QCF: Chasing Aurora

Broken Rules has volunteered to be the forerunner of independently developed game for the Wii U, an admirably brave task considering that larger, more experienced studios have been skeptical of their own ability to significantly take advantage of the Wii U’s potential. Nintendo's new console excels at offering a cavalcade of dynamics in a multiplayer setting, evident by the direction of Nintendoland.

Broken Rules therefore staked their hands at creating their software that centered on a competitive theme with their imaginative take on the philosophy of flight through the portrayal of paper art in Chasing Aurora. While the cliché of an indie studio taking the humble route in order to concentrate all production value towards the creative process and to convey a deeper meaning through a solid game mechanic, the Austrian studio takes this trait to heart, and it works both against them and in their favor in the end.

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The Wii U: Two Weeks Later

Well known freelance artist and internet color commentator Bill Mudron, has recently coined  quote, “Nintendo is making silent film-era games in a stereo/Technicolor world” and  it got me thinking, just how much weight does this analogy hold? Today marks the fourteenth day since North America was introduced to the Wii U, Nintendo’s new hope that represents so many different factors for both the Big N and a reflection of the video game industry as of late; a desire to possibly experience the prospect of playing video games with the ideals of the next generation.

The stalwart box of fun also symbolizes Nintendo’s intent to embrace the age of tech and online functionality, an exploit they’ve neglected for so long in the very industry they once helped pioneer back into relevance.  The last two weeks with the machine has given ample opportunity for me to gauge an impression of what was delivered to us and analyzing the end result of what pushed me and so many other to plunk down over $350 and some change for.

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PPR Presents Lime Light: Megaman X Collection

The Blue Bomber has just turned 25 and brought to you by popular opinion, Press Pause Radio has taken it upon themselves to celebrate the wondrous occasion with a new Limelight! Tune in around Sunday, December 2nd, at 3:00 PM pacific time and join us in the chat on our Justin.TV account or settle in for the stream right here where George and the gang get down on the get down and might have a couple of brews while they’re at it.

Watch live video from PressPauseRadio on www.twitch.tv

QCF: The Walking Dead: Episode 5

I have been dreading this moment for the last week, the finality of writing this review. The last four episodes of The Walking Dead have told an amazing tale of survival and what one man will do to protect the person he cares about the most.  Lee and the other members of this group of survivors have endured, suffered and (some) somehow survived. Throughout the entire ordeal I have been forced to make quick and painful decisions, decisions that would haunt me long after the episode had ended. However nothing could have prepared me for the moment when this first season ended and the credits rolled. Trust me when I say that after finishing all five episodes, Telltale Games was able to accomplish something that I have never experienced in a video game before. I remembered everything, I felt everything. In doing so, the final episode brings to close the finest gaming experience I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of.

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QCF: Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

Team Ninja’s release of Ninja Gaiden 3 earlier this year was met with a laundry list of criticisms on an abysmally large scale, and was poorly received by majority, myself included. Yosuke Hayashi and his team had their work cut for them when Tecmo made the decision to re-release the title on the WiiU with enhancements, some even calling the equivalent of the Sigma treatment that prior entries received from the same team on the PlayStation 3.

This is not the case, for you cannot enhance something that was originally broken, you can however fix it, and boy, did Hayashi sure follow through as they manage to not only do just that but labor to add more content in this surprisingly solid action launch title for the fledgling Nintendo console.

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QCF: Hairy Tales

There's often a fine line between what makes a good and bad puzzle game. While some puzzles can be deceptively hard and rewarding in certain games, other puzzles for some reasons can just be frustrating. And when a game is made of nothing but these challenges, you better be sure that they're fun and well designed, because without anything else, a pure puzzle experience just doesn't have much to fall back on.

Hairy Tales is very much one of those pure experiences. It's a cheap little game that's all about its main mechanic and little else. And while that can be commendable for a pure gameplay centric title, sometimes it just doesn't work.

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QCF: ARC Squardon

The future of handheld entertainment is a hotly debated one. Nintendo's 3DS gives gamers on the go a portable 3D entertainment center that not only plays games in surprisingly clear 3D, but also allows for relatively speedy online play, internet browsing and even Netflix from a WiFi hotspot. Sony's PlayStation Vita sports some surprisingly high fidelity, handily running games very similar in scope to the PS3.

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QCF: New Super Mario Bros. U

Nintendo has always had a special charm that’s undeniably inherent in each of their releases, even if some of them are starting to show their age. The “New” within the title of Nintendo’s resurgence effort to bring Mario back into the side-scrolling platformer spotlight has been looked at with some skepticism, argued to some extent even that it’s hardly “new” to begin with. With the Wii U out of the gates, we’re treated to the breakout Mario launch title; New Super Mario Bros. U, and while the “New” argument still holds some weight, this latest installment manages to defy any jaded expectations.

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