1942: Joint Strike
Being a retro nut especially since I grew up with capcom games this was bliss for me. 1942: Joint Strike is a above par reboot of sorts to the 19xx series by capcom, visuals are fair, sound IMHO was perfect, presentation very proper for the theme, game play is a notch or two under the previous 1999 entries into the series since the combat reflects more on the 80s titles. Honestly speaking the title is a bit underrated if you ask me especially with other shumps like Ikagura on XBLA but 1942: Joint Strike has a lot of soul that no one should neglect in any game. 7/10
Blurb: This game cost me a pizza once as I honestly dropped my controller while playing it in a bit of a rage fit, then in the process knocked over my pizza, which my pups very happily cleaned up.
A World of Keflings
Currently playing this title somewhat actively, must say I am enjoying it more than I ever thought I was going to enjoy it. Originally bought it to go along with some promo swag that went along with this title, Raskulls and the very awesome Ilo Milo. WoF is a rather cute take on the "god/overlord" quasi genre, while I will give the devs props for trying to make the game deep as possible, at times the game just feels like it throws new blue prints at you just for the sole purpose of it. Customizing the towns to such a great degree is great it feels more of a requirement vs choice. Small nitpicking aside though the game is very fun, visually original/above par, audio is fitting with gibberish making it that much entertaining, game play is again a bit too busy at a few times but it's not annoying. 8/10
Evil thought. While I know it's a family title I honestly wish there was a way to at times actually slay a kefling lol, guilty pleasures of kicking em just leaves a teasing feeling of actually being able to kick em into the sea, a lumber mill, or into the pick axe of another kefling!
Aegis Wing
Who wants a free game? Aegis was a freebie (still is) thanks in part to some nice folks who just want to make games, people usually (not always) link free to "Crappy" but Aegis Wing is a fun not always easy shoot em up (shump) which also can be a great way to entertain tipsy pals or family up to 4 at a time lol. Aegis Wing's learning curve unlike a few other shumps is somewhat fair, action is never overly aggressive in bullet count as the more popular J-Shumps or love letter to J-shump types, but can still make you flex your reflexes a bit. Co-op locally is where Aegis Wing shines so much though, from the "Voltron" like union of the ships (sans robot form) to the natural reactions of playing hectic screen filling games with people, more than make up for a few rough nit picks in the control flow. Visually it's not super no.1 winner but effective, audio falls short minus the sfx which i feel are more than proper, game play is almost almost close to silk smooth but feels a bit off, however the mechanics are super sweet, co op really brings that all out! 7/10
Blurb: I always thought the ships somewhat look like the space winnebago in space balls. I know...I'm fucking nuts but can you blame me?
Oh sweet jesus! Those who really know the gamer in me know that I am a HUGE Sega fan(retro specially)!, Huge arcade fan..so combine the two into something like this and I literally have total bliss. Left and Right I always hear how "short/repetitive" most Sega Arcade titles are, but I honestly feel people ignore the fact that arcade titles were never meant to have 20+ hour campaigns etc (something which not all "AAA" home console titles can pull off as is....) but are only meant to give you a challenge. Top score runs are the original achievements/trophies. Visually After Burner Climax is a bit in the past but the fast frame rate, visually cool art style, particles etc still get the job done well. Sega KILLS me on the audio, their legacy for cheesy tunes but yet fitting in a "camp" way is very evident here, but the sound effects easily drown out the 80s style cheesy action OST. Gameplay the game is easy to get into, somewhat challenging to master (cheat users go f*** yourself) and controls can't be any smoother/perfect for this game. 9/10
Note: SEGA can never do no wrong.....well except for that Golden Axe Beast whatever game.... 2 or so years ago..FML
I have yet to play this.... Bring on the hate mail!
Reason for purchase: Hype, Love Remedy, hoping to actually play it when I got it.
Reason for not playing it: Not really sure, but for a fact I knew it was in my must play queue but I think either an injury (which put me in a rut) or maybe some fighting game kept me from it.
Will I play it?. Yes hope to get through this prior to playing ..... (wait for it)
Yep I want to play these in order at some point soon just for the hell of it to be honest, as I have been super super close to just playing this first
Reason for purchase: Impulse buy, plus I honestly want to play both title in the series very soon back to back
Reason for not playing: I want to play the original Alan wake first, plus like always other game take center stage but I may crack soon.
Will I play it?: Of course ...or so I say for the purposes of this entry!
Alien Hominid HD
Now here is a game that amazes all the senses a gamer has, eyes for visuals that represent the creators vision, game play that will punish you for being lazy, but never irritate you (unless you suck), musically savy for it's theme, full of heart all thank to the imagination of Dan Paladin and company. Silky smooth mechanics, amazing art style, super fitting music, learning curve nearly perfect, enough variety to warrant multiple play through's plus the co-op? Awesome. XBLA I salute you for hosting this gem even though I was a first time console player on the cube, plus was a fan of the original flash version. 9/10
Blurb: Playing this game on the cube after a few too many beers, I was starting to have this huge craving to be able to use my playstation 2 controller on my cube, thankfully for 30 bucks more I just got the ps2 port :)
Alien Hominid HD
Now here is a game that amazes all the senses a gamer has, eyes for visuals that represent the creators vision, game play that will punish you for being lazy, but never irritate you (unless you suck), musically savy for it's theme, full of heart all thank to the imagination of Dan Paladin and company. Silky smooth mechanics, amazing art style, super fitting music, learning curve nearly perfect, enough variety to warrant multiple play through's plus the co-op? Awesome. XBLA I salute you for hosting this gem even though I was a first time console player on the cube, plus was a fan of the original flash version. 9/10
Blurb: Playing this game on the cube after a few too many beers, I was starting to have this huge craving to be able to use my playstation 2 controller on my cube, thankfully for 30 bucks more I just got the ps2 port :)
Now here's a toughie, one can argue I have actually played this game since it went into the console, I was actually playing but to be honest not even 10 minutes into the intro/tutorial portion. So........ I will say this actually goes into my pile of "have never played"
Reason for purchase: Saw it on sale for 19.99 early into it's release time frame, plus the monkey likes the franchise. I'm a nice guy like that at times /snicker PLUS It's a Sega Release
Reasons for not playing: Just another victim of the backlog plus I was a bit burnt out on fps game at the time as well, look very fun though.
Will I play it?: Maybe, just happy it has a home vs being in the cheapo game bin loop at gamestop or w/e not :(
Alone in the Dark
Not a fan of the series, no time spent on the game.
Reason for purchase: Two reasons here, one it was 7.99 new plus at the time I felt the atari name may go belly up so felt like owning a bit more of the history of the once mighty company..... lastly monkey is a fan of the series, he even spent time on the original pc/psx titles.
Reasons for not playing: Not a fan of the series, not a fan of what I've seen gameplay wise
Will I play it? Nope
Altered Beast
One of my absolute favorite 80's/all time Sega titles. Gotta say this game was full of cool things to make any young boy/girl go "ohhhhh, ahhh, whoa" or make any gamer proclaim that this game was cool. Morphing into mythical beasts while waiting to see what "nasty" or "scary looking" monstor were coming up next was so great that it almost got you to forget about the not so tight mechanics, cheap hits (many brawlers then were guilty of this)... but hey YOU WERE MORPHING. Great visuals for the time, aka big sprites, color variey, cheesy yet at the time great music score, more than fitting sfx (voice over crazy for the time) mostly spot on (minus the hiccups and cheap hits) mechanics all gave Altered Beast a place in many gamers hearts. 7/10
Genesis Port: YUCK. I honestly just....when you tout that your 16 bit "power" brings the hits home .... I feel that this claim has to be accurate for the money. Levels were shorter, gameplay felt looser, more cheap hits, etc etc. Sure N.E.S ports were far from spot on but I rarely saw as many "cuts" as in this "16 bit power" port......
Amy
Amy at first looks brings back memories of games like the psx era Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Clock Tower games. Going past just looking, we find a game that calls back to the mood/structure of those titles but brings a few twists to the mechanics of the games it pays much homage to. Praise to it's styling, roots, direction and all, one can't really ignore a lot of the visual issues, as in a reality while graphics rarely break a game's charm/hear for me in these types of games the visual aspect has to have enough "umph" to grab you, while that is VERY present in this game, it's not without flaws. Controls are "tank" like in the sense that you must adjust your direction manually etc as you move which many people always hated. Amy's sound score is IMHO perfect for the genre/game, not exactly new or groundbreaking, but great stuff here. I enjoy the game, but I won't lie it's a love letter to the genre but falls short of bringing any new life into the classic style of the genre. Amy's story, presentation and obvious breath of fresh air into a genre that is quickly turning into a running with guns fest more thank makes up for it's technical short comings. 8/10 (4 point gain for story/presentation alone)
Army Of Two (Awesome Co Op Of 8BillionFive Megatons Series)
Army of Two has always been met with harsh views on it's crazy "mechanics" or basically on the fact that you can't outright just rambo through the game unless you KNOW how to properly. Say what you will the game was pretty much born (yes born) to be a co op only affair, screw the AI you must call in a real living breathing and hopefully trustworthy partner (or in my case a drunker sailor mouth partner who kept making some lewd male to male remarks ...in game males). Graphically the game was on par with many other shooters while not in a particular a standout, I felt it did a great job making you feel like you were in the actual conveyed areas animations were a bit stiff at time but what was there was workable. Soundscore I felt was a great point in the title with each gun having somewhat slightly more realistic sfx than other shooters but not real real, the music I felt just really rang of "bro action" movie to a max which is perfect for the game and in general a great score. Mechanics... most people hate the damage system (it's not all that fair per se) but when you combine it with the aggro system on the FOCUS on Co-Op it works out to be a challenge vs a chore however the aiming at times is seriously off not to mention control flow seems tight at times (not the right tight..haha) but much better than many other craptastic titles out there. Fun here with a bro....boring without a bro. 7/10
Bro Joey blurb: being able to "praise/punish" your bro was a cool little extra plus I felt the emphasis on bro to bro help was just enough to make me get all teary eye....../nut punch
Unibrocorn's blurb: The homo eroticism in it is fucking hilarious
Note: For some games I may tack on thoughts by others. I can't promise they won't be tasteless but I approve
Alone in the Dark
Not a fan of the series, no time spent on the game.
Reason for purchase: Two reasons here, one it was 7.99 new plus at the time I felt the atari name may go belly up so felt like owning a bit more of the history of the once mighty company..... lastly monkey is a fan of the series, he even spent time on the original pc/psx titles.
Reasons for not playing: Not a fan of the series, not a fan of what I've seen gameplay wise
Will I play it? Nope
Altered Beast
One of my absolute favorite 80's/all time Sega titles. Gotta say this game was full of cool things to make any young boy/girl go "ohhhhh, ahhh, whoa" or make any gamer proclaim that this game was cool. Morphing into mythical beasts while waiting to see what "nasty" or "scary looking" monstor were coming up next was so great that it almost got you to forget about the not so tight mechanics, cheap hits (many brawlers then were guilty of this)... but hey YOU WERE MORPHING. Great visuals for the time, aka big sprites, color variey, cheesy yet at the time great music score, more than fitting sfx (voice over crazy for the time) mostly spot on (minus the hiccups and cheap hits) mechanics all gave Altered Beast a place in many gamers hearts. 7/10
Genesis Port: YUCK. I honestly just....when you tout that your 16 bit "power" brings the hits home .... I feel that this claim has to be accurate for the money. Levels were shorter, gameplay felt looser, more cheap hits, etc etc. Sure N.E.S ports were far from spot on but I rarely saw as many "cuts" as in this "16 bit power" port......
Amy
Amy at first looks brings back memories of games like the psx era Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Clock Tower games. Going past just looking, we find a game that calls back to the mood/structure of those titles but brings a few twists to the mechanics of the games it pays much homage to. Praise to it's styling, roots, direction and all, one can't really ignore a lot of the visual issues, as in a reality while graphics rarely break a game's charm/hear for me in these types of games the visual aspect has to have enough "umph" to grab you, while that is VERY present in this game, it's not without flaws. Controls are "tank" like in the sense that you must adjust your direction manually etc as you move which many people always hated. Amy's sound score is IMHO perfect for the genre/game, not exactly new or groundbreaking, but great stuff here. I enjoy the game, but I won't lie it's a love letter to the genre but falls short of bringing any new life into the classic style of the genre. Amy's story, presentation and obvious breath of fresh air into a genre that is quickly turning into a running with guns fest more thank makes up for it's technical short comings. 8/10 (4 point gain for story/presentation alone)
Army Of Two (Awesome Co Op Of 8BillionFive Megatons Series)
Army of Two has always been met with harsh views on it's crazy "mechanics" or basically on the fact that you can't outright just rambo through the game unless you KNOW how to properly. Say what you will the game was pretty much born (yes born) to be a co op only affair, screw the AI you must call in a real living breathing and hopefully trustworthy partner (or in my case a drunker sailor mouth partner who kept making some lewd male to male remarks ...in game males). Graphically the game was on par with many other shooters while not in a particular a standout, I felt it did a great job making you feel like you were in the actual conveyed areas animations were a bit stiff at time but what was there was workable. Soundscore I felt was a great point in the title with each gun having somewhat slightly more realistic sfx than other shooters but not real real, the music I felt just really rang of "bro action" movie to a max which is perfect for the game and in general a great score. Mechanics... most people hate the damage system (it's not all that fair per se) but when you combine it with the aggro system on the FOCUS on Co-Op it works out to be a challenge vs a chore however the aiming at times is seriously off not to mention control flow seems tight at times (not the right tight..haha) but much better than many other craptastic titles out there. Fun here with a bro....boring without a bro. 7/10
Bro Joey blurb: being able to "praise/punish" your bro was a cool little extra plus I felt the emphasis on bro to bro help was just enough to make me get all teary eye....../nut punch
Unibrocorn's blurb: The homo eroticism in it is fucking hilarious
Note: For some games I may tack on thoughts by others. I can't promise they won't be tasteless but I approve
Army of Two: 40th Day (Awesome Co Op Of 8BillionFive Megatons Series)
More bromance, bigger guns, more bling, better mechanics, a few tweaks to controls, still rather frustrating challenge, a few morale testing story points, bigger explosions plus worse polygon clipping than in the first title which.. I'll explain later. What we have here is a perfect example of how to STICK to your fans, improve on the few noticeable (but missing a few minor ones) flaws, giving players more of what was right plus wrapping it all in a nicer looking nicer sounding package. Visually I feel the game was a rather good leap vs the first game especially in the feel of the art style, sound again is spot on, but I feel the overall presentation/menus were a step back somehow. Game play the game is sure at least 3 steps past the first but the still at times off aiming, plus mostly unchanged aggro system (a few touches were in order I feel) still have this title falling short of AAA. Great Co Op game once again much better much more of the same but once again, solo play is boring. 8/10
Bro Joey blurbs: I honestly feel the last section of this game was more than responsible for me nearly tossing live bombs at my co op pal, I are evil for that but man we were at it for 4 hours.
Unibrocorn's Blurbs: IMO, relatively difficult and still wondering where the hell all those cats are
(and what they are for). Heavily armoured enemies a real pain in the ass, which
in the end makes it extra rewarding. Still all the good homo erotisicm from Army
of 2 #1
Now for your viewing pleasure........
Photo by me
"Looking Further In"
Photo by me
"telescoping the issue"
Photo by Unibrocorn
"Come get it big boy"
Photo by Unibrocorn
"Waiting on the big bang"
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