Scrap Metal (XBLA) Review

• Game: Scrap Metal
• Developer: Slick Entertainment
• Price: 1200MS Points ($15.00)
• Release Date: 3/10/2010

Scrap Metal doesn’t bring anything new to the table; it is Micro Machines in HD with more of a focus on weapons and upgradable vehicles. Seeing that Scrap Metal is brought to us by the developers of N+, the great Slick Entertainment [though the N series was created by Metanet Software - who co-developed N+], you can expect a bit of frustration while playing, but sadly it is not rewarding frustration. It doesn't help that the game is free of exploding ninjas.

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The Xbox 360: Teaching the Youth About Marijuana

It is a well known fact that video games are to blame for all the world’s problems. If someone shoots another person; it was because of video games. If kids join together to perform an underage orgy; it was because of video games. If you have Aids; it was because of video games. These statements are obviously all true and I have proof that Microsoft is teaching kids the wonder of marijuana in the recently released Risen for the PC and Xbox 360.

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The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (XBLA) Review

• Game: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
• Developer: The Odd Gentlemen
• Price: 800MS Points ($10.00)
• Release Date: 2/17/2010

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a new independent game exclusively for Xbox LIVE Arcade [as of right now]. Winterbottom follows the escapades of a mischievous, time-bending pie thief. Winterbottom is the warped brain-child of developer, The Odd Gentlemen. It was originally created as a USC student project and now it is one of the first downloadable games published by 2K Games.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2004: Final Fantasy XI

In 2004, the game I remember more than any other game is Final Fantasy XI on the PS2. FFXI was originally released for PC and PS2 [in Japan] in 2002, but it took much longer for it to make its way to the States, especially the PS2 version. The game came bundled with the 40GB hard drive, which was required to play the game, and it was $100 when released. We bought two copies on day one as my wife [at the time] had been thinking of playing it since and several coworkers were getting it as well.

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BioShock 2: Sinclair Solutions DLC

BioShock 2has only been out for two weeks and yesterday, 2K Games announced that there will be new DLC available in March. For those of us who loved our return to Rapture, this is exciting news. The new DLC is called “Sinclair Solutions Test Pack” and it will focus on multi-player. For many people, including myself, the multi-player addition was an intriguing feature of BioShock 2. Would it be good? Was it just slapped on? It ended up being a welcome surprise and the online element was done well and fun to play. Whether it's the thrill of becoming the only Big Daddy or the creepiness of making a Little Sister squeal, the multi-player was well done.

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The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom's Music

You probably know that The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom recently came out on XBLA. The game definitely has its own style and it’s pretty fun as well, but if you’re like me; you were immediately humming along with the fantastic music. I’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time, but I managed to fall in love with the music so fast that I would just leave the game running so I could have it playing in the background. I enjoyed the music so much that I went off looking to see if it was available for download anywhere at all and it was quite the adventure.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2003: Viewtiful Joe

2003 was a good year for the Gamecube. I already mentioned my love for Wind Waker in a previous feature, but another game came very close to topping that little Zeldarific memory. The game in question is Viewtiful Joe. This was a game birthed by Hideki Kamiya, the genius who’s brought us games like Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Ōkami, and the recently released Bayonetta. Kamiya is known for his style, but he really upped the ante with Viewtiful Joe.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2003: SOCOM II

My most memorable gaming experience of 2003 is SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs. The reason for this is because SOCOM II was the first online game I played that wasn’t an MMO. My wife at the time had a coworker who was playing it every night, along with another coworker’s husband, and they would talk about how much fun it was all the time. At the time we didn’t have broadband, but the more I heard about SOCOM II, I quickly gained much interest. We eventually broke down and bought a high-speed connection, the PS2 Network Adapter, and a hundred foot kit to create our own Cat-6 cable, which was the most miserable experience ever; the cables never worked.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2003: The Wind Waker

I know it’s hard to look at anything besides the amazing N-Gage in 2003, but surprisingly, I have a different memorable moment (obvious sarcasm is obvious). I was a huge Zelda fan as a wee lad, but due to the fact that I’ve never owned a SNES or Nintendo 64 (recently bought one), I lost touch with the series; I did own a Gameboy, but I somehow never played any of the handheld games. If you can’t already tell, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is my most memorable gaming moment of 2003.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2002: Community Edition

Looking back, 2002 truly was an awesome year for gaming on all systems. We had great games like TimeSplitters 2, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Mafia, Metroid Prime and a lot more, but it was also a time when I was able to play a lot of the best games of 2001 like Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto III. With all that said, there was one game that came out in 2002 that truly blew me away, from its smooth, detailed visuals to its excellent orchestrated soundtrack. That game was none other than Medal of Honor: Frontline.

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