Cave Story (Wii) Review

Here we have another game I have some history with. Many years ago, I had tried to play Cave Story on the Wii until a specific boss proved exceedingly hard. Looking for help, I found instead that by taking an upgrade to my gun, I had screwed myself out of much more powerful ones later. Annoyed with the very "ha ha gotcha" feel of such a design choice, I quit. But here we are, years later, and giving it another try. And while I certainly can find some good in the game this time, it's only one of the issues that mars what many consider a classic.

The Legend of Kyrandia 2: Hand of Fate (PC) Review

Two years ago, the Extra-Life marathon of 2016 saw the completion of The Legend of Kyrandia early on. It was a fun little point and click adventure that, while it had a major bug towards the end of the game, I enjoyed a lot. So when this game came up as one of the possible next games to play, it intrigued me. After all, the first game completed it’s story quite well, so where would the sequel go? And while I must admit aside from the lands involved, it went somewhere completely unrelated to the original title… but at the same time, it still fit as a descent sequel, if not a great one. Come on in.

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist (PC) Review

This is a game that came to my backlog quite randomly. At least once a week, I try to go through the list of games Steam wants to recommend, and this one charmed me. Between the writer having done The Stanley Parable, the trailer being just a touch bizarre, and description that was half written before the writer Tina just quit and left, I was intrigued. So I added it to my backlog on the spot.

So when a game I’m trying to complete became unplayable yesterday (online game that as I type this still seems to be under a DDOS attack), I decided I would open something new… and the dice chose this. They did not choose poorly.

Xenogears (PS3) Review

When I first heard of this game, I was in college and some buddies were finishing it up. At the time, it looked cool, but I made note of it for later, as I had much more on my PC I wanted to get to. But I never forgot the game, so when I found out the prequel games were coming out for PS2, I decided to start there, but that proved an utter mistake as I found the game used the strategy guide as an extra-expensive manual. Still, that did not mean I didn't want to play this one, so when I could get it on PSN, I jumped. Now, as I’ve finally played through the whole 90 hour adventure, I have to say… I’m glad I did, but I’m not to sure everyone should.

Gaming Myths: NO GAMES (for the WiiU)!

We’ve all heard this myth before, regardless of what platform we choose to play. It seems no matter what you play, someone will try to tell you there are no games to play on it. But, is this true? For any given platform? I want to look at each current platform to see if there are any this really applies to. Let’s start with the one about to lose this status: the WiiU

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS3) Review

When the current consoles of the day were the original Playstation, the Sega Saturn, and the N64, I was pretty much exclusively playing on PC. Overall I would not complain about this, as this was the time I discovered some of my favorite games of all time. However, it did mean I missed a classic here or there that was exclusive to one console or another. And while I thought nothing of it at the time, this would be one of those games. Years later, I found myself adoring the newer Castlevania titles on the Gameboy Advance and DS as great exploratory games, so I also found myself wanting to play the first one to do just that. Now as I put my controller down, I’m glad to finally play this amazing entry in the franchise.

The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One (PC) Review

And here we have another game that comes back from my childhood. In this case, it was a PC game my brother picked up. I think he was amused that the villain was a joker named Malcolm. But at the time, this game ended with anger as a glitch in his copy broke the game when he was approached by the knife-juggling joker, which broke down the game screen before it into garbled pixels, prematurely ending it all.

Years later, I found not only this game, but the entire trilogy on gog.com, and remembering an interesting title. I wanted to see how it ended, I picked it up, playing the first game for Extra Life… and I can’t say it was a bad decision. Come on in and see.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing (Xbox One) Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced shit of this level. To be up front I actually bought and own the PC version of this game in my Steam collection, but when my brothers showed interest in playing this game together, I opened up the Xbox version I had gotten for free thanks to them buying me Xbox Gold for a birthday gift. They never joined me, and I don’t blame them. This game is an absolute heap of shit and one of three games in total now that even though a game ending bug did not occur, I did not and have no intention of finishing.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not quite as bad as the other two titles to have this fate with me. Had I been allowed, I would have finished this game just to say it was over. However, before I could finish, my subscription to Xbox LIVE GOLD ran out taking away this and every other game I had downloaded for free in return for using the service. Thank you Microsoft, for this early escape.

Undertale (PC) Review

Well, this was unexpected. When I first saw this game it was the feature of a let’s play by Joel at Vinesauce. Now if you are a fan of his work, you know he is known as much for playing absolute garbage games and making fun of them as he goes along as anything else. So when I the title picture of the first episode next to his name and what looked like the kind of flower-monster I personally would expect on old pre-IBM PC compatible home computers show up in my recommended YouTube videos, I immediately clicked it, expecting a garbage game that he would spend the entire time making fun of. But by the end of the first episode, I was proven wrong… so wrong in fact I have not yet watched the rest of his playthrough as I found myself wanting to play.

Fast-forward to about a week ago and I had just finished the latest book of Dreamfall Chapters and updated the review and I didn’t see any must play games on my list to fill the gap. Normally this would be a time when I would let a little bit of randomness help me choose what I play next, but Max convinced me to buy and play this game instead. As I put the game away now, I’m glad he did.

Transformers Devestation (PC) Review

Anyone who knows me knew the moment this game was announced it was going to wind up in my library. After all, I didn't stick with a lot of the franchises I loved as a kid, but something about the giant robots from Cybertron always stuck with me, and to see them now take form like they did when I was little was very exciting. But at the same time, as a fan of the franchise, I have seen many bad Transformer games over the years, so I watched cautiously... until I finally saw the game played by none other then "Motherfucker" Mike of Cinemassacre. I was sold, and as soon as I finished playing SOMA, I began playing.

Among the Sleep: Prologue (PC) Review

Sometimes a developer surprises you… for good or for bad. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised. When the original game came out, I was excited and wanted to play it as soon as I could. I walked away happy, but wanting more. Now there is more, and I had to come back to play it. Step in side with caution, however. This review is written like the expansion: assuming you played the original Among the Sleep. If you have, you are in for a nice little additional romp. If you are not, this review could be very SPOILERRIFFIC and I want to urge you to read the original review and consider the game based on that. You have been warned.

Case 004: Costume Quest (PC)- Cranky creatures curious caper to capture candy!

 

It’s October, and here at the Red Sector we like to celebrate with style. That means a sick amount of candy and booze. Games are good too! Being that time of year I thought I’d dive into some games that showcase this holiday’s essence and boy does this one have it in spades!

Case 003: Of Orcs and Men- (PC) The rising of a rebellious revolutionary rumpus!

 

 

Oh, it’s you. You’ll have to forgive me, I had JD for breakfast. Normally, I don't take to drinking so early, but I bend the rules when I get my ass kicked before the early cycles. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before, talked to the wrong dame, talked AT the wrong guy. You know how it is. Anyway, let me say that this is a case file that surprised me and I think it will surprise you too.

I found this file while cleaning out some of these data caches, this is relatively new, so give it the once over while I get something for this shiner.

From the Gamestop Files: Predictions Have Come True

We’ve been hearing it for a while. Hell, when we started to see game retailers get exclusive in-game stuff like skins for specific chapters in Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines depending on who you pre-ordered from, writers and bloggers began to get nervous of how far this could go. Today, their reason for worrying has been justified.

Among the Sleep (PC) Review

Yet another game I have been eagerly awaiting for some time has finally dropped on us. When I first heard of Among the Sleep, it was due to seeing it Steam’s Greenlight games, and listening to the studio making the game talk about it got my attention. However, it was upon seeing clips of the game in action that I figured this was going to be a winner. After all, who could make a game that could make something as simple as the family kitchen creepy as fuck? Someone who mastered lighting and made plates suddenly fall like something took a swipe to grab you and didn’t give a shit what was in the way, that’s who, and from that moment, I knew this game had potential.

Fast forward to a week ago when the game launched. Wanting to see if it still held that promise, I resisted the urge to watch a let’s play of the whole thing, but instead found one of the “alpha” build that was (and might still be) offered for free on the site’s kickstarter page. And man, this game even in an early build had the promise of scaring the FUCK out of the player. I bought it then and there.

So as soon as I finished with Wolfenstein, I loaded this one up and started playing. On the one hand, the game did NOT disappoint. It was every bit as disturbing as it promised. But on the other, it also did little else. It didn’t tell a story that had very much to it. It didn’t make me figure out anything at all. It didn’t even make me have to realize how to deal with the monster chasing me down the entire time. It made for a dipolar experience, that perhaps we should talk about. Step inside.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Sould (PC) Review

A game with a storied past, Diablo 3 had a very polarizing effect when it first launched. Fans of the game adored it to fanboy levels, while others hated the game with a passion known only in places that either start with H or have 7 suns to talk about the fires of. I myself had fun with it, but I didn’t find anything particularly exceptional besides the volume of polish (as much as I still personally love the Belial fight). So when I finished the game, I reviewed it for FrontTowardsGamer.com and pretty much was done. I don’t tend to play games a second time.

But when the expansion was announced, I pretty much knew I was returning. The idea of fighting the Grim Reaper himself was too much to not want to try. And with friends I knew would be right there with me for the fight, how could I resist? I picked the game up opening week, though I knew it was going to wait a little while due to all the games coming out at the moment that I wanted to play… one after another. So how was it? Actually, it was really good.

Ether One (PC) Review

When I saw Ether One’s trailer, I saw the potential to really play with an idea. After all, what could be cooler for a game then to go into a diseased mind to fight the disease? The potential was there to do some amazing things with this, and the trailer suggested you were going to be in danger in the mind you were trying to fix. This had all the potential in the world to be something cool, interesting, and if not a technical masterpiece, at least something to be remembered. Well, they got the last part right, but not much else. If you play, you will remember it, but you will likely also remember wondering why the hell this was even made as a game.

Deus Ex: The Fall (PC) Review

I heard all the warnings. I read the Steam forums as this game was getting ready to launch. Everyone warned me and anyone else who would spend the time reading not to buy this game and that it would be terrible. And yet I couldn’t help but think their reasoning was flawed. It seemed that everyone had shot the game down because it was a port from iPad, rather then even look at the game itself. I suspect most people complaining had never even played the game in any form before they started bitching.

With this in mind, I took the plunge with the intention to play, review, and report to you all if the game actually is any good. And as I finish it, I find myself disappointed. It was not the doom and gloom that the always complaining Steam forums made it out to be, but it definitely wasn’t good either.

Borderlands 2 DLC: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep (PC) Review

When the DLC for Borderlands 2 was coming out, I pretty much had no interest in any of them. Perhaps it was because I had played through all the DLC for the first game one after another and pretty much right after finishing the original, and frankly didn’t want to get worn out on such a good game again. Maybe they just didn’t offer me anything on the surface that interested me. I don’t know, but this expansion was different. I knew when I saw it I was going to have to play it. It just looked so different from anything else in the franchise. So I picked it up on a Steam sale when I got the chance. I then proceeded to begin playing it with a group of friends. However, that would be short-lived as we never finished the game as a group. Most of the guys moved on to the next game before we finished this one, so it remained partially complete, but never finished…

Until last week. Last week, found myself in an odd situation where South Park didn’t take nearly enough time to finish, and yet Deus Ex: The Fall was supposed to be out 2 weeks from then. It was an unexpected skip in my gaming schedule. So, without a clue how I wanted to fill it in, I found myself returning here. It was time to finish and review Tiny Tina’s adventure. So how was it? Why don’t you step inside…

South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC) Review

This is it. The first big game of the year that I was excited to see and had to play day one! I was excited enough, that I actually spent 2 weeks without a main game since finishing Saturday Morning RPG so that I could open this up and start playing that day! On that fated Tuesday, I went to several stores to pick this up for PS3, but found everyone sold out. It was annoying, and left me with a choice: do I get it for PC where I am very reluctant to get anything by Ubisoft due to their uPlay system, or do I get this on 360 where I have an old one my brother left at my place? With a little research, the game found it’s way into my Steam collection, as uPlay is not in the game and the console in question is one of the old white 360s which are known for certain issues. I started playing that night, and the game blew me away for the first few hours.

But as I finish the game last night, I find myself not so hyped for it and not so excited. The game is fun, but it is not anything as good as it could have been, and not near worth it for the asking price of a AAA game.