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.

Remember the glory days of NFL Blitz?  This game came out in the 90's and reminded us that, hey, football doesn't always have to play by the rules.  Setting the standard for arcade gaming in the same manner as Midway's NBA Jam series, it really defined a carefree era, putting fun in place of straight-up simulation.  How we miss those days...but miraculously, EA Sports has brought them back with their own take of Blitz, now available on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network.

One of the first purchases I ever made when I got the original Xbox along with a couple duke controllers, was a little game developed by Bioware called Knights of the Old Republic. I was only ten years old at the time and it came out during the prequel Star Wars era. That was my first Bioware game and was immediately blown away with how great it was. It had an amazingly crafted storyline, great gameplay and had one of the greatest twists in video gaming history. It set up so many personal milestones for me as it made me into the Star Wars fan I am today.

The development team at Cave have found an awesome new venue for its quirky game library -- Apple devices.  It's released a handful of shooter and action games thus far, including Deathsmiles, Dodonpachi Resurrection and Espgaluda 2, and for a price that wouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to boot (unlike the region free Xbox 360 games).  Those shooters have created a new market for the team, so they're still pumping out games for it.  This week, another "shmup" joins the pack, Mushihimesama -- also known as the easier-to-pronounce Bug Princess.

As the Nintendo 3DS library is just now picking up, there's a number of games to check out for this holiday season, among them Sonic Generations, WWE All Stars and, of course, the Mario misadventures that are 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.  However, even though these more popular titles guarantee good times, there's a chance you might miss out on the more smaller, compelling experiences.  Like, say, Nano Assault.

I love the Apples To Apples board game.  I play it with family on a number of occasions, and can remember one Game Dev Night that went incredibly well because someone broke out a game amidst drinks.  So of course, I was curious to see what THQ was doing with the game, translating it to a digital format on Xbox Live Arcade.  Now, with the finished product, I can honestly say that some of the framework from the original Apples is here, but it ends up being not nearly as fresh.

When Namco Bandai released Ace Combat: Assault Horizon for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in October, I thought it was a great new direction for the series, one filled with plenty of adrenaline and excitement, even if the helicopter sequences aren't for everyone's tastes.  But if you prefer the Ace Combat of old, you should check out the recently released 3DS entry, Assault Horizon Legacy.  It does have some stuff in common with the other version, but it's heart is kept firmly in the realm of old-school.