Steve Schardein

The insanely popular fighting franchise that pits characters from dozens of different universes against one another in combat is back. But how could such a zany formula could eventually sweep the world of fighting games? Even after its release in 1999, who knew that Super Smash Bros. would ever evolve into its own subgenre that would legitimately redefine the concept of a fighting game? The origin...[Read More]

Fire Emblem is one of those franchises that was popular in Japan long before it ever hit Western shores. One reason for that is probably that it’s such a challenging game (if you’re familiar with the series, you are well aware of the once-they’re-dead-they’re-gone game design). But nevertheless, several years ago, we saw the very first Fire Emblem hit American store shelves, and since, the franchi...[Read More]

Although it’s difficult to choose, I would have to say that Intelligent Systems is one of my favorite development groups. It seems as though nearly everything that comes out of them is either pleasantly unique or highly polished (or both). Their diverse selection of franchises includes Metroid, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, WarioWare, and, of course, the Paper Mario series.

Mario has had his hand in a number of different sports over the years, including tennis, golf, and even some more marginal roles (such as a boxing referee). One recent physical endeavor for the beloved plumber has been soccer—and in Mario Strikers: Charged, he makes what could be considered his most unique sporting appearance to date.

There’s just something undeniably enticing about web-slinging high above a city with no particular destination in mind. Countless games have now capitalized on the appeal of such a “sandbox” design, where essentially the world is at your fingertips and it’s up to you to decide where and when to engage in action. Following the success of their Spider-Man 2, Activision decided to continue with this ...[Read More]

Black Water has again begun to fall upon the great forest, under control of the evil Don Hedron.  The Eau, a group of mysterious creatures who depend on the tree, have seen this before—but this time, it’s the worst it’s ever been.  The only hope for the distressed inhabitants is Dewy, a small drop of water from the Tree of Seven Colors.  Dewy must vanquish the evil Don Hedron and his minions in or...[Read More]

A few years back, Kuju Entertainment released Battalion Wars on the GameCube.  In it, players took control of the Frontier army, plagued by a teetering relationship with a neighboring force, the Tundran army.  The game introduced a clever blend of gameplay that could only be described as having an Action/Real-Time Strategy foundation.  Like with other RTS titles, the player was in charge of comman...[Read More]

This is a difficult review to write. It’s a strange thing when you have been gaming for twenty-two years, nestled comfortably within your relatively static range of preconceptions of the quality and creativity of each new title, and then, suddenly, one game comes along and shatters even your most basic notions. It’s a bit intimidating to try and define a game that itself redefines the concept of a...[Read More]

 As if I wasn’t already having enough trouble trying to properly move my feet while playing the DDR games, along comes a new entry in the series that now requires me to also pay attention to what my hands are doing while I am playing.  With the inception of Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party for Nintendo Wii, no longer is it acceptable for me to flail my arms uncontrollably to and fro while I d...[Read More]