The Bandai WonderSwan is something of a poster child for the quirk-seeking importer. It’s the most prominent system to never see a Western release, and its intent to stay in its home territory means it’s full of the types of weird, insular experiences that fans of Japanese games crave. It’s also rough to get into; without the super-expensive late-life SwanCrystal, the screen’s tough to see, and the library doesn’t exactly shy away from being text-heavy. Thankfully, you can get a better sense of what the system had to offer, and you can do it in English! READ MORE
The busy season is upon us! Hear our thoughts on Batman: Arkham Origins, WWE 2K14, The Typing of the Dead: Overkill, Sonic Lost World, the latest first-party Wii U releases, the future of Metal Gear Solid and where The Walking Dead is heading next. Plus: we send off the 360 and PS3 by talking about our favorites.
Check out the show here, check us out on iTunes or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think! Email podcast[at]snackbar-games.com.
Hosts: Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell, Henry Skey, Lucas White. Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, more than any other game I’ve ever played, is less of a game and more a collection of toys that happen to have a story connecting them. Regardless of where I’m sending Edward or why, my face erupts into a huge smile every time I hit traveling speed and the crew of the Jackdaw breaks out into song. Just like I did with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, I could sail the seas for hours, take in the sights and feel like my time was well-spent. It’s only improved by listening to excellent renditions of “Drunken Sailor” and “Spanish Ladies” while I marvel at the beautiful scenery created by Ubisoft. READ MORE
The task of working on the modern branch of the Sonic franchise is an unenviable one. The 2D-3D split has been successful for Mario, but Sonic never had anything like 64 or Galaxy. Even Rayman, with the well-received Rayman 2, decided not to sustain two branches and return to the original 2D formula. So while the Sonic 4 games have found success with little innovation, the larger games are forced to keep wandering in the desert until something new works. READ MORE
I love cooperative play in games. Playing with a partner isn’t always feasible, though, but thankfully games have been getting better at implementing AI partners. Ellie in The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite‘s Elizabeth show that escort quests don’t have to be excruciating, and if you don’t have a friend to play with, you’re not completely alone.
But Elizabeth isn’t going to punch me on the arm excitedly when we beat a tough boss, or scream at me loudly when an enemy pops out of nowhere. Ellie will never call me in real life and ask if I’m down to play a session of Gears of War or bring over beer. READ MORE
