Archive for June, 2011

Review: Shadows of the Damned

Garcia Hotspur, demon hunter extraordinaire, is in a tight spot! He may not be dressed as a gimp, but his girlfriend has been stolen away to Hell, care of one Fleming, lord of the demons. In Hell, infant doorkeeps snack on brains and strawberries, while shooting a goat’s head creates a brilliant burst of light. Malevolent demons snack on the bloody limbs of beautiful women. Hotspur’s gotta stock up on the tequila and sake in order to keep his strength up. Can you tell this is a Suda51 adventure yet?

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Review: Child of Eden

Save Lumi. Save Eden. We’re not talking about some sort of cosmic Heroes storyline. These are the very simple instructions that preface a beautifully complex yet accessible game. Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s newest project, Child of Eden, thrills and impresses with its cornucopia of trippy, bizarre sights and sounds, taking players on a colorful journey through shape-shifting landscapes, majestic beings, and pulse-pounding electronica. It’s a wonderfully orchestrated exercise in synaesthesia. It’s the breath of fresh air I was looking for all year. And despite all this, it’s still not perfect. But it’s close.

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Review: Duke Nukem Forever

Like many gamers who will inevitably purchase or rent Duke Nukem Forever, I grew up with Duke Nukem 3D and the menagerie of cheesy spinoffs it spawned. I was a little a girl when I got my first taste of Duke, but even then I knew I liked what I saw. Writing that sentence makes me realize just how much I’ve grown up since then, because that double entendre didn’t even make me giggle. I’ve always felt a bevy of different things while fragging with Mr. Nukem: playfulness, silliness, and even annoyance. It’s a classic shooter, sure. Unfortunately, the rest of the games in the franchise never followed suit. Still, I’ve always had fun playing.

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Preview: Storm City Games E3 Lineup

Tucked away in the back of the show floor was a tiny publisher known as Storm City Games, who beckoned to Chris and I with the promise of comfortable leather seating, bottled water, cans of soda, and delicious snacks. Oh, and there were games, too. As I neared the booth area I consulted with one of the PR people present, later identified as Tyler Ager, who looked positively baffled when I asked him if he was the person in charge of demoing their products.

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Hardware: Power A’s E3 Lineup

If you’ve ever fancied an Afterglow controller or if you’ve ever purchased DS styluses shaped like Star Wars lightsabers, then you’re probably a fan of or have at least heard of Power A, an accessory company responsible for producing gaming accessories under some of the most familiar licenses: Pokémon, Zelda, Lego, Star Wars, and now Batman. Behind closed doors at the Power A booth at E3, Steve Cherrier of Step-3 and John Moore, VP of Power A demonstrated several of their upcoming products that will be available for purchase in the near future.

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