eXceed Collection Review

eXceed Collection
Developed By: Tennen Sozai
Localized By: NYU-Media
Published By: Capcom
Date of release: March 29, 2012
Price: $9.99

Ahhhh, Bullet Hell. How I've missed your intense patterns of glowing death. The eXceed Collection is here, and it delivers the frenetic action that we danmaku fans crave. Consisting of 3 doujin shooters, this collection chronicles the war between the Catholic Church and the vampiric legions. These indie games have been localized by NYU-Media and published by Capcom.



The first title in the collection is the controversial eXceed: Gun Bullet Children. Because of the main storyline's theme of the Catholic Church training children to trade their lifespans in exchange for magical powers with which to combat the vampires, they had to unfortunately leave the game untranslated. NYU-Media has posted a complete fan translation of the script on the game's site however, so players will not be left in the dark. The gameplay in eXceed GBC is typical of the genre, and is quite satisfying to play through. With 3 characters to play as, there is enough variety here to keep players busy for a while.



With the second title things definitely take a turn for the different. The game's single protagonist Ria File is a human/vampire hybrid who fights on the side of the vampires, trying to bring an end to the rekindled war between the humans and vampires. The gameplay is quite reminiscent of Treasure's Ikaruga, in the fact that you can switch polarities and absorb like-colored shots while dealing double damage to the opposing color. Fans of Ikaruga should feel quite at home playing eXceed 2nd- Vampire REX.



This brings us to the third and final title, Exceed 3rd- JADE PENETRATE- BLACK PACKAGE. This mouthful of a title goes back a step in terms of gameplay, using the standard bullet hell formula once again. Our heroine this time is the dragon/demoness hybrid Raine Lindwurm, and the story chronicles her attempt to take over the underworld. Along the way she has to contend with the current heir, her own sister Celestia.
Each of these games could stand decently on their own individual merits, but as a bundle the combined value is quite phenomenal. Considering that the 3 games can be had for $9.99, there's no reason to miss out on them. Anyone who is a fan of the genre should pick up the eXceed Collection today!

Legend of Grimrock Review

Legend of Grimrock
Developed by: Almost Human Games
Date of Release: April 11, 2002
Price: $14.99


Legend of Grimrock is an outdated and clunky piece of crap. Its gameplay mechanics are antiquated, the combat system is primitive at best, and the story is just there to justify a mind-numbing slog through endless mazes of walls that all look alike. It should be just swept under the rug and completely forgotten. It is a relic of a bygone age before games had epic storytelling, orchestral scores, professional voice acting, and half-hour cutscenes at every turn. At least this seems to be the consensus among modern gamers, having been raised on a diet of cookie-cutter fantasy adventures and thinking that the level-up system in Call of Duty is the ultimate RPG. To them I offer a single digit salute.



You see, The Legend of Grimrock IS outdated, it IS clunky, and it IS a relic from the past. However it is for that very reason that it is a love letter to those of us who grew up in the era of D&D. Almost Human Games has crafted the ultimate homage to the deeply rewarding dungeon crawlers of yore, and their dedication shows in every little facet of this polished gem. From the tile based movements to the classic QWEASD controls, no detail has been overlooked. And thanks to the team's desire to please everyone possible, there are even classic mouse arrows to peruse should you feel the need. Originally the classic arrows weren't to be included, but a request from a disabled fan who could only control the game with a mouthstick spurred the team into action. This is in my humble opinion a perfect example of a dev team who cares about their fans.



In this world where unique titles seem to be slowly disappearing into a quicksand mire of dumbed-down console ports and half-assed sequels, it is very refreshing to see that there are developers out there who still care about what makes gaming good. Legend of Grimrock has been regularly updated based on fan input, with options such as a hardcore mode and the ability to disable the automap system and draw one's own maps on graph paper. The ways to enjoy this fine title vary quite nicely, and gamers will always find reasons to come back for more. Every new party represents a chance for fresh adventures, and the depths of Mount Grimrock will always welcome new challengers. Looking forward to the future, the devs have already promised that new dungeons will be available as addons, so gamers will have plenty to look forward to. So if you are a hardcore gamer looking for a nostalgic blast from the past, pick up Legend of Grimrock today!

Skullgirls Review

Skullgirls (PSN/XBLA)
Developed By: Reverge Labs/Autumn Games
Published By: Konami
Date of Release: April 10, 2012
Price: $14.99/1200MSP

In the fast-paced world of the fighting game tournament scene, there is one thing that matters above all else: balance. If a game has severely unbalanced fighters, then it may as well be thrown straight out the window. Another problem is cloning, to make it seem like a game has plenty of characters to go around, the devs may simply take one characters mechanics and re-apply it to another. We constantly see examples of games that just try too hard to shoehorn everything in to one crowded roster, and with games like Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 shoving 48 playable characters into the spotlight there is just no hope of a fair and balanced fight.




Thankfully, we have Skullgirls hitting the scene. When it comes to the lofty ambition of being the perfect tournament fighter, it manages to deliver on all levels! Reverge Labs has made an incredibly smashing debut by bringing together a team of fighting game industry experts to craft Skullgirls into a pulse-pounding pandemoniac plethora of pugilistic perfection. What we have here is a set of 8 well-tuned femme fatales who are ready to kick ass and take names. You have the option of choosing either one full-powered character, a halved-strength duo, or a tag team trio of weaker fighters. No matter your choice you can rest assured that the game is ready to balance itself out, so choose the playing style that suits your tastes.




The graphical merits of Skullgirls are quite astounding, with each character fluidly hand animated in 1080p. The graphical quality is quite in it's own class, even upstaging recent fighters such as Blazblue. The stages themselves are no less detailed, with throngs of fully animated background characters, and a gorgeously parallaxed art style that almost feels three-dimensional. The eye-catchign visuals are underlined by an impressive score by none other than Michiru Yamane, famous for her long running contribution to the aural tapestry of the Castlevania series. All of these elements perfectly meld together into a wonderfully film-noire/art deco aesthetic.




One last point I'd like to touch on is the excellent online gameplay, provided by the GGPO (Good Game Peace Out) netcode. It allows for a virtually lag-free online experience, regardless of the player's real-world proximity to one another. In my online experiences with Skullgirls I found no lag or dropped frames at all. In my humble opinion Reverge labs has crafted the finest tournament fighting experience possible, and for that I salute them. Skullgirls is well worth the price, so get out there and buy it today! Also be sure to visit the game's website at http://www.skullgirls.com to download the handly printable movelist/character guide!