Simulation

02.07.12

Remember when Telltale was a small video game company that released a video game every one to two years. Last year alone Telltale released “Back to the Future” six episodic content and to close out the year, released “Jurassic Park”. Things have sure changed since then, but was it for the better? Has the Telltale dependence on licensed properties finally back fired on them in "Law & Order: Legacies".

02.01.12

Consoles and PC's have had a slow month interms of new AAA quality games arriving for your respected platform. While January got off to a slow start, it quickly recovered to bring us high quality tittles through digital distribution. Plenty of great downloadable arcade tittles were made available through XBLA, PSN and Steam, giving us many hidden gems on the digital marketplace. Let's look back at the games we reviewed over the past month.  

02.01.12

Every Tuesday, Sony brings its PlayStation faithful new content, add-ons for your favorite games, Themes and avatars for your PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Again another standard week of PSN goods you can get, but for the most part the main draw are going to be demos. Twisted Metal is finally going to hit store shelves and the fans of  the series will be eager to get their hands on the multiplayer demo now available.  

01.30.12

The digital pinball market is on the rise again, thanks to some savvy developments being handled by development teams.  No longer is it an embarrassing affair of crappy ball physics or lame table design.  No, these guys are dedicated.  Take Zen Studios, who have been pumping out quality releases with their Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball compilations.  And that's just the beginning, as Farsight Studios is preparing for its own pin assault later this spring with The Pinball Arcade.  Luckily for us, we got a taste of what the company has in mind...

01.30.12

One of the first genre’s I ever got addicted to was tower defense games, but for awhile now tower defense games have long been stale. For a long time now, the genre hasn’t seen any dramatic changes, but still provided quality games for its fans. Recently, the genre has escalated to new heights thanks to advancements in smart phone technology and the integration of app marketplace. Developed by Futuremark Games Studio, Unstoppable Gorg attempts to reinvent the genre, but costly design choices ruin a potential hit.

01.15.12

I consider myself a pinball enthusiast.  Hell, how else could you explain my addiction to Zen Pinball 3D since its release last week?  Or, for that matter, my editorial that talks about the sheer importance of a rock and roll pinball machine with Stern Pinball’s upcoming AC/DC table?  And every time I’m in San Francisco or Las Vegas, I find myself visiting vintage arcades just to get a good game of flippers going.  That’s the sort of curiosity that led me to purchase 101 Pinball World in Nintendo’s eShop for the DS/3DS…a purchase I have since regretted.

01.14.12

Getting back from CES, I expected my return to normalcy to be a little easygoing.  But then I hit this link over on one of my favorite sites and got introduced to the latest project from Stern Pinball -- a table based on the band AC/DC.  And, yep, next thing I knew, I was blaring "Back In Black" on my iTunes and wondering if this could be a possible revival in good old-fashioned rock n' roll pinball revival.

01.10.12

Microsoft's Kinect device has already done a serviceable job connecting kids with their favorite characters.  Just look at the success of Once Upon a Monster from Tim Schafer and his team at Double Fine Productions.  But it looks like that's just the beginning of the team-up between Microsoft and Sesame Street, as the company introduced a whole new level of interactive programming for kids last night during its CES keynote.

01.08.12

Microsoft Studios is using CES 2012 to premiere its first flight simulator game in years. Although the physical location is in Las Vegas for the annual trade show, the new game is set in Hawaii. Microsoft Flight, a PC game that lets players jump into the challenge, fun, and freedom of flight, will be available as a free download this spring, giving players the freedom to fly the skies over the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii, complete a variety of exciting missions, test their skills in flying challenges, or find hidden aerocaches on the island.

01.04.12

Every Tuesday, Sony brings its Playstation faithful new content, add-ons for your favorite games, Themes and avatars for your PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. For those who have the Playstation Plus, you can now get telltale's Back to The Future game for free. Ever wanted to find out what happened and wanted to continue your adventures with Marty Mcfly and Doc? Now is your chance, as you get all the six episodic for free. Another game you can get thanks to your PSN Plus membership is Sword & Soldiers. It's an enjoyable 2D sidescrolling strategy game that is highly replayable with a group of friends.

01.03.12

(Reuters) - Will Wright, the designer behind successful video game simulations including "SimCity", "The Sims" and "Spore", is at it again. Only this time, rather than controlling virtual people or creating space creatures, the protagonist of "HiveMind" is the actual player.

12.24.11

Years ago, the PC game Myst stood out amongst others for its time, with its dynamic visual interface, intricate puzzles and somewhat moving storyline.  Granted, it did all this without actually using real-time movement, as you walked around a pre-rendered island searching for answers.  But that isn't stopping Maximum Family Games from giving the game a new look, this time for Nintendo 3DS.

12.05.11

No matter how old you are, you probably won’t ever forget the first time you visited a Disney theme park, primarily Disneyland.  Nothing beats stepping into the Magic Kingdom for the first time and taking in all the sights and sounds, whether you’re riding the Matterhorn or giving Mickey Mouse a hug.  (C’mon, you know you did it.)  Not everyone can afford a trip right away, though, so it’s nice to see we have a digital alternative that’s just as magical, even if you don't have a pair of mouse ears at the end of the day.

12.05.11

Zen Studios has been on a roll in 2011, with the release of several pinball tables for both Zen Pinball and Pinball FX 2, namely the Marvel Pinball tables.  But this holiday season, it's continuing to build on its reputation by releasing a quartet of new tables.  Coming next week, Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue will give you four more reasons to flip out -- and for moderately cheap.

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