Lots of good deals this week, lots of systems, and lots of games for this edition of the Sunday Roundup. Visiting new cities is always an opportunity for myself to venture into uncharted video game stores and sift through their wares, trying diligently to find that gem among all others, the diamond in the rough.
Tower defense games are nothing new, with new iterations on the classic formula seemingly coming out every year (see Dungeon Defenders and Orcs Must Die! & it’s newly announced sequel). How often has a game in the genre done something as radical as Anomaly: Warzone Earth? The folks at 11 bit studios said screw placing towers, we’re going to let you play as the creep and destroy the towers! Anomaly: Warzone Earth can be described as reverse tower defense (or even tower attack), but no matter what moniker it’s given the game is downright fun.
There’s something about Professor Layton and his apprentice number one Luke that has captivated me through three complete DS games. Needless to say I can’t get enough of the British accents, puzzle solving madness, and mysterious antics the duo get themselves into. Enter Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, an anime film based on the DS series of video games. After arriving in my mailbox via Netflix I was giddy like a child on Christmas morning waiting to get some free time to watch it. And though the movie is based on a puzzle solving video game, Eternal Diva does a fantastic job capturing the look, feel, and charm the DS games have become known for. (more…)
A light week in terms of new games, but a great week when looking at what the games are! Both are PS1 titles. One is a lot more recognizable than the other, but the other is a big winner in my book.
I’ve got an experiment for you. Try and find me any gamer that doesn’t have at least one strong memory about the soundtrack of a game. You can’t do it. As endearing as the story in many a Final Fantasy, or the excellent gameplay of titles like Uncharted 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3, music in games has left an undeniable impact on gamers. Whether it’s the blips and bleeps of the Atari 2600, the MIDI music from the SNES, or the fully orchestrated masterpieces heard in the current generation of consoles, music has played an ever important role in shaping a video game. I want to take this time to share some of my personal favorites from my gaming past. I highly encourage you to sit back, pump up the volume, and bask in the warmth that a finely tuned gaming song can give you.
I’ve always considered myself a fan of Mega Man. Ever since I was a kid I remember playing the Blue Bomber’s games on the NES and thinking they were the epitome of what a great game should be. While my tastes in games has undoubtedly changed since then my love for Mega Man has never waned. So you can imagine my exuberance upon seeing the Mega Man manga sitting on the shelf of Barnes & Noble (along with it’s two subsequent volumes). Though I himmed and hawed, I ended up caving in on my love of all things Mega Man and bought the entire series. Not being the biggest fan of manga (surprising, considering I have a Japanese degree) I was a bit hesitant to the content of this one, but I was extremely happy with Hitoshi Ariga’s art, story, and overall awesomeness conveyed in the pages of the series’ first volume. Let me explain further, so you’ll want to go out and get your own copy!
Can you tell me everything you did yesterday? And I do mean everything: did you eat two slices of pizza for dinner or three? Did you wear a blue shirt or a white shirt? Did you jump off a silo and crash through the window of a building?
Yesterday is a point-and-click adventure game that’s full of mystery, murder, and one man’s resolve to find out who he really is. It’s not too often you see this style of game nowadays, but Yesterday does give players a unique experience, even if it’s one that’s far too short.
You never know what you’re gonna find when you go into a dollar store. Sometimes you’ll find super cheap toys, other times you’ll find semi-stale candy that you hadn’t seen in years. Or sometimes you’ll find amazing NEW games for just $5!
It’s a rare time for me: there isn’t anything coming out in the foreseeable future that I actually want to play. So what does that mean? Downloading games I wanted to get long ago (and if I’m lucky, sifting through the backlog)! Pushmo is a 3DS exclusive puzzle game that has you pushing and pulling blocks as you hop your way to the goal. I’ve been able to spend some time with the game already, and I must say, as far as puzzle games go, this one has a lot going for it.
One of the best things about collecting video games is that you’re never short of an interesting title to play when you’re bored. Enter The Unholy War, a 3D fighting game for the PS1 from Toys For Bob, the same development team that made the out-of-left-field success that is Skylanders. The Unholy War has some interesting things going for it that make the game not like any other brawler, and you know what… it’s pretty damn fun.