Yearly Roundup: 2011

As 2011 comes to an end, I thought it would be a cool idea to look back at the year in games. Specifically, the year in games added to my ever-growing library. If you’re a frequent visitor to the site (I greatly hope you are!) you’ll no doubt know I do a weekly blog post about my newest games. So below I’ve collected every game I added this year (well, really only half-year, because I started this blog in late July). I’ve also linked any relevant posts I’ve done about said games, like reviews, Modern Classics, and gameplay videos. Enjoy the small retrospective, and here’s to another fantastic year in gaming in 2012!

 

Sunday Roundup: 12/25/11

Merry Christmas everyone!

Not really a tradition and more so my tastes don’t really change, every Christmas I usually receive a few video games from my family. This year was no exception, and I am eternally grateful and pleased that my loved ones get me any gifts, let alone games that I really want to play! Here’s what 2011 did for Jsick this Christmas.

 

What Makes A Game “Rare”?

To follow up on my last post about video game collecting, I wanted to go through some of the games in my collection and discuss why they are considered to be “rare.” A game can fluctuate in price fairly easily and the cause of this change can originate from many different places, not the least of which being scarcity of the item. So as a collector, what do you need to look for in a game, and more importantly, what games should you look for to add that special gem to your collection.

 

Review: Xotic

The concept was sound: combining the drive for a high score seen in arcade games with the intensity of a first-person shooter. The execution and end result probably looked better on paper than it actually turned out. Xotic (pronounced “Exotic”, because E’s are apparently overrated) is an indie Xbox 360 title that attempts to blend the above mentioned genres together, but instead shows us why some things don’t mix as planned.

 

 

 

Gameplay Vault: Xotic

Xotic is a first-person shooter/arcade style hybrid game released for the Xbox 360. The game is indie in design, but has a lot going for it, including relatively high production values and an interesting premise to say the least. Unfortunately the game just doesn’t work as well as it should. I recorded some gameplay for you all to see, and you can hear my commentary about the game as well. Check it out…

 

 

 

Worth Playing vol. 2: The Fighting Edition

If you’ve been playing games at all the last two years or so you’ve probably noticed the fairly large amount of fighting games being released. It’s a second coming for the fighter, which saw most of its best entries come out in the 90s. I decided to take a look back at some of the fighting games I remember playing when I was younger, as well as some of more current titles that can slug it out with the best of them.

Get ready fighters.

Go for it, man!

 

Sunday Roundup: 11/27/11

Black Friday sales are the greatest. You can get great (or not so great) games on the cheap! If you hurry to GameStop this weekend you can still catch some of these games, too!

 

 

 

 

Things Learned From Being A Game Reviewer

I’ve been writing video game reviews for over two years now, and there’s been some things I’ve learned over that span of time. I don’t mean better writing techniques, for which I’ve picked up quite a few, but rather the things you don’t think about until they rear their head. Since not everyone has written reviews before, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my time spent writing, and give some insight on what it takes to be a freelance video game reviewer.

 

 

 

Sunday Roundup: 11/20/11 (The Monday Edition!)

Now that’s more like it.

A great haul this week, spanning from the PS1, PS2, and the Xbox 360.

I love it when I get a great deal on a lot of games.

 

 

 

Review: Fusion: Genesis

Space mercenaries have it made, don’t they? Flying around the uncharted cosmos, getting is dogfights with rivals mercs, taking odd jobs to earn small fortunes, and not giving a shit about anyone but themselves. Well rejoice, Han Solo wannabes, because Fusion: Genesis for the Xbox 360 lets you live out your space adventurer dreams.