SONIC 3D BLAST

Quick, what do Twilight Princess, Sonic 3D Blast, Yetis Cookie, and MTVs Celebrity Deathmatch has in common? That right, they all launched on two adjacent generations of hardware. Usually, it’s a bad sign; a moneymaking ploy that tends to underline just how dead one system is and how little effort went into taking advantage of whatever newshinyness the emergent generation offers. Behold, sonic 3D Blast: the infamous hedgehog’s swan song on the Genesis what got slapped onto the Saturn when Sonic X-Tree just kind of failed to happen.

 So, of course, the Saturn offered what the Genesis version was missing, like tighter controls, right? Wrong. Sonics quest to dismantle the robotic zed flockiest and deliver them safely to the goal ring is, unfortunately, just as sloppy as its previous version - which is to say it’s crafted from the elemental forces of ice and frustration.

 Your goal is to traverse each isometric stage, defeating foes and getting the flockiest they contain to follow you - just like in the arcade classic, Flick - but actually managing to aim yourself so as to not die can be a bit on the tricky side. Initially, your going to be slip-sliding all over the place, and later than initially, much the same will be the case. It doesn’t really improve, though you can kind of get used to it through liberal use of the B button to duck into a spin-dash (one of the only ways to make good use of your momentum) and religiously collecting as many shields as possible.

But let’s put that aside. That all gripes I’ve had since the Genesis version. This is the SATURN, after all, which means all sorts of new opportunities, am I right? Like, how about redoing the entire soundtrack to take advantage of the much richer Redbook audio available now that the games on cad-based format? Sure, it doesn’t have that classic Genesis bossy twang like it did before, but the improvements far outweigh the losses, sound-wise. Load times, on the other hand...EHz.

Well, that the price you pay for an upgraded soundtrack. As you might also notice the textures for the playfield and characters also look much more refined, taking advantage of the Saturn’s increased power. Enhanced visual effects include this waterfall, or the torturing of any bridges you happen to roll over. But the most pronounced change comes in the requisite Bonus Stages, where you’re trying to obtain the Chaos Emeralds so that Dr. Egging Robot man can’t get his confusingly-named mitts on them.

Now, Sonic 3D Blast on the Genesis just had a collect rings on a track mechanic, activated bypassing off 50 or more rings to Tails or Knuckles. This Saturn version, though, features an all-new take on... oh, what the hell, it’s just a 3D version of the half-pipe style bonus stages from Sonic 2.

 That said, it’s a 3D version game of the half-pipe style bonus stages from Sonic 2! Considered by many to be one of the most fun bonus games, it’s been rebuilt with new twists and turns, hedgehog accelerators, and timed rings that yield more baling the faster you navigate the course. A refreshing update of an old favorite... but whether it’s worth the ice-skating and load times that plague the rest of the game is a much more personal matter.

BOTANICULA for PC

Boy you guys do not like spoilers apparently I do sincerely apologize for that, breaking one of the nerd commandments “Thou Salt Not Spoil” I guess I figured two weeks after a huge release, anyone that is going to get the game would have by now and would make it through the easiest difficulty in short order. But since this is a point and click adventure game with tons of puzzles and Easter eggs, I’ll warn you now.

Minor spoilers incoming!! I’ll try and keep it to a minimum though. So the next thing I’ll probably get wrong is how to pronounce the name of this game Botanical comes from Amanita Design a company quickly becoming one of my favorites. Seriously, I’ll be checking out every game they come out with.

They are two for two in my book. With Mechinamrium and now this one. I just wish I know how to properly say the titles they come up with. In Botanicula, you play a small party of botanical creatures, named Mr. Lantern, Mr. Twig, Mr.Poppy Head, Mr. Feather and Mrs. Mushroom, trying to save their world from life sucking spider creatures.

It’s not an easy task either as there are many obstacles and baddies constantly getting in the way of your noble pursuit. Each of your friends has differentiability and from time to time you get to pick who you want to address the situation and see how it plays out. This mixes up game play a bit as well as some other features and it’s something that made me really enjoy this one. I felt like I was solving puzzles in ways you don’t very often. Your mouse will interact with all kinds of things on the screen and not always in the same way or ways you’d expect.

This game has a really awesome style, that unique surrealist style kind of like Machinarium but this time with flora and flona making up the environment and characters. Once again there is no written dialogue just jibberish and small cut scenes to elaborate the story or give hints when needed. The sound and music is also a great fit and I especially likewhen you solve a puzzle and are rewarded with a little tune for your efforts.

 Botanicula is really light-headed and often goofy in the animations and gameplay. This would be a great one to play with kids but still interesting and enjoyable for any one of any age. How often can you say that about a title these days and be a great game for only 10 bucks. This is the PC version, but you can also enjoy it on Mac, Linux and hopefully soon on iPad, android and other iOS devices. So help Mr. Lantern and his friends save Bota Help save their world! Straight from this source you might as well get free video games for you to enjoy.

My Thoughts About DEFIANCE Xbox Game

Hey, remember when we reviewed Defiance on the PlayStation 3? You know, MMO for consoles, TV show, future of media and all that? You can’t forget Defiance! Actually, you can. That game’s a mess on the PS3. But you might remember that I said. See? It wasn’t all bad with Defiance. If it would’ve run better on the PS3, it could’ve ‘been a decent shooter, and a fun MMO. If only, right? Well, listen...I have some good news and bad news.

The good news is, the Xbox version doesn’t run like dead car battery. So hey...that must mean this Defiance is actually decent, right? Well, only after a few hours of installation, and patch downloads, and failed patch downloads, and then re-downloads of previously failed patches. But after that? This Defiance is actually decent. That’s me being a smart ass, by the way. Whoa, alien tempers! Alright, to be fair, Defiance is a lot less broken on the 360.

The game still doesn’t run great, but...way fewer problems than the PS3 version, for some reason. And it really is nice to play Defiance with fewer bugs, and glitches. I mean, there are still bugs, but...these ones, you can shoot. Anyway, if you missed our PS3 review and have no idea what I’m talking about...this game’s called Defiance.

It’s a pretty ambitious idea, too. Not only is it an MMO shooter for consoles, but it’s also a TV show...and one of the biggest examples of transmedia production to date. The game and show are telling a story together. And that’s kind of awesome. What’s a little less awesome is the game’s approach to leveling up. Defiance is obviously a multiplayer-focused game, so to create better balance between players, leveling up is very subtle.

And although that does level the playing field a bit, it also means...you never really feel like you’re getting better, or benefitting from all the missions. It makes things seem...kind of pointless, at times. Fortunately, the missions are many. And the game play’s solid Defiance is a perfectly decent shooter. And although its missions aren’t terribly exciting the fun is in.

The sheer amount, the sense of freedom and the feeling that this really is a war, with lots of other fighters around you. You might see a battle and decide to jump in, others can do the same for you...throw in a nice list of multiplayer options, and Defiance manages to achieve a pretty respectable MMO feel on consoles.

Of course, that said, it comes at a cost. It runs worse on the PS3, but...the game has problems on the 360, as well. Screen tearing, frame rate drops...sadly, all too common, and still problematic. But this is definitely the better version in terms of performance. Enough so that...even with its flaws, I actually had fun with it this time. Defiance tries to be a lot of different things.

A shooter, an MMO, a science fiction saga...an entire brand, really. The video game falls way short of living up to those ambitious aspirations. But you know...even with its boring missions and sluggish performance and average game play, Defiance still has its moments. And they break less on the Xbox 360.


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