Eric Layman

This brought up vague memories of Soul Calibur’s Wii appearance last year. Transplanting fighting game mechanics onto a Wii control scheme and nearly abandoning the founding gameplay definitely created a “wait…what?” moment when approaching that title, and the walk to Judgment no definitely produced a similar feeling. However, unlike Namco’s bizarre experiment, Judgment looks to capitalize on the ...[Read More]

360/PS3 version shown “So what game do you really wanna see at E3?” was a question a lot of my friends asked before I shoveled off to Los Angeles. My answer was a two parter; (1) PixelJunk Eden and (2) Sonic Unleashed. I’ve played every console Sonic title in recent memory, from Heroes to Shadow to the universally groan-inducing 2006 redux, Sonic the Hedgehog. I’ve seen Sega’s mascot at his absolu...[Read More]

Steve’s inablity to sense the room’s slow descent into arctic conditions is undoubtably related to the escalated global warming phenomenon.  If he were better able to properly sense  the obvious climate change, maybe the earth wouldn’t fall into the sea in twenty years.  Thanks for hurting the planet, steve.

If style was measureable in pounds, then both of Platinum Game’s titles would deliver it in truckloads. Bayonetta, directed by Devil May Cry founder Hideki Kamiya, oozed more style and substance in its four minute demo than some games do throughout their entire play time. Clearly showing its DMC roots, Bayonetta’s sexy heroine was pulverizing the snot out of rogue angels and other ethereal beings ...[Read More]

Remember God Hand? That over the top, hyper-violent brawler from Clover that no one played? What about Sin City, the avant-garde attempt to translate a black and white graphic novel to the silver screen? I think if you combined those two visionary works, along with a subtle dosage of Running Man, you mind wind up with something like Mad World. I’ll take art design over technical prowess any day of...[Read More]

It looked sort of fun during Nintendo’s media briefing – I’ll give it that. However, beyond the initial appeal, when you actually think about the nature of the Wii Music, you’re bound to run into the same roadblock many of us encountered; this isn’t actually a game. This thought was later confirmed when our Nintendo rep basically stated what many of us were thinking; it’s not so much of a challeng...[Read More]

Flock was riotously satisfying. You’re a member of an alien species and it’s your job to abduct Earth’s wildlife by any means possible. In its simplest state this involves using your UFO to scare/heard sheep back to the mother ship but, at its most complex, it turns into a Rude Goldberg device that would make Mousetrap cower in fear; dozens of things may have to happen in sequence all for the minu...[Read More]

The original Banjo Kazooie and I had somewhat of a tenuous relationship. To date it is the only game I ever forcibly removed from a console so I could throw it as hard as I could against a wall. Its mockuMario style and incredibly cheap AI (detached zombie hand in church, I’m looking at you) rubbed me the wrong way one too many times. Thankfully, I’m happy to report that my experience with the 3rd...[Read More]

Exhorbant prices are nothing new in Los Angeles, but seeing Steve gleefully purchase $13.00 worth of $2.00 worth of food… …before figuring out vast amounts of the exact same thing are available for free upstairs is, indeed, hilarious.  We still love you, Steve.

Wheels tested with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue There are two types of people on planet Earth; those who inexplicably obtain a sense of enjoyment from endlessly tinkering with every single aspect of a car, and those who can’t possibly find pleasure in such a fundamentally pointless activity. Fortunately, I am a member of the first category and, while I often participate in SCCA Solo II autocross event...[Read More]

PS3 version previewed Rarely do I see a game that, over the course of the demo, delivers as many unique impressions during the first ten seconds as it does the last five minutes. Seeing the Prince escort a thin female companion whilst trying to evade pools of black corruption immediately resurrected tearful memories of everyone’s collective art-house favorite, Ico. But unlike the virtually helples...[Read More]

360 version previewed Far Cry 2 was one of the most graphically impressive games I’ve ever seen. Atmosphere is a challenging component of immersion, but Far Cry delivered the balmy African savannah with remarkable success. It was probably a crisp 60 degrees in the suite, but I could almost feel the sweat rolling down my back whilst looking at the title. Visuals on the Crysis level of awesome was a...[Read More]