BioShock Review -- Late Is The New Early

BioShock could be one of the classiest games I have ever played, but I'm still unsure of what the future holds for the franchise.
This past Halloween I decided to invest in a bottle of blended wine and a game that had mounds of dust collected upon it, BioShock. I had always wanted to play it and had it not for broad plot points being spoiled and over-hyped fanboys echoing the zeitgeist, I would have taken on this epic much sooner. Be that as it may, this is my tale and it has taken me almost two weeks to formulate some form of a coherent opinion. I really liked BioShock [add me to the list]. From the Ayn Rand references to the allusions of governments past and present, BioShock is one of few games I’ve played where I finally understood the need for this current generation of consoles. The experience(s) found in BioShock instill a benchmark that is rarely pushed. A game that points out the foibles of man may have unintentionally pointed out the missteps of its own genre.

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Quantum Theory Review -- This Game Hates You

Gun fists, tribal tattooed scars and be-jugged armor -- what went wrong with Quantum Theory?
I remember seeing Dave Chappelle on James Lipton’s “Inside The Actor’s Studio” and I remember something he said about learning about how comedy works. “I’d go on weekends to see how jokes worked and how people reacted, then I’d go on Tuesday nights to see what's wrong with these people [comedians].” Chappelle said. Quantum Theory is a game I’d liken to a comedian bombing on a Tuesday night. There were plenty of warnings prior to me playing Quantum Theory as to what kind of bland hell I’d nominated my week to. The trailers shown at trade shows were a sad joke muttered on plenty of game industry podcasts. Tecmo Koei’s Quantum Theory is a game that poorly steals from Gears of War and lends credence to many fears for the direction of Japanese game design. But hey, at least a great drinking game came from it.

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Commercial Break: Creepy Mario Is Creepy

Mario As Terribly Drawn Deviant Art

I don't know what possesses me to do these little photochops when I get off of work, but here we are. The at1up guys are having a little Creepy Mario fun. You should go check it out here.

I got two more after the jump.

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Are You The Character Or Are You God?

When consuming any media, our brains decide how much of our personality is invested. In games, chances are you are either the master or a slave to the narrative.
I’ve been watching how I play games as of late. Like a lot of you I have a 9-to-5 job and personally, nothing makes a better pixellated punching bag than a soon to be sniped skull in a round of Bad Company 2 or Team Fortress 2 multiplayer mayhem. This week I decided to buck that trend and play BioShock for the first time. Saving the review of the game for a later date, I’m noticing a stark difference in how I’ve consciously decided to play the game. Not only this, but the role I’ve decided to play in games differs from RPGs, RTSs and so forth. With this small revelation, I look at other media I consume and how it effects me. I look at the quality of games and debate whether I’m making the game fun or otherwise. Maybe you’ve noticed something strange in how you play games as well?

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Justifying Your Purchase

How many of us buy with the hopes of a long future with our toys, only to be stuck holding the Super Scope 6? [Sorry, the Nintendo Scope 6 for our foreign readers]

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Then And Now: Feelings On The Fighting Game Genre

Fighting games are back! Or are they? Moreover, should I be nervous that less-than-stellar clones are not to far behind?

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Season's Beatings Redemption: The Aftermath

Momochi & ChocoBlanka Say, "Hai" From Season's Beatings Redemption.

Before I give my take and list the results I have to get the thank you's in. I don't know how EVO or SBO works, but I have been to every Season's Beatings here in Columbus, Ohio and seeing the hardwork that Fugee and Ghaleon [Godlike Entertainment] put in beyond impressive. Huge thanks to Team Spooky for keeping up a quality stream. I thought I saw him grow six extra arms. Seeing the man edit and switch angles on the fly all while responding to the chat on the stream was dizzying. Props to the sponsors, MadCatz and Hori. The commentators: Skisonic, NerdJosh, James Chen and Chris Hu with a special rotating guest list.

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Season's Beatings Redemption: Photos

Season's Beatings 2010: Team USA vs. The World

The event just ended. Literally minutes ago and I've been hard at work uploading photos. Expect a more formal wrap up tomorrow of the event [sorry, I'm incredibly exhausted]. What you should know is that Team USA beat Team 'The World' in an incredibly close match 13 to 12. Yipes beat Chris Schmidt in a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 exhibition as well as the official Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournament. Daigo was eliminated earlier than expected in the Super Street Fighter IV by Andre. Gamerbee ended up winning in the grand finals against Momochi, so the Super Street Fighter IV character tier is kinda wide open. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Super Street Fighter II, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, Blaz Blue: TS and more -- were all played, I'll try to gather as many results as possible.

In the mean time. Be sure to check out the photos here! Season's Beatings Photos!

Super Street Fighter IV Review -- History Repeating?

Super Street Fighter IV has ushered in a new community of fighting game fans and continues to cater to us old schoolers. So why do I get the sneaking suspicion that we could be on the cusp of yet another fighting game flood?
Within the week of me writing this I’ve had the pleasure of: purchasing my first arcade joystick, arranging plans with friends to attend a fighting game tournament and review a long-time competitor in Tekken 6. Needless to say, I’m suffering from a frame counting overload. Imagine my surprise when I opened up a little envelop in my mailbox and out popped a shiny new copy of Super Street Fighter IV. Looking at my stack of growing games I rarely play, I noticed a dusty copy of the original Street Fighter IV which was released a year prior. My joy slowly waned as I questioned whether Capcom was repeating history and gouging its fans by flooding the fighting game market with sequels and spin-offs.

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Tekken 6 Review -- What Happened To Tekken?

Here lies Tekken 6. A fantastic fighting game that never wants you to play it online. EVER.
No matter how many times you adjust your collectible head gear and change outfits on your favorite polygonal fighter, it won’t bring back the one you love. For the past three iterations of the once illustrious 3D fighting Tekken franchise, the series has been balancing the art of evolving and correcting previous miscues. Where this current Street Fighter community had the ability to grow two-fold thanks to this new age of online play and console connectivity, Tekken fans will still yearn for an online system more sophisticated than the one found in this game. The biggest issue with Tekken 6 currently, isn’t so much the robust fighting system and the well-realized graphics engine, but how it presents these features to a varied audience of hardcore enthusiast and newcomers.

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