QCF: DmC: Devil May Cry

inja Theory incites a bit of a binary response whenever you mention their name. They’re either applauded for their expertise in captivating characterization and cinematic presentation that’s ahead of the curve amongst today’s games, or they’re lambasted for compromising gameplay for presentation with shoddy technical execution of the core design down to even the most fundamental game mechanics. The Devil May Cry series is praised for both of these aspects. As you can see, the hit-or-miss studio had their work cut out for them rebooting the celebrated demon-slaying franchise in the manner they aimed for when the game was first showcased back in 2010.

After experiencing the new Dante and his latest caper first hand, I can assure you that the party has indeed gotten crazier, and you should all RSVP the first chance you get.

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QCF: Abobo's Big Adventure

he NES is the most iconic representation of video games to this day. Even after 27 years its fond reverence knows no bounds, and whether you’re a gamer or not its image will remain forever embodied as the avatar of video gaming until the end of time. If you're now thinking, “Gee, I don’t know George, I know the NES is really important to video games but what you’re saying seems a bit exaggerated,” then you may belong to one of two camps: You either never owned or played one, or you didn’t have the opportunity to experience many of the games for it beyond Super Mario Bros and so on.

Well, you’re in luck, because not only does Abobo’s Big Adventure hit home with anyone who’s ever been graced with an NES in their childhood but it also manages to spectacularly cater to both of the aforementioned demographics. Abobo’s Big Adventure steps up and then owns up to the daunting responsibility of representing it’s source material and its best form and becomes more than just a simple tribute game.

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QCF: Virtua Fighter 2

ighting games sure have come a long way since the mid 90s. Every now and again, it's great to go back to the days when the arcade fighter was king. But some games have aged more gracefully than others, especially when it comes down to 3D fighting games such as Virtua Fighter 2.

Virtua Fighter was hailed at the time of its creation as a king amongst fighting games (definitely not to be confused with The King of Fighters, which is another topic altogether). Where the original game lacked - very obviously, given the era -- in visual finesse, Virtua Fighter 2 came back with much better-looking visuals and the solid game play the the brand was known for: fast, super-technical and ridiculously deep.

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PPR Presents Indiedrome: Episode 3: Too Many Bundles!

his week on Indiedrome, Matt and Stevie talk about the saturation of independent game bundles that populate the web on a daily basis and how it affects the independent games market. Also, Matt shares his love of Russell Brand, Stevie shares his love of Hotline Miami, and both are bewildered at the concept of what a quote unquote “spoiler” is.

Make sure to keep a look out on iTunes as one of the first of many feeds Indiedrome will be appearing on in the near future and as always, don't forget to save your game.

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Life Through The Pixel Glass-01/16/2013

efore I start the latest Life Through The Pixel Glass, I have some opinions I need to catapult off my chest. They’re heavy and hard, so get ready.

Yesterday treated everyone to some ugly controversy, didn’t it? I expressed my opinions earlier on my personal Twitter and yeah, I may have some peculiar points to make regarding the subject, but bear with what I have to say before you choose to angrily comment.

Do I take offense to the Zombie harlot resin statue? Absolutely, but only because of the context and the purpose of the statue’s existence is the main reason why, and maybe not so much the statue itself. To elaborate, I’m angry towards the manner in which the bust came to be: a shallow marketing device created from nothing more than a tasteless attempt to infuse the theme of the source software it promotes into a sculpt of sexually provocative torso of a mutilated woman, and with cleavage conveniently kept intact.

In another outlet like the venue of modern art from artists such as Danny Dickblood, David Choe, or Alex Pardee, this kind of portrayal isn’t far from out of the ordinary. I’ve seen more "controversial" pieces made, but overall, this statue isn’t art -- it’s garbage.

Why is it garbage? Because it’s an incentive to sell a video game at a higher price, and it’s insulting that Publishers and PR thinks that exploiting sexual objectification of the female body is appealing to consumers, and that this is what sells to the general demographic that is the video game community. So no, the statue isn’t art, and never will be. The portrayal of sex in any aspect has always been a tricky social rope of Do’s and Don’ts, and mistakes happen when we tread this kind of territory. I just hope similar topics in the future won’t be as egregious as this fucking statue since, you know, the industry IS better than what was shown recently, and hopefully took notes on how not repeat this sort of insensitive blunder again.

Anyway, on to the feature, hope you folks enjoy it.

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PPR Games Club: The Walking Dead

ell it’s the new year, you know, the big twenty-thirteen, and what better way to move on then to do a Games Club on our Golden Zonkey awarded Game of The Year title, The Walking Dead. Telltale was able to create a tale of misery and emotion in five episodes, and beyond all of the zombie madness, we learned what it truly is to protect what you love, no matter what the cost. Join us for this latest Games Club with Andrew, George, and special guest Dana, as we test our humanity (or in some cases, cast it aside) in this three hour spanning show where we cover all five episodes from start to finish. Come joins us and keep a box of Kleenex nearby so you can relive the trauma all over again with your favorite podcast, (or not, just listen to the show already!)

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QCF: Cognition - Episode 1

hen one thinks of the classic point and click adventure games that defined the genre, a few always jump to mind. The Secret of Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle -- just to name a few. What do all of these classics have in common? They’re all well told stories with engaging puzzles, solid internal logic and memorable characters. Cognition has none of these qualities.

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QCF: Kentucky Route Zero: Act 1

fter watching the initial trailer for Kentucky Route Zero back in its infancy, I thought that the overall design was interesting, and according to its Kickstarter page would be “a magic realist adventure game”. Fast forward almost two years later and what Kentucky Route Zero has become is something far more than what I could have imagined. A meaningful presentation that keeps the narrative in the forefront, and a game that plays out like an eerie adult pop-up book. Interactive narrative may seem like a buzz word seen too often in the games industry in the last few years, but trust me when I say that Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy of Cardboard Computer are doing exactly that. The result of which is some of the finest storytelling in gaming so far.

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