Psychonauts First Impressions

I buy a lot of charity bundles. I figure that if I don’t play video games all too often, I might as well amass a digital collection and donate to good causes. This gives me an incentive to try out video games I might otherwise not pay attention too, which is a shame given some of the titles I own. On one summer night I downloaded through my Humble Bundle library an action platformer from a developer I greatly admire and played through the first level or so. It might be too late to be relevant since I already started soon, but it’s still August, so I am finding time to talk about Psychonauts, Double Fine’s first retail video game release.

Blackwell Legacy Review

As I continue to rack up games in my collection, I need to find ways to justify actually playing them. One reason to go through and beat a game is to get all of the trading cards for crafting badges during a Steam holiday sale. An hour or two of trying out something in my library is enough to get all of the card drops, and if the game is short, a chance to write about something I liked. Thus I started playing the Blackwell series, and I can tell you why I would recommend this adventure game to others. Additionally, since I did not need to spend much time reaching the ending, I can review it rather than give a first impression.

Lufia 2 First Impressions

The summer season is upon us, and the regular video game releases slow for a while. Some fill in the gap by purchasing discounted games on a digital distribution service and engaging in a community metagame to win prizes. Others raise money for charity by showing off how to complete games as quickly as possible, sometimes by breaking the game entirely. A while ago I noticed one video game site was doing a sort of book club by asking people to play through old Japanese developed console role playing games and discuss them at set times. The event inspired me to get a hold on an old out of print Super Nintendo game that, after playing for about an hour, I can say that I really should have picked it up earlier.

Brütal Legend First Impressions

Last year I attended an event called Day of the Devs in San Francisco. A company named Double Fine teamed up with other local video game developers for a showcase for upcoming games. It was cool seeing stuff that would not normally be stocked on retail shelves, and it was a chance to get a game I bought years ago to be signed by Double Fine founder Tim Schafer. Since I need to catch up on my game backlog, here’s an explanation of why I liked the first experience with the last full priced retail game Schafer’s studio produced.

Barkley 2 First Impressions

With May and a change in season approaching, it’s time to give an update on my video game playing habits. Unfortunately, the only title of note recently has been Bravely Default, so I need to pull some information from months past. The first article on this blog dealt with a demo I saw at a convention back in 2012. While I have not traveled far for a games expo, I did attend the Game Developers Conference this March and checked out an independent developers section separated from the main expo floor. I backed this project this Kickstarter, and it’s about time I talk about my impressions of a build of Barkley 2.

Bravely Default First Impressions

The blog has been silent for a while, but I have been keeping up with gaming news. Playing the new titles I purchased need to wait for more pressing issues, but I still sit down for a session once in a blue moon. Other times I try out a game only to find out that I am obsessed with it to the point that I want to write about it before I go any further into the adventure. For a recently released Japanese RPG on the Nintendo 3DS, I find myself in this situation. I better write about it before defaulting on more important obligations.

No Money for Music: February 2 - 8, 2014

The first month of the year is behind us, and Google is done featuring upcoming artists by genre. This week is another Antenna Sampler with plenty of variety as well as music to celebrate Black History Month. For a consecutive week, Starbucks picked a song as a free download. For explanations of musical picks and more, check out the list after the break.

Jetpack Joyride Review

While keeping up with video game news I heard of this phone application called Flappy Bird. It was a free endless runner that got so popular that something made the creator take it down from the store. I didn’t bother downloading it, partly because I don’t play games on my phone too often, but also because I already had a similar game that cost nothing, was easy to learn with plenty of challenge available, and most importantly did it with style. It’s time to blast off with my positive review of Halfbrick’s runner Jetpack Joyride.

Crowdsourcing Picks: February 2 - 8, 2014

The weekly list lets me record projects worth backing, some local and some worth exploring. Kickstarter had a daily pick for renovating Doggie Diner statues, so I knew a little bit when I saw a newspaper article about them. Video Game High School is getting ready for a third season, opting for Indiegogo instead of Kickstarter for the previous two seasons. Support the arts with projects like localizing a Japanese animated movie, or support efforts to hack your car. See for yourself if you like any of these projects to back them.

Enslaved First Impressions

Before Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica released their action titles for the PlayStation 3, a studio in the United Kingdom brought an action game to the system. The title showed promise of what the developers at Ninja Theory were capable. I was pleased to hear that the next title from the company would be a multiplatform action adventure title based on an ancient Chinese epic. While the acting and story engaged me during the first few chapters I played, my experience with other action titles of this generation left me thinking that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was a good but not great video game in its genre.

No Money for Music: Week of January 26, 2014

This week Google featured upcoming R&B artists in addition to its regular weekly picks. Beyond that, you could download singles from Lana Del Rey and Warpaint. Additionally if you didn’t like the iTunes pick from Vance Joy, you could get the new U2 single that was advertised during the big American football game. Check out all the songs featured on the following list.

Why I Stopped Playing Heavy Rain

Last week I mentioned how I eventually finish some games and that I want to see the whole game before giving it a fair chance. For some of the titles in my library I think I spent too much time playing them to write a First Impressions piece, but I have not finished it yet. For a few of these games, I deliberately put them down, thinking I would finish them later but never got back to them. For these video games, or “interactive drama” in this specific instance, I’m going to explain why I did that. Here are the reasons why I stopped playing Heavy Rain.

Crowdsourcing Picks: Week of January 26, 2014

Welcome back to another week of crowdsourcing picks. I should probably get these updates out earlier so that I don’t feel rushed trying to post updates limited to once per day and stagger the original content with the aggregates. The Maple Key Comics project led me to find several new artists to follow in the future. I even added in the La Mulana 2 Kickstarter project for backing an independent video game with a grand and challenging adventure. See the projects selected for yourself.

Ghost Trick First Impressions

In previous articles I mentioned how much I enjoy adventure games. I have beaten all of the Ace Attorney games that have been released in North America to this point. The creator of the series decided to work on something different after finishing the fourth Ace Attorney game. I spent some time playing that standalone adventure, and I would like to talk about the refreshing experience I got when playing Ghost Trick.

No Money for Music: January 19 - 25, 2014

Google continues to offer looks at what to expect in music for 2014. This week in addition to spotlighting Alt/Indie artists, Google gives away Grammy Award winners music both old and new. For more alternative music, iTunes offered a single from Bad Suns to download. Check some of this music out.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Review

Once in a while, I actually finish a game. The First Impressions series is for talking a bit about the games, but I don’t intend it to be the full picture. A good way to contrast this is to actually review a game, which I am reluctant to do unless I feel that I have seen everything the game has to offer me. Hop aboard a vehicle that is about to crash and burn, and I can tell you why I enjoyed playing the Playstation 3 Exclusive Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Crowdsourcing Picks: January 19 - 25, 2014

This week started off with Kickstarter featuring a project to record madrigals written during the Renaissance by a fourteen year-old girl. Techdirt spotlighted some nixie tube clocks, and some game studios got together to raise funds for a new action game. Lastly, Indiegogo reminds us that the Winter Olympics are around the corner with a project to help the Jamaican bobsled team to attend the event. Take a look for yourself.

Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures Watch Party

I mentioned in a previous article that I get a lot of my entertainment from the internet these days. In some instances, talking about a channel broadly is not sufficient to describe my thoughts on the subject. This classification of “Watch Party” is for those instances where I can talk about one entertainment event and why I think it is important to consider. For this first segment, we will be talking about a video game playthrough of a game I own but never bothered with because of the special multiplayer component. Instead of a review of a game, this is an article about pokecapn and company’s playthrough of the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures for the Nintendo Gamecube.

No Money for Music: January 12 - 18, 2014

The hits keep on coming in the month of January. This week Google gave away electronic music for the upcoming year in addition to daily picks and some country songs. The iTunes store offered a single from Jetta and, through Starbucks, one from Broken Bells. Find more information on the songs after the break.

Bioshock First Impressions

Irrational Games is one of the best development studios out there. In 1999 they made System Shock 2, a hybrid first person shooter/role playing game set in a creepy science fiction universe, and even now many consider it to be a challenging game with immersive environments, an engaging story, and a sense that the player’s choice uniquely affects how you actually play. Bioshock as a spiritual successor maintains that engagement and atmosphere years later in a completely new environment. A brief stint with the beginning of the game is evidence enough of that.

Crowdsourcing Picks: January 12 - 18, 2014

A new year comes, and the projects keep showing up. This week Kickstarter picked a game as a Project of the Day and a plugin to check the transit of emails. Techdirt had some simple ideas as projects to back. You could also back an MMO from an EverQuest designer or an RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy Tactics. Give some of them a look.

Ratchet and Clank First Impressions

Over the past few years, the market shifted from character-based platformers to multiplayer shooters. One developer, Insomniac Games, has offered games from both genres on a regular schedule. While Resistance is a solid sci-fi shooter, I prefer the more family friendly cartoon world of Ratchet and Clank.  Some insight on the choice might be gained if I talked about my initial experience with the series debut about a rogue space mechanic and his robot sidekick.

No Money for Music: January 5 - 11, 2014

The first full week of the year comes with more opportunities to download free songs. This week Google in addition to the regular lineup of free songs has a monthly Antenna Sampler, hip hop music selections, and a January 2014 metal sampler. Apple provided a MisterWives song to download on iTunes as well. Check them out while you can.

Shot Gaming Channel Spotlight

I watch a lot of entertainment on the internet. Most of it is related to video games as my Youtube subscription list attests to. It gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the content I watch and why I come back for repeated viewings. Right now, when I want to see video game reviews, I go to the Shot Gaming channel. I find it to be an informative and entertaining look at the latest PC gaming has to offer, even if I don’t drink all too often.