Review: Snoopy Flying Ace (XBLA)

Snoopy Flying Ace is the best arcade air combat game since Crimson Skies. And, it may actually be better. Don't let the Peanuts license scare you off; Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all of their friends have little to do with the actual game. You may find a tad more enjoyment if you are a Peanuts fan, but coming from someone who couldn't care less about the license (aka moi), the game is just pure fun.

Flying Ace does play very similar to the old Crimson Skies games, but I actually believe it plays better; however, I haven't played a Crimson Skies game in quite some time. The controls are easy to learn and yes, easy to master. It is really nice to see a flight game with controls that don't get overly complicated with controller inputs that don't feel natural; Dark Void says, "howdy partner." Please don't ask why Dark Void talks with a southern twist.

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Review: Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition (XBLA)

• Game: Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition
• Developer: ACE Team
• Price: 1200MS Points ($15.00)
• Release Date: 05/05/2010

Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition is not new – it released for PC over a year ago without the “Ultimate” tagline – but it just came out on XBLA with extra content and it is unique if nothing else. Zeno Clash is a first-person brawler/shooter with the teeter-totter tipping in the direction of brawling. The Ultimate Edition adds new modes and weapons, but the thing that drew me in was nothing new; the art style is both beautiful and disturbing.

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5 Reasons to Thank Xbox

The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The system has not seen a new release in almost two years, but Xbox Live continued to thrive and Halo 2 players acted as if next-gen never happened. All things must come to an end and now, Xbox Live support for Xbox and Xbox originals is officially dead and the system is barely more than a paperweight. This is not a moment of sadness, but a moment to look back at what the Xbox did for gaming. So, in no particular order, I give you five reasons to thank the Xbox.

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The Sausage Dump: New and Improved - More Sausage

You may have noticed that things have been quiet on the ‘Sausage of Pixelation’ recently. This is due to my departure from Distributed Failure and crunch-time at school. But, the biggest reason for the lack of content is due to the birthing of a new podcast of my own: The Sausage Dump. Yes, that is the name of an old podcast about everything but video games. But, since I am a God, I have turned The Sausage Dump into a podcast all about video games.

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Play N Trade: Selling Games on CD-R

Gamestop is the recipient of much hate and I can understand said hate, but at least they are noble enough to not sell an illegal burned copy of a game. I went to a Play N Trade today – I honestly never heard of the chain prior to this day – and I was initially impressed with the layout, but the prices on newer games were not particularly desirable. I did, however, find a copy of Power Stone 2 [best 3D fighter in the history of all that is sweet and holy] in what seemed to be good condition for $14.99 [if it is too good to be true, it usually is].

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Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond (XBLA) Review

• Game: Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond
• Developer: Vicious Cycle Software, Inc.
• Price: 1200MS Points ($15.00)
• Release Date: 1/6/2010

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is the game we wanted from Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard. Eat Lead was not a terrible game – the writing could be quite funny – but it never lived up to its potential [it had Doogie Howser, Doogie!]. Blood Bath and Beyond tops the first game on all levels with its consistently funny writing and the fact it is actually fun to play.

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Perfect Dark (XBLA) Review

• Game: Perfect Dark
• Developer: 4J Studios
• Price: 800MS Points ($10.00)
• Release Date: 3/17/2010

I never played Perfect Dark when it originally came out back in 2000. I never owned a Nintendo 64 and therefore; I have no pleasant memories of playing Perfect Dark as a wee boy. I have spent a lot of time with the game and it seems rather obvious that nostalgic memories are key to enjoying the game. It is not a terrible game, but when comparing it to games coming out nowadays – which fans will frown upon as unfair – Perfect Dark falls behind and feels far too dated.

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An Interview With Paul Bellezza of The Odd Gentlemen

Not long ago I wrote a review of the Xbox LIVE Arcade title, The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom. Recently, I got a chance to ask some questions about the game and gain some insight into The Odd Gentlemen, the studio that developed this quirky adventure. Below is the Q&A I had with Paul Bellezza. Paul is listed on the site as Producer/CEO & Janitor. I guess being multifunctional is a plus in The Odd Gentlemen.

I have read that the idea for P. B. Winterbottom started as a student project at USC. Can you tell me more about that?

PB: The project was a graduate thesis project of our creative director, Matt Korba, at the University of Southern California's Interactive Media Division in Los Angeles. Matt originally obtained his undergraduate degree in Film, and wanted to bring his love for old silent films into games.

...Click for full interview

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Lazy Raiders (XBLA) Review

• Game: Lazy Raiders
• Developer: Sarbakan
• Price: 800MS Points ($10.00)
• Release Date: 2/24/2010

I’ll be honest; my first impression of Lazy Raiders was horrible. It was not that the game was bad, but my shallow mind had different expectations based on only ever seeing a few screenshots. I expected a game of exploration with direct control over the character, but Lazy Raiders is exactly the opposite. Lazy Raiders is a clever puzzle game where you control the maze and use that to guide your character to its goal. Once I accepted this fact, I found Lazy Raiders surprisingly fun and challenging.

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An Interview With A Man Named Dan [He Dizzles]

I was lucky enough to gain an audience with Daniel Macias, who you may know from such podcasts as Obviously Oblivious and the BAESTCast [also an employee of Pixar Studios], to discuss his trilogy, which he has never openly discussed until this moment. I must say that it was a great experience and I believe most people will quickly find themselves intrigued by what they read in this interview. Now sit back, relax, and teach yourself a little something about a trilogy that aspires for greatness. For clarification purposes, my questions are in bold and Dan’s responses are not [obviously].

First, who are the main characters of your trilogy and what is the general story of said trilogy?

DM: The story revolves around Xavior, and a character later introduced in a very bad ass way, his antithesis, if you will [Gabriel].

At the core, it is a case study about love in its many forms (want, need, loss, unrequited, etc) and its effect on people. One of the tag lines for the film is "What would you do for love?” which leads to the ad campaign for the film. It will center over ambiguous questions that we can all relate to.

My goal is to engage the audience in a way that is unique to every person. One question can mean something to someone while entirely something different to another person. I want to tap in to the idea of how complex life really is. These two characters are driven by some interesting motives; it would be a nightmare if the majority of the people side with one "side."

...Click below for the full interview.

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