Uncharted 3: Naughty Dog's Deception

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, but mostly stuff like this

Uncharted 3 has the unfortunate honor or being the follow up to Uncharted 2, one of the best games of 2009, and still one of the most impressive titles released on PlayStation 3. The series is one of the closest things I've ever played to a movie thanks to the brilliant harmony achieved by all its parts. Writing, acting, action, and cinematography come together to offer a dynamic experience that is as fun to watch as it is to play. Been that way since the start. The third entry in the series is undoubtedly a blast to play and watch, and the production value is as amazing as always. Then why is it that after completing the campaign I couldn't help but feel a bit empty?

Click to read more ...

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon: Dogfight in The Danger Zone

Growing up, I loved fighter jets, the open blue sky, and explosions. Aside from having an active imagination, I have Ace Combat to thank for that. Not sure how or why I acquired the first Ace Combat game back in 1995 - known then as Air Combat - but I did, and it was good. Fast forward to the year 2011, some 5 or 6 home console sequels later. Having not played any of Namco's recent air dominance titles, I wasn't too sure what to expect from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. After having logged hours in the sky, I can easily say Assault Horizon offers a surprisingly complex and unique experience that I will continue to revisit in the next few weeks, even ahead of Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3.

Click to read more ...

Go Vacation: You Are the Review

I'm finally getting the chance to experiment with something I've been wanting to try for a very long time. Last week, I was sent a review copy of Go Vacation for Wii, courtesy of my chums at Namco Bandai Games. The problem is, my Wii has been broken for months, so this fun little title is going to waste in my possession. Rather than cry myself to sleep while spooning the unopened copy of what is surely Namco Bandai's opus, I'm reaching out for your help, dear reader. 

Here's the plan: leave a comment below. If you're a regular reader, you know the drill for OBG giveaways. I'd like your comment to be on topic, so if you should feel inclined, let me know what your dream destination to Go Vacation would be. Or, just say something along the lines of "ii want a frii Wii game." I don't discriminate. HOWEVER! The winner MUST supply a review of the game, to be featured on OBG. This review can be anything you'd like; a write up, a song, a youtube video, a series of comic panels, whatever. All I ask is that you carry this out if you win. Honor system bros, we're bringing it back!

In a perfect world, the winner will be a family of gaming parents with an excitable, hyper-cute little offspring, but I'm sure the odds of that are slim to none. So, no matter who you are, where you live, or how bad you smell, this contest is open to you, provided you are willing to do the review! Depending on how well this goes, it may become a regular operation here, so maybe this time next year I'll want to get 10 user reviews of Call of Duty: Modern Ops 4. You never know, right?

Terms
Winner to be chosen on 10/30/11. Winner's review must be solely their own, plagiarism will not be accepted. Written reviews must be under 1,000 words, and can be accompanied by images of winner's choice (keep it clean, people!) Audio/video reviews must be under 5 minutes. Audio reviews can be accompanied by images of the winner's choice. Additional forms of review will be accepted after approval. Try breaking the game down into 10 haiku, for instance. Review must be completed no more than 2 weeks after receiving the game. Winner is free to submit any personal information they would like published along with their review (website, Facebook, Raptr profile, etc.) Exceptional work will be considered for future collaboration, pending mutual interest. No purchase necessary. Offer expires while you wait, operators are standing by. Good luck!

Dark Souls: What is Best in Death?

Dark Souls, what is best in death?

Crush the players, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women.

That is good. As the successor to 2009’s sleeper hit Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls keeps much of what worked the first time around, while adding one crucial element: greater difficulty. The sadists which comprise developer From Software have no reservations in telling players they will be defeated mightily, and often. When the slogan of your game is “prepare to die” I think you’re dropping hints as to what players should expect. So much death.

Click to read more ...

Rage: Beautiful Decay

Rage is fucking gorgeous. I haven't seen many games look this good on console (I played on 360). Though the first half of the game takes place in a literal wasteland, the world is deliciously depicted through the id Tech 5 engine. Towns - even the drab desert city of Wellspring - are teeming with personality, in everything from their denizens to the bills posted on the job board. Once you move on to the city of Subway Town later in the game, prepare for an amicable assault in the most visual sense. Fucking gorgeous. The main drawback here is the frustration inducing texture pop-in that afflicts most every area of the game. Look, I don't know much about the development process, hardware limitations, or 3D modeling. But a game as pretty as Rage shouldn't be affected by such a dumb design drawback as pop-in. It's annoying to be completely entranced by this artificial world only to be taken back to reality when you notice the textures around you take a split second or slightly longer to load in. Sure, it may not sound like much, but it's noticeable, and it sucks. Though pop-in aside, Rage is best looking game I've played all year.

Click to read more ...

Renegade Ops: Micro Machine Guns

Avalanche Studios have a certain inclination for over-the-top action and destruction. The very first time I played Just Cause, though unrefined, I knew the Swedish developers were very capable. Their idea of ludicrous action, massive explosions, and stunt driving came to fruition in the Godlike comedic action of Just Cause 2. So here is Renegade Ops, a vehicular combat title that tries to capture the beautiful destruction of the Just Cause games while scaling down to the size of Micro Machines. John Moschitta Jr. not included.

Click to read more ...

No Kidding, Stranger! Bastion is Almost Flawless

I was raised in an age where games didn't need hyper-realistic graphics, bathtubs full of blood, or the London Philharmonic Orchestra to make an impact. Gameplay trumps all. Bastion is a neat little digitally distributed title that is rooted deep in this old-school-of-thought, providing classic 32-bit action, with a helping of beautiful hand drawn art and a quite literal take on the narrative.

Click to read more ...

Deus Ex: Human Revolution: The Talented Mr. Jensen

Deus Ex is a polarizing piece of video game history. Billed by many as one of the greatest games of our generation and the foundation for many of today's successful intellectual properties, still an even amount of gamers have never played it. As one of the latter, the buzz created by Deus Ex: Human Revolution was sufficient enough to inspire a dose of the original, which I do not regret at all, despite the visuals being a decade below par. I considered it a primer, a late introduction to an incredibly realized cyberpunk universe that many have tried to replicate but few have done successfully. In the wake of Warren's spectre, with the team behind the original having moved on to their own personal projects, Eidos Montreal has undertaken the task of creating a prequel to Deus Ex. Setting the table for one of the greatest games of our time is a rather large trenchcoat to fill, however DXHR is up to the task.

Click to read more ...

El Shaddai: Get High with the Metatron

If you ever told me I would play a game based on a bible story and thoroughly enjoy it, I would laugh at you, then proceed to slap you across your face and run away screaming incoherently. El Shaddai: Ascencion of the Metatron has just proven me wrong. The sea isn't boiling, the sky hasn't turned red, nor have any other signs of the apocalypse surfaced. El Shaddai has taken a bible story and flipped it into a truly awe inspiring game.

Click to read more ...

REVIEW: Fruit Ninja Kinect

Before you even begin to read this review, I want to tell you right up front that it is a severely half-assed piece of work. Transparency is where it's at, homey. The reason is simple: there was never supposed to be a Fruit Ninja Kinect review. A downloadable throwaway of 800 Microsoft Points, meant to do nothing but kill a few hours, turned into something far more engrossing than I expected.

Click to read more ...