Bastion Narrates its Way into the Spotlight

Supergiant Bastion wallpaper, courtesy of the good folks at Supergiant Games

Way back in September of last year, I saw a trailer for a humble game named Bastion that brought me back to my days of power gaming as a teenager. Any title capable of evoking such fond memories is one to keep an eye on, and Bastion is no different. Found on a whim at PAX East, the thought of this game came rushing back to the forefront of my mind. Oh yes, hands on baby.

In classic RPG fashion, your character is awaken from sleep and ventures out of his home to seek his destiny, however instead of an annoying pet or underage girl as your companion, you are accompanied by the dulcet tones of the narrator. The vibrant and lively world pops up under your feet as you stride forth, introducing you to the simple combat mechanics when it's not busy wowing your eye sockets. Bold colors are bountiful in Bastion, something that is much too rare in this day of the browns and grays of post-apocalyptic modern warfare.

This is the old school at it's finest, renewed for the modern day, of course. Your character -- the Kid, as he's called -- does everything expected of the hero archetype in a three-quarter perspective role-playing game; swing his melee weapon -- in this case, a large hammer -- shoot arrows from a safe distance, block attacks with his shield, and roll-evade from danger's path. These actions can be beautifully mixed without missing a beat, and without a miscued moment from your narrator either. All these actions are introduced from the outset, leaving many more abilities and weapons to be unlocked as you progress, I'm sure.

The Kid will probably play out as one of those silent protagonist types, which I ain't mad at. Some folk take exception with mute heroes, but in this case it gives the wise old narrator a chance to shine. The anonymous voice calls it as he sees it, dynamically narrating the Kid's actions in real time, as well as unraveling the story in a classy way that only a faceless, comforting, gravelly voice can. He's like the second grandfather many of us never knew we had.

I didn't play for too long, but I don't think it matters. Bastion has shaped up to be pretty special, and has a chance of being one of the year's best indie titles if the cards fall into place before release. Expect it on Xbox LIVE Arcade, Summer 2011, with a PC release to follow.

REVIEW: Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money

Written by Brittany Vincent

Fallout: New Vegas certainly isn't without fault, but it did serve as a succinct followup to one of my favorite PC adventures of the past few Christmases, Fallout 3. After choosing to go the way of Steam for that adventure and this one in turn, I found myself engrossed in a world I couldn't quite escape from...until I was met with saving issues and other wonky glitches that desperately needed ironing out. But surviving the wasteland quickly consumes you, and I knew without a doubt I'd be looking forward to the first available DLC. I should have been leery for all intents and purposes once said package, Dead Money, was announced, but as the release date neared and I was given the opportunity to evaluate the latest addition to the Fallout saga, I was ready. But only if Dead Money could transcend the disappointment and feelings of being disenfranchised that Mothership Zeta so readily inspired. And I'm happy to say that it does, if only by a tiny bit. It's not the fantastic "The Pitt" DLC, but it's a start.

Click to read more ...

The Latest RAGE Trailer Gets Me Angry!

The latest trailer for id Software's racing-FPS with a splash of RPG elements is still looking good. Seems we've been hearing about RAGE for years now.. What's that? Oh, I guess we have been. Well, the light at the end of the blood-stained tunnel is not just the flaming wreckage of an scrapped battle-buggy, but also the North American release date of September 11. 

Urge to slaughter hostile deformed mutants rising! 

The Darkness II is Coming, Jackie

God damn, all these years later and I still can't get the God Mike Patton's rendition of the Darkness out of my head. Aside from the amazing vocals of Mr. Bungle, The Darkness was actually a solid game. 

That's why it's such a pleasant surprise to hear, seemingly out of no where, that The Darkness II is on it's way. Shadow abilities, twisted storylines and visuals, all that good shit. Jackie and friend are sure to have learned some new tricks, like fucking quad-wielding weapons. Holy shit, that's a game changer. Rogues, berserkers, and Chow Yun Fat can suck it with their lame-ass ambidexterity.

No word yet on whether or not Mike Patton will be reprising his role as the Darkness, but he damn well better. We've shot a missive to the proper folks and hope for a reply soon. Until then, embrace The Darkness, and enjoy the following screenshot. Singular screen, quadruple arms. 

Hard Metal Meets Cold Steel in Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Did you ever wonder what a dungeon crawler mixed with a third person shooter and the essence of heavy metal would look like? Me neither. Thankfully, inXile Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks has tackled the unthought notion, and the answer to the question is a resounding "awesome".

Hunted: The Demon's Forge looks to borrow heavily from Gears of War's play mechanic at its face, but it places an emphasis on co-op play. Control the burly Caddoc to slice and dice all sorts of nasties, and have your friend play the svelte E’lara for more of a spell-weaving, arrow-shooting experience. It's like two games in one! But wait, there's more! She casts magic, he follows up with hard slashes, creating a level of dynamic dual techniques between the two. Rad.

Are you a total hermit with no friends and no connection to the interwebz? No problem ya bum, pick your favorite of the two and let the AI control the other, but feel free to switch between the either of the mercenary alliance at any time! Methinks Hunted: The Demon's Forge is on the right track. Confirmation will come on the stateside release date of June 1 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Now, back to headbanging. 

Ridge Racer Unbounded Burns Out

As a PlayStation launch title, the original Ridge Racer was not only a technical and visual marvel, it was awesome fun. The series has been pretty hit-or-miss since then, with the only truly fond memories I have of the franchise after the first entry being the surprisingly good Ridge Racer Type 4.

Fast forward to today, where it's been announced that Ridge Racer is making a comeback and is apparently pissed off. Why else would Reiko, the adorable face of the series, plow through two cars and one brick wall on the way to destroying a city block?

Ridge Racer Unbounded, targeted for release way off in 2012, seems to be taking the franchise down the aggressive, reckless racing path that seems to be fairly popular these days. I've always been a fan of the Burnout series, so if Ridge Racer Unbounded can capture that type of enjoyable destruction and put a unique twist on it, this might be a title to watch.

Beyond Black Mesa Makes its Gritty Debut

Half Life 2 fan film Beyond Black Mesa is finally available in full to be watched online, so do it now. Fans of the Half Life universe, fan films, and independent productions alike can agree that this is awesome. 

Shot with little more than one camera and a budget just over a grand, Beyond Black Mesa is a testament to what a bunch of talented fans can do. A few high-budget studios who have dabbled or are looking to dabble in game-to-film crossovers have some 'splaining to do!

If you're interested in learning more about the film, visit the website. Make sure you give yourself 12 minutes to watch the movie in full beforehand though, definitely well worth it.

3D Pixels Are Blowing Up in Voxatron

Voxatron is a game made of voxels. Voxels are 3D pixels, found in games such as 3D Dot Game Heroes and Fez. Both voxels and Voxatron look awesome. The independently developed title has been making its way around the interwebz for a week or more now, however time constraints have prevented me from making any mention of it.

A little 3D Dot Game Heroes, and a little Smash TV, and a little Link to the Past, with a banging chiptune soundtrack seems to be what primarily comprises Voxatron. Due out in August 2011 for PC and Mac, developers Lexaloffle Games -- which I can't say without thinking of the rofflecopter -- haven't announced any plans for a console release yet, but I have a feeling we'll see Voxatron on our big screens before it's all said and done.

Keep this one in mind, y'all.

Our Favorite Low Budget Games of 2010

As the year comes to a close, it seems as if everyone and their mother is dropping their two cents on the best and worst games of 2010. To set our list aside, I want to try something different. Since you can go to just about any place on the internet to find a best of the year list, let's try this:

Our Favorite Low Budget Games of 2010

VVVVVV by Terry Cavanagh (PC, XBLA)
It doesn't get much more simple than this. Commodore 64 inspired graphics, three button gameplay, and a soundtrack of banging chiptune beats. Released in January of this year, VVVVVV captured gamers' hearts with its simple allure, and breaking point difficulty. The plain, outdated look on its face belie VVVVVV's complexity, which feels almost like a Metroidvania game circa the 1980s. 

Super Meat Boy by Team Meat (PC, XBLA)
Based on the successful Newgrounds flash game Meat Boy, Super Meat Boy picks up where its predecessor left off; by making you want to kill yourself. Fans of fast action platformers and punishing twitch-reflex difficulty immediately fell in love with Super Meat Boy. Team Meat made some enemies along the way, like PETA and lamers who wanted a fun and relaxing gaming experience, but sometimes you need to break some heads to get to the top.

Limbo by Playdead Studios (XBLA)
Limbo earned a healthy buzz mostly for its "art game" presentation as completely black and white. In its entirety, Limbo never strays from it's noir style; the characters are little more than blobs of shadow, though the backgrounds are detailed and beautiful. Music is left out in favor of ambiance. With plenty of tricky platform puzzles to solve, Limbo is a slightly disturbed yet hauntingly lovely slice of low budget gaming.

Shank by Klei Entertainment (PC, PSN, XBLA)
Shank is one super pissed off badass motherfucker looking for revenge on the dudes that ruined his life. What better means to do this than a gory side-scrolling stylized action game with slick hand drawn graphics and an epic southwestern soundtrack? While the story wasn't the best, the insanely fun fighting and on-the-fly weapon switching made stringing together combos pleasing for both your eyes and your id.

Minecraft by Markus "Notch" Persson (PC)
What would this list be without Minecraft, arguably the low budget title of 2010. Technically, Minecraft was released in 2009, but it only really began to blow up this year. Starting as a one man job, Minecraft is a game where you can pretty much build anything you want, from the simplest log cabin, to a god damned working CPU. After an incredible increase in popularity this year, Notch hired some more people and created a development company funded strictly by Minecraft sales. As of December 29, 2010, Minecraft has over 2,750,000 registered users, and over 900,000 purchases. Not too bad for a one man project.

Our Most Disappointing Blockbuster Games of 2010

There were tons of gaming disappointments in 2010, some more unforeseen than others. It's easy for a small studio with limited funding to make a bad game, but when a big budget gaming blockbuster goes wrong, it's that much funnier. So without further ado, let's take a look.

Our Most Disappointing Blockbuster Games of 2010

Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar San Diego (PS3, X360)
By no stretch of the imagination is Red Dead Redemption a bad game, in fact, most outlets have it pegged as the game of the year. I however, am growing increasingly critical of Rockstar's games, which is why I found RDR to be a huge disappointment. As a fan of westerns, be it movies or games, I was incredibly excited to hear of an open world western done by Rockstar. There was so much potential, so much that could be done to create a new experience. Beautiful graphics and involving story aside, in the end, Red Dead Redemption ended up feeling too much like a reskin of the Grand Theft Auto series, which felt like a crushing blow and a waste of potential to do something fresh.

Fallout: New Vegas by Obsidian Entertainment (PC, PS3, X360)
In late 2008, a game by the name of Fallout 3 snuck up on me and held me prisoner from the real world for an unhealthily long period if time. The follow up to one of my favorite games of recent memory had to be good, now that the developers had some time to work out the kinks of the original, as well as listen to and implement community suggested changes. Nuts to that! Development was handed over to Obsidian Entertainment from Bethesda Game Studios, and Obsidian didn't really feel like making any tweaks. The moved the story to Vegas and called it a day! Fallout 3 while awesome, wasn't perfect. There was plenty of room for improvement to make the experience even better, but why put in extra work when you can move copies on the strength of the series' name?

Fable III by Lionhead Studios (X360)
The simplistic yet involving Fable series has always been a joy to play, even if it did seem like the game was built to be played by a 12 year old. 2008's Fable II had an interesting story to go along with a dreadfully easy, but enjoyable combat system that delivered an entertaining experience from start to finish. Fable III claimed it would allow you great moral decisions, as the purpose of the third and final entry in the series, is to start a revolution as you see fit. Unfortunately, most of the game's decisions were binary, and rigid, leaving little room for experimentation. You're forced to make promises to allies to earn their trust, and in a turn for the anti-climactic, only at the end of the game are you allowed to renege on your word. 

Epic Mickey by Disney Interactive Studios (Wii)
The name Warren Spector is held in high regard to just about everyone in the gaming industry. Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock, and now Disney's Epic Mickey. One of these things is not like the other! Working with Disney, the talented Mr. Spector became all about the mouse, seemingly living, breathing, and pooping Disney. Unfortunately, his Epic Mickey turned out to be a convoluted mess, where teases of a dark, steampunk tale where Mickey would be responsible for the fate of other characters was way overblown. The morality system seemed like no more than a throw in, with no real weight on the outcome of the game. The controls were spotty, with Wiimote support seemingly added last minute just for the sake of motion controls. Level design, story, graphics, it all left much to be desired.

NBA Elite by EA Sports (PS3, X360)
The NBA Live series has been releasing yearly installments since 1992, and since 1995 under the Live moniker. In 2000, 2K Sports threw their hat into the basketball game market, and had been steadily outperforming the Live series since. With Michael Jordan appearing in their latest title, along with other classic ballers of yesteryear, it seemed like the Live series would have to do something drastic to outdo NBA 2K11. So they decided to change their name to NBA Elite, because people like new and improved names, right? Countless bugs, missteps, and general fuck ups later, the game was outright canceled, and the world would be without a yearly EA NBA sim for the first time in almost 20 years.