LittleBigPlanet 2
LittleBigPlanet 2 walks a careful line. At first blush the idea of second game seemed antithetical to developer Media Molecule’s supposed mission of making LittleBigPlanet a platform for iteration rather than a franchise to sequelize. It’s not that hard of a pill to swallow (honestly, who could resist more LittleBigPlanet?), but a full-blown sequel seemed like an idea forged through So...[Read More]
CES Impressions: Power A
Third party and alternative accessories always have an uphill battle. With few exceptions the cheaper, obscene looking controllers available at Wal-Mart or GameStop are usually crude approximations of the real deal. They’re bait for a parent who might not know the difference, or a budget strapped gamer whose willing to compromise price for fidelity. It’s a dreadful reputation, albeit one that’s no...[Read More]
CES Impressions: Infamous 2
{hwdvideoshare}id=1500{/hwdvideoshare} Honestly, the five minute show floor video speaks for itself; Infamous 2 felt great. A refreshed (aesthetically and mechanically) Cole MacGrath was a destructive force that rendered his previous incarnation docile and weak. A few highlights to lookout for: Failure as I became acclimated to the controls. Cole’s improve climbing abilities. I went off path durin...[Read More]
CES Impressions: Okamiden
With 3DS on the (probably) near horizon, high profile software for Nintendo’s DS is few and far between. Okamiden, Capcom’s follow-up to Clover’s criminally undersold PlayStation 2 classic Okami, is potentially one of the DS’s greatest last gasps. I loved the original, I liked what I saw of Okamiden at E3, and the new stuff Capcom was showing off at CES was equally impressive. The demo kicked off ...[Read More]
Lost in Shadow
Lost in Shadow struck gold at E3; almost overnight it went from a little known title to a critical darling. Its rich presentation and promising puzzle/platforming mechanics earned the praise of blogs and high profile gaming sites, including Digital Chumps’ own Chris Stone and featured writer Ricardo Trejo-Castro. It even created a feel good story for Hudson, a smaller Japanese publisher most...[Read More]
Eric Layman’s Top Ten Videogames for 2010
Previous Top Tens: 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 After a reasonable amount of thought I whipped up a list of my favorite ten games of 2010. Obviously I didn’t get to play everything so I couldn’t included what I didn’t completely experience, but I still got a good number of titles under my belt. So, in no order… Nier Nier doesn’t have the ...[Read More]
“I die, you die.” Flap Jaw Space plays Enslaved!
For Flap Jaw Space’s (the Digital Chumps Podcast) poorly named “We All Play A Game” segment this week, we’re all playing Enslaved. I took some extra time and wrote a bunch of my thoughts for a slight preview. The ending is discussed, but in a vague-ish non-spoilery way). Namco apparently wanted to position Enslaved: Odyssey to the West as an analog to Naughty Dog’s Un...[Read More]
Marvel Pinball
Some friends and I recently took a road trip to a modern arcade. Modern didn’t define the release date of the cabinets therein, but rather the proprietor’s approach to monetizing the games; pumping quarters was out and a ten dollar flat fee was in. After about an hour, when I had grasped the repetitive nature of X-Men Arcade and understood the futility of Punch-Out!!, I made my way to the pi...[Read More]
Dream Chronicles
Point and click adventure games are usually at home on a PC. From their inception in the early 80’s to their LucasArts heyday in the 90’s, their limited mechanics and minimal graphical requirements worked well on a platform with a rather nondescript technical output. Time marched on and the genre evolved (mostly thanks to Telltale Games). Modern adventure games incorporate most of the ...[Read More]
Sonic Colors
Let’s get it out of the way; Sonic’s Wii entries have not been the greatest of games. They weren’t broken and unfinished like Sonic ’06, but Secret Rings and Black Knight weren’t a whole lot of fun either. Classic Sonic fans, of course, simply wouldn’t stand for the blue blaze filtered through a youth-friendly Arabian Nights or Arthurian England, but the problem...[Read More]
Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo’s popularity is both undeniable and incredible. Its status as a member of the racing simulation genre nearly grants the price tag of an esoteric expense, one that, not unlike Operation Flashpoint or Apache: Air Assault, requires patience and dedication in order to gain a sense of appreciation. The difference is the subject matter; modern culture is intrinsically tied to automobi...[Read More]
Dead Nation
The gaming space hardly needed another zombie entry. In 2010 alone zombies have taken over post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and consumed the twilight of the Wild-West. In years past they Ate My Neighbors, posed as Nazi’s, and were Dead in Space. They’re even more omnipresent throughout the download space, with both Burn Zombie Burn and Zombie Apocalypse sliding through my review pile last ye...[Read More]