Running and slashing. Slashing and running. Tried and true mechanics that date back to the days of Strider. Speaking of which, one of the brains behind the original Strider is behind yet another futuristic ninja title. Moon Diver, as it's called, is heavy on the running and slashing, but mixes it up by throwing in a dash of RPG style character progression and Crackdown-esque orb hunting. It's not ground breaking stuff by any means, but Moon Diver is well aware of it's limits and doesn't try to do too much. Fortunately, the old formula doesn't feel outdated or stale, and I'll even go as far to say it works to an extent.
It's easy to doubt Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Longtime veterans of this series know what to expect when a home console game gets ported to handheld. Such titles are normally fraught with all kinds of problems and limitations; there are fewer characters, the control layouts aren't conducive to the gameplay, there aren't enough buttons to map all of the commands, and the overall presentations are watered down at best. The more you play those half-assed renditions, the lower your expectations become. But if you go into 3D Edition assuming that you'll be in for another disappointment, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This game not only works amazingly well for a handheld fighter, but it gives its predecessors a run for their money.
If there's one thing Nintendo is near untouchable at, it's portable gaming. Since 1989, Nintendo has virtually owned the portable handheld market, beginning with Game Boy. Technically superior competitors, such as the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear, could not overcome it. Nintendo followed up the original Game Boy with the Game Boy Color, later the Game Boy Advance and then finally the DS. Every time, these handheld devices stood in the face of the competition and prevailed. Does the 3DS continue Nintendo's streak of handheld dominance?
I've never played Dragon Age: Origins or it's spiritual predecessor, Baldur's Gate, but for whatever reason, I felt genuinely compelled to play Dragon Age II. In situations like this, I would go back and play the previous titles to get up to speed, but in this case, time wouldn't allow it. To offset my lack of series experience, I've watched a friend play through some of Origins. I've also recruited a rogue with many years of role playing game experience, and a specialization in Dragon Age, as an advisor. We'll call her Snake. Would my party find BioWare's latest suitable for Kirkwall's history books, or would it suffer the fate of a Darkspawn?
The title logo looks like a last minute add in. Foreshadowing?
After some initial hesitance, my romp through Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ended up being a relieving bit of fun. Sure the game had its flaws, but it was an enjoyable addition to the hallowed Castlevania series. When Konami announced two downloadable content packs for Lords of Shadow, I was happy to have reason to brandish the combat cross through some new content. The first of the DLC, Reverie, was released a week earlier than I expected, with no warning other than 'it's here!' That was all I needed to buy it, but was it a justified purchase?
Very few iOS platformers have used virtual controls well, but League of Evil aims to get it right. Ravenous Games has crafted their own take on the simple A-to-B formula with a load of Super Meat Boy influence. League of Evil sacrifices nothing to make itself more touch-screen friendly, yet somehow manages to work amazingly well.
A close cropped camera follows as you navigate and decapitate your way around levels at a blistering pace. Your abilities include a wall-jump, double-jump, and an air dash attack to take out enemies or add a little distance to your jumps through the bevy of crushing levels. The levels are not designed for length, maxing out at about 15 seconds, or no more than 5 seconds if you're impossibly good. This provides a nice mini-game feel, perfect for short periods of killing time or bouts of ADD. Though don't make the mistake of thinking you won't spend an hour blazing through stage after stage, because if you're not careful, you will. A recent update of 48 added levels builds on the soul-crushing fun, ensuring plenty of areas for you to zip around. The addiction of collecting hidden suitcases found in each stage, as well as the ranking system add incentive to play League of Evil over and over.
You will always feel like you have total control over the game's protagonist -- a cyborg that has a striking resemblance to The Terminator -- as you jump over spike pits and spinning hammers. Not once did I find myself hitting the dash button when I wanted to hit jump, or vice-versa. I did notice that my fingers were slipping a bit due to the diminutive size of the iPhone when coupled with a platformer as intense as this. Your mileage may vary though, especially if you have tiny fingers, or an iPad.
The beauty of the 8-bit generation lives on in the slick, colorful, lo-fi visuals. While many a developer attempt to capture the true throwback nature of the NES days, leagues of failures are created along the way. League of Evil undoubtedly hits the mark, seemingly transported onto the iOS platform right from the late 1980s. The music feels like it was transplanted from a Contra or Ikari Warriors title, which is a fantastic compliment.
League of Evil is truly a unique experience on your iOS device (until Team Meat creates an iOS port of Super Meat Boy). Fans of fast, punishing action should not miss out on this one.
Buy it if: You haven't yet, it’s only 99 cents! Don't Buy it if: Platformers easily frustrate you The Score: 8 outta 10 Blasters!
Fallout: New Vegas certainly isn't without fault, but it did serve as a succinct followup to one of my favorite PC adventures of the past few Christmases, Fallout 3. After choosing to go the way of Steam for that adventure and this one in turn, I found myself engrossed in a world I couldn't quite escape from...until I was met with saving issues and other wonky glitches that desperately needed ironing out. But surviving the wasteland quickly consumes you, and I knew without a doubt I'd be looking forward to the first available DLC. I should have been leery for all intents and purposes once said package, Dead Money, was announced, but as the release date neared and I was given the opportunity to evaluate the latest addition to the Fallout saga, I was ready. But only if Dead Money could transcend the disappointment and feelings of being disenfranchised that Mothership Zeta so readily inspired. And I'm happy to say that it does, if only by a tiny bit. It's not the fantastic "The Pitt" DLC, but it's a start.
In a world where resources are shared and releases are almost always multi-platform in order to maximize sales, few have the balls to release console exclusives. Well, for argument's sake, let's exclude the Wii. As for Microsoft and Sony, two notables stick out; Halo for Xbox 360, and Killzone for PlayStation 3. While Halo seems to have the greater mass appeal, the Killzone series has released a solid lot of games for shooter fans. As big-budget console exclusives, these titles have to be something special, lest they risk losing interest, fans, and the almighty dollar. Killzone 3 is in familiar territory; It knows what has to be done to succeed, and developer Guerrilla Games has done it in the past. Does the fourth entry in the series hit its target or detonate a nuke on itself?
Capcom's Versus series is one of the quirkiest and most respected fighting franchises in the industry today. Its last entry, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom may not have captured a broad audience due to its Wii exclusivity, but Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has charmed both OGs and new gamers alike. Alas, the 11 year old game has shown its age. With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, fans of the fight have let out a collective sigh of relief, but does the Fate of Two Worlds take us for a ride?
For more than 20 years, Contra has been a staple of classic gaming worldwide. From its original, painfully difficult roots, the series has grown and evolved into different entities over time, with slight gameplay changes introduced to keep the series fresh. Hard Corps: Uprising, while not a member of the Contra family in title, is a spiritual relative of the esteemed franchise. That said, The look of Hard Corps: Uprising is as drastic a departure from the series as the name change is. Does it get past the heavily armed and fortified one-eyed wall, or does it mistime it's leap and plunge into a pit?
Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 10:44AM 
