Double Jump Spirit

January 12th, 2012

Some friends have started their own podcast and I need to take a minute to not applaud them but get some facts straight about my gaming reputation.

September 25th, 2011

Radiant Silvergun review

Radiant Silvergun, one of the most sought after shmups ever is finally available on Xbox . The game play and challenge is the stuff of greatness, but don’t think that will make it easy.

May 20th, 2011

Sega World Rally is not what it could be

I love arcade style games and I love racing games, and more often than not the combination of the two provides a lot of fun. So when I saw that a version of Sega World Rally was hitting the arcade I was looking forward to fast and furious racing action, but unfortunately my expectations were [...]

May 3rd, 2011

Don’t judge a game by its cover

It’s a long standing theory that graphics do not make the game. Sure, good graphics help but it’s just one of many factors that make a game good or bad. But if you ask Nintendo, this era of ultra-realistic graphics isn’t helping anyone, especially them.

May 2nd, 2011

8-Bit Generation documentary

I’ve read a lot of books about the history of technology and video games. The internet, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, Atari, Chuck E Cheese…they’re all connected and it’s a wonderful story no matter how many times I read it. But if there’s one thing I like more than reading, it’s watching TV, and a new [...]

February 6th, 2011

Shoot the Bullet and take a picture, it’ll last longer

I’ve played a lot of arcade shooters in my time, from Galaga to the almighty Ikaruga. And as one would expect, the gist of all these games is to shoot, shoot, shoot and keep shooting until you get to the end. I like to think there’s more to these shmups than just endless, mindless shooting…but [...]

January 11th, 2011

Coming soon, Helpful Ninja

I’m in the middle of making a new game and while it doesn’t involve zombies, in many ways it can be seen as a sequel to Zombie Road. It uses a lot of the same mechanics and game play, but puts more focus on rescuing people. Oh, and you’re a ninja.

January 3rd, 2011

Vorpal is all boss, all the time

As a consumer of most things arcade-shooter, when I saw Vorpal show up in the Indie store for a dollar, it was a pretty much a no-brainer. And for what it lacks in depth it makes up for with one simple red line.

November 19th, 2010

Pac-Man CE DX: Reality

Some people look forward to the release of new shooters, like Black Ops. Me, I look forward to the release of a new Pac-man game. One costs me $60 and took hundreds of people to make, the other only $10 and probably made by a handful of folks. Pac-Man CE DX makes it clear that [...]

November 16th, 2010

Indie games start an uprising

I’m a fan of indie games on the Xbox Live Arcade. Yes, there are plenty of cheap avatar games and other shovelware in the indie marketplace, but there are also lots of games worthy of your pennies that will keep you entertained and returning to play. But I admit they aren’t easy to find or [...]

November 15th, 2010

Pac-Man CE DX: Expectations

So this week the latest incarnation of Pac-Man gets released, Pac-Man CE DX. I’ve been reading about this title for a while and if follows in the pedigree of Pac-Man CE (sans the DX), then us arcade gamers should be in for a good time.

August 20th, 2010

New Tomb Raider, single player fun in a co-op world

I remember having the first Tomb Raider game on the Playstation. I played it to death. It was one of those games you just kept chipping away at until you were done, no distractions. I played through Tomb Raider II as well, but after that sort of lost touch with the franchise until now.

August 12th, 2010

Monday Night Combat, a winner in a summer of losers

I’m a big fan of the Xbox Live Arcade, but so far this year’s Summer of Arcade has been less than exciting. The first title to get any sort of eyebrow raise from me has been Monday Night Combat, a tower defense/shooter all in one. And it’s not bad.

May 19th, 2010

Are all games worth at least a dollar?

I’m a cheap ass gamer. I make no apologies for it and I’ve praised the likes of cheap games before, but as I was browsing through the selection of Indie games on Xbox Live last night seeing all the $1 downloads, I asked myself if it’s possible that any game is worth a dollar.

April 22nd, 2010

After Burner Climax, arcade brutality

One thing I really love about arcades games is their sheer brutality. It’s funny that the “simple” games are seemingly always the hardest. They may not have the best story or character (if any), but they can deliver on the challenge and fun. After Burner Climax is no exception to the rule.

April 7th, 2010

Blur, the next great racing game

Racing is one of my genres of choice for video games. It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s just you and your car. It’s about control and quick decision. Did I mention it’s fast? Well, the latest entry into the world of racers, Blur, was released as a beta this week to public. I grabbed it and [...]

April 6th, 2010

Make more old games new

Everyone complains that there is nothing original happening in movies. It’s just remaking old films with bigger budgets and better special effects. The same can be said for video games, but remakes aren’t a bad idea…if they’re done right.

March 2nd, 2010

Finally, Wipeout on the Xbox, kinda sorta

I used to be a Playstation gamer. The PS1 and PS2 days were a good times for gaming. Sony ruled the roost and never looked back. We all know that changed when the Xbox 360 and then PS3 was released. The PS3 had everything going for it - except a decent price. All but hardest [...]

March 1st, 2010

Indie games, little price but big fun

One great thing about Xbox Live is allowing people to make their own games. Assuming you have the money, time, and skills, you can make and release a game that people can download and play on their console. They might even pay for it. But lets face it, most Indie games fall somewhere between “meh” [...]

February 14th, 2010

Darwinia+ makes herding cats fun

You know the term “it’s like herding cats”? Well, herding cats has never been more fun than it is in Darwinia+ on XBL Arcade. It’s a great balance of RTS, puzzle game, and God sim. But I was surprised it ended up being a full title in my library.

January 31st, 2010

Trials HD, a true Excitebike

Trials HD from the Xbox Live Arcade is another title saved by having a big TV. When I played the demo on my old TV, I just couldn’t get into the experience. The graphics were too dark and too small. But now, they’re awesome. This is game is what you’d get if Excitebike was really [...]

January 16th, 2010

Galaga Legions, a beautiful challenge

When I started video game day at work, one of the first games people jumped on was Galaga. I can’t say I was ever a big Galaga fan but playing with people that remembered the game and loved the game made all the difference. Galaga high scores quickly became a daily mission and it’s one [...]

January 14th, 2010

Xbox Game Room, ideas for a better arcade

Microsoft announced the Xbox Game Room at CES this year and for retro fans like myself it was some good news. But as details came about it quickly became less interesting for several reasons. Plus, I think there are a lot of things they could have done to make the experience better.

January 2nd, 2010

Making a shmup

I love me some arcade shooters - or shmups as they are often called. They’re fast, easy to play yet challenging to get good at. Regardless of platform I always seek out the shmups. Through emulators I have dozens upon dozens. With some vacation time I decided to try and make my own.

December 18th, 2009

Alien Breed Evolution, where’s Sigourney?

I saw Alien Breed Evolution on the XBLA release list and it looked like my kind of game. I never played the original version, so I got the demo and quickly found it is my type of game - shooting, aliens, spaceships…and not to mention a nice $10 price tag.

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