I recently wrote about how I felt cheated by Ni no Kuni’s ending. After a brilliant intro that forced you to emotionally invest in Oliver and his journey, the game’s creators failed to provide us with a satisfactory conclusion. I’m realizing now that I felt robbed of being “rewarded” for completing the game. That leads to another question: should we be rewarded for playing through a game, or should the game itself be the reward? READ MORE
You may find it strange that I decided to write about Space Harrier, one of Yu Suzuki’s most well-known games. It does, after all, see no shortage of praise. Its theme song is chanted at every game concert, and it’s one of the few games on display at the Smithsonian. It’s not an obscure game, and while we may never see a home release of its arcade sequel, it certainly hasn’t been forgotten. So why write about it? READ MORE
The Xbox One! We know the name of Microsoft’s new system, as well as some details about what it will do, so we gather to share our thoughts. Also: our experiences with Metro: Last Light, Soul Sacrifice, The Starship Damrey, Zeno Clash II, Anomaly 2 and the news from the rest of the world of games.
Check out the show here, check us out on iTunes or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think! Email podcast[at]snackbar-games.com.
Hosts: Jeff deSolla, Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell, Henry Skey, Shawn Vermette, Lucas White.
Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.
Soul Sacrifice does what few games do. It carries a theme, clings to it, spreads it throughout all of the bits and pieces that make up a video game: a medium that tells a story not only through blatant exposition, but also the personal experience a player has when physically interacting with its world. Soul Sacrifice demands much of the player, and forces tough choices: not just good versus evil, but risk versus reward. The ramifications of your choices, your sacrifices, go beyond altering your ending or your flavor text. They also define the way you play the game. READ MORE
Features / Gaijin Guide / by 05/22/13 /
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Welcome to Gaijin Guide! Or, I guess, welcome back, but I’ll get to that later. This is a column devoted to the world of import games, from the lens of the outsider. I’ll never ask you to become fluent in Japanese (or any other foreign language, when applicable), and when possible, I’ll help you navigate the little bit you’ll need to get into most games. More than that, though, I hope to provide context, that valuable insight into games we just never saw in the States. READ MORE
At its midday event in Seattle, Microsoft finally announced its long-rumored console, slated for a worldwide release later this year. Dubbed the Xbox One, it sports a bundled new Kinect, TV features and more. For the full list of announced features, check past the break. READ MORE
Features / Snackbar Speculator / Xbox One / by 05/21/13 /
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This week we have a round-up of all the rumors we’ve covered on Microsoft’s mysterious new console, along with a few new ones. And we’ll have results later today! UPDATED: The results are in!
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PC / Playstation 3 / Reviews / Xbox 360 / by 05/20/13 /
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In today’s world of action-heavy, military-based first-person shooters, it can be hard to find a game that appeals to an audience looking for something a little different from the norm. Shooters are everywhere these days, but not many of them attempt things that would feel out of place in a Call of Duty or Battlefield game. Thankfully, Ukraine-based developer 4A Games knows just the solution. Metro: Last Light, the sequel to cult hit Metro 2033, is here, with promises to improve upon the central mechanics while maintaining what made the original so memorable.
Back before Eidos was purchased by Square Enix, it was doing a lot of interesting things. I say interesting, but I actually mean strange. During the PS2 era, it published a lot of bizarre, poorly-received games such as 25 to Life, Rogue Trooper, Total Overdose and Reservoir Dogs. The company had a few good titles under its belt as well, but this was an era when Eidos wasn’t afraid to make some weird choices, for better or worse. One of those decisions was establishing the Fresh Games label in 2002, a short-lived subsection of games that Eidos localized from Japan. It represented the kind of off-brand strategies you rarely (if ever) see from big publishers these days, and it’s something that I miss.
Features / Gaming Unplugged / by 05/17/13 /
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Every year, the team at Stone Blade Entertainment has expanded their award-winning Ascension deckbuilding game with a new base set meant to be both a complete standalone experience as well as a supplement to existing sets. Last year’s large set, Storm of Souls, introduced the concepts of trophy monsters and events to the base Ascension experience. Trophy monsters are still around for this year’s set, Rise of Vigil, but events have been supplanted by another type of card that exists in the deck without actually taking up slots in the center row: treasure. READ MORE
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