Video Game Reviews

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Serving as an introduction to the Xbox 360's Kinect motion device, Kinect Adventures does the job well. This title serves as the first of the "Get off your bum and play some videogames!" generation of Kinect offerings, and while the variety of games presented are a mixed bag, the Adventure experience as a whole is enjoyable- and a great workout for writers who spend too much time on their laptops to go to the gym! While Good Science is perhaps the most secretive of Microsoft Game Studios' teams, they are well known among early Kinect adopters for hosting this Avatar-centered activity. (Did you know that Kinect Sports is the second-most bought game for the Xbox 360?) There are five types of adventures to play and over 20 levels available test your reflexes alone or with a friend. Whether your pal is helping out over Xbox Live or beside you, entertainment value of Kinect Adventure's events is even greater when your score depends on a partner...

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Too Human is one of those games that I feel was unfairly trampled to death by my reviewing peers, as although it isn't some sort of misunderstood masterpiece, but after all of the time it spent in Silicon Knight's oven, you think it would be a much better experience. It's just so strange to have a game that is as equally good as it is bad- like a trail mix of your favorite candies and most hated veggies that you have to eat by the handful. I wanted Too Human to rock the faceplate off of my Xbox 360, but I ended up with a half-way decent grind-fest that dragged on in the worst ways...

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Every so often I take a break from matching gems in Bejeweled, Gyromancer and the like to set out in the wilderness of the Xbox Live Indie section to find some valuable hidden gems. Since my first adventure into this unexplored territory was such a success, (See Breath of Death VII), I plunked down another $2.50 to test drive the gory shoot-'n-slash combat of Twin Blades: The Reaping Vanguard. As much as I love the modern perks of Xbox Live titles, if more Indie games were this good, I could continue to overlook the absence of standard Live features. …

by Arnold B. Carreiro

I can't think of a better place to take a nice, long vacation in than Piñata Island- between the expansive varied environment that ranges from the Polar Pinarctic to the Dessert Desert, the friendly Piñata animals and the unlimited supply of sweet, sweet candy, who would want to play anywhere else? Well, there is the local problem of Professor Pester and his nasty horde of trouble-making Sour Piñata and Ruffians…

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Think back to the last time you found out that someone has been blatantly dishonest with you. It didn't feel good, did it? Well, I had the nasty feeling that the Gyromancer demo held back an important game mechanic until after I purchased the game. The lovechild of the addictively fun game makers at PopCap Games and the brilliant storywriters at Square Enix sounds like a peanut butter meets jelly moment in gaming history, but soon after learning how the game really works, the pair quickly burst my bubble...

by Arnold B. Carreiro

I can't be the only one here taking advantage of the goodies stashed in the Xbox Live Indie collection, right? Sure, a large amount of the games are rubbish, including vibrating controllers, Tetris rip-offs and Avatar tossing, but once in a while I'll stumble upon a real gem. As much as I like Achievements, DLC, Avatars and other modern Xbox goodies, there's something humbling and special about playing a genuinely good game that could have been produced in the Super Nintendo era...

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Let's get this straight: Kinect Sports is NOT a collection of "mini-games," but a collection of stand-alone quality games bundled together in one neat package. Kinect Sports holds several game modes of Soccer, Table Tennis, Bowling, Track & Field, Boxing and Volleyball. I thought that I'd go into Kinect Sports enjoying Table Tennis the most and while the tight controls, killer AI and variety of modes made me like it, Soccer stole my heart. I'm American! I'm not supposed to like Soccer so much, Rare! Seriously, once you learn to point your toe towards the target, Soccer controls like a dream. ..

by Arnold B. Carreiro

Wow! That Wendigo ripped that Weretiger Card a new one!

Do you love Mario Kart, but lose it at the thought of getting slammed with a Blue Shell after staying on top of the pack for 90% of the race? Well then, stay away from Culdcept Saga! Maybe that's a little unfair, as many board games ultimately decide the winner by chance, but Culdcept Saga seems to roll the dice for choosing the game's winner a little too often...

by Matt Makepeace

I am fully confident when I say that never in the history of video gaming has a fictional world been so completely realized. I've often found myself just walking down the street and marveling at the hustle and bustle going on all around me. Taxi cabs speed down the streets honking wildly at cars that aren't going fast enough for their tastes...

by Matt Makepeace

Simply put, Rock Band is the ultimate party game. Sure, you could make a similar argument for Halo, Super Smash Brothers or any other number of multiplayer games but there is something special about Rock Band that no other game has heretofore successfully emulated. I am almost certain that this is the most fun four people can have together with a video game...

by Arnold B. Carreiro

One of the amazing things about living in the digital age is the ability to instantly download classic games to modern systems so you can share with the newest generations of gaming enthusiasts. Nintendo's Virtual Console is an amazing tool to dig up some of your old favorites while discovering some new gems. Since it would appear that Nintendo has no interest in reviving, updating or creating a sequel to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, it is as a good time as any to fall in love with the first Mario role playing game ever made...

In order to be a video game artist you have to have a good mix of traditional art skills and modern computer based art skills, the balance of which will depend on the eventual specialization you go for. Within the title "games artist" are many sub-categories of artist including animators, texture artists, character modelers, object modelers, concept artists, etc etc...