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Tales from Old Russia, and Beyond.

Upon landing in the baron, vast and alien infested land of Old Russia, I realized that though I had an objective before me, there was a lot more in store for me than a linear story mission. I walked over a cliff, and a batch of enemies spawned. Using familiar shooting controls, I was able to dispense of them rather quickly. Not too soon after, I turned around only to see another adventurer, who happened to be a friend of mine. Destiny began to click with me at this point, as I realized just how seamless the matchmaking process was. I called my friend over, and we created a fireteam - or a party - and continued to explore the land. As we did, we witnessed another group, fighting off their own group of enemies. One of them fell in battle, and I asked my friend, “Should we go and help them out?” These are the kinds of scenarios that make Destiny one of the more interesting games coming out this year. However, this aspect is only one of many different reasons why I was hooked during the E3 weekend Alpha. 

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A Tale of Swords and Souls, Retold.

I spent a lot of time playing SoulCalibur II on the GameCube during that era. It looked pretty, played well, and featured guest characters that were appealing – especially Link. SoulCalibur II HD Online pays a nice homage to its original port, and it stands up quite well. The fighting remains tight, and the game remains visually pleasing.  Unfortunately, the slim online offering makes this one a tough sell especially if you still own the original.

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Sony may be the once and future king (we'll see), but they've had some stinkers for ad campaigns...

Welcome back to marketing 101, where we look back at the historical console campaigns of the “Big Three.” Last time was all about Nintendo, the dominant force in the video games industry from 1986 on. Well, at least until a little electronics company from Japan decided to get into the market in 1995. Let’s see how this upstart conquered the gaming landscape, only to fall far behind due to their own hubris.

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Another Wacky Adventure Time title, with an interesting premise.

Last year, Adventure Time: Hey Ice King, Why’d You Steal our Garbage? surprised gamers by paying homage to niche games like Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link as well as being a good representation of the television series.This year, Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW! serves as a follow up, but is a much different game than its predecessor. Rather than being a 2D side scrolling adventure game, this game shares more in common with dungeon crawlers like Gauntlet and Diablo.

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Hello darkness, my old friend.

Even after playing, and enjoying games with heavy stealth influences like the Batman: Arkham series and The Last of Us, I wouldn’t say that I prefer stealth games.  So, going into Splinter Cell: Blacklist, I was hesitant.  My past experience with the series is terribly limited, having spent the most time with 2010’s Splinter Cell: Conviction. Though I initially worried that I wouldn’t find my footing, I quickly found that Blacklist had a lot to offer and by the time the credits rolled, I was more than happy to have experienced it.

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