in camera as well as a physical loop allowing users to attach it to a bracelet. 32 GB models will go on sale next month and will also sport multiple colors. Last, and certainly not least, Apple announced a new series of headphones, called the "Earpod." These game changing listening devices are shipping today and are sure to set the world afire almost immediately.

As an iPhone 4 user, I don't really see the need to upgrade to the iPhone 5. A lot of the features that have been announced were already announced months ago as being part of iOS 6, so I fail to see the real need to upgrade. Some people may also feel the need to point out that most of the features in iOS 6 have been part of Android's Ice Cream Sandwich OS for a while now. While it's certainly nice to see those new additions being brought to Apple's device, it can't exactly be considered revolutionary. If you're still rocking the iPhone 3Gs, 3G, or god forbid, the original iPhone model, the iPhone 5 is probably right up your alley. For everyone else, you'll probably be alright sticking with what you already have, but that's just me.

Steam Big Picture Beta Begins Today

2012-09-10T13:07:00.002-04:00

Steam's long awaited Big Picture mode is set to go into beta today. The mode will allow you to do everything you already do with a mouse and keyboard on Steam with a controller in the living room. The mode will feature what Valve hopes is a 100% controller friendly user interface. This includes everything from navigating the Steam store with a controller to typing and chatting with one, as well as the "first web browser for TV's that doesn't suck". This is the feature that I am probably the most curious about, because getting a reticule to work well with a controller, especially in a web browser, seems to be something that nobody else has figure out yet. Anyway, along with the announcement that Big Picture Beta is launching today, Valve has also launched a new page with a bunch of info and a video outlying the basic features, which can be found below.

Guild Wars 2's Dungeons, Part 1

2012-09-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

I'm loving Guild Wars 2 so far, but I do not feel it is fair for me to review it, as I both don't feel I can do it objectively and I feel the ever-changing state of online games make it a bad idea to give a final verdict, especially before the game settles down a bit. That being said, I will give you guys a brief review of the dungeons I have done so far, and tell you which ones to do as well as which ones to avoid like the plague (at least until they are balanced). I will try to avoid spoilers for both the story and how to solve the puzzles/bosses, but instead just give you my general opinion of the dungeon and how it plays. This is only Part 1 of this series on dungeons, and I will give my opinions on the other ones once I play them. I hit level 80 last night, so now all of the dungeons are available to me.

Ascalon Catacombs (level 30)

Story Mode: This, for most players, will be the first dungeon experience you take part in. With that in mind, I think Catacombs should be toned down a bit. The bosses are pretty fair and are a good introduction to how dungeon boss fights usually work, but some of the fights in between can be brutal. Mobs spamming AoE's in really tight spaces? Check. Mobs that heal others as well as themselves? Check. Catacombs is less of a slow introduction to dungeon combat and more of a baptism by fire. Once you figure out how your party works together and which enemies to prioritize though, it becomes a fun 1-1.5 hour run and a good enough introduction with some cool Guild Wars 1 references.

Explorable Mode: ArenaNet said that Explorable Mode dungeons would be much more challenging and would require a lot more coordination, and holy shit were they not lying. My party chose to hunt down Colossus Rumblus, and it was quite the challenge. One room in particular took us around an hour and half, and we only finished it when we both solved some hitbox issues and nailed down the very particular order in which things happened. It was extremely tough, but aside from some hitbox issues I do not think it was unfair. Be prepared to study the room and have to retry it potentially dozens of time, though. Thankfully, in explorable mode, if you fail an event it only resets the event instead of kicking you out of the dungeon. Other than that room and a wipe on our first attempt at the boss, if you have a decent party and are able to solve the boss puzzles (as in, figure out their attacks and the trick to beating them, almost Zelda style), this is a challenge but a rewarding run. For the record it took our party roughly 3.5 hours to complete.

Caudecus's Manor (level 40)

Story Mode: In my opinion, this should have been the first dungeon in the game, with AC as the second. Story Mode here is super easy, with the only challenge coming from the very first boss. There is really nothing else I can say. The path is fairly linear, with the fights being pretty straightforward. If you happen to hit level 40 and are wondering how dungeons work, do this one first. In fact, I think it can be argued that this is almost too easy, although I suppose that is OK for Story Mode of a lower level dungeon. Story Mode only takes 30-45 minutes, and if your team is competent it should not even approach 45 minutes.

Fuck this place

Explorable Mode: Much like in Catacombs, Explorable Mode of CM is much, much more challenging than Story Mode. We chose the path to find the missing butler, and it lead to hours of pain. A lot of the dungeon was actually fairly neat (one hallway in particular was line with turrets and had a really neat and fun way of getting through), but the latter parts are really poorly designed in my opinion. In fact, we could not even reach the boss without applying all kinds of buffs to run past groups of mobs and jumping onto random geometry to get them to reset. Once we got to the boss, we could easily exploit him by going underwater to get out of combat and heal. In my opinion, if the only way to get past a group of enemies is to get them to leash (I've read up on it and it seems this is how everyone is doing it), that is just bad design. I would honestly steer clear of this for now, both because of how broken it seems to be and the fact that it only gave us 25 tokens (used for gear), as opposed to 30 from AC. I did not even bother to take note of how long this run took, as I wanted to erase it from my memory as soon as I could.

Twilight Arbor (level 50)

Story Mode: I'm just going to say that this my favorite dungeon thus far. Everything from the aesthetics to the layout is just superb, and the story is the most interesting. If AC is too hard and CM is too easy, here they got the balance just right. The boss fights are pretty balanced and unique as well, especially the final boss. You don't just beat on the boss until it dies, in fact you do quite the opposite (although I will let you figure out the details for yourself). Another earlier fight might just be my favorite boss fight in the whole game so far, dungeon boss or otherwise. It has a really unique and funny mechanic and even leaves room for some post fight trolling if your team is up for it. Everything here seems like it just had more care put into it, and it shows. The run took roughly 90 minutes if my memory serves me right, and it was a total blast the whole way through.

Explorable Mode: I have not done this yet, but I really want to if it is even half as good as story mode.

Sorrow's Embrace (level 60)

Angry Felicia Day is angry!

Story Mode: I was really excited going into this one. Those who remember Sorrow's Furnace from Guild Wars 1 will understand why. Thankfully, this dungeon lived up to my excitement. While not the near flawless experience that Twilight Arbor was, Sorrow's Embrace was still a ton of fun. There is a lot of great atmosphere in here, in everything from the setting itself to some of the voice work you hear in parts going over what sounds like a PA system. It made the dungeon feel like you actually attacking a base of operations, something that I think the other dungeons up to this point (even TA) were lacking. The balance here also seemed pretty well done, although one part of one of the later boss fights could be toned down a bit. It was not unbeatable, but some of his attacks seamed cheap. The final boss, however, might be my favorite of the four I have faced so far. It has a great puzzle element to it, and it ended with a subtle but completely amazing Terminator 2 reference after you defeat him. The run took roughly 2 hours going in blind.

Explorable Mode: Like Twilight Arbor, I have yet to try this one in Explorable Mode, but I want to.

Stay tuned for more!

Black Mesa Half-Life Mod Isn't Dead After All! First Section Releasing Next Week

2012-09-03T15:04:00.001-04:00

Rise and shine, Mr. Free-man. Wait, wrong game.

Not too long ago, I was actually talking to Matt about the long in development Black Mesa mod for the original Half-Life and how I believed it was all but dead. Color me surprised when I find out today that not only is it still in the works, but the first installment will be released on September 14 covering everything up to the Lambda Core. I actually never got that far in the game, but after intensive research consisting of countless man hours, I can say that it is roughly the first 8-10 hours. The mod was originally planned for a 2009 release before it essentially went dark for a few years. My guess is the makers wanted to mirror Valve's release schedule the same way they emulated the original game.

For those of you who don't know, Black Mesa is a fan made mod that recreates the original Half-Life from the ground up using the Source Engine. While I'm obviously excited to see the mod finally coming out, I'm not exactly in a rush to replay the original Half-Life, so I might just wait until the complete mod is eventually released. No information on when the rest of Black Mesa will be released is currently available, although I would hazard a guess that it will be sooner rather than later. You can check out more info on the mod by visiting the official site as well as watching the tasty video below.

Borderlands 2 Will Have Season Pass, Four DLC Add-Ons

2012-08-30T13:22:00.001-04:00

Truly mind blowing.

This may not come as a surprise to anyone who played the first Borderlands, but Gearbox announced that they intend on releasing four pieces of DLC post release, not including the previously announced Mechromancer. Each add-on will cost $10 and all four of them should be out by June 2013.

But wait, there's more! Gearbox also announced that they will be offering a Season Pass for all of its upcoming DLC, allowing players to get each one day of release for free. The pass will run you a good $30, which may seem like a lot, but considering each pack is $10 you're actually saving money. Again, the pass does not include the Mechromancer character add-on.

This is exciting news not only because the original Borderlands had some of the best post-release DLC of any game I have played, but the inclusion of a Season Pass makes the deal that much more appealing. Some people might be a bit hesitant to drop $30 on content that may not turn out to be all that great, which is understandable. As someone who was most likely going to buy all of the DLC anyway, the Season Pass sounds like a good investment. Also, given their track record, I think it's safe to say that it will end up being worth it. Until then, we'll have to just enjoy the base game when Borderlands 2 is released September 18.

Another New Piece of Skyrim DLC Announced

2012-08-28T12:13:00.001-04:00

Attention, Dragonborns! Since there clearly wasn't enough content in Skyrim already, Bethesda has announced the second piece of DLC for their award winning game, titled "Hearthfire." To accompany this announcement, Bethesda has released a trailer detailing the new additions which you can view through the giant Youtube embed staring you in the face.

Judging by the trailer, "Hearthfire" looks like it will turn the act of owning a home into a Sims like experience, and just like in the Sims, I'm sure it will be equally as much fun lighting your entire family on fire! Seriously though, I'm slightly baffled as to why this constitutes an entire piece of add on DLC. If this were in addition to a major new quest like with Dawnguard, then this would be a bit more understandable. Maybe there are more details that have yet to be revealed, (they did mention having to take care of pesky skeevers and neighborhood giants) although the trailer announces that it will be released on September 4, which is, like, totally next week! I guess we'll have to wait and see.