Feel like you were there without leaving your chair.
PixlBit brings you a peek into QuakeCon 2014 through (mediocre) photographs of everything that's happening. Check back periodically for more pictures throughout the day!
Pretty sure they’re not going to do an Arcade or Ultra edition next.
Since they’ve hit the scene, I think I’ve built up something of a love affair with indie developer, Drinkbox Studios. They have an uncanny ability to create not only compelling gameplay, but memorable and humorous worlds and characters. Guacamelee is easily their greatest achievement yet, and the new Super Turbo Championship Edition only makes it better. Just the name alone should give you a perfect indication of the tongue-in-cheek humor Drinkbox imbues into their creations.
Hack the planet!
It’s an episode of Nerds Without Pants 8 months in the making! Watch Dogs is the impetus for this very thoughtful discussion about our addiction to technology, the insidious way that we are expected to share everything about our lives, the intrusive NSA, and more. But first, Consumption Junction!
It'll do.
It’s hard not to appreciate games like Ittle Dew. Rather than chart new territory, Ludosity has created a solid Zelda send-up that focuses on charm, humor, and inspired block puzzles. While Zelda games offer up plenty of block puzzles of their own, Ittle Dew puts together some more complex challenges that will flex your mental muscle until the very end. Though an enjoyable romp, Ittle Dew’s various technical issues and finicky controls put a damper on some of the fun.
Who knew that bugs in the calamari was a bad thing?
I hated Squids Odyssey. It was too hard, it was just a stupid twist on Angry Birds, and it was going to throw countless levels at me before I could say I had finished it. Then, I realized I was doing everything completely wrong. Once I understood that Squids Odyssey really is a tactical, physics based RPG sort of thing, I became enchanted. The level layout, the character design, and the delightful music wriggled their way into my heart and made me fall pretty hard for Squids Odyssey. Unfortunately, the redemption only lasted until I hit more and more game-crashing bugs and my enjoyment was dragged back down to a comfy middle ground.
I think I now hate Ice Climber even more.
Fans of the Wario Ware series tend to like 9-Volt’s mini-games the most. Honestly, I can’t really blame them. Unlike Wario Ware, however, NES Remix and its follow-up on the WiiU eShop doesn’t come from the crazy mind of Yoshio Sakamoto; instead, it’s a tribute/mashup of Nintendo’s ‘classic’ NES titles from 1983 to 1986. I put classic in quotes because, let’s be perfectly honest here, a majority of Nintendo’s early Famicom titles have not aged well.
Effortless beauty, meaningless confusion.
Exhilarating yet tedious, beautiful in a construction paper sort of way, and most of all both ingenious and boring, Secrets of Raetikon is a perfect example of the general state of indie games – inspired, but poorly crafted. I went into this work with no expectations, and no clue what it was, and for the most part, I was impressed and thrilled with what I played. But it’s a far from perfect game, with a pretty crappy ending, and play that can be both really fun and totally infuriating.
More like "bored" games, amirite?
Sorry folks, but this one is coming in hot! As in, recorded less than twelve hours ago hot. So apologies for another rough episode. We almost didn't record this week, but life, ah, ah, finds a way.
Tales from Old Russia, and Beyond.
Upon landing in the baron, vast and alien infested land of Old Russia, I realized that though I had an objective before me, there was a lot more in store for me than a linear story mission. I walked over a cliff, and a batch of enemies spawned. Using familiar shooting controls, I was able to dispense of them rather quickly. Not too soon after, I turned around only to see another adventurer, who happened to be a friend of mine. Destiny began to click with me at this point, as I realized just how seamless the matchmaking process was. I called my friend over, and we created a fireteam - or a party - and continued to explore the land. As we did, we witnessed another group, fighting off their own group of enemies. One of them fell in battle, and I asked my friend, “Should we go and help them out?” These are the kinds of scenarios that make Destiny one of the more interesting games coming out this year. However, this aspect is only one of many different reasons why I was hooked during the E3 weekend Alpha.
Why a gaming dry spell isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Usually when there’s a lack of huge releases, there tends to be a sense of dismay among gamers. We begin to worry about the state of the industry and we wonder why these machines that we’ve spent huge amounts of money on continue to sit idle. As a relatively new and proud owner of a PlayStation 4, it does bother me that I don’t really have many reasons to use it. The big, highly anticipated releases have been few and far between this year, and people are noticing. The games that I’ve personally been looking forward to are still months away, like Destiny and Super Smash Brothers for Wii U. However, after a brief period of boredom I’ve come to find this dry spell somewhat refreshing. After giving it some thought I’ve come up with a few reasons why this current gaming dry spell isn’t so dry after all.
