Nicholas Bale
I wasn't sure what to expect of Kingdoms of Amalur. I had heard little of the title and little of the developer. From reports, I heard that it was a cross between Fable and Skyrim, though what that meant could have been anything. Read More.
I just want to clear up one thing because I'm a stickler for this sort of stuff. Mahjong, as the West knows it, is actually Mahjong Solitaire, also known as Taipei. The actual game of Mahjong is a three-to-four-player tile game similar to poker in execution. It's fun! Check it out. Read More.
NCIS, or Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an organization that conducts investigations on crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The show, which has aired since 2003, has been fairly successful, yet has only just produced a game in which you can take control of the characters of the show, investigating and analyzing evidence in order to bring down the bad guys. Read More.
A Ruberg-machine construction game in the vein of The Incredible Machine, I Heart Geeks (or I
The pieces you're given determine how to solve the puzzle, and while some of the challenges may look easy, actually figuring out how to use what you're given is a different story. Read More.
Hollywood Crimes is a decent enough puzzle game with some weird structure and repetition. Billed as a puzzle game with a murderous plot, you find yourself as the newest contestant contestant on the popular "The Incredible Puzzle Masters". The thing is, previous winners are being killed off and your friend in the FBI has asked for your help in solving the puzzles that the killer has left behind. Read More.
Serious Sam is the antithesis of its own name: a series that laughs in the face of games that take themselves seriously, with grim stories and brooding characters. Serious Sam is a series about shooting lots, and lots, and lots of enemies as they barrel towards you screaming, firing rockets, exploding, and basically trying to kill you in any way possible while Sam cracks jokes and one-liners the entire way. Read More.
Rabbids: Alive & Kicking should've been a great party game. The crazy nature of the Rabbids, the possibilities afforded with the Kinect, it could've been a crazy cocktail that could be played at any event. It isn't. Read More.
Set in a more romantic period of plucky, heroic fighter aces, Air Conflicts: Secret Wars thrusts you into the Second World War, shooting down Nazis and saving the day. Unfortunately, it doesn't do a good job at it, creating some tedious and slow moments, pacing issues, and in general repetitive gameplay, having me wishing that I was playing something else on my Xbox 360. Read More.
The Dragon Quest Monsters series is something of a peculiar beast. Though it shares many stylish elements with its parent series, the Monsters spin-off has very little to do with the actual Dragon Quest franchise. And though it's often billed as a clone of the more-popular Pokemon series, it's got a number of distinctions that set it apart, making it an interesting game with some big problems. Read More.
Now this is a colorful game. I mean, really colorful. I'd like to talk about the graphics in Rayman Origins, a game which is the closest you'll ever get to a Saturday morning cartoon in video game form. Animation is fluid, colors are vibrant, and characters look like they're ripped straight from a cartoon. Read More.
I remember watching Family Feud, many years ago. The themed show, which pit families against each other, trying to choose answers in a list for cash, is still on the air today, but it has been a while since I've watched. Family Feud: 2012 edition will not having me watch it anytime soon. Read More.
Subtlelty is a craft, one borne through a lifetime of observation, and knowing exactly how to do something right.
House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Edition, on the other hand, is a game with a man named Agent G and a partner who swears every other sentence. Read More.
Skylanders is a game that is made to sell products, little figurines that depict the characters within the game. It's a well-made game with some cool tech, but at its core that's what it feels like, and that's its greatest problem. Read More.
Dungeon Defenders is like that friend you meet who seems pretty cool; they're a great host, listen to good music, and like to have people over for parties every now and then. But then they start saying some inflammatory things, you realize that they've said a lot of lies, and you feel a little uncomfortable with them when you're with other friends. Read More.
PowerUp Heroes was an interesting game to play. Going into it, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And when I first started playing it, I didn't quite like what I was seeing. As I began to play through it, and learn the rhythm of the title, however, it started to grow on me, just a bit. Read More.
