Make Dysentery Fun Again!: Oregon Trail Mobile

Nothing is more fun than reporting on an amazing looking game that I, most likely, will never have the chance to play, like Gameloft's new Oregon Trail for the iPhone/iPod Touch/other mobile devices.

Looking back, Oregon Trail was probably the first video game that I ever played. If only I could go back in time to show my 6-year-old self what Oregon Trail would look like in 20 years. I probably would have smiled more.

The quality of this games graphics should be noted. Did they get the Noodle_Head or PizzaMan from Metal Slug 3 to design this?

Somebody buy me an iPhone!

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Climbing Back into the Ring this May: Punch Out!!!

Wow! Look at me! For the first time since the inception of this blog, I’m posting about a new Nintendo-developed game that could possibly be worth a damn.This isn’t just any Nintendo game either, no; it’s one of the company’s most beloved and racially insensitive titles that's been begging to get back in the ring for many years. Nintendo announced today that Lil’ Mac and company will make their triumphant return on May 18th, with Punch Out! for the Wii. The game is being developed by Next Level Games, a Canadian company who’ve cut their teeth on a stable of kid-corral titles such as Spiderman: Friend or Foe, and the Super Mario Strikers series.

Is it just me, or would it make more sense for Nintendo to farm out the “casual” titles to nobody western devs, so that they could focus on the titles that real gamers actually care about? Does it really take all their time, energy and billions of dollars to develop Laser Hockey and Dog Frisbee?

END RANT

This game could turn out to be great, even if Nintendo isn’t on the ones and twos. Bionic Commando: Rearmed has proven that when fans of said material are responsible for reviving a classic franchise, the end result can be a faithful entry that stands up to it’s pedigree.

Here’s hoping that the folks at Next Level Games were big Punch Out! fans back in the day and have as much respect and admiration for the franchise as the fans around the world do.

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"Hey Adam!...Wanna Play Nintendo?": Wrestle Jam

The Wrestler has one of the most realistic video game scenes ever put to onto celluloid. This inspired Kotaku to do a fab write-up on the subject of Wrestle Jam! the fictitious NES game that stars Mickey Rourke's Randy "the Ram" Robison.

It's amazing that they went as far as to make a fully functional game for the actors to play for such a small scene in small budget picture. You know what they say: God is in the details.

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Arcades Still Kickin' in Japan: AOU 2009

Like arcade games?

Well, I absolutely love them ( just in case you haven't been able to gather that from previous posts.) My love often leaves me longing, due to the fact that most modern releases never maker it here to the states. However, that doesn't stop me from gloating at the lovely cabinet designs, sound and graphics - desperately wishing I could afford a trip to Akihabara to play them (or even better, afford to buy and ship them to my door). Maybe I am just a glutton for pain, or maybe I just know what I like. Plus, there is always the chance of a decent home port.

The biggest show in arcade games, Japan's Arcade Operators Union Expo (AOU), recently took place in Tokyo. At AOU this year, tons of new games got their big reveal and others showcased their first playable demos. Let's take a sec to review some of the highlights, shall we?


Konami, who can't seem to steer clear of the fuck-up-zone when it comes to home releases, showed what is probably one of the coolest games of the show: Castlevania Arcade.

It's essentially a Wii game, using the same motion control style; only instead of the wii-mote the player uses a sort-of whip handle, which is used to simulate swinging the Belmont's vampire-killer at the various ghouls and ghosts haunting Dracula's castle. In order to play the game you have to step into a booth (which is ambient lit with small LED candles ((futuristic medieval.) Inside the booth the game is presented on a large LCD screen and the whip-motes are attached. Hoping this one gets a Wii port, which it should, considering that it is practically designed for one.

Taito was crazy for light gunners this year. First, a 2009 revision of a one of their classics titled: Elevator Action - Death Parade. The hook for this one is totally unique and totally awesome: the monitor for the game is (physically) hidden behind two small elevator doors. There is a button to open and close the elevator doors, which you use as a cover system. From what I can gather, the bad guys can run up and open your door, adding tension to the gameplay. Sounds totally awesome, unfortunately, there is little to no hope of seeing this one locally.

Check out the video:


Next from Taito a big, and I mean physically-fucking-giagantic, light gunner: Haunted Museum. Haunted Museum is claiming to be the first ever "closed-chamber gunner", which basically means the game is a self-contained room. I don't know how this is really different from other booth games, other than the shear size, but the game booth is pitch-black dark and the lightguns function as real-space flashlights. The HD projection screen inside is huge and the game is presented in surround sound. I guess it's basically a playable haunted house, sounds pretty killer to me!

Haunted Museum Video (from a reference monitor outside of the game-booth):


Taito's last game from AOU I wanted to talk about is definetly strage, a concept Adam and I have joked about many times before: sort of a half-rythm, half-gunner. The game is titled, Music GunGun (somebody buy the guy who came up with that name a beer goddamnit.) From what I can gather, the player must show various targets in sequence to the games sound track. Its a totally Japanese concept and would probably be recieved with a collective "THAT'S GAY" from most American gamers, so no real chance of seeing this one in person. The video below will have to do:



SEGA, despite their major cutbacks, annouced some new arcade hadware dubbed, Ringedge. The new hardware will be supporting a new, third-person, mech fighter: Border Break. It's a team based affair, utilizing up to ten linked cabs, with head on combat similar to Virtual On. The game is one of the first arcades I have seen to actually use a mouse, or include a touch-screen LCD (used to send commands and comunicate to the other players) on the cab. Being a SEGA release, there is a slight chance we may see a few of these here. There is plenty video online for this so I won't bother linking any here.

This was a big show for 2d fighters, as well, with some a playable KOF XII, tons of new dojin fighters, and a big anoucnment from Atlus: a NEW POWER INSTINCT! The game english translation for the new game is Power Instinct: the Commemeration, and is the first new title in the series in twelve years. I thought Power Instinct and it's sequel Grove on Fight, were great and strange fighters and I am really looking forward to seeing more on the newest game in the legacy. Atlus is really good about porting games, so we should hopefully be able to get this as a Japanese PS3 or 360 release.

Here is some video from Power Instinct: the Commemeration:


All and all, AOU 2009 looked to be one hell of a show. The sort of thing I would die to have seen in person. We are now now taking donations for the airfair to next years event, so pay up doodz.

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Dan's The MAN!

I think I can speak on behave of Blast Heroes and our affiliates when I say that Dan Hibiki is, hands down, the best character in Street Fighter 4.

Gamesradar.com has posted an incredibly well-researched history of Street Fighter's lovable oaf that Dan fans should definitely check out.

I had no idea that Dan's father was the one who busted out Sagat's eye. Also, is Dan really Akuma's brother? Such a deep character.

Gadou-ken!

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Capcom Announces Lost Planet 2: UPDATE

We are not dead, I promise.

Right now, Street Fighter IV has really got a hold on both Adam and I, making it next to impossible for us to get any work done. We do have some cool stuff on the way though, starting with this juicy little bit of news:

Capcom has officially announced Lost Planet 2, via an Xbox live video trailer. The trailer has tons of gameplay footage, all of which looks really pretty, as you would expect from a AAA Capcom title. Although I never played much of the original, the trailer's boss fight and mech footage has got me super pumped.

Check out the video! (Sorry for the link, embedded video is disabled on gamersyde.)

Is it just me of is Capcom seem to be crazy for co-op lately?

Adam here...

Just wanted to chime in on this news story.

I respect Capcom for putting together an old-fashioned Japanese hype-piece for this game, but from what has been shown in this trailer, I really don't think this looks to improve on the fundamental gameplay concepts of the lackluster prequel.

The original Lost Planet was a big letdown for me, personally, which is a shame, because it had a lot of great things going for it. The graphics, to this day, are gorgeous, and I absolutely loved the frozen wasteland setting. Fighting the giant monsters/bugs was a blast, but when you were forced to dispatch the human ice-pirates, the game came to a screeching halt. Seriously, these enemies were like mannequins with rocket launchers. I remember on numerous occasions coming across guys who were standing in the middle of a snow storm waiting on me to cross their path. I'd shoot them, they take a few steps forward, then stop, then shoot back at me, until they were dead. This sort of thing is fine in a Simple 2000 game, but this is a AAA Capcom title: I expect more.

I'm personally hoping that they beef up all the things that worked so well in original. The new jungle setting could be cool, but didn't much of the charm of the original come from the arctic environments? One of the coolest concepts in the original was keeping yourself from freezing to death. New "cover-style" gameplay has been promised for the sequel, but keep in mind that Capcom's definition of "cover" mechanics is much different than Cliffy B's. Resident Evil 5's "cover" consists of Chris Redfield yelling "cover me!" at Sheva Olimar (at least in the demo). In the Lost Planet 2 trailer it shows the character planting a mechanical sheild ala Gears 2, right in front of a spot that, as is, would serve perfect for cover. Marcus Fenix is shaking his head in dissapointment.

The boss battles were (imo) the best thing going for the first Lost Planet, and judging from the small ammount shown of it's sequel, it looks like Capcom realized this and went all out. The part were you shoot your hook-shot into the beast's leg and climb up on it's back looks epic. It's strange that they are just now taking cues from Shadow of the Colossus: Lost Planet was released 2 years after that game.

Hope I'm not coming across as being too tough on Lost Planet. I'm really hoping that Capcom irons out all the wrinkles of the first title to deliver a dynamite action game that can possibly give Gears of War a run for it's money.

Chris made a comment about Capcom's co-op policy that deserves it's own post. Stay tuned...

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Happy Street Fighter IV Day!!!

Holy Crap! I can hardly believe that the day has finally come. Here in just a matter of hours, the Blast Heroes will have both 360 and PS3 copies of Street Fighter IV. Hopefully you have a copy waiting for you as well!

To mark this special day, Adam and I will be doing some live blogging between our matches, with our impressions and comments. Be sure to check back starting today at 5:00pm (Central Time) to see what we are thinking, as we are thinking it.

Today is a great day.

Chris here:

I was delayed quite a bit in getting my copy of Street Fighter IV by bad traffic and some (ugh) grown-folk responsibilities. Anyhow, I have my copy now and have been playing some seriously heated matches with my brother Ryan. It's really hard for me to get my thoughts together on the game, partially because I am so damn hyped and partially because the game is quite a bit different than I expected.

It's definitely beefy. Not quite SFII beefy but heavy none the less. I played my first round with Zangief; man, he is huge! His presence on screen is unreal, so menacing. 360 throws are super-easy to execute, so I was able to pull off a lot of spinning pile drivers and powerbombs which feel so powerful and massive. Really all the special moves have a long window for input time so just about everything is easy to pull off.

The graphics are just what I had hoped, though some character art on the select screen looks a little off (I am pretty sure they just drew over snapshots of the 3D models and sometimes it doesn't quite work). Also, some backgrounds seem less thought out than others.

That's all for now, I need to get back to the fight!!!

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This is Adam:

Just came off a 6 hour binge. I'm taking a break to download the game to my 360's hard-drive. Wow, this game is like crack!

Lemme try to sum up my experiences so far. Like Chris said, the game is beefy, which will take a while for you to adjust to if you've been playing tons of Third Strike or HDRemix recently, like I have. I'm a bit disappointed that all the command inputs aren't easier to do. I still cant do any of Vega's supers, and can only get Guile's out every once in a while. With all this talk off Capcom wanting to hook the casual crowd with this game, I'm surprised that they didn't make some of the more complicated moves just a tad easier for all the characters (Zangief excluded, he's an F'n BEAST!)

I'd like to say a few things about the focus-attack system. It's absolutely brilliant, and adds layer of depth to an already deep game. My brother James, who literally hasn't touched Street Fighter in over a decade, really held his own with some trusty sweeps and Focus-Attacks. It's super fun to use them they feel amazingly satisfying when they connect. It really pushed the whole "risk/reward" aspect of Street Fighter that's defined the franchise for so many years.

We'll that's all for now. Me and Chris are about to hook up for some matches!

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Chris's closing thoughts for the night:

This live blog thing didn't quite work out as well as I had hoped.

That's only because pulling myself away from Street Fighter IV proved more and more difficult the longer I played. Once I started to get comfortable with the play mechanics, things really opened up. The more you know the more powerful you feel and in turn, the more enjoyable the game becomes. Street Fighter games (or a least the great ones) have always grown better with time and experience.

It's strangely fresh to feel like a beginner again, I am enjoying every moment.

Getting back to the game itself:

Focus attacks are where it is at! Any old school Street Fighter EX players will remember them right off the bat, as they are basically the same as EX's "guard breaks". The opening for follow up attacks after a successful focus move is huge, so linking into big combos, ultra attacks or 360 throws is really easy to get the hang of.

Because of the massive damage possible from an effective focus combo, matches can turn around very quickly. There was plenty of times where I thought I had a round, only to lose to a huge come back in a matter of seconds. The ability to inflict such tide-tuning damage, so quickly, keeps things exciting; no "throw away" matches.

After about 8 hours of play, Street Fighter IV has started to reveal itself as a blend of all the previous games; taking elements from the games before and building on them or in some cases, simplifying them, to create something that feels both new and familiar. I am please to see that even though the game is not as technical and deep as Third Strike, it's definitely not overly-simple.

The game is beautiful and the character models are probably the best I have ever seen. Between the design, movement, attacks and facial animations, Street Fighter IV's models stand strong against their best 2D sprite representations. Like I touched on earlier, things aren't quite 100% consistent visually, but there will be revisions for that (Street Fighter IV: Maximum Edition perhaps?)

I plan on witting more tomorrow and onward, as long as I keep discovering new things about the game.

Oh and Seth is a Bitch by the way

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Adam's Last Word

Oh goodness...Did really just play Street Fighter 4 for 13 hours? What a day, what a day.

I'm exhausted, so I'll keep this short...

So far, I'm extremely well pleased this game, and it's totally lived up to my own personally generated hype.

The graphics are so good that it's actually gives me a headache: I've never seen characters in a video game with this much personality. The gameplay feels exceptionally balanced, and the extra weight added is welcomed. I'm really starting to get my head around the new characters, and find that, overall, they are a welcome edition to the Street Fighter cast. Seth, as Chris mentioned above, is a total asshole, but I wouldn't change him for the world. Street Fighter bosses are supposed to be evil, cheating bastards.

That's all for now. There really isn't much more for me to say about the greatest of Street Fighter 4, other than it's back. With a vengeance.

Nighty night.

P.S. Just thinking about unlocking Gouken and Akuma makes me want to cry :'(

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Street Fighter Memories: Bison’s A Bitch or “Tell Them the Cat Did It!”

The wait for Street Fighter 4 has been unbearable.

I’ve been nagging my local Gamestop for the past week about it. Reports of retailers getting their shipments in this Tuesday gave me glimmering hope that I may be able to shave off twenty-four hours of agony.

Earlier today hit Gamestop up on speed-dial (go ahead, laugh) to see if this was true.

“Yes, we should have it in tomorrow for pre-orders only, around noon. You have it pre-ordered right?”

Click.

Now back to the wait. I pray this is the final stretch.

The feeling I’m experiencing can only be described with outlandish hyperboles, but for the sake of pacing, I’ll settle on the good ol’ “It’s like when you were a kid on Christmas Eve, and you couldn’t sleep because you were so excited!”

I seriously can’t sleep, so I thought I’d take a little time before tomorrow’s festivities to recollect on some of my fondest Street Fighter memories….

It was on a Sunday during, I’m guessing, the summer of 92’. Cousin Johnny was staying with us for the weekend, which was great because he would always bring over the hottest SNES games that our evil parents wouldn’t buy for us (Mom, if you learned how to use the internet and are reading this, I’m just kidding).

At the time our family was going to church consistently every Sunday, but this week we had managed to get off the hook so we could stay home and play more of Johnny’s minty-new Street Fighter 2.

I never really understood why are parents made us go to church in the first place. Mom and Dad aren’t really that religious. Maybe it had something to do with us living in the same neighborhood that Pit Fighter was digitally captured in (I could see the warehouse from my bedroom window!). It was important that we kept our “good boy” status, but they figured that if they let us stay home to play this game they wouldn’t have to buy it for us. Win/win right? Hehe…If only…

My older brother James, to this day, is the most selfish gamer on the planet. Some of his greatest hits are “dude you get to play all the time!”, “just one more I promise!” and my favorite, “I’ll let you play next time I die”. Wash...Rinse...Repeat.

On that fateful, early Sunday afternoon, James (the brother formerly known as Jamie) had finally figured out how to do all of Ryu’s moves and was convinced that he could finally beat the game on one-star difficulty. For a bunch of kids who never played much Street Fighter in arcades before the phenomenon of the SNES release, this was an epic struggle; one that Jamie truly believed in his heart that he could someday overcome.

Me, Baby Shane and Johnny couldn’t bear to watch. Jamie had a reputation for punching through stuff that shattered when things didn’t go his way—with both parents away at church, there was no telling what he was capable of.

Once Jamie fired up the cart, we all evacuated to our upstairs bedroom to draw Ewoks and Ninja Turtles. The battle cries began shortly after we settled in with our colored pencils and dot-matrix printer paper. The shouting swelled. We couldn’t take it any longer, so we scurried down the stair to check in on our champion. “I’m kicking ass guys! Haven’t lost a round yet!” He had just made short work of Vega and was determined to put an end to Shadaloo, once and for all. The pressure was on, and we didn’t want to come between Jamie and Bison. We headed back upstairs with hopes that he would finally beat the damn game so we could sneak some versus matches in before Johnny had to go home.

It was about around noon. Church had let out about 3O minutes ago and Mom and Dad would be home any minute.

SMASH!

“Oh god! What have I done? NOOOOOOOOO!”

The three of us went downstairs to see what in the hell was going on. The scene was horrific. James had smashed his fist through the top of the Dad’s beloved Magnavox stereo, shattering the record player flip-top. Bison stared out from the screen with that signature smug look on his face. He had won.

“They are going to kill me! Quick! Help me come up with a story!”

Johnny couldn’t hold it in any longer. He belted out in laughter, which, in turn, made me crack up as well.

“Shut the fuck up guys! They are going to kill me and you think it’s funny?”

The clock was ticking, and the blue Crown Vic would be pulling into that gravel driveway soon.

Jamie confided in us for a plan.

“We’ll say that the cat did it!”

Our cat Summer was pretty fat, but not enough for that fib to fly, and he knew it.

“How about this? We’ll say that the cat jumped up on the stereo, and I swatted her off, breaking it in the process.”

This suggestion only made us laugh harder. He knew he was screwed. He then moved on to damage control.

“I got it! I’ll cut my hand, so that they’ll feel sorry for me!”

This was a sick, sick child. He soon realized that this would probably dig his hole even deeper.

The spring in the screen-door squealed, as it pulled taught.

“We’re back! We brought chicken!”

Me and the other two musketeers ran back upstairs. By then I was genuinely scared for James. I hopped in my bed and buried my head under my pillow.

Commence verbal massacre.

It may surprise you that James (brother formally known as Jamie) is super pumped to play Street Fighter 4. Even though he can’t remember a single move other than the occasional hadouken, he insists that he is going to kick my ass, with the 360 d-pad no less. I can’t wait to play my first match against him. I think I’ll play as Bison.

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MJ Arcade Auction: Don't do it Michael!

We here at Blast HQ love two things more than anything: arcade games and Michael Jackson.

We've always dreamed of reporting on a story pertaining to both. Maybe a new MJ light gun/rhythm game--Michael is Player 1 and Akon is Player 2. You blast your way across the globe, fighting the doom-troopers from History with laser tommy-guns lasers that turn the bad guys into chimps. We all know, that even in a video game, Michael would never kill anyone ( I cant speak on behalf of Akon).

Well, the story we've been waiting for unfortunately isn't about an awesome new Michael arcade game, but about Michael's awesome arcades games that he's getting rid of.


Michael,

I know that you're totally into the Wii and haven't stepped foot in your arcade(s) for years, but seriously, you really need to think this over. I'm sure you're bummed that they don't make that many $30,000 games for you to buy like they used to, but look at it this way, you could make your own arcade games if you wanted to; You have an incredible imagination. Whats that? You cant afford it? Don't be so modest.

Talk to fellow site contributor Chris Cruz about what it's like to get rid of a really good arcade game. From one big kid to another, you will regret it.

Peace out, and good luck with the new album,

Adam

P.S. Seriously contact us if you are interested in our game ideas. We I didn't even mention the Bad beatem' up.

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An Epic Swan Song: Under Defeat

When I think of games that are vibrant, catchy and instantly-fun, the first format to pop into mind is most definitely the good ol' arcade. In a close second place however, the little Grey and White box that could, AKA: the Sega Dreamcast. This association probably has a bit to do with the fact that the Dreamcast received so many excellent arcade ports, which makes perfect sense as its hardware is essentially a compact SEGA NAOMI. The DC is far more than just arcade ports though; its library of games is lined with tons of great titles. Many of them coming straight from SEGA's first party developers, who in my opinion, did much of their best work during the Dreamcast era.

SEGA's last attempt at a console was an exceptional one in many regards: it was the first to support any real on-line play with games like Fantasy Star and Quake III: Arena. Its processing power was was a huge leap over the PlayStation, which was the direct competition at the time of the Dreamcast's release (in my opinion it took quite some time for the Playstation 2, which was released two years later, to visually match the Dreamcast's best looking games.) It was also far ahead of its time in the way of video output hardware: composite, s-video, component and most surprisingly VGA, video signals were all available simply by swapping out the A/V cable. (Seriously though, if you don't have a Dreamcast VGA box, stop reading and go get one; you will not believe how amazing it will look connected to a good PC monitor.) SEGA was really thinking outside the box with the DC.

Though it's time as a player in the console market was short (1999-2001), the Dreamcast carved itself a special place in gaming history and remains a fan-favorite. Such an adored system deserves an outstanding final game, a beautiful encore to close out a fantastic show...

On March 23, 2006, FIVE YEARS after being discontinued by SEGA, the Dreamcast received it's final masterpiece in the form of an incredible Naomi arcade port: Under Defeat. Developed by G.Rev, a small company founded by ex-Taito employees, Under Defeat is a vertical scrolling ,expertly crafted shmup. It's a game that completely embodies what the Dreamcast is all about: beautiful and colorful graphics, tight responsive controls and the satisfying snap of arcade action, all too rare in this day and age.

One of the things I find refreshing about Under Defeat is that it's ever-so-slightly slower paced than most other modern shooters. I love Ikaruga and Dondonpachi as much as the next guy, but sometimes the "bullet hell" approach can be totally overwhelming and a bit off-putting, unless you are really in the mood for it (or unless you just spent 1000 bucks on the arcade board and desperately trying to convince yourself it was worth it.) While Under Defeat is most definitely challenging, the challenge revs up slowly, allowing you to gradually enter the zen-like state that it takes to master it.

By the time of Under Defeat's release, there had been plenty of time to figure out what the Naomi hardware was capable of, and it shows. It is the best looking Dreamcast game. Hell, I will go out on a limb and say as far as arcade style graphics, it looks as good as anything game I can think of. The explosions and particle effects are simply stunning and every stage and vehicle is wonderfully rendered with an exceptional attention to detail. There are many moments in Under Defeat where you might catch yourself wondering how the hell a ten year old console can produce such stunning images.

Great graphics are nothing without competient design; Under Defeat over-delievers on both. Everything feels gritty and war-torn, but at the same time decidedly polished. Nothing about the game's design feels rushed or without thought. The single design choice that most sets Under Defeat apart from the crowd is it's realistic presentation. There are no giant aliens to destroy, no magical special attacks, just bullets, tanks, ships and planes. Of course, it's still an arcade game, so sometimes those planes, ships and tanks might be ridiculously huge - but overall the game remains tied to reality. It's war: you versus them, no bullshit.

Under Defeat's soundtrack is among my all time favorites. It's incredibly catchy and straight forward; clearly written by someone who has studied what makes game music great. Rather than go too deep into a description, I'll present you with a YouTube clip of the first stage so you can hear the tunes yourself. Classic stuff, and goddamn, does that snare drum sound good!!!

There is a moment in Under Defeat that I feel would be a crime not to mention before closing: In the beginning of the game's final stage, all the explosive sound effects and catchy music that you have grown accustomed to through playing up to then then - are taken away; replaced by a simple melancholy piano melody. It's strangely artistic for an arcade game. After a minute or so, everything kicks back in. The effect is powerful. It clearly accentuates the fact that this is it: the final battle. This directional choice, though simple in execution, really sticks with me. It wouldn't be too far a stretch to call it vaguely: Kojima-ish.

Under Defeat is an excellent final chapter in the book of Dreamcast. If you have never played it, I hope you find time to brush the dust off of your "little Grey and White box that could" and enjoy a few rounds of a timeless shmup.

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Kissed By a Rose: Some Thoughts on Flower

As I sit at my desk writing this blog, I daydream of an exceptionally warm spring day. I pack up a small lunch, hop on my bicycle and head down the street to my neighborhood park. A playful wind accompanies me on my way, gently kissing my face and filling my nostrils with the intoxicating aroma of pale tree blossoms. The park is empty, as I survey the land for the perfect canopy. A proud, leaning oak stretches its arms out to me, like an old friend I haven’t seen in ages. Slouching against the trunk, I look upward through the sprawling branches at the milky blue sky.

Spring is so close, yet so far. Flower will have to do for now.

I was going to write an in-depth analysis of my time spent with Flower, but when I recollect on my 8+hour play through, I draw a blank and want to go back to playing it some more.

Here are some things that I was going to touch on:

-The gorgeous graphics, sound and music. I was going to say something about it being the prettiest game in recent history (feel free to debate me on this in the comments if you know of a more lovely game).

-The Sixaxis motion controls and how they further enhance the fluidity of controlling a gust of wind. I was going to mention how playing this game one-handed with the R2 button works exceptionally well and how the physical interaction of waving the controller around is surprisingly relaxing, almost like doing Tai Chi, only sitting.

-Creative Director, Genova Chen, and this quote…

“One of Jenova's greatest dreams is to bring the best things and messages to the world. Like what Hayao Miyazaki did to anime, Jenova wants to be one of the heroes who can make video game a more mature and adorable treasure shared by every human being.”

I was going to say something about how he’s successfully woven together both autobiographical and universal themes concerning mankind’s yearning to reconcile with nature.

-How this small, $10 game packs more punch than many full-priced games, and how Flower will most definitely be looked over when critics compile their Games Of 2009 lists.

-If you own a PS3 you own it to yourself to add this game to your collection and to share it with your loved ones.

That’s enough for now—I’m heading back into the wonderful world of Flower. Hope to see you there.

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Show Us Your Demo: Ninja Blade

The website for From Software’s upcoming XBOX 360 game Ninja Blade is chockfull of me-likey.

"The seamless gamplay keeps you tense. You feel like as if you are a hero in an action movie. The game is set in Tokyo and provides you with thrills and exhilaration. Ninja Blade is a New Generation Action Game!"

Cynics be warned: Ninja Blade is cheesier than state fair nachos, but in fairness, would you have your ninja action any other way?

After playing the demo available on XBOX Live Japan, Ninja Blade is officially on my honorable bargain-bin purchase list.

The game is being described by it’s developers as a “cinematic action” game, which is a fancy way of saying “over half of our game is made up of quick-time event (QTE) cut scenes.” This is apparent at the very start of the demo, so if you plan on playing this, make sure to grab some of that popcorn left over Metal Gear Solid 4.

QTEs are considered passé by many these days (although many will LOVE QTE-fest Heavy Rain) but I don’t mind them if done right, and boy oh’ boy, Ninja Blade’s are done right and then some. They are so over-the-top awesome that you won’t mind not controlling every jump or swipe of the katana. From Software collaborated with anime powerhouse Production I.G. to insure that the action set pieces are just as thrilling as anything you’ve seen on TV or in the movies.

Ninja Blade has the “cinematic” down, but how does it actually play? The controls can be off-putting to those familiar with Ninja Gaiden’s tight, expertly crafted cat-and-mouse style combat. What you’ll find on this very short demo is much slower, and ultimately, more shallow combat system that favors flashy particle effects and slow-motion over counter-attacks and 100 hit combos.

This is not to say that the gameplay is without its charms. The right-trigger assigned "dash" is a handy tool that revs up speed of movement AND beefs up regular attacks. Ninja Blade's main gameplay hook is "Ninja-Vision", a feature that when activated slows down time plus reveals your enemies weak spots. Not only does this look incredibly cool when used, but also is crucial to your success in battle against the games bigger, badder baddies.

Speaking of big baddies, the final boss fight is a blast. This multi-tier showdown between you and a stadium-sized arachnoid perfectly blends together real time and QTE action with a just a splash of “Ninja-Vision” enhanced platforming thrown in the mix. The crazy part is that you only play half the boss battle: I can only imagine how outlandish things will get during the second half.

Ninja Blade is out now in Asia and although a solid date for the States hasn’t been confirmed, a spring release looks to be a sure thing. It’s hard telling if this title will find an audience, but I ,for one, am excited to get my hands on the final product. Will this “New Generation Action Game” live up to the lofty standards of diehard Ninja Gaiden fans? I don’t know, but I do know this, Ryu Hayabusa doesn’t have a motorcycle.

In your face Itakagi!

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Blast Heroes on the Scene #1: Rambo Arcade Review

Our job here at Blast Heroes can be tough sometimes, we will do anything to get our readers the hottest, most up-to-date gaming news. Even if it means eating absurd amounts of pizza and venturing out on real world missions. Case in point: our "On the Scene" reviews.

This time, our task was hitting up the local GameWorks, the only actual arcade left here in Indianapolis to give a hands-on review of the new SEGA light gun shooter: Rambo. Because, if it's a new arcade game, especially one with light guns and John Rambo - well, then the Blast Heroes simply HAVE to get the scoop. With the objective clearly in mind, Adam and I suited up for our mission and hopped into the Blast Mobile (AKA: a 2004 Nissan Sentra, that acts like it doesn't want to start every now and again.)

However, on our way to the downtown arcade, we realized before the mission could begin we were going to need to fuel up. A quick detour was made to the only logical option, Georgio's Pizza by the Slice. Eating Georgio's pie makes you feel like a ninja turtle. Partially because it's thin New York style and partially because the pizza is about the size of a man hole cover. Adam and I killed an entire extra large between the two of us, N-B-F-D. We did it because we have to; it's simply the Blast Heroes way.

Now that we were more powerful and full of the fighting spirit that only a ridiculous amount of pizza can provide, we could focus on our mission.


We were excited about playing the game (we REALLY like light gunners) but more than a little weary of the depressing feeling a modern arcade can bring. Especially since we still have vivid memories of the glory days burning in our minds. Rows upon rows of fighters, shooters and beat em ups all with lines of anxious gamers waiting with bated breath to play. Needless to say, that time is long gone and arcades have all but faded away. As I was saying earlier, the GameWorks is the only thing Indy has that comes close to a actual arcade and even it, most times of the day is all but empty. It's enough to make a hero shed one lone burning tear.

The Blast Heroes appreciate what GameWorks is doing however; the fact that we can jump into our car and go play the new Rambo shooter, probably a twenty or so thousand dollar cab is pretty awesome. Plus - they actually host some fighting game tourneys (although not in an official capacity) and have a Third Strike cab (although its condition could be best described as near-haggard.)

As we approached the gates of the GameWorks, we noted the new Rambo cab is conveniently positioned right by the entrance. The cab its self is pretty straight forward. Big and black with orange flame and bullet graphics scattered about, remotely (shutter) Harley Davidson-ish. It's the exact same cab as another SEGA light gunner, House of the Dead 4, only retooled for the Rambo theme. There are some cool details on the cab worth mentioning: the marquee is a multi-layered plastic sign with the first piece being the Rambo logo and the second a fiery explosion. A lot of newer games have been using this technique and it looks great. Also, just above where the olive green guns rest is a cool little lighting fixture that flashes and fades to create a interesting flame effect. Speaking of the guns, they are fucking awesome; really substantial feeling in your hands and have tons of kick when you fire.


Moving on to the game itself - the first thing we noticed is that it's very much rooted in the Rambo II and III story arc, with the game's mission laid out via full-motion clips from the movies. The best thing about these video clips is Sega's choice to insert an awkward Japanese narrator on the track who practically speaks in tongues over the film dialogue about the sorrow and anguish of war. Seriously, one of the lines from the narration is "with heavy sorrow upon his shoulders, Rambo goes into the next battle alone." (for a two player arcade gun game, that's a bit deep don't you think dudes?)

The gameplay is straight forward light gun fare: shit-tons of baddies fill the screen and slowly draw their guns before you blast them in the neck head face chest dick arm gut back ass or wherever else your constant stream of bullets happen to land. It's pretty mindless at times, but mindless is good every now and again.

It's not all totally aim and shoot though, there are some unique elements to the game. First, you have what is referred to as a "Rage Meter" that builds with each kill until you set it off by pressing an additional trigger towards the front of the gun. When you set that fucker off - it's on: ARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! John Rambo's voice comes blaring through the speakers, for a moment you are given full invincibility and your machine gun upgrades to a more powerful model allowing the kills to really start to flow. Adam and I were finding it difficult not to emulate the scream at maximum volume in the arcade but in the interest of not kicking kicked out or scaring the little kids who were darting about, we bit our tounges. In addition to the Rage Meter, there are also quite a few quick time events scattered throughout the game. They usually involve taking one crucial shot with John's explosive tipped arrows, but sometimes require you to mash out on the start button to kick some dudes ass by hand or run from an explosion. With each completed QTE the game narrator pops on with a slightly-engrishy: "ah-success-a."


One of our favorite missions in the game requires you to "sneak" into the enemy base to free Colonel Sam, who is by being tortured by a dude with a flamethrower donning a fire-retardant suit. Once you locate Sam, you have to take out his torturer. Before the battle begins, the boss utters a timeless quote "Ha ha ha, I am the barbecue and your the meat!" good stuff.

It's a Rambo video arcade game: big, loud, dumb and very awesome. Really though, how could it not be...

I joked, as Adam and I gathered ourselves after completing the mission, the sequel should be based on the most recent Rambo film and include the copious amounts of blood and guts therein. Also, the game itself should be attached to the back of a military jeep that you must climb into in order to mount the giant turret machine gun used to play the game. Sounds good huh?

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Watchmen Get Beatem' Upt'

Remember when I humored the possibilty that the movie-licensed beatem' up may be making a comeback? Looks like I was onto something.

In part of a savvy marketing campaign, the wiseguys behind upcoming doomsday-superhero flick Watchmen have created a classic side-scrolling beatem' up called Minutemen, available to play on the official movie site free of charge.

From what I've gathered (I know, I need to read the graphic novel), Minutemen takes place years before the events in the movie and has two playable characters, Night Owl and Silk Spectre.

Everything about this game is arcade-authentic. Go drop a virtual-token into the cab and see for yourself.

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King of Fighters XII - AKA: Holy Shit Captain

The new King of Fighters is the type of thing I can REALLY get behind; it's one of those games that makes me feel like it is being designed specifically for me. Talking about games like this is the reason I wanted to start blogging in the first place.

For those of you who have not been keeping up with this title, the twelfth installment in the KOF franchise is getting quite a bit of international buzz; rightfully so, I must say. The Graphics are traditional, hand drawn 2D sprites, but get this: it's in HD! Each frame is probably around 500-600 pixels tall and each character has upwards of 600 frames. Try and imagine, for any of you who have done any digital illustration, the insane amount of time and effort this project would take. If you are having trouble wrapping your head around it, SNK themselves have stated that the sprite art for one character alone takes an artist up to seventeen months!!!

It's not the fact that it is a 2D HD game alone that makes me so excited. The animation (judging from the available video) is silky smooth; smooth polished animation for any game is an accomplishment but smooth and polished animation in 720p is unheard of. On top of that, the design and art is also top notch old-school SNK. Back in the Neo-Geo days, SNK was the only company that could keep up with Capcom as far as fighting game animation and sprite work. I thought they had lost that magic, but wow was I wrong. It's funny that it took a SNK-fan-boy-turned lead-designer to make it happen.

First let's look at a video that some of you have seen I am sure, it's the KOF XII trailer. A pretty good video to star off with if you haven't seen anything from the game.



Like I said, that is a great pop-off for someone who hasn't been following this title, however this next video really lets you see how incredible this game is going to look:

(Please be patient: high quality video)



To be completely honest with you, I never was a huge KOF guy. I have most of the essential KOF titles for my Neo cabinet but they don't get a ton of play. This new installement however, is probably going to change all of that. SNK is back baby.

KOF XII hits Japanese arcades in April, PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

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Mirror's Edge: Giving Them Something to Talk About

Mirror's Edge certainly got people talking.

It seems to have had a profound effect on those who played it, with the consensus being that the game, ultimately, is an extremely flawed but groundbreaking title.

Stuart Snoddy, from Addicted to Media, kept a wonderful diary of his time spent with Mirror's Edge that catalogs an insightful assessment of his overall experience with the game.

Here's a bit from his final entry:

"This is a game of ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. It’s a game that, when it works, is amazing and unbelievably satisfying, and when it doesn’t is absolutely unplayable. There are times when you feel like you’re soaring through the sky almost effortlessly and then there are times when you literally hit a brick wall and the game reveals itself as being, ultimately, broken."

This journal-based form of game criticism is a excellent alternative to your typical scale-based review format.

Stuart is planning on continuing this feature on his site. Can't wait to read more.

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Dont Panic: More Zombies On The Way

What is it about the undead that we find so endearing? Is it's their brutal honesty (brains!) Can-do spirit (braaains!) or rugged good looks?

Two stories broke today filled with enough maggots to satisfy the most goo-thirsty zombieslayer.


Capcom went public about Dead Rising 2, following the brilliantly produced viral youtube vid that shuffled onto the web last week. The multi-platform (360, PS3 and PC) sequel is set in a Vegas-inspired locale and stars a brand-new, camera-less protagonist (sorry aspiring paparazzos).


The original Dead Rising was notorious for it's punishing difficulty. Will Capcom and Blue Castle employ a more forgiving save-system and difficulty option for more casual players? As someone who shot-putted the controller many times while playing the original, I sure as hell hope so.



Those who aren't content with experiencing the zombie apocalypse from the the third-person perspective should start brushing up on their window-boarding skills. One of the devs from Treyarch recently dropped by the official Call of Duty forum to unofficially announce a new Nazi Zombies level as part of the first COD:World At War map pack.

If I was to make a personal Game of the Year 08 list, Nazi Zombies would be a contender for a top spot. The coupling of frantic action, crucial resource management (gotta love the weapon coffin) and silky smooth COD-engine gun-play made for one addicting splatter-fest for those of us waiting on Left 4 Dead to hit the bargain bin.

Geometry Wars started out as a mini-game within a commercially successful title(Project Gotham Racing) that quickly outgrew it's modest debut to become a full fledged franchise.Could Treyach and Activision have similar aspirations for Nazi Zombies? Add in some Communist Werewolves and and I'll be in heaven.

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On the Subject of Game Music

Please peep:

This is the intro for the Japanese version of SF4. It's pretty obvious that a huge amount of TLC went into this game. Right down to the awesome and incredibly catchy theme song. It's been a slow build up for me, starting at a relietively low point when the game was anounced as being 3D. Now, however, Capcom has re-instilled in me the excitement that a new Street Fighter deserves. I am so insanely pumped to get this damn game!

Way to go dudes!

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Street Fighter 4 Japanese TV Spot: If Only...

What if Capcom cared enough about Street Fighter to stop making shitty movies based off the beloved franchise?

Check this out...



Now imagine if the producers of this recent TV spot were given 100 minutes to interpret the Street Fighter universe into live action.

A guy can dream right?

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MadWorld Comic-Con 09 Footage: THE MUTHAFUCKIN DEATHPRESS!

The MadWorld footage shown at Comic-Con 09 has got so pumped that I want to rip out a stop sign and stab it through the face of the nearest S&M street-punk.



The "kill-by-kill" commentary is brilliant. Hopefully, towards the end of the game, Jack storms the television studio and mashes the Death Watch commentators into a bloody pile of goo.

March cant come soon enough!

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The Warriors Gets Beat'em Upt'

This came out of nowhere.

The Warriors, is getting a bona fide old-school brawler this summer on XBLA courtesy of Paramount Digital Entertainment.

Is the movie-licensed beat'em up making a comeback? God I hope so!

Here's a short list of movies that need 2D beat'em ups.

-Pirates of the Carribbean
-300
-Kung Fu Hustle
-The Incredibles
-Tropic Thunder
-Any action franchise that has an ensemble cast.

Somebody put a search warrant out for the 12 guys that created The Simpsons, X-Men and TMNT beat'em ups from the early 90's. Check every alley-way and karaoke bar in Tokyo!

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Show Us Your Demo: Killzone 2

Getting a copy of the Euro demo of Killzone 2 was easy. Trying not to let the massive hype jade us was a bit more difficult. So, wanna know what we think???

Adam's two cents:

Graphics. This is the first thing that anyone mentions about this game. It's a good looking game, but to be fair, there are A LOT of good looking FPS games this generation. What makes K2 stand out from the rest? It's a sci-fi FPS that doesn't make your eyes roll into the back of your head. The game looks serious. Clearly someone in the art department went to art school.

Okay, so the graphics are great. How does it play? Like you're underwater. Perhaps I've been spoiled by intuitive pick-up-and-instantly-have-fun control schemes in games like Call of Duty 4 and to some extent Gears of War. Maybe it's just me, but I found the Killzone's controls to be sluggish and overtly tedious. Hopefully, after time, I'll get the hang the controls and learn to appreciate the various system quirks, but as of now, I'm a bit disappointed that I couldnt just dive into this world and instantly "get" it.

The demo is pretty short, but appears to be a good representation of the final product. Although I didn't enjoy my first experience with Killzone 2 as much as I'd have liked to, I really REALLY want to like this game. Here's hoping I can put my druthers to rest before the game launches at the end of the month.

Chris's two cents:

With gigantic games like Killzone 2 it's hard to not have an opinion before you play them. By this point, we have seen so many trailers, screen shots and game play videos, that I basically felt like I knew just about everything the demo was going to offer. In a lot of ways, I sort of did. Killzone's demo brings the same dark, violent world that you have seen in the trailers and there are no surprises in the cover system, weapons or design.

However, when expectations are set so high and the hype is so huge, not being surprised isn't an entirely bad thing. Visually, Killzone 2 brings the heat; the lighting, explosions and particle effects are among the best I have ever seen, if not the best. As dark as the game is there is actually quite of bit of color in the palette, which is nice to see. Also, the sound design is top notch; everything sounds the way it should even if the music is a bit dull.

The one thing any amount of video or hype can't tell you is how the game actually feels when you have the controller in your hands. I can't lie, when the first scene opens up and the visuals wash over you, I got some chills. Again, the game looks incredible and the production value is unreal. Once I had the chance to jump into the action however, the initial shock started to wear. The game play is really heavy; your character moves a little slower than in most current shooters and the controls seem just a little too loose. At first I felt like I just didn't know what I was doing, but it soon became apparent, this is just a slower paced, more methodical shooter. Not really a bad thing, I just don't know if it is going to be as enjoyable for me personally as I might have hoped.

Right now, as Adam, I expect an FPS to be instantly fun and the controls to come to me right away. I don't know yet if that is just expecting too much or if that's the way it should be. Either way Killzone 2 left an impression of being a incredbley beautiful demo of what the PS3 can do visually, but left me wanting more from the gameplay.

Hope the boss fights and game pacing can keep things interesting all the way through the full title.

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Resident Racism

When's the last time you heard someone say something GOOD about Resident Evil 5? People are upset with this game, and for valid reasons. Some don't like the straight-out-of-1996 control scheme, others are rubbed wrong by the forced co-op gameplay, and the select few are get this...offended by the games supposed racist overtones.

Eurogamer's recently went hands-on with the final build of RE5 and came away with some pretty condemming accusations.

"Later on, there's a cut-scene of a white blonde woman being dragged off, screaming, by black men. When you attempt to rescue her, she's been turned and must be killed. If this has any relevance to the story it's not apparent in the first three chapters, and it plays so blatantly into the old clichés of the dangerous "dark continent" and the primitive lust of its inhabitants that you'd swear the game was written in the 1920s. That Sheva neatly fits the approved Hollywood model of the light-skinned black heroine, and talks more like Lara Croft than her thickly-accented foes, merely compounds the problem rather than easing it. There are even more outrageous and outdated images to be found later in the game, stuff that I was honestly surprised to see in 2009, but Capcom has specifically asked that details of these scenes remain under wraps for now, whether for these reasons we don't know."

It's a shame that the successor to Resident Evil 4 has become such a hotbed for controversy. To be fair, I'm reserving judgment on the matter until I actually play the game in it's entirety.

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Who Cut Off My Jams!?!: Struggling with Modern Game Music

I can definitely see the draw of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero; having attended and hosted many parties where Rock Band was up and running, I have seen first hand how it can attract even the most hard-nosed non-gamers. Great music is a powerful thing and this recent wave of music-themed games all aim (many of them quite effectively) to tap some of that power. The incredible success this genre has experienced shows us how closely bound music and gaming can be and most importantly how vital music is in the gaming experience.

Looking back on some of my all time favorite games, the music is usually one of the first things to enter my mind. I couldn’t possibly imagine what a game like Castlevania would have been like without those amazing melodies, or what a shoryuken or hurricane kick might have felt without the timeless Street Fighter II themes filling the arcade. Great music is critical for any game that wants to stand the test of time, so why is it that so many modern games have such lack luster soundtracks?

Even the blockbusters, with their multi-million dollar budgets, seem to skimp on the music. Take a game like Gears of War for example: some people might be fooled by the bloated, over the top orchestral stuff, but not me. I have played a shit-ton of Gears and I can’t hum to you not-one -damn-note of it’s sound track. That game should have had screaming shred guitars, raging double bass, all of that shit. What did we get instead: choirs. What is it about an ambient choral piece that says “I am going to slice your ass in half via a machine gun with a goddamn chainsaw on it?” It’s pretty obvious Dude Huge and company aimed for the hardcore action-movie-cheese, so why not take it all the way?

I would argue that had all of Mr. Fenix’s cringe-worthy dialogue been replaced with shedding guitar solos, there could have been potential for that game to literally make your head-a-splode. Especially during that bit where you are hacking your way through the giant worm.

So let’s break it down as I see it.

The problem: When you have millions of keyboard patches and samples at you fingertips it’s easy to mash on a few chords, run some shit through effects and call the boss into your office to convince him that you have created an atmospheric masterpiece. Just because Radiohead makes a career out of it, doesn’t make it right. Sometimes the minimalist stuff works (Silent Hill series), but a great deal of the time it just comes off boring and uninspired.

My proposed solution: Let’s limit all game music composers in the writing phase of their productions, to the original NES sound chipset. I think the limitations of those sounds are exactly what forced all the old boys to make everything so catchy. If it doesn’t sound good, then it needs to sound GOOD. Limitations drive the truly creative to be even more so (need proof? check out this guy. )

Once you have a solid melodic foundation, you can easily build and layer with modern elements. A perfect example of how well this can work is Bionic Commando Rearmed. The techno influenced remixes of the original NES music was some of the best stuff I have heard in quite awhile and played a large part in what made that game so damn cool. Damn, that intro music…

I know the talent to make awesome game music is still out there, SEGA, despite their serious flaws seem to be able to pump out the jams. Also, Castle Crashers had some great music and that was all fan submitted stuff from New Grounds. So, really there is no excuse: we should demand our game music be every bit as fun and exciting as the games themselves.

Notes: Stuarts comments on modern games with great music got me thinking: Katamari, Little Big Planet and Mirror's Edge do indeed all have fantastic soundtracks. So, what is it take makes all these totally different music choices so good; is there a common thread between them? After a bit of thought, the one key for all great game music seems to be how appropriate it is for the game it was created for. When a game's music is done just right, it becomes part of the game and the game becomes part of the music: you can't think of one without the other, it just all fits. It doesn't matter what kind of soundtrack you chose, just as long as it fits and complements the game well, be it metal, techno, rap, ambient and so on. Does that make any sense???

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Let's Tap: Coming to America

Tabletop drummers rejoice! Sega is bringing Let's Tap to the U.S.of A.

For those not familiar with Sonic creator Yuji Naka's latest outing, Let's Tap is a collection of 5 mini-games that revolve around "tap" gameplay.

Any Wii game worth it's weight in waggle comes with a gimmicky peripheral—Let’s Tap comes packed with…(drum roll please)…A CARDBOARD BOX! No joke; you lay your wiimote facedown on the cardboard box and tap your fingers on it’s surface to play the game.

The graphics looks nice and the theme song is dangerously infectious. Let’s Tap could be a sure thing, if the price is right.

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Christmas in February: Ready Your Wallets

For those of you who still haven’t put your Christmas tree away yet, put the box back in the attic.

February is shaping up to be a legendary month for game nerds.

Here’s the lowdown on this months glut of gaming goodness...

Loco Roco 2: PlayStation Portable (February 10th)

Got the winter blues? Loco Roco 2 is good for what ails you. Sony’s follow-up to the 2006 original looks to spread more sunshine on the world with its sherbet visuals, peewee soundtrack, and addictive roly-poly gameplay.


House of the Dead: Overkill: Nintendo Wii (February 10th)

OVERKILL is the first game in the House of the Dead series to completely bypass the arcade (remember those?) and is also the first entry developed outside of Sega. Although coin-op fanboys may cringes at these milestones, based on what has been shown so far, OVERKILL looks to deliver.

The arcade was the grindhouse of the videogame world. House of the Dead: OVERKILL’s sleazy B movie-inspired aesthetics fit the series like a glove.


flower: Playstation 3/PSN (February 12th)

Thatgamecompany's flower is a tough sell—it’s a game were you literally play as a breath of fresh air. Poetry in motion indeed.

It’s doubtful that this game will set the sales charts on fire, but it is almost certain that you wont experience anything else like it this year.


Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost and the Damned: XBOX 360 (February 17th)

Motorcycles gangs, brass knuckles and sawed-off shotguns—sounds like the ingredients to a killer video game.

It will be interesting to see how well Rockstar North incorporate episodic content into the sprawling world of GTA4. Liberty City is so dense and intricately detailed that it could be used as a digital back lot for many games to come.

Here’s hoping that somewhere down the road, Liberty City gets a taste of the zombie apocalypse. That, or giant monsters. Why not both?


Street Fighter 4: Playstation 3/XBOX 360 (February 17th)

There really isn’t much to say here. In February 2009, a new Street Fighter will be released. Hell has indeed frozen over.

Capcom has whipped their fan base into frenzy over Street Fighter 4 while simultaneously exciting the casual crowded who hasn’t touched a SF title since 1994.

Fighting games are making a big comeback in 2009. Hopefully gamers will put the shooters down to play a few matches.


Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?: PlayStation Portable (February 17th)

Never mind the fact that this is a spinoff of a 100+hour tactical JRPG nerd-fest. Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero is a 2D action side-scroller that wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve (or should I say flipper?).

What other game this year lets you play as a swashbuckling, pegged-leg penguin whose slash attack has more RPMs than an F1 car? Something tells me that Prinny CAN be the hero.


Noby Noby Boy: Playstation 3/PSN (February 19th)

Noby Noby Boy creator describes his upcoming budget PSN title as “the perfect break after winding down from a game of Killzone 2 and before starting up God of War 3." I think what he really meant to say was “give your eyes a rest from all that blood and brown by playing my game.”

If Soulja Boy thinks that Braid “aint got no point to it”, I cant wait to see his review of Noby Noby Boy.


Killzone 2: Playstation 3 (February 27th)

No month jammed-packed with a ridiculous lineup of promising looking games would be complete without a AAA FPS set in a doom-and-gloom future. Enter Killzone 2; Guerilla Games follow up to the series 2004 PS2 debut.

Sony shot themselves in the foot back in 05 when they unveiled K2 with a pre-rendered “in-game” video. It’s amazing that 4 years later, recent real footage of Killzone 2 not only matches the pre-rendered footage in graphic fidelity, but also maybe even surpasses it in terms of overall atmosphere.

Here’s hoping that Sony’s “Halo-killer” (remember that?) lives up to it’s unprecedented hype.

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