Game Review: To the Moon

The dying wish is a powerful tool in storytelling. Almost everyone has thought about something they would change about themselves before they die. What if you were given the power to control the memories of somebody on their deathbed in order to grant them this wish? And what if you disagreed with what they wished for?

In To the Moon you control Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts, two scientists who have been tasked with altering the memories of Johnny, a man who says he always wanted to go to the moon. Johnny doesn't know why he wants to go there, it's just something he feels he needs to do. In order to help Johnny fulfill his life-long dream, you jump into his mind and start working backwards through his memories in order to find the right point to insert the fabricated experience.

Game Review: Huebrix

Huebrix is a puzzle game that tasks you with using colors to create pathways inside of a grid. The hook is you're only allowed a pre-selected number of moves for each color. For instance, you have to create a L-shaped structure and on the screen the number four is placed inside the first box. That means you've got up to four moves to complete the 'L'.

With the fairly simple premise in place, Huebrix spends most of its levels introducing new elements and then testing you on what you just learned. Things such as blocks that add additional moves to the already provided allotment, and blocks that remove some of your moves. These -- along with restrictions like only allowing right turns or blocking your path with unmovable blocks -- adds a mind-twisting element to Huebrix. You are graded on how fast you complete each puzzle and are given medals ranging from gold to bronze. If you find yourself stumped you can use the in-game hint system. If you're still lost (don’t feel bad) then you can purchase additional hints via the in-app store.

The Madden Franchise Continuously Fails by Striving for Realism, Falling Short

I can’t remember the first football game I saw. I'd love to be able to tell you a story about a magical day when the skies opened up and I was touched by some other-worldly being, blessed with football-watching skills, but I can't. I just know that every Sunday from September through January isn't filled with Ikea trips or church, they're filled with wings, friends, and the heartbreak and/or joy of the NFL.

Now, my first football-related video game memory is easy: I went over to an older cousins’ house and for Christmas he had received a Nintendo Entertainment System. This was a great moment in my life, everything about this machine seemed futuristic. It’s safe to to say that for a 4-month period, until my birthday in April, my new favorite cousin and I spent hours shooting ducks and jumping onto goombas.

So, I love video games and football, and logic would dictate that the combination of my two favorite loves would produce the purest form of obsession, right? Sadly, this is untrue. I've avoided the Madden series of games like the plague upon its annual August releases. The lead up to every Madden is virtually the same: the developers and the PR videochat, blog, and press release me to death, saying things like, "This year is the most realistic ever. We've tried very hard to make the game you play at home identical to the game you watch on TV."

This is where, in my opinion, the amazingly-talented people at Tiburon get it wrong. Trying to accurately capture any sport played by real people is an impossible task. When I sit down to play a game of Madden and the players do anything out of the ordinary I am instantly taken out of the experience. Since my love for a game is based on believing in its fiction, once I'm ripped from that moment I can never get it back.

Listen: Devo release song criticizing Mitt Romney for strapping family dog to roof of car

Back in 1983 Mitt Romney strapped a crate to the roof of his car and drove the family dog from Massachusetts to Ontario. Now, 80's subversive new-wavers Devo are dead set on making sure the American voting public doesn't forget about the situation. Band member Jerry Casale calls it a deal-breaker, calling into question the type of person Romney really is.

The band claims this isn't a partisan position, thought, it's worth noting that the band also plans to release an iOS game about the event called Crate Escape, so they obviously want to get the word out on this. It's also worth noting that strapping your dog to the roof of your car is an awful thing to do to an animal no matter what political party you belong to. Hit the jump to listen to the song.

Sophist Radio #61: This Podcast Contains Evan

A cross country move, an awesome guest, and a drunk host. All of these factors play a special part in making this episode of Sophist Radio happen. Join Aaron, James, Harold, and special guest, GamesBeat’s Evan Killham, as they discuss proper apple tree care, Seattle, and first date loving. The foursome also have a healthy share of games to praise and pick apart, including Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior. All this, plus the delayed laughs, long awkward pauses, and poor audio quality you'll come to know and love from the first Sophist to happen over Skype!

Game Review: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

I played the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for hours on end when it came out in 1999, usually passing the controller between friends. That game introduced a brand new concept (a skating game) with such focus and tight controls that it seemed insane that no one had come up with it before. It was riveting. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD seeks to bring that old feeling back for the uninitiated and old pros alike.

THPS HD starts by letting you choose from a small collection of pro skaters with associated stats related to skills and abilities. Throughout the game you are able to earn money that can go towards purchasing increased stats and newer skateboards. While the boards are strictly cosmetic, the stats will increase your ability to jump higher, grind longer, and balance better. You earn money through building scores by performing tricks and completing level-based objectives.

Sophist Radio #60: Moist, Juicy, Wet, and Sloppy

This will either be the final or second-to-last time Harold, Aaron, and James are in the same room to talk about video games. Luckily for you, the listener, and our host there is plenty to talk about. The guys first do their best to tackle E3. If there was a big announcement that peaked the Sophist crews’ interest, it gets a mention. Once the guys close the book on video gaming’s Super Bowl, the chat shifts to Final Fantasy 6, Lollipop Chainsaw, and so much more. Also, stay tuned for a bonus Prometheus rant!

Game Review: Awesomenauts

Awesomenauts is a side-scrolling, multiplayer brawler that mishandles its genre. Instead of a quick blast of action, it’s an excruciatingly slow slog. Matches are three vs three, with six character classes to choose from, and artificial intelligence providing cannon-fodder grunts. Humans and AI on each side attack the opponent’s turrets, slowly wearing them down before charging forward to hack away at the enemy’s “drillcore” to win the match. In the same way Battlefield puts you in the middle of an overwhelming fire-fight with tanks exploding around you, Awesomenauts puts you in the middle of a Tower Defense game with dumpy robots bumping up against turrets. Ronimo have created an interesting take on multiplayer deathmatches, but a tedious one.

The premise -- mercenaries and robots playing tower defense for control of mineral resources -- is dry and somewhat at odds with the ‘80s kids’ cartoon theme, and schlocky electronic music full of bright synthesisers, electronic drums, and distorted guitars.

Sophist Radio #59: Soul Downloads and Sugar Rushes

On this week’s show the Sophist Crew wastes no time, diving into their video game habits of the last month. Fresh from PAX East, Aaron and Harold share stories of games such as Bit.Trip Runner 2, Orcs Must Die 2, and not-quite-a-sequel RockBand Blitz. Meanwhile, James spent his non-PAX time with Catherine, Mass Effect 3, and Fez. All that plus some audio healing and a podcast-shattering announcement!

Shuffled Episode #32: The Video Game Cartridge Series - From Bits to Orchestra Pits

Every other Wednesday either Matt or Alex C-Y share their love of music in an assortment of ways. Shuffled is a podcast whose format is as varied as their tastes in music, so hopefully you won't ever be bored and everyone can find something to enjoy.

This is an episode I've been wanting to do for awhile now. Video game scores always have a special place in my music library. In many ways they've shaped most of my tastes in music. Our guest this week, Corey Williams, shares the same sentiments. Corey approached me on twitter a month or so back wanting to do the same thing for Shuffled and I gladly obliged to team up for a back and forth about what makes video game music special to us. Be sure to check out below for links to download some of these amazing tracks from the original scores and some of the arrangements done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. One show is barely scratching the surface on this topic, so be on the lookout for more video game themed playlists in the future. 

Six Independent Games of PAX East 2012: Part 2

When we left Matt at last week's Tuesday feature, he was busy fighting off the dreaded PAX POX, which had mutated this year through a variant of palm-sweat-stained controllers mixed with the petri dish of the showroom floor. Fearing that it may get the best of him this year (mostly because he was a dumb-ass and left his hand sanitizer at home) our fearless blogger heads deeper into the bowels of the Mega Indie Showcase.

Dedicated gamer edits all three Uncharted games into movies

If you're familiar with the Uncharted series you've no doubt heard them described as extremely movie-like, Sony even had a commercial that said it. Well, Reddit user morphinapg heard it too, and decided to actually make them into movies. So he got to work playing the games, capturing the video, and editing out unnecessary gameplay to make it as much like a Hollywood blockbuster as possible.

Apparently he isn't the first to do this sort of thing, as the comments section is rife with people linking to other examples like Shenmue, Heavy Rain, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Metal Gear Solid 3 via a bonus feature on the special edition of the game. It probably says something about the state of video games as a medium that so many of them can be made into effective movies by just cutting out the extraneous gameplay between cut-scenes, but I won't get into that now.

If you played the Uncharted games and want a refresher course without the effort of pushing buttons, here you go. Or if you haven't played the games and would rather just watch them from the very start, that's all up to you, man. Either way, these are pretty awesome. Hit the jump to watch any of the three. Oh, spoilers. Obviously.

Six Independent Games of PAX East 2012: Part 1

It's Sunday, the last day of PAX East 2012. Despite the chaotic view from above on the glass sky bridge, walking about the showroom floor doesn't feel as crowded as it has been over the last two years. It's still a rat maze to navigate, to be sure, but this time around there seems to be a bit more shoulder room for those of us who just want to stare at the flash and dazzle of game demos. I would love to play most of the games on display, but no extra room can mask the long lines at the big publisher's booths. At peak hours there is almost a two hour wait (sometimes more) to play games such as Max Payne 3, Boarderlands 2, or Steel Battalion. For now though, just viewing other people play these games works for me. Besides, there is plenty else to play on the showroom floor. PAX East for me is independent game territory.

Browsing the independent booths is usually how I spend my time between panels and the music being preformed at the Jamspace. While they are not the games with the biggest budgets or the grandest of booths, they have plenty to offer in terms of entertainment. Here are three games of six that avoided the big lines this year.

The heartwarming story of a nine-year-old boy and his self-made cardboard arcade

Everyone owned their own lemonade stand at some point during their childhood -- mine featured the adorable misuse of the word "free", which I clearly did not understand the meaning of -- but all those stands were likely thrown together in an hour or less and abandoned by the end of that same day. Nine-year-old Caine Monroy from Los Angeles took his childhood business-owning dreams to the next level, though.

Caine spent his summer vacation turning the heaps of leftover boxes from his dad's auto parts store into his own arcade made of cardboard. There were some pretty genius design elements to these hand-crafted games, but sadly, there was almost no foot traffic to his location. Until he got his first customer, who not only loved the experience but decided to help give Caine a big surprise, and film the entire thing.

Seriously, the short film created by this chance encounter with a creative little boy will have smiling ear to ear. Hit the jump to make your day.

Sometimes I Wish AMC's The Walking Dead Had the Balls to tell a Completely New Story

I don't mention specifics, but I do mention things that are spoilers of Season 2 and the comics if you know the context at all.

During the first season of AMC's The Walking Dead, fans of the original comic on which the show is based were throwing hissy fits. "This didn't happen in the comics! Gaaaaaaaaaay!" seemed to be their rallying cry, and they wanted to be heard. With Season 2 AMC apparently listened, and that's really my only gripe with the show.

Don't get me wrong, as someone who has read through the seventh trade paperback of Robert Kirkman's comic, I'm extremely excited to watch how the prison stuff plays out in Season 3, and how Michonne's awesomeness translates to the television screen, but I'd also like to see something completely new. It's a constant back-and-forth going on in my head as I watch the show, and sometimes I wish they'd just choose one or the other, complete faithfulness to the source, or a brand new direction.

Sophist Radio Episode 58: I'm The Bouldernaut, Bitch!

After a bit of a hiatus, Harold, James, and Aaron return with a tale so grand and epic, that it may make you sprint down to your local comic shop and demand they order the next installment. Unfortunately, the only place you will be able to hear such a tale is here on Sophist Radio. Fear not avid listeners, video games are still the main offering. The guys cover plenty, including Mass Effect 3 and Bastion, with a trip through Journey thrown in for good measure. Come for the birth of a new superhero team, but stay for the game chatter.

Game Review: Gridrunner

Jeff Minter has been making Gridrunner games for thirty years, putting it in the company of icons like Pac-Man, Mario, and Space Invaders in terms of longevity. While there haven’t been as many entries in the Gridrunner series as there have in those better known franchises, Minter has arguably kept his game fresher, with increasingly intense and psychedelic overhauls. While the series’ newest installment on iOS isn’t quite on par with the mad genius of 2009’s Gridrunner Revolutions (for PC), it is almost certainly the best original shooter in Apple’s marketplace.

Game Review: Avernum: Escape from the Pit

Starting Avernum: Escape from the Pit slowed me down. Reeling from a number of console games, I began my adventure in this world, immediately noticing it was quieter and demanded more focus. I spent about half of my time in Avernum at this pace. For this, I must partially blame my lack of experience with computer RPGs. Learning the games systems, introducing my player-self to new townsfolk, and simply surviving battles took time. But the game seems to change a third (guessing—I haven’t beat the game) of the way through. Fights begin and end faster. Quests are notched off en masse. And at this point, the game competes with brand-new RPGs.

A rewrite of a rewrite, Escape from the Pit was released in December 2011 over a decade since its last rendition. You control a party of four, whom you create, through the underground world of Avernum, a scantly inhabited land to where the above-ground Empire sends people it doesn’t like. Other species, hostile and friendly, have found their way in, too. Naturally, your characters want to know what this place is like, and maybe even how to escape.

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: The Darkness 2 Edition

Every other Wednesday, I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for relevant terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and uncover hidden gems. Make requests to @USPodcast on Twitter.

The Darkness 2 was the most uncertain sequel of this generation: rumors of a sequel rumbled for years without an announcement, Digital Extremes got their hands on it instead of the prequel's proven developers Starbreeze, and made some bold stylistic changes. Those gambles paid off, and Digital Extremes kept the focus on first-person storytelling while improving on the first-person action. They also provided a reason for a playlist of songs about demons, angels, and Hitler.

4 Bands That Should Dip Their Toes in a New Medium

With The Aquabats' show premiering, and the mc chris cartoon on its way, it seems like musicians are stepping out of their normal routine and dabbling in new forms of media. That might not work for every band, but there are plenty who could benefit from trying out some new ways to entertain. Here are four bands that I'd love to see put out something other than music.

GWAR -- TV Show or Video Game

You knew they'd be on my list. GWAR has quite a storied history of sometimes completely nonsensical mythology behind them. Whether it be from their live shows, countless DVDs, or actual music, they're always telling wacky tales that beg to be made into an equally goofy, adult-oriented cartoon. Just look at the popularity of Metalocalypse for proof that this show could work.

I'd love to tune in weekly to see who GWAR was doing battle with next. Maybe they're feeding the human filth to The World Maggot; Maybe they've gone to space in search of Cardinal Syn; Or perhaps they'd just be sitting around their Antarctican fortress snorting crack. No matter what, it'd have to be entertaining.

If that doesn't work, make it a video game. Brutal Legend is your example there, just, leave out the RTS elements. Apparently people don't like that stuff.