October 2010
This is a list of posts published in October 2010.
My Most Anticipated Game(s) of 2011
Every year, as we close shut the calendar and look ahead to the next, we dream about what enchantments wait in the new year. Hell, with game developers delaying their big holiday titles with greater frequency, we have no choice but to wait – our eyes and minds teased with image of the next new “hotness” while knowing that our thumbs will soon ache once that title finally goes gold.
Last year I took a different tack; opting to highlight a game that I was dying to play, but fearful that it wouldn’t measure up. I chose Bioshock 2 – the follow-up to my favorite game of 2007 (and in my list of All Time Faves for this Decade). I knew Ken Levine wasn’t at the helm and everything I saw simply gave me a sense of Déjà vu. Been there. Done that... Continue reading »
All I Want for Christmas 2010 (in Gaming)
It’s that time of year again where wishful lists are dutifully drafted before being checked and rechecked. That’s Santa’s job, you might argue, but I can’t take anything to chance. Not in a household where years ago, my wife quit frowning at the litany of digital bauble that dotted my list and began using common sense to appeal to my better nature. Did we really need a 5th 360 when a new dishwasher was demanding its way in? So, I stared down at my sweet little angels; my little boy Colin and daughter Aria, and realized quite quickly that these wee elves might be able to cobble the game carts I desire.
“Hey, I have no idea why Aria squeezed New Vegas in between The Littlest Pet Shop and Princess and the Frog discs but look at that sweet little face. Do you really want to say ... Continue reading »
Halo: Reach – XBOX 360 (game review)
It’s pretty safe to say that without the support of Master Chief, Microsoft never would have soldiered this deep into the console wars. Bungie’s much-lauded launch title, Halo, arguably did as much to evolve the console-based first person shooter as Goldeneye did for the prior generation, and it helped put the Xbox in a nice strategic footing. While Microsoft wouldn’t win the last round, Bungie’s expert blend of run-and-gun shooting with cinematic narrative beats had many gamers looking at the beloved PS2s and for the first time, giving serious thought to defecting to the other side. Two sequels, a side story, and an entire cottage industry later – Bungie has returned to send their beloved property off with a fitting swan song. Halo will continue but under new guardianship. As these forerunner... Continue reading »
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – XBOX 360 (game review)
In a generation when so many beloved 8-bit properties have made the leap to the third dimension, revitalizing their brand and teaching gamers new tricks while showcasing their fancy new looks, it’s quite jarring that the venerable Castlevania series has stumbled hard whenever it has stepped aside from its usual 2D platforming action. That damned third dimension has haunted the series like a grim specter, cackling madly each time some foolhardy developer has dared to take a Belmont to the big time – with notable failures marring the series on the N64 and PS2. And while the games have lived long off their 2D Metroidvania design, producing a series of stellar items for the handhelds, their big brothers demand something more.
Usually the news that Konami is at it again would leave fanboys laughin... Continue reading »
Alan Wake – XBOX 360 (game review)
“Wake me when Alan Wake is released.”
That used to be my running joke when my most anticipated game announced in 2006 failed to materialize year after year. In fact, for a spell of time between late 2007 and early ‘09, the game completely vanished from Microsoft’s radar, leading many to believe that it had been unceremoniously cancelled. Then, at last year’s E3 conference, Remedy finally exposed their labor of love to the light and allowed the gaming press to fawn all over it. Previews raved about the game’s taut mix of action gameplay and a driving narrative ripped from the pages of contemporary pulp fiction.
In Alan Wake, you take control of the titular hero, a popular scribe suffering from a maddening case of writer’s block. He follows his wife’s advice and visits the bu... Continue reading »
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – XBOX 360 (game review)
Lara Croft is arguably the first true celebrity of video games. Sure, there have been mascots that have crossed over to the mainstream and become household words, but Lara did what neither Mario nor Sonic could ever do. She made gaming seem cool and adventurous to those who often looked upon the hobby as child’s play. With her initial title leading gamers into a brave new world of 3D adventure – launching fairly close to Mario’s first foray into that extra dimension – Lara put forth more than just a pretty face – even if those good looks helped her vault the velvet rope, repping appearances on everything from Entertainment Tonight to the U2 concert tour. And yes, she eventuall... Continue reading »
NBA Jam – Wii (game review)
Boomshakala!!! If there’s any phrase that brings me back to midnight marathons spent in my college dorm hunkered around the Sega Genesis and a Multitap; it’s that infectious rallying cry that signaled another monster jam by my dynamic duo of Bill Clinton and Shaquille O’Neill. NBA Jam may have been a mainstay of every early-90’s era arcade, movie theater and bowling alley but it was the home edition and its casual pick-up-and-play game mechanics that solidified the title’s stance as one of the all time greats. Like its kissing cousin, the Midway-produced Mortal Kombat, these titles changed the industry – turning their home console launches into marquee events and bringing more people into the gaming fold. This brought sports games to the masses; making it accessible to anyone who could jo... Continue reading »
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – XBOX 360 (game review)
Sonic the Hedgehog is the MC Hammer of gaming. In the mid-1990s, the blazing blue hedgehog blasted onto the scene and dared Mario to keep up. After fumbling for years, Sega finally captured lightning in a bottle, producing a star character they could send toe-to-toe with Mario and crafting a game that measured up to the classic Nintendo action-platform design while in some ways sprinting well beyond it. Mario and Sonic ran neck and neck in the early part of the decade, but eventually hubris kicked in. Following a successful series of inventive sequels, Sega lost its way and began sending Sonic down some perilous paths, and when the time came to leap into the third dimension, Mario stuck the landing while Sonic floundered.
Somewhere around the time the rodent went “gangster” and started packing a piece, i... Continue reading »
Singularity – XBOX 360 (game review)
A few weeks back, I reviewed Alpha Protocol, which marked developer Obsidian’s venture into new IP after a successful career of stepping into other RPG franchises to deliver sophomore efforts. There seems to be a few developers out there who have mined that niche, and while Obsidian might be the go-to developer for RPG sequels, the offspring of popular first-person shooters have found suitable childcare in Raven Software, the developer that previously shepherded Quake 4 and Wolfenstein, among others. Once again I’m presented with the opportunity to pass judgment when one of these “cover bands” aims to go solo as Raven unleashes their stab at a new franchise with Singularity.
Singularity is a shooter that wouldn’t exist in a w... Continue reading »
Alpha Protocol – XBOX 360 (game review)
Over the last several years, veteran game developer Obsidian has built a strange niche for itself – becoming the go-to developer for the sequels to popular role playing games. In the past, they’ve pinch hit in the Dungeons & Dragons realm with Neverwinter Nights II, picked up BioWare’s baton for the Knights of the Old Republic follow-up, and are currently working hard to prep the Fallout return, New Vegas. Which makes their latest release, the new IP Alpha Protocol, stand out. While the developer has proven adept at playing in other’s universes, do they have what it takes to craft their own?
Alpha Protocol is an action role playing game in the vein of Mass Effect, where the player is given full real-time control over combat while dialogue options are controlled... Continue reading »
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The Ed Zone and EdHumphries.com is maintained by Ed Humphries - a man with a tenuous grasp on the nature of narcissism.
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