The combat scenes look super fun. To be honest, I totally skipped over the previous 2 XIII titles after trying to get into the first. At least it looks like Square Enix listened to fans when it came to non linear maps. However, the freedom of moving around and exploring seems to come at the cost of graphics and presentation. The city of Luxerion (Seriously, the font for the name of the city is incredibly ugly) looks super PS2 gen. At least the character details during the game don’t falter much. The scene where Lightning is running around the town reminded me of the Assassin Creed series.

I might choose this one to get back into a main Final Fantasy game. The last one I truly loved was Dissidia. Where’ my Versus, Square Enix? Lightning Returns is scheduled to release for the Xbox and PS3 this Fall.

What do you guys think? Comment Below!

I kept saying “Whaaaaat?!” all throughout the trailer because it looks so epic. I’m not a fan of Raiden’s English voice as it sort of sounds corny and reminds me of Christian Bale’s Batman voice. Besides that, the game look incredible!

I have the upmost respect for Platinum games after playing their Vanquish game from 2011. Vanquish is very similar in that it’s over the top sci-fi action and it’s oozing with brutal moves. Hopefully it doesn’t make the mistakes Ninja Gaiden 3 for PS3 and Xbox did in early 2012.

This is currently a first day purchase for me. Howabout you? Comment Below!

Pokemon X and Y is the first 3D Pokemon game for the Nintendo 3DS. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t a remake of Ruby because I grew up with the first, second, and third generation Pokemon and have no idea of the new ones. Luckily for me the trailer above showed quite a few first generation Pokemon. I’ll probably make it my duty to have my 5 roster filled with first and second generation Pokemon!

The game looks ok, I’m not a fan of the 3D sprites that started coming out for the original DS games but hopefully the 3D will be used fully and not gimmicky. It’s also been a long time since I picked a Pokemon game that has the abilities of wireless battles and trades, so excited to try that out.

What do you think about the announcement? Are you going to buy it? Comment below!

The ones I’m seriously considering to get is The Walking Dead game and maybe Counter Strike: GO. What games have you bought during the Winter Sale on Steam? Any of these look enticing to you? Let us know below!

Bigger is better

The achilles heel for the 3DS is the lack of games that actually utilize 3D. Sure there are amazing titles out for it now, but it’s no where near as robust as the Nintendo DS’s (which to be fair is playable with the 3DS, but I need more 3D games!). Before the huge price cut of the 3DS, it could’ve been price, but the price is more than reasonable at 150 dollars for 3DS and 200 for 3DS XL, which comes with a 4GB SD card! When I first handled a 3DS when it came out, I was unimpressed by the glossy plastic as it made it feel flimsy and toyish. Right now, I’m loving the build of my 3DS XL. It’s matte finished that makes it feel like it’s a durable tech gadget, and it feels more mature overall (Not to mention a little bit better battery life).

Super Mario 3D Land is quickly becoming my favorite Mario game of all time. It has the best parts of both 3D and 2D Mario games. Nonetheless, I’d like more epic 3D games in the Zelda, Metroid, or a proper Pokemon franchise. New Super Mario Bros. 2 3D is shameful though. It’s just like the Wii version with only a minuscule amount of utility of 3D. I’m really looking forward to Fire Emblem: Awakening. Another weakness that is along the same lines are the lack of downloadable content in the Nintendo eShop. They really have to improve that!

Overall, I think if you’re debating on getting a 3DS XL or a PS Vita, I would get the 3DS. You can catch up on all the DS titles you might have missed as well as play some fabulous 3D ones such as Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Wait to see how well the PS Vita does in the new year.

Do you own a 3DS or 3DS XL? Let me know what you think below!

Many blogs and websites decried the lack of good titles for the PS Vita and they are true, but I don’t think that’s the main reason why the Sony handheld is doing poorly. The two main reasons why the PS Vita is failing to fly off the shelves are the price and the memory card. Let’s be honest here, casual gamers and non gamers won’t even look at standalone gaming handhelds when the smartphone app market is doing so well. Therefore, it should be smart to assume that your target audience would be gamers who know a thing or two about researching a game and/or console before buying. In the age of the Internet, one can easily Google if the PS Vita is worth buying. The biggest complaint of the PS Vita is the starting price of 250 dollars. On top of that price is you have to buy Sony’s own proprietary memory card which is at an atrocious price of 32 GB for 100 dollars more.

Gravity Rush was the only intriguing title for me

In the age of downloadable gaming, why does Sony have to be douche and gut it’s own valuable fanbase? This is money grubbing at it’s finest. There is 0 reason why the memory card should be that much. 16GB is 60 bucks!

Hearing all the complaints found in forums and websites, no wonder the target market is reluctant to go and buy the PS Vita. Sony has effectively ostracized it’s fanbase and to top it all off, there aren’t that many good games on the platform either. The future doesn’t look that great for upcoming titles at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, the PS Vita is super sexy, super powerful, and super cool, but if I was going to own one gaming handheld it would have to be the 3DS. Next time I’ll write about the 3DS’s Achilles Heel.

Do you have a PS Vita? What do you think of the system? Comment Below.

Fire Emblem is a turn based RPG with stellar story and character development. It was the first game I played where there is perma-death for your characters (yes, just like in XCOM). Fire Emblem: Awakening will be out in North America on February 4th for the 3DS.

Are you looking forward to Fire Emblem: Awakening? What’s your favorite entry in the series? Comment Below!

DmC: Devil May Cry, to be released for the Xbox and PS3 on January 15, with a PC release on January 25, is considered a reboot to the long and prestigious franchise. The initial reception of the new Devil May Cry was bad as the fanbase bashed the look of the new Dante, Devil May Cry’s main protagonist. Initially I was skeptical too, but looking at the gameplay and presentation of the game thus far, I’m inclined to believe this game will be fun! If you preorder now, you get access to the first DLC for free, which let’s you play as Dante’s katana wielding twin, Virgil. (video above)

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is finally just around the corner! I raved about this last summer when it was announced as a Playstation console exclusive. Ni No Kuni was released 2 years ago for the Nintendo DS, but is now coming to the PS3 on January 22 in North America. I played the demo a month ago and I can honestly say that it has a very awesome look in terms of art. The animations are very fluid and you actually feel like you’re in Ghibili Studio’s universe. The gameplay was fun, but we’ll see how great the whole game can be. It’s been awhile finishing a JRPG and hopefully this will be the next one I can say I’ve played through completely.

I’m sure there are a lot of great games that will come out this month. What games are you looking forward to? Comment below!

Let me just get one thing right off my chest: This game not only makes you transform into a rainbow sparkling Gnome, but it also let’s you ride a velociraptor that shoots laser out of it’s freakin’ mouth. This statement alone should trigger a knee jerk reaction to drop everything you’re doing and download Punch Quest immediately.

Fist + Fist = Punch Quest

Gameplay

The first impression I got from plain Punch Quest, is how similar the menu is compared to JetPack Joyride, another stellar title on mobile devices. The similarity doesn’t stop there, as Punch Quest is also a “side scrolling running” game. Just like in JetPack Joyride, Punch Quest also throws in 3 objectives for you to try and accomplish in each run through. However, unlike JetPack Joyride, Punch Quest feels a lot more tactical. This is because unlike other running titles, you have two attacks you can spam throughout the level: Punching and Upper Cutting. I would say Punch Quest is better than JetPack Joyride.

Punching makes your character run faster as well as being fast to combo as well. Upper cuts slow your character down while doing more damage than punching. Mixing these two abilities helps pace the gameplay, so as not to make the stage end as fast as in other games. Punching and upper cutting allows you to create huge number of combos which fill up your special meter, sort of like a rage meter from Blizzard’s Warrior classes. As you fill up your special meter you get access to your stronger abilities that you have equipped. You can only have 3 abilities equipped at one time. It is incredibly fun mix matching the abilities to try and find the best build for Punch Quest. It has the perfect blend of simple controls with indepth gameplay.

Bring it on!

Presentation

The graphics are similar to 16 bit retro style, but it never seems to try too hard. All the different power ups you can equip look great in glowing brilliance.  One complaint I have is the lack of variation with the mini bosses. There are only two kinds of mini bosses. One’s a generic cyclops and the other one is a floating cyclops robot with a brain and an arm. Both mini bosses have their own weaknesses and can be defeated pretty easily. I found it difficult to survive past level 18. Each time you level up, the more difficult the monsters get, either with spiky shields, new abilities, or new forms.

The music became annoying after the hundredth run, so I have been playing with it off. Other than that the sound isn’t spectacular but also not mediocre. Thank god the monsters don’t make cliche’ noises.

Did we mention that you punch in the game?

Conclusion

Punch Quest is now the longest played iOS game on my iPhone. The non-intrusive free-to-play model is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the platform and makes you want to drop a dollar or two to support the developers. In my opinion, it’s a better game than Jetpack Joyride, but not as shiny in terms of presentation. I’m excited to see what else the creators will do next!

Mark

I found the exhibit to be disappointing. First, it was really short and small, like literally the size of your living room. Second, Pong to Poke’mon was a terrible name to choose if there’s no trace of poke’mon and the exhibit has the subtitle “Video Games of BC,” it sends a very mixed and confusing message. Finally, there was the Nintendo Wii on display as well as an iPhone, but none of the other current generation consoles. Lot’s of BC developers develop for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, so its puzzling why they were so inconsistent. Even though all of these things are bad, I’d still recommend going to it if you’re in the area, or you have no where else to go on a lazy summer day. It’s pretty cool to play Pong on a retro pong machine and we had a blast playing Radical Entertainment’s Grid Runner on the PS1!

Paul

It was actually kind of disappointing to see how small the exhibit was, especially after having walked the several blocks uphill from Columbia Station. However, what they had there was pretty comprehensive, and was not afraid to cover the more eclectic games and platforms of the last 30 years, with a focus on games developed here in British Columbia. Unfortunately, the small amount of floorspace available meant that there were a few glaring omissions: there was little on arcade or PC gaming, and a lot of the plaques had neither demos nor glass-case exhibits to go with them. Regardless, the two demos that were there (Pong and Grid Runner) held our attention for quite a while and admission was by donation. If you have some spare change, some friends and an hour or so to burn, I would definitely recommend dropping by, even if it’s only to get your ass kicked at Pong.

Matt

The exhibit was not bad, It was smaller than I expected, although considering the size of the museum itself, and that it was roughly the same size as the video game portion of the much larger Vancouver Art Gallery during its WACKED! Exhibit, I think they did a fairly good job. Where this exhibit trumps the Vancouver Art Gallery is in the focus. We were treated to age old consoles that, by today’s standards, are as cave paintings are to a work of Monèt. Systems where a game like Space Combat (arguably the first game ever made) would be made on a computer that was well over $1000, and yet be more primitive than PAC-Man. It was also interesting to see the diversity of systems, and the options menu being a part of the system itself. For example, the Pong demonstration we played had little switches, which when toggled, would make the game considerably harder.

Speaking of Pong, it was amazing to play the classic game and understand WHY it was a classic. It is addicting and very competitive, and many games owe a lot to the simple brilliance of two lines and a pixel. On the other side of the exhibit was Grid Runner, which was hilarious. If Pong represents simple competitiveness, then Grid Runner is complex war. Play it.

All in all. A fun exhibit. Small, and by donation. You won’t get too much information you don’t already know, but you will learn a few things you don’t. And to me, that’s what counts.

Craig

The exhibit was smaller than I expected, but even still, it’s good to see video games getting coverage from local sources. It’s very easy to forget how much of an impact video games have had locally when they’ve exploded in popularity and evolved to their current stage. Being able to see some retro arcade-style games, and consoles even older than the ones I messed around with as a kid, was an intriguing time-traveling experience. It clearly illustrates the vast leaps and bounds that gaming technology has taken in the past few decades, and hints towards the hopefully equally great distances we’ll cover in the next 10 to 20 years. For all that, though, I would recommend that if you plan on going to this exhibit, head out on one of the Play Days mentioned above, or at the very least bring a couple friends. It’s pleasant enough to wile away an hour or so in, but I expect that with the apparently larger crowds on Play Days, the exhibit truly comes to life.

Oh, and Grid Runner is great. So great, in fact, that after visiting the exhibit, for kicks, we stopped in at Game Deals a few blocks away and picked up a copy. Retro video game review, anybody?