Review: Far Cry 3 (PS3)

Far Cry 3 is a sequel in name only to the Far Cry 2. I was a huge fan of the first game in the series, but Far Cry 2 introduced too many changes for my liking. The whole malaria mechanic and running into enemies every five minutes while trekking across the African plains was one of my main criticisms of the game. Thankfully these problems are gone and Far Cry 3 is hands down one of the best action adventure titles I have played in a long time.

Review: Call of Duty Black Ops II (PS3)

When I saw Call of Duty: Black Ops II at E3 in June of this year, I couldn't have been less impressed. The demo we saw was hands-off and consisted of a walk through of the game's campaign and tactical strike missions. For the most part the game appeared similar to past iterations of the series. It wasn't until I actually got my hands on Black Ops II that my attitude changed.

Black Ops II does a lot of new things, while still feeling familiar.

News: Black Isle Returns; Gamers Suspect Scam

Old school gamers have likely noticed that Black Isle Studios has seemingly returned from beyond the corporate grave.  Like other developers who were part of Interplay have done in the recent past, Black Isle is announcing a new title and turning to the community for help.  However, the fine details suggest that this is not quite like the Kickstarter campaigns successfully funded by Obsidian and inExile.

Feature: This Generation - Part V

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize.

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come.

The fifth (and last) item to hallmark this period of gaming: Open World Games.

Feature: This Generation - Part IV

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize. 

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come.

The fourth item to hallmark this period of gaming: Episodic Games and DLC. 

Review: The Sims 3 - Supernatural (PC)

Mystery, mystique and magical merriment have always been a part of the Sims gaming, a respite from the daily Sims routine in both the original Sims and Sims 2. Now, The Sims 3 has cast its own spooky spell with The Sims 3 Supernatural. In the town of Moonlight Falls, gamers get their chance to transform into their own supernatural citizen, from witches and wizards to werewolves, vampires and fairies.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (360)

Amazing Spider-Man's biggest distraction as far as I’m concerned is that during the webslinging exploration parts of the game, the camera is far too close to Spider-Man. I’m sure there were reasons to opt to remain tight with Spider-Man throughout – trying to convey being there? – but it certainly doesn’t feel very good to have my view constantly blocked.

Feature: This Generation - Part III

Left 4 Dead 2

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize. 

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come.

Third  item to hallmark this period of gaming: Co-Op Gaming.

Review: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC)

One of the joys and miseries of being an old school gamer like myself is that I have a tendency to look at remakes as “been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”  Too many are shameless cash grabs (The Bard's Tale remake stands out as one particularly noxious example). Few are a genuine improvement or re-imagining of the original title, which makes them all the more precious when they do come out.  For me, one of the series that I both hoped for and against coming back as a remake was X-COM: UFO Defense.

Review: Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PC)

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack debuted on the Playstation Vita in the early part of 2012 to much critical praise. Since it was essentially a launch title for the system it put to use some of the touchscreen/pad capabilities of the system. While such support on PC might have made the game more "Visceral!" it still fares quite well as an action puzzler.

Feature: This Generation - Part II

 For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize. 

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come. 

Second item to hallmark this period of gaming: Motion Controls.

Review: Okami HD (PS3)

If there's one thing that Okami HD brings into sharper focus than simply the graphics it's the line between generally accepted principles of video games today and what is a lemony poke in the eye from yesteryear.

Preview: The Cave (Multiplatform)

I'm not sure what else you'd need to know about The Cave other than the simple equation:

Ron Gilbert + Adventure Game = Get ready to buy this game

That's actually as much as I needed to know about The Cave but this is one of those times I wanted to know more and find out if the final answer should be "Get ready to buy this game²."

Review: Hitman: Absolution (PC)

Hitman: Aboslution is as close to a gritty Roger Moore era James Bond reboot as you can get without infringing copyright. It has just the right amount of "whackadoodle" nonsense to qualify as a "Spy Who Loved Me" spin-off adventure.

First there's Agent 47, a manufactured hitman who will follow orders to a "T" even when it's against people he "loves." While the twist at the end of the game brings that into question, at least slightly, he's driven almost wholly by his contracts to commit murder and never distracted by anything else, just like Bond.

Feature: This Generation - Part I

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize.

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come. 

First item to hallmark this period of gaming: Meaningless Rewards.

Review: Mass Effect 3 (Wii U)

Being an Edmontonian, I have a special place in my heart for BioWare. I love the crap out of the Mass Effect franchise and Knights of the Old Republic, but there's also a bit of "home town" pride thrown in there as well.

The Mass Effect games, while not perfect, were some of the most entertaining games of the past 5 years in my mind. New consoles need strong launch titles, and while I agree that Mass Effect 3 is a strong title it's the final part of the trilogy and you're starting off with a pretty significant story handicap. As anyone who has played these games knows, this franchise is all about choices and their consequences (whether they are intentional or not).