Last Halloween, we fast-forwarded 500 years into the future, where interstellar mining was alive and well. The Concordance Extraction Company, or C.E.C., was charged with tasking mining ships with this mammoth deed. Just when things appeared to be running smoothly, a distress call was received by the C.E.C. from the USG Ishimura. Isaac Clarke, an engineer employed by the C.E.C., along with some squadmates, were sent to evaluate the situation. Upon arriving on the Ishimura, Clarke and his squadmates discovered that what appeared to be a simple malfunction had gone terribly awry. A terrifyingly hostile race of beings known as Necromorphs had overrun the ship and jeopardized the survival of Isaac and his party. The three were separated, and Isaac was left to fend for himself out in the deepest, darkest reaches of space, left only with the Necromorphs and every bit of his wit that he would need to use to survive. With that, we were thrust into Dead Space, one of EA’s most enjoyable new IPs of last year. Presented in a format reminiscent of Gears of War or Resident Evil 4, gamers were tasked with keeping the space engineer Isaac Clarke alive until he could get to safety or to the bottom of the Necromorph invasion.
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Review: LEGO Rock Band
What do you get when you combine the innocence and hilarity of the LEGO universe with one of the most successful music simulation titles going right now? A bona fide hit, of course. The latest entry into the Rock Band saga, LEGO Rock Band, is a fresh look at the franchise, as well as a great place to start for younger gamers or those of us who just love toying around with LEGOs. Was its release necessary? The gaming populace will say no, but frankly, I’m thankful this project came to be. It’s cute. It’s wacky. It’s just what you would expect from the world of LEGO, and I’m actually quite pleased.
Review: Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
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Fighting games are evolving, right before our very eyes. No longer are they simple grudge matches between superpowered titans or scantily clad women, they are pseudo-RPGs, overflowing with character customization options, challenges to complete, and awesome guest stars, including some that seem eerily out of place (Yoda, anyone?). Perhaps the fighter that dabbles the most in said deviations from the past is Soulcalibur. It has long held a special place in my heart reserved only for the best of the best. Ever since I laid eyes on Soul Blade, I knew I’d never forget the series or what it stood for. Here we are all these years later and the latest release, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is still blowing me away. Juicy customization, explosive guest appearances, and the core Soulcalibur experience are intact. What more could you ask for?
Review: WhipCrack
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Independent games are always a source of great inspiration (and sometimes, ridicule) in that you never know what you’re going to find nestled away in the depths of indie creations. You’ll find some hidden gems, and you’ll get into some real stinkers. In the case of WhipCrack, you have a bit of a diamond in the rough that presents some fair challenge, interesting game mechanics, and a very strange story.
Review: Ion Assault
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Everywhere you venture in the world of indie gaming and the Xbox Live Arcade you’ll find clones of the wildly successful Geometry Wars from Bizarre Creations. Usually, most of them don’t live up to the standards that the original set and ultimately end up failing. Some take different paths to branch out, essentially creating variations on the dual-stick shooter that made such a splash. Ion Assault is one that attempted to go in a different direction from the rest of the pack. While the analog sticks are used, the elements that made up Geometry Wars have been traded in for a solo asteroid-shooter that works rather well — if you can get the hang of the controls.