PixlBit

The flash clone died soon thereafter.

As a huge Halo fanboy, I’m happy to take any non-Master Chief content the good brand managers at Microsoft are willing to toss out there. After getting fairly hooked on the Halo novels, and finding that the universe created to support a space marine shooter was actually pretty interesting, I’ve often pined for actual games that use this setting in completely new ways. Halo 3: ODST was a fantastic side-step and Halo Wars reportedly made a great effort at a console RTS, but the latest attempt to get Halo characters not wearing green body armor on your Xbox, Halo: Spartan Assault, smacks of an easy cash grab.

Read more »

The most ‘90s gaming character out there, now in futuristic 3D.

It’s fascinating to go back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog after so many years and so many new entries in the series. These days, everyone wants to convince you that Sonic is a game all about speed. Without it, it’s simply not the same – not like the original titles on the Genesis. What the original game has reminded me of is that Sonic is a platformer first and foremost and a game about speed second. Very rarely does Sonic hit breakneck speeds in his debut; more often than not he’s taking calculated jumps in a sidescroller that’s merely more mobile than the one that features his Italian plumber counterpart.

Read more »

“Feed me quarters.”

Oh, Space Harrier, how should I describe you?  Should I compare thee to an endless runner?  Thou art more lovely and insane.  Rough controls do tire the limbs of any gamer, and this title’s fun supply is far too short.   But the eternal summer of my nostalgia for this game shall never fade, nor will the death of the ‘80s cast shadows upon its uniqueness. 

Read more »

I love you, you love me...

Howdy folks! Julian here again. It's close to Valentine's Day, or Single Awareness Day as I like to call it. Last year, Patrick came up with a very smart, high-brow topic, but this year I decided to be super uninspired and talk about romance in vidya games. Join us, will you?

Read more »

“Amnesia? Again?!?”

There’s a special place in hell for JRPG fans.  Their sin?  Playing the same game with the same story over and over without complaining once.  I suppose there are worse crimes than this, but there is a sort of masochistic glee in which JRPG fans partake in their vice.  Perhaps we love grinding and crafting so much that we don’t really care about the story too much – despite our claims that we play these games for the tales they tell.  Perhaps it’s the newness of the dungeons or the shiny equipment that makes the tedium of saving the world over and over remain novel.  But, despite these tropes, this genre seems to continue on, and sometimes even with some of the most loathed archetypes and clichés, JRPGs can rise to heights other genres can’t. 

Read more »