PixlBit

Action games are a tricky business when using just a touch screen, which is all you get with an iPhone or iPad, and the App Store has the entire quality spectrum covered. Coming in right about the middle of the road is Konami's venerable run-n-gun franchise Contra with a remake of the NES original called Contra: Evolution. The developer, a Chinese outfit called Punchbox Studios, did their best to cater to the difficulties inherent in touch-only play, like adding an out-fire so that you don't have to worry about an additional virtual button (though you can change that if you like). They've also given a number of control input option, like using a floating or stationary stick for movement or plastering a big d-pad on the screen for you. To be honest, the game is better suited for iPad since you have to cover part of the screen with your fingers or thumbs in order to play. At the same time it's hard to imagine how it could control better and the developers added a rudimentary progression system that rewards your persistence in playing with perks like additional lives in your default pool and expendable weapon upgrades that can be used any time in game, so props to them for making a concentrated effort to tailor the game to its platform. But still, even with the nerfed difficulty (another good idea), I've yet to beat it. I'll keep trying though. The game is a winner on the audio/visual front, with nice clean polygons and remixed music, and the multiple difficulties and challenge mode give you plenty to do. It's hard to argue with the 99 cent price point either. Contra fans will find enjoyment here as long as they don't go in expecting an NES-perfect experience.

So...I've been talking about the OCRemix tribute album to Final Fantasy VI, Balance and Ruin, for two weeks now (here and here), covering all the songs on the first two discs. By this point, though, I'm sure that anybody here that is going to download it has already done so and those that aren't going to...well, what's the matter with you? Go download it!

Saturday night my wife and I finally got to experience something that I've been following from afar for years: Video Games Live! For those who don't know, VGL is "an immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronized lighting, video, live action and audience interactivity." We got to see it at a performing arts center at Wolf Trap National Park in northern Virginia. Basically, it was a state-of-the-art concert hall without walls. Pretty cool. And the featured orchestra was the National Symphony Orchestra, which is easily one of the best in the world!

Last week we looked at the first disc of OCRemix's tribute album to Final Fantasy VI, Balance and Ruin. This week we'll look at the second disc. There's some great stuff on here, so strap your ears on and let's go!

I was a little late to the smart phone party. I got an iPhone last November and of course jumped into gaming right away, though with just 8 gigs of space, I'm always running out of room. I played a lot of Solitaire at first and dabbled in some free-to-play games that really made me mad at how they grabbed for my money. Then I came across Touch Arcade, one of the Net's leading websites for iOS gaming. Their app is super helpful because you can put any game, whether or not they cover it, into a Watch List and you'll get a notification whenever anything happens with that game (an update, price change, etc.). I can't tell you how many times I stuck a game that sounded fun in my Watch List and later got it for free during a giveaway that may have lasted a day or two. Never would have known without the Watch List. So, if you like iOS games, definitely get the TA app. It'll save you bundles 

Over OCRemix's 13+ year history, quite a few special arrangement albums have been released, but nothing can compare with the recent release of Balance and Ruin, a 5-disc tribute to the music of Final Fanstasy VI. In lieu of OCR Spotlight, I'd like to take the next several weeks to highlight the music of this incredible album. Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game soundtrack and I couldn't be more excited for what these remixers have put together.

Someone probably already did a blog like this, so please forgive me if this is repetitious. My wife has been playing and loving Animal Crossing: New Leaf but she doesn't know anyone else with the game and she really wants to visit some other towns. So, who is up for swapping codes? Here's mine (she's using my 3DS XL lol): 5129-0517-7823

June was not a very good month for games (for me). As you'll see, I didn't have much time to play anything. We moved at the beginning of the month and things didn't let up much after that.

Being a ninja has rarely felt more awesome

Now that E3 is behind us and Microsoft is pretending that it wasn't being a total jerkwad with the Xbox One, my attention returns to the current generation. What games do I not have that I really want? What, you might say, is my short list for this gen? I settled on five games because that's a nice round number and it forces me to be choosy. So here we go!