Tropico 4, the latest offering in the series from Kalypso, launched a few months ago and has taken the simulation community by storm. After reading the review for the 360 version here on Marooners’ Rock, I knew I had to snag a copy since it sounded like a game I could easily spend hours upon hours playing. While my assumption was correct it did seem like there were a few things lacking, especially when we’ve been spoiled in the past by such games like Civilization and Sim City.

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The best advice I can give you if you’re planning on playing NeverDead is not to take it too seriously. Sure, the subject matter may have some heavier elements to it…the burden of immortality, loss, demons, love…but in much the same way that you wouldn’t take Army of Darkness or Plan 9 from Outer Space seriously, I reiterate: NeverDead is not a game to take seriously, because I honestly believe it is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously. If this is not the first review you have read for NeverDead, then I am sure you have seen quite a lot of negative criticism, and quite a few low scores. Part of the criticism is valid, but part of it stems from the reviewers doing the one thing they absolutely should not have done when approaching NeverDead: they took it seriously. You may feel that I’m becoming redundant, but it’s a very important point and it should be thoroughly impressed upon you before you continue. Read the full story

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 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

I know I probably said this in the last episode (This is Episode 12), as well, but this time I mean it: Marooners’ Talk is returning to a weekly format! WOOO! FANFARE AND APPLAUSE! Today’s episode of Marooners’ Talk, titled “The One Where We Talk About Some Games…And Shit” (so titled because I forgot to think of a title prior to recording) marks episode 13 of our on-again/off-again series, and marks the first episode of a (hopefully) consistent string of weekly recordings. Read the full story

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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

I remember sitting in the crowded aisle of the Microsoft press conference at E3, watching the presentations with mixed reactions. Some I just could not care less about if I were paid to care less about them, while some filled me with childlike glee and anticipation. When Tim Schafer of Doublefine took the stage to present Once Upon A Monster, the Kinect based Sesame Street co-op game, I remembered the joy and entertainment I got out of Sesame Street as a child, and began to eagerly look forward to the rest of the presentation, and to the eventual release of the game. Read the full story

I have made recent mention of my incredible lack of artistic talent. That has not changed in the short time between that mention and this reminder. This supercharged deficiency makes a game like Pictionary particularly frustrating for anyone unlucky enough to be paired with me, and particularly satisfying and entertaining for anyone lucky enough to be positioned against me. So what game do I decide to play? Why, Pictionary: Ultimate Edition for use with the uDraw Tablet! Seems like a great idea, to me. Read the full story

I have a lot of respect for good artists. It’s not easy to do what they do, and it takes either preternatural talent, or lots of training to do it. I’m a terrible artist. Even something as simple as a stick figure ends up looking like an attempt at drawing a straight line during an earthquake, tornado, volcanic eruption, and mimicking Dave Gahan in Depeche Mode’s video for Everything Counts (for those of you who don’t get the reference, he dances like a spaz in that video; bad 80′s dancing at its finest). With that in mind, you’d think that I would avoid artistic endeavors, but you’d be wrong. I enjoy drawing, even if I’m awful at it. Thankfully, somehow, magically, the uDraw actually does make me a better artist. Perhaps its the digital medium, and perhaps a Wacom tablet would do the same thing for me, but I find that my drawings look just a little less atrocious than they do with pen & paper. Read the full story

Since the Kinect was launched, developers started crawling out of the wood work and have started making “games” for this new tech. Dancing seems to be the most obvious and prevalent of these, but unless you are into kids songs or club thumping there was not a place for the dancer inside of you to escape. Then comes Grease: The Game. Besides the obvious tie in to the movies, this game was designed for the worst dancers around. Read the full story