Sega is set to send Sonic soaring into the stratosphere after two great games in a row on consoles (the super Sonic Colors and the even superior Sonic Generations). Here’s a quick peek at the Hedgehog’s latest speed-fest, set to hit XBLA and PSN in the New Year – enjoy!
It’s pretty safe to say that if I wasn’t writing so much about video games, I’d probably be writing about film. These days, there are so many great cinema scribes out there that do that a lot better than I do in terms of covering the medium, so I reserve my talents to the interactive as I believe that a great game can have the same impact as a great film, book or other slice of entertainment that touches a few emotions. Growing up in front of the TV or at the movies for a good chunk of time exposed me to quite a lot of great actors, directors, writers and other talents in the film industry and as the years pass, some of these people fade away into history leaving only their work on screen as a legacy. Each year, Turner Classic Movies runs a nice tribute video on stars of stage and screen who have passed away and 2011 was pretty sad for film fans across the globe. I actually didn’t know some of these people had died, but I’m glad to have seen them at their best in some truly memorable films…
OK, I have NO idea what sort of banner to make for January, but I’ve a few ideas, given what’s coming next month (er, year.)Let’s see now… (*flip!*)… a quick coin toss says Silent Hill HD Collection gets a January banner, so it’s off to grab some screens and play around a bit. Despite the “collection” not having Silent Hill 4 on it (it wasn’t THAT bad a game, really!), I’m looking forward to replaying SH2 and 3 for a few reasons. I have both games within arm’s reach in my PS2 library here, so I can compare notes and see how well the HD versions turned out. Well, that’s settled. Now I can get some sleep… maybe. I have the feeling I’ll pop up and post something else, but maybe not, as I need to roll out of bed and do a pile of laundry before the laundromat gets packed to the gills with 12/31 folks doing their last-minute loads for luck or whatever…
While the holiday season is usually packed with happy jolly tidings and the usual mass consumer craziness (that’s turned some shopping malls into pepper spray scented war zones), it’s also a time for reflection and a bit of moodiness about current and future events. Winter also brings in a bit of depression, as we humans are also prone to go gloomy when the lack of sun and warmth hits hard, sending some into a depressed state. Kenji Eno and WARP’s final console game, D2 has been my go-to holiday gift for myself ever since it was released on the Sega Dreamcast in Japan back in 1999. I’m not going to do a full review of the game (there’s an older one I wrote posted here), but I will say that the game manages to capture the feeling of being inside a bad winter dream that you can’t wake up from, yet one that you don’t want to simply because you want to see how it plays out. It’s definitely not for all tastes and in fact, can be baffling even when you piece things together into a more sensible narrative than what’s presented. On the other hand, the game also soars into unsuspecting territory a few times and packs an emotional punch where it counts. Continue reading
My full review of this downloadable PC gem (and one of the best indie games I’ve played this year) will be up in a few days, but here’s a quick video from they guy behind the game that answers a burning question some players are having that happens to be the bane of a few other RPG’s past and present.
Well, well, well… looks like PS3 who snap up Twisted Metal at launch (or in a timely fashion within the launch window) will be in for a super treat. Included inside the first pressing of the game will be a PSN voucher for Twisted Metal Black, still an amazing car combat experience that holds up to this day as one of the best PS2 titles ever made. Remember the date: February 14, 2012, boys and girls. Some will be smooching their sweetie, me, I’ll be kissing my PS3 for having such a stellar year (well, ANOTHER stellar year)…
Here you go, minus about 80 or games I sold off to make room, so some key titles are gone (but most of them are dirt cheap if I ever want to repurchase them at some point). It still amazes me that a lot of what’s here wasn’t made backward compatible with the 360, but that’s why I have a few original Xboxes around here for. Like any marriage, you have to take the good with the bad, so yup, i have a bunch of not so hot games. For me, everything is worth playing once, as playing bad games can help one understand what shouldn’t go into better ones. That and you can often find likable aspects of almost any game if you look hard enough.
Like all of the other libraries here, this was a bit bigger a few years back, but has shrunk a bit over the years. I’ve got a few nice guides that list every game made for the console (outside of demo discs from magazines and trial version discs, which I’d love to see more of at some point). As usual, far too many RPG’s never made it to the US and that’s too bad considering the quality of a lot of the ones here. It’s also too bad horror-themed or other adventure games like Moonlight Syndrome (or heck, the entire Syndrome series), Silver Jiken, Dark Messiah and others. Yes, I do like racing games and almost anything with a mech or mecha in it (which means I still have a lot of stuff to play that I haven’t yet). Super rare stuff like Rakugaki Showtime, Xanac x Xanac, Geppy-X, Double Dragon and a few more have been sold off for a while, but it was great to have experienced all of those while they were here. I think that’s everything I have left, but we’ll see if anything turns up as I get to the rest of the library in 2012…
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developer: Just Add Water
Publisher: Oddworld Inhabitants
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Score: A
It’s been far too long since an Oddworld game has appeared on a console, but it looks as if the drought is finally over in a huge way. One of the best original Xbox games finally returns and yes, makes an even more spectacular PS3 debut. After playing through Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD, I’m thinking a few of this year’s “Best of 2011” lists will need to be rewritten to add this gem. This outstanding remake features reworked HD visuals, lovely 60 frames per second animation, newly recorded voice acting and even better sound design than the original game. It also holds up incredibly well as a stellar single-player game thanks to a great story with an excellent plot twist or two, some fine and witty dialog and a great Oddworld vibe that’s still fresh today as it was back in 2005. Continue reading
Yikes. I hadn’t realized that I’d sold off more than half of what I had until I started going through my PS2 stuff. Most of it was budget-priced Simple 2000 stuff, launch/launch window titles and a few oddities. Still, I thought I had a bit more than what’s here. Hey, as long as I have my Chikyuu Boueigun and Onechanbara games plus some of the other fun stuff here, I’m set. Of course, I’ve played a LOT more imports than I actually own and thankfully, my PS1 collection is a lot larger (although it’s shrunk a bit over time from the insane pile it once was). Then again, I’m still nowhere near the back end of the tower of games yet, so a few more PS2 imports may spring up in the coming weeks. We shall see…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 