July 2013

mmaniacs1

Most of the games covered in this column require a great deal of involvement. Besides the necessary step of obtaining a copy of an old game and running it through the appropriate hardware, many of the titles I cover tend to indulge in extensive note-taking, high difficulty or, more importantly, a very specific frame of mind to make them shine. It’s perhaps for this reason that I decided to write about Motocross Maniacs, a quirky racing platformer that may be very accessible, but certainly isn’t uninteresting for it. READ MORE

magic2014a

At this point, the Magic: the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise has become much like a sports one, annualized and focusing on the latest updates. This isn’t such a bad approach; bringing in the newest core set cards and mechanics is a nice enough way to freshen things up, and as a product designed to appeal to newcomers, it doesn’t have to bring wildly-different things to the table. READ MORE

pxz1

Project X Zone‘s international release was a pipe dream. Considering Namco Bandai’s previous entry (Namco X Capcom) never made its way to the States, it was reasonable to think the same of this increasingly-rights-tangled successor. Surprisingly enough, the game has been released outside of Japan, and the fans rejoiced. However, would Namco Bandai be able to handle localizing all the material in a way that made sense? READ MORE

tearaway

Tearaway is a game almost solely devoted to its feel. It’s an inherently tactile experience, driven by its desire to simultaneously justify the Vita’s features and make you drawn into the experience as much as possible. READ MORE

fp2p_mario1

In From Pixels to Polygons, we examine classic game franchises that have survived the long transition from the 8- or 16-bit era to the current console generation.

Mario’s quest to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser has taken many forms over the years, but with a level of polish and consistency that is largely unrivaled. Here’s our look at the series’ history, from auspicious beginnings to innovative leaps, as well as occasional identity crises.
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