Castle of Magic
The internet gaming community isn’t exactly keeping pace cell phone games. Often caveated as shallow timewasters, software for mobile phones is largely absent on NeoGAF forums, fails to make an appearance at GameFAQs or Metacritic, and, save a few of the larger websites, often goes ignored in the enthusiast press. Scaled down entries of big name franchises, like Assassin’s Creed or Mass Effe...[Read More]
Droplitz
Leave it to the puzzle genre to humble a seasoned gamer. Having played hundreds of videogames over the last twenty-plus years, I’d like to think I could, at the very least, not completely suck at whatever comes my way. Having only been vaguely aware Atlus’ Droplitz before I actually played it, I hastily assumed it was going to be clone of Pipe Dream with, at most, one or two spins on t...[Read More]
Scruzzleword
I finally bit the bullet and leveled up to a 3GS last week. Gaming wasn’t the main reason I decided to donate an extra $30 a month to the AT&T empire, but it was quite high on my list of associated perks. On top of that, and additional pen for iPhone coverage made Nathan’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree, so here we are with my first stab at a new platform. The game in questio...[Read More]
InFamous
“It’s grueling, man,” is my typical response when someone asks what it’s like to review games all the time. PR prefers coverage to appear as soon as possible, and the editorial staff here at Digital Chumps generally agrees that reviews should be posted no more than a week after a product is received. This typically translates to angry friends or significant others whom can&...[Read More]
Impressions: Persona
I was kind of late to the party with Atlus’ MegaTen games. I read a few reviews for Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, decided to pick it up, and was instantly hooked by the quirky RPG. My addiction continued with both Digital Devil Sagas, as well as Persona 3 and Persona 4. I threw over a hundred hours in both of the Persona games, and, unlike most other JRPG’s, absolutely indulged in every minute o...[Read More]
Impressions: Wipeout HD Fury
Wipeout HD Fury was quite the unexpected find. Word of mouth was nonexistent, it didn’t show at Sony’s press conference, and it could only be found at one lonely kiosk on the show floor. Furthermore, I had to go through four Sony reps before I could locate someone who could tell me anything about the game. But I got some details, eventually. Of particular interest are a couple new modes. The first...[Read More]
Impressions: Trine
Typically, before E3, I’ll watch a trailer and read some impressions of a game and, as a result always overhype my expectations so that I’m either (a) unsatisfied with what I’ve seen or, (b)puzzled that it didn’t blow me away. Trine, a game for which I hadn’t seen a trailer since early winter, managed to defy my expectations by default; I had no idea it was even going to be there. As it turns out,...[Read More]
Impressions: TMNT: Smash Up
I’m not entirely sure what expected from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up. It certainly seemed promising at Ubisoft’s press conference. I’ve always been a sucker for Ninja Turtle games (The TMNT cartoon and videogames were large parts of my childhood), and the 2.5D, four player, party styled fighting seemed highly reminiscent of another obvious influence, the Smash Brothers series. I got eve...[Read More]
Impressions: Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time had quite a lengthy offering for E3 this year. Three distinctly separate missions were available and, because I have a particular affinity for the Insomniac’s beloved Lombax, I made sure to play through each one. Reacquainting myself with Ratchet’s world, I noticed a few changes from Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty. The new guns were an obvious di...[Read More]
Impressions: Motorstorm: Arctic Edge
Motorstorm has always been a criminally underrated series on PS3. Most of my friends picked up the console when Motorstorm was a pack-in, and none of them played it for more than ten minutes. They passed it off as a generic arcade racer, never giving it a second thought. It’s quite a shame; the first game was admittedly rushed to market (look at all of the DLC), but the second game, Pacific Rift, ...[Read More]
Impressions: Mass Effect 2
Man did I ever love Mass Effect. My first foray into Western RPGs, I played through it twice, once as a firm, well to do Shepard, and the other as a tepid, slightly perverse asshole. I dumped over a hundred hours in the game, and was fascinated by nearly every aspect. Long elevator rides and a lack of side mission’s diversity notwithstanding, Mass Effect was probably my game of the year in 2007. W...[Read More]
Impressions: LittleBigPlanet PSP and PSP Go!
It wasn’t until that last hour of the show that I figured out there was PSP Go on the floor. I burned all my time on PS3 games during my Sony appointment, and I totally overlooked the handheld lounge beneath Sony’s balcony showing. Inside I located a handful of PSP Go’s, and one running the E3 build of the recently announced LittleBigPlanet PSP installment. The PSP Go, if nothing else, felt ...[Read More]