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Space Channel 5: Part 2 [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 08:53
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Overall Feeling: 

Space Channel 5: Part 2 is a fun and vibrant rhythm game that despite being nearly a decade old has aged extremely well. The buttery beats are still fresh and dishing out moves to destroy evil robots and agents of the Rhythm Rogues is simple yet offers a nice, if slightly steep, challenge.  If you never played Space Channel 5 Part 2 then I recommend having a go with Ulala as the intergalactic journey offered in the game is a classic.

The Pros: 

+ Gameplay is still fun and doesn’t feel too archaic.

+ Visuals look good on a HD platform, even with some noticeable jaggies.

+ Music soothes my soul in how varied and catchy it is.

+ Tone of the game is completely silly but it’s so damn fun.

The Cons: 

- Difficulty spikes may be a bit much for new players.

- Controls feel a bit unresponsive here and there.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
8

Going into a video game and not hacking and slashing everything or engaging in ruthless gun battles may be shocking to some, but I for one welcome the change of pace every now and then.  Gamers are of course used to getting some action through puzzle games or simulation racers, but there aren’t too many games out there that take a completely original approach to something which while bucking a genre trend is still entertaining.  Back in 2002 Sega released Space Channel Five: Part 2, the sequel to the raucous dancing sci-fi romp that hit the Dreamcast in 1999.

UFC Is Coming To The Xbox 360 With An In-Depth App

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 08:42
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With Microsoft announcing their TV line-up on XBL earlier this week, Xbox 360 gamers have something else to look forward to: UFC on Xbox Live. Announced this year during Microsoft’s E3 press conference (it was one of the few highlights of the show), UFC on Xbox Live will be available on December 1st in both the U.S. and Canada, just in time for UFC 140 on December 10th.

Ubisoft Finally Reveals A Release Window For I Am Alive + A New Trailer

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 08:57
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In a slightly uneventful announcement, Ubisoft has confirmed that their apocalyptic action-survival game I Am Alive will finally see release this Winter on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

More Stylized Slice and Dice Action Will Be Abound In Shank 2

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 04:29
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It’s rare to see an indie game receive a sequel, even when it has the backing of a major publisher, but such a thing is happening with Klei Entertainment’s Shank franchise. Last seen in 2010, EA and Klei have announced that Shank 2 will be hitting consoles early next year and will once again feature a mix of stylish visuals skillful combat.

Burnout Crash [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 08:35
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Overall Feeling: 

Burnout Crash is a nice experiment in taking the core Burnout formula to a new territory except that it completely fails in the process.  Having an easy to pick-up and play arcade action game is fine but following up the prestigious lineage of the Burnout series and knowing the obvious talents of developer Criterion Games makes Burnout Crash hard to accept in any form.  There are some fun moments in Burnout Crash but the sheer simplicity of the game and how it throws away core trademarks of the Burnout franchise far outweigh whatever slight fun is to be had. 

The Pros: 

+ The controls in general are easy.
+ Some of the special hazards are entertaining, even if they’re totally ridiculous.

The Cons: 

- The Crash Junctions lack an overall amount of skill and careful planning.
- Visually the game is basic, even by PSN/XBLA standards, which leads to uneventful crashes/explosions.
- Commentator/radio personalities make my ears bleed.
- Game feels a bit cheap at times which leads to more frustration than immediate satisfaction.
- Online/Autolog features are rather slim and leaderboards are limited to friends only.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
3

It may not seem like it, especially to those who started gaming with the PS3 and Xbox 360, but Burnout is a pretty huge franchise.  Obviously stating as such isn’t too much of a surprise considering Criterion released five core Burnout entries for various platforms, but as a whole Burnout is important for one key thing: it kept the arcade racing genre alive for the last ten years.  Arcade style games aren’t as prevalent as they used to be but Criterion managed to do something special with Burnout and it caught on with people.

I Am Alive Is Indeed Still Alive And Could Be Bound For Retail Soon

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 07:55
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Ubisoft’s oft delayed I Am Alive could be awakening from its slumber as the ESRB have officially rated the game.  Last shown to the public nearly three years ago, Ubisoft hasn’t said much of anything concerning the direction and ultimate premise of I Am Alive and instead the only morsels of info we’ve received on the project have come in the form of a series of videos leaked last month.

Renegade Ops [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 06:24
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Overall Feeling: 

It may be yet another twin-stick shooter filled with explosions, but there’s just something thoroughly fun about Renegade Ops.  With a basic premise that doesn’t over stay its welcome, Renegade Ops offers plenty of action and hammy dialogue to keep things entertaining – even during a few slow spots or sudden repetitious moments towards the end.  Developer Avalanche Studios may have put their necks out there developing a smaller title, but their risk paid off as Renegade Ops is visually pleasing, fun to play and is a perfect laid back co-op action game.

The Pros: 

+ Game is easy to get into thanks to simple controls and straight forward objectives.
+ The camera may never get extremely close to the action, but the graphical details are impressive and the game is just nice to look at all around.
+ The plot is a bit shallow but it has the perfect amount of cheesiness to it complete with G.I. Joe elements.

The Cons: 

- The action is fun but it does get repetitive towards the end.
- Having a moderately thin plot is fine, but having some more detail and character to the Renegade Ops team would’ve been nice.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
8

At this stage in the current video game generation we’re used to seeing two things pop up consistently: action filled experiences with little reasoning behind them and twin-stick shooters.  Twin-stick shooters have in a way been a staple of the video game industry as a whole but for some reason at the start of this generation something just clicked with gamers and developers which is why we usually see at least a dozen or so major releases in the genre every year.  I probably don’t need to delve into why popcorn action games are popular these days since most people like to turn of

Could We See More Virtua Fighter Action In The Future? [Rumor]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 09/13/2011 - 09:42
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Yesterday we received a goldmine of potential Sega TGS reveals and today we have something concerning everyone’s favorite Sega fighting franchise.

Shoot Many Robots Hands-On [PAX Prime 2011]

Submitted by Cynthia Griffiths on Tue, 09/13/2011 - 05:27
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We last encountered the Shoot Many Robots team back at PAX East, where we had by far and above the most fun of the entire convention. I was looking forward to seeing what new developments the Demiurge team had to share with us at PAX Prime, and to simply get my hands on this game again. One of the biggest news items surrounding the game would certainly have to be that this super fun title has now been picked up by Ubisoft.

Sega Reveals That Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Is Finally Coming To The West

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 05:38
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I never thought this was going to happen but here I am on a Tuesday morning about to go into raptor Jesus mode since Sega is bringing the last Virtua Fighter 5 expansion pack to Western gamers.  Virtua Fighter 5 may not have had the greatest of success when it was released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2007 but since the fighting genre has gotten a resurgence Sega has finally done the wise thing to give VF5 another shot.

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