Wednesday, February 27, 2013

KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID



So, today I finally broke down and bought Super Mario 3D Land, despite how much I dislike paying full MSRP for game software (especially $40 for a handheld game). I figured there must still be SOME reason to own a 3DS, because after getting one during the holiday season, I’m still looking for that reason. It’s been awhile since I’ve last played a proper Mario game, I think the last time I played one was Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii a few years back. But there was something I had forgotten about how Nintendo designs their Mario platformers: they’re simple and easy to get into. It was refreshing change of pace to play a game that wasn’t inundated in pop-up tutorials, or worse, a training session. Mario 3D Land is a reminder that games can still be simple, and still be fun to play.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

FLASHBACK: ZOOP


Welcome to Flashback, where we take a look at games from the past that may have not gotten as much love as they may have deserved. Today we’re going back to 1995 and visiting a little puzzle game called Zoop. Published by Viacom New Media (which has been defunct for over a decade and a half), Zoop was developed for every possible game system available at the time. I think the only consoles it never made it to were the Virtual Boy and the 3DO.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

RANKED: TOP 10 MIDWAY ARCADE GAMES


With the review for Midway Arcade Origins published recently on this blog, I thought it would be nice to run down the best of Midway’s arcade collection. This will include titles from Atari Games, which Midway acquired back in the late 90s. I thought WB’s definition of what was considered a classic was a bit off, so here are the top 10 games from Midway’s (and Atari Games) history!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

MIDWAY ARCADE ORIGINS REVIEW: GRAVE ROBBING


When Warner Bros. acquired much of Midway’s assets after their bankruptcy, the publisher didn’t waste much time on making use of its back catalog. Much like what Midway did in previous generations; Warner Bros. puts out yet another arcade classic compilation. This collection of games is one we’ve seen many times over, and it’s puzzling on why every Midway arcade game wasn’t thrown onto the disc, considering the amount of data a disc could hold. This is far from a “definitive” collection, and half the games on here would hardly be considered a classic.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED (ANDROID) REVIEW: IT MEANS WELL


If you had high hopes that this version of Most Wanted would be like the console (or even the Vita) version of the game, yeah, dash those hopes right now. While this may be an above average presentation for a smartphone game, it’s pretty basic and almost dull. The game lacks the open world environment like the other editions, so there are no drawn out chases, billboards to smash or cars to find and jump into. Everything must be unlocked and bought, and it’s hard to get to the good stuff when the game is so stingy on the cash awards for the events that are completed.

Monday, January 28, 2013

ROCK BAND BLITZ REVIEW: A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY


What do you do when you have a game series in which people are sick and tired of buying peripherals for? If you’re Activision, you could just can the series altogether like they did with Guitar Hero. Or, you could be like Harmonix and look back into your design history and make use of a back catalogue you already have. Rock Band Blitz isn’t an entirely new concept, but it’s a smart and fun way of keeping a brand alive while making a quick buck at the same time.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

SSX REVIEW: WELL F*CK YOU TOO!


The developers of SSX must have had a real contempt for its audience. For years, fans of the franchise have been clamoring for an installment for this generation of consoles, and EA finally delivered a new installment, perhaps hoping it would be the last time we would ask for one.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

007 LEGENDS REVIEW: LET THE SKY FALL, LET IT CRUMBLE



There was some real opportunity in 007 Legends. The idea of merging a few 007 films into a game sounds like a great idea, considering that there is a whole back catalogue of movies to pull some ideas from. But this was a clear cash grab on Activision’s part to get a product out not only for the movie, Skyfall, but also for the 50th anniversary. 007 Legends is about as lazy of a licensed product you could get, and for fans of the 007 series, it’s a complete letdown.

FORZA HORIZON REVIEW: SHUT UP AND DRIVE



Remember when the creators of Gran Turismo decided to make a spin-off of sorts, under the name Tourist Trophy? It was basically Gran Turismo with motorcycles. It was also a spin-off that wasn’t exactly what we wanted from Polyphony Digital. Maybe they should take note with what Microsoft, Turn 10 and Playground Games did with the Forza Motorsport franchise, and notice what a proper spin-off of a racing franchise should be.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Welcome To QZ/9

Last year, I launched Attack Of The 90s, which is a blog devoted to 90s nostalgia. After working on that blog (and still doing so), I wanted to take the next step in my content publication. For a long time, I wanted to go back and do something devoted to gaming, and I haven't had anything published related to gaming since 2006. I had a site where I reviewed games, and even tried to do a few feature pieces. After majorly screwing up the layout of my site when I tried to do a redesign, I flat out gave up on doing anything in terms of what I used to do. I wanted to do a gaming blog for quite some time, but never really found a way to present it in the way I felt comfortable with. After working on AOT90s for nearly a year, I figured some things out and had a much better idea of what I wanted to accomplish. So now this is the next step of my content development. The name QZ9 really doesn't stand for anything, it was possibly the only name on Blogger that had three characters, and I figured that something this short would be pretty easy to remember. Again, this is going to be a bit experimental, but I anticipate better success and direction I had in the past.