Review: NeverDead

Don’t you hate it when you’re walking down a hallway, minding your own business, and then you brush up against someone else and your limbs go flying off in every possible direction? Such is the pain of Bryce Boltzmann, the protagonist of the new videogame NeverDead, cursed with immortality and charged with defending the world from an onslaught of demons. You’d think controlling a hero incapable of dying and who can re-grow limbs would make for a halfway decent game, but you’d be sorely, sorely wrong.

 

 

Review: The Simpsons Arcade Game

Konami has kept the retro-train chugging first with the release of the classic brawler X-Men Arcade, and now more recently with The Simpsons Arcade Game. Initially released in 1991, The Simpsons Arcade Game allows up to four players to take control of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa in a quest to recover Maggie from the clutches of (who else) Mr. Burns. This is the first port of the arcade version to be released on home consoles. After more than 20 years in arcade obscurity, The Simpsons Arcade Game is finally here to let gamers relive one of the best games of the past.

 

 

Worth Playing vol. 3: Puzzle Game Madness

I did it for one of my favorite genres (the fighter) and I’ve got to do it for another genre close to my heart, the puzzle game. Whether you’re connecting colored gems, filling in gaps, solving brain teaser, or shooting shiny balls at other shiny balls, the puzzle game is a staple to the video game community that isn’t going anywhere. And with so many excellent games to sink your teeth into it can be hard to determine which games offer the best challenge, the most addictive gameplay, and the most satisfaction upon completion. Vol 3 of Worth Playing is here, so let’s get this underway.

 

Sunday Roundup: 2/5/2012

Not a killer week in new games, but a week nonetheless.

I picked up one new game and one game as a download, but both games are going to be review titles for Machinima. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

 

 

 

Now Playing: NeverDead

The concept for NeverDead, a new action beat ’em up much like the beloved Devil May Cry games, probably went something like this at the Konami studios.

“Let’s make a hero demon-fighter who is cursed with immortality and can never be killed. Now that we’ve established the hero, let’s give him a useless sidekick with big boobs who he has to protect otherwise the game will be over, completely rendering his immortality utterly useless. Oh, and let’s throw in some dull combat, repetitive enemies and levels, and squander any and all hope the game has for being good.”

Okay, maybe I’m being too harsh (and, indeed, I am), but NeverDead could have been SO MUCH MORE than what it is. Read on…

 

Gameplay Vault: The Simpsons Arcade Game

After nearly two decades of being left in arcade obscurity, The Simpsons Arcade Game has finally been released for home consoles. I have fond memories playing this machine when I was much younger, and that was even if I could find it. To the best of my knowledge, this was a rather rare cabinet to find sitting in an arcade. But if you did find one, you bet your ass someone was playing as Marge, Bart, Lisa, or Homer and enjoying themselves. I’ve uploaded some videos of my playthrough of the game, and have put them here for your viewing pleasure. Sit back and enjoy, and don’t have a cow, man!

 

 

Video Review: Tetris the Card Game

I recently got my hands on Tetris; The Card Game and was able to get a few good games in over the past two weeks. Though it’s not entirely like it’s video game counter-part, the card game is a fun spin-off of the main franchise. I’ve put together a short video going over the basics and what makes the game fun and cool. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Review: All Zombies Must Die!

There’s something about blowing a hole in the back of a zombie’s cranium with a 12-gauge that keeps me coming back again and again. The living dead have been the antagonist of many a videogame, and the new downloadable title All Zombies Must Die! is here to show us how much fun mankind’s doom can be: four-player co-op, a deep weapon crafting system, and a story that doesn’t take itself seriously. The zombie killing quickly turns rotten however, with repetitive gameplay, heavy backtracking, and missed opportunities.

 

 

Gameplay Vault: All Zombies Must Die!

Zombies have been all the rage lately, haven’t they? I don’t think I even need to go into detail about all the movies, games, and books they’ve been a part of. Because of this overflow of undead, it might be easy to pass by All Zombies Must Die! for the Xbox 360 (or perhaps you might mistakenly think it’s the similarly named Orcs Must Die!). Either way, I’ve been able to put some time into this action-RPG/dual-stick shooting hybrid, and I’ve been pleased with it thus far. I have some videos for you all to enjoy so you can get a feel for the zombies yourself.

 

 

Review: Sonic CD

After Sonic Generations came out and took us back through the entirety of the blue hedgehog’s past, Sega has released the one-time Sega CD exclusive Sonic CD on the Xbox 360. Being released on the ill-fated Sega CD meant that many gamers never got their hands on one of the last great 2D Sonic titles. Now that Sega has made the game available for download nearly 20 years after its initial release, all can experience one of Sonic’s best outings.