Castlevania: Lords of Shadow CE

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collector's Edition was annouced today at GamesCom. For $79.99 the collector's edition for the U.S will include the game, the original soundtrack, and an artbook. The Europe edition will include the game, the original soundtrack, and the God Mask. Any thoughts?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Today at Gamescon the new Castlevania game developed by Mercury Steam and Kojima, was given an official release date. October 5th 2010 is when players can grab there whip, some holy water and take on The Lords of Shadow.

Jewel Spinner: By Chris Moxon

Jewel Spinner is a flash game created by Dream Forge Games. The premise is simple, match the colored jewels on the manually directed spinner to the other colored jewels that are on the lanes. If the player becomes stuck they can tap on the center of the spinner to find a selection of jewels that better suit the situation. Now that the idea of the game is laid out let's begin to discuss the game.



Jewel Spinner is a good game that doesn't have many flaws. The gameplay is solid and the controls handle very well. The difficulty has a nice pace and it delivers a good sense of tension as the player progresses through the levels. As I played both verisons ( flash and iPod Touch) I found that the iPod had the better adaptation. Mainly, the spinner was easier to navigate on a touch screen then a mouse. The only gripe I have about this game is the music. The music never really changed throughout the levels, if it had the differences were very minute. In conclusion it's good game and for $2.99 on the Apps Store, it's a title that is well worth the download.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Why Have The Game Gods Forsaken Me By Chris Moxon

In recent years a new type of gamer has emerged, the casual gamer. Casual gaming itself has been around since the begining of video games, but it has never been more predominate than this console cycle, leaving the hardcore audience feeling left behind resulting in some consoles becoming nothing more than a dust collector or a living room ornament. This extreme group has now adopted a self fabricated outcome that video game companies do not care about those who have been loyal to their products. This E3 has not helped this situation either. Microsoft's conference was solely dedicated to "Kinect" (their new motion controller) which is targeted to the casual gamer. Sony's conference dedicated most of there time as well to their motion controller "Move" which showcased their casual titles. In many ways it seems that the hardcore have a legitimate gripe, but before this group can begin to think that the game gods have forsaken them, this casual gaming should be viewed in a different direction.

The pros of this new genre might not seem visually beneficial, but what the casual market creates is an opportunity for those who were confused, frightened, or unsure about the idea of utilizing more than two buttons and a directional pad . The payoff is the world of a gamer was no longer unfamiliar. It can be understood by appling a simplier control scheme and creating games that are accessible. Companies like Nintendo were able to experiment on products like Wii Fit, which became a absolute success spawning a sequel (Wii Fit Plus) and Wii Music which failed miserably. Without this genre, experiments like these would never happen. Regardless if these games are casual these casual gamers are buying both hardware and software and in turn they are supporting the indusrty that the hardcore embrace.


On the other hand this market has been handeld carelessly. For ever success like Wii Fit that is produced, there are hundreds of substandard titles like We Cheer, Wii Music, Kung Fu Funk, Ping Pong Pro: Frat Party Games and Hannah Montana: The Movie The Game . This genre is still young and can be promising, but the light at the end of the tunnel is hard to see when this market is being saturated with software that is less than satisfactory. The lack of quality has resulted in this type of entertainment being seen as nothing more than a joke from gamers and the media.

The key to solving this problem is rather simple. The first step is for Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to focus their efforts on the hardcore crowd at every E3 conference. The odds of a casual gamer putting forth the effort and money to go to an E3 conference to see what casual games they will be looking foward too are dim. If a casual gamer were to attend this event he or she has already proven that they are not a casual gamer from the money they had to spend to get to the event thus, they themselves have become a hardcore gamer, so the idea that casual games should be shown at the major conferences is completely reduntant. The next and final step is quality control. Nintendo has created a grey area in their first party titles. With their attention to details and their expectations on projects they are able to keep a high standard for their major franchises. Mario in all aspects has been re-tooled to become more friendly to the casual crowd while still retaining the challenge of what die-hard Mario fans crave. What has emerged are games that compliment both demographics, so in order for this type of gaming to survive and not become a fad; quailty must be enforced.

Every gamer at one time was a casual player who eventually become a loyal consumer. By this market being created; support for this entertainment is growing in rapid numbers and in times like these were this type of entertainment is being misunderstood and scrutinized gamers need all the support they can get. When it all comes down to it gaming is for everyone no matter what age, gender, or type of gamer.

Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack

On March 30 Infinity Ward will be releasing their first map pack for Modern Warfare 2. The map pack will be called " Stimulus Package". It's exclusive for the Xbox 360. No word yet on when it will be released on the PS3 and PC .

Has Infinity Ward left Activision?

Today Activision announced that a developer named Sledgehammer Games will be starting a new Call of Duty franchise. It's reported that the new franchise will be an action aventure game; a first in the franchise. In other news coming from Activision, Vince Zampella and Jason West ( Both head of Infinity Ward.) have left the company. There is no report on why this happened, but there is a rumor that it could be because of a new IP that they were working on. Finally in relation to Infinity Ward. Activision has asked IW to make a Modern Warfare 3, but the company is relunctant to do so. Does this mean that the well know and one of the best selling series be on it's way out as well and onto a new publisher? Let the rumors begin.

Dante's Inferno: First Impressions

"I cant shake this feeling like I've done this before...No I have done this before, it's extremely similar." This was my inner monologue while I was indulging myself in the experience of Dante's Inferno. Before I dive into the un-settling aspects of the game I would like to start out with the positives. Viseral has outdone themselves when it comes to the visuals. The erriness of being in hell really hold up thoughout the game. The character models are well done and the voice acting superb. It never seems out of place or context. The story is engaging and avoids becoming irrelevant by reminding the player what they are fighting for. As for the un-settling parts it boils down to mechanics. The God of War mechanics are without a doubt present. From how you pull off attacks to how you gain health and mana, it is very reminiscent of the God of War series, but as I keep investing time in this experience I cannot see myself playing this game in any other fashion. So big kudos to Viseral Games for giving me an experience that is worth my 60 dollars so far.