It seems like a cliche these days. Say the name of the game Ico and everyone expects praise. And by this point, everyone knows the idea of the minimalist game with beautiful design and a story that can be interpreted a myriad of ways. But what we’re talking about is one interpretation that was interesting enough to get published.

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Since its humble beginnings on the NES, Final Fantasy has left an indelible mark in gaming, and that legacy has held strong for generations. Recently, the mantle of Final Fantasy has suffered from fan disappointment and a development strategy that can’t seem to decide between tradition and innovation. Although I was a tremendous fan of Final Fantasy XIII, the criticisms over linearity and overwrought story were absolutely justified. Final Fantasy XIII-2, only the second direct sequel in the series’ long history, is Square Enix’s apology to fans for the failures of the last game. With a far more open world, towns, and a story line that lets you hop all over at your discretion, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has a lot of changes, but still manages to feel like an incomplete game. Read the full story

I was a child of the arcades. I would spend my time and money gladly and without hesitation at any one of a number of arcades on any one of a number of cabinets. X-Men, Gauntlet, Time Crisis, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more have all played their part in draining me of the limited funds I had in my childhood. One of the games most responsible for my lack of cold hard coinage in my youth was The Simpsons. The first video game ever made for The Simpsons was made as an arcade cabinet by Konami in the first years of the 1990s, a decade very near and dear to my heart. I grew up with The Simpsons, both on TV and in the arcades. Now, it’s made its way to XBLA, and will be coming to PSN this coming Tuesday. Has Konami done the unthinkable and tampered with one of the greatest arcade games ever? Read the full story

I know what you’re thinking: “This game came out over a year ago. Why is it just getting reviewed now?” I can answer that for you in two parts. First, with the release of patch 4.3, all of the intended Cataclysm content and most of the gameplay balance adjustments have been made and the final version is now in the hands of the players. Second, like any MMO, the game that initially ships generally turns out to be completely different from the game that everyone ends up playing in the end. So without further ado, let’s jump in. Read the full story

It’s always hard to do a review of an anime movie that’s based on a TV series. These kinds of film tend to work as continuations of the shows they’re based on, and make it difficult to judge it on its own merit for people who may not know what’s going on. FullMetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (released by Funimation and animated by Studio Bones) doesn’t try to complicate itself by explaining everything for new people, instead focusing on the strengths in storytelling the show and its original manga (created by Hiromu Arakawa).

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I was primarily a PC gamer growing up. I had consoles, but my first choice of game and game type was generally on PC. From the memory match games I’d play against my father on our Tandy 1000 to the wide variety of games on my grandfather’s Commodore 64, and from the multiple 5-1/4″ floppy games like Blue Max to hard drive installed games like Rise of the Triad and Sim City, I’d play, play, play. Sim City 2000, especially, was a favorite of mine. I defeated aliens and Godzillas and rebuilt after tornadoes and earthquakes. I achieved arco exodus and populous cities on varied terrain. City building and maintenance is in my blood, and Tropico 4 fits right in. Read the full story

If I had to define myself by one console, it would be the SEGA Genesis. I remember with no small fondness the time I spent with that controller in my hand. Whether it was Road Rash II, ToeJam & Earl, Sonic the Hedgehog, Marble Madness, Desert Strike, or any of the many other wonderful titles that console provided, it was a golden age for me. Clever segue, witty banter, oh hey, Desert Strike. Inspired by the original Choplifter, Desert Strike was a fantastic game that got its fair share of my gaming time. Now, Choplifter HD has made its way to XBLA/PSN, and it reminds me of the days spent piloting my Apache through the Middle East. Read the full story

Imagine, if you will, an atmospheric, moody game where you are given the role of a woman looking after a gifted young girl in a world suddenly overrun by zombies and other monsters. Then make the first level of the game impossibly dark, make the characters incredibly slow, give them the AI of a caterpillar, along with giving the main two characters telepathic powers. This is the premise of AMY; at least that’s what this rather promising game gave me once I started playing it. Read the full story

Before going into this review, there’s something you should know about me and my stance on zombies. In a conversation about zombies, I’m the guy vociferously and loquaciously pontificating about the oversaturation of the aforementioned subject matter in the highly enjoyable and addicting medium of video games. When done right, a zombie game can be fun. The issue is that zombies as a trend have become so popular that developers will randomly put zombies where they don’t belong (World War II, the Wild West, etc.) in order to capitalize on the popularity of said trend. That being said, I have no issue with zombies when done right, which brings me to All Zombies Must Die! Read the full story

SNK has been releasing a number of games as Minis recently with mixed results. Certain games translate well, and the price point is such that it is worth it just for the hour or so of old-school arcade gameplay that many of us cut our teeth on. However, many of them fail to deliver enough meat to make even a few dollars worthwhile. P.O.W- Prisoners of War fits into the latter category. Read the full story