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Archive for June 2009

Consider the light zapper. No, consider it.

By Adam Arseneau on June 22, 2009

Aww yeah.

Consider the light zapper. No, seriously, think about it. For many children, the most amazing part of the original Nintendo Entertainment System was the NES Zapper, a silver-gray (quickly replaced with hunting orange) handheld pistol that allowed us to hunt ducks in our living room. It made an entire generation of boys and girls want to murder a snickering dog. It even made a gigantic, satisfying CLANG noise when you pulled the trigger. It had springs. Springs meant quality.

We’re spoiled today by our Wii remotes and our Natal technology (or we will be soon). It was a gun that shot light! Or at least that was what we were lead to believe. So there weren’t many game developers that opted to design games for it, or for the Light Phaser for the Sega Master System (my personal gun of choice because they modeled it off an obscure Japanese anime). These were novelties at best–a clever use of cathode-ray technology that to this day I still can’t quite understand (magic, I assume).

Continue reading Consider the light zapper. No, consider it.

This entry is filed under Humor, Vintage and tagged genesis, light zapper, menacer, NES, nintendo, Sega, snes, super scope, zapper. | 3 Comments

Symposium ad Nauseum: Favorite NES Games That No One Else Cares About

By Dave on June 22, 2009

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Everyone loves the NES. If you don’t, you’re a communist and R.O.B. the Robot will physically abuse while you sleep. Lots of classic games to point to and slather with fanboy love, too: Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Super Dodge Ball, River City Ransom, Little Nemo etc.

But how about those games that may have only appealed to you way back when? The under-appreciated losers of the bunch?

Continue reading Symposium ad Nauseum: Favorite NES Games That No One Else Cares About

This entry is filed under Symposium Ad Nauseum, Vintage and tagged NES, Symposium Ad Nauseum. | 1 Comment

By Dave on June 19, 2009

Click image to enlarge

This entry is filed under Humor and tagged captain enzo, comic.

Dave’s Take: Prototype

By Dave on June 18, 2009

Here’s my solemn vow to you right now: aside from mentioning inFamous right now, you will hear nothing Sucker Punch’s open world superhero effort in this review.

Fair? Moving on, Radical’s Prototype has got to be one of the most mixed reviewed games in recent memory, with reactions running the spectrum from blech! (ahem) to yippee!

I just wrapped up the main story campaign last night, leaving with a feeling of distinct…

Continue reading Dave’s Take: Prototype

This entry is filed under PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360 and tagged prototype, review.

BLAST PROCESSING! Episode 17: Cyborg Justice Johnson

By Erich on June 18, 2009

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Inspired by recent additions to the Pixel Verdict family, Erich, Dave, Jon, and Tim come up with some socially inappropriate video game baby names before getting down to business with discussions about Crimson Gem Saga, Ghostbusters, Mario Kart Wii, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Wheelie Breakers, and Prototype (sorry Steve, Dave likes it). A head-scratching news segment tackles Microsoft’s next console, EA’s marketing misstep, and why EGM subscribers need get to the mailbox before their wives and girlfriends do. To finish, this week’s Symposium Ad Nauseum topic: Pushover Robot Bad Guys.

Transmit your digital messages and bionic thoughts by electronic mail to feedback@pixelverdict.com, in our comments below, or in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

This entry is filed under Podcast and tagged Baby Names, Crimson Gem Saga, Ghostbusters, Mario Kart Wii, Protoype, robots, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Wheelie Breakers.

First Impressions: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)

By Erich on June 17, 2009

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(Why is this “first impressions” of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii and not a review? Because this is a massive game and I’ve barely scratched the surface.)

Tiger Woods 10 is the latest in EA Sports’ yearly refresh of perhaps the most unfairly maligned professional sport. As much as people like to complain about golf on television, though, they seem to love playing it. With the addition of support for the new Wii Motion Plus peripheral, Tiger Woods gives those of us who don’t particularly care for fresh air and walking slowly the chance to hit the links in the most realistic video game golf experience yet.

The last golf game I bought was Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, used, for a few bucks, a good five years after it came out. The last actual game of golf I played was a couple of summers back at a local backwoods course with my wife’s father and my brother-in-law. I enjoy golf, but I’m not all that into it. I’m also not all that good at it—something the new Tiger Woods game was more than happy to point out when I chose to use the “Advanced” Motion Plus control options.

Continue reading First Impressions: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)

This entry is filed under Reviews, Wii and tagged Motion Plus, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Wii. | 6 Comments

Review: Battlestations: Pacific (Xbox360/PC)

By Adam Arseneau on June 15, 2009

This is going to hurt come morning.

The Charge
One war, two epic sagas.

Opening Statement
A History Chanel fan’s electronic wet dream, Eidos Interactive’s Battlestations: Pacific, the sequel to Battlestations: Midway continues the tradition laid out by the previous installment of offering a unique twist on WWII-themed shooters, downplaying the “action” segments of WWII games and emphasizing the “strategic” and “simulation” aspects. Fancy yourself a general of the five-star variety? Think you can command a fleet of planes, boats and submarines to victory n the South Pacific?

Facts of the Case:
Pearl Harbor, 1941. The Japanese have attacked American soil, and the US now finds itself embattled into a conflict spanning the entire Pacific against a feisty and daring foe. Battlestations: Pacific puts you in command of entire fleets of naval vessels and airplanes as you march (uh, swim and fly) your way to victory. Experience one war from two perspectives—the American and the Japanese—and possibly even change the outcome of history. Well, for the Japanese at least.

Continue reading Review: Battlestations: Pacific (Xbox360/PC)

This entry is filed under PC, Reviews, Xbox 360 and tagged battlestations pacific, eidos, PC, RTS, shooter, strategy, world war II, wwii, Xbox 360.

Symposium ad Nauseum: Pushover Robot Bad Guys

By Dave on June 15, 2009

There are many, many patsies in the video game cannon fodder family, but few get shafted as often as the Robot Bad Guy. Pick an action game, particularly a brawler or hack n’ slash, and unless it’s set in Middle-Earth or something, chances are you’ll stumble across a mechanical heavy of some sort, often sent in wave after disposable wave.

Why the love for sending robots to their death? Probably because players can murder them without feeling burdened by the moral weight that accompanies the slaying of virtual human foes.

Continue reading Symposium ad Nauseum: Pushover Robot Bad Guys

This entry is filed under Symposium Ad Nauseum and tagged robots, Symposium Ad Nauseum. | 1 Comment

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