8:10AM

QCF: Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II

 

Just shy of two years and having some releases in between, Sonic Team and Dimps join up again to release the next installment of their episodic series, Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Touted as the spiritual successor to Sonic CD, Episode II promises an experience catering to both new and old fans (the way Episode I intended to). But after two years, is it really worth the same excitement we wasted the first time around? Yeah, actually -- it’s worth that and a bit more.

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9:47AM

Akai Katana REVIEW (Xbox 360) - Bullet Heaven, Episode 51

After a fairly lengthy hiatus, Daeruna's back, and we can safely say: sometimes being wrong is the best thing ever! With Europe getting so much shooting love with games like DoDonPachi Resurrection, Rising Star Games brings Cave's Akai Katana to the Xbox 360, and shows that there can still be retail-released Shmups in North America after the questionable Otomedius. But is it worth your time? Oh man, sit down and "GET READY"!!

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11:38AM

Life Through the Pixel Glass: Independent Art Look

Because she’s feeling a little under the weather, I’ll be covering LTTPG for Squiddy this time around. Since I had the reins behind the feature for this post, I decided to shed the spotlight on two artists I’ve discovered on the web that possess this innate vision in their portrayal of video game inspired art. Their art spoke to me on levels that moved me to share their work with everyone this week.

The first artist is Darick Maasen, a 30-year-old modern artist residing in Chicago. Darick creates several different Pop-influenced art pieces, from the nerdy side of things with canvas and sketch work, to crafted constructs using materials like wood and taxidermy animals! Darick’s work has been featured at the event I AM 8BIT, and is slowly taking the net by storm with his continue work on constructs and sketches. You guys and gals can find his work on his website here. Also, make sure to fan him on Facebook if you’re cool like that.

The next artist is a fellow by the name of Jed Henry, an author and illustrator of children’s books. Jed has recently taken it upon him on his personal Twitter to start a series of Ukiyo influenced Nintendo art depicting games and characters from the 8-bit and 16-bit era. As you can see, Jed’s already done Samus, Megaman, and Link. He plans to expand the his portfolio with a sneak peak at his next work based on Mario Kart. Mr. Henry plans to open a Kickstarter campaign soon to help fund the series, and plans on making the pieces more authentic with Kanji lettering and talk of actually doing traditional woodblock design from which Ukiyo originates. You can find his work on Tumblr, where he works to not only update his series as often as he can, but will also answer any questions you may have. 

8:37PM

QCF: Max Payne 3

In São Paulo, Brazil, we find the former lawman Max Payne wallowing in his usual grizzled disposition towards life and the current state of affairs he finds himself in. Payne is providing his services as direct high-end security for the illustrious Branco family against any who mean them any harm.

Picking up nine years since the last entry to the series, Rockstar Vancouver plans to take Max to new grounds and deliver features, both familiar and new for the modern generation. However, with the absence of Sam Lake’s writing and a new studio taking the reins, one has to wonder if Max Payne is long for this world, one that’s been overwhelmingly saturated with shooters during his leave of absence.

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11:07AM

PPR 57

After massive Games Clubs and special event shows such as PAX East and GDC, Press Pause Radio finally returns to normal with Episode 57. On the show this week the group discusses several games that have been reviewed recently such as Fez, The Witcher 2 and Bloodforge. We also speak at great lengths about the Illuminati and Korean Robocop; we tend to go off the rails often. The featured topic is about game endings. How important is the ending to the overall experience of the game? Also which games have done game endings right, and oh so terribly wrong? Listen and find out, and don't forget to join in the discussion and tell us your favorite game endings. 

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3:42PM

Versus: Dark Souls

James

Dark Souls is the spiritual successor of the love-it-or-hate-it game Demon's Souls on the PS3. And when I say “love it or hate it,” I cannot stress that enough. You either fall in love with Dark Souls, or it becomes the bane of your existence. I have pumped more than 100 hours into Dark Souls across multiple characters and different play styles, and have every intention of jumping back in again soon.  This is a game for old school players who remember how games used to be.

Andrew

When Demon’s Souls was released for the PlayStation 3 in October 2009, critics and fans alike praised the title, stating that it was “the first truly great Japanese RPG of this generation”. However, whenever I heard about Demon’s Souls, its brutal difficulty and uncompromising mechanics were mentioned in the exact same breath. At the time I didn’t own Sony’s console, so I never experienced this so-called “classic.” That changed in 2011, when Dark Souls made its multiplatform debut. After only an hour of this pixilated poison, I realize that this title is for the most hardcore gaming masochists.

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6:33PM

Gundemonium Collection Review (PSN) -- Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 50 

In the landmark Episode 50 (!!) of Bullet Heaven, we dive into the Gundemonium Collection for PS3. In the past, I dismissed these game because of lackluster sound, but upon closer inspection...
As always, questions and comments are not only welcome, but recommended! Here's to 50 more episodes!
8:58PM

Video Games and Contractual Business Models

The video game industry used to be very flexible. You bought a game, popped it into your console, and let the magic begin. If you wanted to, you could invite a friend over for some two-player action. No restrictions, no subscriptions, and no DRM since it was unneeded. The internet, however, changed how we play, purchase, and pay for our games -- for better or worse.

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