PlayStation, PC, XBox, Wii, PSP… we’ve got them all.
Model: Ouya (sku: 8042042)
Website: https://www.ouya.tv/
MSRP: $99
I’ve waited to do this review. Having funded the system during the original KickStarter campaign, I’ve had it for quite some time. Truth be told the system, as originally delivered, was more than a little rough around the edges and the games available less than impressive. I decided to allow some time for the software (and a few minor hardware) issues to be settled before forming my opinion.
Rated M for Mature, Reviewed on PS3
Big budget gaming is a glut of sequels and mimics. The reason for this is lamentable but obvious. Namely that big budget gaming needs big budgets. Selling lots and lots of games gets you those so you make games that you know will sell. In an arena filled to bursting with Battlefighterwarduty thirty-eight, it’s especially refreshing to find a game both so originally minded and perfectly crafted.
“God of War: Ascension” at amazon.com
Rated M for Mature, Reviewed on PS3
Kratos and I go back a long way. The first game, on my beloved PS2, was a revelation. The sheer power and brutality hit you like a brick, but it was the strength of the emotional narrative that kept me interested and brought me back. The second game sent the PS2 out in style and the third dragged the still fledgling PS3 to new heights. The two PSP entries may not have had quite the same impact but they still stand as some of the most impressive gameplay on Sony’s black slab.
Unrated; Reviewed on PC
Black Mesa is an unauthorized, total recreation of Valve Software’s 1998’s seminal classic “Half-Life” using the Source Engine pioneered in “Half-Life 2”. The large, all-volunteer team spent over eight-years to reach this point and released the first portion of the game, encompassing the first 13 chapters of the 17 chapter game. Only the questionable “Xen” final sequence of the game has been eliminated but will reportedly be released by the end of the year.
If you care about video gaming at all you’re probably already familiar with the recent announcements by Microsoft and Sony. Despite that fact that both of these systems were introduced earlier I wanted to wait to until after the E3 Press Conferences to get a broader picture before I weighed in. With exciting shows from both companies on Monday the stories are likely as clear as they’re going to be until the actual launch. Before diving in however let me give you a little background on my current gen experience.
“The Last of Us” Official Website
Rated “M” for Mature; Reviewed on Playstation 3
This is a short review of the playable demo of “The Last of Us” released on June first. Here I’ll be focusing on the environments and characters. Visit our sister site, MoreBrains.com, for our thoughts on the game’s enemies. I had previously discussed thoughts on the first trailer for the game in E3 Comments: “The Last of Us”.
Almost a year ago I gave some strangers $100 of my money. They promised me that within a year they would give me a small box that would change my life. (Making it completely different from, but reminiscent of, the puzzle box that releases sadistic demons in HellRaiser.)
The box would allow me to play Android games in full 1080p on my giant TV. It would give me a high-end wireless controller just as good as my other consoles. It would use a Tegra 3, turn on almost instantly and feature XMBC thus giving my current go-to media player, the beloved PS3, a run for its money (or at least a chance to rest). It would be completely open and you could try anything you like before you buy it.
I can’t stress enough: this was a big risk. There was no guarantee that I would ever get this box. But me and 60,000 other people gave them our money anyway, crossed our fingers, hid from our suspicious spouses and hoped.
It seems like forever ago but the Ouya is real. The thing, the actual damn thing, will start shipping to people like me – better than that to people that are actually me! – in three short days. It just struck me a few minutes ago how God Damn cool that is.
“The Ratchet & Clank Collection” at amazon.com
Rated E10+; Reviewed on PS3
The “Ratchet and Clank” series, along with the equally excellent “Jak and Daxter” and “Sly Cooper“, made the PS2 the undisputed king of action platform games. While the “Jak” series soon took on an epic gravitas and Sly Cooper expanded on its trademark cartoon heists Ratchet and Clank were always about having a good time with a massive arsenal of insanely fun weapons.
“The Unfinished Swan” at playstation.com
Rated E10+; Reviewed on PS3
“The Unfinished Swan”, developed by Giant Sparrow, is the latest game to come out of Sony’s incubator initiatives. Sony is making a habit of spotting and encouraging promising new development teams. While the PS3 definitely can’t rival the PC in the sheer volume of independent and experimental games, it stands well above the other consoles in this area.
I’ve been playing with generating Minecraft worlds based on custom seeds and I came across a nifty one that happens to be super easy (for me) to remember: “I Love Carol” (or “-1731112262” for you squares) in honor of my lovely bride. (This was done in version 12w42a, by the way.)
There’s a jungle temple (x: 22, y:74, z: 119) very near the spawn point (x: -19, y: 67, z: 249) with quite a bit of gold. Not far from there lies a very large plains village (14 buildings including a blacksmith’s with diamond and several wheat fields, x: 324, y: 73, z: 196). Close by is a massive series of criss-crossing chasms with a ton of exposed coal and iron (x:321, y: 69, z: 113) and there’s a decent-sized pumpkin patch on the plains. All of that is snuggled up to an “Extreme Hills” biome for the emerald hungry.
Further away there’s very tiny village (only two buildings, x: -218, y: 74, z: 597) with a surface opening to an abandoned mine very close (x: -165, y: 63, z: 575). Finally, an easy walk from this village (and intertwined with the nearby mine) is a massive fortress (the portal is at x:-178, y:11, z: 751).
Happy mining!
