60FPS

KOMBO: Max, What Happened?!

2009-06-20T17:22:08Z

I try really hard to avoid fanboyism, or whatever you want to call it. So hard, that apparently I can write the most biased opinion piece ever.

However, there are a few places where it's become unavoidable for me. One of those is Max Payne. I adore the Max Payne games. I've played both of them almost as many times as I have fingers and toes. I love the gameplay, of course, but especially the story and characters.

When Game Informer's article came out this week, I just about started weeping. But not for the reasons I'd thought I would.

What the heck happened, Max?

Check out the full article.

KOMBO: Welcome Back: A Return to Form for E3 and Games

2009-06-18T20:33:34Z

In so many ways, E3 this year was a return to form. The glitz, noise, and hype all came back, and so did the games.
There were a few surprises this year-—Project Natal and Metal Gear come to mind-—but that theme of a strong comeback filtered even into the games. There were a lot of titles this year that had been previously announced (and then stagnated) or even franchises that had fallen out with fans that gave the feeling that they were finding their legs again.

Check out the full article.

KOMBO: Thoughts on the Ubisoft Press Conference

2009-06-18T20:28:17Z

A bit late in posting, but check it out.

So many words in my head right now. Weird, boring, awkward, and long, to name a few. Having just liveblogged my way through Ubisoft's media briefing, I just need to talk about it. It was amazing. All 20 minutes of it. But what was with the other 100 minutes?

I was excited when I heard Joel McHale would be hosting. He's a funny comedian. I just didn't think he'd end up being one of the top 5 things at the show, even with his overuse of Ryan Seacrest jokes. The shortlist is really, really short: Assassin's Creed II, Red Steel 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Pele of course.

It seems, though, that Ubisoft forgot that E3 was supposed to be exciting again. The show was filled with suits and boasts about sales, and lots of games for the mainstream audience.

Check out the full article.

[AMN] New Review: Real Vol. 4

2009-06-17T05:16:22Z

TAKEHIKO INOUE YOU MADE ME CRY AGAIN. Keep up the good work.

When I started reading Real, I had some reservations. The main character, Kiyoharu Togawa, reminded me of Slam Dunk’s Rukawa – the cool-as-ice basketball ace—more than he did that book’s main character, the off-the-rails Hanamichi. I wasn’t sure how a book based around someone so detached could work.

That concern has waned with each volume. The shot at the end of volume 3—Kiyoharu the track star, under the blue sky—was a strikingly saddening image. Volume 4 continues to focus on his history, but now we’re seeing the boy grow up as he deals with the pain of his new condition.

Kiyoharu—seen here in his younger years—meets two people that change his life: Tora Yatsuta and Hitoshi Yamauchi. Hitoshi we’d already met; he’s the bedridden friend Kiyoharu visted in the last volume, and he bonds with the still shell-shocked teen over a plate of okonomiyaki. Learning about Hitoshi’s condition gives Kiyoharu a bit of perspective. Hitoshi’s condition isn’t curable with a simple amputation. As healthy as he may look now, he’s not likely to make it to 25 years old. Instead of staying miserable in bed, however, Hitoshi’s decided to live as fully as he can.

Check out the full review.

[AMN] New Review: Vagabond Vol. 29

2009-06-17T05:11:05Z

Musashi’s battle against the Yoshioka warriors in the last volume of Vagabond was one of the most epic, artful battles I’ve seen in a manga. His current battle isn’t quite as epic, but it’s just as important. Crippled and imprisoned, Musashi’s struggling inside himself once more. Is it time to put down the sword, or is there more left to do?

Officially imprisoned for, you know, killing seventy men, Musashi contemplates this question in a prison cell under a castle. His confinement there is mostly for his own protection. His reputation now precedes him more than ever, and every warrior knows that if they can best the man who killed seventy men, then they’ll be the man who killed the man who killed seventy men. Aside from potential challengers, the lords of the land are out in throngs to recruit that same man as an instructor, warrior, or even just to stand around if he’d be willing.

Check out the full review.

KOMBO: Love is Love at First Sight

2009-05-21T17:51:06Z

This week, the name of the game is Love. No, I'm serious. The game is actually called Love.

Love, right now, is mostly possibility; a sign of things to come or a flash of hope that fades out, we'll see in time. For now though, the potential is incredibly exciting.

Love is a one-man project being created by one-man team Eskil Steenberg. Called by Steenberg himself a "not-so-massively multiplayer," Love is a persistent world, Player-vs-Enemy, first-person game. You and 199 other denizens of the world of Love search for tokens that allow you to create and defend a settlement of your design, made by deforming the terrain live within the game. While you work to create your own space with your fellow settlers, you must also fight the AI of the world -- opposing settlements -- with their own defenses and resources.

Check out the full article.

KOMBO: What are we looking for in a review?

2009-05-19T12:39:48Z

Reading Roger Ebert's review of 17 Again recently, I looked at the three-star rating at the top and thought, "Man, Ebert's really jumped the shark, huh?" Then I thought about again: I've been reading his reviews for years, and it's pretty rare that I disagree with the guy. He wouldn't have any positive words for a movie that didn't have any positive words. It made me think: Why do I read reviews? Why does anyone read reviews.

A friend of my compared a review to a letter from a friend abroad: If he had a good time there, he'll try to make you want to come check it out for yourself. If he got dysentery from the tapwater, he'll want you to know that too. In short, the writer is relaying his or her personal experience.

Check out the full article.

New Page Added

2009-05-16T15:45:38Z

I’ve added a new page along the left-hand side. “My Collected Works” will be a running list of all the writing I do away from this site, mostly through Anime AMN and Kombo.com. Of course you can always just use the search function further down the sidebar, but as long as I can keep the collected works page updated it ought to be a quicker way to keep track of what I’m spending my time with.

[AMN] New Review: Slam Dunk Vol. 4

2009-05-15T15:55:06Z

Game on! We're finally on the court! Well, at least Akagi and Rukawa are. Meanwhile, looking as frustrated as ever, Hanamichi watches from the sidelines.

Slam Dunk is rarely a slow manga or anime, but this volume throws us into the action right from the beginning, so you can immediately feel the tension on the court. Akagi and Uozomi meet again as centers, while Rukawa and Sendoh are just getting acquainted as they stare each other down for the first time. The other players on both teams are pretty much second-stringers, with the exception of Kogure.

Check out the full review.

KOMBO: Chasing the Moment

2009-05-14T23:15:08Z

There was a recent thread on our forums for members to discuss some of their most memorable gaming experiences. I started to think, as I wrote my post, that those experiences are one of the things I'm always seeking when I play a game.

This kind of experience, of course, isn't exclusive to games. It could be the opening line of a book, or the first notes of a song. For me, and I suspect anyone reading, games are where I find this. As I continue to play new games, I'm finding I'm more of a tourist and explorer than I am a completionist or athlete. I want to find a new experience, or a well made experience more than overcoming a challenge or completing a collection.

Check out the full article.

KOMBO: Virtual On, Back from the Dead!

2009-05-12T06:33:09Z

Take a deep breath before you try this one: Cyber Troopers Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram.

VO:OT is representative of the best parts of Xbox Live. The incredible variety of titles available means that just about anyone can find something to play. From popular casual games like Peggle and Bejeweled to retro-style side-scrollers like Castle Crashers, there are games for everyone. Virtual On is for the fanboys.

Check out the full article.

KOMBO: Overlooked Games: Yakuza 2

2009-05-12T06:29:17Z

Every winter and spring, it seems like gamers are playing catch-up from the rush of the fall release cycle. Many games are overlooked entirely while others are relegated to a rent-and-try. One game I picked up, but didn't get around to for a few months was Sega's Yakuza 2. After playing games like Fallout 3 for way too long, I finally took the time to put in this stellar RPG from Sega. I was surprised a few times by the game, but one thing that didn't surprise me is how little has been said about it.

Check out the full article.

AMN: Shin Chan: Season One, Part Two

2009-05-12T06:26:13Z

Georgie: "We're 5 year olds."
Shin: "We don't talk like it!"

When I reviewed the first Shin-Chan box set, I'd said that the show was about buttcrack, balls, honor, and a penis. After watching the second set, I would like to add that it is also about Ass. Booger butt poopy shit poop.

If you were hoping the second Shin-chan box might be a bit more kid-safe, you'll be sorely disappointed. Instead we have everything the first box offered and more. It feels like the writers have really hit their stride and the voice actors are really comfortable with the characters.

Check out the full review!

KOMBO: Metallica Makes Rocking Out Fun Again!

2009-05-09T03:20:59Z

After Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 hit the shelves this fall, and both had spent their time in my 360's tray, I announced to the world (or maybe just my wife) that I was officially done with buying music games.

As great as some of the song choices have been in the last couple iterations, things have been getting stale, and there's nothing new to the game anymore. The only times either of the discs made it out was for entertainment at a party.

Then I had to go and rent Guitar Hero Metallica.

Check out the full article.

Party Last Weekend

2009-05-05T05:47:46Z

I just want to say, for those looking at my gamercard on the left there and wondering what’s wrong with my head, I had a party this weekend! And everyone played Guitar Hero and Rock Band, while I went outside.

Try as I might, I’m totally done with those games. GH: Metallica only holds my interest by being, well, jam packed with Metallica songs. I’ve been known to write fairly lengthy posts about Rock Band, but unless they go and release Guitar Hero: Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (which would ROCK by the way.) or, I don’t know, Jazz Band featuring tracks by Miles Davis and John Coltrane (Hey, who wants to put their lips on the plastic trumpet next?!), I don’t think I’ll be picking up Guitar Hero Galactic Tour or Guitar Hero Van Halen. If Rock Band Beatles ends up in my house, it won’t be via my wallet.

Now, I want to be clear here. I’m not saying you can’t like music games! I’m just saying I’m all played out on music games that don’t appeal VERY specifically to me.

Okay, I would totally buy Rock Band: Calexico.