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Remaining THQ Properties Acquired (Darksiders, Homeworld, Red Faction)

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Mon, 04/22/2013 - 15:07
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The rather depressing saga of THQ is almost over for good since the remaining properties once owned by the company have now been acquired. Initially passed up in the auction that saw Ubisoft pick up South Park and Saints Row become part of the Koch Media family, once major THQ franchises such as Darksiders and Drawn to Life now have new homes – however unexpected they may be.

Tactical FPS Takedown Gains Publisher and Console Release

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 02/15/2013 - 10:16
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The Kickstarter funded FPS game Takedown has now officially found a home.  After making its funding goal in a brilliant last minute hurrah, the development team at Serellan LLC continued their work on the project but now they have the backing of a rather substantial publishing partner.

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 10/16/2012 - 07:42
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Overall Feeling: 

The unexpected arrival of a second Naughty Bear game results in a game that is plagued with many of the same problems found in the first title.  Having a dark edge through a bear that likes to defluff others can be fun, but the gameplay falls victim to being predictable and at times frustrating since nearly everything is reused early on in the game.  The combo centric nature of the game may make OCD gamers keen on racking up a high score, but even then Naughty Bear’s gameplay never finds itself elevated to a thoroughly enjoyable level as it’s simply plodding and is an easy way to rack up Trophies and Achievements.

The Pros: 

+ Initial variety in the stages is nice before it eventually wears off.

+ It may not be a game changing addition, but the XP/Leveling system is a cool feature.

+ Naughty Bear co-creator/Lead Designer Ashley Pannell does another solid performance as the narrator.

The Cons: 

- Gameplay becomes old fast since it once again doesn’t feature an amazing amount of depth.

- Recycling of levels results in everything becoming painfully predictable.

- Unexpected graphical and technical glitches creates some odd situations.

- The dark humor is kind of funny, but it feels like a missed opportunity in that it wasn’t expanded upon in greater detail.

- Seriously, the game becomes boring really fast.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
5

Sometimes video games can get a second chance to prove themselves after an underwhelming debut. It’s rare for such a thing to happen these days since the industry is so intense in that some developers shutter after their latest new IP fails at retail. But sometimes we are lucky enough to see a game receive a second outing though I think no one ever expected such a thing to occur for Naughty Bear.  Released in 2010, the premise of Naughty Bear was simple and had some potential: you played a dejected bear that wanted to destroy those who “wronged” him. 

Starbreeze (The Darkness) Reveals The Fantasy Based Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 09/28/2012 - 07:45
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When a developer hypes up an upcoming project without showing or telling us anything it usually results in complete disappointment. Gamers may be hard to please at times, but when something is teased to be surprising only to be revealed as a derivative mess of concepts that isn’t new by any means, then the further flaming gamers may give a particular studio can be justified.  

Terraria Is Taking It's Mix of Side-Scrolling and Block Building To The PSN/XBLA

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 09/11/2012 - 08:37
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Following in the steps of the recent Minecraft XBLA port which did gangbusters at retail, the hit indie adventure/block building game Terraria is also receiving a port. Announced today, Terraria will be arriving on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in early 2013.  Released on the PC in 2011, Terraria captivated gamers thanks to its mixture of side-scrolling exploration and the ability to create items which in turn provided near endless content thanks to the substantial user community.

Top Gun: Hard Lock [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 13:45
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Overall Feeling: 

Top Gun: Hard Lock sadly is yet another licensed game that misses the mark on what made its source material so much fun and that of course results in a game that’s simply mediocre if not below average for the aerial combat genre.  For flight genre enthusiasts Top Gun really doesn’t present an exciting experience thanks in part to combat that lacks an immediate punch and visuals that are serviceable but don’t necessarily measure up to what has been previously released.  Top Gun: Hard Lock could’ve been a fun if not slightly goofy flight action game, but in the end it’s simply a game that lacks any true character and could’ve been quickly forgotten about if not for having the Top Gun moniker slapped on.

The Pros: 

+ The jokes are so bad that they’re funny for the wrong reasons.

+ You can create your own meta story based on how bad the dialog is.

+ Trophies/Achievements are easy to acquire.

The Cons: 

- Visuals are really bland and lack any unique and defining characteristics.

- Not having the same spirit as the Top Gun film makes the story completely unnecessary.

- Action is limited in its set pieces and fails to present an edge of your seat experience.

- No Iceman makes Ian a sad gamer.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
3

As a gamer and a video game journalist I like to play as many games as I can get my hands on. Doing such a thing often leads me to stumble across a few hidden gems while in other cases I simply subject myself to a terrible game merely to see how bad it truly is and maybe get one or two easy Trophies or Achievements in the process. 

Supremacy MMA [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 09:36
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Overall Feeling: 

As a mixed martial arts video game Supremacy MMA doesn’t deliver the goods due to a combat system that’s shallow and feels stiff throughout.  Offering unrestrained MMA action really isn’t a main detraction in Supremacy MMA since the no-holds barred aspect hardly comes into play or simply isn’t pushed in some areas.  With a limited roster of fighters that truthfully don’t feel that different when compared to each other, Supremacy MMA is a game that is more or less trying to appear to be a MMA game when it simply isn’t. 

The Pros: 

+ Damage modeling on the characters lends a nice impact to the attacks.
+ There’s an easy pick up and play nature to the game.
+ The overly edgy attitude of the game will certainly be appreciated by those who own an Affliction shirt for every day of the week.

The Cons: 

 

- Combat is sluggish and there aren’t any distinct characteristics between fighters.
- Graphics are merely average if not slightly dated, but the ropey character models and animation is distracting.
- The story mode is somewhat pointless since the story is more annoying than entertaining and there isn’t any real drama or motivation in continuing the journey.
- Having only two female fighters almost makes the whole thing pointless.
- Presentation is very simple all around but what’s up with the lack of fighter voices and knock-out replays?
- Online multiplayer offerings are extremely limited and as of now the community is a near ghost town.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
4

Sports are a big part of our culture since it allows us to witness amazing feats of skill and in some cases proves who the better person is in a physical bout.  Since people love a good challenge and anything that has somewhat restrained acts of violence, the sport of mixed martial arts has caught on tremendously in such a global scale that it’s actually surprising.  Honestly, when was the last time a sport managed to captivate an entire nation and go on to become a multibillion dollar industry?  Sports like rugby get meddling excitement in certain overseas markets but MMA is

Rugby World Cup 2011 [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 09/15/2011 - 06:58
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Overall Feeling: 

Rugby World Cup 2011 is a rugby sim that almost nails the rugby feel but falls a bit short in a few key areas. With a very dull presentation that doesn’t feel celebratory or important at all given the World Cup status of the game, Rugby World Cup 2011 fails to capture the immediate depth and feeling that’s found in proper rugby games.  Rugby fans may be entertained by Rugby World Cup 2011 for a short period of time as the lack of immediate content and skill level does sink the game to being nothing than a mere sub-part sports game.

The Pros: 

+ It’s a rugby game and any rugby game is better than nothing.
+ Controlling a rugby squad is easy since the layout is straightforward and the commands are responsive.
+ Commentary is good and lends some much needed authenticity to the game.

The Cons: 

- There’s no immediate depth to the actual rugby action.
- A.I is often stupid and will result in a few awkward occurrences or easy try opportunities.
- Presentation is the very definition of dull and lacks any charm or spirit.
- Lack of official licenses means that some players aren’t represented.
- Graphically the game isn’t much to look at which does take away some of the impact and believability in a few areas.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
5

Having lived in the United States my entire life I’ve grown up watching the usual sports of basketball, baseball, hockey and football ever since I was a kid.  As I’ve matured through the years I’ve stayed up to date with the latest happenings in the NFL or NBA but one day I came across something truly unique: the sport of rugby.  Given the somewhat enclosed view that American’s sadly have, there isn’t a lot of international sports coverage thus my knowledge of rugby was almost non-existent.  But thanks to flipping on the Fox Sports channel one day I saw a rugby match and inst

Backbreaker Is Coming Back In A New Spin-Off

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 05:37
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I’m not a huge fan of American football despite being born and bred in America (Chicago to be exact). Sure I’m a fan of the Chicago Bears (they’ve been decent but that NFC Championship game against Green Bay was a disgrace) but I’ve always been more fond of other sports like soccer and rugby – thus I’m not a hardcore player of football video games.  I can dig what Madden does but for some reason it was never the game for me despite the dozens of features and sometimes on the money gameplay it offers.

EA Sports MMA Could Be A Thing Of The Past

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 09:55
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The competition in the MMA video game genre may have dwindled based on the surprise move the UFC made this past weekend.  MMA fans out there know that the two major or at least go-to MMA leagues in North America are the UFC and Strikeforce.  With Affliction being a thing of the past, those who opted out of the UFC and still wanted to fight on the big stage always had Strikeforce as a place to call home while still being at the top of their game due to the roster the league has.  Well now Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC) has gobbled up the competition as the company has b

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