Bit.Trip Runner is a throwback to rhythm games of yesterday. In today’s world of plastic guitars and drum kits, Runner used the music as a gameplay element rather than a goal unto itself. It started by realizing that player actions enhanced the soundtrack, and it culminated in playing a new level just as much by ear as by eye. Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien continues that tradition, and improves upon its predecessor in every way. READ MORE
Back in 2007, a little title known as Crysis set a new benchmark for video game graphics, and the question “Can your PC run Crysis?” became both a legitimate query and a running joke in the industry. Since then, the series has made its way to consoles with surprising success, bringing it to a whole new audience. After two successful games, Crytek is back with the final chapter in its so-called trilogy. While Crysis 3 may not boast the mind-blowing visuals of the original, it still manages to hold its own mechanically and look nice doing it. READ MORE
The coolest thing about Koei’s Dynasty Warriors (or Musou) series in the past few years has been the occasional branching away from the same old Three Kingdoms song and dance and exploration of really great, classic anime franchises. It started with Mobile Suit Gundam, followed that up with Fist of the North Star and most recently tackled Eiichiro Oda’s insurmountable cash cow One Piece. The first game based upon Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s classic post-apocalyptic martial arts saga, Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage was a bit of a divisive game; some found it sluggish and limited in scope, but others (including myself) enjoyed it as a hard-hitting, accurate tribute to the classic manga (and anime) that made a few interesting changes to the typical Musou formula. READ MORE
After many delays (and even a cancellation), the Kojima Productions and Platinum Games joint project, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, is finally here. While it may not be the next Metal Gear Solid game, Revengeance attempts to bring together the zany storytelling from the series with the stylistic action found in many of Platinum’s releases. Luckily for us, it’s a match made in heaven. READ MORE
Bethesda has again shown that it has learned so much about the realm of add-on content. A pioneer in the industry, it was one of the first to really push for paid content in games. Oblivion‘s Horse Armor DLC is often joked about, and is an example of bad DLC, yet you also have to consider that in those early days, people knew nothing about what sort of sales to expect. Oblivion was a huge game for extra content in general, and where Bethesda learned most of its lessons. Today, it provides some of the best content in the industry. READ MORE
