Mecho Wars Review

Mecho Wars (PSN Mini)
Developed By: Oyaji Games
Published By: Creat Studios
Date of Release: January 10, 2012
Price: $4.99



It has been a good while since I have had a decent turn based wargame to play on the road. Ever since finishing all of the Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Super Robot Taisen and similar series, I have been left with a void to fill. I am happy to announce that Mecho Wars fills that void quite nicely, managing to look absolutely stunning as it does so.




Filled with the lush artworks of Luc Bernard, Mecho Wars does little to differentiate itself from the games it pays homage to, thought that is not a bad thing at all in my opinion. If you've played Advance Wars in any of it's incarnations you will feel instantly at home with it's grid based tactical maps and splitscreen battles. The controls are tight, the interface is clean and easy to understand, and the hand drawn graphics are a joy to look at.




My only real complaint about Mecho Wars is that there is no option at all for online multiplayer, though there is a serviceable local hotseat option that gets the job done. The difficulty of the campaign is just right, and a detailed tutorial will help immerse any newcomers into the genre. If you're looking for a good bit of turn based warfare that you can pick up and play on a quick bus ride or play while kicking back in front of your tv, Mecho Wars is your game!

OnLive Review

They said it couldn't be done. They said it was madness, to try and stream the latest and greatest games over the internet straight to the device of your choosing with little to no lag. They were WRONG. Ever since OnLive went er... LIVE back in June of 2010, gamers have been enjoying their favorite games with no need to buy a pricey dedicated games console or supercharged pc. Whether on a standard pc, a tiny netbook, a tablet or an OnLive microconsole, gamers have it made.




The way OnLive works is simple, your own personal copy of a game is loaded up on a virtual machine at the server complex, split into a set of video streams, and then piped straight to whatever supported device you choose to play on. No need for fancy setups, you can play any game with a keyboard and mouse, or your favorite gamepad. OnLive also sells a microconsole to play the games on your tv, however it is only available in the US and UK at the time of review.




Pricing on OnLive is on par with any retail store, with the benefit of not needing any storage space at all for your gaming collection, be it physical space or hard drive pace. All you need to do is buy your game and play. You can also subscribe for $9.99 a month and get a playpack that has a wonderful assortment of classic games, all yours to play. For my review I chose Batman Arkham City, Saints Row The Third, and F.3.A.R.




Gameplay with OnLive is amazingly lag free, during play I had a few minor stutters, however it was nothing that interfered with my ability to play the game. I found the games quite satisfying on both my pc or netbook using both my mouse and keyboard, and also with my Xbox 360 wired gamepad. The graphics and sound were excellent, I would daresay on par with watching a well encoded 720p stream on Youtube. The sheer awesomeness of playing my games wherever I wanted without breaking the bank on hardware is astounding. I can wholeheartedly recommend OnLive to anyone who wants to have a good gaming experience regardless of their hardware limitations.

Quarrel Review (XBLA)

Quarrel (XBLA)
Developed By: Denki
Published By: UTV Ignition
Date of Release: January 25, 2012
Price: 400MSP



It has often been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In quarrel's case, it's more like a game that is worth much much more than a thousand words. You see, Quarrel is an epic game of Word Domination that plays out like the best bits of Scrabble mixed with Risk. An eclectic choice perhaps, but it is one that fits together quite marvelously like the smooth chocolate and creamy peanut butter of a certain nommy confection that you are all aware of.




The gameplay in Quarrel is deceptively simple: you have a map split up into territories much like in Risk. Each territory is color coded and populated with armies of foot soldiers in groups of between 1 and 8 for each player, with the distribution of armies decided randomly (but evenly) at the start of battle. The object of Quarrel is to defeat the enemy armies by creating a higher scoring word out of the letters given to you at the start of each round. The catch is that you may only use as many letters out of the given 8 as you have soldiers in your territory. Any ties are decided by whoever was the quickest to come up with a word.




In my times with quarrel I had a grand time playing against both the razor sharp AI and against random players online. There is no local multiplayer in quarrel, for the obvious reason that the game would be spoiled if you could see your foe's words. I did run into a few stuttering skips in the music and animations as I played, but nothing that detracts from the sheer fun factor of this title. Quarrel is a well rounded puzzler that takes a good amount of fast thinking to win the day. It is well worth the asking price of 400MSP, and should be in the XBLA collection of any player who enjoys word games.

TIME TO GET SERIOUS PEOPLE!

Hey everyone! Looks like the Indie Royale team is back, and this time they're SERIOUS! Their latest offering is the Serious Sam Lightning pack with not one, not two, but SIX awesome indie delights from the Serious Sam series! You get Vlambeer's Serious Sam: The Random Encounter, Mommy's Best Games' Serious Sam Double D, Be-Rad Entertainment's Kamikaze Attack, AND the two original games that started the whole craze, Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.



What's this? You want more? ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!? FINE! Everyone who buys the bundle ALSO gets a copy of the newly released Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter, made by none other than indie de-make rockstar Eric Ruth! As usual, the bundle's price goes up as more people buy it, however if you pay above the average the price will drop! Now what the heck are you waitin for? GET SERIOUS!

http://www.indieroyale.com/

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Game Soundtrack Review

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Game Soundtrack
Composed by: Jeremy Soule
Published by: DirectSong
Date of Release: December 2011
Price: $29.99

As I sit here at my desk preparing to write my review, I pause a moment to savor the rich orchestral swells that are being pumped into my ears through my softly padded monitors. I cannot help but smile as the choir picks up, beginning to chant an epic poem in the tongue of the dragons. I am for the third time experiencing the majestic aural tapestry that Jeremy Soule has woven around the fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls mythos, and I know for certain that I will return again and again to do so.




The Elder Scrolls series has long been a staple in the western RPG world, however the first two entries took a more simplistic approach to their music. Starting with the third entry things began to change, as Jeremy Soule began to work his magic. Though Morrowind and Oblivion had amazing soundtracks worthy of much acclaim, Mr Soule has truly outdone himself with the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.




The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Game Soundtrack comes packaged on four cds which are housed in a gorgeous digipack adorned with concept art from the game. The first three discs contain the games main soundtrack, and the fourth is an amazing lengthy ambient suite. The tracks are excellently mastered, and lack any sort of compression or clipping. This would make excellent demo material for showing off an epic sound system, as the soundscape ranges from epic thundering choral marches to peaceful ambient trillings.




My only complaint with this set is honestly the lack of any liner notes. There's not even an included booklet of any sort. It would have been nice to have some insight into the Mr Soule's feelings as he worked on this album, however it's not nearly enough of a flaw to detract from the overall quality of the set. If you are a fan of The Elder Scrolls or Jeremy Soule's work in general, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this soundtrack. It is available directly from DirectSong at $29.99.

Dustforce Review

Dustforce (Steam)
Developed and Published By: Hitbox Team
Date of Release: January 17, 2012
Price: $9.99

After all the dirty little games I've been playing lately, I have to say it's nice to have some good clean fun. Hitbox Team sweeps their way onto the scene with Dustforce, the world's first true dust-em-up platformer. Playing as one of four badass ninja janitors it is your task to clean evil's clock!




The gameplay in Dustforce seems to be greatly inspired by such hits as Super Meat Boy, N+ and the like. The objective is simple: dash around the level while cleaning up any mess along the way, defeat your grimy foes, and do so with enough finesse and speed to earn a high score. As simple as the gameplay may sound on paper, in reality it will take a lot of practice to master the controls.




The levels in Dustforce are acrobatic playgrounds require you to time your double jumps just right so that you can dodge between walls of spikes, and if you defeat a foe in midair you can then take another leap, which can make all the difference between a safe landing and spikey doom. Don't despair though, the early levels serve as an excellent tutorial to get you on your way, with a bit of practice you will make it through.




I can say without a doubt that Dustforce is one of the most engaging platformers I have played in quite a while. The way that it slowly eases you into the unique gameplay style is commendable, and I can think of so many recent games that could have benefited from the same approach. At a mere $10, Dustforce is a must have for hardcore platformer fans and newcomers alike!

DOOM (XBLA) Review

DOOM (XBLA)
Developed By: id Software
Published By: Bethesda Softworks
Date of Release: January 18, 2012
Price: 400MSP

(Portions of this text appeared previously in my RetroReview of The Ultimate DOOM)

Ahhh DOOM... Talk to any gamer who grew up in the 90's and they will surely recount fond memories of all the good times they had playing id Software's original magnum opus. Wolfenstein 3D may have pioneered the First-Person Shooter genre, however it was DOOM that really brought it into the spotlight. Originally released in December of '93, DOOM would later be re-released with an extra episode, re-labled as The Ultimate DOOM. And now 9 years later DOOM has once again risen from the dead, this time on the Xbox 360.




At first glance DOOM may seem a simple affair by today's standards, what with it's deceptively simple gameplay. However looks can be deceiving, as the DOOM series is know for it's twisted mazelike corridors. Gamers who are used to the linear games of today could find themselves lost for hours in a level, searching for the next keycard that will let them progress onward. In the era that DOOM was released the length of a game was provided by actual gameplay, and not by artificially padding the experience with cutscenes every 3 seconds.




The gameplay in DOOM is a satisfying affair in which players must dispatch hoards of hell's minions while searching out colored keycards to unlock the various doors that block their path, all the while searching out the games myriad secrets, which usually results in a serious upgrade of firepower. And you'll need that firepower, as the baddies keep getting bigger and more badass as you go. The best gun in the game, which can be seen below as the player faces off against the Spider Mastermind, is the BFG 9000, AKA the Big Freakin' Gun. It launches a big green ball of energy that will frag the living hell out of anything in it's path.




Another thing DOOM popularized was the fine art of Deathmatch. Players could use their brand new dialup modems to engage each other in bloody warfare, where victory was determined by how many times you could reduce your foes to a pile of chunky kibble. Since DOOM's inception of Deathmatch it has become a staple of nearly every game in the FPS genre since. Thankfully though the days of tying up your phone line while fragging your friends and foes has long since passed, as the XBLA release of DOOM supports online Deathmatch and CO-OP for up to 4 players, as well as local splitscreen for both modes.




With the XBLA release of DOOM, every little detail from the wonderfully pixellated sprite graphics, pumping MIDI buttrock soundtrack, and all around ass-kicking style of the original Ultimate DOOM have been preserved perfectly. The controls are superbly mapped out to take advantage of the dual analog sticks on the Xbox 360 pad, which makes circle-strafing a breeze. DOOM is truly an excellent port of a genre-defining game, and if you have never tried it you owe it to yourself as an FPS fan to give it a try. So kick back in front of your tv, put your feet up, and get fragging like it's 1991. At 400MSP you can't possibly go wrong.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Review

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (PSN)
Developed By: Oddworld Inhabitants/Just Add Water
Published By: Just Add Water
Date of Release: December 27, 2011
Price: $14.99

"Shortly thereafter, a stranger arrives in town..."

Back when the first incarnation of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath was first released on the original Xbox back in 2005 it was met with much fan adoration and critical acclaim. It masterfully blended first person shooting and third person platforming, seamlessly coming together to form one of the most memorable adventures in a series known for it's amazing oddities. And now developer Just Add Water has brought it back kickin' and cussin' into the HD era with Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD on the Playstation 3.




Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD is a western themed adventure starring a grizzled panther-like bounty hunter known only as the Stranger. The Stranger seems keen on bagging any bounty he can in an effort to save up enough Moolah to pay for a mysterious life-saving surgery that he needs to keep on living and doing what he does. The plot may sound tired and cliched at first, however the story is worth sticking around for as the twists and turns along the way keep things interesting.




Most of the time in Stranger's Wrath you'll be galloping around in the third person mode bagging bounties, switching in and out of first person view when you need to do some precision shooting. And thanks to the game's live ammo system, said shooting is quite a bit more interesting than you'd expect. The Stranger has a crossbow that fires two kinds of critters at a time, from the shocking surprise of the Zapbugs to the trash-talking Chippunks you'll find an ammo type for pretty much any situation. The gameplay and story flow nicely together, and the upgraded visuals are just icing on the cake. Just as it was when it first released on the Xbox, Oddworld Stranger's Wrath HD is well worth your time and money.

RetroReview: The Ultimate DOOM

The Ultimate DOOM
Developed By: id Software
Published By: Bethesda Softworks
Date of Release: April 30, 1995
Price: $9.99 (Steam)

Ahhh DOOM... Talk to any gamer who grew up in the 90's and they will surely recount fond memories of all the good times they had playing id Software's original magnum opus. Wolfenstein 3D may have pioneered the First-Person Shooter genre, however it was DOOM that really brought it into the spotlight. Originally released in December of '93, DOOM would later be re-released with an extra episode, re-labled as The Ultimate DOOM.




At first glance The Ultimate DOOM may seem a simple affair by today's standards, what with it's deceptively simple gameplay. However looks can be deceiving, as the DOOM series is know for it's twisted mazelike corridors. Gamers who are used to the linear games of today could find themselves lost for hours in a level, searching for the next keycard. In the era that DOOM was released the length of a game was provided by actual gameplay, and not by artificially padding the experience with cutscenes every 3 seconds.




The gameplay in DOOM is a satisfying affair in which players must dispatch hoards of hell's minions while searching out colored keycards to unlock the various doors that block their path, all the while searching out the games myriad secrets, which usually results in a serious upgrade of firepower. And you'll need that firepower, as the baddies keep getting bigger and more badass as you go. The best gun in the game, which can be seen below as the player faces off against the Spider Mastermind, is the BFG 9000, AKA the Big Freakin' Gun. It launches a big green ball of energy that will frag the living hell out of anything in it's path.




Another thing DOOM popularized was the fine art of Deathmatch. Players could use their brand new dialup modems to engage each other in bloody warfare, where victory was determined by how many times you could reduce your foes to a pile of chunky kibble. Since DOOM's inception of Deathmatch it has become a staple of nearly every game in the FPS genre since. The Ultimate DOOM is truely a genre-defining game, and if you have never tried it you owe it to yourself as an FPS fan to give it a try.

Joe Danger Special Edition Review

Joe Danger Special Edition (XBLA)
Developed By: Hello Games
Date of release: December 14, 2011
Price: 1200MSP

Joe Danger was a pretty good game when it came out on PS3. A decent motorcycle stunt game in the tradition of Excitebike and Trials HD. Joe Danger Special Edition for the Xbox 360 on the other hand, it is a far superior beast. The graphics have been improved, slowdown has been eliminated, and loading times are shorter across the board. Joe Danger Special Edition is definitely the game the original should have been, not to say the original was a bad game, quite the contrary.




Visually, imagine if Team Fortress 2 and Little Big Planet had a baby, and then strapped said baby onto a motocross bike. That pretty much sums up Joe Danger's simple but charming aesthetic. Bright colors and cheery visuals illuminate Joe's world, like a Pixar version of Evel Knievel. Gameplay is an absolute delight, challenging you to chain together impressive stunts to boost your score all the wile dodging devious obstacles and traps along the course.




The replay value in Joe Danger is quite impressive, and I can guarantee that you will be coming back time and time again to beat your scores, as it's one of those games where you find yourself saying "just one more level". The learning curve in Joe Danger is gentle and forgiving, even though the later levels are wonderfully challenging the game leads you up to them with such grace that revisiting earlier challenges makes you wonder how you never noticed how simple they were.




When it comes right down to it, Joe Danger Special Edition is the kind of game where players of all ages can have a good time. The intuitive controls make it accessible to anyone who wants to give it a go. This is the type of game where any mistakes you make are your own fault, there are no cheap deathtraps here. With practice every part of the game can be mastered, and there is such a profound sense of accomplishment in doing so. I can wholeheartedly recommend Joe Danger Special Edition to anyone who is a fan of insane motocross stunts, so try out the demo and I'm sure you'll agree.

FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction Review

FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction (PC)
Published By: Strategy First
"Developed" By: Team 6 Studios
Date of Release: December 13, 2011
Price: $30

Ever since the first title I have been a major fan of Bugbear Entertainment's FlatOut series. An amazing blend of white-knuckle racing combined with explosive destruction derby action, FlatOut 1, 2 and Ultimate Carnage were awesome experiences. FlatOut 3 Chaos & Destruction however... No. Just no.




Flatout 3 runs on what is supposed to be an amazing and revolutionary engine capable of rendering "over 20,000 full destructible physics items on every track", however it apparently does so by delivering a PS2-launch era graphical quality, as you can see in the screenshots. Mind you these were taken at "Ultra" graphics quality.




I tried driving through a few races, and quickly discovered that wither the physics engine is totally glitched, or FlatOut 3 is set in a world without friction. in the above screenshot you can see the result of my car's front right tire touching the strip of grass alongside the road. My car went careening out of control and caused the explosive pileup seen above, and then continued along bouncing off buildings like a pinball until it finally exploded into pieces. In all honesty, FlatOut 3 is NOT a FlatOut game. It is not deserving of the title. However apparently Team 6 Studios at least have a high level of self confidence as a developer, as they have set their own company logo as the desktop icon for the game. They were kind enough to provide me with a review copy free of charge, however the experience has been so lacking that I feel like I should be asking for a refund.

Arc The Lad Saga Review

Arc The Lad (PSone Classics)
Developed By: SCEI
Original Localization: Working Designs
Ported to PSN By: MonkeyPaw Games
Date of Release: October 12, 2010
Price: $5.99

"Chosen to save a generation. Destined to save a world. Hoping to save himself."

From the time that it was founded back in the late 80's, until it's untimely closure in 2005, the staff at Working Designs worked hard to bring gamers some of the most amazing games from overseas. Their final release for the PlayStation, the mighty Arc the Lad Collection is arguably their grandest achievement. And now with the help of MonkeyPaw Games, the Arc the Lad saga has been revived for a new generation of fans!




Arc The Lad is a strategy rpg in the vein of Tactics Ogre, but with a few neat twists like being able to jump over obstacles in the middle of battle. Though it may not break much ground with the gameplay, the story certainly carries things along well, as does the marvelous soundtrack. As an introduction to the series it is masterful in it's duties, yet short. The average gamer may get around 8 hours out of it, however for myself it was more like 5. Though it should be noted that they were 5 well-packed hours. The character development and excellent storytelling come together to craft a worthy start to the adventure.



Arc The Lad II (PSone Classics)
Developed By: SCEI
Original Localization: Working Designs
Ported to PSN By: MonkeyPaw Games
Date of Release: November 23, 2010
Price: $5.99

"When all you've been told is a lie, nothing hurts more than the truth."

Arc the Lad II steps up the ante by not only introducing a new cast of characters, but also letting you import your original party from the first title. Character customization plays a large role in the second outing, and the choices are almost overwhelming. You can customize nearly every aspect of your heroes, so if you find yourself coming up short in battle, there are plenty of choices to try.




Arc the Lad II continues with the same gorgeous graphics, music and cinema quality of the first title, however this time around the experience is quite a bit longer. Players will get 40-50 hours of gameplay this time around, and the well paced story will keep things interesting till the end. Of course once again the end is just the beginning, which leads us to the conclusion of this trilogy...

Arc The Lad III (PSone Classics)
Developed By: SCEI
Original Localization: Working Designs
Ported to PSN By: MonkeyPaw Games
Date of Release: January 4, 2011
Price: $5.99

"When evil rises from the ashes, hunters rush in where angels fear to tread."

Arc the Lad III is a decidedly different beast than it's predecessors. Gone are the flat 2D backgrounds, as the world is now rendered in 3d. Once again you can import your saved characters from the previous game, but you won't see most of them until later. The gameplay systems feel a bit different this time, partially do to the simplified battle system, which tones down the massive character customization of Arc II.




In a way the game feels like a collection of side-quests, which slowly eases the narrative along. That's not a bad thing, as it is a nice change of pace from the earlier titles. There's a lot of good times to be had as you travel the world hunting bounties.

At this point I should also mention the companion disc to Arc the Lad II, Arc the Lad Monster Arena. Available on the PSN alone for $3.99 or bundled with Arc II for $8.99, Arc Arena lets you use captured monsters from Arc II to battle in a Pokemon-style tournament. It's a pleasant little diversion, and IMO it should not be missed.

As a whole, the Arc the Lad series is quite an amazing experience, and at a combined price of $21 for the 3 main titles and Arena, you just can't go wrong, especially considering the exorbitant prices the physical prices fetch on today's market. In this reviewer's humble opinion, $21 is a steal for roughly 100 hours of gameplay. I say go for it, and here's hoping MonkeyPaw revives more Working Designs goodness!