Get in the End Zone

Zone of the Enders was a fairly short lived video game franchise created by Hideo Kojima that garnered a lot of respect and hype when it was released on the PS2 back in 2001.  Since then a sequel, a prequel, an anime, and a newly remastered HD collection has spawned for gamers to enjoy.  I remember that I got my first taste of Z.O.E when i wanted very badly to play the demo of MGS2: Sons of Liberty some random PS2 title offered up on the wall at some game store.  I ended up purchasing Z.O.E with almost zero interest in the game itself, other than it's sleek robot combat appeal, I had almost assured myself that I wasn't going to like it before I had even opened the box.  I'm not going to lie either, I played the shit out of the MGS2 demo before it had even occurred to me that Z.O.E was still just sitting there waiting to be played.  At long last I had popped the game in, and to this day, treat it as one of the greatest treasures in gaming that I had the curtsey of discovering for myself.  

Evil Resides...Again: RE6 Review

The Resident Evil franchise has become one of video games most notable.  Popularized by its innovation in introducing the world to the survival horror genre of video games, Capcom has created a solid following and an extremely fun, in depth, and frankly scary universe to immerse yourself in.  Resident Evil 4 revolutionized the franchise when we were brought to the over the shoulder view of Leon's predominately Spanish adventure, and it definitely had the most revolutionary gameplay implementations the game had seen until that point.  5 did not...it was far from a bad game, but it basically just built on what 4 wanted to establish...not a bad way to go about doing things I guess, but they were slowly removing the survival horror aspect from our game and throwing us into a sort of Chris vs. Wesker action title.  Still, we are not here to talk about whether or not I think RE5 held true to the Resident Evil roots, we are here to talk about RE6, and man is there quite a bit to talk about.

Playing on the Edge: Borderlands 2 Review

Borderlands 2 has been an epically fun adventure to dive into.  Any fan of the first knows the Borderlands title to mean crazy cell-shaded bandits, beasts, and other baddies to stand between you and your optional team of vault hunters.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first game in the series.  It offered a colorful cast of NPC's to interact with and help out along with a very MMO feeling level system that colored your damage and health throughout the game, mostly to prevent you from going too far ahead without properly leveling.  With full co-op multiplayer in tow Borderlands 2 hits the bricks with a ton of smart talking characters and a new cast of vault hunters to tangle with this new storyline.  Those who enjoyed the fresh look and feel Borderlands offers the FPS genre will not be disappointed by it's aggressively awaited sequel.

The Last Story? or Lastest Story?

The Last Story is a new RPG released by the Mistwalker Corporation.  Founded by the creator of Final Fantasy, these guys are responsible for Lost Odyssey (what a piece) and the Blue Dragon series.  As veteran RPG designers, one would only assume these guys knew enough about how to create one to the specs and standards of any other JRPG out on the market.  Well whether or not the know how to, they decided to break the mold in an incredible fashion with their latest story, The Last Story.  In line with Xenoblade Chronicles, this seems likely to be one of the last great games to appear on the dying console.  But if you still have some life left in your Wii, you need to check this title out.

Nostalgia Mode Initiate: Looking for Modern Gems

Yesterday was a day of trials and tribulation for my inner gaming hunger.  I decided to purchase Resonance of Fate from the used as shit rack of my local game emporium.  I don't know if you remember this title...a gem of a game released by Sega and Tri-ace (well known for star ocean and valkyrie profile).  It isn't often you run into semi-gem like this one, but I must say, I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

Persona 4: Arena Review

Hot damn have I been waiting for this game for quite some time now. I'm sure you remember my ranting about it earlier. The game was love at first sight for me, but of course, nobody else has my unique views when it comes to games like this. So before you take my word for it. Here is a legitimate review for the title.

Prepare Yourself for Battle!

So, it has been another dive into the world of fighting games for lil' ol' me for the past weeks. The 25th anniversary of Street Fighter official Capcom sponsored tournament series kicked off on the 27^th which I did attend but did not compete. Super big names in the FG community would have slaughtered me in ways I have only ever paid good money on the internet to see done to other people...but probably with severely less latex involved. The event was in Austin, TX so I spent most of my time with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. But I didn't forget to visit Arcade UFO while I was in town. I did quite well on the SSF4AE cabinets, but it was more due to the lack of good competition there rather than my own personal skill. If I was better at third strike I would have challenged my friend Yuuki “theAdonis” Spencer. He took part and got 5^th place in the event, it may not sound impressive, but he got to walk away with 200 bones and a swag-ass T-shirt (swag as in 'stuff we all get') for a free-to-enter tournament. It was a good start to a fighting game based week.