There was a time when FIFA was not the first name that came to mind when you thought about the best game of digital football you could play. In this ancient time, years past, Pro Evolution Soccer, also known simply as PES, was renowned as the true aficionado’s game of choice for its focus on providing as true a football simulation as it could. Today, due to a lack of vigilance on Konami’s part and a serious effort on EA’s part, the name of Pro Evolution Soccer has fallen somewhat into obscurity in the shadow of EA’s FIFA series. A lesson has been learned, however, and Pro Evolution Soccer is trying to reclaim its former glory and standing. Read the full story

From start to finish, Shadows of the Damned is one of the best Grindhouse movies I’ve ever played. I’m less a fan of the horror element of the genre than I am of the purely over-the-top, gratuitous nature of the genre, but the game is so unashamedly vulgar and grotesque that it overcomes any qualms I may have had about playing out of my comfort zone of “pretty-much-anything-but-horror.” Let me reiterate: I don’t like horror, but I liked Shadows of the Damned. Of course, with the combined might of Suda51 and Shinji Mikami at the helm, it already has a lot going for it before you even take it out of the case. Read the full story

The biggest fear I had walking into E3 was seeing SSX going the way of many sitcoms…serious. SSX has always bordered on the line of parody as far as sports games go: vibrant characters with their own definable styles, mountains had their own flavor, and the tricks that made the game what it is are still burned into my brain. But after seeing the pre-E3 teaser trailer it began to seem as though we would be looking at the series going in a more serious direction as opposed to wacky game its known to be. This is why I’m grateful I came to E3. EA has matured the franchise but kept what makes the series great. The physics have changed a little bit more requiring the player to be a little more precise about how they land, but it never hinders the player’s ability to get tricky. Springing up and going tricky will be familiar to veteran players and will be easy to pick up for those new to the series. Read the full story

Wonderland on ecstasy. Three words that sprung to mind when I had the chance to preview Alice: Madness Returns recently. Still driven to find the people responsible for the deaths of her parents, Alice is trapped inside her imagination, alone and imprisoned by her broken memories.
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At today’s Nintendo press conference, the world finally got a look at the long rumored Project Cafe. Dubbed the “Wii U,” Nintendo showed off it’s next console entry with a barrage of announcements. So what is the Wii U all about? Read the full story

In a dim lit back alley Garcia Hotspur holds his demon foe in place with a boot against his head, pointing a gun in his face, venting with vitriol about his disdain for the demon race.

Hotspur’s foe responds the best it can as blood spews from its crushed jaw: “How’s Paula? Is she hanging in there?”

Stunned, slow to react, as his enemy cackles with demonical malice, Garcia realises he’s left his beloved girlfriend Paula alone and needs to get back to her. Read the full story

As if the upcoming Alice: Madness Returns wasn’t going to deliver enough Wonderland inspired insanity into your homes, EA has gone one step above and beyond by making the original PC only classic available on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live. What’s more, if you buy a new copy of Madness Returns, you get that game for free.

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The first-person shooter genre has become the most prevalent type of game this generation, and every month we see a new crop of FPS games hit the shelves. While it is easy for most to get lost in the shuffle, certain games sail in on waves of expectation. Crysis 2 is the perfect example. The original game is still regarded as one of the best looking games around, even if the majority of people can’t run it on the highest settings. Crysis 2 is an attempt by Crytek to bring a similar overload to consoles, as well as expand the market for the Crysis franchise. While the attempt was certainly noble, what we see on screen fails to live up to any of the expectations.

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Why, indeed? Episode 007 of the critically acclaimed (not really) Marooners’ Talk podcast, titled “GIR! Why was there bacon in the soap?!” is done and ready for your listening pleasure! This episode again features the dulcet tones of Chris and Lindsey only, since none of our writers like us enough to chat with us about cool stuff for an hour (insert sad face so sad that a simple emoticon could not hope to convey the truly Homeric sadness felt at this abandonment here). Read the full story

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