Review: The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 2 (PC)

The big reveal of this second episode of Season 2 of The Walking Dead, wasn't much of a reveal at all if one happened to stick around for the "Next Time..." preview that rolled at the conclusion of episode 1, All That Remains. Fortunately, the second episode doesn't hinge on the "big reveal."

No, no. Instead the episode pivots on, "Oh, damn, they're all dead!" turn at the episode's culmination. Or, you know, something like that because it's The Walking Dead.

Review: Strider (PS3)

The original Strider games in the Arcade and for the Nintendo Entertainment System hold a place in my young-gamer heart. The Arcade game was ridiculously cool (if not ridiculously hard to match) and was easily one of the set pieces of many an arcade in the late 80's whereas the Nintendo version shortly followed with one of the better action based games of that era. It feels rather odd to refer to the current game as a "Metroid-vania" as this game came out in the exact same time period in gaming… but when you've only made 3 games in your life span, you tend to get overlooked.

Review: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (PC)

Released half a decade ago on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger arrives on PC with more of a whimper than a bang but the underlying fighting and the overlying balls-out craziness of the characters — seriously, has wasabi been replaced by peyote in Japan? — is present no matter what the reception was like. Honestly, the game arrived with such fanfare that there's a picture of rolling tumble weed on Metacritic where the list of critic reviews should be.

Review: The Last of Us: Left Behind (PS3)

In some ways it seems like it's been years since I explored the world of Joel and Ellie in the Last of Us. It was a gaming experience unlike any other and it's one that doesn't quickly leave your mind even after it's over. From moments of heartache to ones where your skin crawls at the thought of a Clicker biting your neck, The Last of Us had it all.

Review: Dustforce (PS3)

Dustforce is the kind of indie game that harkens back to the days of the NES, ColecoVision, and my Commodore '64. The basic game design is one part Ninja Gaiden, one part Miner 2049er, and one part Impossible Mission – you must clean up all surfaces of a level using your character's acrobatics and defeat dust covered enemies in the final room.

Simple character design and visuals run counter to the complex level design which will taunt you to try and beat it with not only a fast run, but a perfect one. Death is a minor concern as you'll always be transported back a bit in your playthrough with a chance to retry before your mistake.

Review: The Walking Dead - Season 2: Episode 1 (PC)

At the close of The Walking Dead Season 1, developer Telltale Games could have been forgiven for moving on to other stories, to shift the focus from Clementine, the small girl that escaped Season 1, to other people trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. After all, The Walking Dead series -- in the comics, the television show, and the games -- has no compunction about killing off major characters to move the story along.

Season 2 makes Clementine the focus and introduces many new characters, accompanied by an oddly upbeat sensibility. At least, if one were to define "upbeat" by horror, horror everywhere!

Video: The Weekly Checkpoint 88

This week Jeff takes a look at what he feels to be one of the more overlooked developers of the 80s, 90s, and 00s: Irem.