Pinball FX2 and Ms. Splosion Man to make sweet love

It may or may not be common knowledge by now, but I love pinball, Pinball FX2, and I love Twisted Pixel too—intentional rhyming as always. If you're a quick thinker, you already know what I'm about to say. Zen Studios and Twisted Pixel have just announced a partnership to create a Ms. Splosion Man themed pinball table for Pinball FX2—sorry, but PlayStation 3 owners won't be seeing this table. I don't know about you, but I'm super excited to get this table in my hands and may very well prematurely 'splode in my pants. Details below:

“LOS ANGELES – July 7, 2011 – ZEN Studios & Twisted Pixel today announced a Ms. Splosion Man themed pinball table is coming to Pinball FX2 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade this summer. Sploding with energy and full of punchy surprises, Ms. Splosion Man pinball represents the passion of two of Xbox Live’s finest independent studios collaborative efforts, and the result is an insane level of fun.

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Immediate Impressions: Child of Eden

Child of Eden may be the only game capable of ever honestly saying, "Better with Kinect." I have only just begun playing the game, but the feeling I obtain from playing Child of Eden with Kinect is genuinely a new experience. The music is a key component, but playing with my hands—take this time to say your dirty jokes—delivers a sense of immersion and excitement I haven't felt in a long time—more time for dirty jokes. I can't help my lack of originally in the coming statement, but Child of Eden justifies my purchase of Kinect.

With all that said, playing with Kinect—while making it a more enjoyable experience—does not make it easier. Success is much more obtainable with the use of a controller, but the blissful joy takes a hit when controls get physical. There is just something exhilarating about using the Kinect to play this game. The controls are simple—either use one hand for lock-on and one for tracers, or clap to change between the two—and most importantly, the controls work. At no time do I feel as if I'm moving unnaturally to appease the game and I quickly find myself lost in what is currently—from my limited experience—the reason to buy a Kinect.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Independence Day'

Full comic with clickage of linkage or clickage of picture... age.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Fruit Lines'

Based off Hard Lines, available now on iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch - $0.99 Sale)

Review: Meganoid (iPhone/iPod Touch)

Meganoid immediately reminds me of League of Evil [review], which is both good and bad. It's good because I love League of Evil, but bad because Meganoid does not match or exceed the aforementioned game's quality. That being said, Meganoid is a really fun platformer that is held back by occasionally wonky controls and some current issues with crashing—something that should be fixed by the time the update releases, along with the addition of twenty new levels.

The game currently features seventy levels and each level can be played on the more difficult 'Sarge Mode' if both level's stars are obtained. This is a nice way of rewarding players who are good at the game while not granting those who suck the ability to suck even more. The levels are well designed and the game constantly mixes up the formula by adding new elements—such as weapons, jetpacks, and the ability to mess with gravity. The problem is, controlling the little guy is not as responsive as I would like. On more than one occasion I would die because my finger apparently moved a smidgen enough to lose all control, forcing my own death. It doesn't happen often, but happened enough to frustrate me at times.

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LTTP: The West Wing - Part 2

Immediate disclaimer: this will contain spoilers; proceed at your own risk.

Last time I wrote about The West Wing I was barely through the second season and loved every second. I just finished season five and feel compelled to write a follow up before finishing the series—which will likely inspire a third write-up. I am still as in love with the show as I was in the beginning and the final two episodes of both season four and five have been brilliant and suspenseful. My only fault is that I somewhat spoiled myself by checking IMDb at some point and inevitably saw each actor's episode count. For example, season five ends with Donna in a life or death situation after a complication from injuries caused by a car bombing, but I already know she's going to survive because she's in almost every episode of the series.

Speaking of Donna, her character, relationship with Josh, and the character of Josh continue to be my favorite part. I am admittedly a sucker for that "will they or won't they" aspect in any series or film and their bit of tension works so well because of their chemistry—which is thanks in large part to the writing and the realistic portrayal by each actor. The dialogue they share is always entertaining and there is even joy to be had when Donna chooses to stop talking to Josh for a brief period of time. If you've already watched the entire series and remember it well, you know that I am dying to continue the story after the way season five ended and I will never stop hoping that "they will" already.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Angry Lines'

Based off Hard Lines, available now on iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch - $2.99)

Review: Marvel Pinball: Captain America (Multi)

I am admittedly a huge fan of Marvel, pinball, and whenever Zen Studios throws them into a blender, so Marvel Pinball: Captain America is a delicious smoothie of many things I love. Not only does Captain America keep up Zen Studio's great track record, it may be the best Marvel table to date. Part of my love is due to my affinity towards the character—as a young kid with asthma who kept on fighting, I always had a special bond with the Mr. Rogers who didn't live in the neighborhood—but when it comes down to it, this table is a wonderful time and delivers a feeling I hope I receive from the upcoming film—a feeling of bliss and excitement.

It's hard to review a pinball table when I've reviewed previous tables and I'd be shocked to meet someone who has never heard of pinball, not to mention part of the fun is experiencing a table fresh. The table seems to be reflective of the upcoming film as it includes Red Skull and the cosmic cube, but Baron Zemo, a Sleeper robot, and the Howlers also have a presence. The audio is great as always and the music in particular inspires continued play. There's not much left to say other than fans of pinball should be grabbing every table Zen Studios releases because even their worst is worthy of play.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Naked Lines'

Full comic with clickage of linkage or clickage of picture... age.

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Galloping Ghost Arcade: A tad unimpressed

As scheduled, I hung out with my Pixelated Radio co-host and his better half at the Galloping Ghost Arcade earlier today and if I'm being honest, I left a little unimpressed. The concept is wonderful—an arcade full of classic to current machines, with a one-time fee for the day—but its execution was subpar. While the arcade claims to have two hundred and thirty-five working machines, they never specify if the machines work at one-hundred percent.

From my experience, many machines had an unresponsive button or a control pad that didn't want to move in a specific direction—apparently Marge Simpson is only interested in going left, right, and down (that's what she said). Other issues included flickering screens that never returned to their correct orientation and the awesome Silent Scope without a working scope. It's not all bad; however, as the arcade contains many fighters—including Mortal Kombat on a custom rig with a beautiful display—and most of them are in pretty good condition.

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