No Payne, No Gain
It’s been nearly 10 years since a video game pulled us through the living nightmare that was the life of Max Payne. Much to the pleasure of fans worldwide, everyone’s favorite tormented soul is back and so is Bullet Time. Max Payne 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) continues where the second installment left off, with [...]
The earliest video games like NIMROD, tic-tac-toe, Tennis for Two and Spacewar! were more like pet hobbies by MIT genius tinkerers than a mainstream entertainment discovery. They were born in the 1950s and 60s, out of basic radar display technology and consisted of an analog interface and vector-drawn dots. It wasn’t until the early 70s [...]
Ready for Round Two?
While Christopher Nolan certainly deserves the lion’s share of credit for molding the caped crusader into his 21st century, cash-raining form, the impact of game developer Rocksteady on Batman’s recent popularity can’t be downplayed. Batman: Arkham Asylum was slathered with praise in the video game community, leaving the follow up title, Arkham City, with some [...]
The Future is Yours
A sense of truly free will is an incredibly difficult thing to pull off in a video game. Taking into account a seemingly infinite number of player choices and possibilities just gets messy in the hands of typical game designers. Deus Ex: Human Revolution ($59) still requires some clunky traditional game baggage like boss fights [...]
Formula Two?
Though most diehard driving gamers will find the action of the new Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel ($60) a bit lacking due to the rather conspicuous absence of a steering column, brake/gas pedals and a shift knob, it certainly caters to those who prefer their seating arrangements in the extreme couch potato position. Lightweight, [...]
Putting the Axe in Relax
Zombie games are a dime a dozen, but Dead Island ($60) has a few intriguing tweaks worth paying attention to. The most obvious is its tropical paradise setting on the fictional South Pacific island of Banoi. Here, the flagship Royal Palms Resort serves as the ultimate vacation spot, until a contagious outbreak transforms most of [...]
Third Time to Harm
Hold onto your quarter rolls. After a decade of waiting, Marvel vs.Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds will be release on February 15th, making its way to living rooms on either Xbox 360 or PS3. Old standby’s like Ryu and Wolverine have returned to throw down with over 30 new characters from both the Marvel [...]
D for "About Damn Time"
Sure, the new Xbox Wireless Controller with Twist D-pad ($65) features a smooth matte silver finish along with spiffy monochrome buttons, but it’s the new transforming D-pad that gives our hadouken launching fingers pause. With a simple twist, the D-pad’s directional bars rise a 1/4″ to give traditional gamers (especially fighting games) new found life [...]
The Best of College Football (sans smuggling Bourbon in your pants)
Depending in part on how and where you spent your formative years, you should understand the following statement: nothing in the sporting world compares to the excitement of college football. Of course, you’re entitled to disagree or to blow your vuvuzela in protest, but you’d be just plain wrong. That’s why today we salute EA [...]
The Real Freaks Come Out At Night
Taking place 10 years after the events of Crackdown, 2007′s Xbox 360 hit, the sequel offers a return to Pacific City. However, this go-round, the city isn’t overrun by a variety of crime syndicates – instead it’s been destroyed by the nightly emergence of a Freak horde; daytime’s little better, as armed citizens have banded [...]
Giving Some Gear To Kids Who Deserve It Most
Children’s Miracle Network and Microsoft have teamed to provide three pediatric hospitals with an what their calling the Ultimate Gameroom. Apparently they got wind our Gear Patrol’s very own Nerf Charity Giveaway and decided to one-up us in a major way. Specific details for just what this Ultimate Gameroom consists of are scarce, but you [...]
Your Guide to the Next Big Thing(s)
There’s nothing like waking up to a crisp Autumn morning, your body shivering thanks to the open bedroom window, to remind you that time flies. Somehow, summer is behind us, and we are on a steady march towards the holidays and the new year to come. Don’t fret though, as 2009 still has a few [...]
Drops Today. (Yeah, We Said it.)
Every release in the Halo series is preceded by massive hype and met with great jubiliation by fanboys everywhere. Today’s release of Halo 3: ODST is no exception. Billed as something of an expansion to Halo 3, ODST finds the player Master Chief-less and playing the role of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper roaming New [...]
Beating Thugs with The Bat Just Never Gets Old
We’ve heard it said that Batman: Arkham Asylum is the year’s best game. We wanted to spend some quality time of our own with the Dark Knight, before passing judgment. Having done so, we’re hard pressed to disagree with all the hype. Check our full take here.
Achievement Fiends Unite!
We’re back with the second installment of our 10 Best Video Games feature, and this week’s post addresses our recommended plays for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. You all chimed in with some great comments and tweets regarding last week’s PS3 listings and you are encouraged to do the same here. Again, bear in mind that [...]
