Last year, in 2014, one game came out that exploded in popularity and won over the hearts and minds of many. That game was called Shovel Knight, and many reviewers gave it high scores and declared it among their list of favourite games of all time. And I will tell you something, I love this game too. It’s a 2D side-scroller hack and slash that pays homage to games like Ducktales, Mega Man, and so many others. It has great controls, a memorable soundtrack, one of the best stories in video gaming, and had a great amount of replayability. There is so much to love and gush over.
But here’s the thing. Over one year before that, a different game came out a similar way and gave me a much similar reaction. And the overall reception among others was mostly a glance. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why, but today, it gets the recognition it deserves. This game was called Guacamelee. It was developed by a Toronto independent company called Drinkbox Studios. Guacamelee was a Metroidvania style platformer beat-em-up that had influences from games like Super Metroid, and I’ve made it public knowledge that my favourite game of all time is Super Metroid. Guacamelee also has some amazing visuals, incredible music and gameplay that I came back to over and over again. And dare I say it, I loved this game just as much as today’s reviewers who loved Shovel Knight. In fact, and this is no joke, Guacamelee became among my list of my favourite games of all time. And yet somehow, when the game came out, I didn’t know how to put that love and desire into words for a review at the time. And now, I need to rectify this, right now. Submitted for the approval of the Review A Great Game Day 2015 society, this is an open love letter for Guacamelee! Continue reading
Welcome to another jaw-dropping edition of the Randomizer, where every day is like Christmas for me. Well, except for the fact that none of of my gifts are wrapped, and I already own all the stuff I’m getting. And that’s it’s March, not December. So, really, nothing like Christmas. But there is the element of mystery, of not knowing what you’re getting. So there’s that.
So for the last little while, I’ve been teaching myself how to use video editing software. I think I got the gist of it, as the process is relatively simple. My goal is to make this series onto YouTube. I hope it transitions well, so I really hope when it comes out, you’ll enjoy it. If you’d like to help in any way, as I still have no earthly clue what I’m doing, any bit will be very grateful.
Okay, let’s hit the button and see what we get this time. Come on, big money, and no whamies!
Continue reading
Trilogies are a dangerous thing to make these days. The expectations to finish something strong is very difficult to pull off. A lot of people liked the first Matrix movie, but hated the next two in the series. The majority of people love Godfather 1 and 2, but thought 3 almost ruined the series. For me, Spiderman 3 sucked so much, but Spiderman 2 is one of the best superhero movies.
But what happens when there’s a trilogy of video games? It’s just as complex to execute it correctly. So much so, that there are franchises, like Half-Life, that don’t even attempt it. Hell, I still demand a Startropics 3. Get on that Nintendo.
But what happens when one of the biggest independent horror video game phenomena of recent memory comes out and popularizes the genre of scary games? Then a sequel comes out months later and becomes an even bigger phenomenon to behold. Well, that means that the expectations of the third game better be the best game it can be. That’s a lot of pressure for a video game company to hold. Especially when that company consists of one person. Continue reading
Welcome to another sensational edition of The Randomizer, where I answer to no man, but I do answer to a machine. This is a series where I press a button, and a video game from my personal collection is randomly selected. Once chosen, I must play it and give my opinion on it.
I have to admit, I’m loving this concept more and more. The burden of having to choose a game to review is lifted like a weight off my shoulders. The mystery of what game is next gets exciting for me. With so many games to choose from, it literally could be anything. And with the first two games, Rollergames and P.N.03 being hidden gems of games that I enjoyed, let’s hope that this winning streak continues.
I really hope you’re enjoying this too. Don’t be afraid to let me know if you are, or what you’d like to see improved. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Believe me, I know I’m not perfect, and can only get better with some good advice. Just be gentle with your words. Behind this rough and tough exterior, lies a guy who still cries when watching An American Tail.
So let’s slam that button again, and see what gets selected here. Oh, I hope it’s another fun game. I like those games, because they are fun.
This Sunday is the Oscars. A time when a bunch of millionarie actors gather around to determine who was the best this year in acting and movie production. Don’t tell anyone about this, but it’s kind of a guilty pleasure of mine to see who wins. I don’t watch the show, naturally. Especially since I have a wall covered in fresh paint that looks far more exciting to watch. And It doesn’t skew my opinions on what movies I like or not I just like finding out what a collective group of know-it-alls think is the best movie of the year. And this year is going to be interesting with a lot of good movies competing for the top spots. And there are some times when I agree with them who deserves the awards.
And there a metric tonne of times that I don’t. Come on, even this year, there are movies and actors who should have at least got nominated for something that was overlooked by the Academy. You know, like Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler.
This is my top ten “Oscar Screw Jobs” of all time. By “Screw Job” I mean those bad decisions the Academy has made, ranging from choosing the wrong winner, to giving recognition to undeserving movies, to not even acknowledging anyone in a particular category.
Three rules to my list. 1) Only one year is represented each entry. 2) Only one movie is represented in each entry. (Although I can say that one should have been replaced with another movie.) 3) These are just my opinions. You may think I’m wrong, and I’d love to hear what you think about my list and what you think was a true screw job in the comments.