Red Faction: Guerilla Multiplayer Demo Impressions

Wow. Red Faction's single player demo didn't really make me care for the game. If anything, it kind of turned me away, but I've heard that it was a bad point in the game to showcase since it's so limited. The Multiplayer demo on the other hand features the Damage Control mode, which is just a standard multi-point King of the Hill similar to Conquest mode in the Battlefield games. WITH A TWIST!!! While you have to capture and hold points and you're thrust into a large Martian landscape, you've also got the hammer, different movement packs (jetpacks, faster movement, etc), explosives, several different guns, a nice ranking system, and the entire destructibility element that's always been the major selling point of the franchise fully present without any limitations in multiplayer. Instead of just running over to a point and standing there to capture it, then defending it, in order to capture a point, you have to pull out your repair gun and construct a satellite device to capture it, but only after annihilating the other teams previous one to make them lose their capture by any means necessary. There are several buildings that make perfect spots for snipers, but if you've got the time and communication, you can actually topple an entire building, completely destroying that snipers nest, and then later use your repair gun to build it back up or just leave it alone and destroyed.



Unlike most games, when you take down the supports for a building, there's a chance that the building will crush under its own weight, destroying it completely for that game unless someone rebuilds it, but it's also incredibly likely that the building will drop a few floors, maybe have a few walls get crushed along with the roof collapsing, but you're still able to jump into the remaining areas and use the rubble for cover instead of it just becoming some modeled pile of rubble that you can walk through that eventually fades away. It's also incredibly likely that you'll see a guy jumping from a building with a jet pack, applying it when they're right on top of you, and shooting electricity from a gun while you're frantically running to avoid them while shooting back with whatever you've got or maybe even jumping into the sky and smacking them down with a hammer. The sheer randomness of every match makes each game pretty unique and it feels like different groups of players, when working together, might take on the same level in completely different ways. Once you capture the points, your points slowly start to go up, with your goal being to reach 500 before the other team. The easiest way to do this is of course to have your team divided into either offense or defense, all out one way, or split into groups, which is pretty awesome since the game does reward players extra points for getting kills while near other characters. While I’m still not particularly excited for the single player still, I’m thinking of picking this up for the multiplayer as long as I can convince myself that people are going to be playing it online for a long time, especially since there’s nothing else like it out right now.

inFamous - First Impressions

Yet another huge PS3 exclusive has finally arrived, but was it worth the wait? You play as Cole, a completely normal man that's been infused with these electrical powers that he's slowly gaining an understanding of as he progresses throughout his adventure. What hasn't been completely clear in the marketing is how he comes across these powers. When you start up the game, you're shown the title screen that simply says the title of the game and "press start", with the serene city at night being displayed as the backdrop. The second that you press the start button, ish hits the fan. Hard. Instead of giving you a typical introduction where you have some abilities at the start, or starting you off as a character without powers that gains them through the adventure, pressing start triggers a gigantic electrical explosion, completely altering the landscape and killing tons of people before you even take your first steps in this game. After the explosion is done, you're shown some comic book style scenes, then you're awakened to the sounds of yelling over helicopter blades. Because the game starts off with you directly triggering the explosion, the movement tutorial area is you trying to escape what appears to be ground zero for the explosion. As you continue forward, you'll slowly notice things are reacting strangely to you, specifically electrical items that spark as you walk by. After progressing through this tutorial area, you eventually black out and awaken on the roof of a building with your friend there, giving you another tutorial on how to use your newly awakened electrical powers, and after you're done, you're completely free to explore the first island.



This is probably the most incredible way to explain a superhero/supervillain's origin that I've ever seen. Since you're actually learning about abilities throughout your adventure, it's pretty awesome when you yourself are seeing various powers awakening. While I was a bit put off by the looseness of the camera controls at first, you're able to go into the menu and change between a normal, fast, and faster setting, which might not be as precise as a slider, but lowering it down to normal worked fine for me. One of the heavily marketed aspects is the entire morality system, which gives players a completely different skill set depending on how they play. For doing good deeds, you slowly become a hero, which causes people to cheer as they see you leaping between rooftops or simply walking down the street, while also opening up quests that you can only do as a hero. From a powers standpoint, the hero powers are a bit more like sniper attacks, allowing you to focus on a specific target while the infamous powers are more damaging to a general area, since you're most likely going to be causing as much chaos as possible. While Sucker Punch could have probably just gotten away with simply reskinning the moves to be either blue or red, instead they have moves and missions that you can only embark on if you're playing a good or bad character, and in order to stay at the highest level of either side, you have to continuously perform good/bad deeds. In terms of mission structure, you've got story missions, good and evil missions, and other missions. The story missions obviously push you forward in the game, while the good and evil missions are dedicated to allowing you to make large jumps in either direction of the morality system. The other missions are mostly just things that you do for random citizens that, while they ultimately don't affect your morality or anything, they do give you a bit of experience and completing them causes enemies to stop appearing in that section of the island.



Graphically, while it's not the best looking game ever, it's still incredibly pretty and does an amazing job of creating a gritty yet realistic environment. The animations on Cole and the pedestrians are part of what gives this immersive feeling. When you're scaling up the side of buildings, leaping over poles, or dodging between cars while taking shots at enemies, everything feels extremely fluid. There's something about the way Cole reacts to the environment that just screams awesome, especially when you're dangling from a wire with one hand while targeting an enemy and watching the ensuing explosions. The car models work, and while they're not particularly great or anything, they all capture that worn down look that you would expect to see after a disaster of this magnitude happens, and it's pretty impressive when you launch a car that was driving down the road into a group of enemies and you look over to see the person inside slowly die at the wheel, which might be grim but makes perfect sense in context. While I haven't noticed any blood, the death animations are pretty believable depending on how you take out an enemy. Last but not least, the comic style cutscenes are beautiful to look at, but that style of delivering major story points might not be for everyone, but it is an extremely stylish alternative to the various in game storyline elements and adds a bit of variety.

I'll admit that the first time I had tried out the demo, I wasn't a fan of how the movement felt and almost found the game to be a bit boring, but if you let yourself just screw around in the world and pick your own play style, it's easy to just lose yourself for hours here. While the black and white morality choices might not click with everyone that wants more options in games, it's still extremely fun once you just embrace it and decide to go down your path, either healing everyone you find while doing tons of good deeds or just causing as much chaos as possible, from starting riots to finding a way to just screw the city over completely, and it's really awesome to see that people in the world are constantly reacting to you. The score works, and while I haven't noticed any memorable songs in it, there's also been nothing grating to listen to, and the voice actors and actresses all feel like they've done a great job of capturing how each character is supposed to be feeling, extending from major characters to random civilians crying out in amazement at your actions or hatred for what you've done. Controlling Cole gets to a point where it just clicks, and since the game slowly introduces more abilities to you, you don't start off with a million things you have to know, but once you've mastered those skills and powered them up, you can pull them off without much thought at all. I'm only about 6 hours in so far, so all of this is subject to change, but I really think this is a must own game on ps3 right now, or at least checking out what it has to offer. Once I'm done, there will be a review up and of course, once Prototype comes out, I'll do a comparison between this, that, and Crackdown. So far, this game definitely feels unique in comparison to anything else I've played since the movement system is so fluid, you can actually stop enemies from spawning, you've got different ways to develop your character depending on how you play the game, which is complimented by the morality system. If you don't want to drop the 60$ on it, there's always the demo up on PSN that you could give a try.

Rogue Touch Quick Review

Similar to many other games in this dungeon-crawling genre, Rogue Touch brings the classic incredibly rewarding yet punishing formula of the dungeon crawling classic Rogue to iPhone and iPod Touch. For those who are unfamiliar with the genre, the main draw of these games is that you're put into a random dungeon with randomly located enemies, treasures, and traps, and generally have to descend in the labyrinth as far as possible. Since it's such a simplistic concept, the controls work fine with movement, attacking inventory management, etc, all being controlled by simply sliding you finger across the screen in the direction you wish to move or on the character to use items or manage your inventory. In classic style, you'll come across all types of unidentified items, forcing you to think wisely before you blindly equip that magic ring you found, since it could end up draining your health per turn. Once you die, your characters name will be registered in your hall of fame but you're forced to return to level one with a fresh start, meaning you don't have any of the items you previously found accessible to you. One of the unique features of Rogue Touch is that supposedly you're able to come across your corpse if you adventure long enough and you're able to loot it, taking items and gold that you had when you died and use them on your new character. While the gameplay is pretty addictive, it stays true to the classic art style, meaning you're looking at a more or less top down view of the dungeon, with your character, creatures, and items all represented by simple 2d sprites. Combat is conducted by simply walking into a creature over and over and reading the status messages as the top of the screen that tell you if you had a hit, critical hit, took damage, etc.


(You'll see this. A lot.)

It's worth mentioning that in addition to managing your inventory, you also have to worry about your character's health, which means that you're going to have to hold on to food when you find it and use it when you start to get hungry. As you fight more, you'll eventually level up which refills your health bar and seems to make you a bit more powerful as well. The music in the game is more or less non-existent, which is kind of a bummer since it disables your own music when you start it up with the soft "plop" sound of water every few moments. On the plus side, roguelikes are easily one of the most addictive types of games and having it on your iphone or itouch means you can literally start a game within seconds, turn it off whenever you need to, and as long as you don't die, there's a continue feature on the main screen. The main reason I'm just giving this a 7 is that while I definitely do enjoy it, I realize this type of experience isn't for everyone, especially since you have to realize that you WILL die and dying is a part of the game, not to mention you'll occasionally come across some completely unexpected moments (testing out an unidentified wand that happens to shoot lighting, which then bounces off the wall and kills you after an hour of playing), but it's those moments that make this such an enjoyable game and kind along with giving you clues of what to be careful of the next time you're in the dungeon.

Score - 7/10

Marvel vs Capcom 2 demo impressions

The demo for the anticipated and inevitable (considering the current streak of success with Capcom) classic arcade fighter has finally hit. That's right, for everyone who's tired of Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur, or is just looking for a completely insane and refreshing experience, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 has been announced to land on digital shelves this summer, but the demo is now out to make the wait less dreadful. The demo highlights some of the basic new features, specifically the graphical filters and widescreen support. When the actual game comes out, all characters will be unlocked from the moment you buy it (saving us all 10+ hours of unlocking), but the demo only features 6 of them. As far as gameplay is concerned, everything feels pretty much exactly how you remember it, if you spent time playing MvC2 in the past on Dreamcast or in arcades. The only downside with the demo is that it only features local multiplayer, so you need to have another controller and preferrably a body that's willing to battle against you. While you are able to browse the gameplay modes, trying to select anything other than the local multiplayer just shows you a "UNLOCK FULL VERSION" screen.



It's said to use the same net code as SSF2THD remix, which I definitely would rather have instead of the one present in SF4. The selectable characters in the demo are Ryu, Chun Li, and Strider on the Capcom side, while Wolverine, Spiderman, and Iron Man round out the Marvel side. For anyone that loved the games back in the day, or always wanted to play it but didn't feel like dropping 80$ for the game ( Which is its current price used without a guaranteed manual or case at Gamestop), you've finally got a shot to play it with netplay, which is a huge bonus. If you're unsure about whether or not you want to pick this up, that's the entire point of the demo, provided you have an extra controller laying around and possibly another gamer that's up for fighting. Hopefully I'll see at least a few of you online and be sure to drop a comment letting me know your personal thoughts on this rerelease!

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl review

Are you ready for an in-your-face, skateboard-shreddin', rollercoaster of a ride through a post nuclear wasteland?! Well, you've probably picked up the wrong game. What STALKER represents is an excellent blend of first person shooting mixed with light rpg elements, all set in the desolate environment surrounding the infamous Chernobyl Power Plant post nuclear meltdown. As a result, the wildlife has become horribly mutated and hostile, and the terrain has become controlled by three rival factions, all constantly battling for territory while collecting artifacts that are worth thousands for their own profit. Where does the player fit in through all of this? You're given control of The Marked One, an amnesiac (I've never seen THAT in a game before!) protagonist (or antagonist, depending on how you play the game) that's only got one memory left, which is the primary motivation for completing the game. Does it hold up over time? Is it worth going back to a game that was originally supposed to be released in 2004, and then got delayed 3 years for more than just gameplay?

Gameplay - 8/10

For those of you who are looking for something a bit different in your first person shooters, this might be exactly what you've spent so much time searching for. One of the many aspects that separate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. from the competition is the freedom you have in the world. While the storyline might not be the most compelling thing ever, once you get a quest from a citizen such as retrieving an item, fighting back an offensive move from a rival faction, to just exploring new locations, you're quickly thrown into the world to handle it however you want to. Then again, maybe you just don't like the way a certain city looks. If that's you, you can easily just kill everyone in a town: the choice is completely up to you. For those of you who do decide to follow the narrative, much of the major points in the story are told through cutscenes in the middle of a mission, each one giving you somewhat of an insight as to what might have caused you to lose your memory in the first place. All of this is fine and dandy, but the way its developer has created the world is simply amazing. While many games are content to settle with a few weird creatures here or there, then constantly coming across bombed out cities for creating a ghastly atmosphere, Shadow of Chernobyl takes it one step further by occasionally allowing you to stumble across various anomalies in the world, from some that give you a nasty dose of radiation which is fatal if not treated quickly, to others that summon some sort of a radioactive tornado, you'll quickly start to learn that the environment might just be a bigger foe than any enemy you'll find in game, or it could be your best friend once you master setting traps so your enemies walk through them. While there are tons of enemies wandering around, you'll find yourself entering settlements, all populated with fellow mercenaries that have a different perspective on you based on your actions in the world. Weapons, armor, and certain anomalies all have various attributes on them, with the most unfortunate being their actual status, which deteriorates with use. Fortunately, the further you get in the game, the more powerful the weapons you find. Don't plan on taking everything you see with you though, since you're ultimately restricted by having a weight limit. Once you pass that weight, you're unable to run and jump, and if you continue to pick up items beyond that point, you'll find yourself over encumbered and unable to move. All of this is good and well, but there's one major downfall in this title. STALKER doesn't exactly have the most compelling story, so many people find themselves drawn more into the world than the events and characters taking place inside of it. It's worth pointing out that the game does feature several endings, but the biggest complaint I have with the title arises with the last section of gameplay. Without giving away any spoilers, it almost feels like STALKER's developers were worried about players zooming through a large portion of the game, and as a result, when you're progressing through the very last few areas, you've basically got to worry about a very strict time clock that if it runs out, you die, while being pushed through environments that are full of enemies that don't feel difficult, they just feel incredibly cheap. If you make yourself stop playing before you reach this point, once you're sucked in to this digital version of an alternate world Chernobyl, you'll probably be wondering why this only got an 8, but for those who actually press on to the very end, you're going to find yourself constantly in situations where you're wanting to eat your monitor.


Sound - 6/10

Unfortunately, especially compared to games that were released around the same time, such as Doom 3, Half Life 2, and even Far Cry, the sound in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn’t all that impressive. Most of this can be directly attributed to the fact that you’re wandering around a desolate environment, meaning you’re mostly just going to be listening to the wind or your footsteps, but its minimalism is also sort of a downfall. The weapon sound effects don’t seem to really vary much between the different guns you can pick up in each class, but you are able to distinguish the sound between a rifle and a sniper rifle. In the games defense, using surround sound or a decent set of headphones allows you to pinpoint exactly where your enemy is, which is useful for when you’re aiming at someone and hear a mob of rabid dogs approaching behind you, or locating some of the harder to see enemies in the run down factories. The voice acting is pretty well done and never feels out of place, but I don’t really understand Russian, so I’ve got absolutely no clue what most NPC’s are really saying. Speaking in a language relative to the location does help to provide extra immersion and really give you that feel of wandering around the ruins of Chernobyl, and the guns don’t necessarily sound weak, but I really feel like they could have possibly done more somehow.

Graphics - 7/10

When the game was first announced back in 2002 or 2003, I definitely remember flipping through magazines and looking at various gaming websites and being completely blown away by the fidelity of visuals, especially considering the games 2004 release. But then… that didn’t actually happen. Shadow of Chernobyl kind of just disappeared and was rumored to have become vaporware, which made it seem like gamers everywhere would just have to dream of what the title would have been like. Had it met it’s 2004/2005 release date, it’s direct competition would have just been Half Life 2, but due to the halt in development and the fact that it wasn’t released until 2007 without really any graphical upgrades aside from lighting effects definitely makes this title look a bit dated, even beside other games from the time period this was supposed to come out. On the plus side, they really did manage to capture the actual look of Chernobyl, even including landmarks from the actual location. The enemy design is pretty unique for the various mutated creatures you encounter, but the generic mercenaries are just that: generic. Many of the special effects you’ll see look pretty nice, and even though the visuals aren’t all that great, they do run at a steady framerate and it still looks decent, just not up to the standards set for the time which is almost inexcusable because of the extra few years they had to work on enhancing the tech.


Overall - 7/10

One of the biggest problems everyone has with STALKER is the first hour or so of playing. It’s hard in the beginning to accept that your weapons, while governed largely by the players on skill, are still statistic based, meaning that while you might be aiming right at someone, you’re likely to not hit them with the first few shots until you come across better weapons. The game looks similar to every other first person shooter, but it’s a lot more of a slow paced, tactical experience requiring the player to use cover wisely while constantly keep an eye on their flanks. Once you’re finally adjusted, you’ll quickly finding yourself losing track of time as you start exploring the amazing environments and taking on countless quests. While the storyline suffers from AHS, or amnesiac hero syndrome, the gameplay makes up for it and the atmosphere of certain areas is incredible. Unfortunately, the experience is almost completely ruined because of the very last hour of gameplay, but with all the quests to embark on and places to visit, it kind of balances out. The graphics and audio suffice, but could have been improved if they used the extra development time a bit better. For the price it’s at now, it’s a great deal if you’re looking for a slightly different experience and if it does actually click with you, you’ll love it and find yourself wishing there were more games that captured that same atmosphere from this game, but there’s also a pretty big chance that you might be completely turned off by the RPG elements.

Doom 3 review

Sometimes I happen to actually finish games in my backlog just a few years after they were released. Doom 3 is the most recent title that falls into that category. Back when the game came out, it offered the most amazing visuals seen on PC until that point and kept gamers tense with its quick action, creepy atmosphere, and sudden surprises. For those of us that are trying not to spend as much right now and want a good, cheap game to play, could Doom 3 possibly fill that hole?

Gameplay - 7/10

While Doom 3 visually looks like a dramatically different game, as you start exploring the facility, everything seems oddly familiar if you've played any of the previous entries into the series. One new aspect is that there actually IS a story this time that you see in game, even if it is essentially a more in-depth rehash of the same fundamental story in every Doom: Humans are on mars, humans dig too deep into Mars, ancient demons awaken and slaughter/zombify everyone, etc. Instead of just restricting the storytelling to cutscenes, you'll occasionally encounter living humans who might have a bit to contribute or data/audio/video discs that you can read in your handy-dandy PDA whenever you wish. It's executed in a manner that fits the game, since if you don't want to know anything about the story, you could pick up the discs strewn about the facility and never read or listen to any of them and you'd be perfectly fine for the most part. Occasionally, you come across a locked door that you'll have to look through a certain PDA entry to find in order to progress and sometimes you still have to find an item that is essentially a key card in order to get through a locked door, but none of it feels intrusive and since you're going through twisting corridors in an abandoned facility on Mars, most of them are fairly linear in where you need to go to find them. As far as enemies are concerned, there really aren't too many things here that are completely new, but that's perfect for Doom 3. All of the weapons perform just like you remember, which is incredibly comforting when you're staring an imp with a fireball glowing in his hand and you just instantly know that switching to your shotgun and blasting him in the face will stop him in his tracks. In terms of scares, the experience starts off well and they do a few things throughout the game to keep you on your toes, but one feature that might get a lot of people more frustrated than creeped out is the games dependence on what are literally monster closets. You'll find yourself walking down a hallway time and time again and...BAM... you see a door to your right slide open, a monster pop out and hit you, then you kill it. It's cool the first few times, but after playing the game for 6+ hours, you'll start to grow tired of it since it seems more like a cheap attempt at increasing the difficulty. Of course, no game like this is complete without boss battles, and Doom 3 has several. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on what kind of gamer you are), all of the bosses are defeated by the classic formula of circle strafing and shooting tons of bullets into it or something nearby, making the boss battles against artistically epic enemies last about 2 minutes.


Graphics - 9/10

Looking back at this game in 2009, it still holds up remarkably well. At the time, I remember this was graphically that year’s version of Crysis, the ultimate test for any pc. Now that many of us are capable of running this game maxed out and in any resolution desired without any major framerate issues, it’s an impressive technical feat. While the outdoor environments might be a bit bland, the indoor locations look eerily haunted, with steam busting out of pipes as you walk through a metallic hallway with a few dim lights flickering on and off. The character designs and models look extremely well, especially with all of the shading effects on them to create a more realistic (or haunting in the case of enemies) setting. All of the animations look extremely fluid, making this easy to go back and look at without you having to make any concessions to the time period.

Sound - 8/10

I’ll admit, there were several moments in the game where I was positive I had killed everyone in a room and I’d hear a howl from behind me and actually jump in my seat. Unfortunately, most of the gun sound effects aren’t as well done as the environmental sounds, but it does make pretty good use of surround sound if you’ve got it. The voice acting is pretty solid which helps to give the illusion of the NPC’s that actually sounding like they’re interacting with each other instead of being in separate rooms reading a script. The one downer about the voice acting is that nearly every PDA recycles a few voices, but each one is acted incredibly well and helps you get a sense for what that character might have been going through when they recorded the log.


Overall - 8/10

For about 20$, you can now pick this up on steam and if you love mindless shooters or just creepy games, you definitely need this in your collection. It’s just long enough so it doesn’t feel like you’re getting ripped off while also cutting off just before the monster closet + shotgun to face combo starts to get old. It DOES have a multiplayer component, but I was unable to test it out so that might be worthwhile for some of you out there looking for an extended experience. Once you’re done with the game, you unlock an extra difficulty as well, so you’re definitely going to be getting a lot of bang for your buck. While the game itself doesn’t feel like it gets stale, it is a bit of a downer when you walk into areas and you’re able to predict exactly when something is going to pop out of one of the monster closets, which kind of destroys the atmosphere. All in all, it’s a solid package and something some people might be able to finish in a weekend since you’re more or less facing the same types of enemies with all of the classic weapons and they all work exactly like you remember and expect them too.

Left 4 Dead update review

Yeah, I know I already did a full review for Left 4 Dead, but now that the new patch is out that's added official support for the other two campaigns in versus, adds in the new Survival Mode, and then an extra map for that said mode, I feel it's worth it to update everyone. Since it's just an update, this isn't going to be as in depth as the stuff I normally do, but then again, this isn't a full retail game unless you count the Game Of The Year package, but...don't do that. Anyway, for those who never tried out the versus mode, I highly recommend you do, but make sure you play with friends because it requires an incredible amount of cooperation and communication to ever actually win on either side. While it was a bit controversial when announced that they were just adding support for the last two campaigns, when you consider that it's 10 more maps that you get to play on, it feels like you're getting an incredible deal, especially since it's all available for the low, low cost of free. Both campaigns feel incredibly unique now that you're able to control the infected on them, especially with certain sections of Dead Air, particularly the lobby moment. While the controls are still the same and there wasn't a graphics overhaul or anything, once you actually give the two campaigns a shot, you'll realize that it's a pretty sizable bonus for free that almost dwarfs anything else that you can pick up as a map pack for 5-10$ on xbox live at the very least. The last additional component and arguably the highlight of the patch is the new Survival Mode. Typically games that have survival modes are more of a test of your patience than actually feeling like you're fighting to survive. Left 4 Dead's view is the exact opposite. Instead of gradually increasing the numbers of infected and special infected attacking, from the moment you start the event, you are completely bombarded from all directions, and for the first few times, you'll probably die in the first minute or two. As you progress further and further into the mode, the game starts spawning special infected at a faster and faster rate, until eventually there is no respawn timer between them. One of the neat things that definitely doesn't happen in other games or the campaigns/versus for Left 4 Dead is that, basically, no spot is safe and the moment you think everything is fine, something's going to happen which forces you to constantly be ready to move to a new location while pushing your way through the hordes. It's also worth mentioning that there isn't really a noticeable break between waves, meaning that not only do you need to stay alive, but you've also got to take down everything as fast as you can while still trying to keep up with your ammo. For people with the PC version, if you have the game installed, Steam now does an automatic update, meaning that your copy of Left 4 Dead should already be set up for this and 360 owners, I believe it's a 100ish mb download, but it's well worth every byte and if you had any fun at all playing the game ever, you need to get this installed.

TouchGrind quick review

I'm pretty sure everyone knows that I'm a huge fan of the two Skate games, so it probably comes as no surprise that the moment I got an iTouch, this was one of the first apps I purchased. While there are technically only 3 parks to pick from, it seems like there's a lot less since there's just 1 park for each game mode (practice, jam session/best trick, competition). Normally, this would be a downside, but thanks to the amazing controls and physics of the game, it's completely fine in my book. Since the iTouch and iPhone have a multi touch screen, that means you're actually able to control the game like a tech deck, meaning you put one finger on the nose/tail of the board, then the other in the center which determines the general direction you're going to be headed in. In order to turn, just like on a real skateboard, you simply lean your fingers in the direction you want to go or release your front finger. To ollie, you release your front finger, then the tail finger, and if you feel like pushing it back down to slap down on a rail or whatever, just put both fingers back on the skateboard. Kickflips are performed by flicking your front finger off to the left side of the deck, and then release your back finger, and the better you perform the action, the faster and more straight your flips come out. For anyone who cares, there is an online leaderboard and unlockable decks, but neither really extends the life of the game. Since it’s pretty cheap, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone with an iTouch or iPhone and has tons of replayability.

Bionic Commando Multiplayer impressions

For those who were unaware, the multiplayer demo for Capcom's upcoming title "Bionic Commando" was released a few days ago. This new game is sort of a sequel to a classic 2d arcade/NES title and more recently, a downloadable sequel available on Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. The primary gimmick that made this stand out above other platformers of the time is that your character is unable to jump and must instead rely on using a grappling hook to swing across dangerous chasms, up various buildings, all while fighting countless enemies. Bionic Commando's next-gen sequel features a new title character that relies on the same gimmick but is actually able to jump, along with the whole game being in 3D. As far as gameplay is concerned in the multiplayer trial, I've only noticed one gametype and map that it seems like everyone is automatically put into from the second they choose multiplayer.


One of the games interesting design choices is that for this deathmatch mode, all of the players are shown as being a ridiculously bright color representing their name on screen, which I'm actually not enjoying that much. I can understand that the choice was made to distinguish enemies when they're swinging through the air, latching on to whatever they can, but once they've stopped and are trying to snipe you from a rooftop, it looks kind of weird to see a bright neon pink guy clinging to the side of a building. Apart from that minor gripe which doesn't break the mode, the game seems sort of fun. The controls work pretty well, with you using the right trigger to fire your gun and the left to shoot out your grappling hook (which requires you to aim at whatever you want to grab on to, but as long as its in close enough distance and you're aiming somewhat at it, it's not that hard to latch on to it mid jump), the dpad used for quick turns (never had to use it), and the face buttons used for various functions.

The combat itself doesn't really feel all that visceral or anything, but it's pretty fun when you notice someone's aiming at you and you're desperately trying to outmanuver them by jumping, then grappling on to a light post somewhere, then to the underside of a rail, pulling yourself up and firing down upon them while they're trying to figure out where you went to. Unfortunately, the level used in the demo is at night and feels kind of small for the 8 players that are participating, but it does a good job of showing you that the controls really aren't intrusive and once you adjust to them, when to release the button to fly forward or when to pull yourself up the object becomes second nature. The multiplayer seems like it's a decent distraction, but it's one of those things that you could probably pass on and wouldn't be missing out on a large chunk of the experience.

Outrun Online Arcade review

There's a lot of people that have fond memories of playing the original Outrun in the arcade all those years ago, but a lot of those people are completely unaware of the fact that there is an Outrun 2 and one that was released on Playstation 2 (Coast 2 coast). Fortunately for any fans of the series or arcade racing games in general, OOA is completely new experience that still retains many of the same gameplay elements that made the previous installments so popular while incorporating some new gameplay modes along with achievements, multiplayer, and leaderboards to keep you coming back from more.

Gameplay - 8/10

Before you even start the game, you're asked to pick a car and what tuning you'd like. It's worth mentioning that every car is in one way or another attached the legendary sports car manufacturer Ferrari in one way or another, but regardless of your thoughts on the brand, none of this really matters aside from aesthetics because this xbla title is far from being a racing sim and every car pretty much controls the same. After picking your car, its color, and the transmission, you're then given the option to select one of 5 gameplay modes, the 3 primary ones being Outrun mode (finish a race against the clock, competing for score, with several moments appearing between courses where you're given a branching path, 14 various paths you can take to reach one of five endings) Time Attack (same deal, but the tracks are pretty much empty aside from ghost cars), and Heart Attack mode (do various objectives to impress your girlfriend to get a higher score while trying to make it to the end). The other modes are just an extended version of Outrun and Time Attack, taking you through all 15 courses in a predetermined order. As previously mentioned, this is an arcade style racing game, meaning that you're going to find yourself constantly drifting between traffic in a completely sideways position, all without losing any speed if done correctly, and you're constantly exceeding 150 mph. In the beginning, it might turn some people off that since you have a time limit, the only way to complete a race is by not crashing or losing too much speed to make it to the next checkpoint, therefore adding more time to finish the level, but once you get the hang of everything, you'll start to find yourself trying out the various paths, getting favorite courses, and maybe even venturing online or checking in on your position on the leaderboards. Unfortunately, even just a few weeks after it's release, it's pretty obvious that most people playing this are playing solo since there are so few games online unless you can organize one with a few friends. While you can’t full customize the controls, there are several presets available, so I’m pretty sure there’s something out there for everyone and for anyone wondering, yes, the game feels a lot better if you hook up a steering wheel.


Graphics - 9/10

It seems like so long ago when developers were complaining about Microsoft forcing all arcade titles to be under a certain file size. Outrun arcade looks phenomenal, and while it might not be as pretty as Crysis or whatever or major retail release; it is easily one of the best looking XBLA titles available. The car designs themselves are incredibly authentic to their real life counterparts while still capturing the feel of the old arcade version of Outrun. No racing game would be complete without tracks of course, and Outrun’s stellar visuals pass on to the beautiful environments. There’s nothing else quite like that first short track, speeding down a highway with your girlfriend in the car beside you as you dart in and out of traffic with the top down, sun shining, wind rushing through your digital hair and making that first turn or drift and can see the waves crashing against the beach out the corner of your eye. Each level is dramatically different in look and feel from the last, keeping you from feeling like you’re driving through the same environments unlike many other racers out there. Because the game is running at such a high framerate and the visuals are so well done, one of the downsides is that if you do mess up and either slow down too much or run into the back of another car, the generic cars and buses used as the traffic models feel a bit blocky. It’s a small sacrifice to make for such an otherwise beautiful title though. One thing that does need to be mentioned is that some people have reported issues with the framerate either dropping or freezing for a moment, specifically around the Milky Way track, but I don’t personally recall ever having that bug happen.

Sound 6/10

There’s definitely something charming about how arcade like the sound is, but just like many arcade ports have learned through the years, something that might work fine there doesn’t necessarily translate well to a console release. When you’re starting out your race, you’re also given an option of what song you want to listen to, but they’re that really bad type of pop music that you only ever hear in arcade games, and that’s mainly because you can’t ever really hear them clearly in those environments. Since most of the game modes are over within 5 minutes, you’re not going to be complaining about having to listen to the same song over and over, but you definitely might wish there were more, especially since most people only favor 2 or 3 of the songs anyway. As far as sound effects go, it sounds like an arcade racer, from that trademark sound of rushing air as you draft behind someone to your tires squealing as you drift as 100+ mph around a 180 degree turn. It fits the game itself fine, but I can definitely see why someone that’s into serious racing games or never spent much time in arcades might be a bit put off by it and opt to just use their own custom soundtrack.


Overall 8/10

Outrun Online Arcade is going to appeal to a certain audience, and I’m positive the developers knew this at the outset. While it’s easy for anyone to pick up and play instantly, some people are probably going to be put off by the fact that there’s not a free run mode to allow you to memorize the tracks, meaning that on your first few playthroughs, even on the easiest path, you’re probably going to get game over’s back to back. As a direct result from the difficulty of finishing the races the first few times, there’s an immense sense of reward for finishing the game, then slowly increasing your score and times for each path. Once you tire of Outrun mode, there’s always Time attack, but for people looking for something different, there’s Heart Attack mode as well. For fans of arcade games or arcade style racers, you definitely need this in your collection. If you’re expecting Forza 3 here, you’re going to be sorely disappointed, but it’s still an incredibly polished and addictive racing experience that I recommend everyone at least try out.

Flight of the Conchords video games

*NEW*

I can't believe I didn't post this before, these are 2 very awesome games made by a fan from Flight of the Conchords Message Board. He goes by Badatom. Anyways each season thus far, has its own game. I played the first game some time ago, and I must say it's pretty good, hard near the end, but good.

Anyways check the games out here - Badatom

You can also check out Badatom's website here.

Photo Copyright Badatom

Svartthron - Bearer Of The Crimson Flame, Review by LoC

Svartthron  - Bearer Of The Crimson Flame

Label:Inferna Profundus Records
Release Date: July 15th, 2008
Music Style: Depressive/Ambient Black Metal
Review By LoC

Svartthron is a band that I came across only recently, when I saw that an album of theirs was on sale for a really good price, and decided to buy it, based off the strength of the sound samples I heard. While I had been expecting a good Depressive/Ambient Black Metal album, Svartthron surprised me with just how good the music turned out to be. While there is very little to be found on this CD in the ways of originality, Svartthron makes up for this with their passion, and the rich atmosphere, which makes this album both relaxing and more aggressive in turns, but always high quality. 



The instrumentation and production are both just about perfect, with the right amount of variation to make each song work well on their own, but this album is still most effective when listened to from the beginning to end. Acoustic guitars and keyboards are sprinkled throughout the album, but both serve to only enhance the melancholic mood, as opposed to detracting from it. 


While it may be a bit soon to call Svartthron leaders of their chosen musical style, Bearer Of The Crimson Flame showcases a young band with a lot of promise, and the best could very well be yet to come. This is a very strong album that should be checked out by anyone who likes Ambient Black Metal, and also a fine starting point for anyone looking to investigate this style of music.  

Street Fighter IV Review

Street Fighter IV has been out for over a month as of the time of this review. Instead of trying to write about the game before investing serious time with it, I decided to hold of and let the dust settle so I could look past the hype and nostalgia and evaluate this for what it is. The series has always been one of those things that a lot of people have fond memories of playing arcades or against friends on the SNES/Genesis, but it’s always had that hardcore crowd that’s been there since then playing every version, mastering every change, etc. For those people, Street Fighter IV might be exactly what you’re looking for, especially if you preferred Street Fighter II to the III or the alphas. For other people that are looking for a good one to start on however, you might do better just picking up HD Remix or any of the other re-releases.

Gameplay – 8/10

Before the game came out, the developers and various people in the press that had spent a lot of time with the series were talking about how they were going to try to capture the more simple style of Street Fighter II over the complexities of SFIII with a few new tweaks to make things a bit more balanced. In addition to tweaking fight mechanics, all of the characters people remember from the Street Fighter II series have made a return along with 4 all new characters. There’s also 9 unlockable characters for people that invest the time in finishing the game under certain qualifications, mostly from the alpha series with the exception of two brand new characters. Fortunately, instead of just being reskins of the old characters, each one feels like they’ve been in the series the whole time and have the same easy to learn, but hard to master special moves. In the special moves department, for all of the classic characters, every move you remember is back in the game with the exact same command as before. Instead of just stopping with special moves though, Capcom has included an EX version of all of them (similar to 3rd strike) where you can hit two punches or two kicks as you execute the actual maneuver to perform a more powerful version of that attack. This adds an extra layer of depth to the game since there are various situations where you can actually cancel out a regular attack by doing one of these, allowing you to develop some pretty interesting combos. To combat all of the new offensive tweaks, there are focus attacks, which have the ability to absorb one hit (with a few exceptions that are learned from playing) and crushing the opponents guard. If you think your opponent is going to counter this, however, you can quickly cancel out of it by performing a dash in another direction, adding more depth to the game. As is becoming customary with fighting games, there’s a training mode that’s got a lot of combos to help you come to grasps with the mechanics but do little to explain them other than showing you what buttons you have to press. There’s no demonstration of the moves, meaning you’re going to be spending a lot of time just doing trial and error to figure out exactly when to cancel out something or the timing of that last hit. For hardcore players, this probably isn’t a problem but instead of helping, it alienates newcomers who are just coming to grips with how to perform special moves. Beyond that, there’s the standard survival and time attack modes, an arcade mode that has a storyline with anime cutscenes for every character, various unlockable costumes, and a basic online component. The only other downside I can think of is with the online play; a lot of the features that were huge in HD Remix are absent, most notably the quarter match mode. Supposedly, these are coming as DLC in the future, but it’s definitely a downer that this isn’t included on what would otherwise be a stellar offering. One other gripe I have is that a lot of the balance changes made in HD Remix were completely removed for whatever reason in SF4, which makes the tiers about the same as they were back in SF2 for people that aren’t going to be taking the time to learn all of the new stuff are basically just going to be playing Street Fighter II again, but with prettier graphics.


Graphics – 10/10

Every Street Fighter title seemed to be pushing more and more towards capturing an anime style, but the actual art style, while incredibly vivid for a 2d fighter, never seemed to be as fluid as what’s been present in the King of Fighters and Guilty Gear series offerings. Instead of retreading old ground or trying to make something similar to last years hit Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, the game sports a completely new look that I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s really hard to describe with words since it blends so many styles developed over the year’s together, so I’ll just go with one word: beautiful. Everything seems to be moving at a steady framerate the entire time, allowing for frame counters to be in complete heaven since they don’t have to account for any hiccups, while the average player will simply appreciate how cartoon-like the game feels. There’s nothing quite like pulling of an ultra combo and watching the enemies eyes get large as they prepare for the oncoming beatdown! While none of the stages from the classic games have returned, many of the new ones have a feel similar to the classics, such as Guile, Chun Li, and even Zangief’s stage with various effects going on in the background that are directly affected by the player’s actions. All of the old characters are pretty much the exact same as they were back in the old days, from Zangief and his bizarre body hair to Ryu’s signature headband. The best part of all the characters though is that even the new characters received just as much attention, making them welcome additions to the franchise. Some characters, such as El Fuerte capture the more down to earth craziness of the Street Fighter franchise, but combine it with a luchadore to make 100% awesome, while you have other characters that are just flat out insane (Rufus). As previously mentioned, all of the new characters feel like they could have been done in 2D before in some unreleased Street Fighter game and just brought back into the limelight with this title. As far as the HUD, it’s pretty similar to what you’ve grown accustomed to, but as the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The graphical direction of SF4 is completely out of the blue, but for some reason just feels like a logical progression of things. There are definitely bonus points here for originality, especially since it seems the graphics appeal to newcomers and veterans alike instantly without being intrusive to the gameplay.


Sound - 9/10

Hadouken! I probably don’t need to say much else than that for this paragraph for people that have been playing for a long time! There’s an insanely catchy menu song (I’m not sure if that’s a plus or minus for you), and while the individual songs for the stages aren’t as memorable as stuff from the past, they all fit in pretty well. If you couldn’t tell from the first word in this section, all of the sound effects are still here since if you’re going to shoot fire out of your hand, just out of common courtesy, it’s nice to let the other person know ahead of time by announcing it. One change that’s kind of a negative is the new voice acting for losing fights. None of the voices really fit the game (“My prize moneyyyyy!”…really, Balrog?), but after completing the game one time, you do unlock the ability to change them to Japanese. What you may be unaware of is that if you do actually turn on Japanese voices, it changes the theme song to the exact same song, but in Japanese instead of English. The voice acting in the cutscenes is pretty well done in my opinion, but it’s just weird to hear some of the weird stuff people yell out. In..des..structible. Trust me, after playing this game for a while, you’ll definitely be at least humming those lyrics, there’s absolutely no way around it.


Overall – 8/10

For people that have the time or have been anticipating a new Street Fighter for years, you’re definitely going to be pleased. All of the tweaks to the combat system effectively help to rebalance the game and add some variety. The graphics are amazing to look at, you’ll instantly know how to pull off a flash kick with no problem at all, and the ability to cancel out certain moves into other ones or just dash away gives you some amazing combo options. On the opposite end of the spectrum, people that have never played a Street Fighter before are probably going to be playing this game the exact same way people had been playing SF2 all those years ago, and for those people, you might find a better value in HD Remix, especially since it’s a lot cheaper. All of the new characters here fit in perfectly, with the old ones working just like you remember and the addition of ultra combos is a pretty welcome change without being overpowered. The downer that’s unavoidable to mention is that a lot of the balance changes from HD remix are completely absent, and the online play is pretty basic, with many of the modes people grew to love absent and no official date on when they’ll return. If you’re looking for a solid fighter and you’re willing to invest the time to learn what makes this game so great, you’re going to be getting a great deal for your dollar, but for everyone else, you might want to just save some cash and pick up HD Remix instead.

Suikoden Tierkreis, Review by LoC

Title: Suikoden Tierkreis


Genre: Turn-based RPG

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Konami

Release Date: 2-17-2009

Review by LoC

When I first heard that Suikoden would be coming to the Nintendo DS, I was overjoyed, but when I found out that this game would be a spin-off with few if any ties to the main series, my expectations lowered considerably. That said I still considered the game to be a high enough priority, that I actually pre-ordered it, and how are the results? The answer is quite excellent, and possibly the best RPG to date for the Nintendo DS. When most other RPG's on the DS are either ports or remakes of older games, or simply games that settled for mediocrity, Suikoden DS has much higher goals, and it actually plays like a good RPG should, with an expansive world, a storyline that actually seems to serve more of a purpose than just background filler, and a sizable quest which may be the longest game for the whole system. Series fans will be pleased with the return of the 108 stars recruiting system, the upgradable castle, and team attacks, but other returning elements are few and far between. Prehaps the largest change is that the game takes place in a different world than the numerical Suikoden series, and the strategic battles and duels are also absent, as is the runes system. The magic is called marks of the stars, and seems to function more like traditional magic systems, with MP dictating how many times different skills/spells can be used. The battle system on the other hand is pretty much unchanged from the other games, with group attacks and different weapon ranges still featured, although you can only have 4 people in your party, with a 5th person who helps in a support role. Another big addition is the new jobs system, where you can take on various optional quests for a prize of money, items, or sometimes even recruitable characters. Despite all these changes and an entirely new cast and setting, the game still feels a lot more like a traditional Suikoden game than I expected. Also Suikoden DS is something of a technical marvel, with many anime cut-scenes and a lot of voice acting, which are things you don't really see too much of on the DS. All in all, this is an excellent game, and my early pick for DS game of the year, and I highly advise everyone pick this up. While I sincerely hope that the numbered Suikoden series continues as well, I wouldn't mind a sequel to this game at all either.  

Phoenix Wright: Trials&Tribulations, Review by LoC

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Phoenix Wright: Trials&Tribulations 

Review by LoC

Genre: Adventure

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Capcom

Release Date: 2007

The Phoenix Wright series has been something of an unexpected success in the United States, not the least of which because it's a part of a genre of games which hasn't been very popular in recent years, that being a point and click Adventure game. One of the reasons that Phoenix Wright works where many other games have failed is because of the fairly unique setting, memorable characters, and well executed storyline. All of these elements are of course featured in this final outing of the Phoenix Wright trilogy: Trials&Tribulations, which is quite possibly the best game in the series. People who played Justice For All and were let down by the lack of improvements or new gameplay mechanics will still be let down with Trials, as absolutely nothing has been changed with the core gameplay. That isn't to say that there aren't any clever twists, as Trials has some cases where you will play as a lawyer other than Phoenix Wright, which is a very welcome addition. The story is probably the best yet, and helps close out the trilogy on a very high note, but I still can't help but wish that there could have been more games starring Phoenix Wright. All in all, this game is an absolute must for series fans, and I even found it to be emotionally moving at times. The Ace Attorney has since been continued with a new character named Apollo Justice at the helm, although it seems to be missing some of the magic found in the Phoenix trilogy, but that is a story for another Review. 

Children Of Bodom - BloodDrunk, Review by Rugter

Artist: Children Of Bodom

Album: BloodDrunk

Year Of Release: 2008

Genre: Heavy Metal with Mallcore influences

"It had the potential. But it fell flat on it's face."

Children of Bodom has arguably been one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade: With 11 years of being active with the name "Children of Bodom", and even more years if you count their early days as "Inearthed", they've been a force to be reckoned with, with their first 3 albums being considered classics. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I prefer the sound of their recent stuff (Are You Dead Yet?, Hatecrew Deathroll), to the one of their old stuff. I must even admit that Are You Dead Yet? is what I consider their best album. Being heavier and more complex than their old stuff while keeping a lot of melody was definitely something I quite enjoyed. Songs like the title track and Thrashed, Lost & Strungout kept calling me for playing them again. But let's get back on track, a review of Are You Dead Yet?, this is not.

Now, this album keeps the same formula as AYDY?... So why is it I don't rate it as highly? Well, to start with, I must admit that the quality of this album keeps jumping from song to song. The album opens in a good note with the fast, thrashy Hellhounds on My Trail. This song feels just like the kind of progression they needed, cool keyboard that makes atmosphere here and there. But if there's something interesting about this song, it is the solo. The solo of this song jumps back to the 80's thrash era, it is dissonant, fast, completely insane, yet it fits right in the madness. Even the keyboard solo is completely crazy. But it fits. And then, the title track. Blooddrunk is quite a good song, the keyboard intro is amazing, the solos are more like classic Bodom, and there's more melody here. Alexi's vocals are stronger than they were on AYDY?, and in both of this songs they fit perfectly. Sadly, this 2 songs might be the only ones of the album I can say that, and maybe Tie My Rope. Both songs are great, but I can't say that with the rest of the album so easily.

You see, one of the biggest problems here comes from Alexi's vocals. In the songs that were previously mentioned, his vocals felt right were they belonged. But in the other songs, he sounds overbearing. Since Hatecrew Deathroll, Alexi started changing his vocals from a harsh black metal like screech to a mid-range scream which you could actually understand and also was more powerful than his screech of early albums, and far better than his attempt at a low growl in Something Wild, which was, admittedly, quite laughable. But in this album, he tries to get his vocals to take over: In songs like Lobodomy and Roadkill Morning, his vocals are overbearing and annoying, you just get to wish he shuts up. Alexi has never been one of the most appreciated vocalists out there, but this album definitely won't help those who hate his vocals at all. 

Musically, this album lacks an edge: While there are some seriously awesome songs like Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven, there are some terrible ones like Lobodomy and Smile Pretty for the Devil, and the others are just... there, they are neither good nor bad: They're just forgettable. This album suffers from feeling like a collection of B-Sides instead of an actual album, and that quite damages the quality, making it quite jumpy. The riffs in this album are mostly great, going from highly melodic to thrashy, and that is one of the high points of the album. Same cannot be said about the lead guitar work, though: As good as Alexi is, the solos feel recycled and repetitive, with certain exceptions: Hellhounds on my Trail has that insane Slayer-like solo and Blooddrunk is quite good. But the rest of his solos are lacking the feeling of the ones in earlier stuff. Drumming isn't anything really special, but it's good. Jaska could do more creative stuff, but he does a good work. The bass has some cool parts like in Smile Pretty for the Devil, where it sounds cool in the intro, that is admittedly the best part of that weak song, but overall it is M.I.A. during all the album. The keyboards aren't as prominent as they used to be, usually now they just follow the notes, but they shine at times.

Lyrically, this album is simply disastrous. I can't keep it any longer, this album might as well be considered their lowest point lyrically. AYDY? got some of their best lyrics to date, this is totally the opposite. Take, for example, the great Hellhounds on My Trail:

Watching the c***
But before I'm into worries
I do better think fast
Step beyond the legs
Risk selfdestruction
One more sucker
Wait again
To the wrong turn
To the right direction
Too many ****ing gonna turn
Going too fast
When you call me outrageous
As a questioner 

Now, asides from making NO SENSE AT ALL, they are plain terrible. Luckily, that is one of the songs where musically you won't care about the lyrics. But there are cases, like Lobodomy, where you'll hope "Well, at least this song might have good lyrics". Well, let's look at the source:

You mother****ers wanna give me, a lobodomy?
**** no, then you know who I am?
Well we're about to ****ing see
You started messin with death
No one said?
I'm a Maniac
Fuck yeah, you have no power to ask why!
Then I will give you a turn

Well, you get your answer, and it is a no. And don't expect the rest of the album to be any better lyrically, it's just plain terrible in that sense.

In short, this album had potential, but it ended up falling flat in it's face. Alexi tries to hard to take over with his vocals, the songwriting keeps jumping in quality, the lead guitar works usually feels like more of the same, the keyboards which used to give an extra edge to earlier albums aren't there for a good part, and the lyrics are horrid. Their worst album to date, though it has songs like Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven that save it from being downright terrible. I don't know how their next album will turn out, but I do hope it ends up being better than this one.

Rugter's favorite tracks:

As mentioned before, Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven. Because those are actually awesome.

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(Editor's Note: LoC would just like to point out that this Review is the opinion of the author, Rugter, and his alone.  Personally I can't stand anything CoB released after Follow The Reaper, although I do enjoy the first 3 albums. - LoC )

pre-order Flight of the Conchords Season 2 DVD

When season 2 started up, Amazon already had pre-orders going, well we now have a release date for the DVD set, which this time, will have extras. The set will be released sometime in August 4th, yes August; It seems like such a distant future, but I'm sure everyone can wait while they perfect the set and its extras. The DVD set is said to cost $29.98, but that's most likely at HBO, while at Amazon you'll be able to grab it for a nice $18.99. Pre-order from Amazon.

Source TV shows on DVD

Panopticon/Wheels Within Wheels - Split CD, Review by LoC

Panopticon/Wheels Within Wheels - Split CD 

Label:Lundr Records

Release Date:  February 2009

Review by LoC

Panopticon and Wheels Within Wheels are two bands that you are likely to have never heard of before, but these two bands are among the best upcoming bands in todays Metal scene, or anywhere else for that matter.While this is the first official release by Wheels Within Wheels as far as I know, Panopticon had one full album that was released last year, but it looks to be already sold out unfortunately. Anyway, let's move on to the review!


The CD arrived in my mail this afternoon, and as I write this review, I am only on my second listen through, but I will do my best to give a coherant description 

This split record has 2 songs contributed by each band, but don't let the tracklisting fool you, as there is plenty to hold your attention through the splits duration.

Panopticon is a band that defies descriptions, although there are many Black Metal elements(more prevalent on the ghosts of haymarket square) , there is also some Folk and even a little bit of Bluegrass style Banjo playing featured in their first song of the split '...Speaking...(collapsed version)', but any description I can give to their style won't be giving it proper justice. Wheels Within Wheels have a somewhat different style, but with enough common ground between the 2 artists to make the CD flow together perfectly.

Wheels Within Wheels style is like a cross between Folk Black Metal, Post-Rock, and Ambient, but you would have to listen on your own, and you tell me what it sounds like. Where Panopticon features some vocals, Wheels Within Wheels features none, outside of some television or talk radio soundbites featured on their second song 'What light Reigns Down On...', but this CD truly contains some of the best music that I have heard in a long time, and I think it should appeal to both Black Metal fans, along with people who like artists such as The Angelic Procress, The Swans, and some Post-Rock such as Godspeed! You Black Emperor. 

No review of this album would be complete without making mention of the beautiful and unique packaging that it comes in, and each copy is numbered from 1 to 100, and even comes with a cool patch, all for a pretty low cost , or at least that's what I paid for my copy. 

Leapin' Leprechans, the Top Ten Green Video Game Characters

As St. Patrick's day approaches and allows everyone to get drunk off of green beer and demand kisses from strangers for being Irish, I decided to give a toast to the top ten green characters, or characters who wear green, in the video game world. Now while I'm pretty sure they have nothing to do with the holiday, I felt like they deserved to be mentioned.

10. Mr. Tingle


Here we have Mr. Tingle, one of many residents in the world of Hyrule. While this guy might be questioned about his sanity and/or his preference of company, no one questions his ability to party. This guy is the life of a party, sober or drunk.

9. Blanka


Now we have Blanka and don’t he look like someone you’d hate to see at a party. But this isn’t the case. No sir, the more Blanka drinks the friendly he becomes. And when I say friendly, I mean he’s smacking girls’ behinds and calling them “Suga Lips.”

8. Gex


Gex, being the stylish lizard that he is, has yet to be seen not at some form of a party. A hit with the ladies, he knows how to make any party into a wild and crazy event. But for every party he shows up at, there are ten more that he declines by replying, “No booze? Then no Gex!”
7. Yoshi


Ah, Yoshi. Our cute little dinosaur buddy. He’s always a great addition to the party. He knows when to hand over his keys and he will do it with a smile and a little something spilled onto your shirt. You know, that new one you just spent fifty dollars on, hoping to impress Miss Peach with. Yeah, Yoshi won’t remember ruining your chances or how your hundred gallon fish tank wound up in one of his eggs.

6. Link


Link, he come to partay! He come to save the last bottle of rum! No seriously, when he is of age to drink (and this has been often, I noticed), he can throw down with the best of them. Even after his tenth round, the guy can hit an apple of the top of a Redead and not blink an eye.

5. Bowser


Bowser isn't a lightweight in the drinking department. Ever since Princess Peach chose the small red jumpsuit-clad plumber, Bowser has been drowning his sorrows into a huge bottle of vodka. On any night you can catch him at the local bar, belting out one of many Hank Williams songs.

4. Luigi



Ah, the oft-neglected brother of Mario. Luigi rarely drinks, not because he don't like to but because he is always designated as the driver at any parties he's invited to. In fact, that's the only reason he's invited. That and he can buy the alcohol for underage drinkers (something he does so they might like him more than Mario.)

3. TMNT


These crime fighters might like you to think they don't drink but they tend to put some actresses out there to shame with how hard they can party. Most nights end with two or three fighting over who April the reporter likes more.
2. Yoda


Ah, Yoda. This Jedi Master is skilled in the art of drinking. He knows the best way to outdrink anyone willing to challenge him. Though, it is up for debate if he uses his Jedi mind skills for making the contest easier on him.

1. Master Chief


All hail the Chief! King of the Keg! And one of the few people that can outdrink Yoda (not sure why that is). He is one of those guys you don't want to upset when he's sitting back, drinking a cold one. He can become a very mean drunk. But as long as you stay on his good side, he's loads of fun.

Forumwarz, Article by LoC

ForumWarz 

Platform: Computer/Browser

Genre: RPG

Developer: Crotch Zombie

Article by LoC

Way back in early November of 2008, Wiki(a friend of mine) told me about how he discovered a game called ForumWarz, and how fun it was. Although I had known of the game since early in the year, I had never bothered to try it out, until Wiki encouraged me to. Almost immediately I became hooked, and I especially loved the concept of a browser based RPG that was a parody of various forums, and internet culture in general. Even more than a game though, ForumWarz is also a community in and of itself, and it is this community that has kept me playing this long, probably more than anything.The game itself is simple enough to play, and most of the gameplay revolves around visiting various fictional forums and Pwning them, often for a reward of Flezz(ForumWarz version of money), and for the opportunity of picking up rare items that will boost your characters statistics. What makes ForumWarz work so well is just how community centered the game is, and how easy they have made it for players to contribute their own content, such as new forums, or the enemies encountered at said forum. Besides this, there are other numerous ways to keep yourself busy on ForumWarz. One of the most entertaining is a ladder system called Domination, where whoever has the most scoops on your current team will be awarded a medal, or possibly even 2 or 3 of them, depending on which conditions are met. Another fun minigame, although not as rewarding, is called Incit, and it involves writing a caption for a randomly chosen picture, with the winners decided by voting. Part of what makes ForumWarz so consistantly entertaining is the fact that new content and features are always being worked on, and few games are as rewarding, or get the community involved quite like ForumWarz does. Although the first episode of the game is free, and still lets you use most features of the game, you do need to pay $10 dollars to gain access to the second episode, or $5 if you want to make a second character on your account.  

The game can be found at http://www.forumwarz.com

but be warned, the game is not for those whom are easily offended, as it is a parody of internet culture, and also quite far from being politically correct, so play at your own risk.

Should you decide to play however, be sure to check out and join our guild: Fallen Knights Honor Guard