You don’t mess with those trained in the ancient art of assassination Hokuto Shinken, or “divine fist of the North Star.” Even if you sustain a few strategically-placed blows and live to tell the tale, celebrating is futile. As Fist of the North Star’s protagonist likes to say, “You are already dead.” Boom. You’d explode into meaty chunks of person goo, certain pressure points on your body having given in to the revered Hokuto Shinken style. That’d be all she wrote.
Archive for November, 2010
Impressions: Crazy Taxi (PSN)
On November 24, 2010
In Impressions, PlayStation Network
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I may have been late to the Dreamcast party, but not to the Crazy Taxi soiree. I thoroughly enjoyed the PC port and then the real thing years later, when I was finally able to procure one of the fantastic little systems. And it’s just speedy, frenetic action through and through. It’s one of those few gems that was obviously designed to devour as many coins as possible from your pocket at the arcade. Now that it’s available on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, there’s no reason to have to play at a machine or pick up the original…unless of course you want to have the entire experience. Unfortunately, this full-priced port is little more than a slapdash cash-in, devoid even of the memorable music that helped make it what it is. It’s a shame that I can’t recommend it, at least in this format, because this is an instant favorite and one that you’ll keep coming back to.
Impressions: Call of Duty: Black Ops
On November 24, 2010
In Impressions, Xbox 360
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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will live forever in my heart as the best time I’ve ever spent online with friends shooting other groups of friends in the face. Oh, and the campaign was pretty decent too. Really, that’s why I’m interested in the franchise. From the very beginning, it’s all been about the characters, the journey, and the fun to be had making it to the end. They may be disjointed and full of some truly abysmal plot holes, but I just enjoy tearing through war like it’s my business.
Impressions: Dance Central
On November 19, 2010
In Impressions, Kinect, Xbox 360
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I may be a lover, but I ain’t no dancer. At least I wasn’t before I picked up Dance Central, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I’m only an “easy” level dancer, but if I keep at it, I’m hoping to tackle “medium” or “hard” someday, when I’m convinced I won’t knock my action figures off of the wall or run straight into my television. We’ve had DDR for so many years (and will hopefully continue to) and I’ve enjoyed the Just Dance franchise, but now with the introduction of Microsoft’s Kinect, dancing has taken the next logical step: incorporating your whole body and getting every bit of you into the groove, whether you like it or not. It’s also the best dancing game ever made, and yet, still feels like we’re just getting started all over again.
Impressions: Ys: The Oath in Felghana
On November 17, 2010
In Impressions, PSP
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It’s been a great year for fans of the Ys franchise. With Ys Seven providing a robust and entertaining new adventure for series protagonist Adol Christin and an expansive world to explore on the PSP, it’s clear that the PSP is slowly becoming the handheld of choice for this venerable RPG series. Since the series debut in 1987, there have been several releases over the years as well as re-releases, the latest being Ys: The Oath in Felghana, a remake of Ys III: Wanders of Ys that ditches the original’s side-scrolling gameplay and transposes the more ‘correct’ top-down perspective that fans have decided is the only way to play. As these glossy new updates are being subsequently released, my respect and admiration for the cult classics grows and grows. You have to respect games that can open up a brand new world for gamers who have never experienced them before, such as myself. I’m a relative newcomer to Ys, having dabbled previously in DS and PSP iterations, so it was a treat to see this game without the rose-colored glasses of youth.