Eric Chiu
The advent of digital distribution certainly hasn't gone as well as its early proponents would have liked, but it's been a boon for indie developers. In the past, releasing a game would have entailed developing a project and frequently watching it be disemboweled by a large publisher, but digital distribution gave developers the chance to put out smaller projects without having to worry about going bankrupt if it didn't sell well. Read More.
As one of the few remaining sports game franchises that hasn't yet brutally eliminated its competitors, the NBA Live series has gone neck and neck with the NBA 2K series in recent years on terms of quality. For fans of both basketball and free market economics, the resulting competition in incremental upgrade one-upmanship has definitely been beneficial. Read More.
When it comes to games, nostalgia rarely works as intended. As the waves of downloadable ports on consoles might suggest, nostalgia works well as a bullet point, but it rarely holds up to heavy scrutiny. Childhood might have been great, but it's hard to wax too nostalgic about an era without analog sticks and the ability to save games, among other modern niceties. Read More.
As an owner and frequent user of my Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, I'm sympathetic - if not in complete favor - towards the argument the hardcore trot out about casual gamers diluting their pastime. Enough shelf space exists for the Wii Fits and the Gears of Wars of the world, but it's hard not to feel anything beyond crippling depression for a populace that bought over 3 million copies of the aptly named Game Party. Read More.
Considering developer Q Entertainment's pedigree, the Meteos series can't help but feel like the odd man out by comparison. After all, the developer's trademark synesthetic touch, combining music, gameplay and head-blowing visuals into a potpourri of sensatory overstimulation, only plays a minor role here, but it's less of an issue than players might think. Read More.
With the focus that current-generation consoles have placed on reinventing wheels, shifting paradigms and other promotional jargon, it's always interesting to find the occasional title that doesn't just avoid change but actively works against it. Read More.
Modern history has always been predicated on combining the unlikely. From rap and rock to chocolate and bacon, mixing opposites has always yielded interesting results and for better or worse, the same can be said about RocketBowl. Read More.
