Halo 3 time is finally upon us. I had the opportunity to check out the game in depth last night and am pleased to say that the hype is real. Some people may not agree with this statement by tomorrow, but they will be in the minority.

Presentation & Game Options (10/10)

Halo 3 shines like no other when it comes to presentation. The replay editor is perhaps the greatest thing they have added to the entire game. The ability to edit the angle of replay to create videos is mind blowing. There’s no more telling tall tales about some of your Halo accomplishments either. You either show people the tape, or it did not happen. This feature by itself will keep the game fresh for years to come and provide tons of enjoyment for anyone who likes creating videos of their highlights.

4-player online co-op is another great addition to the franchise expanding on Halo’s legendary ability to really bring friends together. There’s no excuse to play the game on your own anymore.

The map editor for the game is very interesting. I did not spend a lot of time tinkering around with the particular feature, but I can see where this new addition to the franchise will also keep the game appealing for years to come. I have read some stories where people are playing matches while one person from each team plays the role of weapon and item dropper. Think of the Matrix meets Halo here. The fun will simply not end for a very long time.
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Halo 3 is upon us. In less than a week, scores of gamers will sit down to bask in the biggest game release of all time. Microsoft has spent months trying to saturate us with marketing and hype for this game, and it’s already reached an annoying fever pitch. So in the midst of all this, it’s nice to take a look at just what the Halo series means to people, why it is so popular, and how it got that way. For this, one need simply turn to the pages of the book, Halo Effect, edited by Glenn Yeffeth.

Halo Effect is essentially a collection of essays written by diverse array of authors from varying backgrounds. Game critics, science fiction authors, scientists, and even gamers were tasked with putting their thoughts on the Halo series into words. The result was this collection of writings, which has its good moments and not so good moments, which differ depending on your affinity to Halo. In this regard though, there really is something for everyone here. This book seems to cover almost every view you could even think to have on a video game. Read the full article »

Now that both classic Genesis titles are on the Xbox Live marketplace, we decided to review both of them. Of course, any Sega Genesis fan should download both of them for nostalgia purposes. At $5 a piece, they aren’t a bad deal considering the other options on XBLA.

Sonic The Hedgehog

This is the title that put Sega completely on the map and even threw Mario off the top of the mountain for a little while. Sonic is still alive and kicking, but showing signs that he could potentially fade into obscurity the next couple of years.

The original Sonic game was revolutionary at the time and still a blast to play. It’s a fairly easy game to beat. With a little bit of practice, most gamers should be able to beat the game in about 40 minutes. The game you get on the arcade is identical to the original, minus the cheat code that allowed you to skip to any level and a few minor issues. However, the ability to save your game at any point is a true bonus.

It had been so long since I played the original title on the Genesis, I had nearly forgotten the speed of the original. For whatever reason, the XBLA version of the title seems a little slower. I dusted off the old Genesis and did a little side by side comparison. My assumptions were correct. Sonic runs much faster on the Genesis than he does on the Xbox 360. It makes absolutely no common sense that this is the case, but that’s what it is. They obviously did not get the frame rate down properly, and that could definitely take away from the title. It took me a while to get used to the arcade version, because the timing I had memorized many moons ago for Sonic were now off.

Despite the problems, it’s still a worthy game to purchase considering the other options available.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

For many years, I have always been torn between which one I liked the best. Sonic The Hedgehog seems a little more challenging in certain spots, but both games are fairly easy to beat. The original Sonic had a better ring stage in my opinion. The Sonic 2 stage seemed cool at the time of it’s release, but has really lost any uniqueness over the years. Sonic 2 obviously has more extensive enemies and more things to do. The multiplayer option with Sonic 2 is not really an issue with me, considering I thought the ability to play 2 players at the same time was a little sloppy in the game. It’s more distracting than helpful to have a partner in Sonic 2.

They did a better job getting the frame rates down in this version than they did with the original. Sonic moves as fast as I remember and the addition of the spin dash helps considerably. The Sonic series over the years has been known for always adding new things, but perhaps they have gone too far from the simplicity that we all loved back in the Genesis era.

If I had to choose between downloading Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 on the Xbox Live Arcade, I would probably go with Sonic 2 simply due to the frame rate issues. Sonic 2 plays exactly like the original we all loved. If you are a Sonic 1 fan and absolutely have to get it for your Xbox pleasure, it’s still not a bad deal. Both games are enjoyable and bring back some great memories from an exciting era in gaming.

Overall Rating 8.7/10

Sometimes creativity seems to skip over PSP titles, but this is not the case with Dead Head Fred. Vicious Cycle and D3 Publisher of America’s action game is perhaps one of the most enjoyable and unique titles to come to the PSP. An 8.7 may not seem like a high rating, but there honestly aren’t many PSP titles that go above it.

The Background

You play as detective Fred Neuman, who was brutally murdered and brought back as a bizarre creation of science. You have no memory, or head for that matter. The game instantly throws you into some intense combat as you collect different heads and fight a unique set of monsters and bosses. If you like stories of revenge and redemption, Dead Head Fred doesn’t disappoint. The game case describes the game as “a classic tale of murder, corruption, revenge… and interchangeable heads!” That pretty much sums it up. The story is really the best aspect of this title.
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This fall is apparently becoming a series of showdowns between games that cover similar subject matter, where one franchise is the new kid on the block, while its contender is the old veteran. Rock Band is taking on Guitar Hero III for the title of “Best Rhythm-Based Music Game,” and Skate is challenging the Tony Hawk series for skating game supremacy. Yesterday marked the Xbox Live Marketplace release of the demo for the upcoming Tony Hawk: Proving Ground, the next installment of the venerable series. Since the Skate demo has been out for a while, now we can finally see how the two stack up to each other. So I decided to spend some time on each demo and see how they compare: Read the full article »

We recently received a copy of Dragon’s Lair HD DVD to review. Dragon’s Lair is the arcade game that started it all for some gamers including myself. I was six years old in 1983, and when this title hit the arcades that year, it really blew people away. Dragon’s Lair was the first game to truly bridge the gap between video games and animated film. If you had the proper skills, you were able to unlock movie scenes in a linear fashion throughout the laserdisc phenom. Dragon’s Lair wasn’t really a video game or a movie either, leaving it in a strange place in history.
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In a season characterized by highly-anticipated titles, Mass Effect is certainly seen as one of the most desired. Early shots of game play enticed us with amazing visuals and innovative combat mechanics. Couple that with the largest script ever written for a video game, and you certainly have something special. The world of Mass Effect is enormous, enabling you to pan out to various planets, stars, and even galaxies. With so many places to see and alien races to shoot, it certainly stands to reason that Mass Effect may be overwhelming at first glance.

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I should probably preface my impressions of the Bounty Bay Online open beta by saying I’m not really into MMOs. It’s not that I have anything against them; I just haven’t seen one that looked like it could hold my interest for longer than the first monthly fee. But I thought, hey, this one’s got pirates, you get to explore new lands, and the beta’s free. That should be a lot of fun, right? Wrong. I don’t know if it’s my inexperience with MMOs, but I haven’t been this bored with a game in awhile.

You start out of course by creating your character, first by choosing between a scantily or conservatively clad male or female character. Then you choose from several faces and hair colors before hitting the open seas. You have the option of running through a tutorial at first, which introduces you to the basics of the game. By that, I mean the absolute, bare minimum basics of the game. It took only a few minutes to run through, before I was left on my own, totally confused as to what I should be doing. I guess that’s kind of the point — that you can decide whatever you want to do — but why bother. There’s no story driving this world you’re playing in. You’re just some guy trying to make his own way in the world. Read the full article »

Get an edge on the competition with Mountain Dew Game Fuel!

Inspired by the most anticipated game release of all time, Halo 3 Mountain Dew Game Fuel will give you an extra boost!

Mountain Dew Game Fuel has the same great Mountain Dew flavor with an invigorating blast of citrus cherry and more caffeine for maximum intensity!

Mountain Dew Game Fuel tastes like cough syrup and Red Bull!

Okay, so the last one I made up. The rest can be found on the “Game Fuel” promo. You can currently (as of yesterday) find this Halo 3 themed Mountain Dew at any major retailer, but be warned, it may not be as awesome as you expect.

What is it with game tie-ins? Why do they always have to fail? Especially here, where you have Mountain Dew (loved by gamers everywhere) and Halo 3, (beloved franchise) what could go wrong? Well, uhm… the taste, for one. I mean I know taste is such a subjective thing, so I let my girlfriend have a swig. “Is this a prank?!” Not the greatest first reaction.

In their defense, the bottle certainly looks cool, and the liquid inside has a very “energetic” color to it. So buy it for the keepsake value, but keep the “drinking it” to a minimum.

It’s starting. Can you feel it? The magnitude of amazing gaming titles in store for us this year is starting to become a reality. In the last few days we have seen both the Eternal Sonata demo and now the Stranglehold demo hit us square in the face. What’s even more amazing, is that in a normal holiday season, either one of these titles would be seen as some of the most highly anticipated. Not this year. This year, the course laid out at our table is a veritable feast of happiness. So how does the Stranglehold demo hold up? Let’s brave the 1.3GB waters and find out.

Story: John Woo and Midway worked closely together to bring this game to life, and nowhere is that more evident than the story. The numerous cut scenes flow perfectly with the rest of the action, and the directing style takes a page directly out of Mr. Woo’s playbook. You really feel as if you are playing one of his movies. While the themes may not be that complicated, (Injustice happens, Tequila gets pissed, people die) you never really feel slighted because the action sequences tell the real story.

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