Long study sessions in public libraries seem to entail equally-long tedium after suffering the effects of cerebral overload. Hours of hunching over the old computers of the place soon gained me an acquaintance: a cheerful girl who shyly admitted her inexperience in all things gaming. She told me this with the eyes of a puppy, as if she expected a scolding. In her mind, I was the guy who owned 200 cartridges and spent his time playing evening-long board games of Roman politics and railroad operations, and wrote about them for a foreign website. She thought we had no common ground, that she would disappoint me were we to play together.
Nothing could be further from the truth! You just have to pick the right title. READ MORE
The Atelier series has always had a bit of difficulty making its way across the pond. Starting from humble origins on the Sega Saturn, it never saw an English release until seven years later with Atelier Iris on the PlayStation 2. These days, the series is finally seeing regular localizations. The latest in the series is Atelier Totori Plus, a Vita port of the PS3 original of the same name, with a little extra content thrown in for good measure. Is this new port worth your time, or is it just more of the same? READ MORE
The PlayStation 2, despite its wild success, garnered a fairly weak local multiplayer lineup. There are two main reasons for that. First? Controller ports. Its two competitors didn’t need a multitap for party play, so developers could find a full audience on Xbox or GameCube, and only a fraction of the PS2 audience. Second? While the three consoles were comparable, the PS2 lagged behind just a bit. The horsepower discrepancy meant that PS2 games were optimized for two-player split-screen only, and the same engine could run with four on the Xbox. Still, it managed to be home to some games worth checking out. READ MORE
Is Sony working on a new LittleBigPlanet for the Vita? And what’s up with all these persistent connection rumors?
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I like golf. It’s a sport that virtually anybody can become good at, and the camaraderie that comes from walking with friends for a few hours while competing for longest short and best hole every weekend is one of my favorite childhood memories. And that’s why computer and console golf has always held a special place for me: not only is it the rare sports game that I understand, but the attached nostalgia makes every round a fun one. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is the most complete golf game I’ve ever played. From the excellent swing mechanics, to the variety of courses, to the great excellent online offerings, I was pleased at every turn with the experience. READ MORE
