After remaining dormant for a few years, Twisted Metal makes its debut on the PS3 and it brings the full force of the late ’90s with it. The original Twisted Metal games combined completely chaotic car combat with a story and presentation that represented that era in video games rather well. With series creator David Jaffe back at the helm, Twisted Metal looks to reclaim that once-staggering level of popularity in a genre that has remained absolutely stagnant for the past five years. READ MORE
Despite being one of the most popular franchises of this generation, Mass Effect had managed to completely elude me until recently. My cultural blindspots have always been staggering. I’ve yet to play more than two hours of the Assassin’s Creed series, I never saw Citizen Kane and I have no idea who Skrillex is. But this one just made no sense. I love Star Trek and, for that matter, any sci-fi/fantasy property with an expansive and lively universe, so Mass Effect should be a no-brainer for me. And once I got into Mass Effect 2 a few weeks ago, it was. I absolutely loved the game. READ MORE
In The Games that Weren’t, our writers take a look at their favorite stories behind video gaming’s canceled projects.
I’m an unashamed die-hard sci-fi fan. My favorite sci-fi franchise is Stargate, and my favorite entry in the series is SG-1. The SG-1 license was enough to make me interested in an MMO (the also-canceled Stargate Worlds), and if my PC had been capable of running it I would have lost many nights fighting with the SGC in Stargate Resistance (the only SG-1 game that actually came out). As it was, I had both a PS2 and an Xbox, and after watching the Season 8 episode “Avatar,” I was all sorts of excited to play through an all-new adventure dealing with new and old enemies. READ MORE
Otome games aren’t exactly the standard fare we get in the US. (For publisher Aksys Games, it’s probably the craziest localization idea they’ve ever done, and we’re including Fate/Extra.) Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom takes place during the chaotic Meiji restoration era of Japan, where you follow the lives and circumstances of the men of the Shinsengumi, a group of soldiers following the command of the Tokugawa shogunate. Biggest plus of the game? It’s one of the few localized Idea Factory titles that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to play in public. READ MORE
Do you have the rhythm? In this episode, new columnist Grant Potter joins the crew to discuss soul patches, Andrew thinks Twisted Metal is good except for most of the parts of it, Graham has Rhythm Heaven Fever fever and also an actual cold, Gerry plays Hakuoki (a visual novel about dating samurai and dealing with vampires) and Shawn can’t remember the year 1994. We also discuss our favorite rhythm games of yesteryear, like UmJammer Lammy, Patapon 2 and Space Channel 5!
Check out the show here or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think!
Hosts: Gerry Pagan, Andrew Passafiume, Grant Potter, Graham Russell, Shawn Vermette.
Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.
