Bioshock Infinite was released on Tuesday, but those who share my affinity for the midnight launch ran out at midnight on Monday to charge, not into Rapture, that slumbering underwater dystopia, but to Columbia, floating sky city of tomorrow. Well, as envisioned by the academic elite of 1911 anyways. Clearly it’s a stark departure from what we’re used to in exploring the art deco halls of Rapture, but my excitement couldn’t be more overstated right now. This, I very much believe, will set the standard for immersion and storytelling in gaming and here’s why. Ken Levine is back Bioshock 2 was good. Very good, in fact. But it didn’t quite have the magic of the original. And I believe a big part of that was not having Ken involved. It’s not uncommon for publishers in any medium to rush a sequel of a proven success and while Bioshock 2 was carefully constructe and faired better than most, there was something missing and I’m glad to see the original vision of the Bioshock series is returning in Infinite. The sky is the limit One of my good friends told me recently that Infinite looked horrible on account of being a floating sky city. I can understand that position because of the radical departure from the world of Rapture, but I feel like there is a TON of potential here that the hesitant should consider. For starters, being set 40 or so years before the original allows for a alot of development and throwbacks to the characters we’re used to. Hopefully we’ll see the origins of some of the characters we came to love in Bioshock 1 and 2 like Andrew Ryan, Sophia Lamb, Fontaine, Tenenbaum, and so forth. This could enrich the mythos considerably or,...

I frequently write and shoot video extolling the virtues of modern games, but seldom do I dive into anything retro. Well, recently I got to hang out with Muzz from NerdKO and was floored by his collection of games. Such a thing cannot be UNSEEN and amidst this treasure trove of classics I once held dear, I realized there were some pretty gaping (and damning) holes in my personal NES collection. So, here are 5 games I’m searching for and a little background on why that is. 1. Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers Not only did I adore this show growing up in the early 90s, but I fell in love with the video game as well. Even at my young age of only 7 or 8 I could tell that the game was solid compared to other platformers I’d played and I spent a good chunk of my summer playing through the entire thing with my Mom. As Chip (uh, and Dale) you’d run around throwing items at enemies and truthfully it had some of the best graphics around at the time. 2.Metroid Not Prime or Corruption or Other M but the plain old, regular Metroid. Which, if you’ll remember was a milestone for gaming really as you’d discover the hoer, Samus was a woman at the end. It was a pretty big Shymalanian reveal and Nintendo quickly garnered praise for creating a game with deceptively rewarding play and bonus points for shocking all of us after her adventure on planete Zebes. Personally I remember looking at my grandparents’ hand-drawn maps when they were busy beating this title when I was a child and can’t for the life of me remember what I did with my original copy. So, here I am, 20...

If you caught Cheeky Geek Weekly 4, I mentioned briefly that I’d probably be checking out Ni No Kuni, the latest PS3-exclusive JRPG creation from Ghibli Studios and Level-5 games. Well, I went out yesterday and picked it up and was more than happy to pop it in for a few hours to see what I was missing. Ni No Kuni starts with Oliver, a young boy from Motorville, USA. After getting into some typical juvenile delinquency, it takes a turn for the tragic as Oliver loses his mother, Allie. Grieved by her death, he clutches a doll she hand-crafted for him, Drippy. As his tears fall to the doll it springs to life and reveals to him that he’s been alive the whole time, though in another world, parallel to Oliver’s. (In fact, Ni No Kuni literally translates to Second Country and is also called ‘The Another World’). In this world, a dark force has imprisoned what is basically Allie’s doppelganger and Drippy explains that, with the power of a magical tome, Oliver will be able to enter the world of Ni No Kuni and if he can rescue the sage, it might just mean he can bring his mother back to life. What first stands out is the GORGEOUS and I do mean GORGEOUS presentation. Studio Ghibli (Of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away fame) have done a bang up job with Level-5 creating a world that is nothing shy of dazzling. It’s bright, vivid, and makes any other game feel drab by comparison. While it may appear to be child-like in its presentation, the challenge certainly isn’t and a closer look reveals a deep and rewarding combat system that offers a fresh take on the genre. In addition to the traditional party...

I realize that title’s begging to get torn apart but bear with me. Halo as a franchise has long been synonymous with outstanding multiplayer and a solid (if sometimes contrived) sci-fi story that garnered consistent praise from reviewers. First, Some History However, later entries in the series were beginning to teeter on the edge of shark-jumping territory with the critically ‘meh’ Halo Wars and the appreciated though in ways underwhelming Halo 3: ODST. Halo Reach was a welcome course correction with stellar Live play that satisfied, but the absence of Master Chief and graphics that were tolerable only in the silent light of a stable frame rate were like blood in the water for harsher critics. Then the bomb dropped- longtime developer and fan favorite developer, Bungie, would no longer be attached to the Halo franchise and the latest entry, nay trilogy would be helmed by Microsoft newcomer, 343 Industries. So were they able to fill the very large shoes of Bungie? Yes, and not only did they do the Halo series justice, but they managed to take an established, nigh-religiously revered, franchise and made it their own. Let’s start with graphics. There’s an old adage in video that says to make sure you’ve got the best possible audio recorded because audio is 50% of your video. Similarly, while almost every critic in the world has snobbishly sworn that ‘gameplay’ is the most important element of a game (the word’s right there at the beginning, you see), graphics and presentation are leaps and bounds more important than they’re often given credit for. Saying a game’s ‘feel’, for example is really a description of how well your actions on the controller translate visually on the screen. Technically speaking every game from Mario Kart to Doom...

So far I’ve spent about 6 hours with Borderlands 2 and am happy to say that I’ve come away much amused and hungering for more. Part of that’s the loot-hound in me and the other part is one that lusts for cel-shaded graphics. Either way, here’s why Borderlands is a rootin-tootin, slaughterfest of a good time so far. The Writing is Much Improved Former Destructoid editor-turned Gearbox goldenboy, Anthony Burch is the brainchild of the game’s story and while I’m just getting started, it’s clear that Borderlands 2 has a lot more meat on its bone than its predecessor. While elements are the same, there’s a fresher feel to the story and a clear build that starts pulling together the different sections of the original into a cohesive story. The Interface is Tighter The first Borderlands was a great game in its own right, but one hampered by the feeling that the entire presentation could’ve been a bit tighter. It could often be cumbersome or confusing to compare a new weapon against one you currently had equipped, for example. Borderlands 2 simplifies a lot of this with sharper, clearer menu presentations, along with more logical upgrade paths for your character’s skills and abilities. The Humor is as Sharp as Ever Humor isn’t an easy thing to pull off in a videogame. In movies and television it’s easier by virtue of the medium. You don’t have to overcome any obstacles to digest the entire morsel of entertainment, it just goes, you laugh and that’s the end of it. In games however, you have the potential to hear the exact same line of dialog hundreds or thousands of times which takes even the funniest jokes and turns them into teeth-clenching affairs that make you want to...

I confess, my experience with Uncharted: Golden Abyss‘s big brothers has been limited. I’ve played them for a few hours each, and much appreciated the production values that went into them, but for some reason or another had neglected to stick with them. However, it’s one of those gamer itches I’d always meant to scratch at some point in the future so I was delighted to hear that the PS Vita version, Golden Abyss was to be a prequel taking place before the series initial outing, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.  So now that I’m starting out from the beginning of the mythos, how does Golden Abyss fare?  Read on. Uncharted: Golden Abyss starts off briskly with Drake arguing with his partner, Dante before flashing back two weeks before the incident.  Drake and Dante along with Dante’s partner, Marisa Chase are exploring a dig site in Panama.  At which, a wealth of Spanish conquistador corpses who were apparently poisoned are discovered, and a long, drawn out mystery begins unraveling itself.  While the story remains mostly entertaining throughout, there are some pretty heavy-handed plot devices and turns you’ll see coming a mile away.  Still though, the voice acting is solid even if some of the dialog’s a little questionable. Graphically, Golden Abyss is a tour de force of the Vita’s capabilities.  Whether Drake is shimmying on the ledge of an ancient ruin, sliding full force down a shallow waterfall, or leaping the distance of a nigh-impossibly large gap to safety with the setting sun in the background it all looks gorgeous.  Animation is fluid and not at all stiff, but the occasional graphical hiccups do manifest in the form of clipping issues. Gameplay in Uncharted remains as solid as its console counterparts.  The only shortcoming that I see would...

It’s often easy to think of a game fitting purely into a defined genre and sub-type. For example, too often violent video games strictly conjure up imagery of first-person shooters illustrating war-torn conflicts between alien races or too-close-to-home terror plots. Platformer are often assumed to require some cartoonish protagonist and the type of harmless hoop-jumping that pushes you closer to say, saving the princess. Sound familiar? While these gaming experiences may be commonplace and forge the stereotypes so many gamers and non-gamers alike have come to recognize, every now and then a truly unique entry into a genre comes along offering a sweet departure from the familiar. For platformers, Sound Shapes is that game. A cross-platform platformer playable on both the PS Vita and the Playstation 3, Sound Shapes, as the name implies, revolves heavily around shapes and sound. Immediately apparent is the starkly contrasted, minimalistic approach not only to game play, but in the design of the entire experience. You’re instructed to jump, roll, stick, and reach the end of each level and avoid red things along the way. Checkpoints are immediately recognizable and beyond that you’re off and running-er, rolling. Every action harmoniously synchronizes its sound effects with the music. As you roll on collecting notes and progressing from one level to the next, it’s incredibly satisfying to hear the audio cues you’re collecting slowly but surely build into a pleasing composition that thematically matches the layout of the level in which it exists. The art direction here is top-notch, providing not only mountains of charming eye candy, but visual consistency that makes progress satisfying and rewarding. The other half of that direction is, of course, the sound. There are some well-known artists featured here with Deadmau5 and Beck both lending some original...

I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan all last week on business. I’m sure I’ve gone back and forth before about how I will never buy another handheld system and how the glory of iOS is meeting all of my on-the-go gaming needs, but I just couldn’t help myself. When you’re stuck living in a hotel for a bit, you can convince yourself to buy just about any frivolity imaginable in the interest of quelling boredom. That’s precisely what I did when my friend, Jared, innocently suggested I should buy one and almost immediately I agreed. So, we went to a local game store, where I plunked down nearly $300 for a PSVita, memory card, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Mortal Kombat. Thankfully, buyer’s remorse hasn’t caught up to me yet so I thought I’d take this time to talk about the system and share my thoughts on it. For starters, the build quality on this thing is rock solid. It’s lightweight, but has a very tight feel to its sprawling, 5-inch OLED touchscreen and the inclusion of dual analog sticks should be heralded with the kind of momentous grandeur as a space shuttle re-entry. Seriously, why has it taken nearly a decade for a console maker to realize that dual analogs should be standard for portable games with 3D graphics capabilities? I don’t mean to get so huffy about it, but the fact that it’s taken this long for something so simple included is insane. Try making a regular console without dual analogs and see how well that goes. It’d be like driving a car where the steering wheel has been replaced with a tire iron- technically still functional but exactly as retarded as it sounds. So yeah, pretty happy to have two analog sticks is what...

The bad news is that “The Packrat Show” is on hiatus until late Julyish. The good news is that they’ve left us with a clip show of some of the best moments from Season 2....

  Well, it’s been nearly 10 years since we last saw Max in action and now we’re finally able to see what’s transpired since we last saw everyone’s favorite hard-boiled action hero palling around with Mona. So how do I feel having waited a decade to see Max back in action? Read on.  1. The Cover Mechanic Makes Sense Let’s forget for a second that Max Payne pioneered bullet time (even before The Matrix) and think about how games have evolved.  Pop-and-stop gameplay is nothing new, but MP3’s (heh) implementation of it is certainly well done.  A part of me cringed a bit seeing one of my old favorites brought up to more modern convention as it does detract a bit from the challenge, but ultimately with as much action as this game throws at you it’s kind of a necessity. 2. Bullet-Time Looks Even Better Slowing down time while you dive through the air, effortlessly dispatching a roomful of enemies before you even hit the ground was always satisfying.  But now?  Continuing the action after you HIT the ground laying even more waste to everyone?! Good LORD! @With the new physics it looks better than ever as Max’s dives are made more realistic thanks to the Euphoria engine.  Shoot-dodging has NEVER looked this good. 3. The Presentation is a Little Different Than You Remember Max may have retired from the NYPD, but I guess a part of me expected to still see the graphic-novel style presentation I was used to, with James McCaffrey’s brooding delivery setting them up.  Maybe it was technical limitations at the time or a purely artistic direction, but I absolutely adored it.  Frankly, I’m sad to see it go, but the interactive cutscenes and the complete elimination of loading screens...

The Packrat crew does their impression of THE OFFICE. Only one of them is actually enthused to do so. Also reviews of MINUTEMEN (The WATCHMEN prequel) and Earth 2, which features the new gay Green Lantern –who just so happens to look exactly like the gay dude from Archie, but oh,...

… unless you’re ready to dance. Also, Jack and Josh cover the latest Avenger vs. X-men. Molly gives a 3 (out of 5) to YOUNG LOVECRAFT,  a comic that dares to imagine what H.P. Lovecraft might have been like as a child. And Caroline explains why the final issue of “hero-goes-bad” comic, IRREDEEMABLE, literally kept her up at night....

Other than giving us a reason to write “fellatio” for the second time this week at Fierce and Nerdy, the Packrat Gang, also reviews RESIDENT ALIEN #1, which they call “MURDER, SHE WROTE with an alien” — not in a good way, but if you’re Eric Sims, you’re probably rushing out to the comic book store right...

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen The Avengers four times so far and I’ve zero reservation about going for a 5th.  However, one thing I did notice amidst heading out to the theater over and over to see one of my favorite super hero teams is that Hulk seems to just about steal the show every time I venture out.  Now, historically I’ve never been a big Hulk fan.  I don’t have anything against Dr. Banner, I was just always more of an Iron Man/Spider-Man guy. That being said, I loved Hulk in Avengers and it got me thinking about my history with the character and I remembered playing Sierra’s The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Launched in 2005 on the original Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube, it was a (semi) free-roaming Hulk game that gave you complete freedom to level entire city blocks if you wanted to amidst the regular story missions and a variety of side missions.  I played this game through to completion and highly recommend it based on just how masterfully they captured the essence of stepping into the over-sized purple shorts. The story revolves around Banner, living in seclusion once more in a  small desert town trying to find a cure to stop his Hulk transformations.  While working in exile, he’s invited by Doc Samson to his hideout where they can build a machine together with the possibility of a cure.  Banner, naturally refuses on account of his not wanting to endanger anyone in the vicinity.  This lasts until mutant-bigot Emil Blonsky and Hulk’s classic foe, Thunderbolt Ross show up and throw a wrench in everything, forcing Bruce to transform, wreck everything around him, and allow the story to continue. Tons of Hulk’s signature moves from thunderclaps to flying...

This week the Packrat crew reviews DC Presents: SAVAGE — which has been getting a lot favorable comparisons to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. And if you love Greek mythology and you love Wonder Woman, then you definitely want to check out their rec of the latest Wonder Woman series, which set her character up in the world of Greek...

First of all, all kinds of yay that The Miss Packrat Show and The Packrat Show have now combined to make one super-show. Other than that we get awesome reviews of KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE, INCORRUPTIBLE,  — and if you loved The Hulk in THE AVENGERS as much as we did, you definitely want to stay tuned for The Packrat Show’s recommend of PLANET...

This week the Packrat gang stages a B-dryl intervention; reviews the new Iron Man graphic novel; recaps the China Mieville comic, DIAL H FOR HERO — sleepily; and gives the latest issue of AVENGERS VS. X-MEN a very enthusiastic thumbs up. If you were already excited about finally getting to see AVENGERS this weekend, you’ll be even more so after watching this...

Alright, a few weeks ago I went to Horrorhound Weekend (video recap of that right here if you’re curious).  After running around a convention centered solely around all things terrifying, it got me thinking that I hadn’t really played a good survival horror game in a while.  After hitting a local game store with my friends, we ended up picking up Dead Island and the Silent Hill HD Collection which includes Silent Hill 2 and 3 with updated graphics. So how did each fare as I dived back into the world of horror? Read on. Dead Island Dead Island was released in September 2011 as a zombie-fest that takes place on a fictional island of Banoi at a resort hotel not too far from Papua New Guinea. It’s an action-RPG with a focus on melee combat rather than firearms, or at least it would seem that way considering that out of the four characters you can choose at the onset only one is devoted to firearms while the other three specialize in blade weapons, blunt weapons, and thrown.  Locked in a safe room with a handful of other survivors, it’s your job to work together and find out what’s going on and stay alive in the process. From a presentation standpoint Dead Island‘s environments are immersive and beautiful.  The island locale is refreshing considering most zombie games put you in dank, derelict locations- but it’s not all sunsets and margaritas either; There are plenty of dark and foreboding locations to explore around the island and I’ll admit, even being a veteran to the genre Dead Island left me with chills in spots. Combat can feel a bit disjointed when using melee weapons, but for the most part the action doesn’t miss a beat.  Throw in a...

Jack and Josh review IRON MAN without his suit, Josh admits to actually liking Alec Baldwin’s THE SHADOW (nostalgia is involved), and apparently Shia LaBeouf has a comic memoir out called LET’S F*CKING PARTY, and it’s not...

OR The Problem with Preview Issues OR The Hulk’s Voicemail Message OR Who’s a Bigger Douchebag? Captain American or Cyclops? Trust us, this will all make sense after you watch this week’s...

If you’ve been watching The Walking Dead lately (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?) you’ve no doubt seen the trailer for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. I had really high hopes for this game because it was the first time we’d revisited Raccoon City in over a decade. However, if you’ve been looking at the review scores you already know that ORC is pretty bad across the board. I’m not here to do a full review of the game but what I would like to do is talk a little bit about what held the game back from being a worthy entry into the series. First up the artificial intelligence leaves something to be desired in a big, big way. While you can adjust the difficulty which in turn affects the artificial intelligence, it’s not enough. Enemies frequently wander away from you or forget to attack you altogether. Some even stand completely motionless, stuck to the floor. Unfortunately this behavior isn’t limited exclusively to the bad guys; Your squad mates don’t do very well either. While it’s definitely funny to see your teammates walk into explosions and come out flaming, it’s not very helpful in combat. Frequently they will leave enemies completely unharmed in firefights, focusing on the wrong threats or occasionally shooting in the wrong direction entirely. While the addition of four player cooperative play is certainly welcome, the game almost demands it to be effective. Of course it’s possible you’ll have the same frustration with your human counterparts. While you may be playing cooperatively, you will still find that the hit detection in this game is way off. Some zombies will go down after a couple of shots but others will take round after round, just refusing to die — Er, re-die....

Jack and Josh review Catwoman, Spiderman, Rocketeer … and give some poor guy shit for playing MAGIC.

There’s also a bonus mini-review of THIEF OF THIEVES, the latest Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD) series. Enjoy!

This week Jack and Josh review THE DEFENDERS #4, ANIMAL MAN #7 (way better than the title makes it sound), and the much-buzzed-about first issue of Image Comics’ HELL YEAH (pictured). Also, there’s a Batman “expert” — so yeah, definitely worth a...

From Ernessa: Well, if you’ve been following this blog since the beginning, you know I stan ALL DAY for comic books — especially graphic novels. So when Joshua Irish from “Game On” let me know that he was co-hosting a weekly comic book review show and asked if FaN could pretty please repost, I was like “Boy, is you crazy??? Of course, of course!” My only real issue is that I live right next to a comic book store, and I can already tell my wallet is not going to like this — especially Josh’s weekly graphic novel pick, as I already find it hard to resist graphic novels as it is. But enough about me, here’s this week’s episode. Keep coming back on Fridays for the best of the week picks from Packrat...

With Nintendo recently posting some horrible losses, a lot of which can be attributed to the rise in iOS gaming popularity, it occurs to me that if Apple really does plan on making a foray into gaming, there are some things that Nitntendo, Sony, and Microsoft can do to prepare for this by learning from Apple’s past successes.  Things like… Have an Ecosystem (Or Join One) Apple makes beautiful devices.  Simple, elegant, and highly functional. However, pristine as the iPad might be, it wouldn’t be very drool worthy if not for the variety of content available on it. I’m directing this point particularly toward Nintendo. For years they’ve hamstrung themselves with lackluster online experiences and clunky marketplace offerings. Making matters worse is that the bulk of their content consists of rehashed first party titles from years past that we’ve already purchased on another system Microsoft and Sony had a little more foresight here.  Both offer the ability to purchase movies, music, and games.  The meteoric rise of indie games is at least partially thanks to Microsoft’s outstanding support of 3rd party developers on its system. The difference between Apple and Nintendo is that while they’re similar in their pursuit of end-to-end integration, Apple’s model is more adept at leveraging the creativity of self-starters with its lush support of iOS development. Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication While motion controls were novel at their debut, Sony and Nintendo’s offerings looked archaic next to Microsoft’s Kinect. It had largely the same capabilities, but the package was more enticing without multiple accessories, batteries, and add-ons being required to make the experience fun. The same can be said of game design to a degree. Angry Birds is an astoundingly simple premise — slingshot birds to eliminate pigs. Five words. Done. In an age where...

It’s that time of year again where everyone gets a jump-start on the goals they’re going to accomplish as the new year arrives.  While other people are concerned with shedding a few pounds or finally getting around to cataloging their pristine collection of Star Wars Memorabilia, I’m only going to touch on my personal failings in gaming and how I hope to rectify them this year around with this handy top 5 list, so let’s get to it, shall we? 1. Find Every Last Riddler Trophy in BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY First off, if you’re unfamiliar with this incredible game (or in some nigh-impossible way, Batman himself), check out this trailer: If that doesn’t make you pop a giant nerd-boner then you’ve got some personal issues to work through. Not as bad as taking a bullet to the parents issues, but close. Anyways, The Riddler is back again in this follow-up to the groundbreaking BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM and he’s again left all manner of riddles, trophies, and hostages to be rescued all over the city.  All in all there are over four hundred.  So far in the normal pace of gameplay and completing it I’ve only found bout 160. Yeesh! So, this is something I’m committed to solving in its entirety, just to prove that I, indeed, am better than The Riddler. 2. Finish MASS EFFECT 2 Previously on GeeksPodcast I’d dissected how much I enjoyed the original MASS EFFECT and the improvements the sequel made.  Generally speaking it’s got a tighter, more action-oriented feeling and drops a lot of the tediousness that could come with managing your squad in the first game.  As a very well-written and compelling sci-fi adventure from Bioware I definitely want to finish this, but more importantly I want to finish it...

Skyrim, Bethesda’s followup to the critically acclaimed The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from 2006 offers an unparalleled experience in immersion.  In fact, that’s very much the reason I chose the title of this post.  As much as I wanted to continue the main quest I have ended up spending hours just marveling at the world or hunting wildlife. While I’m really talking about first impressions of the game, the truth is that a large part of that first impression is just how seamlessly the game pulls you into its world and refuses to let go. At the onset of the game, you find yourself imprisoned with a range of other criminals on a caravan headed for the chopping block in the village of Helgen. Shortly thereafter, a soldier finds that you aren’t actually on the same list as the rest of the accused and at this point you build your character the way it sees fit. With 10 different races to choose from and each with their own unique abilities and backstories, there is a lot of flexibility in building out your character.  Your race isn’t purely aesthetic either- the various denizens of Skyrim react differently depending on the race you choose.  As far as the aesthetics do go though the options for making your character your own are staggering from choosing your skin color to body proportions, tattoos, scars, and more!  Of course, after this is done a dragon shows up and pretty much ruins your execution – boo. All jokes aside though, Skyrim is thrilling from jump street. The fantasy world into which you’re plunged is so far beyond vast it’s staggering.  While many games can make the claim, Skyrim demands you rethink the entire concept of gaming. Skyrim isn’t about winning though you could certainly...

While Xbox Live might’ve termed it ‘The Most Anticipated Game of 2011’, that might be a bit of a stretch, I’d certainly been looking forward to it.  I very much enjoyed the first Gears of War and the follow up with the introduction of ‘Horde Mode’. The insistence on not straying too far from what worked kept the series close to my heart.  So how does the 3rd and ‘final’ entry in the series fair?  Read on. *Warning: Skip this paragraph if you don’t want spoilers for Gears of War 1, 2, and 3* Tons of trilogies in history have been a crap shoot. You’ve usually got a solid first entry and the 2nd and 3rd are anyone’s guess. So where does Gears 3 fall?  Is it Matrix Revolutions or Return of the Jedi? Honestly, it’s somewhere in between. Gears 1 was all about eradicating the locust horde in their home after detonating a light mass bomb and the sequel continued that competently with the locust retaliation through the sinking of human cities.  Gears 3 begins with a throwback dream sequence wherein Marcus is once again trying to save his father. While it certainly bridges the gap with its nostalgia, it also felt a bit tacked on somehow.  It’s one thing to tastefully reference a past battle for the fans to connect with and another to ask them to play through the same thing AGAIN. Thankfully it’s a brief sequence and the rest of the story progresses at a solid pace, as Marcus and Dom (noticeably more grizzled than their last outing) begin the battle once more, trying to unify the remaining and disparate colonies humanity has left. While the story might dip in a few spots, the action is still as solid as ever.  Inclusion...

In case you haven’t heard, Nintendo is prepping to launch its next gen system, the Wii U.  Normally I run out and buy nearly every gaming system at launch.  I actually waited overnight in a tent to get a Nintendo Wii with my friend in 2006 and was enthralled with the new system.  However, this time around I have some reservations that are putting me off.  For starters… 1. The Controller While an iPad-like interface sounds good on paper, in practice I see nothing but a nuisance here.  Nintendo’s new controller is supposed to look like this- “But Josh, look at it!  It’s like something out of the future!  Imagine the possibilities!” I agree, it’s certainly forward thinking, but just because a piece of technology is advanced, that doesn’t make it ideal for its proposed application.  I’ve no doubt many cool things can and will be accomplished with this new interface, but I also see a lot of pitfalls that aren’t being addressed. For example, laying a tablet in your lap or resting it on your knee is comfortable enough, but holding it up like a game controller seems painful, especially for extended play sessions.  Comfort aside, how much will one of these beasts cost?  I was irritated enough at the repeated cost of controllers and nunchuks on the Wii, so how much will this set me back? If that weren’t enough, look at the features on this thing: built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, speakers, front-facing camera, sensor strip, microphone and a 6.2 inch (15.7 cm) 16:9 resistive touchscreen That’s a lot of features!  However, what kind of havoc will all of these goodies wreak on battery life?  If I want to gorge myself on Doritos while I’m on a 4-hour Castlevania tear will I even...

I haven’t done many list-ish posts here on FaN so I figured I’d cut my teeth by talking about 5 of my superheroes who absolutely need a better video game.  Without further adieu, one of my personal favorites… 1. Daredevil Now, mind you, I realize he’s made appearances in games before, but I’d love to play an original story that explores the daily life of Matt Murdock.  Aside from stepping into the red leathers of the Man Without Fear and roughing up thugs throughout Hell’s Kitchen, it’d also be an interesting opportunity to explore Matt’s days as a defense attorney.  I mean, a lawyer game isn’t that far of a stretch (Phoenix Wright anyone?) and you could even weave the outcome of Matt’s court proceedings into where he prowls at night. Imagine that Matt Murdock is outmaneuvered in court by another attorney that’s in the Kingpin’s pocket and a murderer walks free.  You could use the information gathered during the cross-examination to hunt him down at night and depending on the choices you make have an  impact on your ability to dish out justice.  He may not be an A-lister in the Marvel universe, but he’s a personal favorite and his day job makes Matt a 24/7 justice machine. Of course, our next hero also has the ability to put a hurtin’ on evil in the daytime… 2. Blade Wesley Snipes was an amazing Blade, but you may not know that Blade the vampire hunter is actually a Marvel character who made his first appearance in comics back in 1973.  Now, Blade wasn’t the best vampire movie around, but as far as action goes it was a pretty good time and the concept of a vampire who can walk in the daylight but still...

Apple has continued blurring the line between our information and their closed (though beautiful) ecosystem.  Regardless of whether you are for or against this process, one thing is clear; they aren’t done yet and their entry into gaming is simply a question of when — not if. Apple is becoming synonymous with digital entertainment.  Whether or not you’re buying digital content through iTunes or rolling your own, odds are good you’re experiencing it on one of their  idevices and if Apple’s success in music, video, apps, and the forthcoming iCloud is any indication, I see no reason why they wouldn’t eventually pursue gaming as well. The groundwork is already there.  With iOS providing a uniform platform across three different highly successful  idevices, its already proven to be a magnet for developers both large and small.  From colorful and lightweight sidescrollers to fully realized 3D adventures that are graphically on par with consoles, the only piece missing is the ability to play on your massive living room display — oh wait, that’s right, you’ll be able to do that when iOS 5 comes out this fall with wireless mirroring. You can’t have a runaway success like Angry Birds on your platform and not raise an eyebrow.  Granted, Angry Birds could be construed as more ‘casual’ but what does that even mean anymore?  Can a gamer not be ‘hardcore’ if he or she only plays games on a phone?  For that matter, how phone-like do you even consider your smartphone to be?  If you’re anything like me, it’s more of a portable internet device that I can occasionally talk to people on for outrageous, unwarranted monthly fees.  The point is, gaming is transcending living room entertainment centers, desktop PCs, and even dedicated portable units to just...

I’m convinced Rockstar won’t be satisfied until it has created a superb experience representing every significant time period.  Such is the case with their latest effort, L.A. Noire. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, this detective drama deftly combines an intricately restored vision of the city with a stunning cast and a story that weaves itself in and out of the historical headlines of the period. You play as officer Cole Phelps, working your way up from beat cop to detective.  Gameplay revolves around investigating crime scenes, examining evidence, and interrogating suspects.  Interrogations are particularly thrilling thanks to RockStar’s innovative new approach to capturing the facial animations of the actors used in the game.  Rather than using motion capture balls to approximate the position of a furrowed brow or a subtle sneer, they utilized multiple HD cameras capturing each actor’s entire performance from every perceptible angle, creating a true 1-to-1 translation of the actor’s likeness and performance onto each digital model. While high production values are certainly desirable, a game cannot rest on them alone.  Many games have suffered from ho-hum gameplay that drug the experience down despite a beautiful execution.  Thankfully that isn’t the case here.  In fact, L.A. Noire represents one of the most harmonious unions of form and function, with the graphical presentation directly linked to gameplay.  Point in case, the technology I referenced earlier for the animation makes it devilishly difficult to sort out what suspects are telling the truth, half-truths, or outright lies.  Each character’s projected emotional state will have you questioning even the most insignificant assertions during your investigations and subsequently ratchets up the tension admirably.  Of course it’s not all piecing together the puzzles of Hollywood’s crime scenes and how they all comes together — there’s plenty of...

If you don’t have a PlayStation 3 or haven’t heard about the PSN outage I’ll give you a quick recap.  Last month Sony’s PlayStation Network servers were compromised, and the PlayStation Network was subsequently taken offline.  While we all had a good laugh at Sony’s initial misfortune, as time went on gamers were shocked and furious when the network remained down until … oh that’s right — it’s STILL down nearly a month later with no solid date on when it will be back up . A little system maintenance preventing online play and certain network functions is one thing, but this has escalated into a true catastrophe for Sony as even Congress has called into question Sony’s ability to aptly secure citizens’ personal information. I’m not here to slam Sony for a poorly architected infrastructure (lest I implicate myself as a suspect), nor am I a member of the entitled masses demanding various forms of compensation, but I would like to illustrate how Sony might have better handled the situation. For starters a little more expediency might have helped tremendously. Save for some very vague details, Sony initially was not at all forthcoming with information regarding the attacks. It would be one thing if the data at risk had been something less drastic like Trophy records, but what we’re talking about is the personal data and purchasing information of millions of customers. Making matters worse is that shortly after the initial attack that crippled PSN and after they’d released a statement about how they were working closely with a security consultant, a separate attack occurred in which it was confirmed that millions of credit card numbers had DEFINITELY been stolen. Ouch.  If something like this should happen again, Sony should make an effort to...

First I believe some introductions are in order.  My name is Joshua and I’m thrilled to be here.  Ernessa was an early supporter of my own blog, GeeksPodcast.com, so it feels great to be able to write something here on Fierce and Nerdy. Now for my latest geeky endeavor: my purchase of the Nintendo 3DS. I’ll be the first to admit that I have a horrible (or wonderful) habit of buying nearly every gaming system that comes out at launch and it’s been that way for as long as I’ve been a gainfully employed adult.  I’m not going to speak about the launch lineup of games, but rather how I feel about the system itself. That being said, the 3DS has some pretty interesting inclusions and some lamentable exclusions: For starters, the form factor of the 3DS is quite comfortable.  The shoulder buttons may feel a bit cramped at times, but I haven’t had any serious issues.  Also included is a charging cradle which is a nice upgrade from just a standard AC cable.  However, the battery life on the 3DS is much shorter than past Nintendo portables and it’s clear that Nintendo means to nudge 3DS owners to charge more frequently with the cradle.   Regardless, the unit feels sleek and sturdy — less like a toy and more like a solid digital companion. So it feels great, yes, but what about the graphics?  Well, if the original DS was like having a portable Nintendo 64, the 3DS is more like carrying a Wii in your pocket.  It’s a big upgrade to be sure, but don’t expect PS3 levels of beauty either.  As far as the 3D effect goes, it’s pretty neat!  Initially I thought it would be gimmicky, but Nintendo really has pulled...