Come see the first trailer for the latest iteration of the Mortal Kombat series.
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I'm afraid I've got some Bad News...
Come look into our crystal balls as we attempt to look into the future and predict E3. No, wait, come back! I promise you that this is an entertaining pre-E3 edition of Nerds Without Pants. We decided to dream up some wild (but plausible) wishes for the Big Three, and then do a reality check and talk about what we think will actually happen. Before that, Consumption Junction!
A single tear falls.
You might not remember this, but at one point in time* it was possible to play Wii and DS games online – you know, over the internet! Well, that’s all over now, but to send the online services off in style, we were able to gather a few members of the PixlBit family and have an intense session playing Mario Kart Wii. This helped remind us how much fun Mario Kart can be online, and how much of a hassle the Wii Friend Code system was. We were able to capture some footage of the races from Chris’s perspective and provide them to you as a video relic of our evening and proof that the Wii was once online capable.
Classical music meets crowd-funded art.
It's been quite a journey for the game Spate, from initial conception, to successful Kickstarter campaign, to final release on Steam. Dragged into reality by Eric Provan of Ayyo Games, the game is a dreamy, artistic experience. Ayyo Games might have struggled to make this game, but they didn't do it alone: they were accompanied by classical composer and game scorer Mike Raznick, who approached them during the Kickstarter campaign. The result is a stark audio experience unlike most games. Enamored with both the game and the soundtrack, we caught up with Mike Raznick to talk about how he created the score, his influences, and what he thinks of video game music.
Fun, but forgettable.
Going into Ragnarok Odyssey ACE I was excited. To find out that the game was a spin-off of the one MMORPG that I actually was fully engrossed in for a period of time was a treat. Though this game and Ragnarok Online are indeed very different, the similarities and shared aspects were apparent from the get go. However, while I enjoyed those aspects, I may have been better off getting the Playstation Vita version.
This one's on you, PixlBits!
Well, look who decided to show up! Angelo is back, and he’s here just in time for an awesome edition of Nerds Without Pants brought to you by…you! Yep, this episode was orchestrated by the awesome PixlBit community, and it’s kind of special.
Floating platforms with a touch of absinthe.
For better or worse, games like Braid, Limbo, and other 2.5D “masterpieces” have reconfigured what a platformer can be. Spate, developed by Eric Provan and his development team at Ayyo, is not as complete a package as these games, but is still an astoundingly beautiful work of art, with truly arresting imagery, an interesting story, and a unique and moody soundtrack. However, with its tired mechanics, inconsistent controls, and sloppy (yet forgiving) physics, it is hard to quantify, or to even categorize. It is a conundrum, as it stretches between these two poles – one of artistic genius; and the other of uninspired game design.
One of the less mediocre games to come from Data East.
A few months back, Monkey Paws Games began a 6-week campaign to bring several import games to the US. Among them was Wolf Fang, released this past February on PSN. Originally released by Data East in 1991 as the arcade sequel to Vapor Trail (Kugah in Japan), Wolf Fang is a game that heavily borrows from the many shoot ‘em ups that came before it. If you’ve ever played a shooter that involved Vulcan spread shots, miniature helper drones, and anime-inspired character designs, then this game will be very familiar territory for you. On their own, the gameplay elements could be written off as merely generic. But together they form a surprisingly respectable game.
The curse is real; now prepare to die over and over
Masochistic is a word often associated with the Souls games. Though they’re known to be incredibly difficult for anyone who may be new to the series, they’ve become only mildly challenging for veterans. However, Dark Souls II is no pushover, proving to be difficult as soon as the journey begins. Even in the most basic tutorial area, players will find death waiting for them. Whether you fall into a hole you overlooked or walk past an enemy who is able to catch up to you for an easy backstab, Dark Souls II isn’t afraid to kill you mercilessly. Although the game never feels cheap, it always finds a way to lure me into a well sprung trap in which I am ill-prepared for. Difficulty isn’t the only thing in which the Souls franchise is known for though, and Dark Souls II gives us another beautifully crafted world that’s perfectly ripe for exploration with rippling lore waiting to be uncovered and dissected.
Power Fantasy
Entire consoles and companies have risen and fallen on the expectations of exclusive, first party titles like Second Son. Often seen as the PS4’s first must buy game, there is a lot on the line with Sucker Punches first foray into the new console. While elements of the game may not live up to the grand expectations, once you make it past the hype still you get a sequel that not only stands on its own, but is also engaging, pretty, and a heck of a lot of fun.
